Snow's first formal briefing

[BlakeB]

Anyone watching this guy? This guy is unbelievable! Of course Helen Thomas gave it to him pretty good... but did anyone catch what he said right after he stopped talking to Thomas? He said something about "hugging the tar baby". What the hell is he talking about?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. He means he doesn't want to get mired in

the messes Bush has made here and abroad. This is a reference to an old African American story where a rabbit outwits a fox by having attack a human model made of tar.

[PDittie]

2. It's a B'rer Rabbit analogy

It means doing something you don't want to do, and that might have unpleasant consequences exceeding those of not doing the thing. He probably used it referring to taking out Saddam (I didn't watch).

Google 'Uncle Remus' or 'Brer Rabbit' or 'Brer Fox'. Or 'hugging the tar baby'.

[flamin lib]

3. The Tarbaby story is from deep southern folk lore.

Tales of Uncle Remus was a series of stories told by an elderly black man in the dialect of the southern black. Obviously not popular anymore because of the racial stereotyping back in the '40s & '50s.

In one story Briar Fox sets a trap for Briar rabbit because the rabbit is too fast to catch. Fox makes a figure out of tar and puts it in the sun next to Rabbit's trail. Rabbit tries to have a conversation with the figure and becomes angry when the inanimate tarbaby won't respond. Rabbit hits and kicks the tarbaby and becomes stuck making it easy for the Fox to catch him. There's more to the story but now you have context.

"Hugging the Tarbaby" means to embrace something that you really don't want to but just has to be done.

[goclark]

4. And we African Americans don't like that Tar Baby talk at all

Odd talk for your first day.

Guess he was talking to the bare that loved those old southern stories.

We don't!

[partylessinOhio]

5. Very odd talk on a first out with the press, interrupted with tears.

If the tar baby had a Hispanic connection Snow would be in a world of trouble.

I'm not Black but the remark was very racist to me.

I apologize to anyone that Snow offended, it was so very unnecessary, thoughtless and hurtful.

Snow should retire that type of reference.

Edit:typo

[goclark]

8. Thank you ~ I hope someone tells him

that it was a poor choice of words to say the least.

[flamin lib]

6. There is 'way too much baggage in the tarbaby.

Even if the Song of the South was relatively benign at the time it was taught in Southern schools the term "tarbaby" was used to refer to blacks because of the obvious color reference.

I hope you aren't offended by my use of the word "black"--just trying to include my Jamaican friends.

I grew up when Southern belles used the term "nigra" instead of the more coarse N word. Even as a child it never seemed right to me to call people names. It amazes me that such words still exist when they haven't been acceptable outside a KKK rally for forty years. A few months back I parted company with a fellow I called friend over the use of "nigger".

I had a choice, keep hanging out and let him think it was acceptable on some level or do the hard thing and confront him. I miss him--he was otherwise a really enjoyable fellow to be around.

[goclark]

7. Thank you for understanding nt