Comments About Rubert Murdoch's "Real Black President" Tweet

Edited by Azizi Powell

On October 7, 2015 media tycoon Rubert Murdoch's tweeted that Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson and Carson's wife are "terrific". In that same tweet Murdoch asked "What about a real black president who can properly address the racial divide? and much else".

This post showcases selected comments from a Huffington Post article about that tweet.

The content of this post is presented for sociological and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to Robert Townsend for his movie "Hollywood Shuffle" and thanks to the YouTube publisher of the video that is embedded in this post.

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INFORMATION ABOUT RUBERT MURDOCK AND BEN CARSON
Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Murdoch for information about Rubert Murdock.

Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Carson for information about Ben Carson.

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EDITOR'S COMMENTS
These selected comments from that Huffington Post article particularly address the notion that Rupert Murdoch, in particular, or any other non-Black person can define who is or isn't a real Black person-even if that were a legitimate concept, which I don't believe it is.

That said, generally speaking, I don't have any problem with referring to a Black person as an "Uncle Tom" as I believe that people can determine that a Black person is operating against the best interests of Black people as a whole.

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COMMENTS FROM A HUFFINGTON POST ARTICLE ABOUT RUBERT MURDUCK'S "REAL BLACK PRESIDENT" TWEET
Editor's Note: These comments are given in relative order based on their posting date with the oldest comments given first, except for replies. However, these comments may not be in consecutive order. I've assigned numbers to these comments for referencing purposes only.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rupert-murdoch-black-president_5615c40be4b0fad1591acbb5
Rupert Murdoch Says Ben Carson Would Be A 'Real Black President'
Ed Mazza Posted: 10/07/2015 09:50 PM EDT

1. Kenneth Lee, October 7, 2015
"The fact that rupert murdoch likes ben carson proves to me that carson is not fit to be president."

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2. Susan Hottinger, October 7, 2015
"Rupert could call him Uncle Ben."

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Reply
3. Augie Gallegos. October 7, 2015
"Susan Hottinger you mean Uncle Tom"

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Reply
4. Jim Pyacek, October 8, 2015
"Augie Gallegos / Hey Mr. literal, his name is Ben, like the black guy on the rice box. I think she knows about uncle Tom."
-snip-
Here's information about "Uncle Ben's Rice" from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Ben%27s_(rice)
"Uncle Ben's is a brand name for parboiled rice and other related food products. The brand was introduced by Converted Rice Inc., which was later bought by Mars, Inc. It is based in Houston, Texas. Uncle Ben’s rice was first marketed in 1943 and was the top-selling rice in the United States from 1950 until the 1990s.[1]

Marketing origins

Uncle Ben’s products carry the image of an elderly African-American man dressed in a bow tie, said to have been the visage of a Chicago maître d’hôtel named Frank Brown.[11] According to Mars, Uncle Ben was an African-American rice grower known for the quality of his rice. Gordon L. Harwell, an entrepreneur who had supplied rice to the armed forces in World War II, chose the name Uncle Ben’s as a means to expand his marketing efforts to the general public.[12] "Uncle" was a common appellation used in the Southern United States to refer to older male Black slaves or servants.[11]

Uncle Ben's promotion

In March 2007, Uncle Ben's image was "promoted" to the "chairman of the board" by a new advertising campaign.[13]"...

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5. Reply
Ron Ranft, October 8, 2015
"Augie Gallegos Maybe she didn't. The reference is much funnier and subtle when you consider that she refers to the Rice which is refered to a converted rice which also triggers the Uncle Tom image as well. Well played Susan!
-snip-

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6. Brian Amberg, October 7, 2015
"By "address the racial divide" he means, "keep white privilege around longer"."

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7. Jack McCallister, October 7, 2015
"As a black man I don't consider Obama black. He's mixed race. This idea that if someone's got one black parent, they are just categorized as black is offensive to me, they are just as much the other race, as they are black. But society pushes them towards black as if they are tainted and can't embrace the white portion of their background. I can hear it now, "He's not one of us!"..."

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Reply
8. Jeff Mintz, October 7, 2015
"Welcome to America home of the" One drop policy" Since 1607

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Reply
9.Jens Ole Stilling, October 7, 2015
"I for one nver understood how being born by a white woman can make a man black. Oh yes the land of the biggots can make it."

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Reply
10. Marion Brooks, October 8, 2015
"Well the father is black that probably helps..."

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Reply
11. Rita Prangle, October 8, 2015
"Marion Brooks: When Obama eas [was] running for office back in 2008, he said that those who thought he wasn't really black should come & watch him trying to get a cab on the south side of Chicago!"

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12. Donyale Three, October 8, 2015
"Robert Townsend was right! Afros! I wants revenge!"

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Reply
13. Sarah Ann Davies, October8, 2015
"Good one"

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14. Debra King, October 8, 2015
"Rupert means a black man he can tell what to do. He clearly already tells him what to think as Ben pretty much is scripted by Fox."

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15. Patricia Gitsanasopon, October 8, 2015
"By real he means "really easy" to control."

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16. Coventry Kessler. October 8, 2015
"Just what we need--an Australian immigrant's opinion on what it means to be black in America. (face palm)"

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17. Warren Schroeder, October 8, 2015
"So this old rich white guy defines what a "real black President" should be? This is too funny."

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18. Mike Daniels, October 8
"Murdock wants a black puppet."

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19. Jhayson Jones, October 8
"So I guess if one were to extrapolate, then George Washington would have been a "real" white president, huh? If there were 5 more 'handkerchief' heads like Ben Carson, they'd bring back slavery as a way to teach job skills!"
-snip-
"Handkerchief head" is another term for "Uncle Tom", a Black man who acts against the interest of other Black people and demonstrates that he is subservient to White people. Black females who talk or behave this way are sometimes also called "Uncle Toms". They may also be called "Aunt Jemimas", after the Black woman on the pancake syrup and pancake mix products.

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20. Gloria Murphy-Flynn, October 8, 2015
"ahh come on black folks, you know white folks are the ones who decides who's "really black" - and once they do, you're all suppose to run and vote for the real black person carson - LMAO!"

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21. Brian Vinson, October 8, 2015
"I wonder if Rupert checked with Dr. Carson becuase I don't think Dr. Carson thinks he is black.

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22. BJ Gage, October 8, 2015
"Real Black" , read subservient. The term when I was young was, "he is a credit to his race." Meant," he knows his place." This is the sub text of Rupert Murdoch's words. The good old days when " they" said " yas suh" and didn't eat in the same restaurants. What Murdoch really yearns for his a " White " WhiteHouse.

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22. Kiah J. Gordon, October 8, 2015
"In all seriousness, the fact that “blackness” is something that anyone, especially someone of another race, feels that they can “define” as valid or not is just….I can’t even put what I’m feeling into words right now because I’m filled with pure rage at the audacity of it all. I just can’t do this anymore with certain white people, especially certain white men. Not all…but the ones who in any way feel this way, I’m done with. Donald Trump did the same when he said that there wouldn’t be another “black President” bacause of Obama. To judge a man that is so much more accomplished in every aspect of his life than Trump by the sole factor of his race, not his policies…but the color of his skin again, I have no suitable words. No one ever said there would never be another white President after Bush. It never happens. But we get real vs. fake in the black community.

The reason Rupert Murdoch said what he said publically about Carson is because he has said these very words privately to Carson. Men like Ben Carson are comfortable in allowing white men like Rupert Murdoch to validate their existence and in this case to validate HIS blackness, to authenticate it, because he has worked his entire life on being “an acceptable black man” that makes white people who think like Rupert Murdoch comfortable. It is 2015 and a white man still feels he has the authority to define blackness. For Carson it has worked for him and he has reaped the benefits of his acceptability by saying the things they can’t as a vessel for their hatred.

The most painful part though in all of this is waiting. Now we wait. And we’re waiting to see if Ben Carson is the bought and paid for acceptable black man that we believe him to be or is he going to step up and make clear that he is not a black man looking for validation from Rupert Murdoch and that he is in no way any blacker or otherwise than the President. Will he allow himself to be defined by this man’s perception of him or will he stand up for himself as an individual and American that wishes to be judged on his own merits and not played against the man in the White House based solely on the only thing that they have in common. Will he question why no one is comparing and contrasting the whiteness of his opponents? See this is nothing new folks. This is how white people have been playing black people for centuries. You’ll never see Rand Paul or Donald Trump or Jeb Bush being compared and contrasted based on their whiteness. Their policies will never be considered good or bad for the “white community”. Their policies are either good for the middle class or the working class or the poor or for blue collar workers, etc. Their policy positions are American positions good or bad for Americans. Never good or bad for the white community. But Carson is good for the black community and will be a REAL representation of blackness. What will Carson do? What will be his response? I’m waiting."

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UPDATE: Rupert Murdoch apologizes for ‘real black President’ remark: ‘No offence meant’

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS / Updated: Thursday, October 8, 2015, 9:10 AM
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/rupert-murdoch-apologizes-real-black-president-remark-article-1.2389851

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UPDATE #2
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ben-carson-rupert-murdoch-racist_5616acf1e4b0e66ad4c6df15
Ben Carson Says Rupert Murdoch Is No Racist
Carson said Murdoch was "just expressing his opinion" on Twitter.
Posted: 10/08/2015 02:19 PM EDT
..."Carson, who has made a habit of denouncing political correctness on the campaign trail, said he understood the point Murdoch was making.

"I believe what he was making reference to was the fact that here was a man who is a black president that the black community was very excited about, who came in and whose policies have not really elevated the black community," he said.

Asked whether Obama was a "real black president," however, Carson demurred.

"Well, he's the president and he's black," he said, laughing."

Pressed on the matter once more, Carson responded, "We're dealing with semantics. I'm the last person who wants to play around with semantics and political correctness."

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE MOVIE "HOLLYWOOD SHUFFLE"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Shuffle
"Hollywood Shuffle is a 1987 satirical comedy film about the racial stereotypes of African Americans in film and television. The film tracks the attempts of Bobby Taylor to become a successful actor and the mental and external roadblocks he encounters, represented through a series of interspersed vignettes and fantasies. Produced, directed, and co-written by Robert Townsend, the film is semi-autobiographical, reflecting Townsend's experiences as a black actor when he was told he was not “black enough” for certain roles.[2]...

Bobby Taylor (Robert Townsend) is a middle class black male aspiring to become an actor. He practices his lines in the bathroom, with his younger brother Stevie (Craigus R. Johnson) watching as he plays a stereotypical “jive” character for the audition for "Jivetime Jimmy's Revenge", a movie about street gangs.
-snip-
In the movie “Jivetime Jimmy’s Revenge”, White writers and White directors instruct Black actors how to act Black and how to speak “jive talk”. In this context, "jive" means "stereotypical African American street lingo." In other contexts, another meaning for the word "jive" can is something that is of poor quality or worthless.
-snip-
Warning- This movie contains profanity and what is commonly known as "the n word".

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A CLIP FROM "HOLLYWOOD SHUFFLE"

Afros I Want Revenge!



koolcalscott, Published on Apr 25, 2012

Hilarious scene from Robert Townsend's 1987 Movie " Hollywood Shuffle". This is where Gang Member Johnny shot Afros Gang Member Tommy, then Jimmy comes on the scene.
-snip-
This late 1980s movie depicted all the members of the fictitious "Afros" gang wear their hair in large afros (also known as "naturals" and 'fros). Calling that gang "Afros" and having that gang wear their hair that way was meant to be an example of White people stereotyping urban African Americans.

Although afros were popular in the 1970s among mostly teenage and young adult African Americans, by the 1980s few African Americans wore their hair that way. However, since at least 2010 or so, that natural hair style and other natural hair styles is becoming increasingly popular among all age groups of African Americans.

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