"We can't afford to be divided by race. We can't afford to be divided by region or by class and we can't afford to be divided by gender, which by the way, that means, Bernie, you've got to clean up your act next time,...... This is a family affair...."
That was the "O" man giving one of his standard political lines. Not to a community group, not to a bunch of policy wonks, but to Bernie Mac, a comedian....
Seems Bernie Mac opened for the "O" man and was less than a hit with the audience. I think the jokes were a little too raunchy for that crowd, and some took offense. One person in the audience even said it was offensive to women. (Kitty I didn't know you were from Chicago?).
So anyhooo, seems the "O" man's people had to come out with a statement regarding Bernie Mac's behavior and let the world know in no uncertain terms that the "O" man does not like those types of jokes.
"Sen. Obama told Bernie Mac that he doesn't condone these statements and believes what was said was inappropriate," spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement after the event."
Sure Jen, I hear ya........
Look, it's like this: ---And maybe this is a bad example, because if I know black folks they were probably the ones doing most of the complaining--- If the "O" man is elected President of these divided states, are we going to have to be hearing apologies and explanations for shit black folks do just because people in the majority aren't necessarily familiar with black culture? I am just saying. And I know, I know, raunchy jokes aren't black culture, and the "O" man should have probably had a very clean comic open for his event. But today it's a comic, tomorrow it's the type of food he eats, or the music he played at the inauguration. I can hear white folks or some of you "bougie" black folks now: "Did they really have to play Rick James? I mean "Super Freak" seems so inappropriate for an inauguration ball." Ahhh let me stop. I know you Obamahoics don't like to hear this shit, but it's just another aspect of life to consider if the "O" man becomes President.
Still, the night wasn't a total wash for the "O" man. Seems he went to a Lincoln Park night club where a bunch of raucous fans paid $500 a pop to hear the Chicago based rock band Wilco perform.
"Before these guys go, I want them to know that I had heard a rumor that they had suggested that I had nothing by them on my iPod,...That is not true. I love Wilco."
I am sure you do "O" man, I am sure you do.
61 comments:
Bernie Mac is funny. He manages to be funny weekly on his tv show without being vulgar or offensive.... Why the hell did he think these jokes were ok? especially after the reaction when Whoopi got vulgar in a fundraiser for Kerry. Bernie knew better. Come on now.... Obama doesnt need this.
I'm guessing Robert Townsend wasn't available so they got Bernie Mac. But hey, I'm sure Bernie knows "how to act", hell he's Hollywood now.
I'm sure he wasn't as niggerish as many people would have expected. But I guess when you pay $2300 for a plate for a fund raiser in Chicago, you expect to at least hear R.Kelly sing a rendition of "The Greatest Love Of All" instead of Bernie Mac.
Oh well, uppity folks shouldn't trip. Everybody has a drunk uncle in the family.Truthfully, if Bernie was really THAT BAD...Fox would've had the clip.
I could care less about what Bernie Mac says are does. I seriously doubt Obama will be president. So, Blacks can relax and not worry about every thing Obama does or says too.
At the rate things are going McCain will most likely end up President. I mean with Hillary angry supports plan a coup and all in the near future. Another thing did anyone see this disgusting picture of Obama and Michelle dressed as terrorist http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/11719.html
What's the problem? Bernie Mac is a comedian he tell jokes pleaseeeeee!
You leave Kitty Glendower alone!!!
And Chicagoans have better taste in politicians than Philadelphians.
It's not my mayor in the sidebar photoshop gag- it's yours. :)
I still hate you, Field- but your blog is rather intriguing.
~
L abstémius
Was Barack Obama irritated that he had exposed his daughters to a television interview or that his kids exposed more delicious details about his finicky, abstemious tastes?
...
He felt he had hawked his own kids.
abstemious
1. sparing or moderate in eating and drinking; temperate in diet.
2. characterized by abstinence: an abstemious life.
3. sparing: an abstemious diet.
Synonyms ascetic, abstinent, temperate, nonindulgent.
[Origin: 1615–25; < L abstémius, equiv. to abs- abs- + tém- (base of témétum intoxicating drink) + -ius -ious]
`
Why are they hatin' on Bernie Mac for doing what he is known to do? Any fool knows that his comedy routine is NOT like his TV show. The Obama campaign needs to go rent the Original Kings of Comedy Tour, stop apologizing for being too Black and STFU. It is really starting to get a little tiring seeing them constantly apologizing for and explaining everything Black to these crackers.
Off topic; with regards to the last blog "Why are all the brothers in the kitchen?":
Mr. Field,
Been bizzy packin' all day and just popped in.
There is this really BIG gap between your last comment to this blog and the extemely (way earlier) insulting comment from the Anon. Mold to me.
I can only hope that it is due to the hint that I gave you about email responses. But I am highly offended that anyone would think that this little redheaded white chick is a racist and that I would look at the history of this country through rose colored (pun not really intended) glasses. I know racism, I see it in my husband's family (who have a great grandma in the "wood pile", to use that nasty racist term; theirs, not mine). My particular side of the Whitney family never owned and never condoned slavery. They say that Eli's invention of the Cotton Gin expanded slavery, but I don't know if that's fact.
Perhaps Nsangoma can enlighten us on this tale (or is it?).
I can trace my family's history back through the Whitney Geneology, which was published in 1898, when my grandmother was 10 years old. The name comes from William The Conquerer (1066) and he dubbed them "Wise Men on The Whitten Wy" (a river) and was shortened to Whitney...kinda like Wooster sauce, if you get my drift.
I abhor racism and sexism, and I will tell you that to your face, whether you are black, white or any other race, and whether you a GLBT or not or some other unknown stripe. I'd smack little green folks from Mars with it, too.
I am deeply insulted and hope that this issue will be corrected by you or one of your loyal fans on this blog.
Respectfully submitted,
Whitney (proud of my name) Brown
For some interesting reason, there's not a little check the box there now. Hmmmmm. Am I the discoverer of someone's secret. Go eat a mold(y) biscuit.
Now that I think about it, I can hear all the comments about the elitist white folks. Well, I guess that all the good that my grandmother Jessie Whitney Cartwright did for women and for black folks can be thrown under the bus. Whatever.
You're Black, so I'm sure you know all of the other Black people. I'm white and I've talked it over with all of the other white people. Please tellMr. Obama he doesn't have to take responsibility for everything that every other Black person on Earth does. Even if he has met them once or twice.
It's that or I am going to have to take responsibility for every demented peckerwood who has ever wandered through my life. I mean, in case I decide to run for public office.
And besides, Bernie Mac is
a.)Funny
b.)Basically cute as a button
Personally I have some Wilco on my iPod, but that's because I have every song ever recorded by a white person on my special white-people-only-even-the-Black-dudes-in-the-Apple-store-have-never-heard-of-it-edition iPod. We all have one.
@Field: "'A zebra is authentic (black and white stripes), so is a leopard with all those spots.
A zebrapard is not authentic.'
LOL! And jwj who exactly is a "zebrapard" in your book?"
Whether you're McShame or Obama, when you try to please all the people all the time, you lose authenticity--it's hard for anyone to know, including yourself, who and what you are, not to mention where you stand.
Even after suggesting that Mac's jokes were inappropriate and divisive, he hasten to mend fences with Mac:
"By the way, I'm just messing with you, man [Bernie Mac]."
A zebrapard at his best.
I think that McShame and Obama are both growing spots and stripes, creating what could become a "sideshow attraction," or distraction depending on your point of view.
But, it appears that Americans aren't unhappy with zebrapards, 18 million of them voted for Hillary, a rarely seen zebrapard in the wild--one having as many stripes as spots--who is also married to a zebrapard--another rarety.
"If the "O" man is elected President of these divided states, are we going to have to be hearing apologies and " for shit black folks do just because people in the majority aren't necessarily familiar with black culture?"
I doubt it. Obama will have his hands full with real problems. Everyone will be pulling him in different directions at the same time trying to push their agenda. It's a nasty business. I can't imagine who isn't familiar with black culture already. It's the positive black culture that gets lost to society and that's a shame.
I read that Obama said he was just playin a bit after that.
bernie mac is not funny but this is...obie and michie on cover of the new yorker...
Jon, you know what's scary, there are quite a few folks in A-merry-ca who are being exposed to black folks or black culture for the first time because of Obama.
whitney b, I don't think mold was directing his comments at YOU per se. Look, everyone knows that you are a down ass white girl. (I know I do) so don't personalize the attacks, mold seemed to be making a larger point about society as a whole.
Oh yes, jwj and the "zebrapard" analogy. I am starting to see where you are going with this jwj :)
"At the rate things are going McCain will most likely end up President. I mean with Hillary angry supports plan a coup and all in the near future"
anon. 8:54PM, the "O" man has to help her with that debt first.
Oh lawd singaporeswim, I just saw that link. "The New Yorker" needs to quit. You know that a bunch of folks already believe some crazy shit about the "O" man.
So Field, since there were people in the actual audience who took offense to Mac's material, what was Obama's camp supposed to say? "Ya'll need to stop trippin, Bernie's just keeping it real..."
Guess I'm not understanding how a prez candidate's appropriate response to an act that was heckled is "apologizing for all the sh-- Black folks do".
fn,
who cares. those folks wouldn't give obie the time of day if he literally could walk on water.
he's running for potus and b/c of that (and regrettably) practically nothing is off limits and any thing goes.
Guess I'm not understanding how a prez candidate's appropriate response to an act that was heckled is 'apologizing for all the sh-- Black folks do'"
Was it an appropriate response? Should they have responded at all? The people at the fundraiser who actually had a problem with Mac, let him know about it by heckling him.
Should that not have been the end of the story?
Bernie's stage act can be raunchy, but his TV show was one of the best, realest family-oriented comedies EVER, that always had a positive message without getting preachy. It's a shame it never got the audience it deserved.
I'm anonymous 10:23:
Yes they should have responded. Obama is living in a fishbowl: what do you think the ramifications would be if he hadn't said one word about the offensive comments? And as someone else here mentioned, Obama ended his reaction with "I'm just kidding with you, man"-Isn't that enough brother solidarity to compensate for any perceived shuck and jiving? It wss pretty generous to me, cause I would have been mad as hell at a fool who doesn't know you don't tell dirty jokes at a presidential fund raiser. I mean, a joke that implies all women have the potential to be whores? Did Mac think he was at a BET awards show? Tired, "urban" comedy like this makes me miss George Carlin even more.
And back to your comment about 'apologizing for what Black people do'... no where in Obama's statement did I hear a reference to Mac's routine as racial or even just cultural. He should have apologized for the act's corny-ness alone.
1. Bernie Mac should have known better.
I find What About Our Daughter's take on this to be very interesting.
2. FN, Bernie is old news.
You gotta write about that racist New Yorker cover.
Calling black women "ho's", i kinda miss the funny in that.
Bernie Mac can be funny but there was nothing funny in the "women are ho's" comment that people took offense to.
I didn't hear anything that Bernie Mac said. But I was wondering today if Obama was going to have to keep apologizing for everything that every Black person, alive or dead, has ever done or said. I'd sure hate it if I had to go around apologizing for all the crazy shit that white people do. The rest of my natural life would not be enough, even if I kept at it day and night. George Bush alone would take up all that.
Wilco?? Is it just my imagination or is Wilco kind of a redneck band? I hope I haven't offended anyone.
Bernie made an ass of himself. What's so funny about a routine that included telling your son to ask his mother if she'd have sex with the mailman for $50K as the definition of a rhetorical question? He's lucky that the New Yorker flap is going to be news cycle for tomorrow.
Mr. Field,
As I said in the "Why are all the brothers in the kitchen?"....this is a nasty old email (joke passed about, no matter the color). How could he repeat it, I have no idea. What was he thinking? Duh, could we say dopey?!
The bigger question that worries me is that the O'Man made comments, appropriately so, about how nasty Big Mac's comments were, but then said "By the way, I'm just messing with you, man."
Now, to me, that is unbelievable. But, hell, what do I know? I am just a white chick, one of those dumb little bimbos that everyone likes to make josh at. Hahahahaha. At least I realize how stoopid that comment was.
By the way, this little ugly old white chick ain't no racist, so don't go yappin' on this blog about Shitney. I can't beat you with my fists, but I can sure as hell down you with my words.
I have REALLY been there and done that and until you have been actually under fire (which I have) you ain't smokin' s**t. How many of you black folks have been in actual riots and under fire and mace and tear-gas? Me was there. Me done that and I have no fear about it. The only fear I have is about me step-dad raping me. That is a memory that I would fer shure like to forget.
Gangsta gurl (but not hoodlum),
Whit
P.S.
At least I didn't fulfill my wish and payment (to my pals in the Chicago ganstas) to the end the life of the rapist. Now, I kinda wish I had. But, not really. As in the words of Oscar Wilde, "Revenge is a dish best served cold." Does it not mean that perhaps there is a higher power? Lawd, I hope so.
Szechuanpork,
I am getting hungry for that pork right now. Chicken, beef, lamb, pork.....anything that will end the vacant place in my heart with the A-Merry-icans. Yikes.
We are "Helpless helpless helpless children."
Whit
Obama's people have Bernie Mac do his stand up and then they get mad at Bernie Mac for doing his stand up?
He's muthafuckin' Bernie Mac...I'm surprised ho was all he said.
Yeah, you're right nelson m. It is kinda funny, but not, because it is nasty about women. Though it is an old joke on the 'net, it is still calling us 'hos. Which is wrong, wrong, wrong...and O'Man should have known better than him to introduce him.
Whit
How come Batack's people aren't dealing with this stuff before it happens? All it takes is, "Keep it clean, Bernie" from the appropriate staffer.
Off topic:
I am watching a documentary on Fredrick Douglas H.S. in Baltimore. This is the high school from which Thurgood Marshall graduated (anyone?). Now, there are 1008 students (when this docu was made) but only 105 folks signed up for the PTA. WTF? Parents these days (whatever damned stripe they are) don't seem to give a shit about their kids!!! I am angry at this disconnect.
Hello? Snatch up or lock that TV. Get rid of the video games. Quit TiVo'ing. Learn sumthin' while working with your kids and their homework. No one ever did that for me, but I did it on my own. Because, granny (Jessie) told me to. Thank you Jessie. If there is a gawd Jessie, I hope you are looking down upon me fondly. If not, I promise to buck up.
All I have lived for and have worked for is to live up to your high standards. You made me see the right path in life. Give and give again. Live and let live. And lift up those who deserve to be.
No "To Sir With Love" anymore. Guess "Who's Coming To Dinner?" McShame unless we ignore the Big Mac's and get out to (the) vote!!!
Nsangoma,
Megga apologies (yes, it's not a word in the dic, but I don't know...how can I bow down otherwise) to you, again. It is Frederick Douglass H.S., as I know that you've researched my besmirching comments. Meant for real. I am pretty disgusted with the state of education in this country. And, the lack of grammar that we were all taught at one time. Not to mention, the lack of respect that we should feel for our elders and why-sers (my new name for them which got more brains than I ever thought of having). I got the brain, but not the game.
Supper gumbo (okra) and tomatoes. Okay, I'll bite. Gonna join me and Szechuanpork (which sounds tastier when I think about eating okrie) :) Ark, ark (that's what little dogs say) :)
Whitster
Bernie is a riot. I like him and always have.
About Obama, he and Old Mr. Morton have a lot of similarities:
For example both Barack Obama and John McCain support:
• Federal funding for stem-cell research
• making nuclear nonproliferation a priority
• expanding government wiretapping and domestic spying
• expanded Bush’s so-called faith-based social services
• the role of the government in stopping global warming
• legalization of the estimated 12 million immigrants in US
• ending so-called late term abortions
The centrist consensus on many issues underscores an important dynamic in the 2008 political climate.
At a time of growing frustration with gridlock and partisan bickering in Washington, politicians with a pragmatic, middle-course tack are thriving. In both parties, the more strident, ideological presidential candidates lost in the primaries.
The one difference between the candidates is Iraq. McCain opposes a timetable for U.S. troop withdrawal whereas Obama still adheres to a 16 month timetable for U.S. troop withdrawal.
So will the 2008 presidential election really come down to who the voter would rather have a beer with?
Field, I liked Obama more before he sprinted to the center. He ran as a liberal to get where he is and that's how I came to love the guy. Now, I am out of love.
Don't get me wrong, Barack still gets an invite to come our house for Thanksgiving but I won't ask him to spend the night.
And I'm not alone. The polls have tightened and he and Old Mr. Morton are all tied up. Not good so early in a campaign.
Bernie Mac should have known better. People were not there because they came to see his brand of comedy. They were not paying to see him either, so he should have played to a generic audience, like his TV show. I thought he was there in support of Barack Obama, his comedy should have been at least a little political and geared toward his opponents. Isn't Bernie Mac creative enough.
~
A lil' DAP will do yah.
A little dab'll do ya.
`
"2. FN, Bernie is old news.
You gotta write about that racist New Yorker cover."
rikyrah, I will be writing about that cover. Now folks might not like what I have to say; but hey, you asked for it.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Now we're talking about Obama's opening act? Are you fucking kidding me? Let's talk about Phil Gramm, McSame's co-chair and economic advisor saying that the recession is all in our heads. (as if we were a bunch of dizzy housewives from the 50's). Let's talk about McSame saying that he didn't know that much about the economy back in April and pointing to Phil Gramm, who said we were a nation of whiners. (not winer like the wine dog) Let's talk about McSame saying that we'd leave Iraq if they didn't want us there and then the Iraqis say "We don't want you here" and he ignores it. Let's talk about Carly Fiorina misrepresenting his position on women's issues and then him stammering around and saying "I'm not up on that subject" just like he did on the economy but he's been voting on these issues for 28 fucking years. But noooo, we're talking about Obama's fucking opening act? We're an nation of idiots.
Obama needs to take a page from John Edwards. Whenever the conversation veered away from issues he said "I'm here to talk about the things that affect the American people" and drove the conversation back to the issues. It's one of the reasons I'm a John Edwards fan. Bernie Mac isn't an issue, he's an opening act.
And no, I don't know who pissed in my Wheaties this morning.
I really like what Wine Dog said, sadly we have become a nation of idiots.. we spend so much time sweating the small stuff and just skipping the conversation as far as the larger more salient issues.
Call me crazy but the economy is tanking (hello, IndyMac, Freddie and Fannie, just this weekend alone), gas is sky high, we are in a never ending war and folks are mad about Bernie Mac? (scratching my head) WTF is wrong with us?
Also as a fan of Bernie Mac, how come as others have stated, the Obama people didn't either tell Bernie to keep it clean or else get a comedian who is more suitable to the occasion?
Obama's camp just said they didn't agree with the comments Bernie said...what's wrong with that? If I was there at $2300 a plate I would have been mad too...I would have been mad that Bernie Mac was telling a old azz joke that I have gotten in my email at least 10 times in the last decade. My goodness that's a played out joke. I heard Ron White say the same damn joke a couple of years ago. Get some original material!
FN, I'm starting to wonder are you vieing for the job of feeding the "O" man grapes between the hours of 9 to noon?
My feelings on this are that Obama's people shouldn't have had to tell Bernie Mac anything.. Bernie is a grown azz man..he should have known better...but Bernie was just being Bernie and anyone who has been to his live show..know it's totally different than his TV persona. He is a comedian and the jokes just did not go over well.. Obama should not have had to apologize jokingly or not..those words didn't fall out of his mouth.
Dang, I guess I have to wait a day for the cover of New Yorker to be discussed.
Can we ever talk about anything relevant, like McCain is old as hell or I just graduated with a degree in Accounting and cannot find a job anywhere. I have little food in the fridge, my truck is leaking radiator fluid, I'm about to be evicted, my stomach hurts like hell, the stress is killing me.
I hate blanket statements thanks for the sidebar dissing my whole "irrelevant" generation. I always wonder why we get all the blame and not crack, or Reagan that was introduced to my generation during high school, right before we became adults. Oh I guess we were supposed to know beforehand the damage crack would do to our generation destroying our mothers, children, sustaining a jail system, creating a new slavery. Thanks! Hey when I get older I'll put down my son's whole generation, everybody!
Forget about the New Yorker, what abou Young Berg and the Dark Butts?
I can't "afford" my bills, but lo, and behold, every month they show up in my mail box.
Obama needs to wake up. He can "Hope" all he wants, but the truth is, America is divided by race, class, gender, religion, sneaker choice, music, height, width, etc, etc.
Maybe next time he can ask Pauly Shore, or Carrot Top to headline, and afterward they can jam out to some Lawrence Welk.
Until he's willing to take these issues head on, he's going to look weak.
We need someone who's willing to take a stand, not another milque toast, candy ass.
Democrats already tried that route, Twice, and both times we got shafted.
America is tougher than Obama thinks, we can handle Bernie Mack, shit, at this point we can damn near handle anything, after all, we've dealt with Chimpy's dumbass for almost eight years.
Vulgar language is not appropriate for a campaign event. Period. Obama's folks need to be more intelligent about who they hire. I personally find too many black stand ups childishly vulgar. I'd rather have root canal than watch def jam comedy. Yuck.
This isn't about Obama apologizing for other black people. This is for apologizing for showing bad judgement for hiring an "adult" entertainer for a non "adult" event. My goodness, people, grow up.
You'd think Obama had never heard Cosby doin' standup... Nobody does clean standup (well, I have heard it, but that was about the Autobots... hilarious, but none of the kids would be laughing -- and that was the point, in the school play).
There's a reason there is a two drink minimum, folks. It's to make the bad jokes bearable.
There's a difference between suggestive and even a little off color and just plain vulgar in words and in cotext. I've heard some black comics where every other word rhymed with duck. It's childish. I'm not saying Bernie did that. There is clean comedy. Maybe it's mostly older comics. Maybe the filth is a youth thing. I loved Richard Pryor but were he still alive and able to perform, he would be a TERRIBLE choice for such an event. Sinbad is clean. Robert Townsend is mostly clean. There's a bunch of white guys who appear on the Comedy Network who are clean. George Carlin could get a little blue sometimes but he proved that if you have any facility with the langugae, you don't have to be dirty to be really funny. Seineld, George Wallace (who is black), Billy Crystal, Jon Stewart, Dom Irrera. These are guys who make me laugh and are pretty clean.
So now we can debate who is funny, who is clean, etc. Whatever.
The point is, not every thing is appropriate for every occasion. You all are going to have to get used to criticism directed at Obama if he is going to be president and not make every criticism a racial issue. George Bush gets talked about like a big dog and I suspect some of you will be having fits if Obama gets even a quarter of the criticism. I can't think of a president that didn't get a lot of criticism, including Reagan who had one of the most corrupt cabinets in history. get a grip people.
[quote]" You have taken our legacy, the one you inherited and squandered it.We didn't fight so that you would be "free" to call our beautiful black women "ho's and bitches", for you to make intellectual pursuit synonymous with emulating whites, and instituting a "no-snitch" policy with the urging and support of those very hoodlums that are threatening our black communities and bringing them down, and using the word "nigga," ubiquitous in our community, that seared our psyche as we stood our ground against the tyranny of racism.Where is your fight? I know: it's to make as much money as you can by selling drugs, disrespectful music, and holding the black community hostage to violence and abuse....
...This generation is "irrelevant."It didn't advance our hopes, wishes, and "dreams." This generation became self-indulgent, self-centered, and exploited the weakest among us, modeling some of the worst behavior and attitudes possible--a slap in the face of those of us who took a slap in the face so that you wouldn't have to."[/quote]
Good post Field-Negro. Those BLACK CONSERVATIVES that this author is talking about are indeed a problem in our community. They need to be put in check!!
I am glad that your prime focus is on this particular threat to our community.
:lol:
(Note: The natural order of things always has a way of correcting the habits of those who promote 'scapegoats' as the primary focus of their attacks as they pursue that which feels most ideologically natural for them to attack.
They will find that the 'termites within' that who they are loathed to deal with and instead offer a blanket of protection to who will always force them to turn inward lest their roof collapses and kills them all.)
Thank you again Field-Negro.
...as if kitty would be caught dead in a room full of black folks...
This shit is gettin' real ridiculous Bro. Field...since closing the nomination, Bro. Obama has tacked pretty hard to the right side of the road. And I know you intelligent black folks don't believe that's just playing politics...do you? Obama voted to re-authorize the repressive PATRIOT Act and just recently FISA laws that allow telecoms immunity freedom to listen to your phone calls and read your email...without warrants. He also opposed Russ Feingold’s move to censure the Bush administration after the president was FOUND to have illegally wiretapped U.S. citizens. His flip-flop on "faith-based" funding... his hawkish pronouncements to use first-strike nuclear weapons against Iran, his wavering on bringing ALL troops home...ending war in Iraq, and his immediate kowtowing before AIPAC the DAY after he was nominated was a perfect indication of where Bro. Obama's allegiance lies.
He supports and maintains key parts of the corporatist-right wing agenda...just like McCain and Hillary. He repeats similar rhetoric in his speeches that race-baiting Republicans claim; pointing to poor blacks moral and cultural flaws as the cause of concentrated black poverty, not the systems, structures, practices and consequences of white supremacy and privilege. Anybody with a semblance of intelligence or perception, can see through his pandering and posturing for those "hard-working WHITE" votes that the media claims is necessary for his winning. Now, Bro. Obama is criticizing Bernie Mac for doing what he does...tell off-colored and crude jokes. WTF!! Why did you invite the brother if you knew what his act was about...and I know that Bro. Obama has heard and probably seen the Macman before.
Of course, supporting Obama is a no-brainer for most black folks but you star-struck kneegrows should'nt be too dissapointed if his presidency don't turn out to be much different from a McCain or Clinton one.
I know many here believe you would be wasting a vote, voting for anyone other than Obama...but I just cannot bring myself to vote for him. He is nothing more than a lackey for the power elite...and because of that I will be casting my vote for the person who has shown a true commitment to democracy, equality and justice - Sista Cynthia McKinney.
Obama and McCain are not tied.
Obama's lead has eroded slightly in national polls because his lead in states like NY and Cali has slipped a little bit.
Meanwhile, he's ahead by HEALTHY margins in:
Colorado
Iowa
Minnesota
Wisconsin
New Mexico
New Hampshire
Ohio (!)
Virginia (!)
Michigan
and he's breathing down McCain's neck in Montana and the Dakotas.
Y'all can worry about Obama selling out all you want, he's too busy laying the foundation to win an election for the Democrats for once.
Jimbo
Okay,
I've read most of the comments about Bernie Mac Gate. It was Obama's people who should have known Bernie Mac's style of comedy. After all, if you get a pit bull as a pet, you have to expect it may bite someone.
They could've went with someone different. They 'ain't that brand new, are they?
Anonymous: "I hate blanket statements thanks for the sidebar dissing my whole "irrelevant" generation."
Not the whole generation, anonymous, just that generation that would diss and reduce to "irrelevancy" those that led the charge against racism; and those who fought for civil rights, not for themselves only, but for posterity.
And by your own admission, some in your generation found solace in "crack," rather than extending the fight we started:
"Oh I guess we were supposed to know beforehand the damage crack would do to our generation destroying our mothers, children, sustaining a jail system, creating a new slavery."
Yes, you should have known. Had most of us in my generation turned to drugs for solace during that era, this era of potentiality might never have been.
I'm glad that you used our legacy to gain an education for yourself. Thats what we fought for: a black America that would build on what we gained.
But your next statement leaves me bewildered and perplexed:
"I always wonder why we get all the blame and not crack, or Reagan that was introduced to my generation during high school, right before we became adults."
Where's your fight? It sounds to me that you're willing to quit, to give up, even before you enter the fray.
I learned years ago that "if a thing is worth having, it's worth fighting for".
Find "something worth having," and fight until you're bloodied, if necessary, to attain it.
And you don't have to punch below the belt, or bite off ears to do so, you can adhere to the Marquis of Queensberry rules, and still do yourself proud.
Watch again, or, for the first time, if you haven't seen it, the Chris Gardner story, "The Pursuit of Happyness," for inspiration, and success know-how.
Read biographies of those who overcame great obstacles, and setbacks, to achieve.
No money for books, check out (literally) your Free Public Library--as many books as necessary--to learn how others did it, and how you may emulate them.
I don't blame "crack" for the destruction of segments of the black community, nor do I blame Reagan.
I blame those who believed that crack was a viable choice, given all the other choices that they could have made--that our generation assured them.
Again, I blame those who didn't stand up to Reagan, and give him as well he gave.
We had our Reagans, too, and they weren't always in the White House.
Surely, don't blame others for your "failures," because you'll have to give them "credit" when you succeed.
If I might add, harshly, but respectfully, the whine in your statement leaves me cold and unsympathetic to your plight.
If you want my respect, and those around you, get some pluck. Stand tall.
And even if you fall, it won't hurt as much, if you're "standing tall" than if you're in a slouch mentally, spiritually, and yes, physically.
Start acting as though it's impossible to fail.
Develop a plan (Know what you want, and devise a way to get it.), tell everybody about it, and ask them for their help, and their input.
Don't do this all alone. You don't have to. It's called Networking.
Networking is a little used asset, but an asset nevertheless, if you know how to exploit it. I use exploit not as in "con," but as a meaningful way to "give as you receive," a resource of reciprocity, rather than naked self-centeredness.
Stay positive, especially in the midst of negative circumstances, when it may seem the hardest state of mind to achieve.
What the hell good is it, if we can only stay positive when it's easiest.
Why? So that you will stay open to the opportunities all around you.
A closed mind only sees what's locked away behind it, and isn't open to what Bruce Lee called, "all that heavenly glory," that extends beyond our narrow and myopic horizons.
My parting words: Don't surrender until you give yourself a fighting chance to win.
Success is a state of mind, as his failure.
A winner needs only a "chance," and will create one, if one is not forthcoming.
A loser will never take a chance (and will blow the ones he gets), although a million chances may come his way, and will never create one, for fear it won't be good enough.
Coming out of lurking just to say that I'm getting really sick of Obama having to apologize for and distance himself from every negro that opens his mouth around him or about him. Context is everything, but damn.
WTF are you talking about jwj?
My point being I hate blanket statements, all I hear from the previous generation is complaints. I never hear anyone talk about blaiming Reagan or Iran-Contra and the effect on my generation, like a PBS special I watched years ago clearly examined. How does putting down a whole generation of children help? It just creates animosity.
Typical America blame the victim. You should have known how crack was going to ruin this generation and the next. In LA in the 80's trains would role up and park in the hood, unlocked one car would be loaded with guns the other with ammo.The police would take Polaroids of black boys age 8-12. yeah must be my generation that caused this whole mess.
And you don't even know me or my life, all I did as a kid was stay in my room and read, I'm from Boston, surrounded by nothing but colleges, I graduated at sixteen and went to Boston Latin, number 87 on the list of top high schools in America, I went to a gifted school in elementary. Still can't get a job, I speak three languages.
Heroin took out all our jazz greats. And networking NO I never heard of it, please tell me more of this new skill.. Now back to crack this was the most destructive drug to come to our communities. It took out mothers like no other drug before it, dealers in their misguided attempts wanted to be their own bosses like AMERICA glorifies! I don't understand in America why blacks are supposed to be outside or above American society. We see the glorification of criminals, the Mob, gangster movies from the 50's. We watched Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and yet when Black people follow American culture our elders scream and holler. Oh what I'm not supposed to be influenced by american history, what I don't understand is why black people will publicly put down their own children. I live in a mixed city ALL POOR PEOPLE ACT ALIKE so why does the older generation expect Black poor people to be any different. I never hear Samoans on TV dissing their younger generation I never hear white people scream on TV about the Meth users not taking care of their kids. I never hear Native Americans on TV screaming how they are disappointed by the younger generation ( Yeah I know many a tribe) so why do blacks?
It seems like that old mentality, massa we ain't like dem negroes, I HATE BLANKET STATEMENTS AND GENERALIZATIONS.
and keeping positive is not getting me a job or paying my bills or anything. right now I have a job interview, no gas, no public transportation, but thanks older generation for all your constant negative generalizations!
Note: An "attack free" post on Christopher, Jody
[quote]Field, I liked Obama more before he sprinted to the center. He ran as a liberal to get where he is and that's how I came to love the guy. Now, I am out of love.[/quote]
Hi Christoper. May I ask you a question if you don't mind, sir?
Obama was an attractive candidate to YOU during the primary because he "out-lefted" Hillary Clinton - just as I heard O'Reilly say in the background a few minutes ago.
Christoper - do YOU figure that it is possible that Obama realizes that most Americans are NOT LEFTISTS as you are and thus he needed to move to the Center after having won the Democratic primary in order to have a chance of winning the general election?
Still - take away his "centrist rhetoric" during this point in time - do you have any particular LEGISLATIVE history on Obama that makes you believe that he is a "Centrist" and that he means what he says right now?
@ANON: "How does putting down a whole generation of children help? It just creates animosity."
Strong medicine is often called for in the face of an unyielding, and stubborn illness.
Again: Not the whole generation, anonymous, just that generation that would diss and reduce to "irrelevancy" those that led the charge against racism;
@ANON: "Typical America blame the victim. You should have known how crack was going to ruin this generation and the next.
Again: I blame those who believed that crack was a viable choice, given all the other choices that they could have made--that our generation assured them.
@ANON: "And you don't even know me or my life, all I did as a kid was stay in my room and read...Still can't get a job, I speak three languages."
You're right, I don't know you, but what you have said here has revealed more than you know.
You seem preeminently qualified to do many things. Perhaps you need to look in the one place you've never thought to look to understand why your life is in a stall, and a "holding pattern" and is not taking off--yourself.
I understand your anger, but it's misplaced. Believe me, in this life you will find that you have but one butt to kick to keep you going forward--and it is your own.
@ANON: "And networking NO I never heard of it, please tell me more of this new skill....
It's an old skill that the Internet has given greater life to. Google it. The Internet has brought it into sharper focus, what with its ability to communicate with the speed of light.
There are any number of these sites on the Internet, no doubt one is focused on your specialty, "accounting."
On these sites others share ideas, and opportunities, how they "overcame" anonymity, how they "branded" themselves, and sold themselves to a number of prospective employers, and landed that job.
@ANON: "Oh what I'm not supposed to be influenced by American history, what I don't understand is why black people will publicly put down their own children."
History effects of all, but it's how we respond to that history that makes us winners or losers.
We're always at choice as to how we will experience an act, and event, and an occurrence--whether it appears to have a negative or a positive impact on us.
You're not this helpless, hapless, individual, continually at the mercy of circumstances.
Had that been the case, those of us who truly faced, and defeated, racial inequality, would have surrendered to the enormity of the task long before we started.
Maybe what you see as a "put down" is merely an attempt to challenge you to be, as the Army says, "All You Can Be."
@ANON: "I live in a mixed city ALL POOR PEOPLE ACT ALIKE so why does the older generation expect Black poor people to be any different."
I expect All People to be "different" from what they were yesterday, to decide and choose their "highest ideal," the next grandest version of themselves as they can imagine.
This is where we seem to differ--I expect those around me to aspire to greatness, to affirm who they truly are--the wonderful, magnificent beings that they are, and can become.
Mediocrity should never be the aim, nor should it be what one settles for.
Nothing but one's very best (which will vary by individual, obviously), should be sought, not just in the "doing," but also in the "being."
Actually, what you're "being" is light-years more valuable than what you're "doing."
If you found my rant harsh, so be it, it was not given to offend or to belittle.
And if there is illicit behavior that brings harm to any segment of our society, why not speak out against it? We should all speak out, not just blacks, but All Americans, be they white, black, brown, or red.
Silence only gives tacit approval to the unacceptable behavior--behavior that harms the individual as well as society.
The motto of this blog insists that : "Silence Is Never Golden".
Maybe, we oldster yell the loudest, because we care the most. Have you thought about that?
@ANON: "It seems like that old mentality, massa we ain't like dem negroes...."
Surely, you can perceive what I've said anyway you please, as pandering to the status quo, or offering the distilled wisdom of a lifetime, a lifetime where, oftentimes, racism was raw, and-up-in-your-face close, each and every day.
It's not usual for the youth of today to cast aside the wisdom of the old, and, in some ways, it's salutary, and, in others, it is down right against their own self-interest.
There's an old saying: "Youth is wasted on the young, and wisdom is wasted on the old."
This statement holds a big kernel of truth.
@anon: "I HATE BLANKET STATEMENTS AND GENERALIZATIONS."
Then, you hate the stuff of Life.
Here's another statement that may not make any sense to you, and I mean to impart it respectfully:
All of Life is a blanket statement and a generalization.
Truth cannot be held in all the facts, and the random bits of information that pervade our daily life, and ultimately define a lifetime.
It's in the generalizations of a lifetime where truth lurks, not in the specific, individual minutiae that tend to bog down our perceptions.
Think history again. Historians pour over diaries, logs, and other specific documents, records, and accounts to formulate a historical chronicle of events and summations, and they do it, not by reciting each individual perspective, but by seeking to bring together a consensus of views.
So, too, with your life, you will find that an answer is more valuable than the answers, and a conclusion more valuable than a summary.
@ANON: "...and keeping positive is not getting me a job or paying my bills or anything...but thanks older generation for all your constant negative generalizations!"
My friend, had my aim been to castigate you, I would not have taken the time to offer you encouragement, or avuncular advice.
Clearly, it was advice unsought, and perhaps unheeded. But that's okay. Yet, I cared enough to extend a hand. How it was accepted is beyond my ability to control, although the advice came from a place of deep concern for your future success, and your general well-being.
The measure of man is not in the advice he seeks, but in the advice he accepts.
And if "keeping it positive," doesn't resonate with you, that's fine; if you believe that "keeping it negative," will give you a "positive" return on your mental effort and mindset, please continue in that direction.
But, I fail to see how a mind-set of being down, demoralized, hopeless, discouraged, unhappy, defeated, downcast, and melancholy, is going to magically transport you over the deep chasm of despair and place you on the road to success.
And, I tell you this, if that is your wish, let nothing I say here deter you from this or any path you wish to take with your life.
Ultimately, Life boils down to nothing more than the decisions we make and the things we choose.
A wise man once said: "We're always responsible for what we think, feel, and do."
I'm afraid that we can't give that burden over to another by proxy. Our life is our life, and we can't hire surrogates to live it for us.
Just a thought, but a powerful one, if you "choose" to see it that way.
If I've said anything here that you have perceived as regrettable, harmful, or, in the least, thoughtless, and callous, I extend my humble apology and regrets, and wish you and your "generation" nothing but peace, joy, and the fullness of success as you have defined it, or may come to define it.
But...as I am sure you have already heard. The O man said at the end of what you quoted that he was playing around...i.e. he's had to repeat something similar to the "can't afford to be divided by..." meme about 13380 times.
So really, its everybody else thats buggin out.
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