"Here we go, here we go again..." Misery loves company they say. Aaron McGruder must be lonely...Aaron McGruder used to be one of my favorite people (operative words being "USED TO"), until he fell into some mystical, magical black hole of ignorance-- which he seemingly can't get out of. ON MLK day, the Boondocks creator went to Earlham College to speak. Not only was he making unfounded claims that this Presidency is a sham because the election system in America is a complete sham (**as a side note: it is not the system, but the PEOPLE IN IT that make it corrupt... DUH**)-- but he also went on to claim Barack is not black:
McGruder said that to him, Obama is not black because he is not a descendant of a slave. “The person who is one of us in the White House is Michelle Obama and her momma,” McGruder said.Ohhhh Lawd, where do I start? So I guess he's claiming that you're not "black" unless you've been enslaved in America. Forget the scores of countries with African-descendants (aka "black poeple"), or the thousands of years of history that we all share in the African Diaspora-- yeah, let's forget about that. Oh, and lets also forget that every country and every nation on every corner of this earth has at one time or another endured slavery... YES... Even NATIVE Africans IN AFRICA. THEM TOO! So not only is Aaron's claim technically wrong, it's philosophically wrong, plus it just sounds ignorant, hateful and baseless. I know Boondock's is no more, and people have to do things to remain relevant, or at least notable-- but this is weak and pathetic. A participant during the speech said that she wanted her $5 back, and McGruder should go back to school. I second that notion.
In Aaron's defense, he clarified his statements in a subsequent press release:
ReplyDelete"For a long time now, I have tried to keep my opinions on the election and Barack Obama to myself. I occasionally do speaking engagements, which are not open to the press, and unfortunately some of my comments have been twisted around in a silly manner. The claim that I asserted our new President was not Black is categorically false.
"I have seen an endless stream of Black pundits on TV pontificating about the significance of President Obama's election - many of them making reference to the 3/5th's clause in the constitution regarding slaves. The point I was making is that this is not an accurate comparison.
"Barack is the son of an immigrant, not the descendant of slaves. It's like comparing a half-Japanese man to the oppressed Chinese who built the American railroads. Yes, they are both Asian, but it is not an honest or accurate comparison. We all share the common experiences of being Black in America today - we do not all share a common history. A history that in part makes us who we are - and in some cases (as with the psychological damage that still lingers from slavery) holds us back. These are not, I believe, insignificant distinctions.
"I did say I was cautiously pessimistic about Obama's Presidency - but this is simply acknowledging the reality of an American Empire that is out of control and on the verge of collapse. Let us not forget that on the eve of the election, we witnessed a near-trillion dollar robbery of the US treasury. That robbery is still taking place. I do not blame President Obama, but I do not believe the financial and corporate interests that own and control this country will fold so easily. I do not question the integrity of the man as much as the power of his office - which I believe has greatly diminished over the years. I believe the Federal Reserve Bank, the Military Industrial Complex, and the massive corporate interests that run this country have more power than our new President. I hope I am wrong.
"After 9/11, I witnessed most of this country become obsessed with squashing dissent and silencing critics. I hope this election does not turn Black America towards this same, fascist mind state; but already I am starting to see it, and it saddens me greatly. I absolutely wish our new President and his family success and safety. But after all I have witnessed in my lifetime, and especially in the last eight years, I am not ready to lay down my skepticism or my outrage for this government. To do so would be unwise and, ironically enough, anti-American."