Why is Antoine Dodson funny? Two candid perspectives.

Antoine Dodson. If you don't know the name, you probably know the face, and you almost certainly know his warnings that "They're raping everybody out here."

It's been more than two weeks since a news crew in my hometown of Huntsville, Ala., interviewed Dodson about the attempted rape of his sister by an intruder. Dodson chased off the attacker, but that's not what made him a YouTube sensation. Instead, it was his surreal and candid demeanor as he warned TV viewers that the assailant is "climbing in your windows; he's snatching your people up."

Internet comedians The Gregory Brothers turned the news clip into a catchy song, which has become a top download on iTunes, with millions of views on YouTube. (To their credit, they're sharing proceeds with Dodson's family.)

But for all the laughs, there's still something off-putting about this entire situation. It's easy to find humor in the clips, but it's also easy to see why it has raised questions of racism, homophobia and insensitivity to a sex crime victim.

Because the field of social media punditry can make the National Hockey League look racially diverse, I solicited perspectives from two bloggers who I can always trust for candid takes on how black men are portrayed in pop culture. Check out their views — and share your own — after the jump:

Take 1: "What if his sister were white?"

By Edward T. Bowser
Music editor, GeorgiaMae.com

What angers me most about the Antoine Dodson phenomenon is that we’ve forgotten why this guy became an Internet sensation – his sister Kelly was nearly raped. How can breaking and entering into a person’s bedroom and assaulting them be considered funny?

I guess it’s easy when there’s an effeminate black dude ranting and raving on TV.

And make no mistake - that’s why "Bed Intruder," the autotuned-tinged song based off of Dodson’s infamous interview, is burning up the iTunes charts. I’ll admit it’s funny – but would America be amused if Dodson looked like 50 Cent? “We go’n FIND you” would have an entirely different meaning. Gay dudes in the projects = funny. Thugs in the projects = frightening.

And what if his sister were white? Well, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion. A young white girl getting raped is no laughing matter, no sir. In fact, I guarantee that the TV producers wouldn’t have aired the Dodson interview at all if that had been the case. You can hear it now: "How dare we make light of a girl getting assaulted? Only a heartless monster would be so insensitive!"

I won’t even ask what happened with the suspect, aka “Homeboy.” We’re too busy downloading the "Bed Intruder" ringtone to care.

Let’s be real. Many whites think Dodson is hilarious because he’s the silly black guy being ridiculous in the hood. Many blacks think Dodson is hilarious because he’s the silly gay guy being ridiculous in the hood. The love for Dodson has nothing to do with him standing up for his sister or being a cult hero – it’s all about entertainment. But is it OK if Dodson is willing to exploit himself?

In a radio interview with Tom Joyner, Dodson said he had no idea he looked so foolish on TV. He was simply upset that his sister was attacked. He didn’t mean for “snatchin’ yo people up” to become a national catchphrase. Who could blame him for all the attention?

I can.

If my sister was nearly raped and it became a running joke, I wouldn’t continue to feed into it. A mere 15 minutes of fame could not ease the pain, mine nor hers.

Edward T. Bowser is the music editor at GeorgiaMae.com and a proofreader for Luckie & Company. You can reach him by e-mail or follow him on Twitter.

Take 2: "He's simultaneously hero and joke of the day."

By Craig Brimm
Editor, Kiss My Black Ads

We've become overly desensitized. We would much rather eschew the seriousness of the attempted rape for the hilarity of the response. I'm so very guilty of this. I had a little tug of revulsion at the young woman nearly being raped but it was easily, wantonly overcome and pushed aside by my need to be in the know and on the hip & hilarious front side of what had all the makings of the next great viral of the moment.

Is it racist? No. Does it perpetuate stereotypes supporting long-held beliefs that can lead to compounded racist thought and actions? Probably.

Look, Antoine's visage and demeanor had all the trappings of our society's negative memes. First, he's a black male, which in pop culture means he's either dangerous (here to hurt you) or humorous (here to entertain you). We all want the latter, and this video is tailor-made for one of the predetermined roles.

He's funny to blacks, whites and everyone else because his hijinks are just next-level and layered. His overtly flippant attitude and gestures add a layer of what we suppose black homosexuals act like. I'm not saying that there is anything inherently wrong with him being gay or "acting gay." I'm saying this is another level of universal unrest that we skittishly laugh at to ease our own tensions.

The fact that it happened in the state of Alabama is just one more layer of the onion skin. People think of Alabama almost the way they think of black people; country, slow-witted, backwards and just plain funny. I take offense to the state and blacks being considered/portrayed this way, but it happens.

If Mr. Dodson were white and had the exact same mannerism and lexicon ... well, I may have laughed even harder. That would have been just added one more layer with the overused comedy bit of "white guy acting black."

Now Antoine, who seems very proud of the whole ordeal, lives in a new category that has yet to be truly defined. These new viral stars are born almost daily and live out Warhol's 15 minutes of fame prophecy to a T. He's simultaneously hero and joke of the day. In the best of terms and times he's to be lauded for stopping a sexual attack on his sister. But in our modern day colosseum of public sentiment — where like, love and hate are an electronic thumbs-up click away — Dodson's heroic efforts and subsequent response are merely jokes and momentary diversions in our monotonous days as we all search for the next complete double rainbow.

Craig Brimm is the author of advertising blog Kiss My Black Ads and founder/creative director of Culture Advertising Design in Atlanta.

Special thanks to Edd and Craig for sharing their insights on a thorny issue. We look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comments, as well.

David Griner is a social media strategist for Luckie and Company and contributing editor for Adweek’s blog, AdFreak.com. You can reach him by e-mail or on Twitter.