In a post the other day I mentioned Song Of The South, which is based on Joel Chandler Harris’ stories for children. In one of them, Br’er Rabbit temporarily falls victim to a trap set by Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear — well, mostly by Br’er Fox — who construct a dummy made out of tar, the idea being since everyone in the briar patch always exchanged greetings the dummy’s silence when greeted by Br’er Rabbit would so enrage him into order to teach the dummy a lesson he’d throw a punch which the moment it landed would trap him. Channeling Redd Foxx for a moment, now who’s the dummy, dummy? Oh, and the dummy was referred to as ‘tar baby’ because it was, you know, made out of tar.
All the tar baby was — all it ever was — was a trap set to exploit Br’er Rabbit’s hair-triggered temper. Or is that hare-triggered temper. But I digress. There were no racial overtones or insinuations. The tar baby was black because… now brace yourself… that’s what color tar is. If it would have been made out of resin it would have been amber in color. That all said, given how playing the perpetual victim means being perpetually outraged the term tar baby has been appropriated by some in the African-American community as a racial slur. It was never intended to be one, but since when has that stopped anyone?
We live in a society where one can assert any level superiority based on ethnicity one wishes as long as you’re not white. And don’t you dare say anything about it, cracker. The whole Sonia Sotomayo “wise Latina woman” brouhaha has already been hashed to death; no need to go through it all again. This duly noted, it must be added she’s hardly alone in placing ethnic identification above all else as a qualifier. America is inundated with those who chant the diversity mantra yet define diversity as I me me mine. The words of Paul (“Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience”) are far, far removed from the minds and hearts of this land. Which makes the next words of Paul (“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you”) mighty tough to follow sometimes. But I’ll keep at it, as all believers must do.
Hopefully without getting frustrated enough to try and punch out a tar baby.
