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hipstre@diasp.org
Rifkin Semmelweis

How I'm a "Racist"
I remember once there was a #comedian on the Conan O'Brien show, he had a very generic name like "Neil Jones" and he was doing a very generic comedy tour. Conan introduced him normally, "Our next guest is a comedian, touring the country, tomorrow night he'll be at the Chucklehut in Secaucus, New Jersey, and on Wednesday at Laughterhouse Five in Minneapolis. Ladies and gentlemen, Neil Jones…"

There is polite #applause. The camera cuts to the curtain which opens, the polite applause continues. As Neil Jones emerges here is what is expected, and usual. He steps up to the microphone and the applause trails off as he says, "Thank you." But what happened? As Neil Jones emerges into the light and steps up to the microphone, it is revealed he is black. And rather than polite, trailing applause, the applause rises and some "whoo!"s are thrown in. Neil Jones has to say, "Thank you," twice before the applause dies down.

What was that? Well, we all know what that was. The audience saw he was black and went from perfunctory, polite applause to enthusiastic applause because they had to go from a boring ritual to demonstrating how not racist they are. There might be a few New Yorkers who go to comedy clubs and know that in black comedy clubs it is permissible and expected to go a little fuckin' crazy with the applause, but mostly, I suspected it was the other thing.

Who is the racist here? Not Neil Jones. Not Conan. The audience? Well, how would that work? That's tough. There's a bunch of 'em. It's me. I'm the racist, for pointing it out.

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