On Deadspin today, I lay out some of my issues with the NASCAR affirmative-action plan. Here's the intro: I'm a big fan of diversity and cultural mash-ups: Fried-chicken flavored mayo. Kentucky Fried Couscous. General Tso's Tacos. I plan to invent these. Years ago I voted YES on the "White People Rapping" reform bill, and I continue to lobby for more black bloggers in movie roles opposite Jessica Biel. My record on willy-nilly cultural integration is clear. Nevertheless, after reading about one man's plan for diversifying NASCAR -- his blueprint for Negro NASCAR, if you will -- I was forced to wonder, is all diversity good? Should us minorities be interested in every little cultural apéritif YT has to offer? And, what is NASCAR exactly?
For you to understand my reason for pause, let me lay out this Negro NASCAR fairytale as I understand it:
Part 1: The Dreamer
Setting: A magical fantasy land where NASCAR is "as integral to the fabric of this country as the NFL, the NBA, or Major League Baseball." Weeee! What dreams may come!
Meet Rick Clark, dreamer, a
continued on Deadspin ...
Negro NASCAR [Deadspin]
(visuals provided by: Miss G)
Two shades of brown: that's the kind of attention to detail your only get in Gossip-brand Paint creations.
ReplyDeleteI'm white and from the south and I'm far from edutained on the glories of Nascar. Don't get it. Don't want to. But holy hell did this make me guffaw repeatedly. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteFunny. Really!
ReplyDeleteI used to want to be a NASCAR driver, but my mom said it was too dangerous. Naming it "negro nascar" is just as dangerous...
ReplyDeleteI actually know a couple Black NASCAR drivers--make that former drivers. Their "Drive for Diversity" is a joke-- and that's coming from these guys' parents who after embracing it, just feel used at every turn, so to speak.
ReplyDeleteDo we as black folk need to embrace every single thing from mainstream/white america? No. But isn't that part of our dysfunction that we'll take a swing at some of the dumbest weirdest wrongest of said folks' offerings just to feel more "american" or rebellious, even?
great blog, by the way.
My understanding has always been that NASCAR is for white trash. This is coming from white people. Just like whites shouldn't aspire to playing craps on the alleys of tenement housing, blacks shouldn't drape themselves in a confederate flag, move to the trailer park and take up watching NASCAR. Trash is ugly regardless of the color.
ReplyDeleteMy coworker, the supervisor from the next region over, is in love with NASCAR. As a man of color, would that mean he's brainwashed or is he a redneck trapped in a black man's body ? I'm white and hate the shit. Please somebody tell me I'm not living a Disney remake....
ReplyDeleteLove the blog. Educates me about me sometimes if that makes sense.