My Bebbeboo took me to Ren Faire this past weekend. Ren Faire is the kind of event you have to apologize for attending. “We went to Ren Faire this past weekend — but I swear to god we’re not dorks!” Well we *are* dorks, but we’re not Ren Faire dorks. I mean, we went to Ren Faire, so we’re *SOME* kind of dorks, but we didn’t dress up and say m’lord and m’lady all the longe of daye, we just spectated. So we’re not to-the-bone Ren Faire dorks. I had a fun time regardless of the negative stigma.
In one of the booths I saw an interesting talisman purported to be of magick quality. The advertising slogan said, “Win In Court Every Time — Aids the owner in overcoming all legal problems. If worn when appearing in court, it is said to guarantee the winning of any lawsuit.”
Now, ignoring that it looks like it was designed by an infant, do you notice anything unusual about this talisman? Maybe something, oh, I dunno, ethnically insensitive? Maybe something that is a … Click Here to Read On! …
I’ve had this magazine clipping since 1991. For almost 20 YEARS I’ve been looking at it and I *STILL* can’t tell if this ad is racist or not. I *suspect* that it is, but I can’t tell for sure because I got it from a magazine aimed at a black demographic.
Chuck D of Public Enemy if you’re reading my blog, three things: 1) WTF are you doing reading my blog? 2) Tell everybody you know! 3) Would you please shed some light on this ad and help me to decide if it’s racist? I want to think that it is, but I’m having trouble because Malcolm-Jamal Warner looks so goddamn happy, and who the hell am *I* to decide whether or not a young black man is allowed to be happy about Kool-Aid?
If any of you happen to be Twitter or Facebook friends with Chuck, can you please send him over here for a look-see? And if you are black and reading my blog, I’d appreciate your input as well. And shit, if you’re tight with Malcolm-Jamal, I’d love to get his feedback on this ad too! I guess I’ve convinced myself over the years that Kool-Aid is a tool of black suppression wielded by white corporate America, as throughout history they have aggressively marketed a beverage with zero nutritional value and ridiculously high sugar content directly to a people who are, statistically, gravely at risk of developing diabetes. And let’s not forget Jonestown. Sure it was cyanide-laced “Flavor Aid”, but was Flavor Aid much different from Kool-Aid? On the other hand, Kool-Aid is playfully mocked as a charming, folksy staple of urban black culture in movies such as House Party, so I dunno what position I’m supposed to take. I trust Chuck D on these matters, so I’ll yield to him. Jesse Jackson, you’re free to vocalize as well, but Al Sharpton, please stay out of this until you get a respectable haircut. I don’t need you coming up here looking like a 1990s DJ Quik, leaving provocative comments and shit.
“Who drank all the Kool-Aid? I did…And I’m ready to make some more.”
