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Sept. 1, 2004 I have always been puzzled by racism. How do people become racist? Why do they become racist? Why are there some double standards to racism? Being a citizen of southern Ohio, I have always been fascinated by how taboo racism is, but especially when it comes to art; art meaning books, movies, and music, and how some people will touch it and how some people won’t. First off, I am NOT racist; I personally believe that we all breath the same air, we all bleed the same color, and we all cherish the same beliefs. However, racism does exist, there’s no question about that; we have lived with racism since the beginning of time itself. But does art make you racist? Lately, I have been writing a new novel, which I’m hoping to be published in 2005, and one of the characters in this story is a racist. I was skeptical about using a particular word; after all, I’m a white male. But I said to myself, “why would you be afraid to use the word in your story? Your character is a racist, so why not use it in the book?” I was afraid because I thought people would automatically think I was a racist. I began to ponder whether or not to use that word; I remember Stephen King writing the word “nigger” in his novels, but does this make him a racist? I remember watching “A Time to Kill” and Kiefer Sullivan using the word “nigger” in his movie, does this make him a racist? I took a deep breath and typed the word “nigger” in the dialogue expressed by this character, and I didn’t feel bad about it, because it was ONLY written when that particular character was expressing his hate toward any black man in dialogue. Of course there are other sorts of racism that may or may not seem like racism, but in fact are racism. Case in point the white rapper, Eminem. Eminem claims not to be racist; however, he claims to despise homosexuals. I hate to break it to you Mr. Marshall Mathers, but there are gay black people, does this make him a racist? Yes and no, he is strictly attacking the kind of sexuality they choose, not the color of their skin; however, Eminem should respect the person, regardless of their sexuality or their color. I’m not saying this does make Eminem a racist, but he can’t fully claim that he is not a racist. Spike Lee, the director of great films like “Do the right thing” and “Malcom X”, criticized Quentin Tarantino, the director of “Kill Bill” and “Pulp Fiction” because elegantly he used the word “nigger” 29 times in Pulp Fiction. However, wasn’t it Spike Lee who also said that he only wanted to be interviewed by black reporters? Does this make Spike Lee racist? YES, it does. Why? Because how is it that a black director like Spike Lee use the word “nigger” in his movies and get away with it, yet if a white man was to use it, Spike Lee pretends he’s Malcom X and talks down about him? Obviously, Mr. Tarantino is not a racist, because he gave Samuel L. Jackson, a black man, a great character in Pulp Fiction. In the movie Pulp Fiction, Samuel L. Jackson is a bad mamajama that uses a piece of the Bible to end his enemies; also Samuel’s character is a smart black man, while his partner, played by John Travolta, a white man, is sort of on the dumb side. If anything, Spike Lee should be thanking Mr. Tarantino for making a movie as Pulp Fiction. I wonder if Mr. Spike Lee is going to attack me for using the word, “nigger” in my new novel? Because I did use it, but I don’t think any different of black people or any other race. Of course there is comedy that use the word, “nigger”. Of course Dave Chappelle, who is one my favorite comedians, used a piece where a man named Clayton Bigsby was a racist, wrote books about racism, and was a member of the KKK, Ku Klux Klan. However, here’s the catch, Clayton is no ordinary man that hates black people, he IS a black person. What makes this piece so ingenious is that Clayton Bigsby was a blind black man who was told by other people the way of a white racist; therefore, he became what he thought was a white racist. There was a segment where Clayton and his white friend drove next to a Mustang full of white kids listening to rap music. Clayton screams at the white kids, mistaking them for black kids. After calling the white kids a bunch of “niggers”, the white kids high-five each other for being called that, which made it even funnier with the way white kids today want to be like black kids. I know that this column was a sensitive subject, but racism in art is just that, art. It doesn’t make you a racist; however, your actions outside your art is what makes you a true racist. The things you say, and the actions you take can make you a racist. ------------ About the author Eric Schomburg: Visit http://www.geocities.com/schomburg2002. The website is about my novel, One of a Kind, a story about a young boy who possess the powers of the natural elements. Email: schomburg2002@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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