The troubling viral trend of the “hilarious” Black poor person
May 7, 2013
Charles Ramsey, the man who helped rescue three Cleveland women presumed dead after going missing a decade ago, has become an instant Internet meme. It’s hardly surprising—the interviews he gave yesterday provide plenty of fodder for a viral video, including memorable soundbites (“I was eatin’ my McDonald’s”) and lots of enthusiastic gestures. But as Miles Klee and Connor Simpson have noted, Ramsey’s heroism is quickly being overshadowed by the public’s desire to laugh at and autotune his story, and that’s a shame. 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.
Before Ramsey, there was Antoine Dodson, who saved his younger sister from an intruder, only to wind up famous for his flamboyant recounting of the story to a reporter. Since Dodson’s rise to fame, there have been others: Sweet Brown, a woman who barely escaped her apartment complex during a fire last year, and Michelle Clarke, who couldn’t fathom the hailstorm that rained down in her hometown of Houston, and in turn became “the next Sweet Brown.”
Granted, the buzzworthy tactic of reporters interviewing the most loquacious witnesses to a crime or other event is nothing new, and YouTube has countless examples of people of all ethnicities saying ridiculous things. One woman, for instance, saw fit to casually mention her breasts while discussing a local accident, while another man described a car crash with theatrical flair. Earlier this year, a “hatchet-wielding hitchhiker” named Kai matched Dodson’s fame with his astonishing account of rescuing a woman from a racist attacker. But none of those people have been subjected to quite the same level of derisive memeification as Brown, Clark, and now, perhaps, Ramsey—the inescapable echoes of “Hide yo’ kids, hide yo’ wife!” and “Kabooyaw,” the tens of millions of YouTube hits and cameos in other viral videos, even commercials.
It’s difficult to watch these videos and not sense that their popularity has something to do with a persistent, if unconscious, desire to see black people perform. Even before the genuinely heroic Ramsey came along, some viewers had expressed concern that the laughter directed at people like Sweet Brown plays into the most basic stereotyping of blacks as simple-minded ramblers living in the “ghetto,” socially out of step with the rest of educated America. Black or white, seeing Clark and Dodson merely as funny instances of random poor people talking nonsense is disrespectful at best. And shushing away the question of race seems like wishful thinking.
Ramsey is particularly striking in this regard, since, for a moment at least, he put the issue of race front and center himself. Describing the rescue of Amanda Berry and her fellow captives, he says, “I knew something was wrong when a little pretty white girl ran into a black man’s arms. Something is wrong here. Dead giveaway!”
The candid statement seems to catch the reporter off guard; he ends the interview shortly afterward. And it’s notable that among the many memorable things Ramsey said on camera, this one has gotten less meme-attention than most. Those who are simply having fun with the footage of Ramsey might pause for a second to actually listen to the man. He clearly knows a thing or two about the way racism prevents us from seeing each other as people.
Please stop sharing these memes. Poor Black people speaking candidly about various serious incidents isn’t a hilarious joke.
This is really well written. I admit to have laughed at Dodson’s recounting , so this was good for me to read and I hope people keep reblogging this!!!
May I suggest that Ramsey could be unwise about race relations and simply a racist? To suggest that Ramsey’s statement is wise is silly. He said that when black and white Americans have a relationship it is a sign of some trouble or problem on the part of the white American.This statement is racist to the core, no if or buts.
Actually he was saying the obvious: white people in America are usually scared of black people, certainly to the point that it is beyond rare that a young white american girl would be likely to run into the arms of a black male, without a serious reason.
The fact that racism exists shouldn’t shock you & you shouldn’t try and shame people for pointing out the obvious: racism exists. Claiming that illuminating the truth (that out that we live in a society dominated by racism) is ‘racist to the core’ is unacceptable.
- you’re allowed to contradict yourself
- you’re allowed to seek attention for approval
- you’re allowed to complain about something that’s bothering you
- you’re allowed to express negative opinions
- you’re allowed to be an ass sometimes
- you’re allowed to talk about yourself
- you’re allowed to fuck up
- you’re allowed to be insecure
(via chaserw)
Radical simply means grasping things at the root.Angela Davis. (via theblacksophisticate)
names are fuckin weird, like your parents just choose a sound that identifies who you are as a human being for the rest of your life
(via raisonneuse)
daily reminder that it is okay to put yourself first
(via dionthesocialist)
One time I tried to explain what shoegaze was to a group of people at a party and it was the worst 15 minutes of my life. I ended the conversation with “google it.”
(via gardenhd)
I really, really like Black people. I like us when we’re making bad decisions. I like us when we’re listening to misogynist music. I like us when we’re paying our bills on time and we’re not. I like us when we get married and have these beautiful ceremonies and jump over brooms. And I also like us when we’re bold and brave enough to raise children on our own. I like the men who write to me from prison and, you know, use all their jailhouse lingo and tell me about the political world. I also like the, you know, little conservative girls who sit in my class and argue with me sort of the Black conservative line. I’m engaged by us. I’m fascinated by us. I’m always trying to figure out what would make life for Black people as equal, as democratic, as real, and as possible for the full capacity of human fulfillment as it is for other people. I think that Black people are the American promise.Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry (via theraceproblem)
(via black-culture)
“Fiscally conservative but socially liberal” is a hip, trendy way of saying “I still think poor kids are being too grabby with this whole ‘wanting food’ thing, but I also like weed.”
(via dionthesocialist)
