DECLINED!

It's late, and I am just getting in, but I have to talk about Diddy real quick before I call it a night.

I remember when I first heard the news of Diddy giving his 16 year old son a car worth a McMansion for a birthday gift. I thought it was silly, over the top, and a colossal waste of money. But I also thought to myself that it was his money, and he could do with it what he damn well pleased. It just said a lot about Diddy and where his head is, that's all.

Now, is it turns out, my man is in the news again due to this very same issue.

Diddy recently told Vibe magazine that Nightline Host Martin Bashir's question about him giving his son a Maybach for his birthday was racist:

"There were times in the interview when I had to give him an ultimatum," Diddy told Vibe. "The questions weren't being handled the right way. In hindsight, when I saw him, I shouldn't had done the interview because I know the style of interview that he does . . .. The whole thing about giving a Maybach to my son, that's really like a racist question."

"You don't ask White people what they buy their kids," he continued. "And they buy 'em Porsches and convertible Bentleys, and it ain't no question. It's really a racist question and put things back in perspective with money and the way that people still look at you. And I'm not saying that consciously he's a racist. But he probably don't even realize that he would not ask Steve Jobs that. He would be like Steve Jobs has that money and that's the gift his kid is supposed to get."

Hmmm, sorry Diddy; you might have a Amex Black Card, but you are being declined for a race card with this one. I agree with Jam Donaldson who was writing for AOL Black Voices:

"I think Diddy was right about one thing: Most journalists would never question a wealthy white person like Steve Jobs or Warren Buffet about a car they may have bought their children.

I think, though, he is missing a critical difference between himself and men like Steve Jobs. Men like Jobs and Warren Buffet and Bill Gates have not made a fortune promoting luxury lifestyles and defining themselves by them.

A tenet of hip-hop is ostentation and glamour and luxury. Diddy's image, probably more than any other entertainer, is built on throwing wealth in the faces of others who look on with a mixture of awe, envy and delight. He brags at every opportunity about his wealth, so why shouldn't it be fair game in an interview? The image of boundless wealth, big mansions and fancy cars is how hip-hop has defined itself, and whether he wants to admit or not, Diddy is one of the main architects.

I bet a reporter wouldn't ask Bob Johnson or Kenneth Chenault about a car they bought for their children.

I believe the question was less about race and more about the fact that he is not taken seriously.

You can't be a media whore and then get mad if someone asks you a question you don't like. If you don't want to be questioned about what you give to your children, don't do it on TV. You can't have it both ways, Diddy. I can't remember the last time Bill Gates bragged to the world about how much money he had. "

Exactly! And, for the record, Bashir may or may not have issues with matters of race, but we can't call him out for this question to Diddy. Why? For all the reasons the author mentioned above.

Diddy, you might need the race card one day down the line. Don't waste it on this.