Playing the Dozens is a familiar term to many Black people, particularly the older generation. It’s a verbal game popularized in urban ghettoes and played mostly by black males back in the day. The participants try to one-up and insult each other using spoken creativity. The most potent offense often involves one opponent dissing the other’s mother. For example, “Your mother is so old she was the waitress at the Last Supper.”
Activist and Black Panther Party Minister H. Rap Brown wrote in his memoir about playing the Dozens, “We played the Dozens for recreation like white folks play Scrabble.”
I thought about the Dozens recently when Civil Rights lawyer and outspoken Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett delivered a backhanded clapback to far-right MAGA Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene after Greene insulted Rep. Crockett’s appearance during a House Oversight Committee meeting a few days ago when she said “I think your fake eyelashes are messing up your reading.”
Like many people, I am familiar with Greene’s uncouth, atrocious antics, but when I saw her latest stunt, my first thought was, OMG! No, she didn’t! And then I said to myself, “Georgia Gal, you messed with the wrong black woman.”
Rep. Crockett had had enough. She ignored the advice of former first lady Michelle Obama. We all remember her philosophy, “When they go low, we go high.”
Er, nope! Rep. Crockett did not go high. She responded in kind. Because I have the utmost respect for the gentlelady from Texas, I will say this in a way that I hope will not denigrate her: without removing her earring, Ms. Crockett went straight up hood on the Georgian. She turned to Committee Chairman James Comer and said, “I’m just curious, just to better understand your ruling. If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebody’s bleach-blonde, bad-built, butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct?”
The chairman seemed stupefied. And did I imagine it, or did I see Rep. Jamie Raskin stifling a smile?
Without breaking the House decorum rule, Rep. Crockett had coolly and indirectly let loose a swarm of B’s on Greene: Bleached Blonde Bad Built Butch Body. Greene never saw it coming. She was dumbstruck. And although she would probably never admit it, those B stings will last a long time.
Rep. Crockett’s clever retort is all over the Internet. Songwriters have rhythmized the phrase. Podcasters, YouTube, and comedians are capitalizing on it. Esty sellers market the Bs on tee shirts, tank tops, coffee mugs, wine glasses, hoodies, pinback buttons, and who knows what else.
Although I don’t particularly like fanning the flames, I get sick and tired of disrespect, and I like it when I see someone get as much as they give. Thank you, Rep. Crockett.
And lest you think it’s a racial thing where African Americans are the only ones riding this B wave. Watch and enjoy this video.