Jackson Free Press

Here's a brief pre-holiday message from Pork-N-Piggly CEO and former third-string NFL football star Ernest "Monday Night Football Head" Walker: "An inflated economy has produced a depressed nation of price-gouged poor people already in debt before Christmas. Family gatherings will be sparse this year because children and grandchildren cannot afford to go over the river and through the woods to grandmomma's house.

"My sympathies go out to disappointed, financially challenged children, who will receive cheap toys and no Gameboys. And what will the lonely and confused senior citizens on Medicaid do for Christmas? In the words of comedian, Rickey Smiley, 'I have 'no-eye-deer!''

"Let The Pork-N-Piggly staff ease your troubled mind, body, spirit, pocketbook and wallet this holiday season with our Pot Luck Holiday Dinner Gathering and Disco. Come and enjoy your fellow financially challenged neighbors at the table-full-o-food, courtesy of the Pork-N-Piggly staff and several high-profile community members. Everyone from Cootie to Judy McBride will be there to provide discounted legal, financial, psychological and Medicaid services.

"Rev. Cletus has volunteered transportation services via the Double Dutch Church Bus. The Momma Church Hat Fashion Squad will provide and coordinate entertainment. Brotha Hustle has inexpensive gifts and Juicy-Juice on ice for the kids. D.J. Old Skool Pete will spin the 'platters that matter' during the after-dinner disco. And look out for Brotha Sylvester's 'Missing Toe' art display. Happy Holidays, as G.W. makes the world go 'round!"

Previous Commentsshow

oh, i love the character names in stiggers' pieces

casey

Dec 1 2005

When I make up these characters, I like to engage in word play and combine it with african-american and popular cultural references. I think, for some folk, what I do seems to be bit silly. Thanks Casey!

Stiggers

Dec 3 2005

Hey, Ken -- I tried to send an email to you to this effect, but was having email trouble at the time and it dawned on me that it might not have arrived. And then I promptly lost your email address. What I was trying to say in the email was: I got the article, and thanks. Great stuff. On a similar tangent: Are you watching The Boondocks? It's still my favorite comic strip, but the Cartoon Network version is leaving me cold. The first episode (with the garden party) was brilliant satire; the R. Kelly trial was harmlessly silly fun; everything else has just kind of gotten on my nerves. Last week's episode, which featured an ungodly number of uses of the "N" word (usually within the context of someone having an "'N' moment"), felt more like racial self-deprecation than subversive humor. Also troublesome is the fact that, unlike the strip, the cartoon (with the exception of the first episode) seems to completely spare white culture and focus entirely on criticizing black culture. Because the Adult Swim audience is predominantly white, male, and 18-34, I'm concerned that there may be a minstrel show effect to this. I'm wondering if you've been watching it and, if so, if you've been having the same gut-level reaction or if there's something I might be missing. I'm going to give it a few more weeks, but it's not growing on me right now. Cheers, TH

Tom Head

Dec 3 2005

On the plus side, the MUSIC is fantastic. The opening theme--co-written by McGruder, and performed by Asheru--absolutely nails the comic dead-on, and there has been a surprising amount of very current music (in the episode where Granddad cluelessly falls for a prostitute, Kanye West's "Gold Digger" made an appearance). I really, really want to like the show...but it feels weird to sit down and watch it right now, knowing how many young white men are sitting there laughing at the endless "N" jokes while their own culture goes unscathed. Another thing I've noticed: Huey's last Malcolm X moment was in the first episode. That aspect of his personality seems to have vanished from the rest of the series; he's kind of playing straightman to everybody else. Huey's ruthless subversiveness is the main thing I like about the comic, so that may be why the cartoon isn't working for me. Dunno. Cheers, TH

Tom Head

Dec 3 2005

Tom Head: ... Last week's episode, which featured an ungodly number of uses of the "N" word (usually within the context of someone having an "'N' moment"), felt more like racial self-deprecation than subversive humor. Also troublesome is the fact that, unlike the strip, the cartoon (with the exception of the first episode) seems to completely spare white culture and focus entirely on criticizing black culture. Because the Adult Swim audience is predominantly white, male, and 18-34, I'm concerned that there may be a minstrel show effect to this. Hey, my good brother, Tom! I like adult swim. I try to catch Boondocks late nights on cable tv. I did see a Boondocks preview on the Adult Swim website. Personally I think Mcgruder's work would be very potent and successful as an underground DVD that could sell at bookstores and video rental stores. Some other Afr-Am writers and I conclude that mainstream white society does not relate well to a black male who express his thoughts and opinions intelligently.This could explain the "Minstrel Show" effect on the Boondocks television show. McGruder might be as fustrated as you are because other writers and producers limit him and ,therefore, force him to change his content and subject matter. I hope to catch an episode or two of the Boondocks cartoon on Adult Swim. Peace, love and universal understanding Stiggers

Stiggers

Dec 4 2005

Good points. Tonight's episode (#5, "A Visit from the Health Inspector") was a return to form, BTW--and the more I think about it, the more I think I might have just been a little too hard on the show... The only real episode that bothered me THAT much was #4, "Granddad's Fight," and I wonder how much of that was due to my issues with the "N" word. I have no problem when it is used in hip-hop, but for some reason the way it was used in that episode, over and over again and to stereotype black behavior, just wore me raw when I thought about the predominantly white audience sitting at home laughing at those jokes. One of the things I love about McGruder is that he skewers everybody in the way he contextualizes stuff, and I felt like whites got off way too easy in that ep. Maybe it was just a matter of having 40 minutes of plot and 22 minutes of script. Leading up to that, the pilot ("The Garden Party") is still perfect in every way. "The Trial of R. Kelly" (#2) and "Guess Hoe's Coming to Dinner" (#3) seemed a tad bowdlerized, then #4..., so I guess I thought I was seeing a trend that wasn't there. I'll be interested in seeing the rest of the series. #5 shows me that what I saw in #1 is still there. Even the characterization of Huey was better. And the powers that be dealt with Jasmine VERY well in that first ep--much gentler than I'd expected, I have to admit. Cheers, TH

Tom Head

Dec 5 2005

"That first ep" being Jasmine's first appearance, e.g. ep #5. I did notice a lot of names under the "Executive Producer" column tonight after reading your post--first time I'd checked. McGruder gets top billing, but it's clear he's not doing the show on his own. Maybe that's the problem. If so, looks like he might have reasserted himself... I get depressed at the low profile intelligent black men get as well. I remarked a few months back that I feel like the 24/7 media loves black entertainers and black sports stars but can't stand black thinkers. Then somebody pointed out that the 24/7 media tends to love entertainers and sports stars and shun thinkers in general, which I guess is true. Sad that I can name 200 living celebrity actors off the top of my head, but have to exercise the noggin more than that to come up with even 5 living "celebrity" economists. Cheers, TH

Tom Head

Dec 5 2005

More excellent satire: Click here

DonnaLadd

Dec 7 2005