by
Black Girl With Long Hair
A few weeks ago while scrolling through a multicultural pro-civil rights Facebook group I came across a post by a Mexican-American group member. It was a meme encouraging black and Mexican people to work together to take over America. I found the sentiment a bit optimistic given the considerable amount of anti-blackness in Latinx communities, and left a comment to that effect.
A few hours later several people had liked my comment, including a black man who piped up, saying he noticed calls for interracial unity seemed to increase during threats to immigration, but die down when black lives were at stake.
As discussion swirled the Mexican-American man singled me out, curtly demanding that I give examples of anti-black racism in Latinx communities. I linked to a few articles, about the Dominican Republic deporting Haitian descendants with legal residency, about rampant anti-blackness in Brazil, and this seemed to enrage him. He demanded to know what I had done for my community lately. He said people like me are the reason blacks and Latinx people can’t get along. He called me an idiot and a bitch. As his comments increased in vitriol, I asked him why he was unwilling to listen to me when his life’s work — as he described it — was to unite the black and Latinx communities. He kicked me out of the group, deleted all of my posts and, a few seconds later, followed me to my inbox to tell me to “Eat a shit, bitch.”
I’ve been blogging for a long time so I’ve become pretty good at dodging trolls. Being called a bitch and instructed to “Eat a shit” (which, I’m going to be honest, I’m still trying to figure out…) feels vintage. I’m a 31-year-old mother of three. I don’t do comment box thuggin.
But as my shock and anger died down, I began to marvel at the cowardice of this man. He chose to channel his rage at me — not at the black men who agreed with the point I made. And let’s be real, people select black women as targets because they know no one (not even black men in many instances) will defend them. We’re constantly targeted precisely because we’re socially vulnerable, agitated by cowards who wouldn’t dare take on a stronger group. (And I know this to be true because my husband, very pissed off by the whole thing, left the man an expletive-ridden Facebook message which — surprise, surprise — he did not respond to. And yes he got it. It was marked ‘seen.’)
In this era of Trump, many non-black people of color seem to be forcing the issue of unity. ‘Blacks and Latinx people have such similar cultures!’ they say. ‘We all have brown skin at the end of the day!’ they say. Well, yes we do, and yes we will need to work together to stop the torrent of violent white supremacy Trump is trying to rain down on us. But no I haven’t forgotten that anti-blackness is global, that it manifests in virtually every culture, and that it — along with white supremacy — threatens black lives.
All of these points felt reinforced when I watched the video of George Lopez berating a black and Mexican woman at a recent show.
“There are only 2 rules in the Latino family,” Lopez ribbed, “don’t marry somebody black and don’t park in front of our house.”
When the woman gave Lopez the finger, he went nuclear.
“Sit your f*ckin’ ass down! Sit your f*ckin’ ass down! I’m talking, b*tch. You paid to see a show. So sit your f*cking ass down! You can’t take a joke, you’re in the wrong motherf*cking place. Sit your ass down or get the f*ck out of here, I’ll give you two choices: shut the f*ck up or get the f*ck out. I tell you what, I’ll make the choice for you. Get the f*ck out of here. I’ll make the choice for you, bye.”
The audience roared as he berated the woman and he seemed to feed off of that energy. He then had the woman and her party escorted from the venue. You can watch the video here, although I wouldn’t recommend it.
Ironically, the woman has come forward to say that she actually thought the joke was funny and gave him the finger as a gag. She only became upset when Lopez started bashing her. But, you know, when black women dissent, in ways big and small, they are crushed with a violence rarely reserved for other groups.
Ladies, had you heard about the incident? What are your thoughts about it?
26 Responses
Bye George Lopez. Up to this point I thought I liked your comedy. Boy bye!!
I just wrote color of change to ask them to take up this cause, in**@***********ge.org, can everyone else do the same? We really need to shred light on this and hurt this man’s business.
There is no minority alliance and I wish black people (especially black women) would understand this. I point out black women directly because we are the backbone of everything and when our interest in an issue and financial backing leave THERE IS NO MOVEMENT! Nothing gets accomplished without our support. To be honest, black women need not get loud or irate. The loudest and most destructive thing we can do is remove our financial support, labor, and presence from ANY and EVERY issue that doesn’t support our needs first.
This presidency is a great lesson for other colored folks in America and I personally have no interest in what happens to them. There will be no more black sacrificial lambs while they rest and rise peacefully.
Let them deal with it on their own!
Why do you have to mention the DR in this? Get over it. You don’t even know what’s going on.
Really? My family living by the Haiti/DR border would say otherwise…
All I can say is, everything is not funny especially when you are putting down the Queens of this world and the backbones of every black man ever created! George Lopez needs an education in public etiquette and some damn manners!!
George Lopez has been heckled before. Why this level of ferocity, why now?
He treated this woman like “exhibit A”, demonstrating a visceral response to physical evidence that his so called “Latino Family rule” had been broken – and had her removed from his sight. If you want to date within your Mexican race, fine. If you don’t want to date outside your Mexican race fine. But Americans have no right to malign or mistreat people who date outside race, or are the offspring of those who have. I used to laugh at his jokes because of the similarity to our own AA humor tropes; i.e., the chanclas, the grandmother jokes, the tattoo of Sylvania burned on the arm, but this incident served to pull back the curtain on him, revealing him to be no better than Michael “Kramer” Richards.
I don’t understand why this is such a big deal. The woman involved is BOTH Black and Mexican. Also Black men talk to and about Black women the same way and Black women support them. We don’t even know what this woman looks like. Maybe he assumed she was Mexican and Mexican only and it’s acceptable for Mexicans to talk to one another this way. Black people, mind your business!
I don’t support black men who talk to and about black women this way. Neither does this site. No I won’t ‘mind my business.’ SMH.
It is our business if someone gets attacked like that. Even if she was a Latina this unfunny comedian said something that he really feels under the cloak of comedy “many serious things are said in jest”. As far as Black women defending Black men who insult them we need to stop doing that. I personally don’t. Two wrongs don’t make a right. Attacking Black women verbally, or otherwise, is not okay.
She didn’t deserve that! As a professional comedian, he took it too far! I actually liked him up until this point. What an insecure jerk!
You are out here preaching a hard truth that people are still not ready for, but I appreciate you so much for it. You put many of my frustrations into words. Thank you.
This isn’t surprising to be honest. I definitely agree that men black and Mexican alike will attack a black woman because no one with come to her rescue. I’ve gotten this quite a few times. Standing up for ourselves is seen as the angry black woman trope. Having a differing opinion is slapped down. We are not allowed to grieve or show any emotion. I don’t know how we are ever going to mend the tears in the fabric of our community but I do know among us women there should be NOT dissension.
Thank you for this & I agree with you absolutely. I’ve realized that due to the current political climate, many minority groups seem to want the support from blacks but these same groups have done very little to provide support for any black causes. Example: I was talking to a group of people today about how there is a complete erasure of black people whenever discussions of muslim issues come up although many black people have practised Islam for hundreds of years & still do.
Same with how blacks are erased from the Latinx & LGBT communities. It is really interesting & tragically funny how the Mexican guy pretended he was singing Kumbaya but when you expressed your needs then he turned on you. I don’t believe in any alliance between so called people of color since in every racial minority group (Asians, Arabs, Native Americans, Hispanics) people who look like us are despised. This means they will have no issue with setting us aside, once we help them get whatever they need. We need to fight for ourselves & ourselves alone.
Honestly, I’ve never once met a Mexican male who was genuinely nice towards me, so this incident doesn’t surprise me and is saddening. From since middle school to adulthood they have either acted mean towards me for no reason, or acted stuck up. They probably seek approval from whites, and they still haven’t learned that white people do not embrace them with open arms either. Hey yoo hoo, Mexicans wake up! You are minorities just like us and you are not better than black people..hell some of you are even black. If we cannot come together we will only be fullfilling a racists dream, which is to destroy each other to the point the racists win. Stop putting black people down and let’s join forces.
Glad to know I’m not the only one who feels this way.
Amen to that, but will it ever happen?…
Very sad. I am embarrassed for him. I never watched his show. I don’t think he’s all that funny anyway. Why do we act as if the Latino population have empathy toward us? The only time they need us is when they need something from us. They are just as racist. Smh…That woman and her should have sued and gotten their money back. A good lawyer could have made a sound case. Screw George Lopez AND that idiot who berated you.
anti blackness is currency, for many people of color, like Hispanics, Asians, and the ever popular respectable negros. let me put it out there for black people who still have an illusion of unity. WE HAVE NO FRIENDS. the black lives matter proves that,they show up enmass at airports for a dozen people, who thankfully still have breath in their bodies, they show up tens of thousands strong in their pink pussy hats, but nothing for us, when it’s t8me to March for our cause crickets. But they want unity when it looks like something will be taken from them. hah to jump off a bridge, we going this alone. every imaginable freedom that has been won was with our blood spilt. no more.
That’s right! We must concern ourselves about ourselves. We are always trying to build coalitions with folks who do not respect us, but only want us when they need something. Time to box them out. Put an X on them and X them out. We need to be concerned about ourselves only.We need to fight for ourselves. We are America’s moral compass. No other group can say that.
“Anti-blackness is currency for them”. It’s deeply woven into the fabric of global economics. You sure are preaching the pure, unadulterated truth!
The African American has no friends….except God. It’s sad but true. If you believe otherwise I’m happy that your floating in never never land.
Groups outside the mainstream, side up to black people under the guise that we should work together to promote each others rights. At the end of the day with our support, they attain a level at least a rung above us. Seeing this as a sense of accomplishment, they don’t need our support anymore, and therefore rarely do they reciprocate and stand behind the black struggle…they end up telling us that we are lazy and how they to this country with nothing and have achieved the American dream.
Meh. In the Black households in the South, the saying is “If they can’t use your comb, don’t bring ’em home”.
But you notice my entire post is not about the joke that was made, but George Lopez’s response to (perceived) criticism of it 😉
I think his comments were unnecessary funny or not.