ALSO: Stop tokenizing Black Comedy

this @attack was enlightening and troubling

Every time a passive-aggressive White buddy tags me in a video with that sly, “Hey sis, what do you think of this?” I already know my blood pressure is about to test its limits.

The latest culprit? A Josh Johnson stand-up routine. I respect him, still do, I find him adorable and funny, but watching him argue with his White friend about what racism actually is made me sigh so loud I woke up mah cats.

Not you too, Josh.

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“White Men Can’t Jump” is Not Jim Crow

Josh seemed to think just saying bad things about another race equals racism. Let’s clear this up: criticism isn’t inherently racist.

Saying “White men can’t jump” is not racism. In sports, guys tease each other constantly. If a tall, skinny Black guy with curly hair gets called a “brillo pad,” that’s just standard trash talk. It’s the equivalent of a brother playfully calling his sister a tank head.

The Reality Check: Racism is an institution. It’s using a sense of superiority to systematically suppress a group.

Sure, anyone of any color can be biased or prejudiced. But it is the ruling majority that has the power to put oppressive laws—like Jim Crow and segregation—into actual motion.

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“See? This Negro Agrees With Me!”

Failing to understand this distinction is exactly how oppression keeps thriving. People love to weaponize a clip like Josh’s as an “Uncle Tom” shield, gleefully typing, “See, this Negro agrees with me!”

Which is just objectively stupid. Do they agree with every White person? Go ask those same folks if they agree with Hillary Clinton just because she’s White.

Assuming Black people are a monolith who need a celebrity to think for them is the textbook definition of majority racism. To quote the legend Stokely Carmichael: “Racism is not a question of attitude; it is a question of power.”

So next time you want to @ me with a “gotcha” clip, hit the books instead.