Antoine Dodson, who achieved viral popularity with a meme-spurring news broadcast appearance back in 2010, has been enlisted by TMZ to share his take on the recent discussion surrounding “digital blackface.”
As you may have seen last week, the discussion in question largely centered on an analysis piece by John Blake. Notably, it follows a 2017 report from BBC News about the same topic. In Blake’s story, published this past Sunday, the CNN senior writer detailed how white people “may have inadvertently perpetuated one of the most insidious forms of contemporary racism” by sharing certain memes. His story also pointed to another 2017-published op-ed by writer Lauren Michele Jackson, whose Teen Vogue culture piece on the topic preceded that aforementioned BBC report.
"If you're White and you've posted a GIF or meme of a Black person to express a strong emotion, you may be guilty of wearing 'digital blackface,'" writes John Blake Analysis
“Personally, I don’t agree with that because I look at it as like, if it wasn’t for white people in the first place I wouldn’t have been as big as I was and still am,” Dodson, who originated the “hide your kids, hide your wife” catchphrase that went viral in 2010, said in a video chat with TMZ this week.
From there, Dodson pointed to his continued ability to be paid “a lot of money” in connection with his initial 2010 viral stardom. He also said that, in his opinion, the recent discussion is part of what he described as “this little ‘I’m so woke’ train” that doesn’t reflect his personal experience.
“I can say that when I’m hired to go on different gigs, white people usually pay top dollar and when I get there it is super comfortable and it’s more of like, ‘Oh, Antoine; I was going through something … and [your video] put a smile on my face,” he said.
Deeper into the interview, Dodson reflected on the original 2010 news report itself, which stemmed from a WAFF broadcast focused on the then-in-progress search for an Alabama man who had broken into his family’s home and attempted to attack his sister.
From Dodson’s perspective, he’s seen how the original viral clip and ensuing variations gave people a way to cope with their own real-life trauma. Fans have told him as much, he said, and still do to this day.
“They were going through something traumatic and they’re like, that video changed the way they felt and how they were dealing with their situation,” he told TMZ. “So it’s a give and take thing.”
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