Although you can usually count on white folks to lead the charge when it comes to being condescending to Black people, there are sadly some Black folks who essentially say to white supremacy “Put me in, Coach!”
Such has been the case in the wake of the great chicken sandwich war of 2019 that began when Popeye’s Chicken went upside the presumed anointed head of Chick-fil-a and put the fear of God in their profit margins with the launch of their very own chicken sandwich. It’s a sandwich many have already argued is superior to the one prepared by the company founded by people who seem to really hate sodomy and any other sexual acts not performed by two married people of the opposite sex for the sole sake of procreation.
People of all backgrounds were caught up in the rapture of the culinary death trap (look, I love the sandwich, but we all have to watch our cholesterol levels with this garbage healthcare system in place), but to some Black people, it was yet another sign of Black folks purportedly having misplaced priorities.
Although Janelle Monáe did not quite articulate her feelings this exact brash way, she nonetheless stepped into the mess by playing into the underlying sentiment when she took to Twitter to opine on the chatter centered on Popeyes’ new chicken sandwich. “Perhaps we put voting booths at every Popeyes location ?” she tweeted in response to the growing hoopla. “While we wait on that sammich you can register and vote @popeyes holla.”
Actress Cynthia Erivo tweeted “not a bad idea” in response, but with all due respect to Erivo, given her past tweets that mocked Black Americans, hers is not a co-sign I’d want. While I adore Janelle Monáe – to the point I can proudly claim to have seen her perform well over a decade ago – it was a terrible idea. It’s an idea rooted in the false notion that Black people do not vote in droves. A suggestion made under the false pretense that Black people are (stereotypically) more concerned with fried chicken than fate. As an imaginative mind as Monáe – or Cindi Mayweather, her alter ego from the year 2719 – possesses, fans would expect her to give her own people more credit.
And so, she apologized. Thoughtfully, and carefully. She acknowledged that her choice of words were “insensitive and wrong.” She recognized that Black people do indeed vote — so much so that voter suppression efforts are an American tradition. It’s definitely not us engineering said suppression, so there’s only so much an order of the spicy chicken sandwich combo with mashed potatoes and sweet tea or strawberry soda if you’re still into that can do.
Ever humble, she concluded her apology by declaring “Never be afraid to be wrong. Never be afraid to listen and learn.”
I’m glad she apologized so I don’t have to worry about a horde of Blacks tee-peeing her spaceship, but she is only the most famous example of a Black person perpetuating misguided mythology about Black people. And while this does not excuse the choice of words she ended up apologizing for, at least Monáe meant well. Many others were exploiting the chicken sandwich craze to partake in the pathetic practice of demeaning working-class Black people.
The kind of people who bitched and moaned about Black folks needing to care about voting with the same level of intensity as a Popeye’s sandwich are the same ones who tell Black people to stop buying Jordans as a means to combat gross economic disparity. Or that they need to stop buying designer clothes or certain types of foreign cars and hair weaves and go invest in a small business. They’re definitely the same sort of saddity Blacks who lose their minds at the thought of anyone Black not having a passport.
These Blacks folks are not Blacks folks who love all of us; they are Black people who place themselves on a pedestal for no other reason than to at least feel better than somebody. The kind of Black people who act like this and speak to other Black people this way are mighty white in their antics. Such folks are not my type (yes, I heard that in Saweetie’s voice, too) and are strongly encouraged to leap into quicksand.
Not being able to keep up with demand, or perhaps to some extent, making sure demand stays high, Popeye’s says the sandwich is sold out nationwide but will be back in September. When that sandwich is back and the lines return, I imagine this particular type of criticism about Black people and priorities will resurface. It’ll be just as stupid and a waste of everyone’s time and brain cells.
But, if anyone is truly concerned about Black people voting in next year’s presidential election (and whatever local ones happen between now and then), take a cue from 17-year-old Charlotte high school senior named David Ledbetter. Ledbetter has been getting his own national attention because he has shown up at Popeye’s locations to register locals to vote.
Speaking to The Huffington Post, he explained his intentions: “I have a passion for increasing young people’s involvement. The youth is the future, and I believe we should amend some of these political views and subjects and aid the youth in their upcoming years.”
Black people do vote in high numbers, but there are millions upon millions of Americans who do not vote at all. What separates Ledbetter from online colored finger waggers is that he does not make any presumptions about the people he is trying to reach. He does not look down on them; he merely wants them to be engaged. He’s also doing more than merely tweeting or posting a meme on Instagram or Facebook. He is doing the work.
If those complaining so much about Black people needing to vote are that concerned, perhaps they can follow this teenager’s lead so us grown folks can enjoy our chicken sandwiches in peace.