Eyes Wide Shut

Today we are going to talk about racism.  And not just your average, everday, run of the mill Tea Party type of racism.  We are going to talk about subtle racism.  This shit that you see everyday that makes you go "....that ain't quite right". 

It's not always obvious.  But it's always racist. 

That said, I think I should take this time to tell you that it's impossible for Tee to be a racist.  And no, I'm not gonna say it's impossible for me to be racist because I'm black.  That's just dumb.  I can't be a racist because I don't like anybody.  That makes me a generalist.

However, I will say that because of my favorite brand of joke to tell, some people may tell you that I have problems with one particular ethnic group.  Such is not the case.  I have 3 white friends.

Am I inappropriate at times? Absolutely.  Do I say shit most people probably wouldn't say in mixed company? Yep.  But that's just Tee.  I see things and I point them out.  The good, the bad, and especially the ugly.  I don't mean to hurt feelings....but I don't mind. 

My disdain for most of you has nothing to do with your paint jobs.  In no way do I ever say things to make myself look superior to any one group of people, I don't want to be better than anyone. 

What I say is always the truth (as I see it).  No stereoptypes or racial propaganda.  I do what I do to make people think.  I hold a mirror up to dumbassness (and we all know that a dumbass can come in any color) and hope that changes are made after the dumbass sees his/her reflection.

But some people aren't as direct as me.  They are way more passive with their hatred.  Some people would say that I'm too sensitive to that kind of thing, that I worry about things that really don't matter in this day and age.  They say I look for racism in everything.  Truth is I really don't.  I just see it.  And when I see it, I point it out.  Just like I point out all the other dumb shit I see that I see during my day. 

For instance, the other day I decided to send hand-written notes out to friends.  I was looking through some note cards and came across a set that portrayed vintage Kellogg's cereal boxes.  I initially thought that the idea was cute and was excited to share the cuteness with friends.  At least that's how I felt until I saw a Cocoa Crispies on with a monkey tipping his straw hat. 


Seriously? This shit ain't appetizing.

This mess ain't cute.  Not at all.  At least it's not to me.

When you look at that you might see a delightful little chimp loving the hell outta some chocolatey deliciousness.

When I look at it, I see a lot more than that.

I see: cocoa (brown) + crispie (black) + monkey (commonly used as derogatory for blacks). Compund that with the fact that the monkey is wide-eyed, grinning, and tipping his hat like a Sambo and....well...you got a pissed off Tee.

If that wasn't bad enough, one of my friends posted a pic on FB that made me wanna toss eggs at Robert E. Lee's childhood home.

Some people like to rock the Confederate flag.  They say it's because they are proud of their Southern roots.  I'm sure that's acceptable for most.  I mean, I don't necessarily know what people are thinking when they rock a flag that most people view as a pro-slavery advertisement.  But I don't knock them, because nobody says anything to me when I rock my dashiki, black fist afro pick, and Malcolm X lavalier.  But still, I steer clear of folks rocking that flag, just like most people steer clear of me.

Oh? OK.



Truth be told, I'd rather hang with those folks.  Because, I have some sort of idea where their head is at.  They are pretty blatant with their shit.  Way more than the guy that came up with this "Coon Hunter" shirt.  If you didn't know any better, you would think that this guys shirt is promoting the hunting of furry little woodland creatures.  If you see what I see, you know that this right here is bull-fuckin-shit. 

But freedom of speech keeps me from really being able to do anything about it.  That's cool though.  When y'all see me with my new t-shirt with a little black girl harming a bowl full Zesta's and the tagline "I Crush Crackers", don't say a word.

I'm not going to point out all the subtle racism that I see everyday.  I just hope that those of you who can't/don't/won't see it open your eyes. 

And when you see it do like I do and point that shit out.  Shine a light on it.  Open up your mouth and say:

I do this at least once a day.