Shoot the Messenger: Why Context on Derbyshire’s Racist Column Matters
Recently, columnist John Derbyshire wrote something inflammatory intended to get attention related to the Trayvon Martin case and attention it got. It was all about his version of “The Talk,” like the one you have to your kids about the birds and bees, only it was about staying away from most, if not all black people.
It doesn’t quite explain how Trayvon Martin got shot just for walking home from a 7-11 by a man the 911 operator told to stay in his car, but I digress.
Among the “advice” Derbyshire gives:
(10e) If you are at some public event at which the number of blacks suddenly swells, leave as quickly as possible.
(10f) Do not settle in a district or municipality run by black politicians.
(10g) Before voting for a black politician, scrutinize his/her character much more carefully than you would a white.
(10h) Do not act the Good Samaritan to blacks in apparent distress, e.g., on the highway.
(10i) If accosted by a strange black in the street, smile and say something polite but keep moving.
(11) The mean intelligence of blacks is much lower than for whites. The least intelligent ten percent of whites have IQs below 81; forty percent of blacks have IQs that low. Only one black in six is more intelligent than the average white; five whites out of six are more intelligent than the average black. These differences show in every test of general cognitive ability that anyone, of any race or nationality, has yet been able to devise. They are reflected in countless everyday situations. “Life is an IQ test.”
So you know? The usual. Derbyshire starts off with some “respect those who respect you” pseudo rational babble, then devolves into some unfoundable figure of how “five percent of blacks are hostile to whites.” He then further goes down the rabbit hole that every black person is one step from whipping out a match and shouting “Burn, baby, burn”.
Fine. Nothing new here to see. It’s your typical Bell Curve argument that it’s science that black people have “issues.”
What’s disturbing is when black people buy into that logic. Case in point, a debate broke out over whether or not black people should internalize Derbsyhire’s message in this comment thread as some kind of bold truth-telling, largely ignoring the fact that he doesn’t make any real distinction between genders or types of black people. Just that because, according to him five percent of us are nuts, so you should probably avoid the other 95 percent.
Based on that logic, you – as a black person – shouldn’t attend your historically black sorority boule. You shouldn’t go to anything related to the Congressional Black Caucus. Even if it’s a party the president is hosting. You also probably shouldn’t go to church (or any black church for that matter). Don’t attend a historically black college or university. Don’t join any kind of organization from the NAACP to the Urban League to Jack & Jill. Don’t go to a Beyonce concert. Don’t go to a Juneteenth barbecue. Don’t go to the UniverSoul circus or your own family reunions. Don’t visit Washington, D.C., Atlanta or pretty much any large urban center. Don’t visit large parts of the rural South.
You know? Because those places are full of black people. Move to Idaho.
Easy …. just compare it to these:
http://youtu.be/vcE05xRV6B0
http://youtu.be/DkLBeXHIV80
http://youtu.be/aPCfzS-ulB8
Racists would have everyone believe that cretins exist only in one colour – when there are entire generations of them on the European continent alone.
With reference to your video link. Unfortunately there are people like this in any colour, these ‘people’ act as they do not because of their colour but because of their ignorance and circumstance of birth.
As a Black woman I certainly have no problem processing this as I have absolutely nothing in common with such people, and neither to anyone in my circle of friends and family.
I attended a university of majority Black people and not once did we ever have this sort of behaviour.
The racist uses such images to justify opinions such as Derbyshire’s. It is thus even more imperative that NORMAL Black people speak up and make themselves more visible so that a balance can be struck. We are much too complacent and do not celebrate enough of our own acheivements.
In the UK alone, there are 1000′s of African-Caribbean GP’s …. but no-one ever mentions them. The universities are full of hardworking high acheiving African-Carribean students …. but no-one ever mentions them.
We as a people need to embark on some serious PR campaigns if we want to change the stereotype racists like Derbyshire like to promote.
You notice that most of the guys in that video were sagging their pants/shorts?
@Tara
I went to a very prestigious Uni in London and it was mainly West African.
“It is thus even more imperative that NORMAL Black people speak up and make themselves more visible so that a balance can be struck. We are much too complacent and do not celebrate enough of our own achievements.”
Yes, I agree with you here. But NORMAL black people are republicans and independents, don’t co-sign the bullshit, don’t make excuses for their failures, are in relationships with non-black men and women….etc. Judging from some of the comments I’ve read on this website, I don’t even think black people are ready for NORMAL black people.
But again, you make a good point.
LOL…I don’t mean to laugh but your comment is the truth. Normal black people are those who find themselves held up at gunpoint by the vast majority who are NOT normal and promote dysfunction.
So normal black people move to the suburbs, marry non-black, and live out the rest of their days away from all the dysfunction. And who can blame them?
Derbyshire’s racist rant might be offensive, but it is nonetheless TRUE for a certain caliber of black people, like non-blacks, too.
@ edub
Afraid I have to disagree with you on that. I consider myself a normal Black person and I am not a Republican or an Independent; I am married to a Black man – and have plenty of friends and family who fit this same profile. I do however live well away from the rabble – be they white, black or brown.
You don’t have to be afraid to disagree! My comment was aimed at saying that NORMAL black people come in all types. Can black people handle black people who don’t fit into the traditional box? Judging from the comments here and elsewhere, no. We can’t even express our disdain about our community without being called sell-outs, self haters, etc.
You can be normal and be all the things you described. I can be normal and be all of the things I described. We both are NORMAL, the thing is, one form of normal is acceptable to black people and one form is not.
@edub. Define “NORMAL”
I can answer that question in a couple of ways:
There’s a normal that is based on majority statistics and individuals are prescribed their identity as a result of such information. That’s the kind of normal people like Derbyshire subscribe to.
There’s also a normal that I subscribe to, which is anyone who does not contribute to the growing dysfunction within our community.
@ Toppin,
I have to comment, do you even realize the film that is over this guys eyes?
“Scrutinize black politicians more then white ones? Don’t even be a good Samaritan, which is probably how it really went down with Trayvon. So obviously you see there is something off with your comments to a lot of us who read this post carefully.
I really detest folk waving opinions in the air that are void of the fabric of solution. Education in the black community is really sad this is true,a study of the infrastructure in “urban” environments highlights disadvantages that came about as a result of the same thinking illustrated in this case, fear, ignorance, which is why it us who must use our minds to scrutinize the politicians black or white representing us, but rhetoric based solely on race supremacy without really attacking in this war of nations injustice and ignobles foundations is weak, uneducated, bigoted and foolish.
@Fyre
Before you jump down my throat please READ my comments on the original post about this man that inspired this author to write this post. There you will see where I wrote that I DISAGREE with the man’s last three points….the one about politicians, and the good Samaritan being two of the three.
http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2012/04/columnist-offers-offensive-version-of-the-talk-for-non-black-parents/comment-page-1/#comments
Everyone has a story…the issue for me is damn near every BLACK person these days except for a large MINORITY is telling the same exact story.
People just need to admit that at some point the ball was dropped. And while race/racism is STILL a problem (and it probably will always be a problem) using it to explain the self-inflicted generational B.S. today’s black people bring to the table doesn’t fly anymore with greater society and SOME black people.
Go to any urban community and you will see education is NOT on the top of the list for the people in those communities…so why continue to itch about it??? Educated black people keep pointing to lack of education in urban communities as if those people actually give a good gawdamn about education!!! I have seen little in my life to prove this true. So you can scratch that off the list of solutions. You cannot MAKE people learn and seek an education.
If you want a solution here is one that we the citizens of this country CAN control: Get rid of welfare, section 8, foodstamps and all the other ish that has help erode black nuclear families. It will force some accountability.
@Fyre
I meant to post my reply under your comment. Anyway look for it further down the thread.
Im a normal black person. :)
^^^ btch please…
normality is relative. So therefore a normal black person can not be defined because it is always relative to individual definitions, situations, and perceptions.