NAACP Hearing Things in Hallmark Card

The NAACP is calling a Hallmark graduation card racist because of a word they THINK they heard on the card's recording. You cannot be serious! Take a look.

The congratulatory card features two lovable Hallmark cartoon characters, Hoops and Yoyo, whose voices you hear when you open the card. They are chiming in with statements like,

"Hey world, we're officially putting you on notice." They continue by saying, "And you black holes, you're so ominous. And you planets, watch your back." In other words, the card is meant to celebrate the recent grad who is about to take on the world and anything in it.

Well, the Los Angeles chapter of the NAACP heard something completely different. You know that reference to black HOLES? The civil rights organization heard "black WHORES." Minnie Hatley of the NAACP even insists that she hears the "r" in there; that the word is whores and not holes.

It gets even more embarrassing. Leon Jenkins of the Los Angeles NAACP shared his feelings about the statement with ABC news. (Again, the statement is, "And you black holes, you're so ominous. And you planets, watch your back.")

"This was very demeaning to African American women. When it made reference to African American women as whores, and at the end it says 'watch your back,'" he said. At the end? At the end it said "PLANETS" watch your back!! Planets! What does that have to do with racism, black women or whores? NOTHING!! Hallmark confirmed to the press that the card had a solar system theme, hence the reference to "black holes," "putting the world on notice" and planets watching their backs.

Now the NAACP is clear in its stance that it doesn't want to see the cards ever again, and according to ABC, Hallmark is removing the cards from its shelves, and CVS and Walgreens are doing the same. If the NAACP is SO enraged at a greeting card that "demeans" women, then where are they on the issue of demeaning hip hop music that calls women ho's and bitches, and the like? Where is THAT press conference? Where is the press conference to demand that such music and content is not played on the radio or television? Where is the statement made to BET and MTV about playing videos that demean women? Where's the demand to take THAT content off the shelves? When will we see you put down your foot, NAACP, declaring that you NEVER want to hear such demeaning music again? Where is that gumption?

Instead you go after a GREETING CARD because you heard what you wanted to hear. I listened to the greeting over and over and over LONGING to hear some semblance of an "R" up in there and it never happened. Why? Because there is no "R"; there is no "WHORE"; there is no "group of children laughing and joking about blackness again"; there is no racism. NONE! You listened to that thing so much you can't tell left from right. You listen to a greeting card long enough and I'm sure, yes, you'll start hearing things. Soon hoe, hole, whore, ho, hold, all sound the same. If you're looking for something, you're likely to find it whether it's really there or not.

I am SO embarrassed. How is anyone supposed to take your organization seriously? You were founded on noble principles and somewhere along the line you got caught up in the idea of yourself, you believed your own hype, became a system onto your own interests and here we are 101 years later - a greeting card pissed you off. You are supposed to be the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People but you're not advancing black people in this country. Keep this up, and they will forever regress!

This is one race card you can't pull. NAACP, apologize!!