Joan Strikes Again: First Lady Blackie "O"

To be completely honest, I am baffled for words.  I feel the need to address this incident even in the heat of the moment, therefore, I apologize a head of time for offense I may cause due to explicit language I may use.  Joan Rivers, who I find completely hilarious and often wonder how in the hell she is still alive and as alert as she is, came up with one of the most ridiculous "jokes" she has ever proposed.  Listening to her audio on the Howard Stern show, she suggested that she was going to refer to the First Lady as Blackie O, and suggested not only did she find it funny, but she also deemed it to be a compliment.  Where exactly would the compliment be?  There isn’t a compliment in calling someone a goose monkey, black gums, or monkey, so where would the compliment be with calling someone Blackie O?  Comparing Michelle Obama to Jackie Kennedy is ridiculous to begin with.  Their lives hardly match up when written down on paper.  Sure these two ladies are classy women and hold themselves with great taste, but why suggest it would be a compliment to degrade the current First Lady in attempts to suggest it were a compliment.  If anything Joan was suggesting that Michelle is a poor imitation of Jackie.  Not to digress, however, the most irritating part is when Howard Stern asked if she did not do the joke because she would be perceived as a racist and then followed by stating, "Isn't that what's wrong with this country?" Gross. Joan Rivers continues on by agreeing. Again, gross. Well, I disagree and I could give two craps if my opinion isn't warranted, you're going to get it.

What is wrong with this country is that people do not know their boundaries and limitations. It is the First Lady of the United States and if she does not deserve any sort of respect than whom exactly does?  Sometimes things are better left unsaid.  How is Blackie O supposed to be a compliment?  The joke is at the heart of something so much deeper than that; Joan was “unintentionally” and I put those in quotations for a mocking purpose, attacking her dark skin complexion and it’s not excusable.  If Joan really meant well by not stating the joke, why in the hell was it even brought back up?  It would have shown true class and grace for her to refuse to talk about it because it was inappropriate, because indeed it was INAPPROPRIATE.  The problem with this country is that although we are and have moved beyond racial berating, racism is still covert.  It is a birth defect that America will forever have to endure, a marring that will forever lurk in our shadows.  So, do I think that Joan Rivers is a racist for saying Michelle Obama is Blackie O? No, I don't think she is a racist, but I do now hold the opinion of her as a complete heartless bitch.  Joan has shown that she is so arrogant that stopping to think about her responsibilities as a celebrity and potentially an idol to some people has escaped her to the point that she was merely thinking about her "right" to say whatever she deems necessary.  Howard Stern needs to get this black lash too.  I am so sick and tired of people putting the blame on this country and its laws only to invade their responsibilities and their lack of doing the right thing. 

I feel umbrage by the statement, completely and whole heartedly offended.  Who wants to be called blackie anymore than they want to be called whitey? Joan suggested you can call her Jewie, well that may be her request and tough skin, but I doubt the rest of the Jewish community would like to be taunted with the name "Jewie". Have some class and standards.  Whatever happened to that in this country?  That is the true problem ... we lack grace, etiquette, compassion, and self restraint.

P.S.

As old as Joan Rivers is, you would think that she would understand the weight of her jokes. I wonder if her family owned slaves, I really do.  I also wonder, because she is a Jew, if her family was prosecuted during the dooming years of concentration camps and Hitler’s reign.  If so, then she should know firsthand that some jokes go a little too far.  If she needs to pull this low to come up with a joke, then maybe she should consider retiring. 


Below you can hear the conversation for yourself.

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/8026354-audio-joan-rivers-called-michelle-obama-blackie-o-on-howard-stern-funny-or-far-from-it

The Truth About Change

Change, a word in a simple form, easy to understand, and yet has connotations of solemnity that parallels as a shadow.  When you think about it, our society has based itself solely around this simple word change; hell, we even have a holiday that celebrates a set of new beginnings, supported by the idiom “Happy New Year” as though we have been hopelessly anticipating this new “change”.  To present the obvious, a political campaign was driven by the simple and yet powerful word change, because some deemed us necessary of it, while the opposing others thought less of it. 

Some of us may have been waiting for the opportunity for a second chance to change the bad and then again, some of us have eschewed any innuendo alluring to the potential of different circumstances, whatever they may be. What is it though, about change that makes us feel inspired or fearful, perhaps even both at the same time? Does it come from some sort of self-loathing humanistic ideologies that have brain washed us to believe that we are not good enough and that we need to be better? Or, is it the fact that we have often allowed pessimism to be a way of thinking that we have often ignored our own talent, so we shy away from our own potential? Perhaps, once again, maybe it’s both.  What does it take for someone to truly and whole heartedly change, whether it is for the good or bad I often wonder?  I can only conclude it is a life altering event that leaves one with no choice but to turn into a different direction, searching for another trajectory.  Sometimes it does not last for long and maybe the marring has been so deep, that the stigma cannot be undone, so one is left with this inevitable change that has transformed who they once were.  Then again, on the other side of the spectrum, there may have been some life altering event that put things into “perspective” (also known as a wakeup call) and you’ve finally seen the light and have changed.  The amount of motivational speeches had not been enough motivation for one to succumb to this new transformation, but something believable occurred and left an impression. 

I often wonder, more times than normal, when the opportunity to change someone has presented itself, has a person ignored it and continued on a path of self destruction.  Also, once again on the other side of the spectrum, what motivates someone to notice their “burning bush” and attempt at a change for the betterment of themselves? Did self worth come into play and that somehow became an important factor when it was not before? Common sense may have snuck into their dreams and manifested itself into reality, and maybe that is what has awoken a renewal of oneself.  I look at a country that was built on foundations with good intentions and the spirit of freedom and the opportunity for free will, and I wonder where the inspiration and optimism for change has gone? Maybe it is not to change a current tenet that we behold, but maybe renewing an old one that we once kept dear and somehow lost along the way. This is not a we are the world type of speech or a document to invoke us to unite as one to overcome a tragic circumstance, but instead, it is a writing that wants to examine the mindset of the freest people in the world. When you look at the grand scheme of things, one cannot truly look at society and blame society or “the man” for their troubles and misfortunes.  Sure you can be upset for this system restricting whether or not something will be easy and testy, but would success truly be worthy and sweet if it was simple?

There is a diffidence that has replaced the ebullient back bone of this nation, and without that “change” centering itself in the hearts of us all, it seems that we cannot focus; it doesn’t matter if the focus is on creating chaos and drama or creating a better situation.  The point of the matter resonates with this notion, what is the point of change when it ignites fear, promotes false beliefs, and keeps us at a continuum of standstills. Change, though the word has a deleterious weight attached to it, is a good thing, when it is sequestered in appropriate amounts.  Change, when faced to faced with its target, can be intimidating, but I guess it’s up to the one that it is challenging how to handle it or not.  And that happens to be where the problem occurs with change, when it is faced against an opponent that does not know how to respond.