Uncle Ruckus

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Rd4xalR78gg


This clip was found on youtube.com com, http://youtube.com/watch?v=Rd4xalR78gg, The Boondocks is written and created by Aaron McGruder.

The Boondocks originated as a comic strip which gained national attention and has since become a television show on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. Within the series a character referred to as Uncle Ruckus. The character is an African American who is racist towards blacks. In this segment his prejudice surfaces during a conversation with a friend. The reason I chose this clip is because I am an big fan of Aaron McGruder’s work which is primarily racially, politically, and socially based. In his work he takes an obscure perspective on these topics from a black middle class standpoint. I also chose this clip because it is one of several moments in which racial issues are more focused.

The first thing I’ll address is conversation about R Kelly and Jerry Lee Louis’s situation. Uncle Ruckus’s excuses are weak arguments that take a clear standpoint that he admires Jerry Lee Louis for being white. He call’s R Kelly a “chocolate monkey” and immediately considers him as less civilized which is something Takaki repeatedly uses to show that the European culture was superior to others. Ruckus, having thanked whites for creating foliage, clearly believes whites are better. He also uses Jerry Lee Louis’s title as “The King of Rock and Roll” as a way to elevate him. This is similar to Zinn’s article about how Euro American’s have overlooked what Columbus did to Natives with his achievement of “Discovering America”. In Uncle Ruckus’s mind this achievement or statues negates any previous wrongs.

Later in their conversation Uncle Ruckus talks about the advantages of “The white man’s code of law.” This again goes back to Takaki but also goes along with a number of other readings, videos, and classroom discussions in which African American’s have trouble obeying laws and controlling themselves. In the videos we watched this topic was continually brought up because stereotypes of the past have carried on into today’s society. He repeatedly uses various slurs like “nappy headed children”, “nigger”, and “black sum’ bitch” to demean African Americans and further prove his delusional position on racism.

As for my response to this piece it is mixed. The first time I saw this particular segment I was shocked and confused by the conversation. As time has gone on though, and having an understanding of the comic and show, I find the scene to be both comical and to have a level of triumph to it as Robert defeats Ruckus after one of his odd rhetoric’s. My response to the character though has been somewhat changed though due to our discussions in class. The self hate this character exudes is almost found in real life where blacks aren’t little putting themselves down but there is an idea that somehow white society holds something better. This causes me to wonder just how much damage has been done to the African American psyche over the last several hundred years.