a letter to aaron

aaron,

i've been reading the boondocks comic strip for a minute now, and for the most part, it's been consistently funny, edgy, political, and thought provoking. i've found myself emailing my favorite ones to friends, and i've noticed my friends emailing theirs. there is something beautiful about the small confinements of your animated strip that allows you to push our buttons, and remind us of ourselves, or those we know, without being too preachy or intrusive. but what i've learned from watching your boondocks series on adult swim is, it's all about dosage. whereas the comic strip feels like a shot glass of reality, harsh but easily digestible, the series often makes me feels like i'm being hosed down with "nigga" and "nigga-isms". even THAT would be okay IF there was a point to it all. if i knew what was meant to be funny, and what was meant to be serious. but that ever elusive sharp angle is what i'm missing. there's simply no point to it at all.

it's obvious you are a huge fan of the chapelle show. unfortunately you haven't quite figured out there's a method to dave's madness. mind you, dave has a few sketches, like the whole Lil Jon bit, that have only one purpose, to be funny. but for the most part, his sketches are designed to do one specific thing--turn racial stereotypes on their head, exposing them for what they really are.... ridiculous! your shows on the other hand seem to be all over the place. i could take "the itis" as being satirical. but MLK cursing seems edgy just for the sake of being so. i could even dig out an underlying message in the r. kelly episode. but granpa and the prostitute? a nigga moment? nabbing oprah? come on son. hearing "nigga" a thousand times EACH AND EVERY episode is not shocking, thought provoking, or genius. if you had made one episode where all everyone said was nigga, that would have made the point very strongly that we overuse the word, it would have been talked about, it would have been edgy, and you could have moved forward. instead, by over using it every week, you come off like a dude on some "pre-trip-to-africa" richard pryor renaissance sh*t, or some "post-cosby-rant" sympathizer. either way it's wack. let it go and move on.



instead of writing you off, for now, i'll continue to consider you smart and talented, just confused. maybe the change in medium has been overwhelming for you to figure out. maybe you're still searching for that balance. or maybe, this half an hour format with music and full dialogue has simply exposed you for who you really are. a dude who understands a comic strip, but has yet to understand the RESPONSIBILITY that comes with sending something as powerful as television, out to millions of people. once you put those images out there, they don't belong to you anymore. they belong to the people. and since most of those people are white, forgive me for being terrified and ashamed when all you keep giving them is "nigga" and "nigga-isms". i started off watching the show as a fan of the comic strip. now i watch the show, waiting for you to get it right, the whole time cringing, while you get it wrong.

peace.

p.s. can anybody authentically explore the best and worst parts of black culture, exposing our truths, making us laugh at ourselves, without selling us out? it's a great question. and aaron, i think, it can be done successfully. i think chris rock does it well for one. the key is balance. the "nigga" sh*t is real, show that. but show it in reference to the positive sh*t. that's just as real. make people feel it's being done out of love, to make us all better, not in some condescending tone that makes us question your motives. i'll be watching you. we'll all be watching you. good music, nice illustration, and the n-word does not a good show make. the show needs a definitive perspective. get one and holla black!