I wanted to hurry up and post this before father’s day because I don’t want to ruin the day with this news. Unless you have been living under a rock, then you may have heard about the baby daddy greeting card Target drama. Yes, I call it drama because the situation is totally unnecessary. I don’t understand some of the people of my race. How come it’s okay for some of us to come up with words or be able to say certain words to one another but the minute a white person says it they are racist? Yeah, I said it. For instance, the “n” word is a very offensive word, but some black people call one another that. Now stay with me. I’m about to make a huge point.
I recently took a class, and the subject came up about what is acceptable language socially. Long story short it was agreed upon that if it’s not acceptable socially, then it should not be expressed verbally publicly. Still, what is offensive? I have never liked the phrase “baby daddy.” I would cringe when I would hear some females say, “oh, he’s just my baby, daddy.” There is nothing cool about having a baby daddy or for some mothers, baby daddies. This phrase was supposed to be the new in words like “fleek” a word that I wish would go far away!!!
Some classes were being taught in school about Ebonics. It was shown so that other races of people could understand the blending of words ebony, aka black and phonics sounds. The Britannica describes it as “a form of American English used in the home or for day-to-day communication rather than for formal occasions.” The Merriam-Webster refers to “baby daddy” as slang.
The Urban Dictionary defines “baby daddy” as a father of a woman’s child that she is not involved with” The sentence used to explain the meaning of the words went something like this “Who is that? “Girl two.” That’s my dumb baby daddy”. So if this word is in the urban dictionary and it’s being used in heavy rotation, what’s the big deal about the “baby daddy” greeting card?
Target is a retail department store that was trying to “target” or appeal to the people who uses this phrase. I feel that it’s beyond ridiculous that they had to apologize for a greeting card. The greeting card was sighted as being “racially insensitive.” How is a greeting card with “baby daddy” in it being racially insensitive? It was a phrase invented by a person or people of the black race. For goodness, sakes. How is a “baby daddy” card racist? I wonder what the race of the person who made the card was? And what kind of father’s day cards would mothers who aren’t involved with their children’s fathers deem to be appropriate? I guarantee that many of them refer to their children’s fathers as their “baby daddy.” Frankly, I just don’t get it. Here’s what was inside of the greeting card:
I could be wrong, but I think that when something sheds light on the bad things that are usually celebrated within the black community that should not be. The reality of dysfunction becomes real then all of a sudden it comes off as being “racist” because the dysfunction of what is going on in the black community is being exposed even if it’s done unintentionally. Getting all up in an uproar behind a greeting card shows that the truth hurts.