TWO THINGS YOU shouldn’t ever put together in the same sentence is “black people” and “monkeys”. That is like putting a stick o’ dynamite in your mouth and lighting it.
From the time you put black people and monkeys together you are looking for trouble. And if you are a white person who put them together then you asking for serious trouble.
That is why I want to know, how in the name of all that is righteous, that the owners of the new nightclub Monkey Nutts, right here in Bim, could not see that if they took the images of Bob Marley and Michael Jackson, two black musical legends, and replace their faces with those of monkeys and put them in the nightclub, that they would not be heavily criticised and called racists?
You mean to tell me that at no time at all nobody ain’t say, “Ammm, fellas, I really don’t think this is a good idea.”
Well, of course, those on social media went mad and the operators of the club received a serious tongue-lashing. Consequently, they removed the images and offered an apology.
Now I am not prepared to call anyone a racist, and I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt that they were indeed looking for a fun, whimsical way to decorate the place in keeping with the name Monkey Nutts. But cuh dear, common sense should tell you that you don’t put black people and monkeys in the same sentence.
Because it is no secret that all over the world, many people like to insult black people by calling them monkeys. Indeed, there are many black soccer players who are subjected to “monkey” chants and grunts when they are on the field. It has gotten so bad that sometimes spectators throw bananas at these black players.
Even last year in America, a mayor in a city in Washington, referred to President Obama as “monkey man” and first lady Michelle Obama as “gorilla face”. This drew the wrath of many people and he was asked to resign, he later apologised but never resigned.
And that is why I does got issues with the green monkey dancers ’bout here. I hate to see black people dressing up as monkeys dancing for tourists, because I feel it does perpetuate the stereotype of black people being monkeys.
Now both of my daughters use to do dance classes when they were young, and I would always tell the dance instructors that my children will not be dressing up as monkeys to go dancing anywhere. I ain’t care who ones gine, mine wouldn’t be going.
And yes, some people tell me that I being irrational, and how the green monkey is part of we history and culture and Africanicity and all kinda words and we should embrace it. And how just because them got people who does refer to black people as monkeys, we should not let that get in the way of we culture.
And yes, I hear all of that, but if you gine tell me that my culture means that my children are to dress up like monkeys and go in a hotel and flip ’bout and jump ’bout for tourists and allow li’l tourist children to feed them bananas, that just ain’t gine happen.
I ain’t gine argue with you and tell you don’t do it, that is your choice, to each his own, but I know who ain’t dressing up like no monkey. See ya.
E-mail; madderic@hotmail.com twitter@madderic
