"See, Barack [has] been talking down to black people . . . I wanna cut his nuts out" Reverend Jessie Jackson
It has been said that God takes care of babies and fools. As Reverend Jessie Jackson is not a baby, as a critical thinker, I'm sure you can figure out the rest. His remarks on a "hot mike" are even too much for this critical thinker to grasp. Once again we have evidence of what I shared with you in a previous edition of THE CRITICAL THINKER (see What Is It About The Truth http://thereadingcircleblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/what-is-it-about-truth.html) concerning hard truth being spoken by an African American man about the plight of African Americans and the need for us to take responsibility for ourselves and another African American man standing around blaming the "white man" for all of our ills. Now don't get me wrong, this piece is not in defense of "da man," it is in defense of African Americans who have awakened and become conscious enough to understand and speak out concerning what is needed for African Americans (or any race for that matter) to move ahead. Just as when Bill Cosby offered his views and was criticized and ostracized, here goes Jessie Jackson of all people looking to castrate a brother for telling it like it is for us (African Americans) to move forward.
Obama speaks the truth with his urging greater emphasis on fatherhood, and his telling of students to stick with school and forget about careers as rap stars or pro basketball players. The drop out rate statistics that Senator Obama quoted were correct. The single family home statistics were correct. The call for African American men and women to be responsible for their choices and actions was also correct. It is for these reasons that I cannot understand what in the world Reverend Jessie Jackson was referring to when he says Barack is talking down to black people. What black people is he referring too? I have heard Senator Obama on several occasions and have yet to feel that I was talked down to. If anything, I am inspired by his eloquence, word mastery and public speaking skills.
The problem is, Jessie Jackson thinks it's all about him. He really needs to realize that it is not about Jessie and it has never been about Jessie. Reverends Jackson and Abernathy were always jealous in my view of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and both thought they were heir apparent to the throne of the civil rights movement. Both wanted the limelight and spotlight given to Dr. King. Neither were able to become a Martin Luther King, Jr. Reverend Jackson is all about photo opportunities. If you'd like to test my theory, pick up a copy of any issue of Jet or Ebony magazines without his picture in it. I dare you to find one. For some reason he appears in nearly every issue. The green eyed monster of envy within Jessie has reared its ugly head again now as Senator Obama is in the spotlight.
I am having trouble even thinking of the descriptive words to call Jessie's comments. In fact words like ridiculous, ludicrous, absurd, stupid, crazy, insensitive, outlandish, etc. etc. etc.. just won't do. Jessie of all people knows the power of words and symbolism. He knows of the words that contain a negative history and are racially charged for African Americans such as lynching and castrating and he has the audacity to sit there and say, "I wanna cut his nuts out." Although Reverend Jackson has done some good despite being motivated by fame and fortune, I have never been a big Jessie Jackson fan because I always thought he was a Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wannabee.
While I felt he lost some credibility with the revelation of his child outside of his marriage, I was still willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but this last episode of Reverend Jackson gone Wild is too far across the Mason-Dixon line. I heard a radio show host joke the other day that Mason said to Dixon, "We have to draw the line somewhere." Well this is where this critical thinker draws the line. I have had it with Reverend Jessie Jackson. He needs to wake up and understand that we all must take responsibility for our choices in life. The white man did not force him to make those comments about Senator Obama; Jessie made a choice to make them. Since Reverend Jackson is not a baby and it appears that he is taken care of by God.............Have you figured it out yet?
Welcoming your response and debate,
Marc
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1 comment:
I must disagree with you. While every man should be responsible for their own actions, sometimes African American men are trained for failure because of racism that may be ever so slightly apparent.
Imagine attending a school where fooling around and being wild is an acceptable way of learning. Not because the children decide this, rather because the teachers and administrators permit it. It is only natural that children play and try to have a good time. But that natural desire for immediate satisfaction should be tempered by the adults in the room.
In most school systems, refusal to conform to the most basic rules result in suspension or expulsion. But many school districts within the African American communities make excuses for the behavior of the children instead of properly correcting the behavior.
Not only does the failure to correct poor behavior affect the "bad child," it sends a message to the good children that such behavior is acceptable. Hence, the government encourages poor performance in the African American community, while it shuns such behavior in the more lilly-white districts.
If we want the African American Community to perform at the same level as other more affluent communities, we must have the same expectations in the grade schools. If we continue to tell children in the African American Community that it is acceptable to use sub-par behavior, how can we expect these children to suddenly become responsible when they get into the real world?
I have a great respect for Dr. Cosby, Rev. Jackson, Rev. Sharpton(I marched with him and his daughter through Teaneck in 1990), and Dr. King. But the truth is that we have a system that is failing our children and the system is what cause our children to grow up to be criminals, absentee fathers, and drug dealers. Whether we wish to call this system the white devil, da man, or just plain discrimination, we know that there is an outside force preventing the average African American from reaching the same plateau achieved by their white counterparts.
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