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The troubling viral trend of the “hilarious” Black poor person May 7, 2013

Charles Ramsey, the man who helped rescue three Cleveland women presumed dead after going missing a decade ago, has become an instant Internet meme. It’s hardly surprising—the interviews he gave yesterday provide plenty of fodder for a viral video, including memorable soundbites (“I was eatin’ my McDonald’s”) and lots of enthusiastic gestures. But as Miles Klee and Connor Simpson have noted, Ramsey’s heroism is quickly being overshadowed by the public’s desire to laugh at and autotune his story, and that’s a shame. Ramsey has become the latest in a fairly recent trend of “hilarious” black neighbors, unwitting Internet celebrities whose appeal seems rooted in a “colorful” style that is always immediately recognizable as poor or working-class.

Before Ramsey, there was Antoine Dodson, who saved his younger sister from an intruder, only to wind up famous for his flamboyant recounting of the story to a reporter. Since Dodson’s rise to fame, there have been others: Sweet Brown, a woman who barely escaped her apartment complex during a fire last year, and Michelle Clarke, who couldn’t fathom the hailstorm that rained down in her hometown of Houston, and in turn became “the next Sweet Brown.”

Granted, the buzzworthy tactic of reporters interviewing the most loquacious witnesses to a crime or other event is nothing new, and YouTube has countless examples of people of all ethnicities saying ridiculous things. One woman, for instance, saw fit to casually mention her breasts while discussing a local accident, while another man described a car crash with theatrical flair. Earlier this year, a “hatchet-wielding hitchhiker” named Kai matched Dodson’s fame with his astonishing account of rescuing a woman from a racist attacker. But none of those people have been subjected to quite the same level of derisive memeification as Brown, Clark, and now, perhaps, Ramsey—the inescapable echoes of “Hide yo’ kids, hide yo’ wife!” and “Kabooyaw,” the tens of millions of YouTube hits and cameos in other viral videos, even commercials.

It’s difficult to watch these videos and not sense that their popularity has something to do with a persistent, if unconscious, desire to see black people perform. Even before the genuinely heroic Ramsey came along, some viewers had expressed concern that the laughter directed at people like Sweet Brown plays into the most basic stereotyping of blacks as simple-minded ramblers living in the “ghetto,” socially out of step with the rest of educated America. Black or white, seeing Clark and Dodson merely as funny instances of random poor people talking nonsense is disrespectful at best. And shushing away the question of race seems like wishful thinking.

Ramsey is particularly striking in this regard, since, for a moment at least, he put the issue of race front and center himself. Describing the rescue of Amanda Berry and her fellow captives, he says, “I knew something was wrong when a little pretty white girl ran into a black man’s arms. Something is wrong here. Dead giveaway!”

The candid statement seems to catch the reporter off guard; he ends the interview shortly afterward. And it’s notable that among the many memorable things Ramsey said on camera, this one has gotten less meme-attention than most. Those who are simply having fun with the footage of Ramsey might pause for a second to actually listen to the man. He clearly knows a thing or two about the way racism prevents us from seeing each other as people.

Source

Now that you know this is a thing, please stop sharing these memes. Poor Black people speaking candidly about various serious incidents isn’t a hilarious joke.

[chiquitaabanana]

Choosing a new phone carrier is so fucking annoying. -.-

Still phoneless, or soon to be anyway.

[chiquitaabanana]

[chiquitaabanana]

summer, hurry up.

[chiquitaabanana]

sara, this is me and you XD

[chiquitaabanana]

my life.

[chiquitaabanana]

Hi tumblr

This should be a pretty good week. I'm not sick anymore, well just a tiiiiiiny cough. Gym 4x last week....shooting for 7x this week. Lost two pounds, no soda or junk food. :) 82 days til coachella, 75 until my birthday.  Only closing one day this week :') the rest are opening shifts and/or getting off around 9, yay. Seeing my brother tomorrow, awesome. I miss him <3 excited!

Also, the Sharks won 4-1 tonight, had some bomb din din and dessert ;)

I love my life<3

[chiquitaabanana]

YES <3

going weekend 2, second year in a row <3 THREE year anniversary with bby <3 21. yesyesyesyesyesssssssssss omfg.

82 days. :3

[chiquitaabanana]

[chiquitaabanana]

omg dying

[chiquitaabanana]

Daft Punk.

[chiquitaabanana]

Sick.

fml. I've had the past two days off from work.....and yesterday i was sick with a fever and throwing up. since this morning i've had blurred vision and feel dizzy.... leave it to me to get sick on my only days off this week. i have school all week from 8-12, then i close everyday for the rest of the week. fml.

:( i feel like crap.

started a gym membership today, even though i'm not feeling well. 30 min of cardio and then i kinda felt worse... coachella is right around the corner though, gotta look good for the big 21. no matter how sick i am,

hopefully i'm better in the morning, 

[chiquitaabanana]

Hi tumblr.

it's been awhile.

I've been so busy with school and work this past week. I haven't had time to do anything, even sleep. I don't hangout with anybody but my boy and our cat. Surprisingly, I'm ok with it. I do wish I could have some girl time though.  

Coachella is around the corner, waiting for the lineup release date. Working on my fitness, kinda. Trying to be cute for the big 21. Also trying to plan something for my birthday. What to do..

[chiquitaabanana]

Thanksgiving.

Spent five days with the in-laws. - our car's transmission went out. - now we are car-less. again. - broke from not working for five days. - even more broke from the trip.

+ mother in-law is going to start a wedding fund for thomas & i <3

i guess it wasn't that bad. now home eating ice cream with my cat.<3 

[chiquitaabanana]

[chiquitaabanana]

+evil step mother

+that bitch is sooo annoying

o.o

Just stop coming into my room and telling me to turn down my music. Not gonna happen lady.

[chiquitaabanana]