“White People’s Day” tweet by Chris Rock has caused quite a stir of angry debate around the web.
The controversial July 4th “White People’s Day” tweet by comedian Chris Rock has caused quite a stir of debate around the web. In case you haven’t heard, the actor-comedian tweeted: “Happy white peoples independence day the slaves weren’t free but I’m sure they enjoyed fireworks.”
Now, an onslaught of Twitter and media commentary has followed, with some slamming Rock for what they considered an unpatriotic comment while others jumped to his defense.
@chrisrock Good one! I bet your Guatemalan house staff got a good chuckle, wrote one tweeter.
“He’s the most racist, hateful person I’ve ever heard, ” tweeted another.
Jeff Schreiber, a libertarian blogger, responded with: “Slavery existed for 2000yrs before America. We eradicated it in 100yrs. We now have a black POTUS.” #GoF***Yourself
On the other hand, actors Don Cheadle and Zach Braff rallied to Rock’s defense. Cheadle faced criticism for retweeting Rock’s remark. He responded to his critics saying: “Chris Rock was making a joke … If you don’t think it’s funny. ok. But keep it in perspective.”
Fahrenheit 9/11 creator Michael Moore replied: “Last yr @ChrisRock said white ppl had gotten less crazy… He won’t make that mistake again!”
Chris Rock, whose recent film credits include What to Expect When You’re Expecting and Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, is known to press buttons with his politically incorrect comedy, especially when it comes to race. As a result, many people are bound to be offended by his edgy riffs on white people and black people alike.
What seemed interesting about the backlash against Rock’s White people’s day tweet was that not only did the offended find his tweet not funny, but they seemed to not get it at all.
Chris Rock should have said:
it’s the RICH white people’s Independence Day.
‘Cause the rest of us, all of us, are still in slavery, in this great land of ours.
The blood-sucking rich get richer… and richer….and richer – while the rest of us get shafted.
Those that have the most…want it ALL.
They feast on the finest steaks, as they drive a stake thru our lives, our hopes,
and our children’s dreams.
Their schemes and their frauds have brought this nation to the brink of ruin.
Then they have the gall to cry: bail us out – ’cause we’re too big to fail.
But your babies are never too small…. to starve.
This is not an enlightened society. Heck- it’s not even a functioning Capitalist society.
It’s just pure, destructive, unchecked GREED… run wild.
Heaven help us in a Romney regime.
That all too brief history lesson on American slavery that is taught in American schools has not helped to clear the confusion and misunderstandings between whites and blacks. Would the offended, still be perturbed if they understood that while it was whites, blacks, and Native Americans that fought against the British for American independence, for a very very long time, it was only whites who were given the privileged of enjoying the spoils of the war, Freedom. Furthermore, the oppression did not stop with the Emancipation Proclamation. Although for some Americans, slavery is nothing but an insignificant blotch on an otherwise impeccable record, Blacks still had to endure the oppression that followed in its aftermath. In an age where there are Psychological studies on how the affects of childhood trauma affects adults and their future children, is it hard to believe that the wounds that were inflicted during 400 years of slavery yielded scars that transcended generations.