Today, I watched our President sign the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. This is honestly one of those moments in history that I will probably tell my children about. The very fact that there were people in America who were willing to protect our freedoms while being denied the freedom to choose who to love was unacceptable. I know there are a lot of people who feel like President Obama is not doing enough, but I would argue that he is taking on monumental tasks and these things take time. Either way, you might not here me say this again so pay attention. Today I am proud to call myself an American!
The newest topic in racism is the Duncan Hines commercial in which chocolate glaze is poured over vanilla cupcakes. After the glaze is poured over the cupcakes, they begin to beat-box. I'm always one to stay away from using the words racist or racism, because I feel like our society becomes desensitized to them when they are overused and used incorrectly. Is this commercial racist? I don't believe that is the intention of the commercial. Does this commercial come from a system of racism? Yes. This commercial and money others like it demonstrate a lack of understanding of American history. The reason that it is so easy for many people to dismiss this commercial, is because much of our history has been misconstrued or glazed over. As Americans we always boast about being the best, but we rarely accept the responsibility of being the best. Tying racially insensitive imagery to a form of music which is tied to black culture is irresponsible. Regardless of your feeling toward the commercial, the similarities can not be denied. The most interesting part in watching this commercial was reading the comments underneath the videos on various websites. These comments echo many of the comments that have been used since slavery.
