Break Bush Off -- No, Thanks!

One of my cousins sent me this website:

http://www.breakbushoff.com

My first reaction was --

it's about time the Democrats started doing some serious outreach to African-Americans.

My second reaction on going to the site and hearing a cool clip from the Roots' hit song "Coming to Break You Off" was --

Is it just me or is the George Soros' funded Media Fund out to lunch on the hip-hop meaning of "to break someone off"? Um, isn't that slang for helping someone achieve sexual climax? And how is it that this site doesn't acknowledge the double-entendre the phrase will inevitably conjure in most of its intended audience in any way?

So I asked a friend -- well-educated, 30-something, likely voter, internet access, Black -- "what does 'to break someone off' mean to you?" Cuz, I don't know, maybe Pink Thunder just doesn't get it, 'kna mean?

She answered:

"Literally, to rock your world sexually. You know
the song by the Roots 'Coming to break you off..'

Hmm. Right.

So did the Media Fund actually run this by some black folk and ask them to look at the site before they launched it??? No. Obviously not because I know the type of people who do this type of work. I am the type of people who do this type of work -- online advocacy and grassroots mobilization. I know that they thought they were being clever and have ended up with egg on their face. When people use a double-meaning, there is usually a wink in there such as "Run Against Bush", an organization that is driving fundraising running events -- Get it? Or boxer shorts that say "Rise Up Against Bush" -- the double meaning has a purpose. It's intentional.

No, thank goodness, the Kerry campaign is finally listening to months-long pressure to begin hiring and engaging African-American supporters. The message to these critical voters (and I'm one of them) needs to get tightened up, pronto. This site could only be truly effective with much older, unplugged in black voters (precisely the type who are least likely to be online, unfortunately for this particular campaign). Hopefully the days of ahem, mixed messages such as this type of site -- "let's unseat Bush by loving him up"?, "vote to break Bush off like a tree limb and make him feel oh-so-good"? -- are over.

After last night's successful 1st debate, let's hope Kerry supporters can stop setting themselves up for ridicule and er, keep their eyes on the ball. So to speak.

Comments

[vogue52k]

Hey Pink Punk,

"Break off" means to give him a taste of his own medicine by voting his ass out of office.

Your BLACK friend must be an OREO.

Break that off.

PS Do not post something in a website until you ask more than one OREO.

'Kna Mean?

[megan]

It is so time for Kerry to reach out to the black voters since Clinton anyway i like Kerry so BReak off bush please

[joi Houp]

At my school we teens got to vote for who we think should be voted president and of course

[Mych0ice]

Let's stop talking about the words we are using, lets just get Bush out of office. Whatever words we need to use to entice and allure young african Americans to vote, lets use them. We don't want another four years of an under educated, hidden homophobic racist in office.
Thanks Pink for giving me a forum to just say a few words.

[cheryl e]

Couldn't agree more; so what do we do? How many lobbyist, politicans, legislatures, and those young blacks are really going to involved. Don't you all think it's about time we take charge?
Encourage young black people attending college to really examine their future. We need more real, live and self-made blacks in the Whitehouse, or all over DC making decisions that will affect those blacks to come later!! Get involved; start locally but let's think WHHIITEHOUSE>>DC, CONGRESS< REPRESENTATIVE>>> And whatever other positions we can create for our people.

[Missed-It]

Maybe, since breaking someone off means to fuck them, they saw the meaning of "Fuck Bush"?

[anonymous]

F**k george bush's old white trailor park punk ass because his stupid ass never helped america when we really needed him so fuck him fuck is father and fuck every one thats named bush

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