In the latest episode of Marlon Wayans’ NBC sitcom, Marlon, the comedian attacks black conservatives Dr. Ben Carson and actress Stacey Dash calling them “sellouts” and embarrassments to black Americans.
Inspired by his life, Marlon follows Wayans and his ex-wife (Essence Atkins) as they continue to work together — and sometimes at odds — to raise their children. In the second season premiere, Marlon’s son, Zack (Amir O’Neil) is hired as a model for a video game company photo shoot. In the shoot, the child is told to wear a plain red hoodie, but when the photos proofs come back, Marlon finds that the company superimposed the phase “Funky Monkey” onto the shirt sending Marlon to the company with charges of racism.
The company directors — all of whom are portrayed by white actors — are shocked by the charge of racism and are portrayed as wholly unaware that “monkey” could be thought of as a racist term. The jarring scene is a ripped-from-the-headlines callback to an H&M ad that put a black child model a sweatshirt that read, “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle.”
In any case, the company only agrees to take Waynes’ son out of the photo shoot after Marlon threatens to alert “black Twitter” to the company’s controversial ad.
Strangely, the show even portrays Zack as having no clue why “Funky Monkey” might be considered racist. Marlon’s daughter, Marley (Notlim Taylor), explains to her brother that “Monkey is a name that racists use to degrade black people, to equate us with animals.”
The boy is still upset that he won’t be in the photo shoot because he told his friends he was “going to be famous.” Triggered, Marlon uses the opportunity to teach his son a lesson about fame by attacking black conservatives.
“Okay, and that’s cool, son, but what do you wanna be famous for? I mean, do you wanna be a hero or a sellout? I mean, do you wanna be Dr. Martin Luther King or Dr. Ben Carson? Do you wanna be Rosa Parks or Omarosa? Do you wanna be Mrs. Dash or Stacey Dash?” Marlon Waynes says to his son.
According to Marlon Wayans, being like Dr. Ben Carson, a world-renowned surgeon, and director of the Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington D.C. makes you a “sellout.”
Indeed, to Wayans being like Dr. Carson is the opposite of being like Dr. Martin Luther King, a man who wanted blacks to be part of the national scheme, to hold important offices, or become doctors, and to have the right to follow their dreams despite their racial makeup.
Wayans continued attacking black conservatives in the second episode of his second season debut. In episode two, “Wingman,” Wayans slams his friend for wearing a suit he finds ugly. Wayans insults the friend saying, “You look like Dr. Ben Carson’s only black friend. You look like you restore racist paintings. You look like the first black mayor of Oz.”
Once again Wayans is seen essentially saying that Dr. Ben Carson is not a “real” black man and is a race traitor like a black man who would “restore racist paintings.”
Wayans’ message seems clear: Any black person who thinks for themselves and may come to a conclusion that strays from the Democrat orthodoxy is someone to be demeaned, targeted for destruction, and someone whose very blackness is to be denied.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.
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