Ellington

Aaron MacGruder indicated on Nightline last month that as a satirist, there are some things he may say that will rub people the wrong way. I don't know he was expecting this sort of a rub.

There's a King-sized controversy brewing over in The Boondocks.

Aaron McGruder, the mastermind behind the popular comic strip turned animated series, is under fire from the Reverend Al Sharpton for an episode in which Martin Luther King Jr. drops the N-bomb.

"Cartoon Network must apologize and also commit to pulling episodes that desecrate black historic figures," Sharpton said in a statement. "We are totally offended by the continuous use of the N-word."

The episode in question, "The Return of the King," was broadcast Jan. 15, the day before the MLK holiday, as part of the cable net's Adult Swim programming block. Its story line imagines what would happen if King wasn't assassinated in 1968, but instead wound up in a coma only to wake up in the present.

The animated King delivers a fiery oratory blasting sexually aggressive hip-hop videos, at one point yelling "will you ignorant ni--as please shut the hell up!" In McGruder's satiric vision, King and his famously nonviolent ways are seen as traitorous in the post-9/11 world. King's declared a terrorist sympathizer, and he forsakes the U.S. for Canada, where his speech sparks a second civil rights movement.

The Cartoon Network questions whether Sharpton, himself an outspoken advocate for civil rights and sometime Democratic presidential candidate, didn't get the joke.

In a statement, the network defended the episode as a celebration of King's values. "In no way was [the episode] meant to offend or desecrate" King's legacy, the network said.

"We think Aaron McGruder came up with a thought-provoking way of not only showing Dr. King's bravery but also of reminding us of what he stood and fought for, and why even today, it is important for all of us to remember that and to continue to take action," the statement continued.

To let you know that my opinion does not come from hearsay, I watched the episode that night, the first - and only so far - and I felt that it was right on time, as they say. No, I'm not an N-word fan, but sometimes the truth can be ugly.

Looking for comments...

Previous Comments

ID

104576

Comment

LW right on target. I didn't see the episode but if the description is true I agree Martin would have been furious at our black youth today. He certainly wouldn't approve of the language used in hip-hop especially the put down and name calling of women. He would have had a fit seeing the Mayor strapped down going into an apartment complex where there were little children. I am not sure he would not have used the N-word on him and some of our other so called leaders.

Author

jada

Date

2006-02-08T23:46:21-06:00

ID

104577

Comment

L.W., I've had some mixed feeling from time to time about Boondocks' use of the N-word, considering Adult Swim's predominantly white audience--the "Grandpa's Fight" episode being the best example of a case where I think McGruder went overboard--but in this instance, I agree he's right on time. His depiction of how Dr. King would be treated today, in particular, was totally spot on. Sure, everybody loves him now that he's 38 years dead. But we all know that he was not satisfied with just taking "WHITE" and "COLORED" off the drinking fountains; in fact, the night he got shot in Memphis, he was in town to support a garbageworkers' strike. It's a sad irony that someone who spent his life speaking truth to power has been turned into a milquetoast plastic saint. Good on McGruder to remind us how beautifully and inspiringly dangerous he really was--and still is. In India, they have master's and Ph.D. programs in Gandhian thought. Ever since I heard about that, I wondered why we didn't have similar programs in the United States dedicated to the study of Dr. King's philosophy. He really was our Gandhi, one key difference being that Gandhi is still considered controversial in many circles of India. He has not been transformed into a mere icon. I think one of the best things we can do in this generation is to transform Dr. King from plastic back into flesh and blood, and we can do that by living his philosophy, by standing up to the powerful, by refusing to listen to other people who tell us what we're supposed to conform to, how we're supposed to be all about building ourselves up and making ourselves happy. Dr. King took up his cross and walked and he told other people to take up their crosses and follow. Is there anything more noble than that? Now, all that said, I'm not angry at Sharpton. When public figures reach a certain level of age and prestige, they are almost required by law to turn into fuddy-duddies. I still remember reading with horror the letter to the editor to Poets & Writers written by Allen Ginsberg, author of Howl, complaining that he thought the dress Ntozake Shange was wearing on the previous month's cover was too skimpy and lowcut. ALLEN GINSBERG, the person who wrote "America, go f--k yourself with your atom bomb," was offended by Ntozake Shange's bare skin. So after that, it's hard for me to be surprised at anything an aging celebrity does. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-02-09T05:38:18-06:00

ID

104578

Comment

I watch Boondocks every week and I like it for the most part (the daily strip is better), but the over use of the n-word does irritate me. I avoid using it much in my own life (but I do use it) and never in "mixed" company. McGruder has admitted that he uses it frequently and doesn't see a prbblem because it reflects how many blacks speak. But for the same reasons as TH, I don't like the overuse of it every week. The MLK "Return of the King" was one of the best eps so far IMO ("A Date with the Health Inspector" is my personal fav) because it confronted the biggest dichotomy in black culture today, the demand for civil rights, equality, reparations and respect from white America while simultaneously tolerating or embracing the continued misogyny, violence, materialism, and self-destructive behaviors plaguing our own communities. BET is only a symptom of a larger problem with Black leaders who aren't as committed to improving the race from within with honesty and sincerety, while always eager to attack the injustices from outside a la MLK. McG could have opted to give MLK an eloquent, dignified speech that would have conveyed the same message, but I think he wanted to point out that today's black youth, by debasing ourselves with our moral and cultural choices, deserves to be talked down to like common n____ even by King himself.

Author

Jeff Lucas

Date

2006-02-09T09:34:43-06:00

ID

104579

Comment

But we all know that he was not satisfied with just taking "WHITE" and "COLORED" off the drinking fountains; in fact, the night he got shot in Memphis, he was in town to support a garbageworkers' strike. We don't hear about that strike enough, and when we do there aren't many more details. One significant fact (which I did not know about until recently) is that his wife carried on with the strike before he was even entombed.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2006-02-09T11:05:00-06:00

ID

104580

Comment

Oops, link didn't work... More on Coretta Scott King: http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=8545_0_48_0_C

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2006-02-09T11:11:55-06:00

ID

104581

Comment

And how often do you hear about what happened on Beale Street afterward -- and then to Beale Street as a result?

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-02-09T12:34:44-06:00

ID

104582

Comment

What happened on Beale Street?

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2006-02-09T12:41:16-06:00

ID

104583

Comment

As I understand it from a historian I interviewed there, it exploded into upheaval after he was killed, which led to the police shutting down businesses and beating folks in the streets. The businesses did not survive and that's when the city's black business district died.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-02-09T12:43:48-06:00

ID

104584

Comment

Thanks, LW for following up on this. I'm too swamped with work to give any real comment of substance, but y'all have done a good job. I don't like the N word and try not to use it. Too many members of the younger generation of blacks can't fathom the hurt that word has caused. No amount of new contexts or spellings can free this word of its painful reputation.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-02-11T14:21:44-06:00

ID

104585

Comment

We are going to be tackling this topic and more at our Free2Flow Summit on Saturday, April 8, 2006. This will take place at the Greater Mount Calvary Family Life Center. Details can be found by visiting free2flow.com. Jus wanted to let you know. The actual topic is "The Commericializing of the 'N' word" This will take place 10-11:30a.m. The speakers on the forum are Anthony Colom of New Power Magazine, Dub-G of Big House Records, Bill Will "The Scorpian King" of Worldwide Westside Magazine, as well as hiphop heavyweights 2Tone, Niko-G, Bookie, Span Phly, Biz and the "King of AZ" Atllas.

Author

c a webb

Date

2006-02-11T15:40:23-06:00

ID

104586

Comment

There was a report on Channel 16 about a teacher using the n-word (I forgot what state). I don't see the report on their Web site, so I did a search on Yahoo. Guess what I found?

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2006-02-11T20:04:04-06:00

ID

104587

Comment

The teacher was from KY- and has done some bazzakwards stuff before. Can someone at Dpt of Ed in KY please get rid of this clown? If you can find the video of his explaination on a local KY TV station, it'd be hilarious if it wasn't true. I thought I was watching Dave Chappelle... What a dangerous (ignorance is one of the greatest dangers IMHO) person to have teaching our youngsters.

Author

urbangypsy

Date

2006-02-11T21:21:56-06:00

ID

104588

Comment

L.W., Doesn't surprise me that there are so many cases of a teacher or others in positions using the "N" word. Look at how it is used today. C'mon, it's not surprising to me that they feel like they can't use it. Everyone else is. There has to be some kind of consensus with us. Either the word is inappropriate for all or not at all. It's that simple. I think to say that some can use it and at certiain times is ridiculous.

Author

c a webb

Date

2006-02-11T21:24:01-06:00

ID

104589

Comment

There has to be some kind of consensus with us. Either the word is inappropriate for all or not at all. It's that simple. I think to say that some can use it and at certiain times is ridiculous. I couldn't agree with you more (high five). We need to stop sending mixed messages and be a united front on this problem. Either we is or we ain't!

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2006-02-11T21:30:57-06:00

ID

104590

Comment

If you can find the video of his explaination on a local KY TV station, it'd be hilarious if it wasn't true. I thought I was watching Dave Chappelle... urbangypsy, I wish to GOD I could find that video too. I couldn't believe he was sitting there holding up a piece of paper with the N-word spelled two different ways (-er and -a) and actually trying to explain why they are two different words. Tsk tsk tsk...

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2006-02-11T21:47:22-06:00

ID

104591

Comment

L.W., ok its too late for me to get a bloggers tutorial (gosh 'm getting old- 9pm on a Saturday nite is too late!) But here's a try at the link. Cross your fingers... http://www.whas11.com/sharedcontent/VideoPlayer/videoPlayer.php?vidId=49293&catId=49

Author

urbangypsy

Date

2006-02-11T22:13:50-06:00

ID

104592

Comment

"Is this our fault? Have we empowered this word and now it is being used against us again?" question from the person who orginally sent me the story. Any thoughts?

Author

urbangypsy

Date

2006-02-11T22:20:20-06:00

ID

104593

Comment

The link worked great. Thanks! Yes, our own people have created a monster. It is up to us to set the record straight and clear up the confusion about this word.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2006-02-11T22:57:16-06:00

ID

104594

Comment

C.A. Webb writes: There has to be some kind of consensus with us. Either the word is inappropriate for all or not at all. It's that simple. I think to say that some can use it and at certiain times is ridiculous. I hope folks won't laugh too loud if I take the odd position of being a white guy defending the fact that some black folks can use the N-word without offense, but white folks never should (except when quoting primary sources). I'm thinking of D ykes on Bikes, a lesbian motorcycling club that was recently allowed to trademark its name. The trademark had been denied for some years on the basis that the term "D ykes" (which would be censored by the software if I didn't add the space) is an offensive pejorative. It indeed is, except when used by lesbians themselves, or used in a context that everyone present would agree is "safe." Likewise, "queer" has traditionally been a pejorative term--but now there's a whole exciting field of the humanities and social sciences called queer studies, and I had to get past my own discomfort with the pejorative meaning of the label in order to even use that phrase. It still doesn't sit right on my tongue, but given time... The term "Christian" ("little Christs") was originally an offensive pejorative; the first Christians called themselves followers of "the Way." The term "Quaker" was originally an offensive pejorative; the self-description of the Quaker faith is the Society of Friends. And so forth. There is a long history of offensive pejoratives being reclaimed by the target group as a term of affection or solidarity. Which is not to say that "n--ga"/"n--ger" should be reclaimed in this way. Obviously I'm in no position to make any judgment on that. But given past history, I think expecting an entire ethnicity to come to a consensus about whether a pejorative term can be a self-referential might be too ambitious, and I would never negatively judge members of an ethnic group who use a pejorative as a self-referential. I have never felt that it's unfair that blacks "can" say the N-word and whites "can't"; hell, if I wanted to I could go around talking about "crackers" and "the white devil" all I want because the fact that I'm a white boy blunts the pejorative, and flirts with the comical. I can also get away with saying more aggressive things about male culture and male virtues, as a feminist, than many female feminits can without sounding prejudiced. All of this is quite natural and to be expected. Personally, I look forward to the day when our culture's whole understanding of race and ethnicity has changed to the point where such pejoratives aren't even threatening or offensive anymore. But I don't expect that to happen in my lifetime. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-02-12T03:56:16-06:00

ID

104595

Comment

Tom, I read what you had to say and it reminded me o a discussion I had with a panel of blacks in 2001 when I first decided to tackle the "N" word. I ruffled some feathers when I refused to say N---a and instead said N----r. They told me it "didn't sound right" and that I shouldn't say the word because I didn't say it correctly. My whole point of the panel was that back "in the day" the derogatory form was not N---a, so why is it that they would take any form of a word they felt like was offensive. The argument I got was that it was turning something that was meant to be offensive into something enduring... COME AGAIN? I just don't get it. I represent a white rapper that uses the word N---a. Does it bother me? No. Do those who listen to his music get offended? No. They see him as "one of the n---as". That's why I said what I did earlier in this thread. There has to be some kind of consensus.

Author

c a webb

Date

2006-02-12T10:06:12-06:00

ID

104596

Comment

C.A., you've got guts, man. What a clever way of showing how close the word strays to being offensive. One of my absolute favorite phrases from black culture to hear, but obviously never to say, is "N--ga, please." There is no other word in the English language that you could substitute for "n--ga" and still achieve the same effect. And obviously it has no racist connotations whatsoever in the contexts where it's used. "N--ger" itself is a redneck mispronunciation of "negro," a word which is, in and of itself, completely inoffensive (it's just a Romance word meaning "black," so that, e.g., in Spanish black beans are frijoles negros). So it seems to me that modifying the pronunciation of -er to make it an -a is certainly fair game, but the trouble is that people don't realize that -a and -er are different words, if in fact they are completely different words. I don't know. Up until now I'd always kind of assumed that they were basically the same word, but your post makes me wonder. I would never use either word, or form of the word, as part of my own conversation, but clearly use of the word is contextual. If I were in a play doing the role of a racist character who used -er, then of course I'd use -er. If I were doing a reading before a large group reciting, say, an excerpt from Richard Wright's Black Boy that used -er, then I'd use -er, no question. But I've sometimes wondered what I would do if for some reason I was stuck karaoke-ing Kanye West's "Jesus Walks" or Jay-Z's "Dirt Off Your Shoulder." Would I drop the N-bomb, or very conspicuously not drop the N-bomb (which might be even more offensive)? "Jesus Walks" being a rare case, I think, where the artist meant -er even if he said -a ("A n--ga might jack your Lexus" doesn't really mean anything because he's so obviously talking about the pejorative meaning, or at least that's the way it scans to me). I guess a consistent application of my ethic would have me going with whatever Kanye or Jay-Z used, but I wouldn't feel entirely right doing it in that context and I would feel right if I were doing it in a reading, and I'm not sure what the difference is. I guess I'd be concerned about the "blackface" element of things--of appropriating, and perhaps unintentionally parodying, the internal language of another race. Is that silly? Maybe it is. You've made me think, dude. Thanks. What amuses me, on a side reference to another thread, is that the CofCC types seem to always respond instinctively with "But I can't be a racist because I don't say 'n--ger'!" The N-bomb is a word, just a word, and like all words it depends on context. Kanye West saying "n--ga" does not sound racist; David Duke would even if he said "African American" or "person of color" because you'd be able to hear the unarticulated N-bomb in his voice. So while whites who use -er are invariably bigots in my experience, I wouldn't say that not using -er necessarily scores people a whole lot of points. There is an idea behind -er that is very much alive in the minds of people who talk about "thugs" and "welfare queens." Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-02-12T15:39:59-06:00

ID

104597

Comment

So while whites who use -er are invariably bigots in my experience, I wouldn't say that not using -er necessarily scores people a whole lot of points. There is an idea behind -er that is very much alive in the minds of people who talk about "thugs" and "welfare queens." I was talking about this with one of my sisters today. Sometimes it's something about the way some people say "black", "liberal" or "Democrat" that makes my skin crawl. You know, like when some people say "buh-LACK people". That emphasis sounds like the N-word to me.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2006-02-12T21:14:15-06:00