(Via Bloggingheads.)
Here's the original. Kinda puts Santa in a different light doesn't it? He's climbing in your windows....
ADDED: "The Bed Intruder Song" has a long Wikipedia entry.
Critical receptionThe original interviewee, Antoine Dodson also has a Wikipedia entry. He was chosen "Meme of the Year" in the 2010 Urlie awards. Here's a Washington Post piece declaring that Dodson "is one of the strongest people we’ve seen in a while," that he has "an inner strength that is worthy of awe and respect."
... Jason King, a music professor at NYU was quoted by NPR as saying "It's catchy. It has a really good hook, but it's problematic, too. There's a way in which the aesthetics of black poverty—the way they talk and they speak and they look — sort of becomes this fodder for humor without any interest in the context of the conditions in which people actually live." Baratunde Thurston of The Onion told NPR:
"As the remix took off, I became increasingly uncomfortable with its separation from the underlying situation. A woman was sexually assaulted and her brother was rightfully upset. People online seemed to be laughing at him and not with him (because he wasn't laughing), as Dodson fulfilled multiple stereotypes in one short news segment. Watching the wider Web jump on this meme, all but forgetting why Dodson was upset, seemed like a form of ‘class tourism.’ Folks with no exposure to the projects could dip their toes into YouTube and get a taste. [...] The creativity unleashed has been amazing, and what mitigates my fears of people minimizing the gravity of the situation is how Antoine himself has responded and taken charge of his own meme."
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41 comments:
Two earnest questions: Is this use of the addition "hide yo husband" the first? And, was the intruder/rapist ever caught and brought to justice?
Very creative stuff. So Falwell's University is not so cold and legalistic as the years of slanders of him have made out. Christmas is of course the celebration of an intruder sent to govern as King, re-placing Herod and subsequent kings. At least that's how Herod and Caesar reacted to Him. Handel's Messiah Chorus still rings in my mind from last night: King of kings ...and Lord of lords...hallelujah, hallelujah. To Christians that advent is the intrusion of all intrusions.It even became the zero year on our time calendar, until someone replaced a few years ago.
Autotune rocks!
WV: chlemut - dog days of summer.
increasingly uncomfortable with its separation from the underlying situation. A woman was sexually assaulted and her brother was rightfully upset.
Actually, one of the funniest things about the original video, to me, was the female victim's reaction- it was so much more outraged and offended than the type of fightened and upset that one would have expected.
correction- "frightened and upset."
Young hero Antoine Dobson has fucking paparazzi trailing him now and lives in LA.
That thump-thump-thump sound? It's Jerry rolling over in his grave.
And if Jerry was still alive, that director would be getting a crew cut.
Pardon me,
Rich libs shopping their pity around and nobody's buying.
Oh, never mind, it's a girl! Didn't get that far in the video until now.
Did anyone think he sounded like a projects stereotype? I don't know anyone who did. One of the reasons the video was so popular was that Antoine was so unique. That's hardly 'class tourism.'
Look who's talking:
There's a way in which the aesthetics of black poverty—the way they talk and they speak and they look — sort of becomes this fodder for humor without any interest in the context of the conditions in which people actually live.
To the contrary, despite Dodson's ghetto trappings and demeanor that might be initially off-putting, I think he came across as quite amiable to most people. I only think that increased identification with, and dare I say "empathy" for, "them."
But that wouldn't fit the NYU/NPR narrative.
What I find so remarkable is that Rachel Maddow is the chorale conductor at Falwell's Liberty University.
wv - "reelyo" = really? yo!
Yeah, Antoine turned it back on the liberals who pity him and is making bank.
I have seen him in person. He seemed like a gracious, hard working young man. Good for him for not letting those who think he shouldn't be seen win, and instead taking a page out of the Kardashian's book.
...Dodson "is one of the strongest people we’ve seen in a while," that he has "an inner strength that is worthy of awe and respect."
Really...I mean, I'm not knocking Dodson but 'one of the strongest seen in a while'? Really?
Folks with no exposure to the projects could dip their toes into YouTube and get a taste
Am I supposed to be upset about that? The tone kinda suggests I'm meant to feel upset about it, but I can't really see why.
Would the writer prefer observers simply remain completely ignorant of The Projects(tm)?
Or was the problem that the exposure wasn't properly mediated, filtered, and gated?
"It's catchy. It has a really good hook," he says. But it's problematic, too. He says "there's a way in which the aesthetics of black poverty — the way they talk and they speak and they look — sort of becomes this fodder for humor without any interest in the context of the conditions in which people actually live."
Good grief!!
(PS: You're a MUSIC professor!!)
Or is there a stereotype of which I'm unaware that is of the out and proud projects resident?
How can we tell if someone from The Onion is being serious? I have t assign anything said by an Onioner to the humor/satire category.
There's a way in which the aesthetics of black poverty—the way they talk and they speak and they look —
It appears that Jason King has a strong stereotype of the poor black.
I saw stereotypical behavior in Dodson. But, he came across as very likable too. He was angry, upset, comical and non-threatening. I felt for the guy. He cared about his family and was expressing it as best he knew how.
Damn...or should I say Darn, that is funny. Give the kids at Liberty credit for having a sense of humor.
EDH wins the thread with the Maddow comment.
@Meade - Yes, Antoine said "hide yo husband" in the original TV interview.
I don't know whether the perp was ever apprehended. If I have the cop lingo correct.
hoh loses the thread for appointing a winner.
Why is there not an honorable mention for threads?
Mr Dodson reminded me of Mr Smeaton.
Stern warnings to evildoers, expressed in charming regional patois - what's not to like?
On the other hand, that song seemed out of place in a - forgive the expression - Christmas concert.
Xmass in Blooombergland!
On the twelfth day of Xmass, yr true love gave to you a Madoff brokered portfoli-O
Good grief!!
(PS: You're a MUSIC professor!!)
On this blog, I believe it should be stated like this: "You, a music professor!" ;-)
My first thought was that you were saying "good grief" to King for buying too far into a typical stereotype of black poverty. I figured that King might be a typical pasty, stuffy musicologist. But then I did a bit of research of my own; according to King's faculty page at the NYU site, not only is he African-American himself, but he also teaches courses like "Old School Hip-Hop" and "Conversations With Today's Hitmakers."
(I should have known he wasn't a musicologist when he professed to like a catchy song with a good hook; many folks in that part of our profession--I'm a music prof myself--tend to run like the wind from anything that's the least bit popular. Among other things, the definitive music history text used by many universities devotes all of two paragraphs to Tchaikovsky, one of our most long-lasting and endearing composers.)
The director annoyed hell out of me. It takes about five seonds to get the irony. The dyke stuff is fine, but wouldn't it have been more overtstated by being understated?
She should have let the kids sing and have fun with their show. All that queer preening was a distraction.
DADvocate, If there was a final ruling on thread wins, sorry I missed it.
‘Bed Intruder’ Rant Earns Family a New Home.
Hey iTunes is letting us sample a minute and a half.
I think it was only half a minute before.
I find the liberal hand-wringing over this a the original "Bed Intruder Song" overwrought. As someone who watches a lot of sports I find Antoine's projects accent as common as Brooklyn, Southie Boston, South side Chicago, WVa hillbilly. He's defending his sister. He's quick tongued and clever. Why should I feel guilty about liking this? Sure there's a bit of class tourism here. But there's just as much listening to Dennis Leary, Dennis Franz, Jeff Foxworthy, Don Meredith, Arriana Huffington, and William F. Buckley.
Antoine and his sister are no wimps. Their attitude of defiance was great. They are making hay with this song, which is pretty catchy. It's "racist" only in the way rap is racist.
It's the Auto Tune The News kids.
If they were black, it wouldn't be a problem.
"Or is there a stereotype of which I'm unaware that is of the out and proud projects resident?"
The screaming queen ghetto fairy is an established type, strangely enough.
As long as the person is sufficiently feminized, they're tolerated.
What was that movie with Sandra Bullock.. about an upper middle class white family adopting a big black kid and then making him a football player..
Sandra won an Oscar.
The Blind Side.
Maybe the left feels blindsided ;)
Well, y'know, I really liked the original video. It's fun and defi...
Wait, what?
Antoine Dodson is gay?
On second thought, the video was OK without all of the queer preening, you know?
And hide your kids and hide your husband indeed!
If people like Dodson get their way, we'll all be genuflecting before our new gay overlords and be shamed into hot, sweaty, and wrong (oh so wrong) gay sex by accusations of bigotry. Lincoln Park will be turned into Folsom Street as gays run around in thongs and act all gay and shit.
(Am I doing it right?)
DADvocate, the tribe has spoken, and 32 percent of the tribe thinks that so-and-so "wins the thread" is snappy and adorable.
Man, I feel so out of touch. I don't have the faintest idea of what the fuck this post is about.
I assumed he was gay when I first heard it and that's what made it interesting - that princess hissy fit on top of ghetto speak.
But I have no idea if he is.
Yes, Antoine is gay.
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