Ramblin' with Roger

The Biblical city of Nineveh is near the current location of Mosul, Iraq on the Tigris River. I did not know that until last week’s Bible study of Jonah. I had assumed it was a city on the sea. (Jonah is the guy who had that encounter with the big fish.)

Hugh Thompson, the guy who put a stop to the My Lai massacre, was on 60 Minutes several years ago. They repeated part of the segment on the CBS Sunday Morning program just after he died this month at age 62. He talked about how he was not given adequate cover on some of his subsequent Viet Nam missions, how shunned he was by his fellow military people, until in the last decade of his life, when the military finally asked him to speak about the excesses of war. I’d seen this story before, but I did not know how emotionally involved I would feel in the retelling. I believe that his illness was probably caused, or at least exacerbated by the years of being a pariah.

“Truthiness” is the American Dialect Society’s Word of the Year, beating out Katrina-gate. I did not know truthiness was a word, but then, I haven’t been watching the Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report”. Truthiness “refers to the quality of preferring concepts or facts one wishes to be true, rather than concepts or facts known to be true.”

Don’t know how many are familiar with Tyler Perry. He’s a black performer who dresses in drag as a character named Madea. There’s always an object lesson. At her request, I bought some DVDs for my mother last Christmas, and now I find myself on the Tyler Perry fan mail list:

On a more serious note, Madea is a character that has been a blessing but it has come with its share of challenges. Many of you don’t know this but I am extremely uncomfortable doing this character. I never have anyone other than the cast and crew back stage because I am so embarrassed. I know that sounds strange, but it’s true. Sometimes l looks in the mirror as I’m putting on lipstick and say to myself Boy what is wrong with you? Anyway I had to realize what I wish most people would realize about Madea. I am not a man that walks around in a dress. I am an actor and I’m playing a character. MADEA is not who I
am. I was in the mall and a lady walked up to me and asked where was my dress (what the hell…smile) I AM A MAN, although I love women God himself knows I don’t want to be one. I said all of that to say this. I have been asked many times to do Madea outside of my shows but I have always said no to Award shows, concerts, and movies. I won’t do it because I’m uncomfortable with people seeing me like that up close and personal.
Well Oprah asked me to do it on her show. My first reaction was no but yall know that she is a huge part of the reason I started writing. After much debate and prayer I agreed to do it. Get ready cause Madea is going to be on Oprah. PRAY FOR ME. Tyler.

I did not know that the man was so embarrassed playing Madea. He does it often, and from what I’m told, well.

Note: in the comic strip tradition all the words in the strip are in capitals, but for readability, I’ve deigned to write in standard English. Also the words that are in bold in the strip are in red in this text.

One other observation- for some reason, you can see the dots used as the skin tone on some strips (Natural, last week’s Superblack) more than others. They all look a consistent graytone in the book.

“Flesh Horton”, a 4 page take-off on “Flash Gordon”.

Page 1:
(Two guys sitting at the control panel)
Flesh: Things have certainly changed, Dr. Zirkon!
Zirkon: Yas, Flesh- they certainly have!

Page 2:

Page 3, Panel 1
(Shot of spaceship)
Flesh: Now, we live as if there were no difference in our skin color at all!
Zirkon: To tell you the truth, Flesh, I hadn’t realized you were black ’til you mentioned it!
Page 3, Panel 2
(Flesh opening a door)
Flesh: -But what are we going to do-

Page 4
(Men and women with slightly pointed ears, sitting in airplane-like seats; sign says “Greenie Venusian Section”
Flesh (not in shot): -with those damn green Venusians?

People – O.K., white people – have actually told me, “I don’t think of you as black.” Don’t know what to do with that one. What does that mean? That they think of me as white? And if so, is that supposed to be a compliment? (Hint: it’s not.)

I’ve also heard, “I’m color-blind.” I’m always suspicious of the remark. If they are truly color-blind, which I doubt is true with most people regardless of race, why do they find a need to say it? And to me? Also, more often than not, something is said later in the conversation which betrays the comment.

I think this story really speaks to what I consider to be a major truth: that people who have been oppressed sometimes go out and oppress Unfortunate, for sure, but it does happen.

***

“Natural”, a 4 page riff on “Nancy”. I should note that except for the panel shown, Nancy is always smiling. Note also that while Natural is in every shot, she says nothing, but is looking coquettish, especially in the last panel.

Page 1:
Sluggo: I don’t dig it, Natural – you’re the grooviest black chick I know-
–you picket, you stand up for your people’s rights-

Page 2, Panel 1:
Sluggo: -Right up to your natural hair, you’re all soul, baby!
-And you gotta admit, I’m the grooviest white guy you know!
Page 2, Panel 2:
Sluggo (putting on round lens shades):
I wear shades in the winter and tan myself in the summer!

Page 3:

Page 4:
Sluggo (literally on a soap box): -So tell me, girl- why won’t you go out with me?

I knew these guys in high school especially, these white guys (and occasionally white gals) who could out-street talk me and expected that I would think that they were really “down with it”. I tended to find them irritating.

I’ve also known white people who like to tan who liked to point out that their skin color was darker than mine on their forearms, and would put their arms next to mine to prove it. Most insulting, not to mention stupid.

But, is it just me, or does Sluggo look like he might be a light-skinned black?

So, would you please tell me:

1) What, if anything, do you make lists for?

2) Do you make long-term lists, such as “These are the books I want to read/places I want to go before I die”?

3) The media are always reporting on some list or other: most livable cities, the state with the best educational system, Top 10 Essential Classic Rock Albums, the most romantic movies. Which, if any of these, do you pay attention to?

Oh, and re: that – I’ve been a librarian for over 13 years, and this week was the first time I actually used Playboy as a reference source; the question involved a list of party schools.
CourseAdvisor
Pub Club
Playboy-NOTE: yes, you will see, er, women wearing, er, not wearing…

In fact, the law making abortion legal in New York, the most liberal law in the US at the time, was passed in the spring of 1970, but only because Assemblyman George M. Michaels changed his vote. This made New York, and especially NYC, “The Abortion Capital of America”, according to a New York magazine article.

Not that things were settled: From this article:

Between the passage of New York’s law in 1970 and the Supreme Court’s decision of January ’73, no more state legislatures voluntarily passed permissive abortion laws. In April of ’72, New York State repealed its most permissive law. Governor Nelson Rockefeller vetoed the repeal, and the law remained in force. In the November ’72 elections, however, so many pro-abortion legislators were swept out of office that the New York General Assembly had enough votes to override the governor’s veto. Plans were made to again repeal the law when that legislature reconvened in 1973. Before it could act, however, the Supreme Court
handed down the Roe v. Wade decision and nothing was done.