Michelle Obama Watch

UPDATE: ABC News Decided to Get in on the Sexism Action, they re-wrote their initial headline and it now reads “Obama Gets Flak for Chi-town “ho”-Down”

“Being a president is tough ‘cause you’re not just running the county. You got to run your family too,” Mac said. “Having a black first lady is different. You’re still going have to do the dishes and the laundry and all that …you got to pick up the kids. You didn’t pick up the kids? I just came from Korea, talking about nuclear weapons. You were on Air Force One and you couldn’t stop to pick up the kids?” Mac also told Obama to be cautious of the rumor mill. “People like rumors. They are going to say things like, you know, you was in the club with Lil’ Kim and you and Kanye West got in a fist fight.” Bernie Mac At Obama Fundraiser

Most Black women know that the standard fare for African American comedians is anti-Black woman attacks. It is always acceptable to make us the butt of their jokes. They usually get a pass however by the Black community, because the people they are insulting are Black women and nobody really cares about us anyway. No Black woman is immune from the anti-Black woman musing of these Black comedians, not even a potential Black First Lady, afterall, she’s a Black woman, and nobody really cares about us anyway. The only people that get into hot water for disparaging Black women are White people. For example, Don Imus referred to the Rutgers women as “nappy headed hos” the world erupted, you couldn’t get Al Sharpton off of cable news, but days later, Black comedian, DL Hughley went on the Tonight Show which has an audience much larger than Imus ever did and said the following:

“There were some nappy headed women on the team and those are some of the ugliest women I have ever seen in my life.” DL Hughley Is Wrong“

The response from the Black “leaders” who had been incense by Imus was RADIO Silence because apparently disparaging Black women only counts when the slurs come from outside the community. I had to drag a statement out of Al Sharpton condemning DL Hughley. It was my first act of activist blogging. “Sharpton Watch Over” Oh, I was so young and idealistic back then. My readers launched a running battle with DL Hughley that I abandoned once his publicist started promoting my blog to reporters and comedy clubs. We had a final face off when he came to my town. He wrapped himself in the First Amendment and I challenged him to quote the first five words of said amendment:

AVC: You’ve said before that this is a free-speech issue.

DLH: Yes. I agree with the French playwright and poet Voltaire. “I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

AVC: Ms. McCauley has challenged you to recite the first five words of the First Amendment.

DLH: Look, I don’t know all the words of the Bible, but that doesn’t mean I don’t believe in God! [Laughs.] I don’t know all the words of the Constitution—that don’t mean I’m not entitled to it. I’ve got a GED, so there’s a lot of things I don’t know, but what I do know is, I’m one of the best comics in this country, and I’ll keep being one of the best comics in this country. I challenge her to cite one example of me not loving black women in their natural state! Here’s the truth of the matter: I know women, and I know hoes. I know black men, and I know niggers. I know bitches and I know friends. I do! And I won’t pretend that I don’t. My gig is to call it like I see it. So she knows the first five words, so what is that? What does that accomplish? AV Club

Bernie Mac isn’t the first Black comedian to apply his anti-black woman fare the prospect of a Black First Lady,

“I don’t think a black woman can be first lady of the United States. Yeah, I said it! A black woman can be president, no problem. First lady? Can’t do it. You know why? Because a black woman cannot play the background of a relation ship. Just imagine telling your black wife that you’re president? ‘Honey, I did it! I won! I’m the president.’ ‘No, we the president! And I want my girlfriends in the Cabinet! I want Kiki to be secretary of state! She can fight!’ “ Chris Rock

The difference is that Chris Rock threw his mud at the Apollo in an audience made up mainly of Black people. Bernie screwed up by doing his dirt at a $2,300/plate fund raiser. and a remarkable thing happened. Someone in the audience stood up and challenged Bernie:

“It’s not funny. Let’s get Barack on,” someone shouted from the crowd.ABC NEWS

And unlike Chris Rock, Bernie Mac received a rebuke from the Obama campaign:

“We can’t afford to be divided by race. We can’t afford to be divided by region or by class and we can’t afford to be divided by gender, which by the way, that means, Bernie, you’ve got to clean up your act next time,” Obama said. “This is a family affair. By the way, I’m just messing with you, man.”

Later the campaign offered a sterner rebuke to Bernie not knowing how to behave at a $2,300/plate political fund raiser:

“Sen. Obama told Bernie Mac that he doesn’t condone these statements and believes what was said was inappropriate,” spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement after the event.

Let’s be clear, Bernie Mac didn’t get shouted down because of his sexism, he got shouted down because he embarrassed Barack Obama. Sexism and misogyny by Black entertainers is permitted and even rewarded. It was refreshing to see someone confront it, whatever the reason. They were right, implying that Black women are inherently unsuitable to serve as First Lady of the United States of America is not funny to me.

Posted by Gina