‘One Two Three Four; I Declare A Race War’

There’s a fun little comment thread over at Bill In Exile right now. The author of that blog is Scott, and I’ve written about him before, both to praise his insightful The Age of AIDS series and unpack his rant about BDSM play in public.

Well the bloggy bluntness continued last week when Scott posted the picture below with the headline, "One of These Things Is Not Like The Other."

In other words: "Look, A Black Person!"

A few of Scott’s readers got all miffed. It was only the second time Scott featured a black dude in his five years of blogging, and it wasn’t to say, "He’s hot," which is his typical rationale for posting a picture, but rather to say, "He’s black." And as if he hadn’t done enough to frame the black man as the other, Scott wrote that the man was "so black he’s positively blurple."

I’ve already published my thoughts on this subject. They are: rejecting millions of dudes based on nothing more than their skin color doesn’t necessarily make you racist, but it’s also not something you should openly advertise if you want to retain the "You’re super!" sticker on your gay card.

But who cares what I think; let’s go to the comments. Here’s a comment from one of Scott’s readers, who is black:

After discovering this blog this past weekend I’d decided it was one of the better blogs I’d seen in a long time, even if I didn’t see any black skin on the pages. Then I come today and see the first black man that I’ve seen on these pages AND that an UNCOMPLIMENTARY, MOCKING remark has been made about the color of that black man’s skin from the host. I wasn’t surprised though. I kind of expect it. Being a man of color born and raised in the south and now living in NYC for the past 15 years I can assure you that MANY of the gay white men (especially in NYC) that I’ve encountered in a social setting have been the most racist men I’ve ever come across in my 39 years. I’m happy to be born both black AND with same sex attraction because I can see the hypocritical streak in many gay whites when it comes to them wanting the same equality as their straight counterparts…

Scott’s response:

Or, Stanley, another way of looking at it is simply that I don’t like sleeping with, nor am I sexually attracted to, black men. But then, I guess that simple answer didn’t fit with your need to feel as if you are being abused and maltreated on the pages here.

But here’s the thing Stanley, you don’t see fat men on these pages and I don’t hear bears crying about how I’m anti-bear. And you don’t see Asians but I’ve got lots of Asian readers and none of them are accusing me of being an Asian hater. Nor do you see guys with one arm or one leg but the amputee crowd isn’t accusing me of overt amputeeism the way you’re accusing me of racism based upon your deep and insightful reading of this blog after just two or three days as a reader of it…

And maybe, just maybe, the reason you see lots of young, white guys on these pages is because THAT’S WHO I LIKE TO FUCK!

The next comment battle contestant was the author of Men of Color blog:

Really? All blacks? Bi-racial and blurple? Dark-skinned and light-skinned? Preppy and thug? Caribbean and African? Really? You’ve made a conscious decision to categorically reject an entire race of people? Why? Is it too much for us to ask you to defend that position?

To which Scott wrote that, come to think of it, he has fucked a few black guys in his day. But only light-skinned ones. And also Latinos! Anyway, the black gay go-go dancer Tray Eggzaviar added his own very special insight, which is that Scott is a "faggot." I win!
 

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Sean Cody Discovers Another Black Man
Facts About Black People, By Race Cooper

9 thoughts on “‘One Two Three Four; I Declare A Race War’”

  1. Victor,

    We agree about racism being a problem. I’m not sure though it’s worth the effort to combat it in this environment. Better to deal with stuff we can do, then go to our separate corners.

  2. I am Stanley. I am the one who first called Scott out on this blurple crap and sent the link over to the MOC Blog. I am ASTOUNDED that Blurplegate has made its way over here to The Sword.

    I would just first like to start out by saying that as a gay black man I do not consider myself to be, nor do I want to be an authority on Gay OR Black issues. However, I do know when I’ve been insulted. But its about more than just my feelings, its about our own sensitivity to others ESPECIALLY if you’re gay and part of a group thats more or less HATED in this country by blacks AND whites and also when you’re the host of a blog that on the surface is supposed to be this source of guidance and inspiration of equality for gay rights but then you, the host blogger, go and mockingly post ABSOLUTE GARBAGE about the color of a black man’s skin. I mean, how could you dare to expect anyone to take you seriously now, especially black people?

    What is wrong with you Scott? Most of your readers agree that if I’d been reading the blog for however long you’d been writing it that I would know that you weren’t racially insensitive. REALLY? Oh. OK. So the posting of a VERY dark skinned man front and (almost) center against the light skin of 20 white dudes and making a comment that seemed to want to elicit derision of his black skin is not insensitive? Well then, your readers must assume that I’m an emotional retard thats overly sensitive. But wait, did they read your first response to me and the way you called me “pig fucking ignorant” and all sorts of other ridiculousness? You know the response where you at first stated that “I don’t like sleeping with, nor am I sexually attracted to, black men” only later to admit (as if you were guilty of some horror) that you’d indeed slept with black men before but they weren’t blurple? I’m sure most of your readers are thinking how could I be so backwards to assume you were an insensitive twat. I guess according to your readers that Head And Shoulders slogan “You never get a second chance to make a first impression” was wrong. After having just discovered your blog and not seeing any black men and then seeing ONE black man who was being laughed at should have given me the impression that you’d marched with Martin Luther King on Selma Alabama.

    “The first time someone show you who they are, believe them.” – Maya Angelou

    So for the record I didn’t care that I hadn’t seen any black men on the pages of Scott’s blog. THAT WAS NEVER AN ISSUE WITH ME!!! I wasn’t looking for black men. If I wanted to see black men I’m internet savvy enough to find them on another blog. I was at Scott’s blog because I knew that what I wanted to see would be there… White Men (preferably hairy). My problem was that the first black man that I’d seen on his blog was being laughed at for being what he was… a Black Man. No one wants to be laughed at for who they are. Do you want to be laughed at for being gay?

    For me it was never about Scott not posting pics of black men. It was never about me feeling that Scott was racist because he didn’t want to sleep with black dudes. That’s what SCOTT turned it into. I never said or insinuated that Scott or anyone else was racist because he didn’t want to sleep with black men. That’s ridiculous. I don’t want to sex up my stunningly beautiful Chihuahua and that doesn’t make me a dog hater. People are attracted to whoever they are attracted to. Some men like fat women. Some men like dominant women. Some men like stuck up women. Some men like hoes. Some men like OTHER MEN. I don’t think we can help who we love or are attracted to.

    So to the readers of Scott’s blog; I never said that Scott was racist because he didn’t want to sleep with black men. I said he was racist because he was laughing at a black man’s black skin.

    Focus Bitches!

    1. Thank you.

      It astounds me how stupid some people can be. To say you’re not attracted to someone because of their skin colour is racist, that’s my personal opinion. I don’t look at a man and say: You won’t do because you’re white or black. But alas some people do, I took him off my feed because for an old man, he acts like a twelve year old twat. It makes me laugh though that he used Urban Dictionary to back up his claim, that calling someone blurple was fine.

  3. Wow…what a clever, funny post about racism. That is…to the extent that racism can be funny. Although I suppose it can be funny if it doesn’t directly impact you. I generally like The Sword’s posts but I’m conflicted by this one. It’s hard to like someone who loves a guy who thinks it’s ok to refer to dark skin black men or black men in general as blurple. It’s totally fine to have preference. Everyone does.

    But Blurple? What the hell is that? Really? For me it’s the same as having a “Friend” who refers to gay people as fruits or fags. That person is not a friend. As a Black Gay man, I try very hard to stay out of “Victim Space”. I don’t assume that all white people hate me and I don’t assume they think I’m going to rob them. I don’t think it’s cool or funny when Black comedians joke about the distinctions between black people and white people. To me, prejudice is prejudice no matter your skin color or who you fuck.

    So that’s why it’s a kick in the pants to read about a gay man – who has likely experienced marginalization and prejudice – showing such a lack of sensitivity for people who are different from him. Its just not fucking funny.

    1. Really? That’s an awesome suggestion! Considering what a significant problem Racism is within the gay community I think that’s just super that you think the problem should be left alone to fester, like an open wound. Then, just maybe, we can cut the limb off when the wound is so infected it has spread its cancer to the point of real loss.

      Look, I know you’re just trying to be snarky but ignoring other people’s blindingly hot prejudices towards others – especially within the gay community – is absolutely the wrong way to go about this.. Sunshine is the best disinfectant. It’s time to start calling people out on their bullshit whether they’re are “loved” or not.

  4. I completely agree with Scott’s reasoning and opinion on black men vs. white men. But I would never say or post any of the jokes he does. It’s just rude. If you like fucking white dudes, that’s fine and totally your prerogative, but it’s just dicked to start making ( even slight ) racial jokes.
    Sex is one thing, courtesy is another.

  5. I care what you think. My friends care what you think. And, most importantly all of your readers care what you think. The only conclusion I can draw from reading Scott’s reactions to people who disagree with him – on that post or any other – is that he’s on drugs.

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