Singer Kelis who frequents the UK as a performer just took to her Twitter account about an hour ago to go off about someone at the airport who insulted her by calling her “Kunte Kinte” after assuming that she cut the passport line. Check out some of her entries below:
We just landed and I had the midget with me. we get in the passport control line and apparently pissed this one man off cause he thought I Cut the line. Which wouldn’t be far fetched of me but this time I actually didn’t (not entirely anyway) well the point is from 0 to 60.
This fat red faced sweaty “man” (I use the word man loosely here) started calling me a slave and told me to call him sir and how I was Probably a disgusting nigerian. He called me kunta kinte and ranted and raved some more. The man behind the passport desk laughed, shook his Head in agreement I guess, and said “kunta kinte”. All the while the entire line full of people I just sat on a plane with for almost 3hours.
Over 50 people said nothing. I mean literally nothing. Didn’t flinch. We all no I’m no saint, so I retaliated. Not the way I wanted to Or how that pig deserved. But #1 my gorgeous baby boy was literally sitting on my hip and #2 I’m a believer. And we are better. Sposed to be.
Continued After The Jump.
Anyway, it made me think. This person was aprox a 50 year old english man. I didn’t say anything at the time of the riots in London For a lot of reasons. But I am in london all the time and today I’m gonna say that the racial issues in the uk are disgusting. Its racially Decades behind progression because everything is swept under the rug. People don’t talk about it. People don’t fight about it.
Not mentioning a problem doesn’t make it go away. I bring it up now because as an american it is abundantly clear that my country has a Smorgas board (spelling?) Of disgusting racial problems. We are the poster child for racial inequality even still with a black president.
But its NO SECRET! And that I can fight against. I can try to prepare and teach my son. Because its out there. But you can’t fight for or Against something no one is willing to talk about or even admit exist. Everyone wants to be politically correct. But who really cares?
And what does that help. I could go on and on. I won’t. But maybe someone will start to talk about it from here.
Do you agree or disagree with Kelis?
{ 36 comments… read them below or add one }
She’s right. And it isn’t just in the UK either. It’s the whole of Europe. My sister lives in France and say’s it’s the same way out there. I asked her why she thought that was, and her answer – along with what Kelis mentions about political correctness made it a little clearer for me. It basically comes down to the fact that these countries never really had the likes of a Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, or even a civil rights movement to fight for them.
Spadaque
Yeah, I’ve been to Barcelona, Spain and they had a play going on with white people in blackface. I tried to explain to my Latin “Euro-ized” friend but he didn’t get it.
Remember they called Formula One racer Lewis Hamilton names as well.
What is up with you white people?
Thanks for bringing up the black face issue. It seems to be a huge thing in countries like Australia, and to your point, Spain. This racism shit is dumb. and it always seems that black folks get the worst of it. It’s really shameful.
[quick note: not sure if you "what is up with you white people?" question was directed toward me, but I'm not white.]
I wish I was there. Shit would have turned out different.
Lol. Racism is a disease of the beholder. A mental disorder unclassified by any established educational or medical institution, because, well, it’ll pain people to recognize the disorder as it is. But hey, who cares. We live in a totally different space. If you thin about life for a few seconds you’ll recognize why racism exist and where it’s headed into the future.
She is right, the ‘great British reserve’ has its downsides and folks shy away from talking. I saw Kelis in Bestival yesterday and saw the love and appreciation the mostly none-black audience had for her music. Wish I was there too. They say violence is not that answer, but sometimes… sometimes.
Nothing in that tweet is shocking. However, I’m actually rather perplexed as to why ‘the.lifefiles’ used the above picture to complement a recap of Kelis’s Twitter rant. Perception is everything!
Racism exists because of how black people act. She said it’s not far-fetched of her cutting a line. Typical black entitlement. Why does she think she can cut a line of other waiting people? If ONE white person out of 50 black people did it, please believe they’d be saying “white” stuff. At least “joking” anyway. So it’s the same, white people aren’t holding back anymore with this double standard and I am in full support. It’s getting ridiculous. Black people do whatever they want and think they can get away with it and then when they’re stopped, it’s “racism”. At my job, if my black manager disagrees with a black customer, then my black manager is called a “racist”. LMAO. Black people don’t get their way, it’s racism.
Hold up so you think it’s ok for someone to insult her skin colour and be blatantly racist and abusive because she might have jumped the queue. People like you seem to think you are better than others because you are white. Black people get away with everything. Wow your evidence of this? Apparently white people can get away with murder: Stephen Lawrence. There is never a justification for racism and anyone who thinks so is an arse. Which clearly you are.
In her tweet, she said, “fat RED faced man”… if she is insulting his skin COLOR in her justification, then it’s no doubt that she insulted his skin COLOR during the incident.
… and what is it with you blacks and the word “ignorant”? You know it’s just a “big word” for “stupid”, right?
‘You Blacks’? LOL indeed…this is how most white ppl think that when they do something wrong they IGNORE this completely and try and justify their grotesquely racist behaviour. But yea the UK is VERY covertly racist. Better the devil you know as they say….@ least when ‘YOU WHITE’s’ go France you know how it feels to be mugged off.
- Apparently white people can get away with murder: Stephen Lawrence.
EVER HEARD OF OJ SIMPSON. retard
Ever heard of Casey Anthony? Joran Van Der Sloot?
you are ignorant
Hey Dumb Ass you left out something. “Slave” “Call me Sir” “Kunta Kinte” “probably a disgusting nigerian”..Or do you read and comprehend what you want to… You are just as ignorant as that pig that tried to belittle her .
Wow..the things people say when they don’t have to put their names to it. However it is good to know what people are really thinking. I myself ‘know’ that peoples action are determined by the type of person they are not by the colour of their skin.
It wasnt about not getting her way, stupid, that was racist, it was what he said to her that was racist. If she cut the line then he has every right to say excuse me Ms but there is a line and then go from there. He doesnt have the right to call her degrading names, especially in front of her child. He had no idea whom she was so the first thing that comes out of his fat, red-faced, sweaty mouth is a slave name and that she should call him sir so on and so on. Maybe if she had bodyguards with her and had them tune his punk ass up, maybe that would have corrected his attitude.
@LOL..yeeaaa, but he called her kunta kinte though….and a slave, and “probably a disgusting nigerian”….soooo he’s probably racist. this has nothing to do with her thinking she’s entitled to anything but respect as a human.
meant for @lol
Wow. It’s amazing that no matter what what you accomplish in life there are people who will always see you as “inferior” because of race/ethnicity. You just can’t escape it. She handled it well….he needs his ass kicked especially with her child being there.
He probably an old white man with low paying job with envy on the whole world.
i agree with her…. fuck UK!
She should’ve hit that dude’s face like she hit Nas’ pockets
I know there are a lot of Nigerians in london but what the fuck did he mean by ‘disgusting Nigerian”??!!
He didn’t mean all of Nigeria, just dirty Yorubas like yourself. lol j/p!
The truth hurts, at times, but nonetheless, is the truth. Take it how you want.
“We see the world, not as it is, but as we are” – Talmud
Perception isn’t always reality.
And Just because you quote something does NOT mean it’s true.
Umm..sorry @lol, I think you are a bit confused. Nothing YOU could say could hurt me. Only someone with intelligences could cut me with words.
Only in the UK is there such a thing as queuing, you go to the rest of Europe and there’s no such thing… when did it become a black thing? My Greek father in law said in Anglo-Saxon culture, denial, is a large trait. Ignorant means not knowing, the easiest means of finding out is using a dictionary. Use it.
My parents lived in the UK for about a year almost 30 years ago. Being from South Africa my mom was more afraid of my brother (7 at the time) going out alone in the UK than in SA, because of the racism. She spoke of old white man meting out their anger on little black boys. Whereas in SA the racism was law and therefore obvious and apparent you could brace yourself and deal with it. When you can’t see the racism and it is insidious you have to be a lot more careful. That’s the difference. And boy do the British celebrate when any one of their former colonies seems to be struggling. Racism is the scourge of humanity, it’s South Africa’s greatest burden.
She is 100% right.
I think what’s most saddening for me is not that one individual said the comments but that an entire planes worth of people chose to say nothing in her support, including a member of staff. I am of mixed ethnicity (black and white) and was born in London and I think Kelis is right in that the problem here is a lack of discourse. On the whole I have always felt safe and accepted in my home country and I am a proud Londoner but I am aware there is a growing percentage of the UK population (the BNP. NF, EDL and even a lot of ‘everyday folk’) who have negative perceptions of black people. The riots for me brought to light a lot of peoples prejudices. We do need more discussion. We have come along way from the days of “no coloured, no irish” signs in shops and the racial abuse my mother received for having a relationship with a black man in the 70′s, but the job is not done yet. This motto we seem so proud of is to “keep calm and carry on.” This to me means don’t confront the issue, just sweep it under the carpet and move on, society as a whole cannot move forward until we resolve these issues.
Ya all need to STFU and come to my place and hit this bong that my homeboy got it from Jamaica.
It sucks that she had to go thru this especially with her kid there however I have lived in the UK and as a black man I have to say…British women are EASY! Most of them are suckers for black men. LOL you would be suprised how many of them will jump on your tip JUST BECUZ you are black. LOL Its insane.
The racial system in the WORLD is disappointing but for those of you who were not born before 1970s you have no idea how humiliating and painful it was in EVERYDAY LIFE. The most vocal people nowadays seem to be people who are fortunate to be able to live an international lifestyle, they fail to realize that just because they are affluent racism should be more “subtle”. Black people have received this treatment for hundreds of years. When you fall the the okey doke that you are free, that you can’t believe when people treat you badly BECAUSE you are black. You are the one who is under the mistaken idea. When are yall so SURPRISED in 2011 that you are still “niggers” to the world? Stop talkin about how is SPOSED to be but how it is. IT IS WHAT IT IS. Live accordingly,.