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An old bit by comedian Ralphie May surfaced just before his scheduled appearance in Bemidji Minnesota on the cusp of the Red Lake Reservation. It was an R-rated rant using the worst Native American stereotypes. The venue in Bemidji cancelled May’s appearance . He has since cancelled three subsequent appearances in Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota. He insists it was all a joke taken out of context. The person who first exposed May’s rant, Adrianne Chalepah, at first wondered herself whether she just didn’t get the joke. But the backlash against May confirmed her concerns. “”It’s like we’re in an abusive relationship and we keep getting verbally abused and we keep taking it and taking it. And we’re not taking it anymore, ” Chalepah said. Can you picture a situation where May’s comments would be funny?
Here’s Ralphie May’s videotaped apology:
Guests:
Adrianne Chalepah (Kiowa and Apache) – comedian
Ralphie May – comedian
Anthony Fernandes (Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe) -founder of Savage Family
Break Bed: Turtle Island Reggae (song) Cempoalli 20 & Quese Imc (artist) Osahwuh (album)
Irregardless of the punchline it was uncalled for. The so called punchline in itself was awful so anything leading up to it had nothing to do with the movie he was talking about. Ralphie needs to be called out and hurt in the pocket. I hope that Casinos across the country as well as anyone with a sense of right and wrong continue to protest and stop booking this guy.
Say a damn joke about 9/11?! Or about our soldiers in overseas?! NO ONE in this damn country would find that funny! Don’t be inconsiderate just for a joke….ugh! And the response he got from the joke!? Wow!
Just because some of us are proud of our culture and our people, doesn’t give him a right to down on those who have fell to the lifestyles THEY taught our people. This ain’t a one way street…that’s what this country has forgotten or is so damn dumb to realize.
Voting with their wallets. That’s beautiful capitalism. Don’t expect folks to pay to be berated.
I am pleased with this outcome, particularly in the larger context of what we are trying to accomplish in the Bemidji area. Voices were heard; those in positions of power listened and acted. Healing begins when people are heard. This serves to strengthen the resolve of those of us who are dedicated to the long road ahead as we work toward a more inclusive community dynamic full of truth-telling, healing and reconciliation. Such a momentous opportunity to learn and grow can come out of an otherwise divisive occurrence when we are willing to truly listen and seek to understand. It is much easier to default to a knee-jerk response and get lost in the tired and old rhetoric of dismissiveness and claims of over-sensitivity, especially when that mentality has been the norm for far too long. Instead, we need to stretch ourselves, challenge the static thinking that has only served to further hurt and divide; when we are willing to hear and acknowledge and strive to understand, no matter how uncomfortable it may momentarily be, we become better through that experience. And when we are stretched in that way? We cannot return to our former dimensions. When we know better, we are called to do better. And to call others to do the same. It is time. #ReconcileMN
As a non-Native, I’ve got to say that this guy is really disturbing. Living in northern Minnesota, I am really proud of all the folks who kept his show out of Bemidji, Fargo, and the other communities. It disturbs me to hear every supposed apology he spoke have an attachment of feel sorry for me the poor white guy who didn’t know better. Ignorance isn’t an excuse. White folks have a responsibility to learn our own history and I mean the real deal. We have a responsibility to fix where we’ve screwed up for the past 500+ years. It’s pretty simple– you broke it, you fix it.
As for his stuff on we should be going after bigger things than poor little Ralphie. Well, that’s pretty simple too. People believe the stories they hear day after day. If folks like him keep telling lies about Native people then people believe those lies. Those lies are at the root of all the big problems. It’s called racism.
I hope that he’s learned something from this experience, that he checks out some of the great anti-racism and white privilege resources available and really starts learning about the power of words and changes how he uses them.