“The true worth of a race must be measured by the character of its womanhood.”
-Mary McLeod Bethune
In the wake of last month’s troubling and tragic shooting death of young Mr. Michael Brown out in the city of Ferguson, MO, a national conversation has been roiling about Police Brutality, and rightly so; for decades, African Americans in particular have had to contend with the predations of SOME police; those bad actors who wear the police uniform, and who have abused the public trust such a high position affords.
However, the recent kerffule involving B-list actress Ms. Danielle Watts, does far more to harm this much needed and sensitive conversation, than it helps.
For those who may not be aware, Ms. Watts appeared in the Oscar-winning film “Django Unchained” in a bit part role as one of the Negro house/waitstaff of a wealthy White land baron and slaver, portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio. To be frank her part was forgettable, being as it was, again, a bit role.
However, Ms. Watts’ appearance in the film is constantly mentioned against the backdrop of her own foolish behavior when police were called to investigate what citizens who called it in thought were a whore and her john, engaging in sexual acts in a car parked in a very public street in broad daylight. They rightly were concerned about such acts and all that come with it; and besides, nobody ain’t got no time for any of that.
As TMZ clearly shows, Ms. Watts and her “rainbeau”, a White convicted felon turned “celebrity chef”, were clearly engaged in more than mere innocuous “shows of affection”; note how Ms. Watts hangs from the roof of the car like some kind of monkey or something (which in itself evokes the “shower rod scene” from the porn video Ms.Mimi Faust of “Love & Hip-Hop Atlanta” fame “starred” in). Moreover, note her attire at the time of the incident, the “booty cutter” shorts she has on, and what appears to be twerkin’ on her part and so forth. All of these acts are consistent with sex workers of a certain mileu; why would she be surprised that other citizens would call it in to the authorities?
Of course, Ms. Watts, being the Sista that she is, acted a fool and showed her behind – walking away from the cop who showed up on the scene, then playing the Race Card, then devolved into cursing the cop out – and for those of you out there – you know who you are, the Sistahood division of the Social Justice Warriors brigade – who claim that Black Women are gunned down just as much as Black Men are by the cops – Ms. Watts is hale and healthy today, as we speak.
Mr. Garner and Mr. Brown cannot bear any such witness.
Ahem.
Getting back to Ms. Watts’ horrid actions, the police requested to see the I.D. of both her and her “rainbeau” (the term of endearment in use by the Swirlin’ Sistahood; more on this below); the latter, perhaps due to his prior experience with law enforcement and the criminal justice system, immediately complied, and was left alone. The former, again, made an utter arse out of herself…as so many Sistas so often do.
The entire scene was truly ironic and surreal at the same time, a vivid portrayal of just how outta pocket today’s Black Woman – even those who “swirl” – truly are, in aggregate (remember: NABWALT but EBWALT) – and invoked in my mind at least, the following harrowing scene from another Oscar-award winning film, “Crash”:
As we can see here, a Black couple is accosted by a racist White cop, portrayed by Mr. Matt Dillon; the couple is portrayed Ms. Thandie Newton and Mr. Terrance Howard. Now, to be sure, Dillion’s “Sgt. Ryan” was a stompdown cracker; but that doesn’t change the fact that Howard’s Woman, Newton, was a stompdown Fool of the First Order, who could have gotten both herself and him killed. Instead of taking it easy and playing it Cool – something Black Men in aggregate have had to learn to master to its highest degree in order to get along in American life – Barack Obama, our nation’s 44th President, is a case in point. Sistas like Newton’s portrayal shows us time and again, just how outta pocket they as a group truly are, and how much of a real risk they pose to a Brotha outchea in these streets. Which in part, explains how and why those Brothas who have managed to achieve anything worth achieving, tend to pair off with ladies who are other than the ilk of Ms. Watts and Ms. Newton.
I’m, just sayin’ though.
In a previous post wherein which I discuss the routine and flagrant transgressions of other’s and in particular, Black Men’s boundaries on the part of Black Women, Sista-reader response was vociferous; they argued, that what I was talking about was more a phenomenon of Class, and not of Race; that what I was documenting was something that was to be observed in Black Women from the lower depths of the American social pecking order – the “Ratchet Chicks” if you will – and not of those Sistas who are more educated, accomplished and cultured. However, Ms. Watts’ actions, as well as the many years’ previous onscreen portrayal of Ms. Netown in “Crash” – belie any supposed Class distinctions. Errbody and their Mama know that Black Women as a group all carry inside them a Ratchet, that’s just fighting to get out, like that chest-burster in Alien. British biracial gals like Newton, and stompdown Valley Girls like Watts, are only a fingersnap away from going full-on Ratchet, 0-60 in 3.5 seconds, tops.
I wonder what my interlocutors will say now?
Enter Beyond Black & White
In the heady rush of the first day or two of Daniellegate, Ms. Christelyn Karazin, owner of the website Beyond Black & White, which focuses on the promotion and fostering of romantic relationships between Black Women and White Men, rushed in to Ms. Watts’ defence, on the grounds that “the Man” was giving poor little Ms. Watts a hard way to go because she dared to love, dared to love a White Man, and dared to do it all so publicly – that this was tantamount to what happened to Garner in NYC and Brown in Ferguson. However, as a bit more time – and video/audio footage of the incident, highlighting Ms. Watts’ utter outta pocketness emerged, Ms. Karazin went in full reverse damage control mode:
“Here’s my definitive statement, after news, audio, photographs, etc., COMPLETELY discredits this couples claims: Okay this is just gross and totally inappropriate. I deeply resent this woman crying wolf when other folks may face LEGITIMATE cases of police brutality and racism. Both of them should be ashamed of themselves. I hearby withdraw my support of this couple. Shame on them. The cops responded appropriately. She behaved like a narcissist.”
Here’s another statement by Ms. Karazin, in case any of you out there missed it:
“When I heard the initial reports of Daniele Watts and her boyfriend, Brian had broadcast about alleged police targeting of an interracial couple, I like many others, stood behind them in support. I even spoke with Brian personally to get more in depth information. He failed to reveal additional details of the interaction that would have disproved their claims that TMZ acquired, and all of us who rallied in support stood with egg on our faces. It wasn’t just BB&W who was fooled, but Los Angeles activists who rallied in support behind Daniele against the Los Angeles Police Department. Photography and audio called into question Daniele’s claim that the police officers racially profiled her and assumed she was a prostitute. It also proved that Daniele acted like a complete douche bag. Refusing to show her identification, she had the nerve to say, “I know my rights! I played a cop on T.V.!” (Jesus be a publicist…)”
This incident cannot be a worse P.R. nightmare for Ms. Karazin, who as noted above has made a career of making the case that ostensibly cultured, refined Black Women such as Ms. Watts supposedly exemplifies, must mate with White Men, on the grounds that Black Men in toto are “DBRBM” – shoptalk in “Black Women’s Empowerment” circles that stands for Damaged Beyond Repair Black Men. The argument goes that since so many Brothas are too far gone, the only real alternative for the Sistas is to partner with White Men – even if they’re a bit “damaged” themselves, as Ms. Watts’ “rainbeau” clearly is.
Speaking of Ms. Watts’ White Guy, here’s a ditty from the Sistahood website Madame Noire, discussing how, in their view, he threw Ms. Watts “under the bus” and has since argued that Ms. Watts should NOT apologize for nothin’.
Hmm!
I’ll end today’s essay thusly:
It is no secret that J4G is a forum that boasts quite a few White Men – both as writers and regular contributors, and as well, as readers. Indeed, many of them/you fit very nicely, the demographic profile Ms. Karazin seeks for her Black lady readers: highly educated and earning, family and hubby-oriented, at least moderately good looking, and so on.
So, as a public service, your correspondent would like to ask our White Brothers reading on:
Would any of you like to wife up the likes of Ms. Watts? By all means let me know, and I will be only too happy to pass along your request to meet such fine Sista ladies like Ms. Watts to Ms. Karazin herself; who knows, maybe we’ll make a love connection!
Take my Sista…please…
Now adjourn your arses…
The Obsidian
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