"...and us black folks are especially forgiving...I wouldn't be surprised if you are front and center in a Baptist church in South Central come this Sunday as a guest of the good reverend"
~Quote from the field on 11/21/06~
OK, I hate to say I told you so but.....So it wasn't South Central L.A. it was West L.A., the good reverend happened to be Jessie Jackson, and instead of a Baptist church it was a radio station; but you get the point. It never fails, get the right race leaders together, and play the contrition card. I am sure the handlers around Michael Richards (AKA Kramer) told him just what the strategy was to get out of his little racism problem, and he has been working it to a tee. Soon, he will be hosting "Live at the Apollo" and will probably have a guest stint hosting 106 & Park on BET.
So anyway, there he [Richards] was on the radio with our self proclaimed leader, Jessie Jackson, saying how sorry he was. Of course, other race hustlers were there as well. Two men from the local NAACP were front and center, and weighing in on the controversy to say what they thought was in old Kramer's heart, and how far along they thought he had come like Saul on the road to Damascus.
Is it me, or does it seem like black folks are the only ones who have these all these self proclaimed spokes- people and leaders for our race? So Jessie Jackson, and a couple of leaders from the NAACP forgave you, but I don't forgive you Kramer. My black ass still thinks that you are a racist, and I am willing to bet that about 90% of the black people in this country feel the way I do. So getting out front and center with the race pimp, Jessie, won't cut it in my book, and it sure ain't gonna cut it with other black folks out there.
The sad thing about this is that America doesn't see the big picture. All they saw was Jessie and his minions in that radio station talking to Richards, and they thought, it's OK, all is right in our wonderful harmonious America again. One of us made a slip, but the good reverend on behalf of the other black folks forgave him, so it's alright, we can push this unfortunate little episode to the side until the next one. Give me a break! And honestly, is anyone surprised that Jessie has made such a good living pimping the race issue? Think about it! If you are a high profile white company or person, who do you call? Why Jessie of course, because the main stream media-damn I hated using that term-always has the camera and the microphones in his face. So my man Jessie will always be there when they call. And guess what, the call ain't gonna be free.
But I am not mad at Jessie, I am mad at the rest of us black folks for not letting America know that the good reverend doesn't speak for all of us on matters of race. Just like Oprah being on T.V. with all her millions of dollars and fans doesn't represent or speak for other black women out there. I know it's hard, because when something effecting black folks or black issues go down, white America finds Jessie, or Al, and the other usual suspects. What's sad is that I bet those NAACP leaders with Jessie in that radio station today, spent more time picking out what suits they were going to wear, than what type of strategy to coordinate with their members on how to address this issue. As a result, they ended up not speaking for black folks as a collective, but for just a few us with their own self promoting agendas.
So good luck Michael, now that you are well on your way to not being a racist again. All that's left is for Al to clear you. As soon as that goes down, you will be able to mingle with your black friends just like before.
Isn't America beautiful?
17 comments:
11 27 06
FN: I was waiting to see what you had to say about that racist rant. It really bothers me that Rev Jackson has pardoned this man on behalf of all Black people! But he is a remnant from a past where he was needed and will soon fade in time. Although Richards pissed me off to no end, I DO think that Rev Jackson is showing an aspect of Christianity that many forget; forgiveness! It is not that I would eat cheesecake with Richards, but that he should be forgiven for his actions. Should he PAY for his actions? HELL YES!!! Perhaps people should boycott his performances.
It bothers me that people like Rev's Jackson and Sharpton have been the self appointed spokespeople for Black America, but at least someone is saying SOMETHING!
One thing that I fail to see the value of is Rev Jessie Lee Peterson. A lot of Black Conservatives seem to support him and I just don't get it. I would rather support Jessie Jackson and his egotistical self than Jessie Lee Peterson's message of self hatred.
In either case, in time we will move away from being the monolithic group that people perceive us to be and have more diverse representatives! And I cannot wait for that because Rev Jackson doesn't really speak for me in general...
11 27 06
BTW: Your powers of prediction are startlingly accurate!!!;)
WTF??? Is Jesse the black pope or something? What makes people think that he has the power to pardon someone on our behalf? Whatever, Kramer's still a racist donkey and not even Jesse can squash the beef. Hahahahah!
Mahndisa, why do you always make me feel like such a jerk? :) Still, no forgiveness here. Richards represents something greater than just the racial diatribe of one man. And until it goes away, I will not forgive or forget. Now will I live with it? Of course I will, I have no choice but to. But I won't put on blinders and pretend it doesn't exist either.
As for Jessie, I co-sign with everything you said about him.
I have a prediction yall, Richards will soon appear in a Diddy video.
I once heard old wise folks say that black people kill their own.
Today, I've had my fill of hearing black folks bash Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton every whichaway on radio and tv. Those men aren't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but they've proven they're commitment to worthy black causes over the years. They're not elected officials and very well could have said "f" it and moved it along. Had Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Medgar Evers, and Malcolm X lived long enough, today's black folks would have come to hate them too, especially since there was some talk that Martin loved the women. But really? Should that take away from his good works? I'm totally amazed how "we" turn on black folks when their human frailties become visible, while the rest of us fake perfection. Shame on the fallen. Falling short of the glory will draw the wrath of black folks. Our leaders are demanded to be perfect. And if not, off with their heads. And we'll scratch out your eyes and dayum you to hell. And in the processing of the scratching and dayuming, people will forget any good deeds you've ever done, because they have to focus on your faults. Balance and fairness? What's that? I'm just glad that God will be responsible for presiding over Judgment Day, because if it was left up to us mortals, we'd all be dead by now.
Our generation cracks me up with our self righteous asses. We (me included) got all kinds of education behinds us, but lack the commitment to put our lives on the line for the cause of uplifting the beautiful black people. We love the comfort and toys that come with an educated life. But how can we point and stare at folks like Sharpton and Jackson, when we've never had to tow the lines that they've towed over the years? Hell nah. We're just armchair political professionals/Monday morning quarterbacks calling the shots from a comfort zone. I've never heard Sharpton and Jackson appoint themselves to be the leaders of black people. They just seem to be the ones who are willing to speak when tragedy strikes. Has it occurred to anyone of us that if a good ole racist boy decides to chain your body to the back of a pickup truck and drag it down a rocky road, Sharpton and Jackson would be one of the first to take up your cause and take it to the attention of the national press while the rest of us armchair professionals privately grumble about it?
Situations like this Richards bullcrap got us black folks scrambling around in confusion, because we don't have our shit in order as a people. So in the process, we get riled up, because we're in such a weakened state. Rather than, lambasting any black person who attempts to take the national stage, we "all" need to get up from our armchairs in order to do something concrete beyond verbal soundbites. Let us roll up our sleeves and get to work. Today, we've got 70% of black kids being raised by single parents, increased numbers of black babies being born out of wedlock, escalating crime in our neighborhoods, increasing rates of illiteracy, increased numbers of men and women in prison, poor access to health care, declining educational quality, high unemployment, etc. We've got more than enough to work on, which we fully possess the potential to conquer. If ex-slaves could purchase land, create banks/insurance companies (North Carolina Mutual), establish HBCUs, create churches, what's holding us back today?
Forgive my frustration. But I just know that if we had our act together, racist folks like Richards wouldn't even bother to "f" with us. They would know to stay away from us.
Aziza
Hmm, who is our(white people) spokesman? I guess whoever's hosting the Today Show...
Interseting post FN. I agree with your sentiments about Richards and the so-called "self" an/or "main stream media" (ooops!) appointed leaders of our people.
What also intrigues me is the whole idea that we are such a forgiving people. In a lot of ways we "can" be. I look at the atrocities committed by the white South African government for decades against the Black population and in the end it was dealt with by a "Truth and Reconciliation" commission, in an effort to bring healing and closure between the victims and those involved. The white leaders and other perpetrators of these atrocities got away free as far as I am concerned, (while Charles Taylor sit in the Hague awaiting trial! - double-triple standards here!?) They are also planning to have similar commissions for Sierre Leone and Liberia. I wonder if this is the decision of the local governments or is it being forced upon them by the international community as a caveat to get much needed aid? I also wonder sometimes if we are truly forgiving or are these commissions just a further reflection that Black lives are NOT valued as much as say white and/or, dare I say: Jewish lives! I know this for sure.... if these atrocities had been committed to the Jews, the perpertrators would be hunted down until death and brought to Israel to face "their" brand of justice - hell they are still hunting WW2 nazis who were involved in the holocaust!! The world, and the Jews in particular, aren't calling for any Truth and Reconciliation commission to bring healing to that period in history, or to the events in the Middle-East today! They want blood! An eye for an eye!
I take the position espoused by JFK: "Forgive your enemies but never forget their names."
Asa.
I figured TNB Alerts would weigh in at some point. It's a yang and yang universe. For every act of oppression and racism, there's some negro shooting a 15year old for "snitching." For every Curt Flood there's a Terrell Owens. For every TNB there's a Field Negro. For every silly bee-yotch site like Booker Rising, there's well, everyone else with sense. Oh well. Let's shoot TNB and affirm his creedo. LOL
Anyhow...I'm surprised at Paul Mooney. Isn't he the dude who doesn't sell out and attacks folks who do, yet he's on Jesse's show? It's like Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle turning intothe same sort of eccentric Hollywood idiots they made their careers lampooning.
As for being too hard on Jesse and Al, please. There are dozens of folks who have fought the good fight and not done so for the sake of the limelight. They do it quietly, and bleed in the dark rather than up on a cross. So get the hell out of my face with that, whomever posted that comment!
I said it a billion times--Richards should have shrugged and said that was crazy, let me apologize to these people (NOT hecklers, but a big group of folks, mixed, just there for a good time and not being terribly entertained by him). But no, he had to go national, and of course that's what the Revs. love! Note he STILL won't say he's sorry. there's no legal issue here on either side, so there's frankly no impediment. jesus just invite the guys over and talk, no media! But that would be so un-American.
It's no fun being cynical, but these tools out there, from Jesse to Dubya to Diddy to the Today Show, make it so easy...
keep telling it like it is, Field.
Aziza, I understand your frustrations with the attacks on those who hold themselves out as our leaders, but as Chris said in the above post, it's because they put themselves out there. There are many people toiling in the background, and doing great things in their communities and neighborhoods without the hoopla and the limelight.-Trust me, we aren't all just sitting on our butts- But the MSM media for some reasons always focuses on the same few people. Why they do this is beyond me. I suspect it has something to do with wanting someone to speak for all of us with one voice. It makes it so much easier for them when we are monolithic, and they can always point to the same person for the anwers to the complex issue of race in America. "Jessie said it, so it must be so"
As for Jessie and Al, I have some issues with both of them born of my own personal experiences, which I won't get into right now. But let's just say that both revs are different people when the cameras are off. -There is a reason MLK's widdow did not speak to Jackson for all those years-
And folks, please ignore TNB....check that, don't ignore him, he speaks for many of our white brethren out there. Who unlike enlightended white people like chris, (poster #7) and Neil Bitch,was not quie fortunate enough to benefit from a proper education. Of course that's kind of hard to do when you spend most of your adult life in prison, or white supremacist training camps :)
That "black pope" comment was funny, that was the first thing I thought when I read this piece, too.
I agree with you, field. I, too am mad at our people for not letting America know that Jackson sure as hell ain't speaking for all of us. I think it goes back to the fact that we are too slow to call eachother on our BS. That lack of self-criticism is really serving to bite us in the butt these days. Mat Johnson speaks to this in an insightful post on his blog entitled N vs. BP. You can read it at:
http://www.niggerati.com/NiggeratiManor.html
I missed Paul Mooney on Jackson's show, but I really appreciated his satirical take on how Richards should apologize (which I posted earlier today). This is a twisted world we live in, quite often the truth can only be told behind the sarcastic face of a smart black comedian. I love the guy, so any excuse to hear his satirical take on things is enough for me. Sometimes things are so crazy, all we can do is laugh.
The ole "Divide and Conquer" scheme is the reason why we can't rise as a people. The mass media does all it can to malign any and all black people to the point that we begin to attack each other. Why must we be so weakminded to fall for that bullcrap?
I've never been in awe of any man or person for that matter. So I don't have any feelings of rage or anger towards public black figures when they fall. Folks (in the general sense) are going to have to mature enough to understand that all men (as in mankind) whether they be part of the clergy, law enforcement, or part of any leadership position struggle with lust, greed, ego, etc. just like anybody else. They are no different. And in fact, in the Bible there are examples of times when God used morally corrupt people to carry out His will to show that He can use anybody to do what’s right and change them for the good. So who are we to pass “permanent” judgment on others as if their lives and actions are of no worth or value? Could you ever imagine you making a mistake and not being allowed the opportunity to acknowledge your mistake, apologize, make amends, and move on?
Constructive criticism is healthy and quite necessary, but out and out disses serve absolutely no purpose. Most of the black folks who hold grudges against Sharpton and Jackson don't even know them personally. They act like those two stole all their money and killed their family. A person can do a million things right and the moment he or she does one thing wrong, he or she gets placed on the most hated list. However, I encourage all of us to hold the same magnifying glass that we hold over on Jackson and Sharpton on ourselves.
As a diverse group of people (black folks), we are going to have to realize that we are not going to agree with each other’s ways and methods of fighting racism and discrimination. With that said, people may not agree with Sharpton’s and Jackson’s methods, but they need to be fairminded enough to “recognize” Sharpton’s and Jackson’s good deeds amongst their mistakes. I’m not some overzealous fan who can see no wrong in the two, but let’s remember that balance has its purpose and place. Besides, I’m more of a believer of Louis Farrakhan’s and Carter G. Woodson’s schools of thought.
I promise you that I didn’t write this long response to torture you. I just feel that we’ve taken our eyes off the prize. Our focus is in the wrong place. We as a people do not possess an infinite amount of energy. Therefore, we have to be careful where we place it. And in my opinion, we’ve spent way too much time and energy ostracizing our own people to the point where our actions actually stoke the fires of the racists and make them immeasurably happy to see us at each other’s throats. Who needs the K.KK, when we do in our own? But I digress. Also, I didn’t mean to offend by the previous “armchair” reference. However, I maintain that our generation does not do enough which is quite evident with the severity of the things that have gone wrong in our community. We’re in a state of decline. So it’s going to take each and everyone of us to turn this thing around. We’ve got to get out of the business ostracization and favor a climate of inspiration. Let our wisdom reign supreme.
Aziza
Aziza: EXELLENT commentary! The spirit of which I agree with wholeheartedly!
Question or possibly an observation: Has there been any statements by the leadership of mainstream Muslim organizations on this controversy? I don't mean by "The Nation". I mean more orthodox and/or moderate branches of Islam. I amy have missed it.
Asa
11 28 06
Whoa! What an interesting set of comments. I think you hit upon a fundamental question that people have pondered over since the word came out; FORGIVENESS. I agree with one of the commenters above that forgiveness doesn't mean forgetfulness.
I also agree with the sentiments of Asabagna above,when he said that Black lives don't seem to be valued as much as other lives. Institutionally both nationally and internationally this is true. My hope is that we all begin to learn to love ourselves and one another because that is how we will become strong as a people both nationally and internationally. This means that the African Union will have to consolidate its position further as a strong trading partner in the world economy AND Africa nations will have to embrace technology. When this occurs, I think the course of our existence will be forever changed.
Good post FN:)
Hey Field,
I understand what you are saying, but I have to agree with the poster above - when it comes to Jesse and Al and other so - called leadership in Our community.... those of Us, in Our community, who are normal must learn to temper what We say and How We say.
Why?
Because from where I am sitting, they are the only ones who are taking the hits of being Men - Black Men; and acting like such. I think that that is scary to alot of Us - especially Black males, whose emasculation, by this society in general is probably the closest to coming to fruition - than at any other time in the history of Us being here.
And the plan has been and continue to be - bring those arrogant Niggers down. And We are willing allies in this too. But, what happens, these are the only Black people they are willing to deal with... even their leading Black toddies (who they disdain too; for being weak and self-hating and for use)don't get called in 99 percent of the time. Check it out for yourself Field.
Strong-willed and minded Black people are an affront to White sensibilities and sick and infirmed Black people - that is fact, and that is history.
(I love your lists of House Negroes and such; I have a suggestion for you... how about a list of that slave class - who got off the plantation and what happened to them... this in of of itself would bolster what I am saying to you... when the infirmed stop totting water...they are dismissed and destroyed.)
And you know I am not opposed to destroying them myself.
You would never get Jesse or Al to shuck and jive; like most of Us do; and find some trivial and comical reason to blame the victims of the Mike's rant.
On the other hand, I would have liked for him to move on. Mike's hatred, for whatever reason, came to fore that night. So, now you know Mike is a racist. So, Mike said what most of White America, and about 10 percent of what Black America thinks too. Jesse could have just said, he said it, so what, We have real issues to deal with.
We have spent too much time on trying to absolve White people of their Racism. We sit around and try to figure it out - to me that is destructive.
I hope that no money is exchanged. How can you pay someone for telling them of your lustful desire to hang them from a tree and put a fork in their asses?
And how many folk would not watch?
Mike is going to do fine; his tirade is going to make him rich... White America will always take care of home... and home is where the heart is.
p.s. That list... let me give you some suggestions:
Jesse Owens
T.D. Jakes
Debra Dickerson
I'm not sure why you think Jesse Jackson forgave Richards, but I don't think he did. Jackson is calling for the boycott of the latest Seinfeld episodes, which means he didn't forgive him. I heard Sharpton too, and it doesn’t seem like he forgave him either. I have problems with Black leaders in general, but I do think the Jesse Jackson’s and Al Sharpton's have their place in the Black community and do think they have somehow created a little niche for themselves although they do not any many cases speak for me.
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