Lemony Snicket makes a racist ass out of himself at the National Book Awards

He did try that joke out on Woodson before the ceremony. She was unimpressed. He told it again anyway.

I came across this piece by Nikky Finney, who won the National Book Award for Poetry.

And I can see why she won.

ULTRAGOTHA said:

I came across this piece by Nikky Finney, who won the National Book Award for Poetry.

And I can see why she won.

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That is a must read piece. Thanks for posting it.

Ari Meermans said:

There are times you must look at the whole package. You look at or hear the comment; you look at the person making it. Daniel Handler is not clueless, he is not moronic, and he is not unaware. The comment was mean-spirited and he is a racist asshole.

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Yep. That's how I see it as well. What a disgusting thing for him to have done.

ULTRAGOTHA said:

I came across this piece by Nikky Finney, who won the National Book Award for Poetry.

And I can see why she won.

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She makes the point several times that this was the National Book Awards, and I think that's part of what is so depressing about this incident.

If you can't get it right at even the National Book Awards, that's a fucking shame. And I mean "shame" as in truely shameful, not a pale condemnation of the "unfortunate".

Ari Meermans said:

There are times you must look at the whole package. You look at or hear the comment; you look at the person making it. Daniel Handler is not clueless, he is not moronic, and he is not unaware. The comment was mean-spirited and he is a racist asshole.

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This, a thousand times.

I am so fucking sick of white people trying to excuse other white people of racism. Just as I am sick of men rushing to use the #notallmen excuse. The world is getting better, but stop trying to school people on their own experience.

eqb said:

This, a thousand times.

I am so fucking sick of white people trying to excuse other white people of racism. Just as I am sick of men rushing to use the #notallmen excuse. The world is getting better, but stop trying to school people on their own experience.

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I may be in love with you for this, if you'll excuse the hyperbole. I'm in 1000% agreement with you on this one. I've tried to actually bring up the experiences of normal non-white people in this damn country, and I can count on one hand the number of people who have actually listened instead of apologizing for the bigotted words of this jerk off. Appologia doesn't help anyone, admiting there's a problem and goddamn listening to the ones that are always getting the fuzzy end of the lollypop is what helps.

eqb said:

This, a thousand times.

I am so fucking sick of white people trying to excuse other white people of racism. Just as I am sick of men rushing to use the #notallmen excuse. The world is getting better, but stop trying to school people on their own experience.

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This is so true. And a common response these days when something like this happens is to assert that the person who is bothered by it is just too sensitive, or is creating a tempest in a teapot, or is even derailing someone else's accomplishment to beat their drum about sexism or racism.

The thing is, it's never just about that one "gaffe," or one "bad" joke, or one "tacky" shirt, or even necessarily about how innocently meant it may or may not have been. It's about living in a world where this kind of thing happens all the time, every day. It's the proverbial death by a thousand cuts.

absitinvidia said:

From what I've read, this guy is confirmed as having made two obviously racist comments that evening. That does not predispose me to bend over backwards (as you describe above) to try to find a non-racist explanation for what appears to be a third racist comment. At some point, Occam's Razor wins.

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Confused. How would implying a writer only won an award because minority be a NONracist implication?

Chuck Wendig weighed in on this issue in his blog today. He made the same point I tried to make upthread--that one can be racist/sexist etc. without even being aware of it or having any conscious malice towards anyone. Our attitudes are often unconscious unless something calls them to our attention. Sometimes that something is someone saying, "Hey, you know what you just said or did? I found it hurtful."

Usual warning about his colorful language.

Roxxsmom said:

Chuck Wendig weighed in on this issue in his blog today. He made the same point I tried to make upthread--that one can be racist/sexist etc. without even being aware of it or having any conscious malice towards anyone. Our attitudes are often unconscious unless something calls them to our attention. Sometimes that something is someone saying, "Hey, you know what you just said or did? I found it hurtful."

Usual warning about his colorful language.

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Thanks, that was interesting and thought-provoking.

Jamesaritchie said:

No, prove yourself right When you make a claim, you either have evidence to back it up, or you shouldn't make it.

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There is abundant evidence to back up what Maryn and others have said. So much I can't quote it all here, and no I didn't get it from the internet. Anyone that is interested can read all about it in The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander. She's an attorney and has credible sources to back up her claims and statistics.

The closest person in the world to me deals with shit like this on a daily basis. She's a gentle soul who turns the other cheek. I battle over respecting her wishes. My inclination is to want to punch idiots like DH in the nose. Another example of why I made such a lousy Buddhist.

Jacqueline Woodson has a piece in the New York Times today.

Oh, wow. That's incredibly disappointing. Especially considering I grew up reading this man's work. /:

Manuel Royal said:

Now, if Jacqueline Woodson had made that joke about herself, it would've been funny.

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Not it wouldn't. If it's not funny when he makes it, it's not funny when she makes it. I'm tired of this distinction that somehow the same statement is funny from one person and unfunny from another.