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http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/07/31/romney.racialremark.ap/index.htmlIn an article today, CNN reports that Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts has apologized for a comment he made using the term "tar baby". Both AWAD and Webster's (See AWAD Aug 15 1999, and M-W.com) define the term just as Romney used it, and note the source of the term was an Uncle Remus story. Neither source mentions any use of the term as a racial epithet. My question: Is this the use of this phrase as a derogatory term for a black person commonplace, and do any authoritative sources support this? Clearly, the phrase is to be avoided if that is, in fact, a valid definition. Reading the CNN article, I was immediately reminded of a case a few years ago in which a member of the Washington, DC mayor's office resigned over his use of the term "niggardly": http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/daily/jan99/district27.htmHow much care ought a speaker exercise over his or her use of language, and should this extend beyond the accepted meanings of words to possible misinterpretations on the part of listeners? Should government officials be held to a different standard than lay-persons, owing to their public positions? I'm curious to hear what others think, but I offer this caveat: discussion of this topic is fraught with the possibility of protracted and difficult ensnarement.  Best, -JD
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Carpal Tunnel
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RE; and note the source of the term was an Uncle Remus story
while many of the stories that fall under the catagory of "uncle remus" stories, are americanized versions of classic african folk tail (a large percentage are ashanti in origin) the Disney production of the Uncle Remus Stories (Tales of the South) was a very racist.
if you know the Tar Baby story from reading, you know it in one context. if you know the Uncle Remus stories from the disney production (or if your parents knew them from the disney movie --since its not shown any more, nor is tales of the south available on tape/dvd--you might have a totally different view.
in New England, 'cracker barrel' is a term for a farmer, or rural person, but old yankie farmers are considers wise..(or wily or canny)
in the south, a 'cracker' can be a term for a farmer or rural person but they are often not considered wise.
Is cracker an insulting term? could be, depends on context, tone and who's using the word (and who its being used about)
language is fluid, and sometimes there are words that are like quicksand.. its hard to know when a term is safe!
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veteran
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So tell, oftroy, in terms that a visitor from Mars can understand,
what is racist about Uncle Remus?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Not Uncle Remus, but the disney movie, based on Uncle Remus stories (Song of the South) is racist. (which Disney corp acknowledges, and 'keeps it in the vault' (no special releases, its not available on tape/dvd/disney channel)
(the part about Uncle Remus being a happy slave is just one aspect of the racism.)
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Really? well I guess if you want to manipulate the language I guess you could say that all aspects of slavery are "racism".
But man and Christanity being what they are don't you think that it is possible that Uncle Remus was happy? At least on his good days?
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Quote:
its not available on tape/dvd/disney channel)
Parm my beg to differmints, but it is available on DVD and VHS in the US and VHS in Canada, the UK and Germany, but not on either in France. Might could be you have to look hard for it.
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"This movie has not been released on DVD." - Netflix
previously released on VHS and laser disc, I suppose there are bootleg copies out there on DVD..
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addict
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FWIW, while rooting about on amazon.com, I noticed that the German title is:
Oncel Remus' Wunderland
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stranger
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Well this was still bugging me, even a day later, so I asked a friend who is African-American if the term was racist. Her immediate response: "Yes. It's offensive."
I told her a little more of the context for why I was asking, and quoted Romney's statment. As soon as she heard that he was talking about the project, and not applying the term to a person, she softened her opinion. She still wasn't comfortable with the term, she explained, largely because of Song of the South, and having heard it used as a euphemism for blacks. Nevertheless, she understood that there was no racial dimension to Romney's statement.
I remember Song of the South from my childhood. I think I watched it on a Sunday night episode of the Wonderful World of Disney. The movie really does draw on those minstrel stereotypes heavilly, and the offense, I believe is in images like that of a slave singing:
Zip-a-dee do dah, zip-a-dee-ay
My oh my, what a wonderful day
Plenty of sunshine headin' my way
Zip-a-dee do dah, zip-a-dee-ay
Mr. Bluebird's on my shoulder
It's the truth, it's "actch'll"
Everythin' is "satisfact'chall."
The image of a Uncle Remus as happy is problematic because it doesn't just imply, it comes right out and *says* he's satisfied with life. He might as well be singing "I'm a slave and everything's great!" Disney's got a good reason to want to put it in a vault.
So does that make the story of Bre'r Rabbit and the Tar Baby racist? Does it make the term itself racist? Clearly it can be used both pejoratively and in a way that contains no hostle intent. (And does an absence of "bad" intent exonerate a statement from being racist?)
I've got to side with Romney on this particular incident, but I think the jury is still out on the term itself. Language is a moving target, and the dictionary is just a blury snapshot as it gallops past. And yes, an online dictionary is more like a movie camera, but it still give us just a flat image, with the illusion of depth and motion. The true experience of a language takes place in intercourse, and thus my question here.
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Quote:
The image of a Uncle Remus as happy is problematic because it doesn't just imply, it comes right out and *says* he's satisfied with life. He might as well be singing "I'm a slave and everything's great!" Disney's got a good reason to want to put it in a vault.
Well then, Jon, better stuff "Satchmo" Armstrong in Disney's vault too because his great smile and his deep laughter while under the boot of deplorable segregation is antithetical to those who you would allow a degree of happiness.
After basic necessities are met happiness comes from within and not from without.
Are all poor people unhappy? If not, maybe we should chide the happy poor people for their happiness and demand that they mope around in accord with their unfortunate lives.
Wise old Uncle Remus said nothing about slavery. But wise old Uncle Remus said everything about the joy of being alive.
Policing words and distorting reality is something best left to the Word Police among us - they, unlike good people, enjoy being unhappy and enjoy others being unhappy too.
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