White meat
Two loves have I of comfort and despair,
Which like two spirits do suggest me still:
The better angel’s a man right fair,
The worser spirit a woman colour’d ill.
— Shakespeare, Sonnet 144
Read that above quote again and see if you discern any hidden meaning in the verse. Heck, it’s more than hidden, but is as plain as day and night, black and white. Aha, eureka, that’s it, black and white or fair and coloured. The better angel’s a man right fair, the worser spirit a woman colour’d.
This thing has been going on for longer than we could ever imagine, so can you believe my angst when I saw a cartoon in the papers here, no, not this one, that showed a pot and kettle on top of a stove and the pot said to the kettle, “You black eh!” In this day and age too.
But the more things change the more they remain the same, say the French, which slides right into the current banter about the winning French World Cup football team with their preponderance of black players and their white wives or girlfriends. Even as they bask in their glory, some people have to find some way to diminish it.
It was calypso singer The Mighty Sparrow who sang about this in Congo Man, but I’ll expand on that later, right after these responses to my piece on ‘Offending men’.
Hi Tony,
Generally speaking, women are emotional creatures, while men have very fragile egos. Women like to express their feelings, and while men do not, the thing that men cherish most is their sexuality, virility, prowess in the sack. Having a woman question his manhood will shatter his ego like a large metal spoon on the shell of a soft boiled egg. Nishan Paswar wisely said, “If your pride is bigger than your heart and your ego is bigger than your head, grow up, or you will be alone for life.”
Prakash
Hey Tony,
Men are easily offended and will retreat into an emotional corner whenever their egos get bruised. They may put on a brave face throughout life, but they are easily hurt by the things that women say to them, especially about their manhood. That’s why they often lash out physically. Most cases of domestic violence stem from men feeling offended, usually men with low self-esteem.
Sheila
Now, before anyone accuses me of being a sexist, purist, antagonist, misogynist or any other type of ist, let me lay out the foundation of my opinion this week by sharing with you some of the words from Sparrow’s song, Congo Man.
“ Two white women travelling through Africa
Find themselves in the hands of a cannibal headhunter,
He cook up one, he eat one raw,
Dey taste so good, he wanted more!
He want more.
Aye yi yay
I envy de Congo Man,
I wish it was me, ah woulda shake he hand.
He eat until he stomach upset
And I, nevah eat a white meat yet.”
Well, the doctors do say that white meat is better for you as it has less fat. But back to the French football team that won the World Cup. They have been praised for their ball artistry and prowess on the field of play. But this also applies to when they play the field. They’ve been praised by millions the world over, but as usual, there are some people who just love to put a fly in the ointment, a spanner in the works, stir up controversy, even though it may very well be just a storm in a teacup.
This French football team is comprised mostly of black men who are either Africans who have adopted France as their home or French-born with African roots. In fact, the current joke is that Africa managed to win the World Cup by representing France. Just look at the composition of the team and see for yourself.
That, however, is not the issue. A photograph was posted on social media with a number of the black players and their white wives or girlfriends. Apparently there are people who take umbrage to that situation. But guess what, it’s not that unusual at all.
Most big-time black athletes in the USA, Britain and other countries acquire a taste for white women as soon as they achieve a modicum of success, squiring them, dating them, marrying them. It’s in the NBA, NFL, track and field, you name it, the common factor is the white women on their arms. But then again, maybe it’s the white women who choose those black men.
This offends some people who say, “So just because you make it big now, black women aren’t good enough for you?” The counterpoint is, “Black women too miserable, demanding and needy; white women are more compliant and don’t chat back.”
The irony is, those same detractors turn a blind eye when the script is flipped and black women choose white men. Just look at the Kardashian family, Kim, her sisters and her mom, all prefer to be with black men. Is it true what they say, “Once you go black you don’t go back”?
It must be, for they keep on choosing black men to date, marry and have children with. Serena Williams, Halle Berry, Iman and others all chose white men. Let’s not forget the lovely Meghan Markle who captured the heart of Prince Harry.
Male white actors like Robert De Niro, Matthew McConaughey, the late David Bowie, director George Lucas and others have black spouses. So why was the French team singled out? Is it envy on the part of some men as Sparrow pointed out in his song? Maybe there is some deep psychological reason that successful black men choose white women.
Perhaps after centuries of seeing but not allowed to touch white women, it’s now a case of picking forbidden fruit. Now their wealth is the great equaliser for, make no bones about it, those gorgeous white women would not be with those men if they had no wealth or fame.
Plus, we are bombarded with white images on our TV screens, movies and in magazines. Even our local papers often show white people’s images on their pages. Jesus Christ is depicted as a blonde, blue-eyed white man, so that desire is ingrained in people. Like it or not, it’s true.
I have black friends in the USA who only date white women. When I ask them why, some admit to attaining what was thought to be unattainable, and once started they could not break the cycle. Is it a reverse case of once you go white you?
Some guys even admitted to some sort of sexual revenge. “What I can do with those white girls those black women would never allow me to do,” said one man. Another even said that white women will do anything that they ask without backchat or attitude, somewhat akin to a servant. I have witnessed it.
White women have told me that it’s such a turn on to see a black man’s skin contrasting with their own while in bed. My take is, as long as the woman is gorgeous then it’s okay with me. Beauty transcends all races, so if she’s black, brown, yellow or white, if she’s beautiful I do not care.
What irks me is when they choose an ugly white woman just because she’s white and not for her beauty. “Lord man, what an ugly woman, you couldn’t do better than that?” But then again, some gorgeous white women choose some ‘cruffty’ ugly black men, but we all know why uh. Oh yes, the Rent-a-Dread scenario is alive and well.
The irony in all this is that many men who criticise those guys for having white women have fair-skinned spouses, er… brownings. Look around you and you’ll see many successful men with their browning spouses. No wonder Buju sang about it.
Because of this too, bleaching in the inner city and elsewhere will never stop. When you drive around you’ll also see many dreads walking the streets with white or Asian women, with kids in tow.
Oh yes, one offshoot is the mixed-race children who can be absolutely cute and beautiful. April’s edition of National Geographic magazine is dedicated to this phenomenon. It’s titled Black and White. In years to come, races will be indistinguishable, so we better get used to it.
In the meantime, cut the guys some slack. Maybe it’s because, as Sparrow said, you never eat a white meat yet.
More time.
seido1@hotmail.com
Footnote: Well, here we go again, caught in the throes of yet another drought — at least in some parts of the island — because even as the usually wet Portland is dry, perennially arid St Thomas is being soaked. What an irony. We are a land of wood and water, with most of the water being underground, yet almost every year it’s the same cry — brace for lock-offs, water is scarce. We don’t have a water problem, we have a water management problem. Water is abundant, it’s just to harvest it. Well, even as you’re reading this I should be in Berlin, Germany, attending my daughter’s wedding. I’ll tell you all about the trip next week, God willing.