Episode 85.5 — Bonus Cut: Yo, Is "Yo, Is This Racist?" Racist?

[action52 554]

You can say the n-word if you want. And of course intent MATTERS, it's just that intent isn't everything. It's the difference between saying something that makes you a horrible person, and saying something that isn't a big deal but you should probably still apologize and try not to do it again.

 

I don't think the way Matt said it is dehumanizing, or makes him a terrible, Mississippi-level racist. He was mentioning the word as a way to analyze it, and not out of any sort of racial prejudice towards black people. But I think he shouldn't have used it. Because even in that context, it just hits the ears wrong. Regardless of intent, you can't control the way that people will take it if you use the word. You just have to understand that in this society, there is no way that a non-black person can use it without being offensive, and you'd better have a damned good reason that it's worth offending people.

 

We, as a society, may some day reach a point where the word can be used in academic and/or intellectual sense, similar to Matt's usage. But that is going to take decades at LEAST, and in the meantime you have to be mindful of the damage the word can do.

[jsl 36]

I don't think Joselyn Hughes is as dopey as that clip makes her sound

[Todd Mason 21]

An epithet is offensive no matter who uses it...if they're using it as an insult. Methodists, for example, were able to repurpose the insult that word originally was, and now it isn't an insult...but it could still be meant to be one. (Quakers have done similarly, if to a lesser degree.) I don't think others' use of an insult is necessarily to further insult the originally attacked party. And, of course, there have been all sorts of epithets tossed around...and all kinds of oppression, to varying degrees...in the world we live in when not typing into a grey window. My "redskin" ancestors managed to escape some of the worst of it...and the paler ones did, too. Others have not been so lucky.

 

All told, it's interesting that the not well-tempered critique of the frequently shallow (and self-satisfied...though occasionally insightful, depending on guest) other podcast has inspired so much correspondence, chestpounding and otherwise...when the unlamented trouble here has been mispronouncing "bonobos" and calling these fine apes "monkeys"....

[VampiresVampiresVampires 303]

Matt, I think William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Richard Wright, Tennessee Williams, Stephen Ambrose, William Attaway, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, and even Tig Notaro and Elvis will deflect your fallacies. Please stop. If you are not racist, then you are certainly denegrating me and all the races of my family.

[VampiresVampiresVampires 303]

Guys!....Mississippi.

It must be a joke, right? Do two of my heroes hate me?

[Podus 108]

 

Hannity, O'Reily and Corolla are your heroes. Now those are some white men who don't give a fuck about minorities, just like you. And I hope one day you reach racist nirvana.

I am a minority so I guess you have to make some other weak argument. Son

[chadcd 13]

I think Shariq Torres might be trying to get himself on a case closed. God I love me some Matt Besser.

[PuncturedJesus 354]

I used to live in Kentucky. Whenever I would say that to a friend I would get a look of disgust or pity. Then I would explain I lived in Louisville and people would breathe a sigh of relief.

 

Anyways.

 

Innocent until proven guilty in America, right? Sweeping generalizations do not reflect well on a person even if there is a grain of truth to what they say.

[MilkyFoxe 1]

Andrew Ti is an incredibly ignorant man. The fact that he has set himself up as an authority on racism is very amusing. I hope Yo, is 'Yo, is This Racist?' Racist? becomes a recurring segment.

[AndrewOzzie-XavierTorriente 2]

I think Shariq comes off as a petty person hurling insults at anyone that objected to him, and that has nothing to do with his personal views on anything. Just his incredibly obnoxious and rude forum behavior.

 

That said, I hope "the monkey in to a girrafe was the biggest stretch" was referring to the girrafes neck!

[robinsbruce 4985]

 

Lay off Shariq, one-poster.

 

Let's focus on Mississippi. I like where VampiresVampiresVampires was going with this.

[Shakesbeard 61]

I think some of the posters here just need to shut up and bang each other. There's more sexual tension than anything.

[Nicolas Rage 313]

I live in the UK and can be safe in the knowledge that the US is probably more racist than we are.

 

(seriously, you guys had Jim Crow in the 60s while we were fucking in a field somewhere listening to the Beatles on our portable gramophones!)

 

I think Shariq comes off as a petty person hurling insults at anyone that objected to him, and that has nothing to do with his personal views on anything. Just his incredibly obnoxious and rude forum behavior.

 

That said, I hope "the monkey in to a girrafe was the biggest stretch" was referring to the girrafes neck!

I've heard of creating an account just to shit on an episode, but creating an account just to shit on a poster? Now that's true dedication to being (tom) petty!

[mattbesser 605]

Matt, I think William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Richard Wright, Tennessee Williams, Stephen Ambrose, William Attaway, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, and even Tig Notaro and Elvis will deflect your fallacies. Please stop. If you are not racist, then you are certainly denegrating me and all the races of my family.

VampiresVampiresVampires want to call into the show to defend Mississippi today on i4h at 2:30pm PST? It won't be Case Closed it will be Thank You Mississippi.

[robinsbruce 4985]

VampiresVampiresVampires want to call into the show to defend Mississippi today on i4h at 2:30pm PST? It won't be Case Closed it will be Thank You Mississippi.

 

Ohhhhhh this is what I'm talking about. Get on it Vamps.

[mattman92ish 823]

why have my liking abilities stopped at such a crucial moment!!!!??

[pbnews 93]

Being from California, I have no stake in this debate, but I hope the poster is willing to stick his neck out (it would suck if he didn’t). Fangs for throwing this challenge down, Batt. I mean, Matt.

[MartJ 44]

Being from California

 

Do you live in a loft?

[AndrewOzzie-XavierTorriente 2]

While I don't see why the amount of posts should validate or invalidate my opinion, I understand your perspective on letting the dust settle. That said he certainly never felt the need to lay off of anyone and directly insulted them far worse than my small collection of thoughts.

 

For the record I had an account with about 4 posts, but I was not able to recover it unfortunately.

[Cracktivity 23]

The thing about trying to decide by demographics whether a region or a state is racist or not is kind of up to the observer. If a state votes 60% for the Democrats we call it a Blue state even though we know that 40% of the people there are Republicans. But even if a state has a majority non-racist population, the large minority of racist is going to make it racist to a person of color. Imagine if you visited a state and 4 out of ten people you ran into were racists. Or 3 out of ten. Even two out of ten. You'd probably leave there saying, "That state is full of racists." Because racism is slightly louder than non-racism.

[knowlerdraws 10]

I live in the UK and can be safe in the knowledge that the US is probably more racist than we are.

 

(seriously, you guys had Jim Crow in the 60s while we were fucking in a field somewhere listening to the Beatles on our portable gramophones!)

 

 

I've heard of creating an account just to shit on an episode, but creating an account just to shit on a poster? Now that's true dedication to being (tom) petty!

 

Woah hold on there. Have you lived in the USA?

As a brit that has lived in the states I cannot agree to this. I'm a Londoner originally, and I've lived in rural england too, and in the states - they are equally racist.

Additionally the UK is a *far* more mono-racial society than the states - which usually means there's more ignorance about other types of people.

Sorry but I can't tolerate the "UK is less" argument as it's so patently untrue. Don't forget the EDL and the recent UKIP successes.

*edit - let me guess, you're an English White Male?

[SolGoldman 10]

Im most offended by Yo Is This Racist because its not funny.

 

If there was a vote for worst podcast on Earwolf YITR would be the run away winner

yet its on 5 times a week. What up with that?

[ben mcd 127]

YIIR was originally in the non-comedy section with Seth Goden's podcast when Earwolf had the various "value stream" platforms earlier in the year. They've since blended all the shows back together, but I don't think Andrew's goal is ever to be funny, first. Alleviating some sticky issues with lightheartedness? Sure; but not a comedy podcast. I don't listen to it often, personally, because the question is usually redundant and the guests are rarely interesting.

 

 

Im most offended by Yo Is This Racist because its not funny. If there was a vote for worst podcast on Earwolf YITR would be the run away winner yet its on 5 times a week. What up with that?

[SolGoldman 10]

YIIR was originally in the non-comedy section with Seth Goden's podcast when Earwolf had the various "value stream" platforms earlier in the year. They've since blended all the shows back together, but I don't think Andrew's goal is ever to be funny, first. Alleviating some sticky issues with lightheartedness? Sure; but not a comedy podcast. I don't listen to it often, personally, because the question is usually redundant and the guests are rarely interesting.

 

Its not supposed to be funny yet Andrew insists its not a serious source? What a fucking waste of time.

[Xaston 98]

smh Paula Deen