Brooklyn Ron

Saturday Night Live's B-Word Brouhaha is Defining This Campaign

Saturday Night Live has been running a little wild with skits that end up giving great political capital to Hillary Clinton.

Perhaps the one that, until recently, drew the most attention was Tina Fey's b-word filled diatribe against Barack Obama, though I suppose it might also reasonably be called a b-word laced peon to Hillary Clinton.

The line from that long screed that lived longest was "Bitch is the new black."

But then, in SNL's feeble attempt, perhaps, to seem fair and balance, came a come-back by none other the New York's own alcohol consuming Tracy Morgan, who like Fey is a SNL alum and, as she was doing weeks before, was doing a guest appearance. [listen to both via video links below.]

His effort was actually quite a bit funnier than hers and in some way even ingenious, much as we here think b- and n-word usage is offensive, on national television or in private.

Still, hers seemed more from the heart and, in the end, more a reflection of a sincere wish for the ultimate victory of her professed candidate.

[Regarding above photos: Fey, of course, is on left, Morgan, on right. To see videos, click links below.]

via videosift.com

Group That Once Shunned Central Brooklyn Opens Bed-Stuy Exhibit

The Brooklyn Historical Society has opened an exhibit on the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation.

The Society's collection has copious photos and 27 oral histories that take visitors and listeners back to a crucial time in the history of the borough and of the borough's very special community known affectionately as Bed-Stuy.

The Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation was born in the late '60s as Central Brooklyn was suffering the ravages of the era, with manifestations that were political, economic and psychological.

The U.S. Senator of legend, Robert Kennedy, was a key figure in the founding of that organization, which still toils in the Bed-Stuy vineyard, and RFK's role was discussed, and put into perspective, at an opening event recently. (see Daily News article.)

Curiously, one of those involved early on with the Bed-Stuy Restoration Corporation, the late Judge Thomas Russell Jones, used to complain vociferously about the Brooklyn Historical Society and its alleged lack of attention and interest in things having to do with blacks or Central Brooklyn.

The Society, which dates back to the 1800s, changed its name from the Long Island Historical Society fairly recently (okay, recently in an historical sense), the earlier nomen being perhaps a reflection of its distance in time and tastes.

But, yes, things do change, mercifully; and the Society with its wonderful resources is contributing these days to discussions of this great borough's past and, by extension, its present and future.

The Daily News article on the exhibit says: "The walls . . . are filled with photos of a youth, smiling RFK. In one photo of (the late U.S. Senator Jacob) Javits, he and a small boy with a huge afro are strolling along a tree-lined street."

(The Society's web site indicates that the opening event was Feb. 28th, but does not seem to say how long the exhibit will last.)

In any event, go and enjoy. Think and ask questions.