Friday 14 August 2009

Brazilian Law Forbids Calling Blacks "Monkeys"

Brazilian Constitution Forbids "Racist" Speech and Behavior

According to an article at NowPublic.com,

A doll depicting an African-American child wearing a hat
that reads "lil' monkey" was pulled from Costco shelves following a customer complaint. The toy, called "Cuddle with Me", features several ethnicities (if plastic has an ethnicity) of dolls in cutesy outfits, packaged with plush monkeys. The Brass Key, the company that makes the Cuddle with Me dolls, also has a "Pretty Panda" version on the shelves, which has not been pulled. The Brass Key has issued a public apology to any they may have offended.

Color-aroused behaviors are illegal in Brazil. The Brazilian Constitution says;

XLI - a lei punirá qualquer discriminação atentatória dos direitos e liberdades fundamentais; The Law will punish all discrimination against fundamental rights and liberties.

XLII - a prática do racismo constitui crime inafiançável e imprescritível, sujeito à pena de reclusão, nos termos da lei; The practice of racism constitutes a crime not subject to bail, punishable by imprisonment, according to the terms of the Law.

The Brazilian Constitution continues,

XLVI - a lei regulará a individualização da pena e adotará, entre outras, as seguintes:

The law shall regulate the individualization of pentalties and will impose, among others, the following

a) privação ou restrição da liberdade; privation or restriction of liberty;

b) perda de bens; the loss of material things of value;

c) multa; fines;

d) prestação social alternativa; requirement that social service be performed.;

e) suspensão ou interdição de direitos; suspension or privation of rights.

TÍTULO II
Dos Direitos e Garantias Fundamentais
CAPÍTULO I
DOS DIREITOS E DEVERES INDIVIDUAIS E COLETIVOS

Article V, XLII

Although Brazilian Law has its own way of determining when acts of "racism" have been committed, e.g. when witnesses recount color-based antagonistic words or actions taken by the defendant, I prefer to analyze the acts of Costco in terms of the color-aroused ideation, emotion and behavior that occurred. My preference is based on the knowledge that "race" does not exist, as a matter of DNA science, according to the Human Genome Project, and therefore it is impossible to discriminate against a person based on their "race". (It is possible to engage in color-aroused acts based on the belief that races exist, however. In legal terms, this is called "imputed race".)

I think the fact that this doll was manufactured, distributed and offered for sale is evidence that:

  • · someone had color-aroused ideation (they associated Black people with monkeys based upon the color of our brown skin);
  • · and they had color-aroused emotion (knowing that this would be offensive to people with brown skin, they made the doll anyway with the intention of expressing contempt, hatred, or mire);
  • · and the corporation engaged in several color-aroused behaviors, (including the manufacture, distribution and sale of this doll).

Color-aroused behaviors, including color-aroused speech, are illegal in Brazil. It is illegal in Brazil to call someone a "monkey" or a "roach without its shell", associated with their skin color. If it were illegal in the United States as well, we would all live in a greater sense of peace.

Meanwhile, Costco says it apologizes to those who were offended. It ought also
apologize to the entire country. In fact, the mere suggestion that there are some people who were not offended by this color-aroused antagonistic act is an insult to and an indictment of the people of the United States of America that should not be permitted but should instead be immediately and significantly punished.

Everyone at Costco who participated in this act of color-aroused antagonistic behavior should be punished for commercializing color-aroused ideation, emotions and behavior.

1 comment:

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