White America Makes Me Laugh Sometimes



You know, I have to laugh at history. I know it makes for some good reading and reflecting material, but for comedy? I never thought America’s history would give me such a giggle. For work today, I had to put together a slideshow of various Sambo images. Now, you know me. At first, I was instantly annoyed. It was the passive kind of annoyed that only merits an eye roll, but it’s annoyance all the same. My eyebrow spiked every time I embedded another image of a bug-eyed, tar skinned, ape-faced, cranberry & swollen-lipped “coon.” This one image that read “All Coons Look Alike to Me: A Darkey Misunderstanding” baffled me the most. Is this seriously what they saw? Like, seriously? I know the intent was to hurt us, but c’mon son, you’re reaching. My crowd is usually a positive thinking, semi-progress assembly of friends – my the-world-is-so-great bubble – so I have occasional lapses in judgment where I forget what a messed up place America was (and still is) and what assholes people can truly be.


But now I laugh. Hard. One of those guttural ones, because it’s all so funny to me now. The idols people praise as being breathtakingly stunning, with flawless skin, enviable bodies and the presence of a goddess are in the brown skinned club. Chocolate gets the money, honey. People want to thirstily compliment us in public (“Omg your skin is so beautiful and smooth!” and the ever-famous “I wish MY hair could do that!”) then emulate our homegrown goodies on the lowski. (Ma’am, you and that deep tan and butt lift aren’t fooling anyone.) 

  Serving then and now.

It just tickles me how time can change things, especially in this foolish and fickle nation. We were the talk of the town then and are coffee table conversation now. But now look why? 

Funny.

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