# Hoops and yoyo: Cute greeting card characters or HEARTLESS RACIST BASTARDS?? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 10, 2010, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoops-and-yoyo-cute-greeting-card-characters-or-heartless-racist-bastards/542601 "2010-06-10T01:21:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![A\_Spoonful\_of\_Awesome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@A\_Spoonful\_of\_Awesome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Spoonful_of_Awesome)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoops-and-yoyo-cute-greeting-card-characters-or-heartless-racist-bastards/542601/1 "2010-06-10T01:21:11Z")
I mean, [seriously??](http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=7475737) It’s _Hallmark_ card for fuck sake! With cute little cartoon animals reaching out to graduates. But they do use the term “black hole” which, if you are really, really _really_ drunk (or feel your little group isn’t getting enough media attention these days), could be interpreted as a derogatory term for African prostitutes. Because what better way for Hallmark to market their image than to release a card specifically to offend your entire race? It pisses me off even more that these companies are bending over to accommodate this sort of mindless inanity. They don’t understand that this type of thing only serves to make the public want this card all the more. Thank you guys, for protecting the ears of the innocent from these bigoted hate-mongers. Next you should probably go after NASA. Who knows what horrible racist astrological bodies they’ll discover next? Cut this one off at the source! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoops-and-yoyo-cute-greeting-card-characters-or-heartless-racist-bastards/542601/2 "2010-06-10T01:50:05Z")
I’d have to see a transcript of the entire recording of the card greeting before I could decide if I thought there was anything tactless about the wording. In the meantime, though, I kind of doubt that anybody at Hallmark green-lighted explicitly **saying** “whores” on a greeting card. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoops-and-yoyo-cute-greeting-card-characters-or-heartless-racist-bastards/542601/3 "2010-06-10T02:01:02Z")
Please tell me this is a joke. I mean… is there _anyone_ on the planet with an IQ over 20 who in all seriousness would think that Hallmark would advertise a card referring to “black whores” in it – positively or negatively?! What. The. _Hell_?! This is an embarrassment. I’m just gobsmacked. What an insult to people fighting actual racism or even cultural insensitivity. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoops-and-yoyo-cute-greeting-card-characters-or-heartless-racist-bastards/542601/4 "2010-06-10T02:24:59Z")
I listened to it, and it’s clearly saying “Black Holes”, followed up with “Planets…” And I would love to hear some racist language, and get my undies in a bundle, but this is so clear that I cannot imagine anyone even thinking this… let alone mis-hearing it, mis-reacting to it, mis-attributing racism to it and mis-protesting it. It’s absurd. I hope the NAACP hasn’t blown their perceived integrity over this. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoops-and-yoyo-cute-greeting-card-characters-or-heartless-racist-bastards/542601/5 "2010-06-10T02:25:19Z")
> [@choie](#): > > What an insult to people fighting actual racism or even cultural insensitivity. There’s the rub – this does nothing to combat racism, but it _does_ make racists feel vindicated about their mindset. ---
**Author:** ![akennett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee59a6/32.png) [@akennett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akennett)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoops-and-yoyo-cute-greeting-card-characters-or-heartless-racist-bastards/542601/6 "2010-06-10T02:36:55Z")
Imagine that, the NAACP acting like a bunch of retards once again. What a shocker… ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoops-and-yoyo-cute-greeting-card-characters-or-heartless-racist-bastards/542601/7 "2010-06-10T02:42:41Z")
It takes a tough man to make a tender outrage. Keep pluckin’ that chicken! ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoops-and-yoyo-cute-greeting-card-characters-or-heartless-racist-bastards/542601/8 "2010-06-10T02:58:55Z")
Clearly says “you black holes”. There is nothing demeaning to those who aren’t massive stellar phenomena. ---
**Author:** ![A\_Spoonful\_of\_Awesome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@A\_Spoonful\_of\_Awesome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Spoonful_of_Awesome)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoops-and-yoyo-cute-greeting-card-characters-or-heartless-racist-bastards/542601/9 "2010-06-10T03:08:55Z")
I love the lady at the end. “We do not want to see this ever, _ever_ again!” with such a look of exasperated indignity. I have to believe at least some of them are fully aware that the card doesn’t actually say “black whores”, but find it a fantastic reason to get up in arms about something. I dunno, maybe it’s a sign that racism is on the decline. I mean, if there were any actual transgressions to become outraged about, this wouldn’t happen… right? ---
**Author:** ![emcee2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emcee2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emcee2k)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoops-and-yoyo-cute-greeting-card-characters-or-heartless-racist-bastards/542601/10 "2010-06-10T03:16:53Z")
Black whores just doesn’t make sense in the context. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoops-and-yoyo-cute-greeting-card-characters-or-heartless-racist-bastards/542601/11 "2010-06-10T03:18:03Z")
They’re accusing Hallmark–_Hallmark_, the company that has practically _trademarked_ “bland”–of deliberately creating a product that speaks audibly of whores? And is racist, to boot? There’s still plenty of real racism afoot, racism that’s actually affecting the political environment, and they pick _this_ to talk about? That’s some high-grade crazy, right there. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoops-and-yoyo-cute-greeting-card-characters-or-heartless-racist-bastards/542601/12 "2010-06-10T03:19:44Z")
> [@A\_Spoonful\_of\_Awesome](#): > > I love the lady at the end. “We do not want to see this ever, _ever_ again!” with such a look of exasperated indignity. > > I have to believe at least some of them are fully aware that the card doesn’t actually say “black whores”, but find it a fantastic reason to get up in arms about something. I dunno, maybe it’s a sign that racism is on the decline. I mean, if there were any actual transgressions to become outraged about, this wouldn’t happen… right? Yes, I must question the integrity of anyone who would claim to take issue with the card. No, racism is not on the decline. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoops-and-yoyo-cute-greeting-card-characters-or-heartless-racist-bastards/542601/13 "2010-06-10T03:50:22Z")
I was expecting, “you got a diploma, nigga!” This was… well, not that. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoops-and-yoyo-cute-greeting-card-characters-or-heartless-racist-bastards/542601/14 "2010-06-10T03:54:42Z")
Oh my mother fucking God! Why blacks from every walk of life aren’t shouting these assholes down is beyond me. The inside of the card reads, “But not only the world, Nooooo we’re talking the entire solar system.” It mentions planets, Saturn and so on. No bitch there is NO “R” in there. I actually tried to hear it, it just ain’t there. It’s “black holes” as part of the universe. Thanks for chipping back race relations one more time for some made up bullshit reason. Jesus fuck. And fuck you too Hallmark for grabbing ankles over this. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoops-and-yoyo-cute-greeting-card-characters-or-heartless-racist-bastards/542601/15 "2010-06-10T04:26:48Z")
I’ve met YoYo’s mom, and I think she’s Haitian. And Hoops is “from da hood down Philly way” \* so you’d assume they’d be pretty sensitive. \*it sounds so cuuuute when he says it… ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoops-and-yoyo-cute-greeting-card-characters-or-heartless-racist-bastards/542601/16 "2010-06-10T07:57:26Z")
I for one would be delighted to get a card for graduation that told black whores to watch their back. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoops-and-yoyo-cute-greeting-card-characters-or-heartless-racist-bastards/542601/17 "2010-06-10T08:09:09Z")
I like how they said it’d been on the shelves for 3 years and no one had noticed. But what gets me even more, is that they aren’t saying there are overtones of racism for saying that “black holes” should watch their backs and that it’s a metaphor. That would at least be vaguely arguable, though still pretty dumb. Nope, they’re saying that the card actually says “whores.” Or maybe “hoes.” No one seems to be able to agree, although “reasonable people” can clearly hear it. Idiots. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/R0P_XiYZl9k/hqdefault.jpg "NAACP on Hallmark's 'Black Hos" Graduation Card") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0P_XiYZl9k) [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uneOOclsaPs) ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoops-and-yoyo-cute-greeting-card-characters-or-heartless-racist-bastards/542601/18 "2010-06-10T09:57:57Z")
I think that the Universe was created in one big orgasmic bang and is dotted with a smattering of voracious black holes speaks something to the luck the 20th uber nerd physicist had with the fairer sex and the sublimation of certain thoughts. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoops-and-yoyo-cute-greeting-card-characters-or-heartless-racist-bastards/542601/19 "2010-06-10T12:49:18Z")
Why didn’t anybody say anything about the times _National Lampoon_ used “black holes” in their jokes, where they very clearly _were_ drawing comparisons with black people? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoops-and-yoyo-cute-greeting-card-characters-or-heartless-racist-bastards/542601/20 "2010-06-10T13:27:28Z")
_National Lampoon_ has jokes? News to me. Anyhoo, I used to believe the Stewie was singing “effing cry” in the _Family Guy_ theme song. I think by season 3 there was enough concern to redub it and MacFarlane went from under-enunciation to over-enunciation, making sure everybody knew it was “laugh and cry”. And the people complaining about the card are idiots. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoops-and-yoyo-cute-greeting-card-characters-or-heartless-racist-bastards/542601.md?page=2)