Recently, African American comedian Katt Williams went on a xenophobic anti-Mexican rant during a comedy show on August 27th in Phoenix, Arizona, apparently in response to a heckler. In comedy it's painfully hard dealing with audience barbs and catcalls (no pun intended), although everyone knows this is part of the life and any comedian worth their salt generally address such attacks with their most powerful weapon--humor.
Yet we get those instances when a comedian loses it. Here is some of what Katt Williams said during his tirade:
"... it appears to me, y'all like it over here a lot... If y'all had California and you loved it, then you shouldn't have given that mothaf*cka up. You should have fought for California, goddamnit, since you love it... Are you Mexican? Do you know where Mexico is? No this ain't Mexico, it used to be Mexico, motherf*cker, and now it's Phoenix, goddammit. USA! USA!... No n*gga, do you know where you at? USA! USA!... No n*gga, this is my hood... [security comes] F*ck him! Mothaf*ckas think they can live in this country and pledge allegiance to another country... Do you remember when white people used to say go back to Africa? And we'd have to tell them we don't want to? So if you love Mexico, bitch, get the f*ck over there! [breaks into the National Anthem]... We were slaves bitch, you just all work like that at the landscapers..."
There was more, but I'm sure you get the idea. I apologize to anyone offended by seeing this, but I have to contribute my two centavos on this matter (and the way our economy is going, two centavos may soon be worth more than two cents). Now, I don't mean to fuel any animosity between African Americans and Mexicans, whites and anyone else. God knows there are enough attacks against one another for superficial and ridiculous reasons (and attacking anyone for their so-called race or ethnicity is silly). What we often forget is that idiots come in all colors--if I have any prejudice it's against people who don't know what they're talking about, who don't know their own history, let alone that of others.
So instead of going off myself, I'm going to make this a "teaching moment" (I know, this is dumb cliché, but you get the point). Why react in kind to Mr. Williams in an already negative environment; this issue is bigger than one bad night at the comedy club (a small message to Mr. Williams: There is always going to be bad nights at the club, get over it).
Mexicans did fight for California. In fact, the one major battle they had with Anglo forces invading California they won, with horses and lances, just outside of Los Angeles. Unfortunately, the decision to turn the state over to the United States was made in Washington D.C. without the input of the people involved.
In fact, there was a whole war that Mexicans fought to stop the illegal invasion, which, lest Mr. Williams forget, was being pushed by the slave-owning interests in the United States. It was Southern slaveholders who ignited the war to rip Texas away from Mexico when Anglos refused to accept Mexico's laws against slavery.
Mexico had abolished slavery in the early 1800s, way before the Emancipation Proclamation; Mexico even had at least two African-Mexicans as presidents some two hundreds years before Barack Obama was elected president in this country.
The main catalyst for the Mexican war was the refusal of Mexico to return black slaves--believed to be more than 10,000--who had taken the southern-route of the "underground railroad," crossing the border to a free Mexico. In Mexico's governing assembly heavy debates on the issue ended up with the majority supporting these slaves, allowing them to own land, to farm, to become part of the Mexican social fabric.
Mexicans were willing to die so blacks could be free.
The invasion, led by a more powerful U.S. army against a mostly poor and subjugated Indian population (including lots of African-Mexicans, who make up the great third of Mexico's racial heritage) killed upwards of 25,000, mostly civilians, when there was less than eight million people. This invasion was soon denounced around the world. The national and international outcry forced the U.S. to back off from taking over all of Mexico and to pay $15 million for more than half of Mexico's territory (this amounted to less than .002 cents per acre).
Unfortunately, for Mexico, the U.S. obtained 60 percent of Mexico's mineral wealth, including gold and oil that were eventually discovered and exploited by U.S.-based interests and companies. If Mexico still controlled these lands, it'd have eventually become the world's largest oil producer.
Today Mexico has one of the world's highest poverty rate (with 60 percent unemployment and underemployment), the city with the highest murder rate in the world (Ciudad Juarez, due to the recent anti-drug lord campaign of President Felipe Calderon, instigated by the Bush Administration), and vast losses of agricultural as well as manufacturing income from the so-called North American Free Trade Agreement.
Millions of Mexicans have been forced to cross the border to the United States to "slave" in the farm fields, the cheap labor sweatshops, and, yes, the landscaping industries. All of which became profitable for U.S.-owners of such shops and industries, profits that have helped keep an economy going, even when many U.S. corporations decided to send jobs--including inner-city jobs--to other countries.
You can't blame Mexicans for this rising joblessness. This is mainly the result of greedy industrial and financial interests who care about as much for African Americans in the South or the urban core--or poor whites for that matter--as they do for Mexicans.
In other words, zilch.
It's time to base our actions and words on our unified histories, our real interests as working people, and not fall into the traps of blaming one another due to race or other nonsensical reasons. Any energy spent by Africans Americans against Mexicans--or Mexicans against African Americans, since this is equally wrong--is energy that could be better spent fighting for justice, economic equity, and a social transformation that benefits our children, our wellbeing, and future generations.
Like I said this is bigger than Mr. Williams. This is about the footprint or legacy we all want to leave in this world--mine will go with the anti-slavery Mexicans just as I join with African Americans who spoke out against Katt William's rant. My impact I hope will be with the growing surge of all peoples against war and poverty as well as to end the control of our homes, jobs, and lives by a smaller and smaller corporate class.
Mr. Williams, you love the U.S.A. so much, why don't you rant against that!
WATCH:
Also, White supremacist racism is sometimes promoted by Black and Brown peoples who dislike their own -- Katt Williams is a good example. For the sake of humanity, we people of all colors and backgrounds need to unite and stop dividing each other because our diversity and differences.
Thank you Luis J. Rodriguez for this excellent analysis of our history and challenges for our common future.
Whoever came out on top would have ended up the preeminent power in the world 200 years later.
Thank you for the insight into history. That is history I didn't know and will following up with some research on.
You present some very complex issues and boil them down to very simple answers. I think you do so in a fashion that does not address the current issues today.
First, corporate America does play a vital role in the economy we see today. The first priniciple of any corporation is to their shareholders and following, it is prudent to hire and maintain the least expensive working force. Interestingly enough, that does not include the executive officers of the companies. In doing so, the lowest economic tier becomes one in which workers are pitted against each other and often results in racial and economonic wars. But, to suggest that people are "made" to come to this country in order to continue that war is simply not supported in your argument.
Second, you raise the issue of starting a dialogue however, it appears there are is no real conversation in which you identify the things both cultures have in common rather, you suggest that Mexico has done much for African Americans without sighting any recipricol interactions. One I can think of is Dr. King and his support and allied stance with Cesar Chavez. Many would not know of the important fight this man did in addressing conditions of migrant field workers had not Dr. King exposed it.
--I believe you misread. He is suggesting that they are 'made' to come here in order to survive and provide for their families which he illustrates here:
"Today Mexico has one of the world's highest poverty rate (with 60 percent unemployment and underemployment), the city with the highest murder rate in the world (Ciudad Juarez, due to the recent anti-drug lord campaign of President Felipe Calderon, instigated by the Bush Administration), and vast losses of agricultural as well as manufacturing income from the so-called North American Free Trade Agreement.
Millions of Mexicans have been forced to cross the border to the United States to "slave" in the farm fields, the cheap labor sweatshops, and, yes, the landscaping industries. All of which became profitable for U.S.-owners of such shops and industries, profits that have helped keep an economy going, even when many U.S. corporations decided to send jobs--including inner-city jobs--to other countries."
Finally, you end your statement with a back handed slap towards the comedian. In doing so, you suggest that his "standing up for America" is less than admirable. In a country where all of us live, do you feel that is a course which will lead to better understanding and dialogue between the races?
Might I suggest this? There are certainly economic and educational goals that both communities need to focus on . Further, in cities such as LA there is a tipping point where the violence has become so out of control the best and brightest of both communities is quickly be removed. Further, there are some key economic issues/infrastructures that both communities need and would mutually benefit both of them.
Finally, when one discusses the communities at hand, one has to be mindful of the disservice the media plays in trying to fan the flames of mistrust. To continue on this line only serves to further create gaps bewteen the communities.
--A back-handed slap? hardly. I'm not sure how you derived that from what he said. How about a challenge to look at real issues of justice and not petty rivalry based on false nationalistic ideals like he illustrated very clearly here:
"It's time to base our actions and words on our unified histories, our real interests as working people, and not fall into the traps of blaming one another due to race or other nonsensical reasons. Any energy spent by Africans Americans against Mexicans--or Mexicans against African Americans, since this is equally wrong--is energy that could be better spent fighting for justice, economic equity, and a social transformation that benefits our children, our wellbeing, and future generations."
I had the pleasure of seeing Mr Bill Cosby do a stand-up routine and sure enough a woman arrived late. Guess what Mr. Cosby did? He did almost 3 minutes on this woman and it was funny. Most of his humor focused on her appearance, but being Cosby, he didn't go blue.
True.
"Well i'm sure someone must have done it a very long time ago".
Perhaps, but no one has done it (and still is doing it) in every corner of the globe.