Chris Rock: It's not black people who have progressed. It's white people.

[KingOrfeo]

Interview:

When we talk about race relations in America or racial progress, it's all nonsense. There are no race relations. White people were crazy. Now they're not as crazy. To say that black people have made progress would be to say they deserve what happened to them before…

So, to say Obama is progress is saying that he's the first black person that is qualified to be president. That's not black progress. That's white progress. There's been black people qualified to be president for hundreds of years. If you saw Tina Turner and Ike having a lovely breakfast over there, would you say their relationship's improved? Some people would. But a smart person would go, "Oh, he stopped punching her in the face." It's not up to her. Ike and Tina Turner’s relationship has nothing to do with Tina Turner. Nothing. It just doesn't. The question is, you know, my kids are smart, educated, beautiful, polite children. There have been smart, educated, beautiful, polite black children for hundreds of years. The advantage that my children have is that my children are encountering the nicest white people that America has ever produced. Let's hope America keeps producing nicer white people.

 

[ms_ann_thrope]

Hollow words from a comedian that made a career out of being a racist.

 

[Libsam]

Hollow words from a comedian that made a career out of being a racist.

right?

so does this mean black people will stop playing the race card, or should i just go ahead and garrotte my cracker-ass throat?

 

[Kitty]

He lost me at the Tina Turner part.

 

[ms_ann_thrope]

right?

so does this mean black people will stop playing the race card, or should i just go ahead and garrotte my cracker-ass throat?

I'm leaning toward the latter.

 

[CandiCame]

He lost me at the Tina Turner part.

Why? He's saying that victim blaming is wrong. What's there to get lost in?

 

[Kitty]

Why? He's saying that victim blaming is wrong. What's there to get lost in?

I didn't say he was wrong, so calm down and buy my sneakers already.

I'm just saying, I couldn't connect it. Can you help me. I'm in the middle of a sleeping pill dose and it's almost midnight. Give a bitch a break and throw a dog a bone.

 

[pointless]

huh. this fucker got stupid quick.

 

[ZiggyTheHutt]

Pretty simple concept with a fairly simple explanation. Easy to follow, evidently correct.

 

[Kitty]

Pretty simple concept with a fairly simple explanation. Easy to follow, evidently correct.

I don't get it. I really just don't get it. I'm taking what he says with a grain of sand, anyhow.

 

[CandiCame]

I didn't say he was wrong, so calm down and buy my sneakers already.

I'm just saying, I couldn't connect it. Can you help me. I'm in the middle of a sleeping pill dose and it's almost midnight. Give a bitch a break and throw a dog a bone.

I don't get what you're not getting. What do you mean you can't connect it?

 

[Kitty]

huh. this fucker got stupid quick.

Keep me on ignore and shut the fuck up. Your dick is little.

 

[LadyFunkenstein]

Interview:

Dang dang dang. Well said Chris Rock.

ETA: The writer of that article is a moron. S/he didn't get it, and as such wrote an article that has confused people on this very thread.Terrible writer.

 

[Kitty]

I don't get what you're not getting. What do you mean you can't connect it?

How about you just explain it and stop being a dick.

 

[Kitty]

White people will gobble up what he says. Because if it's ignorant, it doesn't affect them.

I have to actually see if it's something I can agree with.

So I'm being obtuse. Big deal.

 

[Balladeer08]

How about you just explain it and stop being a dick.

He's saying that if Ike & Tina got back together, it wouldn't be because SHE got better, but because HE did. She was never the problem. The problem was Ike punching her in the face.

To phrase it that she got better would be blaming the victim.

Chris is saying that blacks have been the victims in relations with the whites.

You don't have to agree with him, but that is what the Ike/Tina comment was about.

 

[LadyFunkenstein]

White people will gobble up what he says. Because if it's ignorant, it doesn't affect them.

I have to actually see if it's something I can agree with.

So I'm being obtuse. Big deal.

You clearly don't understand what he said. I suggest you try again in the morning, with an open mind. What white people think of it is so very clearly irrelevant.

 

[Kitty]

He's saying that if Ike & Tina got back together, it wouldn't be because SHE got better, but because HE did. She was never the problem. The problem was Ike punching her in the face.

To phrase it that she got better would be blaming the victim.

Chris is saying that blacks have been the victims in relations with the whites.

You don't have to agree with him, but that is what the Ike/Tina comment was about.

Thanks.
That
is fucking stupid.
How can he make an analogy with one to the other. Ugh.
But I get it.
I just don't want to agree. I'm waiting for something to agree with and it didn't happen. I probably need to read the whole thing in context.

 

[CandiCame]

How about you just explain it and stop being a dick.

I'm not being a dick. Or, I'm not being a dick on purpose. I genuinely don't know how to explain it because I don't know what's confusing you. He's saying that an oppressive group of people in power, like white people, are similar to an oppressive person in power, like an abusive boyfriend. If they start treating you nice it doesn't mean that you've become a better person, it means that they've become a better person. That's what he blatantly states. I'm not sure what part of that is confusing, or if you think that there's more at work than a simple analogy, because if there is, I won't be any help because I also missed it. I assumed it was just to be taken at face value because Chris Rock isn't generally (by me) known for his intellectual subtlety. Which might talk more about my assumptions of Chris Rock. I only know him from his shows. His off-stage persona might be completely different.

 

[ZiggyTheHutt]

The concept boils down to this:

With each passing generation, white people have gotten progressively less shitty towards black people.

This is evident by looking at the fact that mainstream whites, the majority of them, were opposed to things like interracial marriages, hiring of black persons, selling homes to black persons, serving black persons in restaurants, and were for things like racial segregation.

Now, all of those issues have either gone away entirely due to laws enacted (largely by whites, because look at Congress. Not exactly a melting pot.) or because of the change in the attitude of the majority of whites in America, have become far less of an impediment.

Now there are whites actually willing to employ blacks, work for blacks, sell to blacks, buy from blacks, marry blacks, befriend blacks, vote for blacks, and so on and so forth.

Chris Rock's thesis is not that black people suddenly became worthy of being considered part of society- they always were worthy. It was white people and their dumbass racist attitudes which changed in the interim.

That is true. There were plenty of worthy persons generations ago who never got any opportunities because whites treated them like shit. Now, it's less shitty.

Not perfect, but less shitty.



Edit- figures several people would explain it while I was typing. I don't has brevity.

Edit edit- PS I used the term blacks because saying african-american dozens of times in the span of a single sentence would have been a pain in the ass. I want to assure the readers, I meant it as shorthand, in a respectful manner, and I otherwise avoid using the term because it can be interpreted as offensive.

 

[Balladeer08]

What white people think of it is so very clearly irrelevant.

Wow. So your approach to race relations is NOT to go for equality, just to change who is on top?

I don't think I approve of that. In fact, I am really quite sure I do not.

Maybe your frustration with her not getting it lead you to say something poorly phrased?

 

[Kitty]

You clearly don't understand what he said. I suggest you try again in the morning, with an open mind. What white people think of it is so very clearly irrelevant.

I never said what white people think has anything to do with what he said. I'm saying, for the people in the thread who understand what he's saying (who so far are white), it's because it's not as significant to them the way talking about Ike and Tina and black progress, etc., would be significant to someone of color. So I'm nitpicking what he said. It's not so much that I don't comprehend, it's that I don't fucking get what his point is. Thanks for the advice though.

 

[LadyFunkenstein]

Wow. So your approach to race relations is NOT to go for equality, just to change who is on top?

I don't think I approve of that. In fact, I am really quite sure I do not.

Maybe your frustration with her not getting it lead you to say something poorly phrased?

Are you really this stupid?

I commented on what was being said in the link by the speaker (aka the thread topic), not on how I feel about it. Maybe I agree, maybe not. Chris Rock was not speaking to white people in that quote. Sorry but you just need to get over it.

 

[Kitty]

I'm not being a dick. Or, I'm not being a dick on purpose. I genuinely don't know how to explain it because I don't know what's confusing you. He's saying that an oppressive group of people in power, like white people, are similar to an oppressive person in power, like an abusive boyfriend.

If they start treating you nice it doesn't mean that you've become a better person, it means that they've become a better person.

That's what he blatantly states.

First bold: Got that *keeps reading*

Second bold: Mhm...

Third bold: Now you're just laying it on.

 

[Balladeer08]

The concept boils down to this:

With each passing generation, white people have gotten progressively less shitty towards black people.

This is evident by looking at the fact that mainstream whites, the majority of them, were opposed to things like interracial marriages, hiring of black persons, selling homes to black persons, serving black persons in restaurants, and were for things like racial segregation.

Now, all of those issues have either gone away entirely due to laws enacted (largely by whites, because look at Congress. Not exactly a melting pot.) or because of the change in the attitude of the majority of whites in America, have become far less of an impediment.

Now there are whites actually willing to employ blacks, work for blacks, sell to blacks, buy from blacks, marry blacks, befriend blacks, vote for blacks, and so on and so forth.

Chris Rock's thesis is not that black people suddenly became worthy of being considered part of society- they always were worthy. It was white people and their dumbass racist attitudes which changed in the interim.

That is true. There were plenty of worthy persons generations ago who never got any opportunities because whites treated them like shit. Now, it's less shitty.

Not perfect, but less shitty.



Edit- figures several people would explain it while I was typing. I don't has brevity.

I'd still take issue with Chris Rock's assertion that it is all one way.

I'd also say that blacks have progressed. Certainly their level of literacy has improved since the Civil War. The average level of education has improved since the 60's. And with that has come improvements in average earnings, life expectancy....

To say the only change has been white people becoming nicer is absurd. That would be like saying blacks have done nothing for themselves. Just typing that, it sounded offensive.

Face it, any philosophy that can fit in a nutshell belongs there. Sound bites and short comedy riffs are not the way to discuss a complex issue.