Offensive vs. Not Offensive
Offensive:
Donald Trump. In every way, but having this douchebag sound off on politics even if we have the same opinion is offensive.
Not Offensive:
Any reference to a “sticky situation” as a “tar baby” is not offensive. That’s right, you heard it here.
[CNN]
Comments (1)
The whole Uncle Remus thing is curious to me. The basic stories are, essentially, tales of slave empowerment and outwitting their white owners. Br’er Rabbit and the Tar Baby is a classic example of this tradition. How is it racist to refer to a story in which a character representing a black slave outsmarts a character representing a slaveowner?
I suspect that part of the reaction is to the idyllic portrayal of the “peculiar institution” in Song of the South (snicker, wonder when Disney will release THAT on DVD!) So, if McCain were whistling “Zip a De Doo Dah!,” the antis might have a point. But calling a “tar baby” reference racist is as ignorant as calling a reference to “niggling” racist.