Web posted
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Kuhn defends his act
By DAVID A. SEATON
The Traveler
daseaton@arkcity.net
* Editor's Note: Some parts of this story may not be appropriate for all ages.
Arkansas City Mayor Mel Kuhn won a beauty pageant fundraiser last weekend. Some residents are upset at the parts of the character he portrayed, calling it vulgar and possibly racist.
Kuhn participated in the Men in Tights, drag queen contest that has become an annual fund raiser for CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates. The agency supports foster children in the court system.
Kuhn named his character "Smellishis Poon," and the name appeared on programs and was announced during the event. He also had back up dancers for the talent portion, and called them his "Red Hot Puntangs."
The word appears to be a play on his name, and in fact Kuhn said it should have been spelled "Smellishis Puhn."
The second word, however, is graphic slang for a female private part. Kuhn, who is white, also painted his face a dark color, which gave some people, but not all, the impression that he was portraying a black or possibly Hispanic person.
The judges at the event awarded Kuhn the most creative talent, and also the top overall prize of Ms. CASA 2008. But some people now discovering Kuhn's act said he crossed the line, especially as mayor.
CASA executive director Linda Groth said she was unaware of what "Poon" meant until a reporter explained it.
"I never heard that word," she said in a phone interview Tuesday. "But I understand exactly what you're saying, and I'm mortified of it."
Groth said she was behind the scenes most of the event and didn't get a full look as the audience might have. She noticed that Kuhn's face was made darker, but said she didn't get the impression he was trying to portray a different race.
"It wasn't black, black. It was all really just tan."
She also said Kuhn's performances were very well carried out and he seemed to put in a lot of work to prepare. The judges and the audience in general seemed very impressed, she said.
Kuhn, in a telephone interview Wednesday, vigorously defended his actions. He said the name was meant to have the slang meaning. "The connotation was absolutely intentional," he said.
Was it vulgar or sexist?
"It's a judgement call people will have to make," he said. "I don't think so."
He also said that he got the idea of the character from the movies, "Norbit" and "Big Mama." Both are comedies featuring African-American men portraying over-the-top black women.
He said he ran everything he planned by CASA officials, and that the audience found it all hilarious.
"I didn't spring this on anybody," he said. "I don't give a damn what people think. It's a bunch of bullshit"
Just the act of cross dressing can be offensive, so his act was within the bounds of the show, Kuhn said. He said he also did a fart joke and made a play on words with a tacit reference to the b-word.
Kuhn said he is not going to apologize for anything. Every decision he makes as mayor upsets somebody because that is the nature of the business.
"All this PC is bullshit," Kuhn said. "We go around walking on eggshells all the time, we don't get anything done."
One of the judges, Marian Hedges, superintendent of Central School District. said she did not detect anything racial in Kuhn's act. She also said a lot of the names and actions are over the top because of the nature of the event. "I certainly was not offended by any part of it," Hedges said.
Some people in the audience were upset.
Mary and Phil Jarvis, of Winfield, said they understood the name and the racial element. Their son was with them and was offended, too. they said.
Phil Jarvis said he thought Kuhn was trying to talk like a black person in interviews during the contest. Mary Jarvis, the former CASA director, said she knew what the name meant, and would have not allowed it.
She plans to tell CASA board members of her displeasure.
"Both those things together. It's just too much. I thought it was unfortunate that he got most creative talent and Mr. Casa." Mary Jarvis said. "Other people weren't making fun of people, and they did a fine job."
Robert Munoz, the human relations manager at Creekstone Premium Farms, and a member of the Arkansas City Human Relations Commission, said he can see how the name and the appearance of a black or Latino face would offend people.
Munoz said it's clear that the name is vulgar; less clear from the picture whether Kuhn was lampooning a black woman. But a mayor of a city has be careful because they represent the whole town.
"Because of that you have to always make sure you watch what you're doing," he said.
Several people interviewed who were in the audience said they did not make a connection to race. Most said they were aware of the profane nature of the name. The controversy has been dominating blog discussions at the Traveler. Most reader opinions are critical but some would like more explanation.
As some readers noted, there is a past tradition of white people appearing in "black face" make up and lampooning black and speaking in a derogatory manner.
Kuhn said it was not "black face," and that he did not really carry out the character. It turned out to be more of an exotic, gypsy-like women, he said.
"I can't do a black accent," he said.
He followed that comment by saying that one of his jokes was to ask whether the contest judges were municipal or federal judges.
Asked whether that was meant to be a racial joke about black crime, he said it was not. He said CASA was part of the court system.
Ark City resident Crystal Bazil, 29, said the picture in the paper made it hard to see a racial element, but the name was inappropriate for sure. CASA helps abused and neglected kids, she pointed out.
Bazil, like several blog readers, thinks Kuhn probably owes the community an apology.
The chair of the Ark City Human Relations Commission, Charles Jennings, said he was concerned that CASA allowed Kuhn's character and name, which promotes negative stereotypical myths toward a gender and race.
Elected officials are, arguably, role models for youth, he added.
"As such, the conduct of the office should reflect the values we would like to see displayed in our teens and pre-teens," he wrote in an email.
Groth, the CASA director, said more safeguards against inappropriate behavior might be warranted.
"We maybe need to know what the act is going to be beforehand," she said.
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