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Some people are blinded by their own racial arrogance. They are so convinced that their perspective is relevant on what life is like for people of color that they regurgitate hackneyed perspectives on race as if they are revelations.
Writer Erica Jong, famous for books, including 'Fear of Flying,' published a column in The Huffington Post that stands as exhibit A of this kind of annoyance.
Jong uses derogatory racial language to promote sensationalist writer Kitty Kelley's 'Oprah' tome (without having read it!), while at the same time attacking Oprah Winfrey's racial consciousness. Here's an excerpt:
But Oprah seems to have gotten more mistrustful with fame, not less. And she seems to have gotten more race conscious than she was when she was younger. You never felt that Oprah was a professional Negro. She seemed totally unaware of race -- but what do I know about being black?
Absolutely nothing, obviously.
Note to Jong: As a black person, no matter how much money you have, or how much of an integrated life you live, America's racism slaps you in the face from time to time.
And, what in the hell is a "professional Negro"? Jong doesn't stop:
I believe that racism is far from extinguished in the world -- despite the celebration that greeted the election of Barack Obama to the presidency. Racism lurks in our country and all over the world. But people who have transcended prejudice have a special obligation not to carry grudges. After all, grudges hurt the grudge-holder most. We also have a responsibility to set a good example by not holding grudges. Source: Oprah, Kitty and Me - Erica Jong, Huffington Post
"Transcended prejudice"? I've never met or heard of a person who has achieved that. Further, Jong implies that black grievance is merely a "grudge." And with that characterization, Jong minimizes the real, often life-and-death concerns of an entire group of people.
It's no surprise really. Jong is the ardent "Hillary for president" supporter, who referred to President Obama as "the new boy on the block" and a "sepia Brad Pitt." She wrote of Oprah in 2008:
Or Oprah who forgets she wasn't always Oprah -- I knew her when she had two names. She was always really smart, but she used to identify with women. And now she's joined the Obamarama. I get it. I understand. People want their own color in the White House (pun intended). Source
In yesterday's column, Jong recounts that she and Oprah shared a casual friendship in the early days of Oprah's career. Jong makes a big point of pointing out that at that time "she" was the "more famous" of the two.
Over the years, Oprah dropped Jong, and Jong can't seem to get over it. I have no kind explanation for her insulting and journalistically limp column. She also admits that she hasn't finished Kelley's book.
Read the entire column for yourself.
Jong even insinuates that she may have sparked the idea for Oprah's 'O' magazine. That is rich.
Perhaps the most insidious aspect of this indulgence in female envy, is that Jong cites Oprah's heightened black consciousness as the reason Oprah Winfrey dumped Jong.
Jong displays a stunning lack of self-awareness in this regard. She is blind to the possibility that she got dumped, because she's the type of person who would write a column like this.
Comments: (50)
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By: stare k on 4/15/2010 5:54PM
Never heard of this trailer -trash righter before.
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By: Lita on 4/15/2010 5:53PM
WOW!!! Obama's getting elected has certainly brought out the hate mongers!!! I wonder what else we'll learn about some of our supposedly educated caucasions!! Jong and Kelly are just mosquitos who need to be swatted!!
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By: madupont on 4/16/2010 11:31AM
Truth of the matter Kitty Kelly wrote a hilarious book about The Bush Family Dynasty that we all should thank her for having done the correct way; with four lawyers going over every page.
And guess what? Then it was white people who didn't like what she had to say and called her an unimportant writer. Same white people as now who want to be public about their gun ownership and are marching on Washington,D.C. this week but are not allowed to come that close within the District while bearing arms.
Must say there are a lot of professional white folks who are celebrities of the media who now refuse to have Kitty Kelley on their tv shows, including Whoopie Goldberg who used to be a better than average African-American in professional show-business and was an exceptional actress in the acting Profession, who somehow now all fear Oprah more than the Bushes and that is kind of hard to believe. I suspect they just don't want to offend her.
Erica Jong, on the other hand, simply wrote a book ages ago about the same thing that Raf Fiennes does when he is flying and gets bored with just sitting there. Nobody had thought of that, Fear of Flying, before Erica told all.
I'm sure it will all work out somehow. It always does.
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By: David_1 on 4/16/2010 11:26AM
Erica Jong is simply speaking the truth. Jong is a unapologetic hardcore white feminist who speaks on behave of (white) women issues. Oprah built her career carrying that same banner. While keeping her race at arms length Oprah gave to charity but never showed any public concern about issues pertaining to black Americans on her show. Because her white middle class female audience didn't care about those type of issues, Oprah didn't care. Even when she open that school in Africa she made it a point to spit on black inter city girls by implying that African girls deserved a opulent school and they didn't. As if to say to white America..I'm one of you I don't like these Negroes either.
White feminist could always count on Oprah to hold black men up as the symbol of misogyny. Something she would never do towards white men. But all that changed when Oprah supported Obama for president. Many white women like Jong felt portrayed that she didn't support another women, Hilary Clinton for president. White middle class women supported Oprah because they didn't see her as black. Many people would see that as a positive thing. But not if being black is viewed as something negative. Oprah became in Jong words "a professional negro" An AL Sharpton or Jessie Jackson aka "black" for those still unaware of what she meant. This is just a case of the white feminist chickens (who supported Oprah all these years and made her into the billionaire that she is today) coming home to roost.
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By: Addis on 4/16/2010 11:24AM
What bothered me about the whole piece, enough for me to explore it here: www.thoughtiswack.com is her racialization of an issue as universal as "trust" or "mistrust."
I don't doubt for a second that the piece is purely motivated by malice and envy.
~Addis
www.thoughtiswack.com
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By: Benton Colvin on 4/16/2010 11:23AM
edujustice:
OW do not have to give these KKK and HATERS anything! Jong need to get a d... life or go back to the woods where the hell she came from, we don't need her or any d... white person to tell us how to be BACK! We've been BLACK all our life, or maybe she wants to be BLACK-NO WAY JONG!! You are not BLACK or WHITE..u r pale! If I have offended anyone, I am NOT SORRY!
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By: Benton Colvin on 4/16/2010 11:23AM
edujustice05:
Ms O knows what she is doing and she is taking business! That old bag Jong should try to get what Ms O have and she does not have to account to anyone but herself! If she doesn't want to wark, she is wealthmenough to not work any more as long as she live. These HATERS & teabaggers are all still mad, like mad dogs, because their individual wasn't elected, and no matter what,you have a WELL EDUCATED BLACK PRESIDENT! He's about the best as any of the good ones, not the last one before him.
GWB left this country in the worst mess than any
president. Those haters and teabaggers was willing to spent $12 billion to kill,but don't want to spend a dollar to take care of anyone..for 100 yrs.
congress been trying to get health care reform,but a Black President did it and all of you
hate that.Jong trying to discredit MsO because of her hate toward the president, but you cannot hurt either of them Jong. Find that rock to roll under, we don't need such as you to tell us how BLACKS should live>>>take an inventory of yourself!
When u speak bad about one BLACK Person, you are talking about all BLACKS!
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By: Naima on 5/20/2010 4:53PM
jong is getting what she wants and needs as a writer, attention and published. who knows what her motivations were and are? controversy, especially if it is anti-black or otherwise race based, sells. a professional negro? that's laughable. jong's rant is full of bitterness and sore loserness. it does not deserve the level of attention it is getting. (hey, maybe oprah will give her a call. put her back on :-) i have no intention of reading the kelly bio unless someone gives me a copy and you'd have to pay me more than the going rate of $200 to review it! ho hum. btw - for those of you who were deeply offended by jong's comments, there is no such thing as ALL black folks. slander, defamation or just plain hateration against oprah or any other black celebrity does not personally affect you or me. now a lynch mob -- that's something to watch out for. oprah is oprah, she got what she got and we get what we get. keep your sense of humor people. all this shakin' and bakin' over jong. yawn... i'm trying to figure out can i finally get some health care. i lost my job and my insurance... you feel me?
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By: francis l holland on 5/09/2010 6:42PM
Erica Jong called Senator Barack Obama "boy" during the presidential primaries of 2008. On May 16, 2008, Jong said at Huffington Post "NARAL loves the new boy on the block." Hillary surrogates like Jong are why Hillary Clinton ultimately lost all hope of getting the Black vote in the 2008 primaries.
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By: Gwen on 6/11/2010 9:03AM
RE: She is blind to the possibility that she got dumped, because she's the type of person who would write a column like this.
You're right. Also, Jong appears to be one white who is threatened by an African American sense of pride. The 'going beyond' or 'transcending prejudice' argument is used often to change focus as some whites are far more comfortable when WE are color blind. Sure, everyone needs to transcend prejudice but when the issue of race is made to be an ugly building block of certain political platforms, then, yes, we need to become even more distrustful of a sensational press (ala Oprah) and shed light on the ugliness.
I would like to ask ms. Jong how long has she gone about her business before someone reminds her she is white? There is not a week that goes by that there is not some white person - liberal and otherwise - who never fails to let me know that I am Black. I am not alone here. There is no transcending the success the (here-to-fore) dominant race has had at the expense of the psychological remnants of our past. This is not to say we have a right to hold a 'grudge' - on this point Jong is right, this only hurts the holder not the object of the grudge. Rather, it is our duty to call a spade a spade (we can say that now, can't we?) and if, in doing so, our acknowledgment of reality is termed "grudge" then I'd say "grudge" is in the eye of the beholder.
Maybe Jong begrudges Oprah her pride. Now, it is understood that African Americans can make decisions on a world-wide stage, a black man can speak in something other than rap lyrics and hold the highest office in the land and still be a good husband and father - Just maybe this messes with Jong's sense of cultural order. Maybe.
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