Greetings all. By now, I am sure many of you reading this have heard ad nauseam about the charged comments of “Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson on how he personally never noticed any mistreatment of Black people growing up in Louisiana. There has been commentary on this from every angle. Segregation blindspots aside, it comes as no surprise that many would weigh in on this matter. What is a little off putting is the comments of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson on Phil Robertson’s remarks. He said in a recent statement that Robertson’s comments were “more offensive than Rosa Parks bus Driver” Um. Okay.
At the risk of speaking out of turn, is it really that serious? First of all, is there any surprise that Robertson feels this way. Second of all, I think this is a good example of feeding into outrage at the point of overload. Third, comparing the statements of a “celebrity” to the bus driver that kicked Rosa Parks off of the bus in Montgomery trivializes that watershed moment in American history. In an attempt to lambaste Robertson for his remarks, Jackson somewhat inflates their importance via a bad historical parallel. It is important to check bigots on their statements, but its also vital not to overdo it. There lies the danger of searching for a way to be outraged. It can get a person to make leaps in logic that have no grounding in the present situation. Robertson is not Bull Connor, nor is he Jimmie Davis, the segregationist Democratic governor of Louisiana during the “good old days” No need to inflate the comment to the point of the absurd.
What are your thoughts on this out there?
I have recently commented on “fake outrage” when it comes to certain comments made by athletes and entertainers and fake entertainers (reality stars). It is normal for them to say the dumbest things and we need to not give them so much energy. As you addressed this, we SHOULD check them but no need to go HAM!
Thanx for the insight!!
You are welcome Ali! When I first heard of Jesse’s comments.. I was like.. um.. okay. I agree, fake outrage is not the move for Black folks in this era.
I think the comparison was a little odd. I guess he used the Rosa Parks Bus Driver analogy because some conservative radio host compared Robertson to Rosa Parks herself. Obviously, the argument itself ‘our nigras were happy until…’ has to be challenged every time its said, but sometimes that challenge will sound strange, which is the case this time.
I agree Shawn. It was an odd comment. Thanks for your commentary.
I never heard of Phil Robertson until this got blasted all over the place, and I know I’m not alone. That being said, I believe reality ‘stars’ are given a celebrity they don’t deserve. Reporting on their comments, regardless of veracity, accuracy, correctness, or the intelligence of the ‘star’, gives them more credence than they deserve. In that regard, I agree, not that serious.
On the other hand, far too many people are willing to write off or make light of injustices for the mere reason that they occurred in the past.
Although Jesse Jackson may have made a, too elaborate, comparison I can understand his comment, especially since we seem to be in a state of regression. Hate and hate mongering is on the upswing – almost like it’s the cool thing to do – to voice your fanaticism.
Totally agree, the same with Paula Deen. There are bigger fish to fry.