The Boondocks

The Boondocks cast. Clockwise from top: Huey Freeman, Michael Caesar, Hiro Otomo, Riley Freeman, Cindy McPhereson, and Jasmine DuBois.

The Boondocks is a daily comic strip written and originally drawn by Aaron McGruder. Created by McGruder in 1997 for The Diamondback, the student newspaper at the University of Maryland, College Park, the strip moved from the college pages and was printed in the monthly hip-hop magazine, The Source, in 1997. As it gained popularity, and a loyal following the comic strip was picked up by the Universal Press Syndicate in 1999 and made its national debut on April 19 of that year. A popular and highly controversial strip, The Boondocks deals with various issues involving African-American culture and American politics, as seen through the eyes of its main protagonist, a ten-year-old Black radical named Huey Freeman. In the fall of 2005, The Boondocks was adapted into an animated television series of the same name for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block.

History

The cover of the first "Boondocks" collection, Because I Know You Don't Read the Newspaper. From left to right, the characters depicted are Jazmine DuBois, Riley Freeman, Cindy McPhearson, "Granddad" Robert Freeman, Thomas DuBois, and main protagonist Huey Freeman.

The strip got its start as a result of The Diamondback's editor Jayson Blair (of New York Times source falsification infamy), who decided to pay McGruder $30 per strip, $17 more than the others at the time. Blair's help to the budding strip went unnoticed during the allegations against the latter of article fabrication, as McGruder joined others in lampooning Blair.

In the fall of 2003, McGruder passed art duties on to Boston-based artist Jennifer Seng. In an interview with The New Yorker, McGruder said, "If something had to give, it was going to be the art. I think I'm a better writer than artist." [1] Seng has since left and Carl Jones has illustrated the strip since late 2004.

McGruder has sold the television and film rights for The Boondocks to Sony Pictures Entertainment. The Boondocks animated series premiered on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on November 6, 2005.

Description

Michael Caesar, Huey, and Riley on the cover of the second Boondocks compilation, Fresh for '01...You Suckas!

The strip depicts Huey Freeman and his younger brother Riley, two black children who have been moved out of Chicago by their grandfather to live with him in the predominantly white suburb of Woodcrest (most likely in Maryland, as seen from the area code stated in the March 16, 2000 strip). Huey is a devotee of black radical ideas of the past few decades (as explained in the May 4, 1999 strip, Huey is in fact named after Black Panther Huey P. Newton) and is harshly critical of many aspects of modern Black culture. Riley, on the other hand, is enamored of gangsta rap culture and the "thug"/bling-bling lifestyle. Their grandfather is a firm disciplinarian who is offended by their values and ideas.

Huey's best friend is Michael Caesar, a dreadlocked aspiring MC who agrees with many of Huey's criticisms but serves as a positive counterpoint to Huey's typically pessimistic attitude by taking a humorous approach to issues. He is also a budding comedian, although most of his humor consists of trying to play the dozens on Huey, which always falls flat. The Freemans' neighbors are NAACP member Thomas Dubois (a reference both to WEB DuBois and Uncle Tom) and his White wife Sara, who are both lawyers. Their young daughter Jazmine is very insecure about her racial identity and is often the subject of Huey's antipathy for being, in his opinion, out of touch with her African ancestry.

The Boondocks is very political and occasionally subject to great controversy, usually sparked by the comments and behavior of its main character, Huey. The comic strip has been withheld by newspapers several times. In this aspect, it is similar to Doonesbury. In particular, the principal characters often discuss racial and American socio-economic class issues. Some attribute the disputes over the strip to a political correctness that discourages any discussion or recognition of racial distinctions. Because of its controversy, many newspaper publishers either relegate the strip to the op-ed section of the paper, pull more potentially controversial strips from being published, or do not publish the strip at all, tactics also similar to Doonesbury.

Main characters

The cover for the 2003 Boondocks treasury A Right to Be Hostile.
  • Huey Freeman - a ten-year-old boy who appears angry most of the time and sees himself as a revolutionary. He is clearly disturbed by the ignorance in modern-day black television and issues in politics. In the early days of the strip, he is mentioned to be named after Huey P. Newton, co-founder of the Black Panthers. He can be seen as a less upbeat Michael Evans.
  • Riley Freeman - The opposite of his older brother, eight-year-old Riley praises the "thug life", and aspires to be the same as all the rappers and thugs he sees on television.
  • Michael Caesar - Huey's classmate and best friend, and agrees with most of Huey's views of life. Unlike Huey, Caesar is more optimistic and cheerful, and is usually making jokes about whatever issue is at hand.
  • Robert Freeman - Huey and Riley's retired "Granddad". Robert is known to overpanic and for occasionally being selfish and valuing his own peace and comfort over the needs of others, but does look out for the children's welfare. He is often shown to be an "old school" disciplinarian when dealing with the kids.
  • Thomas and Sarah Dubois - an interracial couple in the neighborhood. They both work as lawyers. Tom is often seen talking with Huey about present events in politics.
  • Jazmine Dubois - Thomas and Sarah's biracial daughter who seems to like Huey, despite the fact that he is occasionally cold towards her. Jazmine is often portrayed as naive, and is very optimistic in contrast to Huey's pessimism.
  • Cindy McPhearson - a Caucasian girl in Huey's class who appears to be utterly clueless about racial issues and is a general airhead. She shows a fondness and curiosity for rap music (Snoop Dogg in particular).
  • Uncle Ruckus - a mentally disturbed neighborhood handyman and acquaintance of the Freemans who plays the archetypal role of a Black man who dislikes his own race and constantly, but often illogically, praises Caucasians.

Minor characters

  • Hiro Otomo. One of Huey's friends; a young Asian-American DJ. Hiro only appeared in the original Diamondback version of the strip.
  • Psycho Star Wars Guy - a long-haired young man who stood in line for The Phantom Menace for months. Huey regularly visited him in line. Finding the movie disappointing, he thought he had nothing left to live for, until Huey convinced him to sue George Lucas, though Huey didn't actually mean for him to do so. Later, he ran into Lucas himself and decided to kick him in the rear, sparking a brief wave of publicity for both himself and Huey, who claimed responsibility for the attack.
  • The school principal - an out of touch young man who prepared for the arrival of Huey and Riley by mistakenly renting several blaxploitation films thinking of them as representative of black culture. Somehow has access to FBI files of Huey.
  • Mr. Petto - Huey and Caesar's teacher, who is as clueless about how to handle them as the principal is. Old-fashioned and not used to dealing with Blacks, he is intimidated by Huey's intellect. Has struggled trying to debate with Huey during class.

Published collections

  • 2000: Because I Know You Don't Read the Newspaper
  • 2001: Fresh for '01...You Suckas!
  • 2002: A Right to Be Hostile (treasury)
  • 2005: Public Enemy #2

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Because of its controversy, many newspaper publishers either relegate the strip to the op-ed section of the paper, pull more potentially controversial strips from being published, or do not publish the strip at all, tactics also similar to Doonesbury.
. Using the pull of the wind, snowkiters are able to make massive jumps and travel uphill. Some attribute the disputes over the strip to a political correctness that discourages any discussion or recognition of racial distinctions. The combination of kiteboarding technology with snowboarding has led to the creation of a new sport, snowkiting. In particular, the principal characters often discuss racial and American socio-economic class issues. CRYSTAL (cookie) IS BEAUTIFUL !!!!. In this aspect, it is similar to Doonesbury. shralp! - Die aktuelle Snowboard-Wochenschau auf Deutsch.

The comic strip has been withheld by newspapers several times. Effective Edge TV - Video podcast that covers all aspects of snowboarding from music, resorts, and new products. The Boondocks is very political and occasionally subject to great controversy, usually sparked by the comments and behavior of its main character, Huey. Hood, HCSC has been the world's leading summer camp since 1989. Their young daughter Jazmine is very insecure about her racial identity and is often the subject of Huey's antipathy for being, in his opinion, out of touch with her African ancestry. High Cascade - Located on Mt. The Freemans' neighbors are NAACP member Thomas Dubois (a reference both to WEB DuBois and Uncle Tom) and his White wife Sara, who are both lawyers. Northeast Skiing Video Podcast - Video podcast about skiing in the Northeast of the US.

He is also a budding comedian, although most of his humor consists of trying to play the dozens on Huey, which always falls flat. Ridertech.com - Skiing and snowboarding video blog from the Pacific Northwest. Huey's best friend is Michael Caesar, a dreadlocked aspiring MC who agrees with many of Huey's criticisms but serves as a positive counterpoint to Huey's typically pessimistic attitude by taking a humorous approach to issues. Snowflix - Your video iPod-ready weekly snow fix from the Alps. Their grandfather is a firm disciplinarian who is offended by their values and ideas. Regularly updated video content that is available for download via any aggregator. Riley, on the other hand, is enamored of gangsta rap culture and the "thug"/bling-bling lifestyle. SNOWBOAD YA BABY.

Newton) and is harshly critical of many aspects of modern Black culture. On December 2, 2005, a feature film was released called "First Descent", which documented the history of the sport as well as its modern day stars. Huey is a devotee of black radical ideas of the past few decades (as explained in the May 4, 1999 strip, Huey is in fact named after Black Panther Huey P. Production companies work all year developing these videos. The strip depicts Huey Freeman and his younger brother Riley, two black children who have been moved out of Chicago by their grandfather to live with him in the predominantly white suburb of Woodcrest (most likely in Maryland, as seen from the area code stated in the March 16, 2000 strip). Each season, many different snowboard films are released, usually in September. The Boondocks animated series premiered on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on November 6, 2005. Snowboard videos have become a huge part of the sport.

McGruder has sold the television and film rights for The Boondocks to Sony Pictures Entertainment. It is almost certain that one of the origins of animosity is the average age disparity between skiiers and snowboarders. I think I'm a better writer than artist." [1] Seng has since left and Carl Jones has illustrated the strip since late 2004. Mitigating factors may include different blind spot locations for skiiers and boarders, different riding styles and different philosphies on what snow riding is about. In an interview with The New Yorker, McGruder said, "If something had to give, it was going to be the art. There has been much debate as to the origins of the clash. In the fall of 2003, McGruder passed art duties on to Boston-based artist Jennifer Seng. The culture clash has shown significant signs of diminishing as more and more snow sport enthusiasts are choosing to snowboard and more parks/resorts are allowing it.

Blair's help to the budding strip went unnoticed during the allegations against the latter of article fabrication, as McGruder joined others in lampooning Blair. There is a known culture clash between skiers and snowboarders. The strip got its start as a result of The Diamondback's editor Jayson Blair (of New York Times source falsification infamy), who decided to pay McGruder $30 per strip, $17 more than the others at the time. General safety tips for winter sports, alpine conditions and skiing should also be respected. . They can be useful for the many times that a snowboard rider may wish to rest on the knees, such as after coming to a stop. In the fall of 2005, The Boondocks was adapted into an animated television series of the same name for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block. For example, knee pads used for volleyball can be useful for snowboarding.

A popular and highly controversial strip, The Boondocks deals with various issues involving African-American culture and American politics, as seen through the eyes of its main protagonist, a ten-year-old Black radical named Huey Freeman. Padding can be specialized for snowboarding, or it can cross sports. As it gained popularity, and a loyal following the comic strip was picked up by the Universal Press Syndicate in 1999 and made its national debut on April 19 of that year. Padding can be useful on other body parts like hips, knees, spine and shoulders. Created by McGruder in 1997 for The Diamondback, the student newspaper at the University of Maryland, College Park, the strip moved from the college pages and was printed in the monthly hip-hop magazine, The Source, in 1997. Useful safety gear includes wrist guards, padded or protected snowboard pants and a helmet. The Boondocks is a daily comic strip written and originally drawn by Aaron McGruder. The body parts most affected by injuries are the wrists, the tailbone and the head.

2005: Public Enemy #2. Wearing safety gear is highly recommended. 2002: A Right to Be Hostile (treasury). As students progress in ability they can seek out specialized instruction in areas such as terrain park skills (jumps, rails, and pipes), mogul technique, off-piste riding, powder riding, and racing. 2001: Fresh for '01...You Suckas!. More advanced techniques that are taught in later lessons are linking turns, edge control, weight distribution, edge pressure, and eventually carving. 2000: Because I Know You Don't Read the Newspaper. Other important beginner skills to learn are the falling leaf technique, side-slipping, and lift procedures.

Has struggled trying to debate with Huey during class. Then students learn how to turn and stop with both feet in. Old-fashioned and not used to dealing with Blacks, he is intimidated by Huey's intellect. The first lesson often begins with basic safety policies, stretching, and learning to fall, then progresses to snowboarding with one foot on the board (particularly skating and J-turns). Petto - Huey and Caesar's teacher, who is as clueless about how to handle them as the principal is. Typically, beginner snowboard lessons focus on very basic, common snowboarding skills. Mr. The rapport developed between an instructor and a student who returns for multiple lessons is the real benefit derived from private lessons; one is taught better by a teacher who knows them, and a student is more likely to heed the advice of someone they trust.

Somehow has access to FBI files of Huey. Private lessons are often far more expensive than group, as it is the snowboarding analogue of being privately tutored. The school principal - an out of touch young man who prepared for the arrival of Huey and Riley by mistakenly renting several blaxploitation films thinking of them as representative of black culture. Private lessons can be taught one-on-one or between a small group. Later, he ran into Lucas himself and decided to kick him in the rear, sparking a brief wave of publicity for both himself and Huey, who claimed responsibility for the attack. Group lessons are often cheaper, but often have a high student-teacher ratio, resulting in less individual attention. Finding the movie disappointing, he thought he had nothing left to live for, until Huey convinced him to sue George Lucas, though Huey didn't actually mean for him to do so. Snowboard lessons, as with ski lessons, can either be group or private lessons.

Huey regularly visited him in line. Professional instruction is a good way to learn proper technique, safety policies, mountain etiquette and resort rules. Psycho Star Wars Guy - a long-haired young man who stood in line for The Phantom Menace for months. Snowboard instruction is available at almost every ski resort from certified snowboard instructors. Hiro only appeared in the original Diamondback version of the strip. For a more detailed description, see Board construction. One of Huey's friends; a young Asian-American DJ. The various components of a snowboard are:.

Hiro Otomo. Courses in avalanche safety are also available. Uncle Ruckus - a mentally disturbed neighborhood handyman and acquaintance of the Freemans who plays the archetypal role of a Black man who dislikes his own race and constantly, but often illogically, praises Caucasians. Avalanche equipment can be purchased or rented at outdoor equipment stores. She shows a fondness and curiosity for rap music (Snoop Dogg in particular). Backcountry riders are advised to take extreme caution in all conditions, to carry avalanche equipment including a probe, beacon, and shovel, and never to ride alone in the backcountry. Cindy McPhearson - a Caucasian girl in Huey's class who appears to be utterly clueless about racial issues and is a general airhead. Snow can be extremely unstable, often leading to avalanches.

Jazmine is often portrayed as naive, and is very optimistic in contrast to Huey's pessimism. Safety is key when hiking and riding in the backcountry, especially after a fresh 'dump' of powder. Jazmine Dubois - Thomas and Sarah's biracial daughter who seems to like Huey, despite the fact that he is occasionally cold towards her. Often snowboarders use snowmobiles to make jumps into the powder. Tom is often seen talking with Huey about present events in politics. If the hill is too steep a snowmobile may not make it up the hill. They both work as lawyers. Snowboarders also use snowmobiles to ride in the backcountry.

Thomas and Sarah Dubois - an interracial couple in the neighborhood. Those that don't make use of the split-board will usually strap their board to their back and hike with snowshoes. He is often shown to be an "old school" disciplinarian when dealing with the kids. At the top of the run, the halves are recombined, and the bindings rotated back into their sideways positions. Robert is known to overpanic and for occasionally being selfish and valuing his own peace and comfort over the needs of others, but does look out for the children's welfare. When apart, the two halves can be used like cross-country skis to shuffle up the hill. Robert Freeman - Huey and Riley's retired "Granddad". The split-board is exactly that, a snowboard cut right down the middle.

Unlike Huey, Caesar is more optimistic and cheerful, and is usually making jokes about whatever issue is at hand. Some of those more cash-endowed riders can even hire snowcats or helicopters to take them where they want to go; this is known as catboarding or heliboarding respectively. Michael Caesar - Huey's classmate and best friend, and agrees with most of Huey's views of life. Donning snowshoes or a split-board with skins, the backcountry snowboarder cuts a new path up the side of the mountain in search of the very best vistas and untouched snow. Riley Freeman - The opposite of his older brother, eight-year-old Riley praises the "thug life", and aspires to be the same as all the rappers and thugs he sees on television. Today, backcountry snowboarding is often for those who have enough cash to afford trips to Alaska or the mountain ranges of the West, to ride outside resorts. He can be seen as a less upbeat Michael Evans. In fact, before snowboarding was allowed at resorts, this was the only form of snowboarding; Jake Burton, one of the original pioneers of snowboarding, never even considered resorts; backcountry was what he envisioned as the future of snowboarding.

Newton, co-founder of the Black Panthers. This type of boarding started out with fresh powder-craving snowboarders who, most likely, didn't have the cash to spend at crowded upscale ski parks. In the early days of the strip, he is mentioned to be named after Huey P.
. He is clearly disturbed by the ignorance in modern-day black television and issues in politics. The only bad part of skiing or snowboarding in powder is that if you fall, sometimes it can be very difficult to get yourself out of the very deep powder snow. Huey Freeman - a ten-year-old boy who appears angry most of the time and sees himself as a revolutionary. Powder also makes for softer landings and reduced chances of injury compared to man made terrain parks, though landing in deep snow can take some practice.

Powder makes for much smoother turns and in all smoother riding. In places where almost all of the runs are groomed, and powder is a rare find, you must venture into the tree trails. Generally colder climates sport the lightest, driest powder, and countries like Japan are becoming known as powder havens. Even though it is hard to categorize areas in terms of powder, Powder on the east coast (USA) is generally not as common or as good as the powder on the west (USA).

The bad thing about powder is that is if it sits for too long it gets compacted and becomes much harder and sometimes even icy. Powder is very famous for being the most fun and sometimes challenging ski and snowboarding, solely because it is so soft. Powder, which occurs after a heavy snowstorm, is a specific type of snow that is very light, fluffy, and most likely deep. Alpine snowboarding is significantly less popular than other kinds of snowboarding, especially in the United States.

Short slalom boards with very short sidecut radii, for example, are alpine boards but can only be carved at slow speeds. In fact, the only real defining characteristic of alpine snowboarding is that alpine snowboarders turn often and very hard while engaging the board in a carve. A common misconception is that alpine snowboarding necessitates riding very quickly or racing. (Hence riding a freestyle snowboard on groomed slopes is like riding a dirtbike on a road track or what is called SuperMoto).

An analogy made by some alpine enthusiasts is that freeride and freestyle snowboards are like dirt bikes, and alpine/carving snowboards are like road bikes. The hard plastic boots stiffens the ankle joint up significantly, making it more difficult to make small ankle adjustments while making skid turns, but making the board much more stable and powerful at higher speeds and the much higher g-forces typically felt by an alpine snowboarder in carved turns. Alpine boards are usually, but not always, longer and much stiffer than freeride boards, as the particular demands of carving usually require as much usable edge length as possible. They tend to angle their feet much more forward than other snowboarders, and so also ride narrower boards.

Alpine riders use hard plastic snowboarding boots, which resemble ski boots, except that they tend to be less stiff in the ankles and have a shortened heel, to minimize hanging over the edge of the snowboard. Both traditional snowboard racers (though not necessarily boardercross racers) and recreational carvers are alpine snowboarders. Alpine snowboarding is the practice of turning by carving the snowboard (such that the board is tracking along the edge of the board), as opposed to skidding the snowboard (where the board is traveling in a different direction than it is pointing). Many ski resorts operate terrain parks which often simulate the urban skateboard environment, complete with handrails, funboxes, and machine-formed jumps.

Freestyle snowboarding is influenced greatly by skateboarding. Freestyle snowboarding can be done almost anywhere that has snow. Most snowboarders are thrill seekers and love to do tricks in terrain parks, which has inherent risks. Freestyle is probably most demanded because of the thrill.

Freestyle snowboarding is arguably the most popular discipline, and is certainly the focus of most of the lifestyle marketing in the snowboarding industry. Softer boots and boards also allow riders more flexibility in body movement and the ability to reach very convoluted or stretched out, stylish body positions (known as tweaking it). This is important because many freestyle snowboarders are landing switch from how they hit their jumps or their tricks, and they need to be able to ride away with ease. Also, freestyle snowboards most likely have a true twin tip, in that the sidecut radius is equal on both sides of the board.

Freestyle snowboarders typically use shorter, softer boards and softer boots than other snowboarders, as the shorter board length reduces the weight and moment of inertia, making it easier to spin and maneuver, and the softer gear makes the board more forgiving to control for the particular demands of freestyle riding, such as slower speeds, high landing impacts, quick turns, and imperfect landings. spins, flips, grabs). jibbing, bonking, grinding, pressing, buttering, ground spins etc.) or in the air (e.g. Tricks can either occur on the ground (e.g.

Freestyle snowboarding is the practice of doing different kinds of tricks on a snowboard. Many freeride purists attach an almost spiritual connotation to carving down the mountain. Freeride snowboarding, where the focus is on riding cleanly and enjoying the freedom to go and explore anywhere is influenced significantly by surfing. A variant of freeriding focusing on extremely difficult lines is extreme snowboarding.

Freeriding is also known as all-mountain snowboarding. Most snowboarders aspire to be freeriders and will explore the mountain through trees, in powder bowls or anywhere else they feel comfortable riding. Freeriding is using the natural terrain of the mountain for recreation, without focusing on technical tricks or racing. There are four primary sub-disciplines or sub-styles within snowboarding with each favoring a slightly different snowboard design.

For more on the history of snowboarding, see this Snowboard History Timeline. It wasn't until the mid 1980s when snowboarding exploded into the main stream when the first snowboard magazine, "Absolutely Radical", hit the racks, soon to be followed by "International Snowboard Magazine". In the early 1980's films by Warren Miller began to feature clips of snowboarders boosting the popularity of the sport among the skiing community. Burton, Sims, Winterstick, and Avalanche snowboards originated from other parts of the country.

In the early 1980's, snowboard companies began emerging across the country. Jake Burton is the founder of Burton Snowboards, one of the largest, and most established snowboard companies in the world. The snowboard evolved from early pioneering work by people such as Sherman Poppen (who invented the "Snurfer" in his North Muskegon, Michigan home), Tom Sims, and Jake Burton. .


. These events are hosted by various winter resorts in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Open Snowboarding Championships and the Winter X-Games. Other events that focus on snowboarding are the annual European and U.S.

Snowboarding became a Winter Olympic Games medal-eligible sport in 1998. A snowboarder's equipment consists of a snowboard, snowboarding boots, bindings to attach their boots to the board, as well as snowboarding-specific winter clothing. Snowboarding is an increasingly common winter sport throughout the world where participants attach a wooden board to their feet and slide down a snow-covered mountain. Snowboarding is a boardsport on snow similar to skiing, but inspired by surfing and skateboarding.

This construction feature is not included in all board designs. there is also the "dgb" which is wood that goes in different directions over the core of the board to increase control. Kinking, rusting, or general dulling of the edge will significantly hinder the ability for the edge to grip the snow, so it is important that this feature is maintained. This sharp edge is necessary to be able to produce enough friction to ride on ice, and the radius of the edge directly affects the radius of carving turns, and in turn the responsiveness of the board.

an edge: a strip of metal, tuned normally to just less than 90-degrees, that runs the length of either side of the board. If the base becomes significantly damaged, the board may become sluggish, or if the damage is deep enough, it may even weaken the core. If the board is damaged, a new base pattern can be stone-ground into the board. For this reason, different base waxes are available for different snow conditions.

Because the base of the board comprises the bulk of the board's interaction with the snow, it is important that it be as slippery with respect to the snow as possible. a base: this is the bottom of the board which is made of a graphitic material that is saturated with a wax that creates a very quick smooth, hydrophobic surface. The properties of the core directly affect important characteristics of the board, such as flexibility and weight. It is typically comprised of a solid material, normally either wood, foam, or some composite plastic.

a core: the bulk of a snowboard, the core is the interior of the snowboard.