Chris Rock’s comment about white people’s day creates an angry buzz

The Examiner

Marci Stone

Friday, comedian Chris Rock experienced quite a bit of backlash after his “white people’s day” comment on July 4th; Rock, who thought he was being funny tweeted a joke to followers, but his comment has stirred controversy.

Chris Rock’s tweet:

“Happy white peoples independence day the slaves weren’t free but I’m sure they enjoyed fireworks”

Rock is a former “Saturday Night Live” cast member and this isn’t the first time his comments have been bathed in controversy, and he seems completely unmoved by the comments made about him.

Some people have commented that they thought it was just a joke and not meant to be controversial, including actors Don Cheadle and Zach Braff.

This Week in Blackness host Elon James White said this in response to Rock’s comment:

"I find this Chris Rock backlash absolutely ridiculous. Really? Someone tells the truth and you mad? I’m American. I never claim otherwise. I never give the “We didn’t land on Plymouth rock” speech unless its in a really funny way. But part of being American, to me, is that I have to acknowledge all the bulls*** that comes with it. Basically some folks came over, stole other people’s land, killed them, then started a country on the backs of my people, while killing them, and then at some point they freed the slaves but then oppressed them and killed them some more. Do I have the ability to do things here that I wouldn’t in some parts of the world? Yes. But my family paid the price for that in actual blood, sweat and tears. If more people were like Rock and acknowledged the truth maybe we’d be in a better place as a Nation."

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So, what do you think? Do you think that Chris Rock was out of line for making this comment?

Anybody who said "he loves black people but he hates niggas" can't be all bad. They say patriotism is the last refuge of a scondrel. If any body is a scondrel, it's Chris Rock but with his controversial statement, he has redeemed himself in my eyes for speakin the truth.

What with the creeping sentiment in regard to the 4th of July being a white holiday taking hold among the black diaspora, and the picture below being circulated around the net, looks like the natives are getting restless and black folks are in a revolutionary frame of mind, ready to declare their own independence. Should Obama lose, there might be an uprising! If you black, Jesus, hurry back and help yo po chillun. I may have to leave the country. I ain't ready for this.

As far as waiting for someone to fall down from the sky, good luck to the chillun waitin for help o. It might be harder to get that cameo in the post-racial era than it was during the era of blatant slavery.

Hopefully Chris Rock's comment will be one of many to cause us to think about things that are obvious yet things that we have been oblivious to for so long. Hopefully this is only one of many massive shakes that will take to awaken the sleeping giant.

"Arise from your sleep, Africa. Arise from your sleep, America. There's work to be done, Africa. There's work to be done, America. If we would unite, we would be free. So long, too long." -Majek Fashek

Why what said on Twiitter makes the news will forever escape me.

I have no expectation that something a comedian expressed in 140 characters with change the mindset of a culture.

What Chris said was not about changing a mind-set. It was about expressing an unconscious sentiment that already exists. The social media is both pervasive and influential and once Chris uttered an observation that reached millions, he made it offical: Nothing else is required to entrench in the culture of African Americans that what Whites regard as a patriotic commemoration is nothing more to Blacks than a day off from work and an occasion to get together with family and friends for barbeque and watermelon and card playing. IMO.

I dunno Cynique I just think the world was a better place before social media, perhaps that was the real basis of my complaint about the attention paid to Chris Rock's utterances.

I agree that the world was a better place before people began using their fingers to communicate instead of their tongues. They call it the "social" media but it is really "anti-social" because all of these electronic devices are a substitute for real interaction.

When I was young a favorite pass time was to imagine what the future world would be like. We always thought of expanding our existences with space ships and robots and automatic conveniences ala the Jetsons. We never imagined that the day would come when we would instead shrink the sphere of our existence and become enslaved to little hand-held gadgets, or become swallowed up in a public pool of boring private journals ala FaceBook and Twitter.

"Anti-Social Media" That is definitely a more accurate description.