I avoid the TV news like the plague when I get home, and I ususally avoid the internet as well. So I was quite surprised to hear that Gibson revealed another "ism" in a very public manner. Now, I agree with some folks who have questioned how this information was gathered and what it says about our lack of privacy in this world, but still, Gibson's words were shocking.
Did he really berate his woman for dressing in a manner that was going to get her "raped by a pack of niggers"?
I mean, who says "pack of niggers" in general conversation? What actually qualifies as a "pack of niggers"? Is that just a large group of black males, or is it co-ed? Do the black males have to be engaged in a particular behavior, or is the simple reality of their massing enough to get them labeled a "pack"?
Are NBA games played by a "pack of niggers"?
These are types of things I pondered when I heard about Mel's comments. Sure, what he said was despicable, as were his comments about Latinos and his older comments about Jews. But really, Mel Gibson never struck me as the kind of guy who would shy away from a slur, so I can't say his comments were that shocking.
But, "pack of niggers" is still a curious and powerful phrase. I doubt Mel Gibson lives in an area with a lot of gang activity, and outside of his last Lethal Weapon movies I'm curious about when he last hung out with some black people. So, where does Gibson's fear of a maurading, raping "pack of niggers" come from? Of all the things he could be concerned about with his woman dressing provocatively, why did a "pack of niggers" jump to the forefront? (Oh yeah, am I the only one who finds it wild that Gibson is affiliated with some crazy rigourous Catholic sect, but has a jump-off he impregnated who dresses and acts in this manner? Yeah, that just gives me the giggles.)
And why did Gibson think a "pack of niggers" would be such an effective fear tactic?
Did Gibson imagine his woman running for her bathrobe and sweatsuit at the mere mention of a "pack of niggers"? Is that how they scare each other at night? Is a "pack of niggers" their bogeyman? Has she expressed a fear of groups of black men? Does she point them out on the street and give a little shiver when her driver cruises past them?
Or, did Gibson just randomly blurt out "pack of niggers" when he was searching for a general way to express danger? Pack of nigger = dangerous, right?
Sadly, cynicism leads me to that choice. Black men are the default signal of danger and the only thing more dangerous than a black man is a group of horny black men. Near a white woman, of course.
Yep, Gibson's comments will be shrugged off as the ravings of a boorish racist, but in my mind they are just the blunt observations of your average American. Gibson just spoke what a lot of people think when they are scrambling to their cars, or showing off a little too much cleavage. Hell, sometimes I'm guilty of it.
A "pack of niggers" scares everybody, right?
Damn "pack of niggers."
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