It's Just a Joke.

By: Rafeeat Bishi

The video on the Apu character from The Simpsons prompted some thinking. Hari Kondabolu made very good points as to why certain humor can not be brushed off as "jokes"

Today, people are becoming more comfortable with speaking out against offensive comments. However, when most marginalized groups bring this up, they're seen as easily offended and sensitive. I don't think it's "sensitive" to not appreciate rude comments. 

It wasn't funny when Kevin Hart said he'd beat his child for being gay. What's funny about child abuse? His homophobia is the butt of the joke, and there's nothing funny about hating a group of people for existing. 

Kondabolu made me think a lot about satire. By definition, satire is "the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues". 

The show Boondocks is the perfect example. When Riley makes homophobic jokes or Uncle Ruckus makes completely racist comments, it's seen as funny and humorous because of how outrageous they are. They, like many other characters in the show, represent exaggerated versions of the black community. Riley is the impressionable, homophobic, toxic masculinity black male, and Uncle Ruckus is the self-hating black male. They're offense is the essence of their characters, which is why most gay people would not have problems with Riley's jokes. They're not the butt of the joke. He is. 

IF Apu's character was written to ridicule those who make outrageous assumptions about South Asian people, or to criticise the system that makes it harder for brown immigrants to achieve success, then it would be satire. But we don't. Apu is a character we only see through the eyes of the Simpsons, and they are not once criticised for their own biases. He's not given depth, or dimension. He stands there for comedy, not to offer South Asians good representation. There's even more issues in the fact that a white actor voiced him. How would he know Apu's experience? 

Like that man said in the video (which Kondabolu made a good point shooting down) Comedy is supposed to stem from conflict. What's funny about the conflict of Apu's situation? The fact that there's a chance he'll stay at that store to support his family for the rest of his life? That's not biting satire or humor. Its bullying.

The next time someone ridicules a culture or makes jokes about lifestyles, I hope one considers the nuances of what they're saying. Be wary of the groups affected by your "jokes".  

Prominent Twitter Personality "emoblackthot" 'comes out'

By: Rafeeat Bishi

     If you're like me and on Twitter for most of the day, then you may be familiar with the anonymous account "@emoblackthot"

     The user had over 160k followers and was famous on the app, known for giving tips on skincare and well-being, and saying "drink water" or "sit up straight" everyday. They were known to have a large outreach, particularly to Black women. They would tweet about feminine issues, such as having periods, and voice their disdain for issues facing Black women and women in general. They created a space where underrepresented people could find common ground. They also claimed to be queer.

    Considering the handle, many people assumed emoblackthot to be a woman. They also had she/her pronouns in their bio. The user never revealed who they were, or posted any pictures. The reveal was going to be one of the biggest things to happen on the social media network. It was not as expected.

     Around last Friday, the user revealed that they had been a bisexual, light-skinned black man the whole time. They are also able-bodied and fit.

     The user, who I won't name cause they don't need anymore clout, claimed they decided to pose as a black woman because they felt they needed the support and commutative feelings that came with it. They now wish to promote their business and music careers. 

     As expected, many black women were furious, calling him out for the severity of his actions and how harmful they are. Non-black women had some different reactions. There seemed to be an out pour of support.

    Some problems with this include the fact that he promoted his Cash App on the daily, and people would donate believing it to be towards a fellow Black woman. He was were in various women-centric group chats, apparently some which shared personal photos. All this time he were pretending to be a black woman

    The biggest problem. The user employed what people have been doing for centuries: using Black women as caricatures.

    Our experiences are used for financial and personal gain, and black women see little of the benefits. He used us for clout, and once he was strong enough, threw us away.

    My worry is that what happens is what always happens. Nobody will care. He'll get a following of mostly non-black women cause nobody cares about Black women. It's depressing. He'll get clout, money, and once again the world will see that it's okay for us to be stomped on. I'm tired. It's 2019. I really have nothing other to say than I'm tired.

White Racist Youtubers Are Given Platforms. Again. 🙄

By: Rafeeat Bishi

  Mediocre White Fave Shane Dawson is yet again making a documentary about the "bereaved" Jeffree Star. Jeffree Star is known for having made numerous racist remarks and comments and having quarreled with Jackie Aina, calling her a gorilla. Shane has also done blackface, used the term "wetback" (a slur towards Mexicans) and ridiculed POC representation. Both are clowns problematic.  

   Despite this, Jeffree (Shane too) is still forgiven, given a platform, and told that his actions were in the past. However, I believe if you're a grown person you don't just "get over" racism. It is something that has clearly been trained, and as adults grow they become less impressionable. While I believe true change is only possible for young people, adults may change too. Albeit slightly. People can be regretful, but small parts of them will always harbor their original ideologies.

  If one does change, it is more about action. What has Jeffree Star done to show me that he cares about black women and is not racist? Nothing so far. So I'll continue to believe he still holds those sentiments. White people have the privilege to make mistake after mistake with no consequences. 

    Instead of shining a light on the actual, you know, black women who were the victims of this act, and give them a platform to hear THEM speak, Shane Dawson gives one to Jeffree Spider Star. Other students like Marvine wrote about these things in their blog posts.

    I won't be watching the documentary because I don't want to give Shane Dawson my views. I suggest watching it incognito or going on Twitter to see what others are saying. If we want to stop giving mediocre white racists platforms, we should try to protest their videos so their stuff is no longer profitable or popular. 


    Instead, I suggest you watch As Told By Kenya. She's a great YouTuber who speaks on important social justice issues. She's unapologetic and deserves a WAY bigger platform than those mentioned. Here's a link to her channel and some of my favorite videos. She inspired me to write this post :).


Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfdQZXHsR1L2g4jDrMmVMTw

Is Kevin Hart Homophobic? - https://youtu.be/llarDY1y-Hs, Jeffree Star and Shane Dawson WE ARE TIRED https://youtu.be/e7cqmkcc8cY, TOXIC Youtubers - https://youtu.be/w89EIU2u1wY, "Kylie Jenner Has Another Black Slave (i mean friend)" - https://youtu.be/YCK5HgcU7NU, 
"James Charles Was A MESS At The Met Gala" - https://youtu.be/i7EBaVA3KmU