Random Thought: Has Boondocks Gone Overboard??????
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Random thought of a blackman in America time:
Did anyone see Boondocks last night??
Is it just me or does anyone else feel like Aaron McGruder might have gone a little overboard with this last episode? I’m sayin… It was funny… But, at the same time, I could have been crazy offended… The name of the episode was “Stinkmeaner Strikes Back”… For those who missed it:
The show plays off the nigga moment … Definition:Nigga moment is where ignorance overwhelms the logic of an otherwise rational negro man…
Watch:
Well, this episode takes that theme from the last episode, when Granddad kills Col. Stinkmeaner in a classic nigga moment. Huey has a dream of Stinkmeaner coming back from hell to get revenge. Granddad says that he was a menace and he sent him to hell like he deserves. Stinkmeaner's spirit later inhabits Tom Dubois' body and goes looking for revenge against Granddad. Dubois’ starts having nigga moments and Stinkmeaner is the cause of it. Eventually, they tie Dubois’ up (who is possessed by Stinkmeaner’s ghost) and call Uncle Ruckus to do the exorcism… LMAO!
Yo, and that is where I felt like they might have went a bit overboard… The exorcism performed by Uncle Ruckus was craaaazzzzzyyy!!!! LMAO… Basically, they had to get “the nigga” (Stinkmeaner), out of “the Blackman” (Dubois’). So, to do that… Ruckus brought his tools… A noose, a whip, a branding iron, police baton, and a job application… LMAO!
Yo!!! Wait… Wait… It gets worst…
The exorcism involved them making him read a book, beating him with the whip, baton, and straight tim stompin' his ass; while screaming “nigga get yo’ black ass out of here!” …LMAO!
Watch for yourself:
Now, I understand what McGruder is getting at with all this… I agree… But, c’mon now… LOL… Shouldn’t some things be sacred and only talked about within our community??? Should we really be airing out our dirty laundry for all of America to see???? With all the controversy surrounding the “Read A Book” video; I can’t see how Boondocks flies under the radar… Is it because it is shown on Cartoon Network and not BET (I really wish it was on BET, where it is needed)???
Also, I know a lot of white people probably watch the show… So, do you think they get it? Do they really truly understand the message behind all the, “nigga this and nigga that?” Do they really overstand??? Because the first time a white kid sees a fight at school between two black kids and says some shit like: “Yo, never-mind them, they just having a nigga moment…” LOL… There might be a problem or would it be a problem???? **scratches head**
Either way, it is a great show… With its brilliant use of humor; it brings up some topics that are in need of discussion in our community… But, this episode had me laughing so hard at how offensive this shit could be taken.
i like how the episode ends with huey realizing lll nigger moments end with peace and harmony and i thnk tha McGruder saw that as the most vital part to the story as well. Because after realizing such the Uncle Ruckus exorcism with the noose, baton, and bull whip ends after he finds common ground with Stinkmeaner about their hatred for nigga moments.
The thing is the first nigga moment episode seems more negative than the second, as alll it did was diagnose the problem but not present preventative measure, and that is counterproductive as hell; which is also a major problem for the black community counterproductivity. But like all things this show in its nearly overboard eccentricity is as necessary as alll things black...because everyone needs to analyze everything black and discern what is useful to build from and what's not.
Lets not defeat hte show because it presents an ugly issue in pretty animation so people will want to watch Kas....
^^^Co sign and yes the Tony Starks cameo wuz sick-wid-it!!!!
BTW, is any one of yall gonna check out the latest book from Aaron McGruder, "All The Rage", where it got strips from 03-05? I'm gonna check it out 2day, it debuts 2day...
To be honest Kas, I don't think there's such a thing as going overboard or dirty laundry. I think we have all our culture on display already, for better or worse. The best thing we can do now is be the ones who decide how it's perceived. McGruder has been doing that in the national forum for a while and I can't knock him. Dave Chappelle was questioned for "going overboard" with his representations but I think he found the treasure in those taboos.
I think if you never truly kept up with Boondocks from the comic strip to the actual cartoon, you will think he's going overboard. Not saying that you haven't but I know certain people will think its over the hill. You have to look at the end of that episode, too, when Huey figures out how to resolve the "nigga moment" with the peace resolution between Stinkmeaner and Ruckus. And watch for what each character represents. Ruckus represents the self-hatred of black people that we aren't willing to admit is out there. Stinkmeaner is an example of brothas that don't give a damn and doesn't care who gets hurt in his path.
There so many episodes that Boondocks has done to shed light on topics that regular shows stray away from. Like "The Itis Episode" where Grandpa Freeman opens an unhealthy restuarant exposing how the diet of black people is equivalent to drugs in the black community. Or the Rev. King episode where they have it where he is kept alive and showing the effects of it. Boondocks is not your average show and I think most of America is not ready to hear what its intially saying.
And nigga moments are real. The way they broke it down makes so much sense.
That particular episode was very educational. It's obvious you can't beat Nigga because it doesn't solve anything. Violence only begets more violence. If I had kids I would show them this episode with no problems. This video can encourage popular education...
There is a very thin line between making fun of people who buy into stereo types, and perpetuating the stereo type.
I feel like the line is much more grey this season than last. any amount of feel good afterschool special, socially conscious messages are gone.
There is really only a hand full of people out there who are going to be able to get past the violence, vulgur language, and racial epitaphs, and find the goodness.
This is one reason why Chappelle walked away from doing a third season. Doing what Aaron Mcgruder does can be dangerous. It's necessary and important, but dangerous. It's kind of like sending a white bred kid out of Omaha Nebraska to meet with Malcolm X in Harlem...but in order to get to Malcolms house, he has to walk through the crack houses, blvd's full of prostitutes, and hoods. In the wrong hands/eyes/ears....the Boondocks can do more in the way of making people laugh for the same reason they laugh at BET's Comic view than a joke cracked by Michael Eric Dyson.
My thing is.....why keep this underwraps when its been an obvious problem for years? Black on black crime is very ill issue in the community and McGruder is addressing it in a way that draws attention. And you're right, the wrong kind of people can distort what he's done but, honestly, there's always hidden jewels in those episodes that you have to catch in order to understand what he's doing. Like the last episode from the first season with Rev. Ruckus using religion as a concept to based on race. Everytime he praised his religion he threw in the concept of the white jesus and how white people are saved and black are sinful based on their skin tone. As ignorant and funny as that was, there was eerie truth to how religion and race have affected American Society from times before in the past.
I guess I get something out of that show each tiem I watch it.
Yeah and that is great Ard... But, it isn't us, who get it, that I'm worried about... I really think we are few and far between... It's the majority that doesn’t get it.... Those are the ones who won't see the “jewels” that we see... Just like the Chappelle Show... The majority just didn't get it... The message was lost in the shock of it all... Then they just were new jokes... Or jokes that were once exclusive to us, were now public domain... This could just add to the stereotypes... I'm just sayin'... Instead of dumbing it down so much, maybe make it a little more intelligent… Just a little bit...
I'd take away a few motherfuckas, so the ignorant niggas hear me.... LOL
Let me make something clear... I'm not dissin' the show... I love Boondocks and think it is mad needed (on BET... LOL)
Yo, Drew… That is my problem with this episode… The perception of it all... It could very well be perceived as a show that perpetuates stereotypes for those that don’t get it… Are we really controlling the perception?
Yo Gin... Well put homey.... That is what I'm getting at...
There is a really thin line here and McGruder is getting really close to the edge... It seems like there is more of an emphasis on the shock value, then the message now... Yo, I'm really starting to think that some folks just won't get it...
I’m scared that McGruder might just be creating new racial jokes, for a new generation of white folks…
As far as the comic strip goes… T-Storm and I have actually commented on this on another discussion… The comic strip is nowhere near the vain of the stuff on the show… The show takes it to a whole other level…
I know you're not dissing the show, Kas. But see, even though we're few in far between that get what the show was saying, that message is still embedded in it in your face saying some crucial things. But you're right......this show can get misintepreted by the wrong kind of people who may not get it. Hopefully, there is something or someone that can clarify the message he's relaying. Every episode has a lesson behind it if you look at them all closely behind the outrageous animation, cursing, and off the wall humor.
