Comedian George Lopez has been trending in the news and here’s why.
During his stand-up comedy show at Phoenix’s Celebrity Theatre Saturday, George Lopez cracked a joke about racism against Blacks in the Latino community:
“There are only two rules in the Latino family: don’t marry somebody Black and don’t park in front of our house”, Lopez told the crowd.
A Black woman in attendance didn’t find the joke funny, and flipped George Lopez two middle fingers. George’s reaction is why he’s in the news:
“Sit your fucking ass down! Sit your fucking ass down! I’m talking bitch,” said Lopez yelled.
“You paid to see a show, sit you’re ass down. You can’t take a joke, then you’re in the wrong motherfucking place. Sit your ass down or get the fuck out of here.”
After spending the next minute embarrassing the woman, Lopez had her kicked out the theater:
That video of George Lopez being anti-black and escorting the black woman out makes me so mad. That was violent, humiliating, + dehumanizing
— E. (@twerkacaona) February 8, 2017
The woman kicked out of the show is Mexican and Black. According to her friend Juan Quezada, who accompanied her to the show, she wasn’t offended by the joke, but by the aftermath:
Quezada says his friend, trying to play along [with Lopez’s Black joke], stood up and made a gesture at Lopez.
“When she stood up she put two hands in the air and she was like, ‘I’m Mexican and black,’” Quezada says his friend said while laughing. “She was joking with the whole situation.”
“At first she wanted to be part of the joke, because he’s her favorite (comedian) but then it just went 180,” Juan Quezada told 12 News. “Completely the opposite.”
“We’re your number one fans,” Quezada said, “Why did we just get humiliated in front of thousands of people?”
George Lopez harassing a black woman for being justifiably offended is despicable. The anger in his voice was so telling, pure misogynoir.
— Brandon Evers (@BrandonEvrs) February 9, 2017
As a veteran comedian with over a decade in the game, George has entertained his fair share of hecklers. He’s encountered way worse than a woman flipping middle fingers at him. His response to a Black woman disproving of an anti-Black joke, by berating and degrading her was both unnecessary and ignorant.
If a white comedian said what George Lopez said, and then proceeded to cuss/kick out a black woman, all hell would break loose. PERIOD.
— Red Pill Philosophy (@RedPillTweets) February 8, 2017
Fans and celebs alike reacted by saying had the woman been White, Lopez’s reaction would’ve been different. Because Black women have been the butt of jokes and targets for disrespect from music to TV and movies, they’re treated more harshly and seen as less delicate, than say a White woman, by society.
“The most disrespected person in America is the black woman.” – Malcolm X
Reminder to George Lopez and folks defending him.
— Ernest Owens (@MrErnestOwens) February 8, 2017
For a Latino man, especially one of prominence like George Lopez, to join in on the degradation of a Black woman, was one joke too many. Author Damon Young of Very Smart Brothas explained the justification for Lopez’s backlash perfectly:
“Whether you personally find Lopez (and/or his joke) funny or offensive is inconsequential. Nothing about the joke itself was egregious. Telling a joke about racism doesn’t make the joke (or the comedian) racist.
The issue here was his reaction. Admittedly, I imagine that a person giving me the finger while in front of me would be distracting, but I also imagine a stand-up veteran like Lopez has experienced much worse. It was a standard joke that received a standard heckle. If her reaction was a bit of an overreaction (it was), his reaction was a nuclear reaction to that overreaction.
Considering the abundance of context here — the numerous examples of Black women treated and regarded with a ferocity and violence that non-Black women probably wouldn’t have received in those same circumstances — you also can’t help but wonder if Lopez felt empowered to go extra hard on her because she was Black.
Ironically, he accused her of not being able to take a joke. But the only angry person here seems to be him.”
Author Robert Jones, Jr., aka Son of Baldwin also questions the racist misogyny behind George Lopez’s reaction:
“I’m all for a good joke, but you’re not going to call a black woman out of her name and continually verbally abuse and berate her after she objects to the casual anti-black racism your community engages in, which you brought up in your stand-up routine for shits and giggles.
It would have been one thing if you were trying to say “I’m making fun of my community for being so racist against black people. I’m not saying the racism is right.”
But what you did, instead, was engage in the very racism of your community by immediately reacting to her presence as an affront to your own humanity, while hiding behind “It was just a joke.”
If it was just a joke, why was the dehumanization and public humiliation of a member of the subject group your gut reaction? How is misogynoir the appropriate response to a silent heckle? How is misogynoir EVER an appropriate response?”
George responded to the backlash unapologetically:
You have 2 choices , have a good day or get the fuck out #gacho
— George Lopez (@georgelopez) February 7, 2017