June 27, 2017

The travails of a puppeteer.

"The White Man Who Was Inside the Black/Rasta/Mammy Puppet at the Fremont Parade Says He Is Not a Racist."
I am the anonymous puppeteer who had the large black puppet in the Solstice Parade, and got such a public drubbing for being racist.... I fully intended for my puppet to portray in the most positive and upful way the contribution of people of color to the celebratory spirit of humanity.

One lady (white) came up at parade beginning and said that because I was white my puppet was racist—I was hurt surprised and shocked. I thought she was maybe a little nuts (from that Trump guy being president, all the shootings of black people, and the general rise of open racism recently). I told her I did not share her perspective on my puppet but she was having none of it....

Behind me a bare assed Trump statue was flipping everyone off—was this why people thought I also was disrespecting them? I never felt so misunderstood in my life....
Upful.

43 comments:

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

Broflake alert.

M Jordan said...

Rule #1 about race: Shutup, White Person.

LordSomber said...

I thought "upful" was synonymous with "uppity" but it looks like I'm wrong.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

Anybody who uses the word "upful" should be told "Up yours."

It's as awful as "woke."

Dave from Minnesota said...

the general rise of open racism recently

Really? Where is the rise in open racism? I mean besides the most leftwing cities and institutions. St Olaf. Evergreen. Minneapolis. Yale. Boston.

Bob Boyd said...

After my first coffeve I'm more wokeupful.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

First I heard "upfull" was in a Bob Marley song.

"It's Alright," apparently.

That was quite some time ago.

The sun shall not smite I by day,
Nor the moon by night,
And everything that I do
Shall be upfull and right.


A catchy tune.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

And I hereby resolve to make the word "smite" part of my regular vocabulary.

Chris N said...

'He is in a state of denial'

His true intentions can be known, and once proper knowledge is made known to him, his behavior will change and he will see the world as it is.

The world as it is is deeply unfair and unjust, and it will be made socially just through proper awareness of this knowledge.

Those who know have a duty to lead, organize and help this knowledge spread, especially to anyone in denial, especially if they show good faith, like this puppeteer.

Punishment may be necessary for him if he can't be made to understand, but not the kind of punishment necessary for those who seek to deny/suppress this knowledge.

The suppressors are part of an unjust system which should, can and will come to an end. That munch is known and action is required. Violence may never fully be off the table.

That is the world which must be brought into existence.

Freedom is next.



Eric the Fruit Bat said...

Insofar as the puppeteer goes . . . what? He shouldn't suffer for his art?

Chris N said...

There are known and unknown munches.

Bob Boyd said...

After a 2nd coffeve and a few fingerfulls of cookie larva, I microdose some estrogen to improve my people skills, jump into a romper, tie up my man bun and head out to watch for micro aggressions.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

Could the puppeteer be a troll? I just can't see how something like this could be inadvertent.

Bill Peschel said...

"Upful" is Jamaicain?

Racist and a cultural appropriator! A la lanteurn!

CJinPA said...

What a time to be alive.

Fernandinande said...

He's holding a "Black Lives Matter" sign, so either he's a racist or making fun of racists.

n.n said...

Art.

Rick said...

I thought she was maybe a little nuts

And you were right.

DanTheMan said...

>>He shouldn't suffer for his art?

I think he wants us to suffer for his art....

LordSomber said...

Meet you in Malkovich in one hour.

Clyde said...

Did anyone else see an ad there for "Uncle Ike's Cheap Pot"? Did they legalize it for recreational use in Washington? Or is it that nobody really cares anymore?

Kirk Parker said...

The left eating its own... what's not to like here?

Kevin said...

One lady (white) came up at parade beginning and said that because I was white my puppet was racist—I was hurt surprised and shocked.

Didn't she see the artist was showing how the black man is just a puppet of the white man? Or is it supposed to be a black man dressed as a white man seeming to control the black man, who would really be in control?

It's so hard to keep up with the correct symbolism, which of course is a feature, not a bug.

Kevin said...

"Black people yelling "racism!" White people yelling "reverse racism!" Chinese people yelling "sideways racism!" And the Indians ain't yelling shit, 'cause they dead. So everybody bitching about how bad their people got it: nobody got it worse than the American Indian. Everyone needs to calm the fuck down." -- Chris Rock

Ralph L said...

All minstrels should be lynched.

Bill Owens said...

'One lady (white) came up at parade beginning and said that because I was white my puppet was racist—I was hurt surprised and shocked.'

It seems as if 'idiocy' is now appropriable...
The best course of action when faced with idiocy appropriation, imho, is a good, long, hearty belly laugh. The other person may not find amusement in such a response but frankly, who cares what the idiot thinks?

bagoh20 said...

There is a good chance that if you attack a guy for being white, talk about white privilege, and think blacks or anybody else is above ridicule becuase of their skin color, then you are a racist, becuase you don't know what to think of someone until you know the color of their skin. Isn't that pretty much the definition of racism?

Michael The Magnificent said...

Really? Where is the rise in open racism?

I work with a couple of SJWs. They pass around stories of racism, hoaxes and all, like venereal disease at a bath house.

tola'at sfarim said...

way to bury the lede
"Behind me a bare assed Trump statue was flipping everyone off—was this why people thought I also was disrespecting them? "
can we get some more info on that one?

Dude1394 said...

You are white and you expect the democrats to actually accept you for who you are?? Silly, this one is.

tim in vermont said...

"I'm just a soul whose intentions are good!
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood!"

Gee, if they cannot even understand a guy like that who is one of their own, it opens the tiny possibility that they might misunderstand others, you know, like Trump. Naah!

Darrell said...

Sucks to be him.

ALP said...

I live in the geographic area The Stranger serves - been reading it since its inception in the early 90's and read it today for...comic relief.

Anyway, I urge people to read the comment section of this article (and any other article) - many, many people take The Stranger to task for its knee-jerk, ultra PC POV. The author here, Charles Mudede, is an especially popular target for his ability to interject race into the most mundane subjects. The comments section gives me back the hope the articles themselves takes away.

ALP said...

BTW: my take on this puppet - when have you EVER seen a big puppet like this that did NOT look cartoonish? They all look weird. I chalk this up to being made by a not very talented person in a medium that doesn't do ANYONE any favors.

walter said...

"I just hope in the future to stay out of the crossfire from reactionary liberals who are determined to see evil everywhere!"

He trolled them.

JAORE said...

Does his puppet want to be a real boy?

Is there a blue fairy in the parade?

Yancey Ward said...

An appropriate link.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Not being upful enough was his downful...bigly.

MadisonMan said...

I might be a white male, but I identify as a black female. Do you have a problem with that, oh intolerant one?

I think that would be the proper response to a white lady calling foul/racism.

Wilbur said...

Clyde said...
Did anyone else see an ad there for "Uncle Ike's Cheap Pot"? Did they legalize it for recreational use in Washington? Or is it that nobody really cares anymore?


Wilbur had the same reaction as you, Clyde. Never seen a banner ad for herb. Pretty stunning.

The times they are a changin'.

Amadeus 48 said...

This letter from the puppeteer is truly upful in the sense of "send-up", as in "an act of imitating someone or something in order to ridicule them". It is a wonderful example of mindful mockery of the politically correct, topped off with the abandonment of the offending puppet at a Fremont Arts Council storage facility with a Black Lives Matter sign in its lifeless hands. Someone is "poquita" indeed, and I think it is the writer for The Stranger.

Well played, puppeteer.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

Poquita looks like a black bear with blue eyes and pink lips.

Unknown said...

Racist, shmasist. Who gives a crap.