Aug
30
Black Pathology, Afro-Latinos and Ebonics
August 30, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Three of my columns published today (Clutch Magazine and Beyond The Scoreboard) that explore vastly different – but relevant and connected – aspects of Black culture.
• Antonio Cromartie: The Newest Face of Black Pathology
• The Afro-Latino Connection: Bridging The Gap
Aug
23
Percy Harvin and The Migraine “Riddle”
August 23, 2010 | Leave a Comment
The recent concern in the North Star State about the adversities of Percy Harvin has exposed a (surprising) lack of public knowledge about the magnitude of migraines in sports.
Last Thursday at 12:11 p.m., 22-year-old Harvin bent over, vomited and fell out in practice. He was taken to the hospital.
Harvin is alert now and has been back with the team lifting weights and participating in light drills. But the events leading up to the collapse was odd:
Harvin left the team on July 31 because of his grandmother’s death. What was expected to be a brief respite from athletic activity turned to two weeks away from the gridiron. On Aug. 11, Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress said that migraines – due to stress – was the cause for Harvin’s absence.
The Vikings then issued him a “five day letter,” basically stating that Harvin’s season would be over if he didn’t return within five days. He returned on Aug. 16 after missing 15 straight practices. On Aug. 19, he was taken to the hospital.
Childress, again, confirmed that a migraine was the cause. Three days later, reports from the Vikings camp downplayed the migraine angle, saying that his recent date with the hospital wasn’t “directly related to migraines.”
Notice the word “directly.”
Is this the Vikings way of covering their tracks because they essentially forced him to come back when he may not have been ready? Also, as you may have heard, little known Vikings quarterback Brett Favre missed a lot of practices too. Was there a similar ultimatum put on the one-time Falcon quarterback?
As a person who is well-familiar with migraines, I thought that missing two weeks because of them was a bit excessive. But keeping in mind he was dealing with the death of his grandmother and he fell out days after he returned to practice, it might be safe to say that Harvin is dealing with something far deeper than I – and others – can fathom.
Migraines aren’t occurrences that happen to most people, that’s for sure. But enough athletes have been afflicted in recent years for it to warrant more attention.
Scottie Pippen. Game 7 of the 1990 Eastern Conference Finals.
Terrell Davis. 1997 Super Bowl.
Steve Francis. His whole career.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Marquez Pope. Jason Williams. Countless others.
Some time ago, me and a former football player from the University of South Carolina were chatting. We were talking about Terrell Davis in the ‘97 Super Bowl and my friend said incredulously, “Can you believe he almost missed the second half because of a migraine?” I just looked at him, for he was a guy who obviously didn’t understand the extent of them.
Those sentences have become more and more commonplace and I spend a considerable amount of time elucidating the pain that migraines take me through.
But there is no better way to expose a debilitating condition than for it to happen to a famous person. It’s going to be intriguing to see how the Vikings will handle Harvin for the rest of the season. Signing Javon Walker may be a sign that they see the writing on the wall, or simply covering their bases.
Either way, Harvin – who has been dealing with migraines since he was a child – has become a case study for much more than his stellar play on the field. For his loved ones and empathizers, this is hardly just another case study.
Aug
23
The Michael Vick Woes Continue
August 23, 2010 | Leave a Comment
(Courtesy: madden.easports.com)
One week after I cracked the seal on the obligatory annual Madden purchase, I decided to play with the Eagles and give my old friend a run at quarterback. All was well until about 3:43 seconds left in the second quarter, when I saw something hanging out the back of his helmet.
I didn’t give it much mind, until I threw an interception two minutes later. In the game’s authentic splendor, there was a camera sequence on the sideline of Vick talking to his offensive coordinator. And there it was. A braided-up Vick.
Even the Madden franchise still see the old Vick. Which is odd or ironic or fitting (depending on your perspective), considering that Vick donned the 2004 Madden cover.
I know, I know. You’re thinking, “It’s not that big of a deal. It’s a video game and a simple error was made. Let it go. Move it.
“And besides, there are settings in the game that allows users to change a player’s appearance.”
But it is not that simple. If Vick rocked braids last season and cut it in the offseason, or even late in the season, I could understand the oversight. But Vick cut his hair over three years ago. How do the people behind Madden, one of the most popular video games ever, make this error about one of the most popular (if not controversial) football players ever?
Is this a microcosm of a societal perception that has a fixed picture of Vick?
When you look at Falcon highlights of Michael Vick, the braids are there. When Vick signed that record contract, he was smiling in braids. He flipped fans the middle finger…in the braids. When news came out about his dog-killing operation, he came into the 2007 season without the braids. It even warranted coverage. His new haircut symbolized a breaking away of the past.
But Madden 11 didn’t get that memo.
Don’t confuse this for a Vick apologist piece. It’s hard to feel sorry for a guy who had the motherboard of dogfighting operations, blew his money and admitted to being “lazy” and “settled for mediocrity” during his stay in the Dirty Dirty. I am the Vick anti-apologist. He made his bed. He served time. And he may not have completely learned his lesson about staying out of trouble.
But it’s something to note that Madden didn’t verify the accuracy of a player that, at this time last year, was a top-five jersey seller. It may not mean much, but it may be an indication that, like my man Dangerfield, Vick just can’t get respect these days.
Is the Madden peccadillo an honest error or Freudian slip?
Aug
16
Targeted African-American Advertising Here To Stay
August 16, 2010 | Leave a Comment
It’s become a full-fledged assault. From an Everest guy yelling at us through the television set, telling us that we’re “sitting on the couch, watching TV and your life is passing you by” to McDonald’s conducting wholesale music videos, companies have gotten downright blatant in their attempts to reach and study Black audiences.
Last week, Farhad Manjoo wrote a piece for Slate explaining “how Black people use Twitter.” According to Manjoo, Black people are fond of hashtags (#) and topics that evince some of the, let’s say, nuanced aspects of Black culture. Some examples listed to support the author’s argument:
#wordthatleadtotrouble
#ifsantawasblack
#ghettobabynames
#annoyingquestion
Of the many points this article made, the larger one is this: There are a host of people at institutions that make a living studying the behaviors and actions and likes and dislikes of Black people. This isn’t problematic on the surface. However, in the interest of taxonomy and marketing, the lowest denominator tends to characterize a whole group of people. Manjoo quotes a Ph.D student from Carnegie Mellon who downloaded 100 million African American tweets (which is interesting, being that marking your race isn’t required to have a Twitter handle).
Twitter has, in effect, become a marketer’s dream.
To the initiated eye, such pandering is insulting and revealing. It recalls many limiting stereotypes some Black folks have worked their whole lives, even generations, to debunk. For every stereotypical depiction of singing, dancing, jesters, sass and flamboyance, there are millions more who are just the opposite. Contemporary advertisements seem to have no room for distinction, but caricature. As obvious as these images are in pursuit of profit, businesses have no incentive to stop them.
For one, these commercial spots are the result of a behind-the-scenes process that has to pass the test of 40 and 50 year-old executives. Secondly, these commercials are working. Thirdly, these commercials are working. During the behind-the-scenes process, the advertising copywriter has to convince execs that their money is not being wasted. Nuance is discouraged because that would require the consumer to think more than he/she has to. A marketing no-no. It’s better for ads to err on the side of obviousness.
In marketing terms, this is called targeted advertising. To get to this point, businesses generally hire an outside advertising agency to assess the market demographic, psychographic and social habits of the desired audience. For example, when McDonald’s instituted one dollar meals, this was specifically aimed at a lower-income Hispanic and Black group. What McDonald’s has done since is mine that hole.
Even the most progressive-minded ad copywriter would face the harshest of resistance if he or she deviated from this formula. The executives must be convinced there is a clear line between marketing to the general audience and targeted audience. For a black agency to get the chance to do ads for black consumers, it has to convince white clients and businesses they know how to do it. Have to use devices to hit that bulls-eye. Why would a business use subtlety and nuance to attract a culture not known for subtlety and nuance?
Cue the obligatory dancing, singing and playing sports, preferably basketball.
So let’s see: The advertisement comes out formulaic and market researched (read: stereotypical). The sellout process began long before it hit the television airwaves. Who does this hurt more? Well, the people being confined in a box via mass media. Are the hurt people in position to change this? Of course not. And even if they—we—were, what would stop these images from pervading our screens, magazines and newspapers if the formula is making dollars?
Society and mass media have a symbiotic relationship. Movies, music, television sitcoms and news programs are all complicit in the image marketing firms use in their commercials. A lot of industries depend on the demoralization and stagnation of the personal and collective development of humans. This is insidious, no doubt, but it is for a purpose: Money. Black people aren’t the only group exploited; they’re just among the easiest.
As Lupe Fiasco rapped, “Don’t think you safe though, because you not black. Greed is colorblind….they gon’ f–k with yours, soon as they done with mine.” Targeted advertising isn’t stopping anytime soon. African Americans have an $803 billion spending power, according to Target Market News. The top areas of consumption:
Housing – $166.3 billion
Food – $65.3 billion
Vehicles – $31.5 billion
Clothing – $26.9 billion
Health Care – $23.9 billion
Look at the commercials that pander to black audiences. A pattern has been developed, sustained and fortified. And what is the lowest area of consumption for African Americans, you ask?
Books – $289 million.
The next lowest area of consumption: sports and recreational equipment at $1 billion. I imagine we won’t be seeing a slate of commercials with black folks reading books anytime soon.
Jul
6
Back To The N-Word
July 6, 2010 | Leave a Comment
The more things change, the more things stay the same, and when it comes to a certain word, it’s Groundhog’s Day.
This was proven by none other than Mel Gibson, who was allegedly recorded as telling his ex-girlfriend that if she was raped by a “pack of niggers,” it would be her fault. He also levied misogynistic statements that would make Too Short proud.
Naturally, national outrage centered on Detective Rigg’s usage of “nigger.” But few sounded off about the sexist tone of his rant. Or the inherent inferiority complex about his masculinity. Or the subtle jab at Black women, who tend to be the recipients of sexual assault from Black men.
Nigger. That word seems to generate more attention than any “bitch,” “ho” or “a woman deserves to be in the kitchen, bare-footed, with an apron and a smile” sentiment. The collective response falls short because of this lack of nuance in interpretation. If alcohol was the trigger Gibson’s rant, then I can forgive that. He was having a private conversation. He got angry.
Perhaps the woman he was talking to loathed black men and shared that with him previously.
Perhaps her greatest fear is being raped by a “pack of niggers.” And perhaps, in the heat of the moment, Gibson wanted to verbally hurt her as much as possible by bringing her fears up. After all, isn’t that what people who are in the throes of an argument do?
Perhaps none of this really happened (the tape has yet to be released).
Perhaps Gibson is really a douche.
Perhaps this is all irrelevant.
The knee-jerk response is to unleash “hell hath no fury” venom at Gibson, demand an apology and a public renunciation of the n-word. But what is an apology, besides another reminder that Black people are dependent on White people’s approval? Gibson’s statements were revealing, but the reaction was even more so.
Gibson could have replaced “nigger” with “the Great Descendants of God” and it still would have been offensive. After all, context rules everything in regard to the usage of the n-word and race. If Michael Steele or Jay-Z said the same thing as Mel, what would have been the real difference? All three people would be complicit in perpetuating the stereotype of black men as primitive, savages, rapists and gangbangers. A race doesn’t have a monopoly on negative usage of the n-word. Not even Black people.
Two people can say the same thing, but convey two different meanings. Consider it the beauty and blemish of language. Uncle Ruckus and Strom Thurmond both shouted racial epithets against Black people. Should the Uncle Ruckuses get a pass just because his body produces a higher amount of melanin? Months ago, Harry Reid faced heat for his comments in a private conversation, stating that Barack Obama doesn’t sound like a typical Negro. He also said because he is light-skinned, he is more acceptable.
Obama defused the situation, saying that Reid’s record spoke for itself. Reid apologized. Amazingly, many people were aghast that Reid would have to gall to say something Black people say among themselves quite often.
Back to the n-word. Many Black people are so confused about using the n-word that they want to barricade anybody else from using it. “Nigger” is a racial slur in one context; a term of endearment in another. It’s not uncommon for words to have more than one meaning.
It is uncommon for a word to have totally disparate primary and secondary meanings; typically word meanings are close in application. That what makes the duality in context so troubling. Black people go through great lengths to defend using a word that has never spurred greatness. The dominant excuse: “When they say it, it’s racist. When we say it, it’s art. We made it positive.”
If “nigga” metamorphosed into something positive, where’s the manifestation?
Black people still lag far behind other races in unemployment, educational achievements, home ownership and health care. Unless you consider the revenue stream that rappers have accrued over the last 20 odd years a positive, the manifestation is lacking.
Hip hop, in its quest to become a global phenomenon, has normalized the n-word for a myriad of cultures. It’s not any more surprising to see an adolescent from Taiwan recite “Nigga what….nigga who” than it is to see a teenager from Columbia Heights saying the same thing.
Cultures can be appreciated by anybody. The use of the n-word is cultural. Why should I get mad about another race addressing me in a language that we address each other in all time?
Fact: People of other races say “nigger.” If that offends you, then cringe when you hear your favorite rapper say it. Stop uttering it in private conversations. Become more tolerant. Realize the word is dehumanizing in any context. I’m not unaware of the racial history behind this word; I’m also not unaware of the meaning of hypocrisy.
There was little focus on Gibson’s sexist utterances, which is another indication that society has dropped the ball in sensitizing people to occurrences of sexism. Racial tension is a hynoptic factor, a lucrative industry even. Television shows, news and movies benefit greatly from espousing the racism angle. Until we realize this, we’ll continue to be up in arms about the next white guy who is revealed as a bigot.
The primitive response is a call for an apology from Mr. Gibson. But we don’t need an apology. We need a shift in ideology.
Jun
28
Chris Brown Redemption 2.0: The Forgiveness Project
June 28, 2010 | Leave a Comment
“I let my fans down once. And I will never do it again.” — Chris Brown
He came. He danced. He…cried. And just like that, Chris Brown was seen primarily as a splendid performer and not the temperamental guy who played Ali with Rihanna’s face.
Brown’s tribute to Michael Jackson may have come a year late for some, but that didn’t stop him from moonwalking, strutting, crooning, crotch-grabbing and doing everything else he could to channel Michael Joseph Jackson at the 10th anniversary of the BET Awards.
His performance was flawless. It was perhaps, the closest impersonation to Michael Jackson’s brilliance we’ll see in a while. Yet, there are many who will remain unmoved. Rhythm and dexterity aside, many cannot forget the hurting he put on Rihanna on February 8, 2009. His career has taken a nose-dive that rivals the U.S. real estate sub-prime mortgage crisis. Endorsements were snatched. He had a feud with the world’s largest retailer. A country even vetoed his entrance.
He has made public appearances since, and has slowly worked to pull himself back into the public’s good graces. Emphasis on slowly. If Brown was anticipating a large-scale forgiveness party, it wasn’t happening. Larry King couldn’t do it. An online apology couldn’t do it. If Brown’s ordeal has taught us anything, it’s that domestic abuse is harder to recover from than, say, a singer peeing and sexing up a minor on video. Regardless of how much time elapses and how many singles he drop, it may won’t be enough for a society where respect for women is demanded.
To be fair, at the time of the incident and his subsequent trial (he pleaded guilty), Brown deserved the criticism. His behavior was irresponsible for a guy who was on top of the world from a career standpoint. From a teenage wunderkind to this generation’s Ike Turner, Brown earned the deepest enmity from women.
Sunday night’s performance at the BET Awards was the first time he was able to apologize to the world on his terms: through doing what he does best by honoring the best. But everybody didn’t hate Brown coming into this performance. Diehard and forgiving fans were in his corner the whole time, sympathizers of a young man who made a mistake and just happen to be famous enough for the world to know it.
As for the other side, the skeptics went into viewing his performance already sensing any possible public relations ploy on his part. Once the tears came, that’s all the hounds needed. Everything afterward was contrived and purposeful. But people in this camp fail to consider the song he cried to was “Man in the Mirror” at the one year anniversary of a the death of a man he grew up idolizing. Add to that all of the tribulations he has gone through (his fault, no doubt) and that adds up to a healthy recipe for genuine tears.
Was his handlers mindful that this was an opportunity to resurrect his career? No doubt.
Were his tears for Michael Jackson? Some of it probably was. But it’s reasonable that it stemmed from the events in his life as well. Either way, it doesn’t make his tears less genuine.
Did he know beforehand that he was going to cry? More than likely.
Does that make his tears and obvious remorse contrived? No. Just because you know something will work out in your favor doesn’t mean it is any less real. Perhaps isolating these factors to gauge authenticity is a mistake. It was more than likely a confluence of all of these factors that resulted in the man we saw Sunday night. For the first time a while, the world saw the passion of a young man, unvarnished and bare since his reprehensible actions over a year ago.
Artists are a special breed: their performances and works are triggered by emotions. Music induces emotions in people. Anybody who listens to ‘Man in the Mirror’ can get misty-eyed and contemplative. Considering the magnitude of the stage and what was at stake, why wouldn’t Chris Brown cry?
Even if Brown went P.T. Barnum on us, does that take away from the performance? Better yet, does it render the call for forgiveness irrelevant?
Remaining cool and calm wouldn’t made him appear more professional, it would have taken away his ability to do what he does best. Artists feed off emotions. And for any music stan, MJ conjured up massive feelings.
People will still insist that “his tears were for Chris Brown, not Michael Jackson.” So what? If it wasn’t for Michael, there would be no Chris Brown. Just like if it wasn’t for Jackie Wilson and James Brown, there would be no Thriller. MJ even shed a few tears when he honored the Godfather of Soul in 2003, yet there weren’t rumblings of crocodile tears then. These artists are a part of each other. Chris Brown deserves to shed a few tears for his journey. That doesn’t make him phony; that makes him human.
But many people won’t see it that way. Regardless, initial reactions on Twitter indicate that Breezy’s career may have received a second life.
If a flawless rendition of the King of Pop can’t serve as a career defibrillator, then redemption just isn’t in the cards. Fortunately for him, at the moment, he has a winning hand.
Jun
14
Slim Thug and the Black Male Crisis
June 14, 2010 | 2 Comments
Here’s my latest at Clutch Magazine: Slim Thug and the Black Male Crisis.
The notion of masculinity in the Black culture is an explosive topic. This piece comes off the heels of my Katt Stacks column, that exposed the same distorted masculinity – if you want to call it that.
The cultural implications of ambiguous notions inevitably lead to destructive ideals. Which we are seeing everyday.
Jun
8
U.S. Government and the Class System, Part II
June 8, 2010 | Leave a Comment
In the last section of the five-part campfire series, Zettler Clay (zqclay), Jay Farand (OwlAsylum) and Venus Lockett (Sail_ore_Moon) continues to discuss the U.S. government and operations of the class system.
Feel free to chime in. Add to the discussion. Hope it’s been as much a pleasure for you to read as it was for us to participate in.
Here are the previous four parts:
U.S. Government and the Class System, Part I
Police States and Militarization
Black Cultural Privileges, Part II
Black Cultural Privileges, Part I
Lockett: If we look to them (government) to fix the school system we are sure to have generations of floor cleaners.
Farand: I don’t personally have a problem with a generation of floor cleaners. As long as they are able to monopolize and centralize the wealth.
Clay: My question is, and one that I think I’ll grapple with until I expire: Why don’t people want to realize this? And if people did realize this, would that even matter? This is where I thwart nihilism. To keep from hitting the floor of utter despair.
Farand: The apathy is being generated. It is manifesting in the increase number of the marginally-attached unemployed. And that number doesn’t begin to reflect those that are in prison, or just not being tallied.
Lockett: Because it’s easier not to realize. If people realize what’s going on then they have to DO something to change things…God forbid…
Farand: To address Venus: What’s the difference between a floor cleaning business and a landscaping one?
Lockett: Nothing. The point is when you keep people thinking small then their actions are small. Thus the community is where it is now.
Farand: Well, my issue is that American Blacks have no trade. Other than entertainment, what are we gaining capital with in a market that hasn’t been usurped and monopolized? Small? Do you think these thousands of foreigners coming to the US working in kitchens owned by family, expanding to stores, then entering OUR community to sell us foreign cultural artifacts is small?
How do you think it starts?
Clay: *Cue the ghost of Booker T*
Farand: Hahahah!! Once again!! I have no qualms with education. None. I am a reformed college advocate. Yet…it takes capital to capitalize off an education.
Clay: We touched on this before on Twitter. DuBois and Booker weren’t THAT different.
Farand: Not at all.
Lockett: The idea is to work together, is it not?
Farand: The idea is that we are together. We just aren’t working on the right things.
Clay: Malcolm once said (paraphrasing) that we shouldn’t confuse the methods with the objectives. By focusing on the objectives, we stay…focused. Methods get in the way. Or ego, I should say, gets in the way.
Lockett: True but people’s thinking will need to be changed drastically in order for us to truly progress…no way around it.
Farand: And this is were many will disagree, but where the rubber meets the road. We have to remove ourselves from the consumer class. We have to once again be that nation within a nation. A people of our own, who just happen to be citizens of this nation. And I say this as I surf amazon for books.
Lockett: [Laughter].
Farand: That’s how difficult it is.
Lockett: My point exactly. It will take collective effort.
Farand: No doubt. I would be a zip darn fool if I said it wouldn’t. That is the American Black, a collective effort. On a scholastic level, I personally say achieve and take advantage of every resource. On a professional level I say the same. We don’t have to all work at the same place to pool our resources.
Clay: But the problem with that Owl, is that presumes that we are outsiders. When we ARE America. It’s not like we’re immigrants from Poland, Ireland, Sicily, Russia, Nigeria, Vietnam. That’s why our situation is much more unique. We have an intimate relationship with America that perhaps no group of people has ever had with any country.
Farand: I think that gives a unique advantage. We are in the White House. We are in the projects. We are pretty much everywhere. We understand the situation of every element, but I feel that if we continue to act without regard to multicultural aspects of this political and economic system, we as a people will not exist. We are in competition.
We are like every other ethnicity here. We need to look out for our interest like them.
Lockett: See Willie Lynch…
Clay: Eh…there is evidence that the Willie Lynch tale was fabricated…but the concept is still valid.
Lockett: Oh I’m sure…there’s evidence contrary to almost everything. The fact still remains that we are as divided as a people can be.
Farand: Are we the most divided? Has there ever been a people as divided or more so to come from that condition to rulership?
Clay: I don’t know if we’re the most divided either. I’d venture to say division is rampant among white people and Asians too. Our division is just more profitable.
Lockett: I disagree. I think we are. We just promote “selling out” which is exactly what it says…and now we ARE indeed sole(d) out.
Farand: Clever, but…not one race is a monolith. Never had one. All of them divided amongst clan and families first. WE call them Anglo-Saxons for a reason.
Clay: In my experiences with other races, I’ve noticed much division. We have to remember just as we’re not monoliths, other races aren’t either.
Lockett: I saw with my own eyes a complexion debate go on for hours last week on Twitter.
Clay: Oh no, I’m not denying that we aren’t heavily divided. I’m merely saying that we aren’t the only race fractured. Or that we’re even the most divided. I think that’s a presumptuous claim.
Lockett: Seems to me that we are. There have been great lengths taken to make this division a reality…since slavery… so it just seems to be the most deeply embedded, IMO.
Farand: The cultural separation and the familial separations during slavery were indeed harsh, and the class divisions among our own, pick a reason are pretty strong. BUT…I’d like to dig into history a bit before I pronounce us the most separated, and I’d like to see what others have done.
Lockett: Fair enough.
Clay: Our history in America is thin compared to our history PERIOD.
Farand: Right. Paper thin.
Jun
7
U.S. Government and the Class System, Part I
June 7, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Continued from Police States and Militarization. Please feel at ease to add your cents (sense) to the discussion…
Clay: So how does this relate to the current state of government? Police are a branch of the government. Recent events would say they’re the internal military branch who sees minorities akin to how the Army sees an Afghan insurgent. Government power is growing now. Do we have the politicians and judges to effectively check this? Isn’t it time for change? I could have sworn about two years ago that’s all I was hearing…
Lockett: And THIS is the change he was bringing.
Farand: Ha! We need a moderator.
Lockett: That’s what nobody bothered to tell us. That takes me back to my initial point about the militarization increasing. Yes it [militarization] has always been but things just seem to be getting extremely bold.
Farand: Great point, Venus. With the rumors, or change of mind about the Chicago crime rates and national guard, and Chicago being the area of most support for Obama, I’d say no. The politicians weren’t there in the Sean Bell incident, they weren’t there during the Jena six trail, and now we are just waiting on Obama to send more troops.
So am I wrong for saying this a class thing? Or a Black thing?
Lockett: Definitely seems more class oriented…IMO.
Clay: To be fair, this was pervasive way before Obama stepped in. This is actually bigger than him. But let it be noted that he hasn’t STEPPED out to do anything about this police-state modus operandi that pervades. Practically speaking, what’s the difference between race and class in this regard?
Of course, Jay-Z would get hemmed up if caught in a bad position. But so would Robert Downey Jr….no? Am I being naive?
Lockett: True. But they seem to hate poor people indiscriminately.
Clay: Indiscriminately…operative word.
Lockett: Rich people have some advantages but even Jay-Z could go down in flames if given the right…or wrong circumstances.
Farand: Depends on what. Jay-Z can take advantage of certain privileges because of his status (i.e. class), but if it can be tied to other parties, then you might have another Sean Combs/Shine situation. Of course, we do see who went to prison, and who made a band after that imbroglio.
Lockett: [Laugher].
Farand: Race in this country is class. It is a standing. Class is the number one priority of this country. That is why it so conservative. Why we are spending enough money on a war to end oppression and suffering overseas that could put all of our citizens into homes.
Clay: Manifest destiny. U.S. military is revving up troops in Africa right now – AFRICOM. We don’t think that has anything to do with China making inroads in Africa (hence the recent $3 billion oil refinery deal made with Nigeria), do we?
Farand: Or the fact that the West has been making media attacks against Nigeria for the last two to three years.
Lockett: There certainly seems to be Increasing involvement from the “super powers” in every part of the world.
Farand: China has a vested interested in Africa, land, beyond just oil. Further, what many don’t want to admit is that it is the old East against the West. It is western domination that is being attacked economically at the moment.
Clay: Of course, that’s not the topic of discussion though. We’re too busy being aghast at the musings of guys named Beck and Limbaugh and Morning Joe and whoever is paid to distract us from the facts on the ground.
Farand: Hahaha…yeah! Tangentials!
Clay: Aiyana Jones. Bell. This drug war. Bad infrastructures. Flawed health care. Look at our educational system. Yea, we’re pretty strong in the post-secondary sector. But what about the babies? The East is killing us in that department. By not putting an emphasis on primary schooling, we’ve essentially mortgaged our future.
Nobody wants to build the olive tree. That’s why the “long-term greedy” affirmation by Goldman Sachs is just risible.
Lockett: The schools are doing what they are designed to do…keep the lower class mopping floors. And the upper class scuffing them up w/ their $1,000 shoes.
Farand: The west is killing the US in all those departments!! Of the top 13 western rich countries, the US fails to compete in Worker safety, Worker care, Health insurance, death rates, prison incarceration, and crime. And those are just the areas I can think of at the moment.
Clay: I mean, in a capitalistic society, it doesn’t make sense to train EVERYONE to excel, right. Demoralization is a necessary strategy to keep the status quo going.
Farand: Demoralization is a necessary strategy to keep the status quo going. It gets no plainer than that. That is what they call being clear.
Jun
5
Cornel West on Real Time With Bill Maher
June 5, 2010 | Leave a Comment
A very interesting roundtable discussion about the Obama Administration took place – featuring Cornel West, Newsweek Senior Editor Jonathan Alter and Republican strategist Patrick Ruffini – on Real Time With Bill Maher on May 28. As we know, West (along with his adopted brother Tavis Smiley) has been a persistent critic of President Obama’s policies and decisions. His comments on Real Time echoed the sentiments he expressed at Obama’s one-year anniversary earlier this year, when he spoke directly to the president in this video letter:
Check both videos out. Very worthy views.