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"The troubling viral trend of the hilarious black neighbor"

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Dick Whitman, May 9, 2013.

  1. poindexter

    poindexter Well-Known Member


    White guilt story posted by Dick Whitman - shocking.

    And this line from the story: Ramsey has become the latest in a fairly recent trend of “hilarious” black neighbors, unwitting Internet celebrities whose appeal seems rooted in a “colorful” style that is always immediately recognizable as poor or working-class.

    The author is dead wrong. Ramsey is 100% the opposite of "unwitting". Ramsey knew exactly what he was saying. In fact, Ramsey is extremely media savvy, and knows exactly how to control his message, and what makes a viral hit in 2013.

    The dunderhead author gives no credit to Ramsey. The author could not be more dead wrong.
     
  2. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    Explain.
     
  3. TheSportsPredictor

    TheSportsPredictor Well-Known Member

    Ramsey wasn't even the guy who helped the girl out of the house. He was the guy who called 911. Two other guys were the ones who helped break down the door. They don't speak English, so couldn't give interviews that led to viral videos ... at least not to English-speaking media.

    http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/national/angel-cordero-claims-he-was-first-to-help-cleveland-women-not-charles-ramsey
     
  4. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    Agree. I cringed when I heard it.
     
  5. poindexter

    poindexter Well-Known Member

    The stories you pretty much all have a certain Northeast, elitist tilt to them. But not necessarily all have a white guilt tinge. My bad. I will rescind.
     
  6. poindexter

    poindexter Well-Known Member

    No need to cringe. The dude was making a joke. Everything said into a microphone doesn't have to be micro-analyzed.
     
  7. I don't think is a trend of the hilarious black neighbor.
    It's people wanting to be famous.
    Antoine Dodson
    Sweet Brown
    Kai the Hitchhiker
    And this guy ...
    It's a chance to be funny on the local news and maybe it goes viral and they get 15 minutes of fame.
    I don't think there's much to this "trend." It's certainly not new. I would argue it's not racially discriminating or highlighting anyone based on skin color or minority status.
    People love characters. Period.
     
  8. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    He was on a roll and making a point. I still cringed. He should have used blue font.
     
  9. Boom_70

    Boom_70 Well-Known Member

    Agree. In a world so scripted people like to see real world characters. It's why reality TV
    is so popular. It's why the cast of Duck Dynasty is now famous.

    Ramsey must be a eastern preppy at heart. He's wearing a Polo V neck T shirt in the interview. Nice placement for Ralph.
     
  10. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    My first thought was Epic Beard Man.
     
  11. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    I don't understand what this means. I'm not from the Northeast.
     
  12. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    Why should it make you cringe?

    He was making a joke, but he was making a point too.

    As a black man, he's more used to white folks fearing him -- maybe even crossing the street to avoid him -- than running to him for help.

    He's speaking more about the racial views of whites than he is of his own racial views.

    It reminded me of this passage from then candidate Obama's famous speech on race:

    I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother - a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.
     
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