Black Holes = Racist!

[benji]

Dallas County officials spar over 'black hole' comment

County commissioners were discussing problems with the central collections office that is used to process traffic ticket payments and handle other paperwork normally done by the JP Courts.

Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield, who is white, said it seemed that central collections "has become a black hole" because paperwork reportedly has become lost in the office.

Commissioner John Wiley Price, who is black, interrupted him with a loud "Excuse me!" He then corrected his colleague, saying the office has become a "white hole."

That prompted Judge Thomas Jones, who is black, to demand an apology from Mayfield for his racially insensitive analogy.

I pretty much have literally no comment on this...

From the comments:

I had to move out of Dallas County because I couldn't order coffee or keep my finances on the positive side of the ledger without JWP freaking out and ripping my windshield wiper off of my truck which happens to be black.

Posted by Don Imus @ 4:28 PM Tue, Jul 08, 2008


It's not like they called it a nappy-headed hole. Now THAT would be outrageous.

Lulz.

[cyanide]

Holy shit. That is ridiculous! Who doesn't know what a black hole is?

Wait, that's racist? Jaesus Christ. I just had a piece of milk chocolate.

[TomCat]

Funniest thing I've seen all day

[BigKaboom2]

Toddlers who dislike spicy food 'racist'

Toddlers who turn their noses up at spicy food from overseas could be branded racists by a Government-sponsored agency.

The National Children's Bureau, which receives £12 million a year, mainly from Government funded organisations, has issued guidance to play leaders and nursery teachers advising them to be alert for racist incidents among youngsters in their care.

This could include a child of as young as three who says "yuk" in response to being served unfamiliar foreign food.

The guidance by the NCB is designed to draw attention to potentially-racist attitudes in youngsters from a young age.

Link

[TomCat]

Now that's the stupidest thing I've seen all day.

People are just dick-heads...

[JaoSming]

[Jing]

Astounding.

[ixcuincle]

Video of incident

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/myfox/pages/Hom ... geId=1.1.1

[Andrew]

It reminds me of the whole "Baa Baa Black Sheep" debacle a few years ago. It's getting ridiculous where any mention of the word "black" must have racial connotations and that terms such as black hole, black sheep or black/dark cloud could possibly be construed as racial slurs. All refer to real things that have nothing to do with race; surely there's enough real examples of racism and prejudice that society could be fighting without wasting time getting upset over something as mundane and inoffensive as this.

The same goes for the stuff about toddlers being racist if they don't like spicy food. That truly is politcal correctness run amok.

[Patr1ck]

I can't believe the ignorance.

[magius]

It is kind of ridiculous, but I also have to ask myself how it became a "black" hole to begin with... theoretically, "although a black hole is called black, it is at the centre of one of the most highly lit up areas of space." So technically, it would be more correct to call a black hole a white hole or rainbow hole. It is interesting to me that in Western culture dark has generally been associated with evil or lack, and I wonder if that subconsciously translates into our perception (most noticeably of race/skin color) of things/people, the same way it has translated itself to language..... perhaps their is something to negative connotations of simple things like a black cat or a crow. A rose is not "just" a rose, it is the sum of our perceptions of what a rose is, romance, seduction, beauty, finally becoming a rose with repetition of those very ideals in the place of an image, a rose is a rose is a rose. Similarly, black is not simply a color (or shade).

[Cloudy]

And we've never seen any Jesus portrayals dress in black.

[cyanide]

And we've never seen any Jesus portrayals dress in black.

We also never seen Jesus black, when to be historically accurate, he was very dark-skinned.

[Jing]

Jesus tanned well.

[Drex]

Makes you want to punch them in the face, and give them a "black" eye *runs*

[benji]

but I also have to ask myself how it became a "black" hole to begin with... theoretically, "although a black hole is called black, it is at the centre of one of the most highly lit up areas of space." So technically, it would be more correct to call a black hole a white hole or rainbow hole

No light can escape from it so it appears black.

[shadowgrin]

And we've never seen any Jesus portrayals dress in black.

We also never seen Jesus black

Jesus tanned well.

Wiki article
images
Now you have seen the Black Nazarene.

OMG I said black. I'm racist too.


Those articles just show that idiocy knows no race.

[Andrew]

It is interesting to me that in Western culture dark has generally been associated with evil or lack, and I wonder if that subconsciously translates into our perception (most noticeably of race/skin color) of things/people, the same way it has translated itself to language..... perhaps their is something to negative connotations of simple things like a black cat or a crow.

Possibly, though the classic use of white for the hero, black for the villain doesn't necessarily have racial undertones. Strictly speaking about colours, white is an apt colour to represent purity and virtue, characteristics of the classic hero. Conversely, black stands as the complete opposite of white in the visible light spectrum and this association with "darkness" fits well with the characteristics of the classic villain: deceit, concealment and secrecy. I don't these concepts were conceived with race in mind.

However, I'm sure there is some connection with racist attitudes with groups such as the KKK openly believing in such parallels and some people making the connection subconsciously. I wouldn't say the latter is necessarily the case though. Consider the image of the villain clad in black with deathly pale skin. It's the clothes that represent the evil, no doubt because it's a colour associated with criminals whose dark garments allow them to slip away into the night or go undetected as they're skulking around.

[Jing]

Commissioner John Wiley Price has nice cornrows, and those glasses!

[magius]

It is interesting to me that in Western culture dark has generally been associated with evil or lack, and I wonder if that subconsciously translates into our perception (most noticeably of race/skin color) of things/people, the same way it has translated itself to language..... perhaps their is something to negative connotations of simple things like a black cat or a crow.

Possibly, though the classic use of white for the hero, black for the villain doesn't necessarily have racial undertones. Strictly speaking about colours, white is an apt colour to represent purity and virtue, characteristics of the classic hero. Conversely, black stands as the complete opposite of white in the visible light spectrum and this association with "darkness" fits well with the characteristics of the classic villain: deceit, concealment and secrecy. I don't these concepts were conceived with race in mind.

However, I'm sure there is some connection with racist attitudes with groups such as the KKK openly believing in such parallels and some people making the connection subconsciously. I wouldn't say the latter is necessarily the case though. Consider the image of the villain clad in black with deathly pale skin. It's the clothes that represent the evil, no doubt because it's a colour associated with criminals whose dark garments allow them to slip away into the night or go undetected as they're skulking around.

good points, I also do not think black, in western culture (in many eastern cultures, the association of black-white, good-evil is in fact opposite), became associated with certain negative ideals out of some sort of malicious and grand conspiracy in regards to race. I just find it interesting that sometimes we translate such meaning to race; the way our association of one thing, often lends itself to the association of another. It seems from culture to culture, we have built these ever increasingly complex system of symbols, to the point that they have become fact or "common sense," unquestionable and infallible.

[Andrew]

True, though I'd say there's a greater emphasis on "shades of grey" these days and a greater appreciation for the anti-hero who doesn't necessarily exhibit the usual "good guy" characteristics. I hesitate to reference pro wrestling here as it's not the most intellectual example, but it is a good example of how the age-old good guy/bad guy dynamic is used with black trunks often being worn by the villains, not unlike a Western movie. These days though, even the good guys wear black so even in Western culture we're kind of moving beyond the white outfits for the goodies, black outfits for the baddies approach.

The crows example is an interesting one though, since it's been used somewhat insensitively in "Dumbo" and more satirically in "Fritz the Cat".

[magius]

True, though I'd say there's a greater emphasis on "shades of grey" these days and a greater appreciation for the anti-hero who doesn't necessarily exhibit the usual "good guy" characteristics. I hesitate to reference pro wrestling here as it's not the most intellectual example, but it is a good example of how the age-old good guy/bad guy dynamic is used with black trunks often being worn by the villains, not unlike a Western movie. These days though, even the good guys wear black so even in Western culture we're kind of moving beyond the white outfits for the goodies, black outfits for the baddies approach.

The crows example is an interesting one though, since it's been used somewhat insensitively in "Dumbo" and more satirically in "Fritz the Cat".

Thats another concept that interests me... the constant negotiation of "good," or perhaps more aptly (for what I'm thinking about) "cool," in terms of general behavior. It seems, in some instances, the world goes through "revolutions" in cyclical fashion, taking something rare or unfamiliar, transforming it into chic, evolving it into popular, then discarding it.... often for the very thing they started out with (which has now become unfamiliar). Perhaps, in time, the anti-hero will become, in fact, the stereotypical "hero," signaling the comeback of the hero, or rather, anti-anti-hero.

The very fact that the anti-hero is wearing black, is an appeal to those very same ideals ingrained into our perception of the color, black. So perhaps, even if done in effort to bring awareness to such misconceptions, it too is perpetuating them... after all, the anti-hero would be less of an anti-hero if he here wearing, say, pink. The fact is that the trend seems to be, perhaps has always been, that it is cool to be uncool. The heroes do not wear black because black has lost its meaning, but rather because black has meaning.

[Andrew]

Perhaps, though I think the anti-hero resonates with a lot of people because they're easier to relate to since they have their own imperfections. There's a very human aspect to them rather than the unquestionably righteous, all-conquering hero up on a pedestal. I think anti-heroes and flawed heroes will continue to thrive alongside the classic hero, though perhaps the latter will make a bit of a comeback.

As far as the anti-hero wearing black, it is deceptive but I think that's part of the whole aspect, representing the dark and mysterious side of the character as well as the idea that they are humanly and as such flawed beings. I suppose with some characters it's also part of stealing away into the night rather than basking in the glory of their heroics, the whole "Who was that masked man?" thing. So I'd agree, when it comes to heroes and villains black definitely has a new meaning (or can have a new meaning).

[shadowgrin]

Batman.

[Andrew]

Batman's an interesting one. I wouldn't say he's an anti-hero, his costume is more about stealth and concealment. And looking cool. The Batmobile wouldn't look half as cool if it were beige.