Potpourri

Every once in a while, there is so much going on that we have to offer a "potpourri" entry. (What that really means, of course, is that neither of us is able to find a clever theme to tie the disparate items together in any meaningful way.) On such occasions, we look forward to your input to expand on our brief analysis.


Jamie Foxx Makes Bigoted Remark

On his satellite radio program, Jamie Foxx and his colleagues enjoyed a brief, but horribly offensive attack on teen pop sensation Miley Cyrus that included calling her a "White bitch." Foxx quickly moved to apologize publicly, appearing on The Tonight Show, but there is no excuse for his behavior. As many conservative commentators pointed out, leftists move to boycott or have fired White folks who make such remarks. While we disagree with reciprocity arguments surrounding elements of racism, bigotry should, indeed, be held to a standard that involves equal punishment for equal offenses. In other words, while it is not appropriate to say that a Black comedian joking about White folks is as troublesome as a White comedian joking about Black folks, racially-provocative name calling and hateful language should be equally condemned. Further, at least in this case, the racial nature of the comment did not work to significantly add to the humor -- it was simply gratuitous.

Foxx was correct to apologize, but conservatives were also correct in this case to call "foul." Defenders who claim that Foxx "goes hard on everybody" (as the person who compiled the YouTube clip linked above does) are not on solid footing here. We wouldn't accept that logic from Don Imus, and we cannot accept it here.


First Black Disney Princess

After a gaggle of White princesses (Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, Ariel, and Belle) was joined by Native American (Pocahontas), East Asian (Mulan) and Arab (Jasmine) "royalty," Disney has pushed forward with an anticipated film featuring a Black princess. Tiana, who was originally to be named "Maddy" when the film was announced two years ago, will be the central figure in the upcoming The Frog Princess. The film has apparently taken a while to produce because of concerns about how the princess was portrayed in the original script. Jezebel reported last summer that the original name may have sounded too much like "Mammy," and that the character was too submissive, leading to concerns about connections with slavery.

The new formula is getting its share of criticism, too. Apparently, the prince is White, and Tiana is depicted in fashion similar to other "ethnic" princesses (and Barbie dolls, for that matter): she is dark skinned but otherwise has features more often associated with Caucasians (e.g., straight hair, thin nose) -- a "sexualized version of white women," according to Janel at Sugar and Spice v. Rough and Tough. See the CNN story about the film here and the official "teaser," embedded below.




USSC Hears "Reverse Discrimination" Case

The United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week in Ricci v. DeStefano, a case that involves claims of reverse discrimination. After a test resulted in disproportionate success for White applicants for promotion within the New Haven (CT) Fire Department, the City determined the test to be racially biased and nullified the results. The firefighters who would have been promoted (a group that includes White non-Hispanic firefighters and one Hispanic firefighter) argue that they are victims of reverse discrimination. There is a lot of legal minutiae in this case, and there are a number of complex factors that have been debated by folks on both sides THIS WEEK. We turn your attention to arguments by Ilya Shapiro of The Cato Institute, the folks at Firelink.com, Acting White, and a panel of law experts at the American Constitution Society.


McCain Works to Clear Name of Boxer

Senator John McCain is working to urge President Obama to grant a presidential pardon to the late Jack Johnson, who was the first African American heavyweight boxing champion. As CNN reported this week:

Less than five years after winning the heavyweight title, Johnson was convicted for violating the Mann Act, which outlawed the transportation of women across state lines for "immoral" purposes.

Johnson was black and the woman was white -- enough to get even a champion imprisoned in early 20th century America. Justice Department lawyers decried it as a "crime against nature" for him to have a sexual relationship with a white woman.

Johnson was convicted by an all-White jury and fled into exile for a number of years until he surrendered to authorities in 1920. He served a 10-month sentence and died in an automobile accident in 1946. McCain, whose civil rights position has been marred by what he has since admitted to be a mistake in voting against the federal Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, is leading the charge with fellow Republican, New York Congressman Peter King.

Working to right an obvious past act of racism is no substitute for working to uproot systemic racism in the present, but it is nonetheless a welcome action on the part of these two public servants. Nice work, fellas! Let's just hope that the president goes for it.