This is gonna be one of those weeks, friends. One of those weeks wherein I spend the bulk of my time shining a light upon and subsequently debunking idiotic extremist-PC claims. The latest example of such tomfoolery is the claim by Caroline Thompson, who worked as a screenwriter on THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, that the films villain, Mr. Oogie-Boogie (who is clearly portrayed by a black actor, by the way), is racist. Why would she say that? Because Boogie looks like a KKK Klansman, obviously. Oh, and because—and permit me to quote her—“Oogie Boogie” is an old, southern, derogatory phrase for an African-American and I’m from Maryland, which is just on the cusp of the south, so I’m hyper-aware of that and sensitive to it…” Are you, precious? Are you, really?
As it so happens, I’m from the Deep South. Like deep, deep South. Born there, raised there, and have lived my entire life there. I’ve heard every racist slur there is, guaranteed, and I’ve never, not once, not ever heard “Oogie-Boogie” used that way. I’ve never heard it used at all, except when referring to the character in the movie. There *is* racist intent here, yes. There is racism. And it is all in the mind of Caroline Thompson. It does not reflect well on her that she could look at something so benign and the first thing that comes into her mind is racism. It doesn’t reflect well at all.
