Classy black guy on TV!

I first saw Hill Harper peddling The Conversation last week on The Wendy Williams Show. (Yes, that Wendy Williams Show.) Then I heard him talking about it on The Steve Harvey Morning Show the next day.

As you may know, this is the third book from Hill (or Mr. Harper to Sasha and Malia). He has worked with both Joshua Jackson and with his friend President Barack Obama. Can you say the same about yourself and your friends? I need to be friends with a President. Readers, get on that: One of you needs to be elected President so I can be friends with you. Start the campaigning today.

I like to page through Hill's other books, Letters to a Young Brother and Letters to a Young Sister, while I wak through airport bookstores. So, no, I don't actually own any of the books yet, per se. But you readers should get them, and tell me what you think!

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"I'm from Roosevelt, Long Island. It's not the projects."

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Ha ha! Oh dear. It's sad when even black people don't realize that not every black person is from "the projects", or from "Blackville". I'm sure Chuck D gained his street cred while he was studying graphic design at Adelphi University. It looks like a rough campus.

I can see how one could get confused if you got all of your information about black people by watching TV. For instance, if you turned to CNBC to enjoy a show like Newbos: The Rise of America’s New Black Overclass, hosted by Lee Hawkins, you would leave with the impression that the only wealthy black people of note (except for Oprah) are all men who are involved with the entertainment industry in some way and/or have jewelry for teeth. Yes, it was that bad.

The documentary offers behind-the-marquee stories on several high-profile Newbos, including NBA superstar LeBron James, Major League All-Star Torii Hunter, The Williams brothers of Cash Money Records, Dallas Cowboy star Terrell Owens, billionaire entrepreneur and Newbo pioneer Bob Johnson and musician, Multiplatinum gospel star Kirk Franklin, and television network owner Wyclef Jean.

Terrell Owens? Really? You couldn't find anyone else a little less controversial, Mr. Hawkins? As Black Enterprise's Alfred Edmond, Jr., put it:

When did CNBC start airing MTV Cribs?

I can only look forward to this summer's Black in America 2: Electric Boogaloo. Because the first installment was so good.

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Seven percent

According to CNN's exit polls, 10% of the 2,240 respondents who voted on Proposition 8 were "African-American". 70% of those people voted yes on Proposition 8. Which means that 7% of the respondents who voted yes on Proposition 8 were black. Conversely, 93% of the respondents who voted yes on Proposition 8 were not black. 93%. And yet, black people are getting most of the blame.

Using the same data and method of calculation, here are some more statistics: Of the respondents who voted Yes on Proposition 8,

• 19% were white Republicans
  
• 25% were conservatives
• 25% approved of the war in Iraq
• 27% attended church weekly
• 30% voted for Bush in 2004
• 32% voted for McCain in 2008
• 37% were married

But it's still the black people's fault because . . . ?

Here's what Renee has to say about the situation: Black Friendly When We Need You, Womanist Musings via Feministe.

When other so-called justice programs needs us, they remind us of the ways in which we are marginalized and attempt to point out that their exclusion is the same. You know what I'm talking about, the "it's just like Rosa Parks line." This often makes me want to ask, really are you sure? It seems that white people have a history of knowing what blacks go thorough on a daily basis when it is convenient for them to admit the ways in which they discriminate against POC. When they want something from us, like a vote on a bill, organizing help, or even a gopher to make coffee they suddenly are so understanding of what blacks are dealing with.

The rest of the time we get told about how equal the world is; yes the wonderful post racial world that we have been informed that we are all living in. With the election of Obama we have even been flatly told that we have no excuses left for being at the bottom of the race and class hierarchy. White people have been decent enough to put aside their racial hatred and therefore blacks should just buck up and deal with the high level of incarceration, bad schools, inequity in employment, etc and etc., It's socially unacceptable to say nigger today, as that is the mark of a bigot; however the other ways in which blacks are disenfranchised are socially deemed a figment of our collective imaginations.

It seems it does not matter what the social movement is, as long as it is represented by white people, POC are ignored until needed. If you look at the advertising campaigns, or organizing patterns for gay rights, fat phobia, animal rights, and feminism, all have a tendency to ignore POC. Our specific interests within the movements are ignored in order to present a white image to the world. Somehow the idea that whites are facing discrimination is supposed to make the world stand up and take notice, yet the idea that blacks may be dealing with multiple areas of stigmatizations at the same time is unimportant . . .

. . . As I am watching the backlash from the GLBT community regarding PROP 8, I am filled with so much anger and sadness. Where is the angst for the white voters who supported PROP 8? The GLBT community spent no time in black churches, community centres or neighbourhoods and yet they expected to be supported. You cannot call upon us for convenience sake, and then shove us back into the closet (yes intentional choice of words) when we are no longer needed.

A gay black man or woman irregardless of race is still gay and some white members have turned this into a hostile movement for them. Where is the sense of community in this? What these organizers fail to realize is that they have precious little connection with POC [People of Color] to begin with, and if they begin with the racist taunts they will alienate the few supporters that they already have. This is a time when they need to be reaching out to POC to make a bridge that they never attempted to build in the first place, and yet descending into racial politics is the route that has been chosen. This is a myopic policy that will only serve to push gay rights even further back . . .

I hear that, dude.

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An appropriate tagline for Black in America

From Discuss: CNN’s Black in America, by Reecie at Honorable Media.

"Hi my name is Jerome. My father is in jail and my mother is on crack so I have to steal in order to put food on my table".

~

The following quote from A.D. Odom's post "Black in America" at State & Lake identified some of my feelings about the ancestry of the Rand family, who were featured in the first part of CNN's "report":

I am not going to go research the rapist of my great, great grandmother and upon finding him, be happy about it. No thank you.

The cousins' meeting for the first time was heartwarming. The story of their slave-owning, self-possessed, adulterous great-great-grandfather was not.

~

Also, white women: do you "know your role"? (Skip to 2:32.) I definitely don't; I'm way too uppity for that man. So you all can have Mr. "Jamie Coleman, Single Father, Age 34". He is so Bill Bellamy in The Brothers. But take note ladies: he is a Christian.

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Earthquake! and More Black in America: The Menz

What I learned from the earthquake:

• My energetic dancing probably didn't cause the shaking of the room I was in, much less the swaying of entire building.
• KCAL 9 will continue to preempt The People's Court and its other daytime programming for hours on end for the sake of "Breaking News", even if their anchors have absolutely nothing to report. I think their reporters talked with whoever called in to the station for an hour, while continuously showing only a seismograph reading on the screen.
  
• The Noticias on Univision were actually "A Su Lado" (By Your Side) after the earthquake. The reporters talked to people about their experiences. They also wanted to get the most accurate information for their viewers on how to stay safe. On the other hand, CNN's coverage looked like the network was hoping for something to explode at any moment.
  

What I learned from Black in America: "The Black Man":

• 1 out of every 3 black men in America will have a criminal record in their lifetime.
• Despite the converse statistic that 2 out of every 3 black men in America will not have a criminal record, the only black men worth interviewing 1) have come from the ghetto, 2) smoke crack, 3) dropped out of school, 4) flagrantly shirk their parental duties, 5) deserve to be in jail, and/or 6) are celebrities.
• The (Christian) church is where all black folks go when they are down and out. This church almost always has a gospel choir and members in the pews who vigorously feel the spirit.
• Black men don't want to be fathers to their children because black women have figured out how to successfully raise their children without deadbeat dads. If black women displayed a need for their baby daddies, then the black men would take responsibility.
  
• Black men are also bad fathers because of slavery. I don't know why other ethnic communities have bad fathers among them. Maybe the Irish can blame it on the potato famine.
• Spike Lee should stop complaining about the obvious racism in the entertainment industry because Martin from The Cosby Show says so.
• If you are a light-skinned black man, you will become famous author, professor and minister. If you are the dark-skinned brother of that light-skinned black man, you will go to prison for life. That's where most black men end up anyway.
• Local news programs and the rap industry perpetuate stereotypes about black men. CNN also repeatedly shows these negative images and has no notable black anchors except for the one charged with running this four-hour "report". But CNN isn't a local news channel. So it's okay?
• If you are in an interracial relationship, the product of an interracial relationship, or the parent of someone in an interracial relationship, you have been adversely affected by that relationship in some way. And if you don't think so, Soledad will badger it out of you.
• Intelligent, successful black men of all ages are accused of "acting white" by their peers. This is a phenomenon that happens only to black men, because while the white community (all of them) praises education, the black community scorns education. Most black men would rather be popular than smart. Smart white people are all popular. No women of any color, even black women, have this problem because women would rather be smart than popular.
  

At first I agreed the assessment of Black in America by Variety's Brian Lowry, via Blackonomy:

At times, "Black in America" seems like a Nickelodeon special for kids who have never met a black person -- aimed at an audience completely naive about the African-American experience. As a consequence, the four hours crawl by, drizzling out a hodge-podge of explanations and theories but failing to enhance understanding for either blacks or outside groups.

Then I thought about it, and I realized that the review was insulting . . . to Nickelodeon. I grew up with Nick News. Linda Ellerbee's 1992 interview with Magic Johnson educated the network's young audience about HIV and AIDS. Bill Frist could have learned something from this interview, too. Nick News later gave us "Mi America: A Celebration of Hispanic Culture" and "Do Something! Caring for the Kids of Katrina". While CNN gave us Wolf Blitzer's Situation Room unfortunate, yet accurate reporting of the 2005 hurricane.

Speaking of HIV and AIDS in the 90s, who knew Greg Louganis was still working . . . as an actor? (He's at 2:08.)

If his doppelgänger Mario Lopez still has a career, I think Mr. Louganis should, too.

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"You're so articulate. Where did you learn that?"

Today I learned that CNN will air a special report this week called Black in America, hosted by Soledad O'Brien. The first part, "The Black Woman & Family", premieres on Wednesday, followed by "The Black Man" on Thursday.

I would like to note that neither CNN nor Ms. O'Brien contacted me for this special. Last time I checked, I was still black and in America. Maybe they'll give me a ring-a-ding next year.

I really liked the Black in America celebrity interviews given by Vanessa Williams and Whoopi Goldberg (featured above). However, I did not appreciate what Bishop T. D. Jakes had to say. I had to transcribe his words myself. Apparently CNN does not realize that not everyone can watch videos on their computer. Also, not everyone is a member of the hearing community. Transcripts would be helpful.

Many, many men are in a dilemma today where they're really trying hard to understand their own worth and their self-esteem. Uh, the woman is excelling educationally and academically and economically often beyond the man. I think cuts to the core of your self-esteem, and men are struggling to find their relevancy in the family today, in a way that we did not experience in the 60s.

And I think years out from now we are going to see huge fallout because there are no fathers in our homes. Fallout in terms of the inability to sustain relationships as adults because you don't understand male language, how men communicate. Well-meaning people trying to hold a relationship together, but don't understand the uniquenesses, and the unique nuances that exist between men and women.

We now think in this generation "men are optional", "fathers are optional", "because I can afford a child, I don't need a man." We don't understand that the contribution goes beyond the paycheck. And I think the emotional fallout is going to be very, very destructive in years to come.

Looky here, Mr. Jakes. Just because I have continued to excel "educationally and academically" does not mean that other people, i.e. men, cannot do the same. Education is not a zero-sum game. I can't horde all the education and prevent other people from getting it. It's not my fault that men supposedly have poor self-esteem because they are "struggling to find their relevancy in the family today". What kind of farkakte logic is that? If these men you are talking about choose to leave their family because they chose not to get an education and therefore cannot provide the kind of paycheck that their educated female partner can, how is that my problem? Why should I be responsible for men who aren't even trying to do something with their lives? I have my own self-esteem issues. As D. L. Hughley says in his celebrity interview, those men need to get out of their own way.

Additionally, most of my closest childhood friends and I did not have fathers. Mine didn't leave voluntarily; he died. His contribution to our family was indeed much more than a paycheck. But when he left, we did get along without him. My mother didn't need a man, and she could afford me. My friends and I didn't need male placeholders in our lives. We needed parents who cared about us, and that is what we had. We turned out very well, often better than some of our peers who had grown up with their two original heterosexual parents.

Furthermore, not every black woman wants to have a child with a man. Not every black person wants to have a child. Not every black woman wants to be with a man, and not every black man wants to be with a woman. Not every black man deserts his family. Overall, I am tired of hearing these same arguments posed as the problem with the black community. As if there aren't white deadbeat dads or Asian deadbeat dads. As if the problems in Latino communities could be solved if only Latinas showed more appreciation for trifling men. I don't think so.

The rest of the special looks enlightening though. Sheryl Lee Ralph (at 2:26) seems like a fun lady. I have nappy roots, too! I'm not happy about it, though others are. My hair doesn't make those fun ringlets. It just grows out angry. Argh.
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I smile less, and I'm getting more rude.

One of my new friends (Thank you, new friend!) forwarded this article to me:

Catcalling: creepy or a compliment?, by Anna Jane Grossman on CNN.com . . . in the Living section. Clearly CNN knows where a story about harassment should go, right Thomas?

When Holly Kearl was researching her master's thesis on street harassment last winter, she was pleasantly surprised that lewd remarks were few and far between. Then spring rolled around.

"Suddenly, it was April, and I was getting yelled at everywhere by men in cars," said Kearl, who has since completed a degree in women's studies and public policy from George Washington University.

As part of her research, Kearl conducted an anonymous, informal e-mail survey of 225 women on the subject. She found that 98 percent of respondents experienced some form of street harassment at least a few times, and about 30 percent reported being harassed on a regular basis.

"For me, anyone who interrupts my personal space to objectify me or make me feel uncomfortable or threatened is harassing me," she says . . .

This article comes at a fitting time, considering I recently had some strong words over here: Maybe it's coz I'm not pretty enough., by Holly at The Pervocracy. You have to scroll down to the bottom for my firm stance on the subject.

But some of the CNN commenters--mostly, but not exclusively male--had things like this to say. Emphases mine, sic implied:

At the risk of sounding crude and sexist, there is a small portion of blame to be placed on 'some' women. While I wouldn't do this (and never have) to any woman, I have seen many cases over the years where it is obviously 'invited' by the woman walking by. A man walking down the street in a speedo would be met with laughter; by other men and/or women. But a woman wearing a form-fitting skirt that barely covers you-know-what, a low cut blouse, and high heels is pretty much saying, "Look at me!" For those women to be offended by comments regarding their looks is ridiculous, and in some ways, offensive to the intelligence of men. As if they are 'wrong' for noticing and bringing attention to, an attractive woman who is obviously trying to draw attention to herself. If people dress for success, and are the victim of truly offensive catcalls, then they are perfectly correct in being upset. If they dress like they walked off a Playboy photo shoot or from a local exotic dance club, then they are obviously doing nothing to prevent, and 'everything' to encourage catcalls. And lets not forget that catcalls have been occuring for generations and only recently, in this PC world we now are forced to live in, has it become such an offensive issue. I, along with the vast majority of men in the world, know that there is more to a woman than just her looks. But I'm sorry that some women feel so offended when ANYONE addresses their looks in a positive way. Before the workday begins, most women spend hours on cleaning, coloring, plucking, shaving, trimming, exfoliating. But once they arrive at work, we're not allowed to offer a compliment for fear of losing our jobs or going to jail. I just don't get it...

I just don't get it either. I look great in a Speedo.

. . . I don't want to hear crap from trampy women who are intentionally dressing like a street hooker in order to get attention. If you're going to dress like a hooker, then there is probably some loser guy who is going to say something to you.

Most women are trying to outdo the other women in order to gain attention of guys [even the lesbians?], regardless of whether they want to admit it or not. But, they're only happy with the attention when it gets the attention of someone they're interested in, and they'll ***** about the attention when a not so attractive guy becomes intersted in them. When they get what they want, their attitude completely changes.

If only I dressed like an indoor hooker instead of those street hookers. Then I'd attract some high class losers.

Get a life...

Conversation is not harassment or invading your 'personal space'. Catcalling as you call it, calls attention to yourself and is instinctive. Spring is a time of mating. Human beings are by our very nature an animal.

Unless there is violence or threat of violence, you are creating a environment of victimization where there is none.

Too much personal space and not enough violence. Now I understand, I understand everything.

Come on, when the weather gets warmer outside, many women wear less and less. The skirts get higher and the tops get tighter and smaller. What do they expect in the way that they dress? Why wear a mini skirt or a tight top? Not all do this, there's a lot of creeps around there, but be fair in your article! Women are to blame too!

What do I expect by wearing mini skirts? Wait, I don't own a mini skirt. Then I must be to blame for my . . . chinos and sensible shoes?

. . . Catcalls are expletives, a natural visceral reaction, not communication. It's a GREAT compliment, and if a woman doesn't like compliments she should dress like FLDS.

Really? FLDS? (I don't think they're buying this either.) I do recall a time when I was at a gas station dressed in jeans, a parka, and loafers, yet the toolio at the next pump saw me as a prostitute. Next time I might employ Vivian's method below:

. . . I just say "Jesus wouldn't act like that!" Usually that leaves them so confused they just shut up.

This one from Brenna is sad; so many women are victims of some form of Stockholm Syndrome:

It's not harrassment unless they touch you. I like the compliment. I get tired of being the smart girl all the time.

I have never gotten tired of being the smart girl. Though I know other people have gotten tired of me. :)

The title of this post came from a comment by MattE, which has somehow disappeared from the comment thread of the the catcalling article. To summarize, Mr. E lamented the fact that these days, women have become less friendly. Therefore he now only speaks to polite elderly women who know their place.

For more equally sensitive thoughts on this article, I refer you to the following:

I’ll Take The Rapists For $500 Alex!, by sherlock (he wishes!) at Bakerstreet, a blog with the subtitle, "Equal Opportunity, Politically Correct, I Insult Everyone Equally".

Catcalls Turn Women Into Crybabies, by Cara Ellison (it's a lady!) at her blog.

I am snarky today!

Ed. note 5/15/2008: I found the comment that inspired the post title. It was by MarkE, not MattE.

Ok, so that is why women dress nicely, always make sure their hair is wavy and beautiful, etc. I have noticed a shift in women's attitude in the last few years. They seem to smile less, and are quite frankly getting more rude as time passes. Oh and before you comment ladies, I am the same weight and have not changed much(yes I still have all my hair) in the last few years, so it's NOT that, as I'm sure the ladies would like to objectify. hmm. Anyway, I have stopped speaking to women, I have stopped holding doors, (except for the elderly, which seem to have NOT lost their friendliness) WOMEN, listen carefully, if you want to be equal, then quit whining and grow some. -- and don't expect men to treat you differently. As far as catcalling. all men should ignore women, then we would see complaints.

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Let me tell you.

If I had been up on that stage, I would have gone off on this muckraker masquerading as a "journalist":



If you can't access the video, here is what Ms. Such and Such from Politico, whose name and title I won't bother to write inside this post, said to Hillary Clinton at the Democratic debate in California last night:

"Senator Clinton, your husband has set off several firestorms in the last few weeks in early primary states with the way that he has criticized Senator Obama.

Greg Craig, who was one of your husband's top lawyers, and is now a senior adviser to Senator Obama, recently asked if your campaign can't control the former president now, what will it be like when you're in the White House?"

If you peruse the transcript of the debate, you'll notice that there was no follow up question to Senator Obama asking him how he keeps his wife in line. In fact, there haven't been any such nasty questions posed about any of the other candidates' spouses in either party.

Hmph. This is not cool.

And, to make me even more upset about the state of crazy women talking about other women today, I read this post last night on Catherine's blog and this post tonight on Feministing. You know I had to leave comments on both. You have to scroll down really far for the latter one.

That's all.

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"I watch my news."

The following videos make me feel simultaneously better and worse about the US of A:


Barbara Boxer on Iraq 07/10/07, found on YouTube via The Randi Rhodes Show:



Michael Moore on CNN, found on Popoholic via Pajiba. Click on the link.


Presidential Scholars on Democracy Now! found on YouTube via Lady Aflame:



What Time Is It? Music Video - High School Musical 2 (HQ) found on YouTube via I See Monsters.



Oh, Bill O'Reilly. Who let this man breed?

Bill O'Reilly Flips Out About Senator Barbara Boxer (Part 2):