Every now and then, a White person comes along that the Black delegation will usher in as honorary brethren.
This person can be referred to as someone “invited to the cookout,” an “honorary brother/sister/sibling,” or a White person who “gets a pass.”
However, when these non-melinated phenomenons happen, it’s important to remember two things.
First off, the Black delegation is always changing and multifaceted depending on where you live, who you hang out with and the things you’re into.
Secondly, there’s a difference between Black people “loving” a White person and “loooving” a White person.
Loving a White person usually means you love their style, their music or some aspect about their personality (see: Justin Timberlake, Robin Thicke), but you’re still able to hold them accountable when they fall short on topics like racism, the nuances of the N-word (don’t say it!), or how they season their potato salad.
In contrast, loooving a White person is a borderline toxic form of love where you’ll let a White person get away with almost anything because they’re so “hip,” “cool,” or overall talented.
White people make a huge mistake when they think Black people looove them. Alec Baldwin recently made this mistake in an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter when he said, “Ever since I played Trump, Black people love me. They love me. Everywhere I go, Black people go crazy. I think it’s because they’re most afraid of Trump.”
No, no, no Baldwin.
First off, to my earlier point, these Black people who “love” you might be of a different delegation than other Black delegations.
To be frank, I can’t think of an entire time in my life when Alec Baldwin came up in a conversation amongst Black friends. Many on Black Twitter seemed to agree:
To my second point, just because there’s Black people who “love” Alec Baldwin doesn’t mean they “looove” Alec Baldwin.
Will these Black people put their neck on the line for Alec Baldwin if he messes up?
I’ll wait.
At the end of the day, White people should just refrain from saying Black people “love” them, even if that White person has contributed something of value to a Black person’s life. On top of this, White people should never assume that just because Black people support them, it gives them the right to say or do whatever they want in regards to a whole community.
Alec Baldwin isn’t the first White person to be feeling himself a little too much. Hit the next pages to check out other White folks who need to calm down before they start speaking for an entire community.
Donald Trump
Let’s start with probably the most delusional White person of them all…Donnie.
Forty-five continually talks about how he’s helping the Black community with half-told stories of how Black unemployment has been at its lowest under his presidency. Never mind the fact that the unemployment rate was already declining under Obama’s administration, or the fact that Black unemployment is still high compared to White unemployment.
Trump continually uses half-truths like this to prove that Black people love him or allegedly support him.
“Remember how I was going to get no Black votes?” Trump said one time on Fox and Friends. “Well, I got a lot! I got a lot of support. I should have gotten much more.”
If you call 8% of Black voters casting their ballot for you “a lot,” then clearly something ain’t right with the man in the White House.
Bill Clinton
Now I know this one might hurt a lot of Black people.
During Clinton’s run as Commander-in-Chief, many people referred to him as the “First Black President.” According to NPR, during Clinton’s presidency, the median household income for Black households grew by 25 percent, Black unemployment fell from 14.1 percent to 8.2 percent and Clinton’s administration boasted about increasing loans to people of color.
Clinton even argued in 2016 that his 1994 crime bill — which brought about the three-strikes provision and the increased number of capital crimes — was supported by many Black people back when it was created.
The only problem is, that crime bill contributed immensely to the large number of Black people in prison to this day. When activists tried to point this out at a rally Clinton was speaking at, he pretty much shut them down without fully owning up to his mistakes.
Seems like he thought that all Black people loooved him.
Eventually, Hillary Clinton would apologize for the 1994 crime bill and her husband has also expressed some regret in the past. However, the damages are still felt to this day.
Gary Owen
Owen got his start as a comedian performing for Black audiences around San Diego.
As a matter of fact, he was so confident that Black people loooved him, that he entered the “Funniest Black Comedian In San Diego Contest” and won.
Mistake number one.
You’re telling me that a White guy took a spot from a Black person for the “Funniest Black Comedian In San Diego Contest?” Then the producers of BET’s Comic View saw Gary’s routine and put him on the show?
Interesting.
Despite all this, Gary still carries on, believing that Black people looove him. He married a Black woman (Kenya Duke), he talks publicly about his “homeboy” Will Packer, and he continues to perform for many Black audiences.
The looove must be strong.
Chelsea Handler
Source: Gary Gershoff / Getty
Handler is another comedian who definitely has a Black fanbase. But she tends to go too far when it comes to her jokes about race. One prime example is when she received backlash for jokingly saying Angelina Jolieshould adoptLupita Nyong’o after she won the Oscar.
Once, when someone tried to challenge Handler on any racist attitudes she may have, she told the interviewer that she couldn’t be racist because she dates “a lot of Black people.”
Okay Chelsea.
Miley Cyrus
Cyrus is probably ground zero when it comes to talks about cultural appropriation over the past decade. Many people thought Miley’s new fondness for twerking and Black girls in 2013 was inauthentic.
However, Jay-Z seemed to support Cyrus’ gyrating “Party in the U.S.A.” booty when he said, “she represents an old world’s worst nightmare…Black neighbor, and the daughter not seeing color.”
Well Cyrus took this quote and ran with it in 2013, tweeting out “Exactly right. I am an old worlds worst nightmare. #outwiththeold#inwiththenewnew.”
Warning…a co-sign from a Black rapper can lead to delusional thoughts that all Black people looove you.
Beware.
Dancing Dan
Source: Thaddaeus McAdams / Getty
This is another example of how having a Black friend can make White people believe all Black people looove them. Dan Rue, a.k.a. Dancing Dan, has gained a massive following on social media for the comedic videos he releases with Nick Joseph, who’s Black.
However, Dan Rue faced backlash in 2017 when he was perfectly fine saying the N-word on camera because his Black associates could say “cracker.”
