Oh, Gwyneth! You Silly Girl...

Okay, so I was challenged to write about topics that were given to me by some Facebook Friends.

NO BIG DEAL, right? Well, of course my interesting mix of Facebook Buddies would lay at my feet some of the MOST difficult, thought provoking and controversial topics they could come up with.

This entry's topic comes from my good buddy, Carly Nickerson. Shout out to this lovely wife and mother. I hope that this blog entry is all you hoped it could be!

The Topic: Gwyneth Paltrow's Infamous Tweet:
 ("N------s in Paris for real!")<<<--- loosely quoting the tweet.


Gwyneth has everyone going crazy, right now. So many Entertainment News sources have been carrying this story. So many people have had discussions, even up to heated arguments about this little ol' tweet from a dainty celebrity.

Here's the first half of my thoughts on the issue:

You know what came to mind, when I heard about this story?: There's no such thing as BAD publicity.

Isn't that Hollywood 101?  I don't think that Gwyneth had any malicious intent. I DO, however, think she knew exactly what she was doing, though.  You know why I feel that way? Because, Gwyneth is a White, United States American, Woman, that's why. She knows the power of THAT word. C'mon. You know it's true.

She totally tweeted that message to get SOME sort of reaction. Isn't she currently working on Iron Man 3? I'm just sayin....

I will say, though, that SOME white people truly think that they TOTALLY have "provisional black card" privileges because they have "black friends." I know PLENTY of white people who confuse being around black people who say THAT word in FRONT of them with having the right to use the word themselves.

Now, I don't know about YOU...but to ME, Gwyneth strikes me as one of those "white ladies" who only has like one REALLY good black friend---maybe. I don't know her personally, obviously. But I would  say that the black folks she went to Paris with are the extent of her venture into blackpeopledom.

So, with all of those things considered, I think Gwyneth was out of line...but I feel she knew she would be and she took a calculated risk ---for the publicity. I mean, she has nearly 1 million Twitter followers. She knew SOMEONE could potentially get offended.

Onto the second side of my thoughts on this "tweet-paux"

Non-black people get set up, all the time, by this stupid word. The situation was DEFINITELY a set-up in this instance because the artists knew what they were doing when they NAMED THE ALBUM.  

You know how I know that? Because Jay-Z and Kanye are Black, United States American, Men, that's why. THEY totally know the power of THAT word. C'mon. You know it's true.

They also know that they are cross-over artists and that the majority of their fan base are DIE HARD fans. Meaning, they know every word and they RECITE every word---out loud...with passion.

Therefore, if you put 100 n-words in your 3 minute song, you're fully aware that you're creating a verbal landmine for your fans. Even if the average fan was generally great at self-censure, they're gonna slip up at least one time.

I also feel there's a terrible double standard about the word. I mean, rightfully so. Our history with the word makes it a sore reality from both sides. "We" use it and "They" use it...but they better not get caught using it...or else. Yeah, that's the double standard.

Black people are constantly making up arbitrary rules for when and how the word can or cannot be used and for when we will and will not be offended. Shucks, I'm BLACK and even I get confused sometimes.

Of course, hands down--if you say the word, with the "er" on it, while you're angry, out loud, to my face, trying to hurt me...you're a racist. That's the baseline...but what about all those other "gray area" usages? Is reciting a lyric okay? Is using the title of a song as a sentence not okay?

I blame the artists on this one. They WANTED the publicity and the controversy. Please believe it. They could have named their song anything but they chose to name it "N----s in Paris."

Evil geniuses, that's what they are....in THIS case.

Bottom line: I still like Gwyneth. I still find her dainty and sweet...and reaaally, reaaaallly white. *smile* Life goes on.