Tar baby
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tar-Baby was a doll made of tar and turpentine, used to entrap Br'er Rabbit in the second of the Uncle Remus stories. The more that Br'er Rabbit fought the Tar-Baby, the more entangled he became. In contemporary usage a tar baby refers to any "sticky situation"[1] that is only aggravated by efforts to solve it.
In one tale, Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear construct a doll out of a lump of tar and dressed it with some clothes. When Br'er Rabbit comes along he addresses the tar "baby" amiably, but receives no response. Br'er Rabbit becomes offended by what he perceives as the Tar Baby's lack of manners, kicks it, and in doing so becomes stuck. Now that Br'er Rabbit is stuck, Br'er Fox ponders how to dispose of him. The helpless, but cunning, Br'er Rabbit pleads, "Please don't throw me in the briar patch," prompting Fox to do exactly that. As rabbits are at home in thickets, the resourceful Br'er Rabbit escapes. Using the phrases "please don't throw me in the briar patch" and "tar baby" to refer to the idea of "a problem that gets worse the more one struggles against it" became part of the wider culture of the United States in the mid-20th century. The story was originally published in Harper's Weekly by Robert Roosevelt; years later Joel Chandler Harris wrote of the tar baby in his Uncle Remus stories. A similar tale from African folklore in Ghana has the trickster Anansi in the role of Br'er Rabbit.
Though the term's provenance arose in African folklore, some now consider "tar baby" to have negative connotations revolving around pejorative images of African-Americans.[2]. Specific reasons why the term developed negative racial aspects are difficult to identify. In recent years, several Republicans who have publicly used the term have encountered some controversy, mocking, and censure from African-American civil rights leaders, members of the popular daily media, and other politicians:
- Tony Snow used the term, "I don't want to hug the tar baby of trying to comment on the program" in one of his first briefings as George W. Bush's White House Press Secretary.[3] Snow's use of the term was lampooned by some in the media. None of the 48 White House reporters present for the statement censured Snow for his remarks, but one did ask him to clarify what he meant by the term.[4]
- Mitt Romney, Republican Governor of Massachusetts, speaking in Ames, Iowa on 29 July 2006, early in his run for the U.S. presidency, used the term in reference to his decision, in light of recent safety issues, to assume oversight of the Big Dig: "The best thing for me to do politically is stay away from the Big Dig—just get as far away from that tar baby as I possibly can." [5] Leading black figures within the Republican and Democratic parties expressed dismay at what they perceived to be Romney's lack of sensitivity.[6] Romney later apologized for the remarks through his staff.[7]
- On March 16, 2007, Republican U.S. Senator from Arizona John McCain used the term when answering a question at a town hall meeting in Iowa during his campaign for the U.S. presidency ("For me to stand here and ... say I'm going to declare divorces invalid because of someone who feels they weren't treated fairly in court, we are getting into a tar baby of enormous proportions and I don't know how you get out of that").[8]
A Boston Herald columnist, Virginia Buckingham, has argued that hypocrisy exists, as earlier usages by Democrats have often escaped public censure: [9]
- John F. Kerry, Democratic U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, speaking of his staff's advice to not pursue an investigation into American POW/MIA's from the Vietnam War, was quoted on 10 August 1992: "Everybody on my staff, everybody I knew thought I was crazy, and said, 'Don't do this...' ... They said it's a no-win tar baby."[10]
- Molly Ivins, a nationally syndicated liberal columnist, wrote on 30 October 2001: "It now looks, with 20-20 hindsight, as though he should have taken a few more deep breaths before smacking that tar-baby that is Afghanistan."[11]
[edit] See also
- "Tar Baby" is also a song on the Promise (album) album by Sade.
- "Tar Baby" is also a novel by Toni Morrison.
- The "Tar Baby" story derives from west African myths involving Anansi
[edit] References
- ^ Maven's Word of the Day: Tar Baby, February 12 1999, accessed May 16 2006
- ^ Romney Apologizes For 'Tar Baby'
- ^ CNN News Today. "Snow: President Has Not Commented on USA Today Story. May 16, 2006.
- ^ White House Press Briefing, 5-16-2006]
- ^ Romney touts his Big Dig efforts, Boston Globe, [1]
- ^ ‘Tar baby’ quip lands Mitt in muddle: Black leaders rip Gov, Boston Globe, [2]
- ^ Gov apologizes for his tar baby remark, AP, [3]
- ^ Liz Sidoti McCain regrets use of term 'tar baby', Associated Press, 3-16-2007
- ^ Boston Herald: Mitt unduly tarred with Mel’s brush. [4]
- ^ Barbara Crossette Washington at Work; The Senator Pursues 'Untold' M.I.A. Story New York Times, 8-10-1992
- ^ Creators.com
