Post AYWbjZO2D81wiKLX9s by mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io
(DIR) More posts by mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io
(DIR) Post #AYWbjZO2D81wiKLX9s by mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io
2023-08-06T13:58:57Z
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*sigh* we're still talking about this I guess...Jamie Foxx didn't say something anti-semitic. He said something people *thought* was anti-semitic.Because they weren't familiar with his phrase, and he wasn't familiar with the anti-semitic dog-whistle.He apologized for being misunderstood, not for being anti-semitic.Yes, it is very good that he clarified.#BlackMastodon #JamieFoxx
(DIR) Post #AYWbjaEr2kHVM93iUK by mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io
2023-08-06T14:05:43Z
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The Southern Black phrase is: "They killed Jesus. What do you think they'll do to you?" Meaning that your closest friends can betray you. Another way of saying "It be your own people" or "Rappers get shot in their own city" The vile anti-semitic phrase is: "The Jews killed Jesus."It should be really clear how a person that has never heard the Black phrase might understandably be concerned that Jamie Foxx has gone anti-Semitic.
(DIR) Post #AYWbjbEXLPcaRRuydE by mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io
2023-08-06T14:11:15Z
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Once Jamie Foxx realized that people thought he was being antisemitic, he had several choices:A) just ignoring itB) say, "Pshh! Don't you get offended! Everything is so PC right now! Y'all soft! And learn Black culture!"C) say "Oh wow, my bad! I didn't mean it like that! I didn't have that cultural context! And let me explain mine! Please don't group me with antisemites!""C" is by far the best option. Jamie Foxx chose this option. ♥️👍🏿
(DIR) Post #AYWbjc784RI3AlSZiy by kbg@atx.pub
2023-08-06T15:43:10Z
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@mekkaokereke Most White folks could learn a thing or two. Nobody wants to get lumped in with neonazis and the KKK. (well, except for the obvious case of people who ARE those things). Ego gets in the way of accepting that we maybe said or did something wrong and it’s ok to learn from it, apologize and move on. so we end up with “i’m clearly not racist so obviously YOU made a mistake understanding me.”it stings to get that feedback but it’s better than refusing to believe it.
(DIR) Post #AYWbjdqBeOvUWnY4au by saraislet@infosec.exchange
2023-08-06T22:33:20Z
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@kbg @mekkaokereke There's an important intent-is-not-impact caveat there, because folks can't just claim "I didn't intend to convey that phrase that was harmful to you", and the apology can't always be "I'm sorry you misunderstood me"In this case, it's a phrase that only puts Jewish folks on edge, so it's fine. But some unintentional phrases will demolish psychological safety and intensify stigma unless the person follows it with showing that they understand the impact and are changing how they communicate to show they're a comrade to the folks who experience that stigma (which doesn't necessarily mean not saying a phrase that is common in their culture, but maybe adding some clarity around it to disambiguate)Sorry for not giving specific examples. My mind is stuck on some examples that I'm not currently comfortable repeating because unfortunately this is something I'm currently going through
(DIR) Post #AYWbjf5ozl1iPZs4bQ by kbg@atx.pub
2023-08-06T22:50:59Z
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@saraislet @kbg @mekkaokereke i’m not really fully up to speed on the jamie foxx thing but for my part “sorry you misunderstood me” is only half an apology —it puts the burden on the person or people harmed by the statement. rather, “i’m sorry i didn’t understand the impact of my words, and thank you for giving me an opportunity to learn so i can do better in the future.”
(DIR) Post #AYWbjgJgRhi2CrMeqe by mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io
2023-08-06T23:08:23Z
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@kbg @saraislet That makes sense. But consider this example, of Kpop musicians saying a Korean word that sounds like the N-word.https://hachyderm.io/@mekkaokereke/110843343272255194If you were a Kpop fan that now has a lot of upset US based fans that didn't understand this, how would you phrase the apology? What specifically would you be apologizing for?This is a tricky question, but it's not a trick question.
(DIR) Post #AYWbjhajhmwaA2Ln4C by fenneladon@todon.eu
2023-08-08T15:04:55Z
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@mekkaokereke @kbg @saraislet There's a similar sounding highly used word in spoken Mandarin - I'm told it literally means "thing", but it's used as an equivalent of "um", so you hear it *a lot*. It was quite a shock the first time I went to visit our team in Beijing a few years back. And like in your example, there are also many who actually say the N-word (local language equivalent that non-speakers wouldn't recognize). I'm guessing there are also edge-lords who are aware of the homophone in both cases and deliberately use it where it can harm. As well as the people testing your patience in your comments by pretending they really peeally can't see the difference between the cases. 🙃🤷🏻♂️
(DIR) Post #AYWbjivKkh0wICzkoK by mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io
2023-08-08T15:24:11Z
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@fenneladon @kbg @saraislet Yeah. Unfortunately, a Mandarin speaker was beaten up on a bus due to this confusion. 😢And re: Chinese students saying the real N-word...Some 1st gen students from Pomona College had a popular class for Chinese students planning to attend boarding school or college in the US, teaching cultural competence to help make friends / stay safe. 👍🏿They warned about this confusion, and explained that the N-word was never to be used, even if you hear it in songs.
(DIR) Post #AYWblEz929uq1FV7nk by aburka@hachyderm.io
2023-08-06T14:11:32Z
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@mekkaokereke And what do you think is the history of this phrase? Personally, I don't think it's acceptable/believable to be "unaware" of extremely common anti-semitic dog whistles, given the current state of our society. (I know I'll get torched for pushing back here; I'm Jewish in case that matters.)
(DIR) Post #AYWblrahUyXHkjMecC by mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io
2023-08-06T14:18:08Z
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@aburka Take a moment to unpack why you think it isn't acceptable to not know the antisemitic context, but it is acceptable to not know the Black context.🙂🙃I guarantee you that if I spent 10 minutes with you, I could uncover some horrifically racist anti-Black context that you are unaware of. That doesn't necessarily make you a bad person.Rather than try to bucket this into right or wrong, we should understand that it's impossible for everyone to know everything about every culture.
(DIR) Post #AYWbluV8g6rymLmkrY by mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io
2023-08-06T14:34:16Z
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@aburka I'm arguing with some Black friends right now that have your exact viewpoint but from the other side🙂🙃Their viewpoint is: "Why are Black people always the ones who have to apologize? Why do we have to teach our culture over and over again, to a majority that clearly don't care about it? We know the antisemitic context. That's between antisemites and Jewish folk. Why should we have to apologize because people don't bother to learn Black culture, and are confused about Black sayings?"
(DIR) Post #AYWbocqYm1pKtR6EZk by aburka@hachyderm.io
2023-08-06T14:32:47Z
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@mekkaokereke You destroyed me in a single sentence without addressing the question I raised. Well done, seriously. Note that I didn't say Foxx is a bad person either, just that I don't buy the excuse.
(DIR) Post #AYWboddTq8xVL9zIpM by mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io
2023-08-06T14:44:56Z
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@aburka Destroying you is not the goal. That benefits no one.And there's a whole linguistic exploration of the use of "singular they" in Black American English that lots of Black folk were rolling their eyes at all day yesterday, as more evidence of extra explaining that Black folk have to do over and over again to justify Black use of language.Eg "They shooting!" (One person is shooting).
(DIR) Post #AYWboeIxLw8TPnOQTY by mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io
2023-08-06T14:59:02Z
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@aburka And if you're familiar with when the phrase is used, you know that the context is about close friend betrayal, not Jewish people.👨🏿🎤When I was poor my friends were fine. But now that I'm a famous singer, they turn on me? I just found out that my childhood best friend made a fake account just to harass me! They said they hope I get robbed! Why would they say that?🧓🏿It be your own people!👴🏿You need to leave the hood behind!🧓🏿Leave! They killed Jesus, what you think they'll do to you?
(DIR) Post #AYWbof1cfrrfeKI664 by aburka@hachyderm.io
2023-08-06T15:06:18Z
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@mekkaokereke Thanks for providing cultural context I should have already known. I admit I still think the phrase sounds pretty bad.
(DIR) Post #AYWbofkzxAA1v3WKp6 by mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io
2023-08-06T15:15:53Z
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@aburka Yup.I'm betting that he won't use that phrase in future, at least without providing more context. That's sad.🫤Some Indian folks used to use swastikas. Now they can't, because of the WW2 association.A lot of my white friends won't wear red hats anymore. Nope! Too close. Unless at a Cincinnati Reds game!I don't hear the phrase "All Lives Matter" much anymore. It's now rephrased as "Every life is precious."Dog whistles and hate symbols put a big burden on the rest of us.
(DIR) Post #AYWboh9qkFdMGQ9hCK by mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io
2023-08-06T15:03:22Z
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@aburka My point is that there are real, unapologetic, Black celebrity antisemites. Jamie Foxx does not appear to be one of them.He used a phrase that can be *misinterpreted* as antisemitic. He didn't know this before he made his post. But now he does. So he deleted his post, and apologized for the confusion, not for being antisemitic. Because he is not antisemitic.All of us will step in it at some point by not knowing a cultural context. What's important is how we respond when we do.
(DIR) Post #AYWbokdjnaK93zA6hU by jeff@infosec.exchange
2023-08-06T15:18:28Z
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@mekkaokereke White people are always looking for black people to do/say something they can construe as racist/anti-sematic/bigoted/etc. as a way to justify their internal issues they don't want to deal with.It is the same with white people wanting to use the N word. Their justification is that Black people use it, so they should be able to, or to have a false sense of self-righteousness because THEY don't use THAT word. The one thing white people don't want to do is focus on themselves, and face the centuries of harm they have perpetrated on Black and other indigenous people.
(DIR) Post #AYWbpsYrpg1Lv9QCpM by bborn@mindly.social
2023-08-06T15:03:15Z
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@mekkaokereke I know I shouldn't butt in, sorry. Apologizing for being misunderstood is not an apology, though, as it places the onus on the listeners rather than taking responsibility (c.f. every Republican apology😋). It seems, to me, that he did a good job at owning it though.
(DIR) Post #AYWbptXqAynGyFwtrk by baruch@babka.social
2023-08-06T15:12:37Z
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@bborn @mekkaokereke I don’t think it is about blaming the listeners in this case. It’s about explaining what the original intent was and that it came from a place of ignorance, not malice.
(DIR) Post #AYWbpuXWTe8M3YoA0e by mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io
2023-08-06T15:19:53Z
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@baruch @bborn Some Kpop stars use the N-word in their raps. This is bad.But other Kpop stars just say the word "You" in Korean, which sounds like the N-word. Some US Kpop fans get very upset by this.When a Kpop star apologizes to their fans about this, they're not apologizing for saying the word "you." They're distancing themselves from singers who really say the N-word, and adding context to why they're misunderstood. Some even censor "you" from US releases!https://youtube.com/shorts/uRUDyTuwLqk