People Think They Can Say Anything.

My co-host Michael Young and I seem to argue about this every week on our radio show. Someone says something stupid about black people. I get upset and wonder what the hell is going on. He says "they are stupid, ignore them and move on." I can certainly see his point. It would be nice if whenever someone said something stupid to just discard it. As a matter of fact I did just that on one of our previous shows about Kathy Griffin's comments about Jesus when she won an Emmy (www.dcsouth.com/podcasts under Week 3). She got up there with her Emmy and made a disparaging remark about Jesus. I said she was being stupid and let's move on. Jesus takes no hit by one stupid remark.

In the later weeks, a number of people were saying things about black people. This ranged from fellow radio host John Gibson (Week 5.5) to Nobel Prize winners (Week 7) to TV personalities like Dog the Bounty Hunter (Weeks 9 and 10). And of course Imus. It seems as if every week someone is saying something bad about black people. Well it's a new week:

The Associated Press
February 1, 2008

A county judge was reprimanded for calling three black female lawyers "the Supremes" in court and advising the defendant to get "an experienced male attorney."

Washington County Circuit Judge W. Kennedy Boone has acknowledged that his comments suggested racial and sexual bias. In his written response to a complaint, Boone said he was trying to protect the three public defenders from representing a difficult defendant.

The Maryland Commission on Judicial Disabilities concluded the comments Boone made during a court hearing last April were "undignified and disparaging." The notice of reprimand was published Jan. 18 in the Maryland Register.

A stipulation by Boone and the Commission said that in June the judge offered to recuse himself from other cases the three attorneys handled.

Offering to recuse himself was the right thing to do, said Maryland Public Defender Nancy Forster, who filed the complaint in her official capacity.

Boone told the Herald-Mail of Hagerstown that he apologized to the three attorneys and that even though he offered to recuse himself, each has appeared in his court since the April case.

"I appreciate their acceptance of my apology," he told the newspaper Tuesday. He also said he had never before had a sanctionable complaint filed against him.

The defendant in the case pleaded guilty in June to assault and cocaine possession and was sentenced to eight years in prison.

It's just not every week either. People say bad stuff about black people everyday. That's obvious. But on NATIONAL TELEVISION?? On NATIONAL RADIO??? In the COURT ROOM?? From the JUDGE no less?

Yes, we know that TV and media outlets have always portrayed black people (among others) in negative ways. But all of that is a subconscious attack. Some people actually think that seeing tons of naked black women in videos surrounding one man has no affect on black women when it clearly is an attack. But at least in this case someone can argue the other side (Michael has done a good job at that.)

But now it's out of control. Just blatant attacks left and right. I had argued in week 5.5 of last year's show that whatever level of sensitivity there was to the disenfranchised in this country was certainly in decline. Michael as always provided a good reason as to why that might be good. I agreed with him to a point. But we are in dangerous territory.

We'll be talking about yet another idiot this Tuesday at 9pm on the show (it's webcasted from dcsouth.com). This time it's a judge and I will be angry and I'm sure Michael will be ready to move on. "Just another idiot," he will say. But I will ask him, "How many idiots will we need to say something before there is a problem?" I am looking forward to his answer.

People are very quick to say that the biggest difference between the hatred and racism of the past and today is that it's very subtle today.

No longer.

Peace and Love,

Aris Winger