Recently (can't remember when--but within the last couple of months) a columnist writing about Trent Lott's address to a white citizens' council-type group quoted one of its leaders' (writing in a flyer) as referring to Clinton as the first black president.
Wahneema Lubiano
At 10:25 AM 1/8/99 -0500, you wrote:
>> . . .
>> This morning at work, we were joking around about the Senate and one
>> of the black guys re-told a joke from a young black comedian (can't
>> remember his name), that Clinton was being impeached because he was
>
>Chris Rock. Very funny guy on current events,
>among other things. Joke went something like
>this, obviously funnier when he tells it --
>
>'Clinton is broke, got legal troubles, problems
>with girlfriends, fights with his wife, eats
>junk food -- he has real people problems --
>just like black people. I AM BILL CLINTON.'
>
>Also at one point before the House Judiciary
>cttee voted for impeachment, Rock made light of
>their invocation of the founding fathers, noting
>that the latter were all 'fucking their slaves.'
>
>> . .
>> No, boys and girls Clinton isn't black to the black community. Clinton
>> is black to a white community. . . .
>
>One might also say that Clinton's behavior is
>understood as 'black' whereas it is really
>working class, and this is reconstructed as
>'black' to avoid the generalizing implications . . .
>
>This is not to say that Clinton's life style
>is exclusive to or especially pervasive among
>the working class, only that acknowledgement
>of its commonality (beyond minorities) is
>suppressed.
>
>Explaining this better sounds like a job for
>the POMO's. If only they spoke English.
>
>mbs
****************************************************************** Wahneema Lubiano Duke University, Program in Literature PHONE: (919) 681-2843 FAX: (919) 684-3598 [Note new e-mail address: wah at acpub.duke.edu]