The last 48 hours must have felt like a whirlwind for Charles Ramsey. After hearing screams from his neighbor’s home, Ramsey’s life would be changed forever.
Charles Ramsey went into action by freeing kidnap victims Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight from a home just outside of downtown Cleveland. His spontaneous interview added another element to the intriguing case. Ramsey explained the event with great detail and in a manner that would suggest he was speaking to friends that he had known for years.
However, this was a barbershop-like explanation that went viral moments after it was released. It’s hard not to enjoy Ramsey’s forthrightness and keen examination on race relations but are we laughing with him in his moment of heroism or are we laughing at him?
Ramsey’s instant celebrity is similar to past black interviewees such as Antoine Dodson and Sweet Brown. They also were poor blacks who found instant fame after their vibrant interviews went viral. Dodson and Brown’s voice was auto-tuned and eventually sold as songs on iTunes. Dodson received money from making appearances and was able to move his family out of the projects.
Ramsey is sure to travel down the same road. His voice has already been auto-tuned, McDonald’s gave him a shout out on Twitter and we can expect the national media to hound him for the next 30 to 40 days.
But for those who are quick to laugh at his vernacular, wild hair and missing tooth, may see him as a caricature of poor blacks in America. To them, he’s a figure for entertainment and may somewhat look down upon him.
Ramsey probably knows exactly how most of Americans view blacks. Before he was cut off by reporters, Ramsey said, “I knew something was wrong when a little pretty white girl ran into a black man’s arms. Something is wrong here. Dead give away.”
Most of America has given Ramsey their attention, but is it for all the wrong reasons?
