Excuse the major grammatical errors in this post - I've got my singular and plural conjugations wrong in a few places.
________________________________ From: Emily Reyn <emilymae.r...@yahoo.com> To: "FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com" <FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2012 10:50 AM Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Oprah TM, the morning after... Curtis, I think my original point re: your post, which wasn't clearly explained by my "off the cuff" remarks, I agree, was to point out the difference in how you, a man's man, posted a list of jokes making fun of Oprah's body/weight (originally, before the follow-up association to Tyler Perry, "culture", etc.) and how I, as a female, was making a joke about her influence on American's and intimating at the "sheeple" quality of her followers. It just hit me like that in the moment and reminded me of the hormonal differences between genders that typically, IMO, guide perceptions and thought processes. Then, I was teasing you as "being distracted" by using an innocuous, not quite accurate term (on purpose), for your subsequent post that not so subtly shifted the discussion away from my gentle, teasing accusation that perhaps you were "objectifying" with this focus on her body, to one that attempted to liken your post to what Tyler Perry does as a comedic tactic, and subsequently, the thread evolved to look at the larger, and more interesting, cultural and racial aspects of Yo Momma jokes, etc. <snip> "Your being offended by it and putting it through your own judgement filter (objectification) is a cultural mismatch from the context I was writing it from." I wasn't at all offended by the Tyler Perry association....which clarified your original post, but I didn't see the direct matchup to a Tyler Perry context, and speculated (given the fact I haven't seen Tyler Perry's movies) that two slightly raw comedians, Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock might be a better possible comparison. Also, you can assume I know as much or more about black culture than many, and I think Marek and Judy's and your comments pertaining to the sensitivity required by white americans about the black american culture were/are true. I don't agree that Oprah's focus on her struggles with weight all those years were "exploitive." It seems to me now, that she has accepted herself the weight that she is, and that's a good thing and she shouldn't be ridiculed for her body (yes, I acknowledge you shifted/clarified the post to look at the larger context of "Yo Momma" jokes, etc.) "Yo Baby", your challenge is a good one and your riff on yourself was a good try :). ________________________________ From: marekreavis <reavisma...@sbcglobal.net> To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2012 8:03 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Oprah TM, the morning after... Just to chime in: in law school I dated an African-American law student and one holiday we traveled to her home in LA to meet the family. Somewhere along that trip she tried to get me to play "Dozens" with her (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yo_Mama_Joke) as a way of prepping me for the visit. For the life of me I couldn't do it; I was too uptight about even pretending to be insulting about "yo Mama" that all I could do was kind of sputter about trying to search for some put down that was "appropriate", while Roxanne could effortlessly let loose with a stream of over the top and funny insults that never seemed to stop. *** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "curtisdeltablues" <curtisdeltablues@...> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Emily Reyn <emilymae.reyn@> wrote: > > > > Are you calling *me* weird?  Ha, ha, ha... > > No, definitely not. The statement was weird which is a completely different > thing. > > And I get the whole, be sensitive to people with weight issues angle, but I > hope you will take a moment to understand my process. > > I see Oprah in Fairfield, a comedic wonderland. > > I shift among perspectives to find one that might serve as a POV for creative > writing. > > Tyler Perry's YO Mamma outrageousness pops up since there is a strong > connection with both Oprah and black culture. You do know he is the most > popular director for black people, whose work no white people have seen? > White liberals know some of Spike Lee's work because he is more "serious" but > they are not comfortable with some of the less politically correct aspects of > black humor, just like they don't get rap. > > In white world it would be like choosing to see a Kate Middleton shopping > spree through Steve Martin's eyes and doing a lot of sight gags. > > So a parody is born in my mind, a launching pad. What would Tyler Perry > notice to parody in his over-the-top way. > > Not too hard to figure out, so I am off and running in an instant. > > Now how does Tyler get away with this in black culture when white women in > particular go nuts over this topic and find it offensive? Because big black > women see themselves as attractive, this has been proven in numerous studies > on self body image between races. > > And dear little Oprah has been one of the most exploitative of this issue by > making it seem as if anyone who doesn't have her teams of resources can shift > their body size as she has done in numerous stunts. This is a perspective > she has since retracted once she realized that it was unrealistic even for > her. But along the way she cashed in big time (Freudian) on woman's > insecurities that their size is actually a lack of willpower. > > So sending her through the Tyler Perry filter was for me a perfect match to > write from. Your being offended by it and putting it through your own > judgement filter (objectification) is a cultural mismatch from the context I > was writing it from. That is how Oprah, who is at least as socially aware as > you are, doesn't choose to take it that way when she enjoys this outrageous > POV in Tyler's movies. > > Over the top farce is by nature not sensitive, because it gives a voice to > something polite people notice and filter out. > > Here is a challenge for you. Take a humor style you don't enjoy that you > know lots of other people do, and find out how they are seeing it that makes > it funny to them. It is a lot more interesting from my POV than choosing to > take other people's humor styles as offensive. And I'm not saying that there > can't be offensive hurtful humor. But a parody of Oprah through the Tyler > Perry lens doesn't have to be seen the way you chose. > > It could even be a launching pad for your own creative writing. Let's goof > on me in some detail. > > Yo snap! Curtis is running his blond dread-locked world of spliffs, gett'n > down with the brothas and sistas and tell'n it how it is from his prep school > ghetto wear'n pants half off his white boy flat non ass and rock'n the > Vanilla Ice attitude faux Compton wannabe gangsta-fake "Er excuse me sir, > would you mind terribly much relieving yourself of your wallet so that I may > buy some more 'I look like black people' clothes at the mall? If you don't I > will bust a crap...no wait...that doesn't sound right...uh...a cup...no that > isn't it, let me check Google on my iphone...oh yeah, bust a cap in your > buttocks...no wait... ass that's it, I will surely bust a cap in your > ass...oh wait...you are white so that is going to be kind of hard to find to > hit...let's see...hey exuuuuuse me, where are you going sir... sir...damn I > am so lame. I'd better cough my way through a fat blunt and see one of ma > main man Tyler's mad flicks on my mom's Netflix account in her basement. Tomorrow I am gunna be soooo gangsta.... > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________ > > From: curtisdeltablues <curtisdeltablues@> > > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > > Sent: Monday, March 26, 2012 7:17 PM > > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Oprah TM, the morning after... > > > > > >  > > <Yep, I admit it, I've never seen a Tyler Perry movie. > > > > I just re-read the list looking for the Tyler Perry reference.> > > > > Imagine that. > > > > <Are you getting all distracted again?> > > > > What a weird thing to say. > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Emily Reyn <emilymae.reyn@> wrote: > > > > > > Yep, I admit it, I've never seen a Tyler Perry movie.  I did catch his > > > interview on the Oprah show though :)  I do understand the "Momma" > > > satire in the black community and I just re-read the list looking for the > > > Tyler Perry reference.  Huh?  > > > > > > I saw something that might pass for a Dave Chappelle or Chris Rock > > > reference, but not Tyler Perry. > > > > > > Are you getting all distracted again?  > > > > > > > > > ________________________________ > > > From: curtisdeltablues <curtisdeltablues@> > > > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > > > Sent: Monday, March 26, 2012 6:20 PM > > > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Oprah TM, the morning after... > > > > > > > > >  > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > > > > I for one suspect that if Oprah herself read your > > > > list, she'd laugh her sizable ass off. > > > > > > > > > > The funny thing about all the shaming is that no one caught the Tyler > > > Perry reference who is Oprah's big friend and who made millions in the > > > black community with the Yo Mamma formula which I was following. So yes, > > > she finds the Yo Mama is so fat formula hilarious. People who would > > > never go to a Tyler Perry movie don't understand. > > > > > > How big a friend of Tyler's is Oprah? > > > > > > She is so big a friend that when she got her Jyotish chart done and they > > > got to charting the house of Uranus, they drew and arrow to her butt. > > > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "curtisdeltablues" > > > > <curtisdeltablues@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > As trolling goes, > > > > > > > > > > You mean that I posted under my name I am assuming. > > > > > > > > I meant only that your post seemed to have been > > > > made with a great deal of humor, but at the same > > > > time a clear understanding that your humor might > > > > just push a few people's buttons and cause them > > > > to react. I call that "trolling." I don't consider > > > > it a Bad Thing. > > > > > > > > > > ...this is like shooting fish in a > > > > > > barrel, but I look forward to the result anyway. > > > > > > It should make the Faux Outrage Hall Of Fame. :-) > > > > > > > > > > The great thing about being offended on behalf of other > > > > > people is that you can always stay in a state of outrage. > > > > > > > > You can also spend your life trying your damndest > > > > to get other people to be outraged, too. > > > > > > > > Since outrage is considered in Buddhism one of > > > > the afflictive, poisonous emotions, it seems to > > > > me that those who try to *spread* the sense of > > > > outrage they feel and get others to feel it too > > > > are doing something a tad...uh...low-vibe. > > > > > > > > > No buzz like the self righteous buzz because it fills you > > > > > up and wont make you ...er...uh...well...you know... > > > > > > > > All full of something? :-) > > > > > > > > > If there is one thing I have learned from Oprah is that > > > > > her weight is not only a choice for her, it is a golden > > > > > ratings goose. > > > > > > > > I for one suspect that if Oprah herself read your > > > > list, she'd laugh her sizable ass off. > > > > > > > > > >