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Topic subjectThe Boondocks: When The Winds Change
Topic URLhttp://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=19&topic_id=8351&mesg_id=8351
8351, The Boondocks: When The Winds Change
Posted by Damali, Mon Jun-16-03 03:10 AM
I know alot of people don't like the way the Boondocks is now...they want Cindy, Jasmine, Tom, Hiro? to show their face again...but i think what Aaron is doing is nothing less then heroic

Here you have this kid making a comic strip about two black boys going from the ghetto to the suburbs...the focus was on their daily lives, the friends and family..showing the humor in the "situation"...Aaron was already angry...and we could all feel that coming thru Huey in one way and Riley in a different way..i've always felt they both represented different aspects of Aaron's personality. Grandpa too..

Fast foward to Sept 11th 2001. The huge thing happens and changes everything...double the fear, double the police, double the loss of privacy, double the racism and discrimation...double the political stupidity

And around that same time, The Boondocks is at its peak...appearing in over 150 newspapers, critical and public acclaim...but Aaron has something to say. He takes this incredible thing that he has..what some of us like to call a "voice"...and he uses it to express what he thinks people need to hear...what people are not hearing in other parts of mainstream news. He risked everything. Risked losing public favor for his "radical" turn in the strip post 9/11 (i.e., flagee and ribbon), risked having his strip dropped from countless papers

But he didn't care...he knows that our voice is the most powerful thing we have. If we are so lucky to have millions of people paying attention to what we are sayingat a critical time in history, well then gotdammit we'd better be saying something important.

Oprah knows this too. No matter how much fluff she airs for ratings, she also does programs that address and call attention to important issues that others ignore. She knows the power of her voice.

Aaron McGruder is a symbol of courage to me. I admire his ability to continue to bring attention to innacuracies, deceptions and the pure folly and frivolousness of our government right now. And still manage to inject a bit of humor in it.

Yes its not gut-busting, laugh out loud humor all the time..maybe even very rarely. But its ok..i feel its serving a higher purpose. Maybe some people who read the Boondocks don't know what's going on right now..and maybe they find out and get schooled thru Huey and Riley.

So Aaron gets a pass from me.

D
::: The Feature Film coming soon on Full Circle Pictures


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