John McCain: Keeping Me Busy
John McCain referenced the “Tar Baby” on the campaign trail a few days back. Uh oh is right.
My google alert for “Joel Chandler Harris” has gone nuts over the past few days with bloggers reporting and debating McCain’s use of and subsequent apology for the phrase “tar baby.”
During a news conference, a CNN reporter asked McCain if he feels that “tar baby” has racist overtones.
“I hope that it’s not viewed that way,” McCain said. “It was a situation where if I kept going on that I would then be overturning court decisions. I don’t think I should have used that word and it was wrong to do so.” [Link]
Awesome. Whatever the opinions on the issue, I couldn’t be happier that folks are blogging about this. I’ve compiled the three most telling recent posts on “tar baby.”
My post is a long one (but with pictures and video!), so get ready! If you make it to the end, do leave a comment with your perspective.
Before we start, feel free to recall my own letter to the Charlotte Observer regarding this very issue.
First up to the plate, BayouBuzz.com. There’s very little that’s commendable in this article. Before anything else, the post roughly equates the phrase “tar baby” with the “N-word.” It makes a real sensationalist point of it, too.
It’s fascinating how “tar baby,” a phrase which this very article professes may or may not actually be a slur, is suddenly on par with the single most powerful word in the English language.
I like how the last paragraph briefly attempts to explain the context of tar baby rather offhandedly: “Technically…” Technically, you’re an idiot. Congratulations.
The only thing I agree with in this article is that McCain’s was not a wise move. Hasn’t he read the papers over the past year? Old white politicians using the phrase “tar baby” are toast! And, gasp, coming from a Republican! Yikes!
Next, the political blog A Little Reality.
This one wins for “Most Improved” and “Most Misguided.” Note my comment on his initial post that has led to his subsequent edits, thank goodness. Kudos for giving things more thought.
Like BayouBuzz, this guy also does some heavy-handed equations:
The foundation of Uncle Remus is a white man’s recasting of the oral story telling of African slaves in the United States for the entertainment of white people. In this, it the same as the black-face minstrel shows of the 19th century.
Thank you, sir, for lifting the veil. I’ve been confused all this time about the definition of blackface. This is the same as blackface, right?
(Aside: the main character’s name in 8 Mile is Rabbit)
Okay okay, but what about this?
That must be the face of the white man with “with a Negro sound and the Negro feel” who stole “Negro” music and took it all the way to the bank.
Our new definition of blackface aside, politicians continually return to the metaphor because it is remarkably precise, no matter your opinion of what surrounds it. There are literally hundreds of stories revolving around a similar central character all over the world for the same reason.
For a while, the metaphor was almost ubiquitous in the United States. Half a century after the release of Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings in 1880, Joel Chandler Harris remained one of the most popular authors in the country. I’d hardly call his (or the folklore’s) influence erudite. The story is for children, one that many of these old white politicians were probably read as boys.
Good for this particular blogger for resolving to pick up a copy of Toni Morrison’s Tar Baby. Try Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, too.
Though seriously, Toni Morrison writes about Tar Baby and it’s worth researching. Joel Chandler Harris writes about Tar Baby and suddenly it’s racist. Huh? Who worked on the plantation here?
Here’s the moral: it does not make sense to dismiss or criminalize an author based on the color of his skin. That’s what we in the pros call racist. For amateur historians conflating the Disney version of history with the real thing, I guess it’s something else.
Anyway, while we’re busy judging books by their covers, consider that Joel Chandler Harris detested the illustrations of the first version of his book specifically because they were condescending and stereotypical caricatures of Uncle Remus …in other words, because they were racist and unfaithful to the stories.
The fact that Harris, a white man, recorded African American stories in a way that is distinctly not blackface is what makes his legacy so remarkable and ambiguous. It’s impossible to categorize that into a politically correct mold, fortunately enough.
What I mean to say is: there is no easy answer to this one. I’d encourage everyone to do exactly what this blogger is doing (in the future): research a little before you pontificate! I’d be happy to point anyone here to a few good books.
Let’s move on to the last one, From the Desert to the Sea…
So close! The blogger, John Stodder, has researched a little and notes much of the controversy, the ambiguity, and many of the problems inherent in the tar baby issue. His last two paragraphs:
Where I started with this post was a discussion of the American idiom. John McCain unthinkingly used a term that was nearly universally recognized as part of it, with a meaning that transcends its cultural origins. It didn’t make him or any of us a racist for using it. Like I said, it was an extremely useful and humorous short-hand.
But now we’re on notice. Unless and until the folk tale in question finds its way back into the American idiom via a more authentic source, “tar baby” is out.
Stodder’s post takes a turn for the confused when he uses the past tense after “Like I said.” It still is an incredibly apt phrase. And what constitutes an authentic source? Toni Morrison? Julius Lester?
So according to this guy, since Uncle Remus is controversial to some, and now that we’re aware of that, we shouldn’t use the phrase tar baby until an authentic (black?) person brings the story back to life. But hasn’t someone already done that? And what about those who hear the African American storytellers at the Wren’s Nest? Are they allowed to say tar baby?
Here’s me and Josie, one of our storytellers. Josie often dresses up a “volunteer” as the “tar baby” when telling this particular story. How many tar babies do you see in this picture?
My suggestion: tar baby is in! For discourse and description that is, and not name-calling, you jerks. If it bothers so many folks, why sweep it under the rug? It’s too sticky anyway and not going anywhere (as long as we can count on having old white politicians).
The connotation of the word remains as it did when Joel Chandler Harris used it. Those hurling it as an insult (and really, how many of you are out there?) are in fact morons.
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Amber Suitt
Program Director
Lain Shakespeare
Executive Director
5 Comments to John McCain: Keeping Me Busy
AMEN! Damit!!
Is it possible that those who constantly see racism in every act and statement are the true racists? Those innocents, black and white, who believe in the goodness of humanity and delight in the humor of a Joel Chandler Harris are the hope of a nation that must appreciate the diversity, culture, and history of all of its people, while assuring equal rights for all. Thank you for your wise and welcome analysis.
Wow, thanks Henry. And really good point.
While I might disagree that me calling someone an idiot is wise, I appreciate the kind words.
I think until we stop scutinizing every word for what is “offensive” and start APPRECIATING what is good and wonderful about these tales, Uncle Remus is doomed to remain in the shadows.
What JCH did for the preservation of ancient African folklore cannot be underestimated.
These whiners should grow up. This “victim mentality” does not allow for progress. The Tar Baby is a symbol of sticky situations which are universal to all of us.
Political Correctness has paralyzed and tongue tied us all.
Furthermore, Song of the South should be re-released and let the public decide if it is worth watching. People will vote with their pocketbooks. Disney is first and foremost a business. They would never have designed Splash Mountain with a Brer Rabbit theme if they doubted his enduring popularity.
GREAT WEBSITE LAIN!
Hey thanks.
And yeah I think the release of Song of the South is just a matter of time, really.