Adding Fuel To The Fire Of Racism
Jul 17 2008 
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Last week, there was a ton of talk about racism due to various incidents that occurred. One of them dealt with Loren Feldman and a controversial video that was supposed to be one of his many flailing attempts at satire. Let me state that I do not know Loren Feldman. I only know of this boy. However, the aforementioned video was a disgrace on many levels and one could even label him a racist after watching it. However, I didn’t. I thought to give him the benefit of the doubt because “racist” is a very strong label. Yet, Feldman has a new video up about “Affirmative Action”.
Affirmative Action Is A Crutch
Wikipedia defines affirmative action as,
The term affirmative action describes policies aimed at a historically socio-politically non-dominant group (typically, minority men or women of all racial groups) intended to promote access to education or employment. Motivation for affirmative action is a desire to redress the effects of past and current discrimination that is regarded as unfair.[who?] It also serves to encourage public institutions such as universities, hospitals and police forces to be more representative of the population[1].
I’m not a fan of affirmative action and I don’t support it. I feel that it’s a crutch in many ways and is the least helpful tool for people that are economically disadvantaged. I’m economically disadvantaged, yet I’m at a point in my life that many of my peers are struggling to get to. I have two great jobs and I have a host of supporters around the US and internationally. Affirmative action had nothing to do with that. Instead, hard work and decent writing skills brought me to this point.
If you have to use affirmative action to get ahead, I feel that you’re not doing your best. You’re not living up to your potential. There’s nothing wrong with receiving help, however not at the expense of others who are working twice as hard as you to get to the same place. Affirmative action is a crutch and a stereotype that is insultingly attached to the African-American community.
In Larry Elder’s book “10 Things You Can’t Say In America”, he quoted a statement by a previous Mayor of Atlanta, Bill Campbell:
"Everybody who is a person of color in this country has benefited from affirmative action. There has not been anybody who has gotten into college on their own, nobody who has gotten a job on their own, no one who has prospered as a businessman or businesswoman on their own without affirmative action." – Bill Campbell
You have got to be kidding me?!
The Video
“I’m down with black people.” What kind of statement is that? The Al Sharpton joke is played out. Your affirmative action “joke” is a disgrace. Your newest employee sounds like you with a horrible accent. Honestly, your affirmative action program isn’t beneficial to anyone including you. While I was hesitant to label you a racist before, there’s no denying that you are definitely a racist with horrible video jokes. Affirmative action is a joke in and of itself and not one that intelligent people, regardless of race, should pay attention to. Once again, you’re perpetuating stereotypes on an entire community. You’re crossing many lines and you will get what you deserve, though one could argue that you’ve already received what you deserve. I just hope there’s more to come.
Disappointments
To the people who agree with this bulls*** that he’s doing, I feel sorry for you. However, I feel even worse for those that won’t take a stand against him. I’m disappointed with some parts of the tech community that have let him get this far let alone this popular without saying something intelligent to this moron to stop his progress thus far. It’s making me feel some sort of way about the tech community that sits in silence rather than speaking out because of fear. It’s saddening and disappointing on so many levels.
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I can't believe it — even after all the flack he took. Maybe if many weren't so quick to defend this guy then he would have had time to think about what he's doing.
What say y'all now?
“It’s making me feel some sort of way about the tech community that sits in silence rather than speaking out because of fear. It’s saddening and disappointing on so many levels.”
Yes.
Fuck that asshole.
And thanks for blogging this. As always, you rock.
Just like the government is starting to feel the heat from the citizens of the country, it's time for us to start kicking the soapbox out from some of these people. This whole tech bubble is starting to get filled with written flatulence and it needs to come to an end. I agree with you Shey. Let's see what happens when the blogstar status gets chopped away…
The line has been drawn.
It will be very telling to see which side of the line the rest of the community is on; the side enourages racism by defending it or the side that denounces it and stands up against bigotry.
You're right, this is a huge FAIL on the part of the tech community. I'm glad you're speaking out about it. I've never followed him anyway due to the crap he pulled with Shel, but anyone helping him from here on out goes on my shun list too.
What vmarinelli said. Why do we keep giving him air?
Is this racist? Whats the difference?
Nigga Technology
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArgWxB-vSL8
Boondocks: Martin Luther King Speach
http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids….
Nigga Moment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqsDRQJesMI
Nas – Fried Chicken (Nigger) (Untitled)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sU9zUPdOvM
Nas- Be a Nigger Too *NEW* Music Video! (High Quality)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=l0epSWX9GYQ
Nas – N.I.G.G.E.R. (The Slave and The Master) 2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7OkjaO8Noc
“However, I didn’t. I thought to give him the benefit of the doubt because “racist” is a very strong label.”
I blogged the same thing recently, but it seems pretty obvious now; racist and quite possibly stupid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyJU7A2uYJ8
This is difficult, but I'm going to ask this question: would you judge Sacha Baron Cohen based on the behavior or mannerisms of his characters like Borat or Ali G.? I'm pulling a name out of the air because I'm trying to think of a better example, but let's stick with Cohen for a moment. Is he his characters, some of whom are offensive and could be considered racist? Or do we know? Basically, here's my question: should we assume that the Loren Feldman that we see in his videos is the “real” Loren Feldman, who has admitted to being a dumb comic (or something similar) in one or more of his videos? Therefore, is it possible that we are making assumptions about a person without actually knowing him? I've sent him an E-Mail to try to get some better understanding of his Affirmation Action video. As dumb as that may sound, my experience has told me over the years that it's better not to make assumptions about things. And, quite frankly, I think that there are probably far worse people in higher positions of power, authority and wealth than Loren Feldman. It's difficult for me to write this comment, Corvida, because I do not wish to alienate or offend you, nor do I propose that racial stereotyping and related parody/satire are morally correct, but I am concerned that the tone of your comments, and the emotion that I perceive to be underlying them, may lead to rash thoughts or actions and may not lead to constructive discussion. This is my interpretation of what I am reading and feel free to call me out if you think I'm wrong. I don't know you other than what I've read in blogs (I have stated my opinions of you and your work previously) and could be wrong about what I'm reading here. I don't see this as a binary (yes or no; right or wrong) issue, however, not from my perspective. I chose not to sit in silence in this case, but it might not be the type of reaction that you're looking for either, I'll give you that. At any rate, peace.
+1
@Mark Dykeman
As far as comedy goes, the least imaginative comedians resort to racial jokes. I've enjoyed some of Loren's work in the past, but racial comedy is just lazy, and to continue in that vein is tiresome.
Jokes about black people (especially coming from a white man) aren't funny. There is too much real oppression in America for us to laugh. What these jokes often do is confirm a lot of white peoples' skewed view of black people. The jokes aren't that funny and they hurt more than they entertain.
If Loren has talent, then he should be able to develop skits around any topic. To continue using race in his comedy demonstrates either a lack of talent or extremely poor judgment. Whichever it is, he deserves criticsm.
@swhitley – thanks for your response. You have some very valid points. I don't live in America but I certainly recognize that there are many ethnic groups that have been mistreated by Caucasians around the world and most Caucasians have been in the fortunate position of not having experienced similar treatment against themselves. I agree with your last point – I believe he's said his piece on these topics by now. However, of course, it's always his choice to publish what he wants and accept whatever consequences that arise.
It seems that many people think that you have to wear white sheets and attend meetings to be a racist. The worst kind of racist is the subtle racist because you don't know. Feldman is blatant but many who are defending him probably have the same ideals as him. For me enabling and defending makes them complicit as well.
My problem with this is that people are saying it was funny to them and that political correctness is evil. Has any one of those people looked at it from the other point of view to realize that people are geniunely offended?
@Mark Dykeman – Both of your comments have been very respectful, and I appreciate that. For the most part, this is an American thing. Our history is such that these issues may not even make sense to a non-American. The wounds of racism run very deep. This type of humor, aimed at black Americans, reopens those wounds.
“If you are not for me, you are against me” – this is the mantra of fundamentalism; there is good, there is evil, black, white, etc. You are either one or the other. No grey.
Racism, by insisting on essential differences between people, is “fundamentalist” in this way. It writes meaning and permanence into a universe that is in reality fluid, evolving, and endlessly ambiguous (not ambiguous in terms of “did this happen or not” – slavery happened/happens, lynching happened/happens – but ambiguous in the sense of what do these physical realities mean to us now, what will they mean in the future, what do they say about proper behavior, proper action, proper community, etc.)
The critiques of Feldman that are most apt are not those that accuse him of racism – I don't believe that he thinks, as the racists do, that there are fundamental differences between the races and that one race (the “white” one) is superior to all others. If anything he is, like most humans, ethno-centric. He does not identify with being black, that's clear. “They” are different from him and his group. I'm not sure, however, who that group is and it may only be “ethnic” coincidentally, and not race-based at all. That is, I'm not sure that he identifies with being “white” in any simple sense (he's Jewish, right?). His group may be more like “tech-savvy, smarties, with a an extremely relativist sense of humor, and desire for celebrity.” I don't know.
Rather than creating friend/foe distinctions and using pro/anti-Feldmanism as an ethical or political litmus test, I would suggest judging his work “in its own terms.” In other words: Is it funny? Is it satire? Or, more importantly, does it use parody to express a truth that is otherwise suppressed or ignored? If the end result is base self-promotion, then call “bullshit.” If the result, or at least another result, is a meaningful discussion of the truth, then that's good, right?
Frankly, since Feldman doesn't see himself as racist, coming at him from that angle confirms his view that people “don't get it.” I'm not sure the argument that his stuff isn't funny would get to him either, but it certainly gives him less wiggle-room.
Right. Overblown. Is it funny? is it not? whats his argument? Is it valid? Does he need to be black to bring up the argument?
Calling him a racist is the easy way out.
There's a huge difference between the Boondocks episodes and Feldman's ridicule and it's that there's meaning and a message in the Boondocks episodes. ALWAYS! The character Huey always makes the message clear. The episodes do display stereotypes that people perpetuate about African-Americans, yet by the end of the episode you can receive valuable information about these stereotypes. The Boondocks educates you about them. They display them as examples and then give you the other end of the spectrum (which to some would be the truth). In the end, there's a message that F-man consistently lacks in his little videos.
As for NAS, he's just being controversial and I don't have a say on his album because I haven't heard it. The Fried Chicken song is the truth about how he feels about fried chicken. It's how I feel about chicken sometimes to. There's truth in what he says. He's not just perpetuating stereotypes. It's part of
Have you listened to the Be A *N* too song? You're not understanding the message if you're trying to use that song as an example.
Here's a song for you thoug: Mr. Nigga by Mos Def! Listen to that and come back to me with your thoughts.
I'm lost. What video is everyone talking about?
FWIW: I seem to remember a Miss Manners column where the reader was asking how to respond in polite company to blatantly offensive jokes of any kind — racism, obscenity, whatever.
I suspect her prescription could be all the more deadly in comments on Mr. Feldman's videos.
Miss Manners recommends: Feign utter incomprehension. As in: “I'm so sorry, I guess I just didn't get that. Would you mind explaining it it to me?”
Imagine 100 or so of those showing up in a matter of an hour or two . . .
I think the old folks are the ones stirring the racial tension.
I think the old folks are the ones stirring the racial tension.
I think the old folks are the ones stirring the racial tension.