Recently, a friend told me he posted a meme on social media that he thought was perfectly fine until a friend pointed out to him that said meme might be offensive. My friend informed me that he removed the meme and proceeded to render a heartfelt apology. But between his confession and mea culpa, he sandwiched a question: is an Oompa Loompa meme offensive to Little People?
It is with great sorrow that we, the family of our beloved Clay Rivers, announce his passing. His body was found by authorities late last night in a wooded area in Ocoee, hanging from a tree. Please respect our privacy during this time of deep mourning as we try to understand this unspeakable act.
—the Rivers family
The fear that members of my family would ever have to post the above message or something similar has been a palpable fear I’ve lived with since I was in my early twenties. While I seldom, if ever, had reason to be in Ocoee, I grew up hearing rumors about Ku Klux Klan activity in Lake County. This has been a pervasive fear among black families who have lived in central Florida long enough to know of Ocoee’s reputation as a sundown town. For years, a well-known sign even gave public notice that blacks should not be found in Ocoee after sunset.
If you’re like me, when I go to my friendly, neighborhood multiplex to enjoy a film I am committed to the process of taking in as much of the movie as I can. I tend to only go to see movies that will speak to me, hold my interest by delivering an experience that appeals to me based on genre or actor, or that I’m curious about. So, in a sense, I have a vested interest in what happens on the silver screen. I also have a vested financial interest, the money I paid to see the film. And I also invest time sitting in a darkened room with the expectation of being entertained.
