Racist or Not: Brad Paisley’s CMA Gaffe

Last night, social media BLEW UP following a joke made by Brad Paisley during the Country Music Awards. Many said that his statement was extremely racist.

Here's what happened:

I, for one, thought the joke was HILARIOUS!!!!  However, it did not come without backlash.

"Black-ish" has become a very popular television show on ABC.  The network's description of the show says,

Andre 'Dr' Johnson (Anthony Anderson) has a great job, a beautiful wife, Rainbow (Tracee Ellis Ross), four kids and a colonial home in the 'burbs.  But has success brought too much assimilation for this black family? With a little help from his dad (Laurence Fishburne), Dre sets out to establish a sense of cultural identity for his family that honors their past while embracing the future.

 

Needless to say, the show is popular amongst Black viewers.  Since the CMA's aired during the time "Black-ish" would normally come on, Paisley's joke about not seeing the show but a whole lot of "White-ish" was too funny! I mean, let's face it... There aren't many Black country music singers.  So, the awards show wouldn't have appealed to those that were looking for the show they'd regularly watch. Even those associated with "Black-ish" found the joke to be funny.

I would venture to say that the majority (95% plus) of CMA attendees were White. What's racist about that?  Have we gotten so sensitive as a society that we can't make jokes without EVERYTHING being offensive?  Are we not allowed to have opinions without them being subjected to ridicule?  Things have gotten so bad that if I woke up and said, "I am such a morning person," I'd be subjecting myself to the possibility of a person who hates mornings starting an all out campaign to stop people from starting their days before noon.

If there's an area of town where at least 97 percent of the population is Black and it has a high rate for violent crimes, for a White person to say they're afraid to go to that part of town is NOT racist. Heck, I'm scared, too! I'm just as afraid for my vehicle to break down on the side of the road in Cullman! Don't get it twisted. (And yes, I did say that while rolling my neck. What?)  Crazy people are everywhere, and once a reputation has been made, you cannot blame people for being cautious.

THAT is NOT racism!

Neither is choosing not to date outside your race.  That's a personal preference of physical attraction and possibly a matter of choosing not to subject one's self to societal review.

Here's what IS racist:

• I hate (race of people) just because they're (race).
• None of "them" are any good.
• I WILL NOT hire a (race) person.
• A (race) person CANNOT be trusted.
• (Race) people are always looking for handouts/are always trying to beat the system/are always using the system to benefit themselves and no one else.

This is how http://www.dictionary.com defines "racism":

Clearly, Brad Paisley's comments were taken out of context by an audience that didn't have a back story, as I'm sure the audience who tuned in for the CMAs weren't even his intended audience for that joke (which was probably written by network producers and put on a teleprompter anyway). Undoubtedly, he was talking to those who were surprised by the awards show rather than seeing what they'd intended to watch BUT although we obviously have a long way to go in terms of race relations, must we really walk on eggshells or be subjected to massive scrutiny?

It's almost like you can't say anything about a White person if you're Black, a Black person if you're White, or even black and white in the same sentence. I'm almost afraid to share the corny joke with my daughter when she's older:

"What's black and white and read (red) all over?"

"Mommy, you can't say black and white. That's racist."

See how stupid that sounds? Well, that's just how stupid all of this controversy over the joke is.