There are also local food stereotypes, the most funny of which concerns the people of the Yaroslavl district in the Russia- proper. They are called compulsive water- drinkers which is also associated with some kind of a simple-mindedness. Go, figure.
It is worth noticing that all of the above stereotypes are negative; none are positive, although all of the above nations are famous for national traditions of exceptionally good and healthy foods. It is thus not about food per se. It is about something else. Same as the watermelon issue in the US; it is about venting malice.
As malice is a universal human feature, I clearly understand and appreciate the uncompromising standing of Mrs. Woodson, who does not give a damn about the unintended trait of her white friends to have fun at her expense and joke about her 'allergies to the watermelon'. She does not want to take it easy; nothing is easy in her history and the history of black people. Gods are just and they turn our joyful sin into the tool of punishment. Those friends of hers, they would have refrained from the joking about a Jew being 'allergic' to say, burned flesh, wouldn't they? If they are so selective in their decency, they deserve a slap in the face. I am all for it.
At the same time I would like to extend on an issue a little bit. Russian poet Kornilov once said that 'history of any land is packed with murder'. I had noticed though, that people tend to vehemently point out at their own sufferings and mischief while ignoring the similar fates of others.
US is a startling example of that attitude. We have a lot of emphasis here on the Civil Rights movement but it is presented as a predominantly black thing. MLK and other leaders are revered, but for some reason the actual issue of inequality of the people is not mentioned. The Civil Rights movement was not really about Blacks, though. It was about the poor, the disenfranchised, the suffering, the oppressed. It was about the Appalachian poor and the homeless in San - Francisco, about the Louisiana Bayou people and the West Virginia miners, about migrant growers and undocumented nannies, about Cubans and about Russians, Haitians and Guatemalans. It was and it still is. But our dear black folks do not seem to worry very much about that aspect. They press their uniqueness in that game and do not notice that suddenly they gain support from the very group they should beware of - from the rich establishment. Because it is one thing to pay the lip service and hush the jokes and very much a different thing to stop stealing from the poor. Establishment does not really care about race or gender or any other secondary issue in their view as soon as the INEQUALITY IN WEALTH stays the same as before or goes their way. And if we look around, we can say that they strike a perfect bargain.
Talk is cheap. I would like someone to point me at least one show at which made a topic of the UNIVERSAL POVERTY, urging all the poor from all races, creeds and sexual orientations to unite in solidarity. Send me a postcard, folks if you find that one. Not a chance. And I am only warming up. There are so many gorillas in that room that you can fill the whole Africa with them. Let's take another case: Nelson Mandela, the obviously most prominent African leader of the Century remarried not long before his death. He married a lady of the very similar prominence, so well- known in Africa that when they married, Nelson joked that he was happy she did not tell him to take her name. She was Madame Mashel, the widow of the legendary Samorah Mashel, herself also being en par with her famous husbands through her work on various causes. US media shamefully ignored her totally; even during the Mandela's funeral her name was not mentioned. Obama did not pay tribute to her also. The reason apparently was that her first husband was a socialist, but who cares? Should not there be a duty of the US black leadership to point out the case of blatant racism in this case, racism heated by hate and malice? But" we did not hear from Al Sharpton, did we? How about a prayer in all black churches in support for Madame Mashel? Not a chance.
Oh yes, about the churches. Our dear media is remarkably silent when it comes to a very peculiar issue; the homes of God are the last bastions of segregation in the US and" totally legit. Urban churches in the poor districts are predominantly black, rural churches, poor or rich - are white as snow. I am not even talking about other denominations: finding a black person among the Jewish worshippers would require a DNA test. Latinos are more tolerant but up to the point; I doubt if you see a lot of Irish in their churches and vice- versa. And this interesting division does not seem to bother anyone. NOBODY seems to worry about that at all. To summarize my view on that I would like to quote one Irish priest from the movie:
- Do you, morons, think God is a goddamn idiot?
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