NAACP calls Hallmark graduation card racist

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From the "Oh, Come on now" department...

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=7475737
CULVER CITY, Calif. (KABC) -- A graduation card sold at local stores has been pulled from shelves after a civil rights group raised concerns about the content. The group claims the card's micro-speaker plays a greeting that's racist.

It is a graduation greeting from Hallmark that says, "Hey world, we are officially putting you on notice."

Members of the Los Angeles NAACP did take notice. As characters known as "Hoops" and "Yoyo" banter on, African American leaders hear offensive language.

"And you black holes, you are so ominous. Watch your back," the card vocalizes.

"That was very demeaning to African American women. When it made reference to African American women as whores and at the end, it says 'watch your back,'" said Leon Jenkins of the Los Angeles NAACP.

They were trying for an innocent galactic theme with the message.
 
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Seems like people hearing what they want to hear, to me. Do they honestly think Hallmark would put out a card saying "black whores?" I mean, what's more likely, that they're mishearing something, or Hallmark is saying "Black whores, watch your back."
 
Racist people tend to see (or hear in this case) racism wherever they go..
 
I've already mailed the LA NAACP chapter a card. :devil:

Those folks who are upset about the card seem like well meaning idiots.
 
Your use of the ethnically urban word 'chill' is racist. I am so offended.
 
When that woman said "the r is in there" I was intrigued. After all, that's a funny way to say it. "Yes, it's an L, but the R is in there". Weird. So I played it over and over. The word is hole and you can't mishear it no matter how hard you try. I even tried it on my wife. As she is Chinese she normally has trouble differentiating these two letters. However, she was able to do so effortlessly in this case. In my opinion, that woman was lying.
 
Cyrus said:
Your use of the ethnically urban word 'chill' is racist. I am so offended.

Ha I hope you are joshing me...
 
George Bush, and Hallmark, hates black people.
 
Okay, but you have to admit, it was a really stupid card. The black hole comment doesn't even make sense. When something is that lame, no wonder it is taken out of context: It doesn't have one!

Yes, this whole thing ridiculous.
 
Ivan Seeking said:
Okay, but you have to admit, it was a really stupid card. The black hole comment doesn't even make sense. When something is that lame, no wonder it is taken out of context: It doesn't have one!

A stupid hallmark card? Isn't that ... all of them?
 
"The card was out for 3 years" :smile:

Slow, much?
 
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Speaking as a black man, while I find the card silly and not funny. I am not offended in the least. I fear some NAACP local chapter heads takes their duties and themselves a bit too seriously at times.

Rob54
 
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rob54 said:
Speaking as a black man, while I find the card silly and not funny. I am not offended in the least. I fear some NAACP local chapter heads takes their duties and themselves a bit too seriously at times.

Rob54


You called yourself black, and not African American. You sir, are a racist. I am offended.
 
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It is clear in the article that they are pissed off by the audio not the text. We cannot do much other than speculating about how the audio sounds. I would speculate that it might an accent problem where for one it's "hole" for other it's "whore".
 
Cyrus said:
You called yourself black, and not African American. You sir, are a racist. I am offended.

:smile::smile: What is this guy, drunk?
 
Cyrus said:
You called yourself black, and not African American. You sir, are a racist. I am offended.

If you say so my new friend. :-)


Rob
 
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rootX said:
It is clear in the article that they are pissed off by the audio not the text. We cannot do much other than speculating about how the audio sounds. I would speculate that it might an accent problem where for one it's "hole" for other it's "whore".

Go Google it, the video is online with the NAACP chapter folks giving a press conference. It's a bunch of old people with nothing better to do with their time.
 
TheStatutoryApe said:
I seem to remember that the term "black hole" has been http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,380143,00.html before.

edit: and I was wondering at first what sort of weird mind it would take to equate "black hole" with "black women".

The irony is that the "black ho" expression is one predominantly used by blacks, not whites. I had never heard the expression until Buckwheat [Eddie Murphy] came along, on SNL.

When I was growing up in L.A., the expression hadn't caught on yet. I believe its origins are in Ghetto Rap, or Gangster Rap, or a similar variety of rap crap.
 
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Cyrus said:
Go Google it, the video is online with the NAACP chapter folks giving a press conference. It's a bunch of old people with nothing better to do with their time.

Yep found it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0P_XiYZl9k

nothing much in it. I didn't go beyond 40 seconds.
 
Ivan Seeking said:
The irony is that the "black ho" expression is one predominantly used by blacks, not whites.
"Ho" is completely a black invented expression. I only ever heard blacks use it and I had to ask two black people what it meant: "ho" doesn't mean "whore", it means "hole". Calling a woman a "hole" is to call them a sexual orifice, meant as an insult. "Ho" is just lax pronounciation of "hole'.

An authentic whore, a prostitute, might be called a "ho" but it would be by way of insult, calling her a sexual orifice, rather than being a reference to the word "whore".
 
I think the problem lies with the word "ominous". I don't think they know what that word means.
 
zoobyshoe said:
"Ho" is completely a black invented expression. I only ever heard blacks use it and I had to ask two black people what it meant: "ho" doesn't mean "whore", it means "hole". Calling a woman a "hole" is to call them a sexual orifice, meant as an insult. "Ho" is just lax pronounciation of "hole'.

An authentic whore, a prostitute, might be called a "ho" but it would be by way of insult, calling her a sexual orifice, rather than being a reference to the word "whore".

hmm lol I've never heard this break down before in my life. I'm not sure if you're just poking fun at this or what.

I'm prettttty sure 'ho' isn't just a black expression, I hear people of every race use it. And it doesn't necessarily mean 'whore' (as in prostitute) it could mean like, ***** or slut... actually that's almost what it always means. Calling someone a whore while they really ARE a prostitute is a pretty rare occurrence.

You can check urbandictionary if you don't believe me even, I'm sure ho or hoe will be listed in there with many definitions.
 
leroyjenkens said:
I think the problem lies with the word "ominous". I don't think they know what that word means.

lol, are you being serious right now?
 
Ivan Seeking said:
Okay, but you have to admit, it was a really stupid card. The black hole comment doesn't even make sense. When something is that lame, no wonder it is taken out of context: It doesn't have one!

Yes, this whole thing ridiculous.

It's an ironic comment for a graduation card. It only makes sense to those that are generally ignorant about the solar system and the rest of the cosmos.

I wonder if the controversy started with an astronomer sending an anonymous e-mail to the NCAAP after trying futilely for 3 years to get this stupid card off the market.
 
It's a pretty stupid card I bet it doesn't even sell...