Public Comment

Proposition 8 Cartoon: How Dare You

By Mondrae Johnson
Thursday November 20, 2008 - 11:08:00 AM

I have just three words (as a starter) for Justin DeFreitas’ African-African phobic, racist cartoon depicting all African Americans as separatists who only care about themselves and not the plight of others: How dare you!  

However, an article in the Nov. 16 San Francisco Chronicle summed it up better than I could ever have done. Read this article for enlightenment. It is well-stated, gets to the point,and expresses my feelings to a tee. I would only add this comment for DeFreitas:  

Please tell me the dates, times and periods (in the United States) that homosexuals were spit on, beaten, hung from trees, murdered and tortured for small infractions like drinking out of the same water fountain as a white person or swimming in the same pool (in which all the water was drained) or “reckless-eyeballing” a white woman? If you were a black man it could mean the end for that person.  

Also, Emmett Till was dragged from his home in the deep south and murdered, hung, you name it. His little body was so mutilated, it was unrecognizable in the casket. No, you cannot equate homosexual activities with the plight of African-Americans. This is why your argument was rejected! We are insulted and offended by your ignorance and by your insistence that we are somehow mixed up in your sexual preference argument.  

Furthermore, as stated in the Chronicle article, you don’t know how I voted and more so, it isn’t your friggin business! I voted my conscience and it is no concern of yours. To lump all African-Americans into a group and label us ugly names only shows that your ugly, racist head is rearing itself again. You can’t help yourself! For all we know, your forefathers did some of the lynchings. We really don’t know!  

Also, look at the statistics of the vote. African-Americans were not the only ones who voted for or against Proposition 8. In fact, I know that most of the Chinese-Americans in my neighborhood voted yes on 8. However, we didn’t see them denigrated and disgraced in your lop-sided cartoon. People like you (your ancestors) have hated black people for far too long now. Whites also tortured the Japanese, destroyed their property, rounded them up and put them in concentration camps, and murdered them on a whim! 

I am afraid the United States is turning into one big hoorah-rah! Anything goes! Next, we’ll see lynch mobs again on the streets. Furthermore, so many other races have been disrespected by people with your same attitude. Hell, the Chinese built the railroad system in this country many years ago, only to be expelled from the United States after the work was done.  

Finally, even though Berkeley, San Francisco and other Bay Area locations prides itself on its liberalism, I am finding this not to be the case. I think Berkeley residents are more racist and accusatory than people in many parts of the south. I’ve even seen comments from readers in your paper such as: the reason for the crime is because of all the lower socio-economically-disadvantaged blacks moving into our neighborhoods. So, I guess that excludes the middle- to upper-class blacks that move to your neighborhoods? Or, do people judge us by our looks, what we wear, you know the drill.  

I was thoroughly disgusted by DeFreitas’ cartoon. DeFreitas: How dare you! 

 

Mondrae Johnson is a Sacramento resident.