Foot in mouth disease for a racial screed (spoilers for AmerIdol)

The BBQ Pit
1

http://www.salon.com/ent/feature/2003/05/14/idol/index.html

When I heard that Rubes won, I recalled this screechy, whiny article predicting that Clay would win and it would all be a big whitewash, and it ws never about talent, just whiteness. Ruben winning, she claims, would be unreal.

I suppose NOW it’s all about talent?

This is a Salon article by the way, but I don’t know if it’s subscribers only. If anyone wants, I can better summarize the article to explain why I thought it was so goofy: and so obsessed with race that it was sort of disturbing.

2

Non-subscribers only get to read a paragraph. :frowning: On the bright side, part of what I got to read was:

“Blacks have a better chance surviving a slasher movie than making it to the end of a reality TV show.”

Ha! :smiley:

3

You don’t have to subscribe to read the articles. All you have to do to get a free day pass is sit through an ad.

4

Well, that’s Salon for you; the articles read as if they were written by people who could just never quite mature past “College sophomore.”

I’m still looking for a decent, well-written magazine that doesn’t have an agenda one way or the other.

5

** RickJay ** I dig The Economist but I could see how some people would say it had “an agenda”. I’m stuck on College Senior, however (it’s only been a year, dammit).

Penthouse Forum is pretty well-written IIRC.

6

Dear Penthouse Forum:

I was working the late shift at the pizza place, quite a part-time job for a 19-year-old single girl, espeically when you’re also pulling lunchtime shifts at Hooters. Well, you’ll never believe what happened. One night, a great big fat black guy and a skinny little white guy with spiky hair came in. I think their names weer Ruben and Clay. Anyway, they told me they wanted something “hot with everything.” So I

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… Clay said “Ruben likes his pepperoni black,” so I …

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… and I said, “I bet Paula can’t do THIS,” and I took off …

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… and this all really happened, I swear!

7

Well, I’m glad Reuben won, but Clay was also hella talented - I hope that getting second place doesn’t put him off of a potential career.

And regardless of who won, lady making said comment was being kinda sorta really stupid. They were both talented - they just happened to be different colors on the outside. (Both them boys gave me goosebumps when I heard em sing.)

8

You know, I didn’t think he had a chance either. But not because he was black but because he’s so fat. It’s nice to be proven wrong sometimes.