As we discussed on Sunday, President Obama attended his last White House Correspondents’ Dinner Saturday night in Washington. Pres. Obama always brings the house down with his speeches, and this year was no different. As is often the case, Obama ended up being funnier than the actual comedian keynote speaker at the event. This year’s comedian was Larry Wilmore, who took over the 11:30 time slot on Comedy Central following Stephen Colbert’s move to CBS. Wilmore does a lot of racial humor, and his WHCD speech was no different. Considering he was speaking to a largely white audience, there were a lot of uncomfortable moments during Wilmore’s speech, and most critics claimed that Wilmore “bombed.” But the most uncomfortable moment came at the end, when Wilmore was reflecting on how much America has changed in his lifetime. He said:
“All jokes aside, let me just say how much it means for me to be here tonight. I’ve always joked that I voted for the president because he’s black. But behind that joke is the humble appreciation for the historical implications for what your presidency means. When I was a kid, I lived in a country where people couldn’t accept a black quarterback. Now think about that. A black man was thought by his mere color not good enough to lead a football team. And now to live in your time, Mr. President, when a black man can lead the entire free world. Words alone do me no justice. So, Mr. President, if I’m going to keep it 100. Yo, Barry, you did it, my n-gga!”
I thought it was an uncomfortable moment, but I noted that Obama took it in stride, laughing and embracing Wilmore as Wilmore left the podium. Other people were obviously knee-jerky about it, claiming that Wilmore never should have used any variation of the n-word. Al Sharpton said Wilmore’s use of the word was “in poor taste” and Piers Morgan (eye-roll) devoted some column space to his hot take. The outcry got so bad that the White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest had to answer questions about it at the White House briefing on Monday. According to Earnest:
Pres. Obama “appreciated the spirit of the sentiments that Mr. Wilmore expressed…Any reading of his comments made clear that he was not using the president as a butt of a joke. I take Mr. Wilmore at this words that he found that to be a powerful transformation just in his lifetime and something he seemed to be pretty obviously proud of.”
I get that. I don’t 100% agree with it, but I get it. Wilmore gets it too. He spent some time talking about the kerfuffle on his show on Monday, saying: “I completely understand why people would be upset. It’s a very charged word – I get it.” But, Wilmore pointed out the difference between ending the n-word with an “a” versus an “er,” the difference being that one is a term of endearment (according to Wilmore) amongst black folks and the other is denigrating.
Also, Pres. Obama used the n-word in an interview last year and people freaked out. The context in which he used the word was important, just as I think the context of Wilmore’s usage of the word is important.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Regardless of the context, he shouldn’t have said at that event. Feel free to say to the president in a private conversation, if you must. But not on the open mike like that. I didn’t like it one bit.
I agree 150% with you Santia. No no no and NO. A slur, no matter howmuch it has been “taken back” has no place at the office of someone who serves the American public. Call me old fashioned, but there is a time and place for that – -and it wasn’t a presidential event covered by the Press.
I liked it. One of the things I liked about the Obama’s, is their friendliness and approachibility. It makes them seem a lot more down to earth than other presidential families. And the “my nigga” part shows hey, America, it’s ok to embrace my non-white culture. Not everything had to be stuffy and formal. And it’s probably nice for non-whites, who I’m sure, don’t feel involved a lot, to see a shout out to their culture and lingo.
Snowflake, I have to respectfully disagree. This is just my POV and can only speak for myself, but being black and Asian, I don’t want anyone thinking referring to me with a racial slur makes me more down to earth or friendly to them. I don’t want anyone calling me a n**** or a ch**k. Use of a slur is inappropriate concerning the office of government, perhaps I am old fashioned but I just think there are more respectful ways of conveying approachability and friendliness than the N-word.
I’m not comfortable with that level of familiarity towards the POTUS. And I find it hard to believe that Wilmore didn’t know he would get this reaction. It’s not my job to judge what people in one community or another want to call each other, but in this case, I think Sir or Mr. President would be more appropriate.
The over familiarity was part of the joke though. Had this been a female comedian making a similar joke aimed at a female POTUS, it would probably have read as “you did it, gurl”.
Ok, I probably shouldn’t even have commented as I am old and out of touch. Lol
Right Naya , is sorta like the pics and gifs and the key and peele Joke that Obama will Handshake a white person in the line or hug them politely but will do the long dap crazy family with the black people
@GNAT Please dont say that, I enjoy reading your posts even when I disagree. Maybe it is a generational difference but Larry Wilmore is not a young guy either. I guess I dont have a problem with a little irreverence in the correct context (in this case a roast for an outgoing president).
@QQ Lol I havent seen those….so naturally I’m about to go into the Youtube rabbit hole. See you in a few hours.
I agree. It wasn’t a big deal. If Obama wasn’t offended (and he didn’t appear to be), it’s no skin off my nose.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nopWOC4SRm4 here Naya!
vs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmnqihRlcaI
Oh, Naya, I didn’t mean that you were saying that I shouldn’t comment or that I was old and all. I just immediately felt, myself, after I said that, you know, I’m not so out and about as I once was, and I try to stay current but I really don’t know what I’m talking about here. So maybe for once in my life, I should refrain from commenting. It doesn’t usually stop me, but you know, I could consider it occasionally. Lol
cujokay, lets lose the word all together.
Whites are blasted if they even think about using the word, deemed racist etc… but it seems to be semi accepted to use that word to reference POTUS. Please!
I agree that the word should be lost altogether, I cringe strongly when I hear it. But I also think people who are of the culture it comes from – if they want to “take it back” or use it, I think it’s up to them (and whether they have poor taste or not). White people shouldn’t use the n word, any more than someone outside a culture should use a slur that doesn’t apply to their own culture. An example: your family could call your mother any awful word. You or your brother or aunt can absolutely rage on about and use any word they like, it’s your family. But someone outside that does not belong to that family using the word is a different thing – you just do not come from the background, and cannot assume the connection of familiarity with it.
My mixed husband tells me “nigga” came from the deragaratory term and was a way for the black people to take a negative word they were often called and make it into something more positive, like a term of endearment. Like making lemonade out of lemons, so to speak. But as a white person, I totally know what you’re saying and I still don’t totally approve. But the way my husband explained it, helped me understand it. I wish both forms of the word would go away.
@GNAT
As a black woman , I completely agree with you .Black people are not a monolith and the angle that its only white people who didnt understand or found it inappropriate is disingenuous. Not every black person uses the word or find it endearing in fact some abhor it
If Amy Schumer has called Michelle Obama a B* tch or a Cvnt in that forum I wouldn’t be here for it either.
Disrespectful and inappropriate
I get it that Larry Wilmore and POTUS are friends. But Obama is still the President and to my thinking the office demands a level of respect in the public arena. This was an event that was seen nationally and internationally. Certainly the video of that particular moment will be replayed. And many viewers will not understand why a friend of the President’s would call him a word that can be such an insult. If I found it demeaning I can’t imagine how it played out around the world.
I actually love that he went up on that stage in front of those people and said that. Also, I love his show and think he’s hilarious.
Me too. Kinda like an eff you to all the racists who have called Obama the n word. To me, it was kinda like owning his race and not apologizing for it. After all the crap Obama went through cause he’s black, I kinda felt like it was a shout out to the black folks, and I’m ok with that. Hope I don’t offend anyone with my choice of words.
And do you what your admiration of a person using a racial slur makes you appear to be?
To a lot of black people, from what I hear, it’s not a slur when the n@ggA form is used from one black person to another. So depending on who you talk to, depends on whether it is considered a racial slur.
If the president wasn’t offend I was and it is time to retire that word. It is inappropriate for anyone to use it. And yes I am a proud Black woman.
Same on all counts. I get why he did it, but… still no. That said, why are they so out of joint when they’ve been calling him that every day for the last ten years? Doesn’t work right when black people do it, huh? I’d like to retire the word, though. I don’t think we should rob the word of its power, but we should remember it out of respect. But whatever, white people who want to use it will use it and I don’t personally know a single black person who hasn’t been called it, so it’s not going anywhere. The ‘Why can’t I’ people are using it all day and pretending they don’t.
Yep. I’m white, I’m ok with not using the n word. Don’t know why it bothers white people. Not at all the same thing, but if I call myself fat, that’s ok. But if someone else does, h@ll no. If you’ve been called a bad name all your life, at some time, you’re gonna accept it and call yourself that, or some form of it.
I agree wholeheartedly. I hate that word, and when people use it even in jest, its like they are forgetting how it was used in the past. The argument that it is being reclaimed by the new generation and given a more positive meaning just seems like “whitewashing” this nation’s despicable past. IMO, we still haven’t fully reconciled the racism that underlined the slavery years or even the pre-civil rights period. we’ve got a ways to go.
I found it disgusting. He’s the President of the United States.
I listened to Larry Wilmore talking to Terri Gross and he said, you know, it wasnt a State Dinner or official serious event, it was a comedy event that is essentially a Presidential roast. He was a comedian hired for his act, which had always been edged with racial comedy, context matters, and within this context, familiarity works. Last year with Key and Peele the Anger Translator bit clearly shows the emcee is allowed to go pretty far dispensing with formality.
He prefaced the word with some really nice sentiments, so I think it’s a shame that that is getting lost in the kerfluffle.
I took that as the point, though. He was referencing Obama as someone from a group within American society that has been historically oppressed. And yet, he was able to earn the respect of his peers and constituents, and rise to an office that no one would have thought possible even just a few years ago. I think he said it from a place of nothing but respect for the man.
I am neither American nor black, so I don’t think my opinion on the situation is valid, but I think that there was something powerful and harfelt in the way he ended the speech.
Maybe it’s because we generally don’t have that level of reverance for any politician.
I think the point was to make us uncomfortable. The amount of racism the POTUS has been subjected to from here and abroad is pretty crazy, and wilmores expression in some ways is defiant in the wake of that reality. I mean the president had high up leaders in Russia tweeting monkey likeness photos of Obama last year, and around the same time some fourth of July parade in a small town included a monkey portrayal of him on a float. Such a blatant disregard of his humanity.
The point is Larry Wilmore is low class and ignorant. Based on his history and past behavior I suspected this and now I have proof.
Smh, of course…
I understand the concern but I also feel that sometimes the cultural context is so lacking that it’s silly how others try to jump in and interpret something they can’t appreciate the depth of. It’s like the emotional flutterings I’ve seen recently over the term ‘Becky’ with everyone claiming it means everything under the sun but what it actually means.
You HAVE to understand the power of the n word. You HAVE to understand why black people tried to reclaim it. You HAVE to understand how just 50 years ago people were still fighting for civil rights. You HAVE to understand that people still walking this earth now grew up to be told ‘Whites Only’. You HAVE to know what an impact it is to have a black president while those people are still alive AND THEN you will understand and appreciate Larry’s joke perfectly.
This wasn’t about keeping it pleasant for CNN and proper for FOX news, this was about real talk and achievement in a society that largely wanted Obama to fail just because he was black. I get no one wants to hear the word but to me it was largely symbolic of the role Obama’s race played in his entire term of 8 years and the balance and struggle in trying to be effective without looking pandering to racial issues and also actually make a difference. In short, another simple phrase that speaks paragraphs.
WORD.
Perfect comment. I’ve got nothing to add.
ITA. I actually found it to be very subversive and I loved every minute of their uncomfortableness!
Yes!
So on point, nothing else needs to be said!
This is where I’m at.
Exactly. I took it as a pointed statement about so much of the negativity and backlash during his presidency was because of Obama’s race. There were times he couldn’t sneeze without getting s**t on. So I understand what LW was trying to do.
Okay, this was perfect. Like people misplace the anger here!
+1
I always love you thoughtful comments. You are on point.
YES. Please copy and paste your comment EVERYWHERE. Ha. 😉
@ Eternal , I usually look forward to tend to agree with your posts but not today
DId it ever occur to you that We DO understand the power of the words ( that you are what you think you are), DO understand the significance of Obama’s Presidency & DO understand what he had to endure and that is all the more reason why we are offended ? and its not just white folk BTW
Audre Lorde rightfully said “The Master tools can never dismantle the Masters house ” and the n-word had historically been one of Massa’s most effective dehumanising tools . How has the word been redemptive or freed us from stereotype ? Can we honestly say that the social experiment to ‘ reclaim ” this word has been a success when it still causes so much resentment and contention even within the black community?
Black people in America are not the only marginalized people to be called a racial slur but they are the only one hanging on to Massas word for them for dear life. Under Apartheid the K word was equally hateful & vitriolic yet in 20 years the South African people have all but stamped out the use of the word .
In the past 50 yrs while blk people were busy “reclaiming” the n-word , the Jewish Anti Defamation League was steadfastly working to remove the k -word from our lexicon (In fact MJ had a song where he used the kword in a positive way i.e admonishing people not to use slurs and the JADL said they dont care about context they want the word GONE !.Why does Drake who is as much Jewish as black NEVER use the k-word ? )
But here are black people some 400 yrs later engaging in all kind of mental gymnastics and semantics to call themselves 3/ 5ths of a person ? and on a national stage to boot.
If that isn’t the ultimate form of mental slavery and Societal Stockholm Syndrome I dont know what is
We don’t use the k word because there is no way to joke about our history. We wouldn’t call each other that in jest even though we can be split on other things that are acceptable. But when someone who isn’t part of the group says some things it feels different and suspicious.
People have no idea what they are saying even here sometimes but I don’t want to find myself having to explain all of the time. Maybe I should. I don’t know. In person I correct people every single chance I can. Because I don’t “look” the stereotype people have said things that make me want to punch them in the face.
The other side of my heritage were marginalized and their ethnicity was mocked all of the time. No real slur stuck there but the stereotypes are still there.
It’s mainly up to the group it is directed toward to teach us what is acceptable. This changes often but that’s ok.
Yes^^^
You are explaining it so perfectly.
Disagree. It was gross and inappropriate. President Obama should always be referred to with the utmost respect, without ulterior motives involved.
the united states is NOT the “entire free world”.
ffs. so tired of this ignorant stance.
He didn’t say it was. He said the POTUS is the leader of the entire free world, and in a sense, that is true. For now, anyway.
Is he, though? I kinda feel that the days of America being the leader of the free world are gone, if they ever existed.
Well, You hate America, so…
Just kidding. I was mostly just trying to defend him from the accusation that he said the United States WAS the entire free world. That’s not what he said. As for whether or not the U.S. Is the leader of the free world, you’re right, it’s debatable if there is really a leader. If there is though, it’s us because, we are very special. Lol
Seconded. They keep acting like free speech and democracy start and end with the USA, and I genuinely think they believe that the World has always been like this. They’ re just entitled like that, the World is their playground, not made of other countries way older and way wiser than them. Having the biggest army might make them more powerful, but it doesn’ t mean that every nation accepts their decision and treats them as their rulers!
I don’ t remember who of the WHCD’ s said that he was happy to live in a country where mocking the President was allowed and appreciated, but he apparently forgot the 8 years of Bush when journalists kept mostly shut about everything inconsistent of his presidency and how they treated Colbert’ s speech as the worst thing anyone could do (while reality was that he simply stated what realistic people were thinking).
You don’t think you’re generalising a little here? Who is this “they” you speak of?
You’re completely misinterpreting what he said and what leader of the free world means.
I grew up in 80’s-90’s pre-Gentrified Brooklyn and as a Puerto Rican living in the projects in a predominantly Black and Latino neighborhood, we ALL threw that word around a lot, as a term of endearment, or even as a plain ol’ adjective for just about anyone and everything, and it was all about the context and no one got upset unless it was being said (specifically by a White person) in a negative way by someone who had bad intentions behind it. Most of us grew up and matured and don’t drop the word left and right like we did when we were younger, but at times, within the circle (which includes other Blacks and Latinos), someone may drop the term out of habit. SO I get LW completely. I just was a bit uncomfortable hearing it in a public setting to address the POTUS. But then again, I am old school, and I feel like the President should be addressed with more respect than that. If it was LW & Obama in a private setting and he said it and it somehow got leaked, I’d say FFS media, let it go. But I see both sides of the coin here.
I listened to Wilmore’s speech last night and thought the speech was well written but his delivery was off. He seemed nervous as hell, but I am glad he did it.
The fact that his saying the “n” word is the biggest story from the WHCD and not Wilmore (rightfully) dragging the media through the mud for their laziness and inability to consistently cover important stories (while covering that ass pimple Trump on a daily loop) is ridiculous.
Some people need to get it out of their heads that just because you don’t use racial slurs does not mean that you cannot be a racist. Racism in this day and age is much more nuanced than that. This controversy is just skating over an issue that I don’t think will change in this country: institutional racism. Instead of putting all the effort that they are putting into being upset that he used the word, they should be writing stories about how institutional racism really has impacted the way we as US citizens view each other and how we can change that for the better.
P.S. As a black woman, I never want to be called either version of that word. but I don’t have an issue if one black person said it to another. I got the joke and thought it was funny.
P.P.S Piers Morgan can shut the f&^k up. All day. Everyday til the end of never, plus two weeks.
Re your Piers Morgan comment, I have just two words “If only” : )
Love this! And Piers Morgan needs to get on back to hell’s half acre and stop trolling black folks.
Aiobhan, agree with your comment regarding institutional racism.
I watched the full speech too and really liked it, better than his show. I listened to his Terry Gross interview and they discussed how he didn’t tailor his routine for a white audience, didn’t use code switch. I really liked that he talked about racism. It was a great counterpoint to how Obama has had to keep silent on so much of the horrid racism he has experienced during his presidency. Though not Black, as a poc, I identified with it. It felt like an important release for those of us who in many situations and within relationships with white people, have to keep silent or pretend that we are not dealing with racism. It also illustrated how many white people react when these hard truths are expressed openly… the awkward silence, tension and discomfort in the room.
Larry didn’t stop there though, he also critiqued the sorry state of journalism, both parties and Obama’s drone policy. I have a new found respect for him. Only false note fro me was the nonsense about leader of the free world- There are a lot of great things about America and Americans but that was a bit much. This is a country with a huge and growing gap between rich and poor, a country with more wealth than anywhere else but still lacking universal health care, sky high college tuition and foreign policies coupled with a military might that has caused havoc worldwide. (shudder at the thought of Trump or Clinton)
The media is constantly deflecting from real issues. Everything Larry said about them was on point and accurate, but of course they brought this up as a way of not acknowledging their own crap. They do it all the time and it’s annoying. There are so many real and scary issues at play, but yes let’s focus on Larry saying the n-word. Smh.
I agree, and I don’t think the closing was the most uncomfortable part of that speech. He held no punches, and the audience was clearly not comfortable with it. I think the same speech delivered on his television show would have gone over much better. But you do have to respect a guy who has the balls to say some of that stuff to the people who need to hear it!
I thought it was funny and subversive, but as a white person, I take myself out of any discussion of whether one black person should say it to another. Freaking out that black people “get” to say it and white people don’t is absurd though.
Dignity and class aren’t found in abundance among the political elite. Ironic, but true.
I really don’t care about Obama whatsoever, so what people call him is not high on my list of daily priorities. That said, people need to get over themselves. If that word and the history it carries is offensive and hurtful, no one should use it. Blacks and non-Blacks.
I don’t hear women who throw the “C” word around as they greet other women or in casual daily conversation. I don’t hear it used it the wide variety of music I listen to. And, if I did, I seriously doubt women would be defending the use as “art,” “comedy,” or the like.
Not to mention, this type of language gets tossed around, heard by kids and perpetuated to another generation. We’re better than this.
So, bottom line, don’t pick and choose who has the right to use whatever word you don’t like. It’s either no one or everyone.
It’s juvenile and stupid. Plain and simple.
Agree100%.
Except women call each other “b-tches” playfully all the time so your argument holds no ground.
It’s commonly known as ‘poor home training’. You shouldn’t nudge the Queen of England in the side and snigger ‘ You know how we do’ either.
WORD.
Wow. I don’t know what to say. As a black female I never have friends disrespect me by using a highly offensive racial slur. We wouldn’t be friends for very long.
Hmm, I have mixed feelings about its usage in that context given the sentiment, but as a white woman, it’s not really my place to weigh in on the matter. *shrugs* He apologized for it, and there’s no going back to change it at this point. It is what it is.