References To Double Dutch (Jump Rope) In American & British Commercials, Recorded Songs, Television Shows, And Movies

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part IV of a four part pancocojams series on recreational (street, old school) Double Dutch, with an emphasis on Double Dutch (jump rope) rhymes.

Part IV provides a partial time line of references to Double Dutch in American and British commercials, recorded songs, television shows, and movies. This lists is presented with information and comments.

This post also showcases one of this commercials: Coca Cola Double Dutch. Please help me identify a date for this Coca Cola ad!

Please add to this time line by sharing examples of references to Double Dutch that aren't included in this list. Thanks.

**
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/07/speculation-about-when-why-recreational.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents my thoughts about the reasons for the demise of recreational Double Dutch with or without chanted rhymes. Part I also includes an excerpt from an online article that provides a general overview about recreational Double Dutch, with emphasis on the years that girls were involved in this activity.

In addition, Part I also showcases four YouTube videos of recreational or competitive sports Double Dutch. A video of Malcolm Mclaren's 1983 song "Double Dutch" is also featured in this post, particularly for its visual documentation of Double Dutch sports teams more than for its South African sourced music. Selected comments about Double Dutch from those videos' discussion threads are also included in this post.

**
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/07/excerpt-about-recreational-double-dutch.html for Part II of this series. Part II features an excerpt from the chapter "Double Dutch And Double Cameras: Studying The Transmission Of Culture In An Urban School" by Ann Richman Beresina. This chapter is part of the 1999 book Children's Folklore: A SourceBook edited by Brian Sutton-Smith, Jay Mechling, Thomas W. Johnson, and Felicia McMahon (Utah State University Press, originally published in 1995).

In addition, Part II showcases the 1985/1986 McDonald Double Dutch commercial (which is also featured in Part I) as well as two YouTube videos of "Big Mac" performed as a two person and as a four person hand clap game.

**
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/07/excerpt-about-recreational-double-dutch.html for Part II of this series. Part II features an excerpt from the chapter "Double Dutch And Double Cameras: Studying The Transmission Of Culture In An Urban School" by Ann Richman Beresina. This chapter is part of the 1999 book Children's Folklore: A SourceBook edited by Brian Sutton-Smith, Jay Mechling, Thomas W. Johnson, and Felicia McMahon (Utah State University Press, originally published in 1995).

In addition, Part II showcases the 1985/1986 McDonald Double Dutch commercial (which is also featured in Part I) as well as two YouTube videos of "Big Mac" performed as a two person and as a four person hand clap game.
Part III showcases text (word only) examples of five recreational Double Dutch rhymes and provides comments about those examples, including suggesting probably Hip Hop sources for some of those rhymes.

The words to these rhymes are from Recess Battles: Playing, Fighting, and Storytelling, by Anna R. Beresin (Univ. Press of Mississippi, May 27, 2011).

Comments about the source of certain of these jump rope rhymes and explanations about the meanings of some of the topical references in those rhymes are also included in this post.

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The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and recreational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are mentioned in this post and thank to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
This is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on Double Dutch (jump rope) and jump roping rope in general, particularly as those activities relate to African American females.

Also, click the tags below to find other posts in this series.

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: Coca Cola Double Dutch 30 sec KOCL 8352 6:1:98 Edge Creative Red Car



TheRedCarChannel, Published on Oct 28, 2015

Coca Cola Double Dutch 30 sec KOCL 8352 6:1:98 Edge Creative Red Car
-snip-
When was this ad first aired? Please add that information in the comment section below so that I can include it in this Double Dutch timeline.

Also please help with the lyrics. Here's my transcription so far (Corrections to this transcription are welcome.)

The bottle is cool
The taste is real
When I drink it down
This is how I feel
The girls alright
This is what I say
C.O.C.A COLA"
-snip-
Later in the commercial, girls say "Coca Cola" faster and faster to match with the jumper's speed jumps.

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PARTIAL TIME LINE OF REFERENCES TO DOUBLE DUTCH (Jump Rope) IN UNITED STATES & BRITISH COMMERCIALS, RECORDED SONGS, TELEVISION SHOWS, AND MOVIES

[Pancocojams Editor: This entry doesn't include the use of any of the featured songs in electronic games. If you know of any examples of this, please add them. Each British entry is noted as such. All other entries are from the United States.]


1979 - McDonald's (Jump Rope theme) commercial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up1kh0HF3Oo

jingle:
"McDonald�s knows your Double Dutch is really hard to beat
�cause when your jumping there is something magic with your feet
You�re jumping up and up and up
and we�ll give you a hand
You�re the reason we do it
If anyone can do it McDonalds knows who can."

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1981 - McDonald`s Chicken McNugget Double Dutch commercial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_va6kLEIdY

Jingle:
"Down at McDonalds where the arches go
They got Chicken McNuggests
And there hot to go"

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1981 - Frankie Smith's Funk/old school Hip Hop record "Double Dutch Bus" was first released
Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Dutch_Bus for information about that song and click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK9hK82r-AM for a YouTube video of that song.

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1981 - Pick Up Your Feet documentary on Double Dutch
http://mediaburn.org/video/pick-up-your-feet-the-double-dutch-show/
"A sweet, interesting, and enjoyable documentary about a double dutch championship for junior high age kids in New York. The tape featured mainly local kids from Manhattan and the boroughs, but the event drew an international crowd to the Lincoln Center on 6/13/81. We spend time with the teams as they practice and compete and hear about how they train and how they feel about their sport. The tape manages to simultaneously capture all of the tension of the competition and give a personal look at a number of the teams. Blumberg manages to catch the participants at their most raw and emotional moments, like when a 10 (?) year old girl is sobbing uncontrollably like she had just lost a family member. Blumberg asks her what place her team got. They were #1."

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1983 - [British] Malcom MClarens 1983 single "Double Dutch
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Dutch_(song)
" "Double Dutch" is a 1983 single by Malcolm McLaren. It is taken from his debut album Duck Rock....
"Double Dutch" is the follow-up to his successful debut single, "Buffalo Gals", and reached number 3 on the UK Singles Chart, making it his highest-charting single release... The song concerns the skipping game of the same name, with McLaren's narration mentioning several New York double Dutch troupes by name, notably the Ebonettes, whose name is also used as a chant in the chorus."...
-snip-
Here's an excerpt from https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/nn974m/double-dutchs-forgotten-hip-hop-origins-456 "Double Dutch's Forgotten Hip-Hop Origins" by Lauren Schwartzberg, Mar 31 2015
...."Double dutch's rhyming chants fit with those of the MCs, and the sport demanded a physical dexterity not too far removed from breakdancing. Soon, Blue was showing double dutch to British impresario and musician Malcolm McLaren�he immediately fell in love and wrote a song about the Ebonettes, another New York double dutch team, for his 1983 Duck Rock album. It quickly became McLaren's most popular song, reaching third place on UK singles charts."...
-snip-
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ4jMSCBswY for a YouTube video of this song.

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1985 - McDonald's "Big Mac" Double Dutch commercial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo5DbV0ZKAI

"Big Mac
Fillet of Fish
Quarter Pounder
French Fries
Icy Coke
Sundaes
And apple pies"
-snip-
This is now widely known as a hand clap rhyme "Welcome To McDonalds" . (Note that the hand clap rhyme has added words). Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/two-mcdonalds-handclap-rhymes-source.html for a pancocojams post on two McDonalds commercials that became hand clap rhymes . That post showcases "Welcome To McDonalds" and "McDonalds Is Your Kind Of Place".

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1990 -Reebok Double Tongue Double Dutch commercial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aqqQ_NRYB0

Update July 31, 2017
"Reebox" is a brand of tennis shoe. This commercial is filmed as a video game. There's no jingle/rhyme. main words are "Reebox double tongue". ("Double tongue" refers to the fastener flap on the shoe.)

**
[Update August 2, 2017]
1991 - Double-Dutch Clorox Bleach Commercial, 1991
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjhj7nUvp-w
vintage commercial Published on Jan 12, 2013
"There's only one way to get it Clorox clean." Perhaps, but there's probably a way to cause fewer hours of work for yourself. For instance, here's a laundry-lessening idea: maybe avoid playing double-dutch on a grimy sidewalk while wearing only white socks. There's another little kid wearing orange socks AND a pair of shoes - let's maybe try to emulate that kind of outdoor jumprope fashion behavior."
-snip-
This commercial for a brand name bleach product shows a multiracial group of girls doing double dutch. In includes a jingle about there being "only one way to be Clorox clean".
-end of 8/2/2017 video-

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[Update: 7/30/2017]
1997- Sister, Sister (television series), episode entitled "Double Dutch" [Season 4, Episode 19]
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701710/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl
"Tia and Tamera enter a double-Dutch contest for a family street fair and Tia overworks Tamera, not letting her see her 'guy' or even telling Tamera the reason why she is so driven. It turns out that after meeting an old childhood bully, Tia became obsessed with finally beating her at something."...

Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdokT3mzKuI for a clip of that episode that shows "double dutching".
-end of 7/20/2017 update

**
2002 - Missy Elliot' (featuring Ludacris)'s single "Gossip Folks" sampled Frankie Smith�s 1981 record �Double Dutch Bus�

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYKI8tAELXY [Warning: Some of the lyrics in this song are considered to be "dirty".]

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2003 Hitman Sammy � "Step Daddy" (sampled Frankie Smith�s "Double Dutch Bus")

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2005 - Xbox 360 TV Commercial - "Jump Rope"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQdjAukXJgM

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2007 - Jump In!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jump_In!
"Jump In! is a 2007 Disney Channel Original Movie, which premiered on January 12, 2007. It was released on Disney Channel UK on April 27, 2007. The film, starring Corbin Bleu and Keke Palmer, revolves around a young boxer, Izzy Daniels (Corbin Bleu), who trains to follow in his father's footsteps by winning the Golden Glove. When his friend, Mary (Keke Palmer), who harbors a secret crush on him, asks him to substitute for a team member in a Double Dutch tournament, then, Izzy discovers his new love for jumping rope and in the meantime, he soon discovers true love in Mary."...

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2008- Raven-Symone recorded a cover of Frankie Smith's "Double Dutch Bus"

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2012 - Phineas and Ferb [Disney animated series, "Double Dutch" episode]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI_RKZgUUbY

-snip-
That episode includes this song:

"Volgen nu!
One dutch, two dutch
Queens of the double dutch
We skip better than you by that much
Watch our feet, our moves are sweet
Our double dutchin' won't be beat
Touwtje springen, wat leuk.
-snip-
"Volgen nu = Dutch for "now follow"
Touwtje springen = Dutch for "jumping rope"
wat leuk = Dutch for "what fun") is often erroneously given as "fast feud".

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2012 [British] "Maltesers Let Your Lighter Side Out TV Ad Airport
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exPHfGsSRao
-snip-
"Maltese" is the brand name for United Kingdom chocolate candy drops. This commercial features
Malcolm NcClaren's "Double Dutch" song.

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2013 - Wolf Of Wall Street movie includes Malcolm McClaren's Double Dutch song.

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2014 - BET Awards/Pharrell & Missy Elliot performance includes Double Dutch jumping ("double dutching")
http://www.bet.com/video/betawards/2014/performances/pharrell-williams-and-missy-elliott.html
"Pharrell Takes Us to #BaeUniversity With Missy Elliott.

Missy joins Skateboard P for a special mash-up performance of "Come Get It Bae" and her classic "Pass That Dutch."
-snip-
[No other description is given on that page besides that quote.] The inclusion of Double Dutch in that BET televised show is mentioned in the article "Double Dutch's Forgotten Hip-Hop Origins" by Lauren Schwartzberg, Mar 31 2015 whose link is given above.

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Added July 30, 2017
2014- The Real syndicated television talk show-[Double Dutch segment] Sep 29, 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I0c4OfX6JU
"Tamera Shows Off Her Double Dutch Skills"
-snip-
Tamera Mowry-Housley one of The Real's hosts, was the star of Sister, Sister along with her twin sister Tia. A popular episode of that series was when the sisters jumped in a Double Dutch competition.(1997).

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2015 - "Double dutching" is included in the Top Five movie about New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Five
This is mentioned is in the article "Double Dutch's Forgotten Hip-Hop Origins" by Lauren Schwartzberg, Mar 31 2015 whose link is given above.

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2015 - Jump! television series on Lifetime channel
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/network-press-releases/new-series-jump-to-premiere-friday-april-10-on-lifetime/377692/ New Series 'Jump!' to Premiere Friday, April 10 on Lifetime, Steve Baron, March 20, 2015
"via press release:
April - Lifetime�s all-new docu-series Jump!, chronicles the journey of one of the hottest jump rope teams in the country, Floyd-Little Double Dutch (FLDD), as they compete to defend their championship titles. Known as the face of Double Dutch, the team performed at the White House Easter celebration and opened up the 2014 BET Awards with Pharrell and Missy Elliot. Premiering Friday, April 10, at 10pm ET/PT, Jump! provides an inside look at the international competitive event filled with tricks, turns, tears and triumphs, and examines what it really takes to make it as the fiercest team in the country."
-snip-
This one season series showcased Newark, New Jersey's Floyd Little (Double Dutch) team. Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVHEcfrCkuI "Jump!: Meet the Floyd Little Double Dutch Team | Lifetime"

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Please add to this timeline. Thanks!

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This concludes Part IV of this four part pancocojams series on Double Dutch.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Categories: American commercials American movies American television shows British commercials British music Double Dutch jump rope

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The REAL Meaning Of The Saying "Comey Don't Play That" (with source information & examples)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides a definition and examples of the saying "Comey don't play that".

The content of this post is presented for linguistic, cultural, and political purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/06/homey-dont-play-that-in-living-color-s.html for the related pancocojams post ""Homey Don't Play That" - In Living Color 's Homey D. Clown's Birthday Party Comedy Sketch".

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WHAT "DON'T PLAY THAT" MEANS
"[Person's name] don't play that" is a statement that is made regarding a suggested action or idea which is rejected because acting that way would be contrary to or beneath that person's values, lifestyle, image, and/or dignity.
-snip-
Hat tip to this urban dictionary poster for this definition of which helped me conceptualize what "[person's name] don't play means:
From https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=homey%20don%27t%20play%20that
"homey don't play that

A disagreement or protest to a suggested idea or action.
Carlton said, "Let's watch American Idol!", and Will was like, "Homey don't play that."
by colin April 05, 2005

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WHAT "COMEY DON'T PLAY THAT" MEANS
"Comey don't play" is an adapted form of the 1990 saying "Homey don't play that".

"Homey don't play that" (also given as "Homey don't play dat") is the signature saying for "Homey D. Clown", a recurring character on the 1990s African American sketch comedy television series In Living Color. Homey D. Clown frequently said "Homey don't play that" when asked to do something that he considered beneath his dignity or his lifestyle.

In contrast to Homey D. Clown, other people and not James Comey himself have used the saying "Comey don't play that" as the titles of news articles and videos or within news articles and videos among other usages). The saying "Comey don't play that" appears to usually reflect the perception that James Comey has refused or is refusing to do something that is against his principles (values). As such, "Comey don't play that" is a usually complimentary statement about former acting Attorney General and now former FBI Director James Comey.

It's my sense that "Comey don't play that" did not originally mean �[James] Comey isn't playing games� or "Comey is serious [about something or another.]" That said, one or both of those meanings may be simultaneous implied in early or current usages of this saying along with the original African American Vernacular English meaning of "___ don't play that" which is given above.
-snip-
Information about the character "Homey D. Clown" is given in the Addendum below.

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AFRICAN AMERICAN VERNACULAR ENGLISH TERMS AND GRAMMAR IN THESE SAYINGS
The sayings "Homey don't play that" (also given as "Homey don't play da.") and "Comey don't play that" use African American Vernacular English grammar and vernacular.

"Homey" is a form of the words "home boy" which means a male from your neighborhood or, by extension, a male from your city, state, or nation. "Homey" could also be used for females (i.e. "home girl"), although it appears to me that this feminine usage was/is much less frequently found than the masculine usage.

The word "don't" is used in these African American Vernacular English constructed sentences instead of the standard American English word "doesn't".

In the context of both the sayings "Homey don't play that" and "Comey don't play that" the word "play" simply means "to do" [something]".

Here's an urban dictionary.com entry that gives this definition of "play" [Note that this urban dictionary definition is one of many other vernacular meanings for "play", and some of them may not be suitable for
children].

From https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=play&page=3
"play
doin it
we playin
by true playa April 24, 2003"

**
Therefore, "Homey don't play" means that "Homey doesn't do [something specific.]" or "Homey won't do [something specific]". When the person himself (or herself) says those words, he (or she) means "I won't do that [thing that is specified]."

Another African American Vernacular English ways of saying "I don't play that" is "I'm not down with that". "I'm not down with that" later was shortened to "I'm not with that".

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[PARTIAL] TIMELINE FOR THE SAYING "COMEY DON'T PLAY THAT"
May 17, 2017 - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart episode (Season 12, Episode 0).

Here's my partial transcription of a video of this episode
From http://www.cc.com/video-clips/xupj3c/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-comey-don-t-play-that

[portion 1:52 to 2:53]
..."But McNulty is only one of Gonzales� deputies that is making headlines. McNulty�s predecessor testified Tuesday at the Senate Judiciary Committee about a 2004 incident involving then White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales, President Bush�s secret White House wiretap program, and John Ashcroft�s inflamed pancreas.

[audience laugh]. If that didn�t get your attention, well. [audience laughs] You�re going to love this story.

Back in 2004 the Department of Justice, headed up by acting Attorney General James Comey, loyal Republican, decided that the President�s national security domestic wiretapping program was ah�.-What�s the opposite of constitutional? Um�[audience laughs] � UNCONSTITUTIONAL! And Comey would not renew the program.

But the President no likey that. [audience laughs]

Now Comey was sitting in for the acting attorney general John Ashcroft because Ashcroft was uh- What�s the word for �nearly comatose?� NEARLY COMATOSE [audience laughs] in the hospital recovering from gall bladder surgery.

What comes next will blow your mind"...

**
June 18, 2013 - https://foreignpolicy.com/2013/06/18/comey-dont-play-that/ " Comey Don�t Play That
How Obama's pick to lead the FBI tried to put the brakes on the NSA's surveillance dragnet." BY MARC AMBINDER


**
September 1, 2015 - https://www.amazon.com/Comey-Dont-Play-That-T-shirt/dp/B072LT2CZ9
"Comey Don't Play That T-shirt
Funny James Comey T Shirt- Comey Don't Play That T-shirt

[...]

Date first available at Amazon.com: September 1, 2015"

**
May 30, 2017 - https://untappd.com/b/defiant-brewing-co-comey-don-t-play-that/2121133
"Comey Don't Play That
Defiant Brewing Co.
Pale Ale - American"
-snip-
I think that this is a "made up" name of beer.

**
June 8, 2017 - various news articles about former FBI Director James Comey's testimony under oath at the televised open hearing of the United States Senate Intelligence Committee

There are multiple examples of online news articles with the title "Comey Don't Play That", including this article:

From http://www.mediaite.com/tv/comey-dont-play-that-van-jones-says-comey-is-basically-running-d-c-now/ "�Comey Don�t Play That!� Van Jones Says Comey Is �Basically Running D.C.� Now" by Justin Baragona | 10:49 pm, June 8th, 2017 [excerpt]
"I am truly shocked that this phrase hadn�t gotten any play before tonight.

While discussing today�s much-hyped Senate testimony by former FBI Director James Comey, CNN political commentator Van Jones explained that since Comey is no longer the head of the FBI, he now can go right after President Donald Trump. And, thus, he is no longer playing.

�The big story here is that Trump is [sic] completely lost control of this town and of the narrative,� Jones stated. �And the guy he thought he had swiped off the board is basically running D.C.!�

He continued, �Basically Comey is saying, �Comey don�t play that. Comey don�t play that! I�m not even the FBI director!'�...
-snip-
There's also at least one YouTube video with that title of a portion of that Senate hearing.

Comey don't play that.



Adam Longo Published on Jun 8, 2017
-snip-
Please add any pre-2017 examples of the saying "Comey Don't Play That" in the comment section below. Thanks!

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ADDENDUM- INFORMATION ABOUT THE TELEVISION SERIES "IN LIVING COLOR" AND THE CHARACTER "HOMEY D. CLOWN"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Living_Color
"In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series that originally ran on Fox from April 15, 1990,[1] to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television and was taped at stage 7 at the Fox Television Center on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. The title of the series was inspired by the NBC announcement of broadcasts being presented "in living color" during the 1960s, prior to mainstream color television. It also refers to the fact that most of the show's cast were black, unlike other sketch comedy shows such as Saturday Night Live whose casts are mostly white. It was controversial due to the Wayans' decision to portray African-American humor from the ghetto in a time when mainstream American tastes regarding black comedy had been set by more upscale shows such as The Cosby Show, causing an eventual feud for control between Fox executives and the Wayans."...

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From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_In_Living_Color_sketches
"Homey D. Clown � Damon Wayans plays an ex-con who works as a clown (real name Herman Simpson) for his parole agreement, but lashes out at anyone (usually by hitting them on the head with a sock full of pennies) who attempts to make him perform the standard antics of the role - "I don't think so! Homey don't play that!". His goal in life is to get even with "The Man", a personification of the white males who are "holding him down". Near the end of most sketches, Homey would lead a group of children (played by the cast members) in a call and response sing-along, which would end with him degenerating into a rant, then intimidating the children into repeating after him. Homey was also the first, and only, In Living Color character to get his own video game.[2]"
-snip-
The letter "D" in the name "Homey D Clown" stands for "da" = "the".

**
In Living Color's Homey D. Clown character served as the inspiration for the name of The Simpsons character Krusty The Clown.
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homie_the_Clown
" "Homie the Clown" is the fifteenth episode of The Simpsons' sixth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 12, 1995. In the episode, Homer becomes a Krusty the Clown impersonator, but is mistaken for the real Krusty by the Springfield Mafia. Joe Mantegna returned as Fat Tony, while Dick Cavett and Johnny Unitas guest starred as themselves.

[...]

Cultural references
The episode's title is reference to the character Homey D. Clown from the sketch comedy show In Living Color.�...

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Visitor comments are welcome.

Categories: African American televisions programs African American Vernacular English American politics American sayings American television shows Homey don't play that YouTube viewer comment threads

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House Slaves vs Field Slaves: An Analysis Of A Scene In The 1976 Cuban Film "La Ultima Cena" ("The Last Supper")

Edited by Azizi Powell

This happened on June 2, 2017 on the nationally syndicated American television talk show Real Time with Bill Maher:

Quotes from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bill-maher-racial-slur-real-time-joke_us_59322e55e4b075bff0f3aaaa?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009 :
"While discussing the state of Nebraska, his guest, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), told [Bill] Maher, �We�d love to have you work in the fields with us.�

Apparently confused by the invitation, Maher joked �Work in the fields? Senator, I�m a house n****r!�

Sasse looked uncomfortable, and the audience reacted with a mix of claps and groans. Then Maher, a critic of political correctness, followed up his remark by pointing out the sarcasm. �No, it�s a joke,� he said.

The �Real Time� audience seemed to quickly forgive the host with a round of applause. Waving off the reaction with his hand, Maher replied, �Thank you.�

People on Twitter, however, weren�t so forgiving."

[...]

[a tweet from Yashar Ali, a New York Magazine/GQ/Mother Jones/HuffPost Contributing Writer describing that incident and the audience's reaction from that same Huffington Post article]
Yashar verified account
@yashar

Bill Maher just said the n word, @BenSasse didn't look horrified, and the audience applauded."
11:23 PM - 2 Jun 2017

[...]

[that same article quoting four tweets from Senator Ben Sasse]

Ben Sasse ? @BenSasse
Am walking off a redeye from LAX.
3 reflections on @billmaher

1. I�m a 1st Amendment absolutist. Comedians get latitude to cross hard lines.
6:19 AM - 3 Jun 2017

Ben Sasse ? @BenSasse
2. But free speech comes with a responsibility to speak up when folks use that word. Me just cringing last night wasn�t good enough.

6:21 AM - 3 Jun 2017

Ben Sasse ? @BenSasse
3. Here�s what I wish I�d been quick enough to say in the moment: �Hold up, why would you think it�s OK to use that word?...

Ben Sasse ? @BenSasse
(4of4)
"...The history of the n-word is an attack on universal human dignity. It�s therefore an attack on the American Creed. Don't use it.� https://twitter.com/BenSasse/status/870949246094258177
6:27 AM - 3 Jun 2017"
-snip-
Here's a link to a YouTube video clip of that portion of the show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiWLJEzJoUs
-snip-
UPDATE [regarding Bill Maher's comment as indicated above:
2:40 p.m. ET [June 3, 2017] ? "Following the nonstop criticism, Maher has apologized for using a racial slur on his Friday show. In a statement to HuffPost, he said:

"Friday nights are always my worst night of sleep because I�m up reflecting on the things I should or shouldn�t have said on my live show. Last night was a particularly long night as I regret the word I used in the banter of a live moment. The word was offensive and I regret saying it and am very sorry."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hbo-calls-bill-mahers-use-of-n-word-inexcusable-and-tasteless_us_5932e442e4b075bff0f3f3ad?p4ir&ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
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For the record, I very much agree with those who have responded to this incident by indicating that there should be lines that even comedians don't cross regarding their use of terms that are considered to be pejorative. Furthermore, Maher's use of the term "house n****r" was counterproductive as it took the spotlight away from an important discussion about climate change that Senator Sasse and Maher had.

But instead of focusing on that particular incident, I've decided to take this opportunity to provide some information about the subject of house slaves and field slaves. And since this blog focuses on examples of Black culture, I've chosen to showcase a 1976 Cuban film about slavery in Cuba and fully quote an online article that analyzes a scene in that film which reveals some of the dynamics between house slaves and field slaves in that nation. These similar conditions and dynamics occurred between house slaves and field slaves in the United States and elsewhere.

In my opinion, that article minimized the conditions of house slaves, particularly with the statement that they never received harsh punishments.

The Addendum to this pancocojams post presents an excerpt of an article about the conditions of and dynamics between house slaves and field slaves - with particular attention to antebellum United States. I believe that article more accurately describes the oppressive conditions that house slaves often experienced.

The content of this post is presented for historical and sociological purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE CUBAN FILM "LA ULTIMA CENA" ("THE LAST SUPPER")
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Supper_(1976_film)
"The Last Supper (La �ltima cena in Spanish) a 1976 Cuban historical film directed by Tom�s Guti�rrez Alea, produced by the Instituto Cubano del Arte y la Industria Cinematogr�ficos (ICAIC) and starring Nelson Villagra as the Count.[1]

The film tells the story of a pious Havana plantation owner in the 1790s, during Cuba's Spanish colonial period. The plantation owner decides to recreate the Biblical Last Supper using twelve of the slaves working in his sugarcane fields, hoping to thus teach the slaves about Christianity.

In a misguided attempt to enlighten his African-originating slaves, a Count invites twelve of them to a dinner on Maundy Thursday in a re-enactment of the Last Supper with himself as Christ.[2] Whilst they eat and drink, he also feeds them religious rhetoric and attempts to instruct them in the workings of Christianity. He promises them a day off for the following Good Friday and commits to freeing one of the slaves. However, when these promises are not held up the next day, the slaves rebel. They (the twelve slaves whom he reenacted the last supper) are then all hunted down and killed by their master, except one who escapes.[1][3]"

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ANALYSIS OF A SCENE IN THE CUBAN MOVIE "LA ULTIMA CENA" ("THE LAST SUPPER")
From http://www.lehigh.edu/~ineng/sem8/sem8-scene.html
"THE LAST SUPPER (LA �LTIMA CENA) (1976)
Scene Analysis
Roles of the Slave: Antagonisms between House Slaves and Field Slaves

[1] No matter what time or area in the institution of slavery, the position of the house slave is always a difficult one. On one hand, the house slave is in a privileged position, free from the barbaric schedules and disciplines the field slaves are subjected to. At the same time the house slave serves as living proof for slave owners that the practice of slavery need not lay on their consciences. Household slaves were grateful to be in that position and rarely (if ever) complained, since doing so could jeopardize their situation. In The Last Supper the difference of treatment of Emundo, the Count�s house slave, and the rest of the blacks is noteworthy, particularly when Emundo is dismissed from the table at the supper (1:03:55). The goal of this essay is to show that the film, while judging Emundo�s loyalty as counterproductive to the cause of the other slaves, recognizes that the house slave�s position is impossible.

[2] The position of the house slave on the plantation served to divert many blacks from questioning their treatment and attempting to fight it. Being a household slave meant security and entitlement to the black, creating an environment where slaves yearned for a higher position in the slave system rather than pondering ways the fight the system itself. In his autobiography, Montejo Esteban, a former slave from Cuba in the 1860's, recognizes that field slaves despised the house slaves, and that house slaves believed they were more on the level of master than slave:

I don�t think the household slaves did [understand Christianity] either, although, being so refined and well treated, they all made out they were Christian. The household slaves were given rewards by the masters, and I never saw one of them badly punished. When they were ordered to go to the fields to cut cane or tend the pigs, they would pretend to be ill so they needn�t work. For this reason the field slaves could not stand the sight of them. The household slaves sometimes came to the barracoons to visit relations and used to take back fruit and vegetables for the master�s house; I don�t know whether the slaves made them presents from their plots of land or whether they just took them. They caused a lot of trouble in the barracoons. The men came and tried to take liberties with the women. That was the source of the worst tensions. (37)

Montejo�s construction of the house slaves as enemy is a valuable one for understanding the importance of the Count�s behavior toward Emundo in the supper scene. For the field slaves the house slave was not a fellow black but a creature pretending to be white, a traitor to those in the field. For the field slave in the Cuban sugarmill, life was brutal and dangerous, a world where �The mills were like huge grinders which chewed up blacks like cane. Growing old was a privilege as rare as it was sad, especially in the super-barbaric stage of slavery� (Fraginals 143). At the same time being a field slave meant a life of terror and pain, in many ways being a household slave meant living a �white� life. The household slave�s continual presence around the master meant many luxuries. The slave had to bathe constantly and wear clothes that made him look presentable to the whites. The household was a representation of how well the owner kept the plantation, making traits considered �white� at the time such as cleanliness, intelligence, and civility essential. Such a privileged life, if we may call it that, inspired antagonism among the field slaves, who knew such a life existed for only certain blacks. The field slaves� laughter at Emundo being chastised reinforces that antagonistic dynamic.

[3] Likewise, a feeling of the household slaves that they were above working with the field slaves, that they were better or more deserving of privilege, became inevitable. Antonio�s request to be brought back in the villa earlier in the scene, indicates that there was a mutual antagonism between household and field slaves. He asks the master, �Are you going to send me back to all those dirty slaves?� (28:18). Antonio believes that what sets him apart from the other slaves is that he has worked in the villa, an experience that makes him better than those he is now forced to live with. Emundo�s placement in the background reminds Antonio of the position taken from him, a position he yearns to retrieve. Emundo�s presence inspires hatred or jealousy from all, an uncomfortable situation the admonishment makes clear.

[4] In his loyalty to the master, Emundo positions himself against the field slaves who are enjoying the master�s drunkenness. The Count�s inebriated state creates a role reversal. The slaves have an opportunity to have fun at the Count�s expense, an opportunity they realize they will probably never have again. By attempting to end the dinner before the Count embarrasses himself further, Emundo places himself firmly on the side of the Count, and, just as firmly, positions himself against the field slaves. Instead of performing the role of attending to the master, Emundo defends the master against the slaves, something he need not necessarily do. The Count�s retort is unexpected and scathing, a remark that delineates the field slaves as the Count�s privileged group and Emundo as a criminal transgressor: �And who are you to give me orders? Are you forgetting the role you have to play? Your master! Understand? Your master! Clear off� (1:03:55).

[5] The Count�s reaction becomes a triumph for the field slaves, a reversal of position in the slave hierarchy. The Count�s outburst is a doctrine practiced largely on the field slaves, the ideology that the black has been given a subservient role in his life and he must never attempt to transcend it. The insult sparks laughter among field slaves, and this humiliation may be worse for Emundo than the tongue-lashing from the Count. The Count�s participation in the field slaves� mockery of Emundo positions the field hands in a role of intimacy with the Count, a role exclusively for Emundo until he tries to defend the Count from making a mockery of himself.

[6] The Count�s admonishment is especially acidic for Emundo, who has already been told he is a better human being than the field slaves in front of whom he is insulted. Emundo�s position is the result of the Count�s generosity, a position Emundo knows relies on the premise that he remains loyal to the Count in all circumstances. Up until this point Emundo�s loyalty merits rewards, among them the assurance that he is a friend of the Count and deserves his position above the field hands. Now Emundo is commanded to believe the exact opposite, that he is the outsider and the field slaves at the table have usurped his position. Emundo�s power and status are taken away in an instant, creating a much worse state of mind than the field slaves (except Antonio) who have never experienced Emundo�s position of privilege.

[7] But the groupings are not as simple as house slave and field slave. Antonio and Ambrosio, both field slaves who internalized feelings of worthlessness forced on them by the institution the Count defends, side with Emundo by interrupting the field slaves� fun. The Count is unconscious, something Antonio and Ambrosio are clearly aware of when they defend the Count as a good master. This awareness of the Count�s unconsciousness puts the two slaves in the most difficult position of all, a house slave working in the field, defending a master when doing so will not result in any reward from the Count. This dialogue recognizes the difficult role of the field hands who have maintained or wish to maintain the house slave position. As the current household slave, Emundo�s position is the most difficult of all, a position the film makes sympathetic.

[8] The film recognizes that Emundo�s position during the supper is an impossible one. He can never be accepted or respected by the field slaves around him, a fact that becomes obvious when Antonio is ignored throughout the dinner after siding with the count at the beginning of the supper. Like Antonio�s position with the other field slaves, Emundo�s position of privilege with the master is also destroyed. He can no longer assume the Count will treat him as he always has, and so Emundo�s hope is that the Count will return to normal once he is sober. But the Count�s promises, promises that have saved Emundo from the field, are no longer reliable. Emundo�s place of privilege now depends on a second reversal of the Count�s loyalties. The consequences if the Count does not reestablish his bond with Emundo could be as disastrous as Antonio, the humiliating and brutal role of field slave substituted for the role of the household slave that has left Emundo spoiled. When asked to have the field slaves convey a message, Emundo responds, �I�ll go. The sugarmill blacks are too stupid" (13:58). The threat of being grouped with or below this group is a constant threat, one Emundo can only endure as the field slaves endure their daily brutality.

[9] Emundo�s difficulty serves a pattern Alea demonstrates throughout the film, showing constant division among the slaves as a weakness that plagues them throughout their existence. The field slaves at the supper are slaves because they were sold by their African enemies. During the supper they bicker about what to do if forced to work Good Friday. Barring Sebastian, the slaves who were at the supper are caught after they separate. Emundo�s attitude serves as another division, but a division the film understands and forgives. Emundo is only a traitor to some. To others, he is where they want to be.

Works Cited

Fraginals, Manuel Moreno. The Sugarmill: The Socioeconomic Complex of Sugar in Cuba, 1760-1860. New York: Monthly Review, 1976.

Montejo, Esteban. The Autobiography of a Runaway Slave. Ed. Miguel Barnet. Trans. Jocast Innes. New York: Pantheon, 1968.

Copyright (c) 2000 by Sean Patrick Magee, Graduate student at Lehigh University.

This text may be used and shared in accordance with the fair-use provisions of the U.S. copyright law, and it may be archived and redistributed in electronic form, provided that the author is notified and no fee is charged for access. Archiving, redistribution, or republication of this text on other terms, in any medium, requires the consent of the author."
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This article includes a hyperlink to this scene in that film, but that hyperlink no longer works. Here's a link to a YouTube video of that entire film (with English sub-titles) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_CPbHIgnF4 "The Last Supper" La Ultima Cena, Tomas Gutierrez Alea, 1976. with English subtitles"

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ADDENDUM = EXCERPT FROM ARTICLE ABOUT HOUSE SLAVES AND FIELD SLAVES IN THE UNITED STATES
http://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/applied-and-social-sciences-magazines/house-slaves-overview House Slaves: An Overview
Gale Library of Daily Life: Slavery in America
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale Group

..."Differences between the work of house servants and field hands led to sharp social class distinctions within the plantation system. Socially speaking, house servants were considered a privileged class among the enslaved population. Because of their physical proximity to the home of the plantation owner, they often absorbed the culture and associated material benefits of the master (Ingraham 1860, pp. 34-36). The overseer, to control the behavior and work habits of the enslaved, used these divisions skillfully. Plantation owners who were disgruntled with their house servants would threaten to make these servants work out in the fields. Slave owners also made an attempt to ensure that house servants and field hands would remain socially isolated, both physically and psychologically, from one another even if they shared blood ties. House servants were threatened with flogging if they were caught interacting with field hands (Williams 1838, p. 48). In many ways, the notion of the happy house slave portrayed in movies such as Gone with the Wind, and the rebellious field slave are both mythic and simplistic. The lives and social consciousness of field hands and house servants were most often extremely complex.

The life of a house servant was often harsh and demeaning. Women house servants in particular were both desired and routinely raped by the plantation owner. Because they lived in close proximity to the master's family, the house servant was naturally absorbed into its many social conflicts. The master's desire for a slave mistress caused severe problems if he was married. In many cases the mistress of the house resented the presence of female house servants. Women house servants served as a constant reminder of marital infidelity. In response mistresses would often abuse their female house servants physically by slapping their faces, boxing their ears, and flogging. House servants were required to defer socially to the members of the master's family regardless of age differences. Elder men were required to refer to the teenage and adolescent children of the master as sir and ma'am. Elder women who often served as wet nurses for white infants were required to defer to them as adults (Jacobs 1861). In addition, house servants served as informants for the master and overseer, concerning the possibility of revolt by field hands. By the same token, house servants often performed the role of spy for field hands planning a rebellion. Being in close proximity to the master, they were privy to enormous amounts of information concerning the daily habits, hopes, fears, strengths, and weaknesses of the plantation system and its managers. This information would be vital to field hands who were planning an escape or a successful revolt. Although the nature of work performed by the house servant was much different from the work performed by the field hand, the overarching presence of the slave system and its coercive, violent, and humiliating methods of socialization invariably would define the lives of the enslaved regardless of their status within the plantation system."...
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Here's a link to a Wikipedia page about house slaves and field slaves in the USA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_slave

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