NPR's Ombudsman Skips 'Kill Whitey' Jokes, But Worries About Old Clips of Jewish Jokes From 1970

Newsbusters ^ | 2/25/12 | Tim Graham

[Nachum]

On February 12 many NPR stations aired the show “Smiley & West” in which comedian-actor Garrett Morris caused peals of laughter from Tavis Smiley and Cornel West by joking about the small space between “hate Whitey” and “kill Whitey.” West also lectured about how police brutality on the “vanilla side of town” in New York would get condemnations from the White House.

NPR ombudsman Edward Schumacher-Matos predictably told me on Twitter that this wasn’t in his critical purview, since it’s not produced by NPR, but by Public Radio International. But on February 23, Schumacher-Matos devoted a post to charges of anti-black racism on “Fresh Air,” which is also not produced by NPR, but by Philadelpha affiliate WHYY. It was far less racially transgressive than Smiley & West.

He claimed: "NPR distributes Fresh Air so it is NPR programming. PRI distributes Smiley's show so it is PRI programming."

On the February 8 “Fresh Air,” critic David Bianculli was recommending a DVD called "How to Be a Jewish Son," which aired on “The David Susskind Show.” Bianculli plucked out as a highlight some banter between Mel Brooks and comedian David Steinberg. Susskind was asking about dating outside the Jewish population, and he joked you take home a black girl first, so the Gentile girl seems less shocking:

DAVID STEINBERG: Well, it's hard to bring a gentile girl home to a Jewish family. What you do is you bring home a black girl first.

DAVID SUSSKIND: By way of breaking the ice.

STEINBERG: Then you bring home the gentile girl and then you're in. Then they say, oh, come on in. Hiya. Would you like something to eat? They say Mary Smith, sit down. See, that "CH" like in "Chanukah."

SUSSKIND: Seriously, have you brought – have you brought gentile ladies into your

[Nachum]

Do patent leather shoes reflect up?

[dr_lew]

I’ve always had a soft spot for Garret Morris. I saw him as a guest on Space Ghost Coast to Coast back in the nineties, when it had been a decade or more since I’d seen him on SNL. He held his own pretty well, which seemed to be the whole point of SGCTC, although he did seem kind of out there. Other than that, I have no idea what he’s been up to. Please note however, that it was Eddie Murphy who got big laughs with “Kill all the white people” on SNL, so why get excited now?

[I see my hands]

Are loose shoes comfortable?

[Lazlo in PA]

[Lazlo in PA]

That skit always makes me laugh. I don’t know why.

[muir_redwoods]

That skit is one of the funniest things ever put on broadcast television. Right up there with “ as God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly”.

[rawcatslyentist]

>"Please note however, that it was Eddie Murphy who got big laughs with “Kill all the white people” on SNL, so why get excited now?"

No that was Garrett.

He had a prison skit singing a song about "gonna get me a shotgun and kill all the whiteys I see."

[Buddy Sorrell]

This has gotta be a mistake. Garrett Morris is dead....OK, maybe it’s just his career that is dead. No, wait, his brain is apparently dead as well.

[circlecity]

The dog he bark
do he bite?
Kill my landlord
Kill my landlord.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Eddie Murphy: Kill All the White People

[rawcatslyentist]

I had apparently quit watching shortly after gumby, and missed that one.

Looks like they rehashed Garrett's skit. Utube :33 sec

[JimRed]

...it was Eddie Murphy who got big laughs with “Kill all the white people” on SNL, so why get excited now?

Are you sure it wasn't Garret Morris?

I'm gonna get me a shot-gun and kill all the whiteys I see,
I'm gonna get me a shot-gun and kill all the whiteys I see-eee
'Cause when I kill all the whiteys I see,
then whitey he won't botherrrrr meeeee...
I'm gonna get me a shot-gun and kill all the whiteys I see!

Ol' redheaded whitey here laughed so hard he was sore for two days!