- Share This Post
- submit
- 4
-
Sparkle (0)
In the past week, there were two WTF? moments: First was the brouhaha over the latest cover of Essence magazine that featured NFL star Reggie Bush, who plays for the New Orleans Saints. The picture (apparently from an old GQ shoot a few years ago) is amazing. Not particularly my type, but I think he is still a fine-looking brotha.
Apparently, angry readers pointed out that Bush is dating Kim Kardashian, who is famous for being ... I dunno, but she is not black. She is Armenian, and to the consternation of many, Bush being on the cover was tantamount to being a race-traitor. From BET.com:
The Essence.com boards are flooded with seething comments from people who can’t understand why a magazine geared towards black women would make the NFL player who is dating a non-black woman, Kim Kardashian, the cover choice for an issue that celebrates black love.
Here’s a sample of the backlash:
“Why is there a white supremacist on the cover of Essence magazine? Because any person who thinks white women are better is indeed a white supremacist. Having this man on the cover is beyond offensive to me as an African American woman. He is just another crude reminder of all the black men who perpetuate racism against black women, by rejecting them and showing the utmost disrespect by choosing to date non-black women, Reggie Bush is even more offensive since his mate is nothing but some white trashy woman. I suspect those of you you do agree with this mess are either Aunt Jemima’s or products of an interracial relationship.”
Ouch. Now Essence magazine (my opinion only) is trying to survive in an era in which magazines (because advertising dollars are drying up) are declining. The year 2009 saw many great magazines (like Metal Edge, R.I.P.) go under. So what do they have to do? Be provocative, get people talking so they will pick up a copy. Fair enough, right?
The problem is that people are saying Essence magazine (who irked me over the "find your man in a strip bar" suggestion last year) is bowing to the pressure. They have to sell magazines, but in order to do so they are throwing the very readership they are trying to maintain under the bus.
Or are they? Could this be much ado about nothing? From Hello Beautiful:
But why are black women really upset? Is it the fact that Bush chose a white girlfriend? At what point does his personal preference in women cross over into territory that is really none of our business? And while it is understandable that his choice in a partner is irrelevant so long as it is not broadcast on an avenue designated for black women, does this discount the fact that he is still a black man? Must we exclude the opinions of black men who don’t date black women? On some level, this seems unfair. Reggie Bush represents one clear perspective. Even though it is not approved of by everyone, why should his perspective be excluded from discussion in a black women’s magazine?
Hear, hear. Now the second example: I read (white) Colleen Oakley's guest blog post at Lemondrop.com about moving to Tennessee with her black husband and then finding out that she is pregnant. She wonders what it will be like raising a biracial baby in a city in which she fears they will endure cross-burnings and the KKK:
When we got here, I was pleasantly surprised. Our neighbors welcomed us -- not with pitchforks, but with open arms. When we go out downtown, instead of stares and racial slurs, we get smiles and nods. And then we found out we were pregnant. That's when I began to panic.
As a new mom, I'm sure that I have the same fears as most other new moms: Will I be a good mother? Will my child be healthy? Will I have to watch reruns of "SpongeBob Square Pants" ad nauseam? But being the mother of a biracial baby, I have another, unique-to-me-and-my-kid fear: Will my child feel like an outcast in our community?
I have to admit, within the first 10 seconds of reading her post I thought, white girl, you should have thought about that before you spread your legs and threw out your birth control. But honestly? She is a great writer, and she fleshed out her argument quite well. They had moved from Atlanta,
