Commissioner Defends Position That ‘Black Hole’ Is Racist Term
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Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price is sticking to his comments that the term “black hole,” which a colleague used, is racist. Price also says language such as “angel food cake” and “devil’s food cake” are also racially insensitive.
[Editor’s Note: Watch the video of an elected official saying that “angel food cake” is racially insensitive here.]
[Editor’s Note: Yesterday’s story on this matter can be read here.]
(Posted on July 10, 2008)
Comments
This is a typical case in which a “black militant” (oops! Is that a racist term?) is determined to cause trouble and agitate, regardless of the soundness or lack of same of the position he has chosen to take. Anybody who has been elected to an office of some responsibility as Price has (no doubt from a heavily black district, because who else would vote for him?) should, in this day and age, know what “black hole” means and that it is in no way a racial term.
So we have two possibilities here to explain Price’s protest, and his refusal to back down from what is patently a very foolish position: One, he knew all along what “black hole” meant, but decided the opportunity to try to embarrass a White official and blackmail (oops!) an apology out of him was just too tempting; or two, Price is a moron.
I’ll leave it to the readers’ own judgment to decide which is really the case.
Posted by Wayne Engle at 6:25 PM on July 10
Similarly, some black radicals want to get rid of the word “blackmail.” In fact, there was one black woman talk radio hostess on St. Louis radio (Lizz Brown, if the name means anything to you), who referred to the concept as “whitemale.” (Even spelled it that way)
Posted by Question Diversity at 6:55 PM on July 10
And he he’s concerned about this when the black illegitimacy rate is more that 80% and more black men are in prison than college, must be nice.
Posted by Todd at 6:58 PM on July 10
black hole noun
1. object in space: an area in space with such a strong gravitational pull that no matter or energy can escape from it.
Black holes are believed to form when stars collapse in on themselves.
2. place where things get lost: a place or thing into which objects disappear and are not expected to be seen again.
Notice the second definition is exactly the condition commissioner Mayfield was referring to. He was right not to apologize. This is really stupid.
Posted by at 7:00 PM on July 10
Obviously that fool is too ignorant to know that a black hole was so named because it sucks everything in, and even light cannot escape it. So that means it is as dark as dark can get, meaning totally black. The analogy with “J**ing somebody down” is a poor one, as this astronomical phenomenon is most aptly named.
Anybody want to post how long the term “black sheep” has been around? I would venture it came from England from at least as far back as before the English got involved in the slave trade.
Also a fairly well known Jamaican reggae group, the The Twinkle Brothers, have used the term in their song “Since I Threw The Comb Away”, to describe being persecuted for being a Rasta Man with dreadlocks, (I’m the black sheep of the family), and not in any sort of racial context.
Posted by at 7:13 PM on July 10
UGH! When will the national nightmare with these people end?
Marcus Epstein had an article about this story on Takimag and I responded here
http://thenewfaith.org/2008/07/10/what-blacks-know/
This kind of paranoia about color words is pretty mainstream. I once had a teacher say “white lie.” A black girl raised her hand and made one point and then another about how she learned in some class that the term says something about our society. In the same class I also once brought up race and intelligence and she confronted me outside the room. “Hey, what did you mean by that study?” she asked. I smiled and replied that the teacher was making the case that racial differences in school achievement were due to environmental causes and I was making the counter argument. She just looked at me for a few seconds and I then walked away.
Posted by Dmytro Kornilov at 7:15 PM on July 10
Its really hard to respond to this in any way other than humor.
But that just might be my mean old English genes doing their bit.
I watched the video to see if I could ferret out anything substantive to say, and though I struck on a few good half-beginnings, for some reason the corn-row hair distracted me to such a point that I am now unable.
The chief characteristic of the self-righteous is humorlessness.
Humorlessness is not a thing you can bury beneath a heap of fraudulent good intentions. This is a thing that I wish our dear commissioner would learn.
Feigned moral outrage exhibited in public has now overtaken Football as our chief national sport. This is a state of affairs unlikely to change so long as there is profit and frisson attached to it.
Posted by Mr. Smith at 7:19 PM on July 10
To make matters worse, so far as making the Dallas area look like ghetto fools, the reporter of the T.V. story after relating the incident ended with the proposition that, “You decide,” as if the complaint was valid and the original remark was open to interpretation.
Only an absolute fool would raise the subject as an issue and only an abject idiot would discuss whether or not the complaint had merit.
God help the poor fools who have to deal with blacks on a daily basis, as part of business. It’s like dealing with imbecilic children.
Posted by Robert Kelly at 7:51 PM on July 10
Even by usual black social/educational standards…this is the dumbest thing I have ever read at AR…the dumbest! That this idiot isn’t laughed straight out of town is itself just more evidence of how far into the abyss America has fallen.
Posted by HH at 8:03 PM on July 10
This stuff has been going on for years in the black community. They’ve complained about black balled, black listed, and black magic.
‘In the black’ and ‘Black Beauty’ don’t make their list.
Posted by sbuffalonative at 8:15 PM on July 10
I was under the impression that they’re called black holes because they’re invisible amid the blackness of interstellar space. But I do have to admit that the analogy is really quite accurate. Blacks do suck in everything of value around them, including white culture and civilization, which now seems to be unable to escape their destructive pull.
Posted by Eurastronomer at 8:31 PM on July 10
Well, I always thought “black hole” was an astronomical term that had nothing to do with race, but come to think of it, it’s also a mighty dandy way to describe cities like Detroit, Gary, Indiana and many others. Money pours in but nothing ever comes back out. I think we should start a campaign to popularize it. Thank you, Commissioner Wiley!
Posted by Tim in Indiana at 8:34 PM on July 10
John Wiley Price has been a raucous black racist agitator for at least 20 years that I know of in the Dallas area. This is classic JWP hysteria which he knows gets not only the cackling approval of his constituents but their votes.
Posted by P Norman at 8:35 PM on July 10
From the beginning, shouldn’t the Commissioner be ‘working’ for his neighborhood’s car detail/wash service instead of trying to defend his side of the ‘argument’?
Posted by at 8:49 PM on July 10
.
Let’s face it, folks. America really is a nice country and there is so little racism that those with a hateful attitude towards Whites must simply fabricate it out of thin air.
.
Posted by MIKE MILLER at 8:53 PM on July 10
“The chief characteristic of the self-rightous is humorlessness.”- Mr. Smith
Thank you sir. Reminds me of the old Roman maixm, “Beware of those in who the desire to punish is strong.”
Posted by Tim Mc Hugh at 9:56 PM on July 10
For an interesting view of this man’s rampant egotism, check out the 2001 entry on John Wiley Price’s self-published calendar, “JWP: Fit at Fifty” - where he fancies himself a male model of fitness and believes others will find him attractive enough to pay for half-naked photos of a Dallas County court commissioner.
Seems like Mr. Price is lacking in taste as well as common sense.
http://www.dallasobserver.com/2001-03-15/news/buzz/print.
Posted by at 10:43 PM on July 10
Hey “abuffalonative” the next time you folks have a blizzard in WNY and someone calls it a “whiteout,” you should scream RACISM!!!
But seriously, this is just a sign of things to come. Imagine a time when blacks and hispanics are running the judicial system, media, education system, and police. Think about the lack of rational thought and extreme feelings of insecurity, and we’re looking at a scary situation. Its already bad enough while white liberals are running these institutions.
On the other hand, this kind of agitation has the potential to “wake up” the sleepy white masses even faster. We’re entering a scary time, but at the same time, its really quite exciting. Western Civilization’s survival will be decided in the next 30-50 years. Either OUR kin will inherit it, or the kin of this black agitator will. Its up to us to decide?
Posted by Noddle Boy at 6:13 AM on July 11
Robert Kelly wrote:
“God help the poor fools who have to deal with blacks on a daily basis, as part of business. It’s like dealing with imbecilic children.”
To that good assessment, I might add: “arrogant imbecilic children with a major sense of entitlement”.
Dealing with those with low intelligence isn’t half as frustrating as dealing with paranoid, arrogant, self-centered, over-entitled people with a substandard IQ who believe the white race stays up at night just thinking of ways to: (a)give them AIDS (b)deprive them of jobs worthy of their time (c) NOT to teach their children about the “great” inventors of their race, and…(d)twist the English language to disparage them at every turn.
Posted by Janelle at 8:36 AM on July 11
Blacks, (and to a slightly lesser extent our more hysterical Muslims and Hispanics) aren’t actually offended in these ludicrous situations, they just see an opportunity to put whitey in his place, and get “props” for making whitey look weak and foolish.
With respect to the judge, there should have been a complaint filed with the Texas Bar association, stating that the judge is violating his duty to maintain even the appearance of impartiality by giving his support to these antics.
Posted by AJ at 9:28 AM on July 11
“Let’s face it, folks. America really is a nice country and there is so little racism that those with a hateful attitude towards Whites must simply fabricate it out of thin air.”
Posted by MIKE MILLER at 8:53 PM on July 10
Of course they fabricate it out of thin air. I mean, anybody that believes blacks aren’t failing throughout Western societies because they don’t have the intelligence to pay their own way is someone who is in denial or who hasn’t the ability to make intelligent analysis, because the proof is so overwhelming even Forest Gump could see it.
Blacks need to compete among themselves. They would be far better off in Africa.
They whine so much over alleged injustices I’m embarassed for them. Africa beckons.
Posted by Q at 9:48 AM on July 11
Does this mean I can’t order a cup of “black coffee”?
One has to wonder if there is a limit to the absurdity that constitutes the black race’s constant harping on words and phrases they barely understand to begin with.
Posted by Minerva at 12:14 PM on July 11
So any phrase with the word “black” in it has the possibility to be racist. This is obviously another bullying tactic for black activists to use in herding white society.
The solution is to remove the use of the terms Black and White for designating racial identity. They were never scientific anyway.
Posted by Whiteplight at 1:09 PM on July 11
I just looked at the Dallas Observer article listed on this post sequence. My guess is that a short investigation will find a long career of sexual misconduct by Mr. Price. Even the article hints coyly at that probability.
Posted by at 1:14 PM on July 11
what about THE OPRAH’S fixation on diet? how many times has she and her “experts” warned viewers to avoid anything white.no white bread, no white rice,no white sugar. she seems to love reminding us of how bad white can be.free speech only for some..AGAIN!
Posted by at 1:54 PM on July 11
OMG. I cannot believe the stupidity of this political correctness thing and how far some radical loonies will go. I have loved devil’s food cake all my life, especially with cream cheese iciing. MMMMMMMMM!!!!!
So for spite, I’m going to make a devils food cake tonight and love every minute of eating it.
And angel food is my husband’s favorite. I’ll have to make him one of those too.
This is too hysterical to even be believable.
Posted by Gayle Sollenberger at 1:58 PM on July 11
Imagine the latest scientific revelation in a far far away galaxy of a new “Hole of Color” hahahah and the “crayon of color” in the box of crayons!! The white crayon moved out of the box.
Posted by Skip at 3:30 PM on July 11
Look, Price knows what his constituents want: somebody who will bash whitey. Judging by his half-naked calendar (“JWP: Fit at Fifty”), he also knows that is teenage female constituents want of him: a powerful babydaddy.
It is a pity for Dallas. The sheer tiresomeness of dealing with somebody that ignorant, day-to-day, when you are trying to better the city and get productive work done must be utterly exhausting.
And how utterly mortifying for intelligent black folk in Dallas. Their secret shame, Cousin Mack Daddy Moron, opens his mouth yet again! Even worse, he compounds his stupidity the next day once he knows he screwed up, digging his self-made hole even deeper, with some pathetic “Jew you down” analogy.
Of course he knows that his black constituents will buy into his defense because THEY don’t know what a “black hole” is either (doubtless the white man’s fault).
Yet, God bless ‘em, even though he looks like a fool, black folks in Dallas who know better cannot tell him to just shut up — at least not where white folks can hear — because race loyalty, even race loyalty to a moron, means too much to them. I expect they will stand by and watch Dallas go the way of Detroit and (like Detroit) ask for plenty of handouts on the way down.
Detroit IS a black hole as the author above noted, and judging by this fool Dallas is well on its way.
Posted by Big Bill at 5:13 PM on July 11
Blacks, aren’t actually offended in these ludicrous situations
This is their “performance”. It is their bread and butter survival skill living among an advance race with the achilles heel of guilt.
Posted by at 7:53 PM on July 11
sbuffalonative wrote:
‘In the black’ and ‘Black Beauty’ don’t make their list.
Oh?
I work with blacks on a daily basis.
Last Fall, in the week before the Thanksgiving holiday, the workplace was abuzz with talk of how fenzied and busy and swamped with work we’d all be on “Black Friday”(the name given to the day after Thanksgiving Day when everyone goes shopping, hence putting all the struggling, in-the-red-most-of-the-year retailers “back in the black”).
An older (60-ish) black co-worker of mine was explaining loudly to a younger black male that the day is called “Black Friday” because of all the chaos and competition and conflict among shoppers for the best goods and the best deals among the crowded and quickly disappearing retail stores’ sale items, etc.—his attitude was that it a name intended to connote strife, struggle, showdowns, even negativity and bad feelings as mobs of frantic bargain hunters clashed and fought over dwindling goods, while retailers and employees and security people desperately grappled to keep order and quell riots(truth is, the description is sometimes accurate, but he completley mis-characterized the label)!
His tone was derisive, and I interpreted his remarks as implying that whites had come up with the name in order to describe the doom and ominous day’s events as representing the way that whites feel about darkness and the color black in general and, of course, about black people like he and the other black co-worker.
I took the opportunity to correct him, saying that the name comes merely from the language of financial accounting, that being helped “into the black” financially by the purchasing frenzy was a positive thing, and why it applies to that particular day, and so on.
It amused, disgusted, and amazed me that he stridently used such an innocent and even beneficial occasion for so many to transmit his racial paranoia to the younger man. I can’t honestly say that I know for sure that he actually didn’t know what the term meant, or that he did in fact know, and was simply baiting me, or intentionally poisoning the younger black guy’s mind, or both, or…
But at this point, with more and more stories like the one above, how much more disgusted and dismayed can I get?
BTW, the workplace of course is riddled with incidents like that one on a daily and even hourly basis! Did I mention I work with a lot of blacks?
Posted by VigilantAmerican at 8:04 AM on July 12
Over 50% of blacks in LA drop out of high school but they will march in the streets over whether the definition “black hole” should be turned into a hate crime for those that use it (yes unfortunately they vote). I suppose we’ll have to lock up all the astronomers next?
Posted by Unemployed WASP at 2:17 PM on July 12
Angel food cake and Devil food cake also racist terms? What a joke! Both have been around for over a century, and this PC clown decides it’s racist to use the word devil after the darker cake. Which race uses the term DEVIL against the other race on a regular basis? And yet, nobody takes them to task for it. But this fool is allowed to rant about black holes, and devils food cake.
Posted by at 3:26 PM on July 12
“His tone was derisive, and I interpreted his remarks as implying that whites had come up with the name in order to describe the doom and ominous day’s events as representing the way that whites feel about darkness and the color black in general and, of course, about black people like he and the other black co-worker.”
Well, he’s lucky you didn’t go all the way and let him know that the whole world agrees that white means good, as in light, and black is bad, as in dark.
And today we are fighting battles by the forces of light against the forces of darkness.
Posted by ice at 3:27 AM on July 13
The ‘Black Hole’ of Calcutta (India) was very small room with only a tiny window for light and ventilation. This was packed with White English women and children by indians. Many suffocated or died of thirst. I believe this is the first use of the phrase. I has nothing to do with africans.
Posted by yorkshireman at 3:55 AM on July 13
This nitwit probably heard “black ‘ho”, not “black hole”. The most pathetic thing about the whole idiotic situation is that some white airheads sympathize with him for being attacked.
Posted by Phank at 5:32 AM on July 13
These are not racist terms. Black has always been synonymous with darkness. Mankind has always been fearful of darkness whether during a storm or of things going bump in the night. Job 3:5 Let darkness and black gloom claim it; Let a cloud settle on it; Let the blackness of the day terrify it.
These biblical writers were not expressing racism.
Certainly blacks with their super-self egos and hyper-sensitivity believe that any negative connotations must be intentionally aimed at them. They will attempt to make us guilty about everything leaving us in a vulnerable state of constant apology. It is time to laugh in their faces and throw off the chains of self doubt.
Posted by William Hope at 8:41 AM on July 13
I’m watching a local St. Louis Meet-the-Press style show, hosted by a noted local liberal talking head, Charles Jaco. The topic is the St. Louis economy and its troubles after the InBev buyout of Anheuser-Busch (which looks like it’s going to happen.)
Jaco himself just said that the problem with the local economy is the “black hole of the public education system.” Oh my, Chuck. You’re going to get a call from the Alphabet Gang.
Posted by Question Diversity at 9:38 AM on July 13
Keep in mind that Muhammad Ali used to go on and on about the injustice of “angel food cake” and “devil’s food cake” - and he had an IQ of around 60. Most blacks have an IQ of slightly more than that - so maybe that explains most of this.
Posted by HideouslyWhite at 3:47 PM on July 13
To hideouslywhite……right on….but see no one wants to hear the truth as here in Amren, we call em as we see em….shame on us …we are not politicial correct….truth now a days is not PC….tsk tsk tsk!!
Posted by lydia at 12:21 PM on July 14
Black-skinned African people have been on this planet for roughly 50,000 years, according to anthropologists’ findings. Now consider Commissioner Wiley and Judge Jones as being the end-product of 50,000 years of evolution and mental growth! Which also succinctly explains why the greater part of the prison population is Black. And the near-automatic gravitation of most Blacks to crime. Or to lifelong poverty. A factor called ‘intelligence’ or its lack, being the root cause!
Posted by Fed Up at 12:58 PM on July 14
Would Price like us to abolish the word “black” from the English language, or develop laws that allow only people of certain colored skin to use the word? Apart from the sheer inanity and/or disingenuousness of Price’s comment (has he never taken a science class?), even in Africa within cultures completely uninfluenced by white people or white/European culture or values, Africans describe certain demonic forces as BLACK powers or forces. We should not allow “black” or “white” to be totally hijacked by certain political forces or linguistic (de)constructionists as only referring to skin color. THese terms and these colors have archetypal resonance that have existed thousands of years before anybody was ever called “black” or “white.” Too much literalism and focus on the exterior is damaging to the soul. Think metaphorically once in a while, to rejuvenate your creative juices.
Posted by WhiteIsAColor at 1:50 PM on July 14
“The ‘Black Hole’ of Calcutta (India) was very small room with only a tiny window for light and ventilation. This was packed with White English women and children by indians. Many suffocated or died of thirst. I believe this is the first use of the phrase. I has nothing to do with africans.”
The Black Hole of Calcutta was filled with British soldiers. It was during the late 1700s and there weren’t a lot of British women and children there yet.
The women and children lock-up came much later, 1857, during the Indian Mutiny. There were about 120 women and children taken prisoner in house and who were then slaughtered by several butchers and thrown in a well. This story is well-told in the book My Bones are Scattered.
Posted by misha at 8:24 PM on July 14
“Keep in mind that Muhammad Ali used to go on and on about the injustice of “angel food cake” and “devil’s food cake” - and he had an IQ of around 60.”
Actually, I believe it was 78. Oddly enough I always interpreted a lot of his bragadacio as comedic—some intentional, some not. Compared to the thugs that came later on, he wasn’t that bad
Posted by torpedo at 8:26 PM on July 14
The irony of this “hole” story is that Hawking is in Africa right now looking for “hidden geniuses” that haven’t been able to escape the pull of the world’s second largest continent…
Posted by at 11:23 AM on July 16