Jackpot!:The Irony of a Sticky Situation
Just wanted to bump this up and keep the conversation going. Wouldn't want to see this thread from falling into the depths of oblivion, now would we? Of all the things I would have liked to be acknowledged and given credit for, this is it huh?. Thanks, Janet.
I'll admit that I used it first as a metaphorical description of how ridiculously, almost impossibly black my females were going when introduced to a male. As a child of the seventies, I read and loved the stories of Brer Rabbit and this was the image that was conjured while responding to a specific email and that was the depth of my intent. Not to coin a new "term of endearment" for unreceptive females, and most certainly not as a derogatory term towards any person. I'm afraid my innocuous use lulled Janet a bit and culminated in this thread.(Thank you Lathis for at least acknowledging intent, however obscured it was in print). The intent was solely based on the images I remember from that golden book I had as a child. Not Disney's movie or the Uncle Remus stories, which sadly, I was completely unaware of.
That being said, and after spending the last few nights re-familiarizing myself with the subject and its contemporary perception, I'm deeply saddened that these stories have been almost completely laid to waste. Good art can sometimes unintentionally transcend the scope of its creator by tapping into a deeper subconscious and I believe that is what happened here. Whether the writer was "racist" or not, being inspired by the African-American folklore that it was, was enough to imbibe it with the magic that it has. Any good artist knows, the stronger the contrast, the more dramatic of an effect can be achieved. Wouldn't the more Uncle Remus was oppressed make his wisdom and kindness he imparted on Johnny just that much more powerful? Not to mention the apparent moment that Uncle Remus and Johnny's grandmother related to one another on the common ground of best intentions for the boy, transcending racial barriers once again, and depending on where the absentee father is that Remus is stepping in for, could have the admirable undertone that the African-American elder and grandmother hold the true wisdom that the children are the most important aspect of life other than the mad persuit of materialism. How is any of this derogatory, because of the dialect used? I think a culture imposing it's standards on another to the point of truth and historicity being lost in the wrinkles of time would be a greater travesty. If you strip off all the layers of other people's preconceived notions and truly look at it objectively, you might find that subscribing to the PC knee jerk rhetoric is actually what's doing the disservice and amplifying the feeling of shame in that culture by validating said shame. No one should be ashamed of small means and circumstance beyond their control. Quite the opposite. Surviving through such hardships should be a great source of pride. I really can't believe we are dismissing this entire body of work and its original origins because of a few simple-minded bigots that couldn't grasp the big picture in the first place. At what point do we say that an elder that lived through as much oppression as Remus had but can still display as much compassion towards the children that may even belong to some of his oppressors, showcases that he possessed the wisdom to know that compassion and guidance would be the best tools to affect positive change in the future, is a very good thing. To put this in perspective, this collection of stories with deep morals and thought that descended through cultural antiquity gets ostracized, but Tarantino's Django, that's full of depictions of slavery, dialect, racial slurs and atrocities is heralded with awards. Presumably due to its vigilante nature(not that I didn't think Django was brilliant. Just sayin'). Maybe this is what happens in a culture that's quicker to punch someone in the face than understand their intent. There's a huge difference between referencing a literary plot device from a children's book and using it with malicious intent, but if we as a society aren't willing to differentiate between the two, we might as well start burning books and erasing cultural history now(oh, wait a min...). I personally would find that unconscionable because I place value and appreciate where we all come from. If you go back far enough, we all come from the same place and truly are one family. Lets not forget "hillbilly" is also a derogatory term for the Scots-Irish that took up residence in the Appalachian mountains who, because of being poor, their dialect and traditions, are dismissed as uneducated simpletons, when, in actually, they are self-sustainable survivors that have shown a high aptitude for ingenuity, mechanical inclinations and a legacy of distillation. That doesn't however excuse anyone from the use of racial slurs. Breaking the Golden Rule is breaking the Golden Rule. I can not apologize for appreciating the story in question for I know deep in my heart there was no ill will intended in it's use, but I do feel I owe Janet an apology for putting her in this "sticky" situation unknowingly, and for that, I'm sorry.
And Perry, you're a very brave soul.
Thanks,
Gene Cash
Makes me feel kind of silly. My excuse is that I never read the books. We're somehow talking about chameleons, right? 
