Black People - It's Cool to be a Coon

Just 8 hours until I take the most important final exam in my freakin life, but I had to take a break before I vomit things like Economic Order Quantitiy and Bullwhip Effect all over the floor. In this brief break of mine, I'd like to continue my observations on Afrcan Americans aka Black People.

For some odd reason the library was closed on saturday night (like nobody in gainesiville studies the saturday before finals start?) and I had tricked myself into thinking the Reitz Union would be open 24 hours. Anyway, I'm situated behind the food court by the free internet computers (thanks COX Cable!) using my computer only to play internet radio (who doesn't love free 80's music!) and thankfully, I had my super ultra hardcore $100 Shure earbuds.

This spot in the union is also the breakroom for the more minimum wage workers (who are all black in their late teens, early 20's - don't blame me, blame Bush!) where you can find them using the free internet to look at myspace, youtube, and eastbay shoes... Fair enough, I think we college students do that enough already with our own computers. Now lets set the scene up better.

One particular worker, who I will know refer to as The Coon was seated directly across from me rapping along with his cd player. Now like I mentioned before, $100 Shure headphones. This headphone are tight, so tight all I can hear is the music and my heartbeat. My heartbeat! Anyway, I see his mouth moving, but thankfull, no volume. The girl studying at the table next to me though did not have $100 headphones and she was looking very unnerved.

I pulled out one ear to "hear" what was going on. It would seem that The Coon was not listening to his mix of gospel hits but infact a rather descriptive song about the female reproductive system. It went something to the effect of;

I split the pussy wide open and nut in your mouth, I be fucking pussy from north to south - The Coon

Now I'm not going to argue the socio-economical ramifcations of Rap music here. I'm increasingly getting tired of where the majority of rap is headed. However, if I heard The Coon's rap in the club, or on the way to the club, or leaving the club, then I would have thought it was a hot song.
The Reitz Union is not the club..., well not right at that moment.

At first I found it funny, seeing this black kid's use of verbs completly annoy the heck out of the girl who was studying. I found it ironic because I had just watched a special on ABC about how people behave when somebody does something disruptive in a public place. I was wondering, should I tell this kid to keep it down, should I jam along with him, or should I stick $50 of my headphone back in my left ear and study some more?

Before I could make up my mind, a new though settled in. Sadness. Sadness for The Coon. Sadness because I bet The Coon didn't know he was acting like an idiot. I'm sure in his circle of friends, beating pussy from north to south is a perfect conversation topic no matter where they are, beit church, strip club, or Reitz Union food court. Don't get me wrong, I've been in enough similiar conversations, but I was raised with a thing called common courtesy.

While I was trying to predict The Coon's home life and future career goals based on my 10 second observation, some other student told him to keep it down because people were studying. He did turn down his Rap City Idol audition though. But then he gave me this look and smiled at me like I was on his side of the point.

I encourage you to read about the "coon caricature". I think you can find the 2006 version in someone you know very quickly. Don't get me wrong, if it was a white guy with a mullet and a confederate flag shirt singing about that "honky tonk, badonka donk" the effect would be very similiar. Here's a question to leave you with (since year, there's that whole most important final exam thing I have to take care of)

Why is ignorance not looked down upon more in the black community? Why do we as black people get mad when another race points out things that are blatantly obvious to even ourselves? Good thing I'm Jamaican... ;)

Ok I'll get off my soapbox... for now. PS No time for spell check, I'm too ig'nant for that.


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