This is the last thing I'm going to say about the Vick situation
...probably.
(Note: I wrote much of this back in August and posted it on my other blog which I don't update much. I put it here since Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison today.)
The Michael Vick case is not about sports. It’s about the law…and second chances.
I won’t take up any time recapping his animal abuse/dog fighting charges, as they are easy to find. What has been shocking though, is the number of Blacks who have a zero tolerance for athletes breaking the law. Some bloggers and columnists have gone as far as to say that since Vick broke the law off the field, he should lose the “privilege” of going to work as a football player permanently. If he can’t go back to the NFL, then where is it acceptable for him to find employment? Is there work left in America for someone convicted of dog fighting?
We have become a judgmental society. In 1994 California voters approved a “three strikes and you’re out” law that puts those convicted of a similar felony 3 times away under minimum sentencing guidelines. “60 Minutes” profiled a man who was convicted of shoplifting 3 times and he is now serving two 25 year sentences for stealing less than $200 worth of video tapes.
But now in 2007 we have a one-strike law for Vick. Pretty soon, we won't be given a chance at all and we'll be back in the 1940's where Blacks were considered less than human beings, women couldn't vote and other injustices were imposed by the dominating race and gender.
Is Vick a victim of racism? I say yes, but most of you Black bashing African-Americans will say no. No one called Vick the n-word or called his mother’s hair nappy so it can’t be racism right?
By no means am I saying that we don't need law enforcement. Enforce the law. He was been sentenced and will serve time and hopefully come out alive and in reasonably sound mind.
But what I AM saying is that continuing to punish people after they have served thier time HAS TO STOP.
In Kentucky, convicted felons lose most of their civil rights even after being released from serving their time in prison. They can't own a fire arm, some can't enter the military and none of them can vote.
We have laws against "double jeopardy" but none against double punishment.
In The National Urban Leagues publication, "The State of Black America 2007: Portrait of the Black Male" Barack Obama says this in the foreword and it should apply to Vick’s circumstance:
"The crisis of the Black male is our crisis whether we are Black or white, male or female. It is too easy and sometimes too fashionable to demonize Black men...who have strayed. But in so doing, we degrade ourselves, we weaken the bonds of shared interest that are necessary to sustain us. We fail to give people the first chance they deserve, and the second chance that we all sometimes require."
Showing posts with label Black Intelligencea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Black Intelligencea. Show all posts
Monday, December 10, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Great minds think alike
After I posted my thoughts on The Cos, one of my friends sent me his take on it. If you haven't heard of Boyce you should check him out. He is an up and coming scholar who writes provocative and critical essays on what's going on. He is often called "The peoples scholar".
Five Reasons Black People Don’t Listen to Bill.Cosby
www.boycewatkins.com
www.yourblackworld.com
My questions for Dr. Huxtable, as he engages in his ego-maniacal "reign of terror", completed in celebration of his latest cure for 400 years worth of social ills would be listed below. Of course, Bill would never have a conversation with any scholar with the ability to rip his ideas apart. His only response (on the "O" Show, with no dissenters present) is "My critics are all crazy". Sounds like a doctor to me....Here are my questions for "The Cos":
1) Why does Bill only have the courage to blame black people for racial inequality? The baby of racial inequality has both a mother and a father. Sorry Bill, you can’t just beat up on the group that can’t fight you back. You have to be a bigger man than that.
2) Bill: Ask yourself this question: Why does a man considered to be “America’s dad”, only feel comfortable addressing the white community when you are telling jokes or dogging your own people? Perhaps that is the only time they will allow you to speak. What better time to address white America for their role in the creation of racial inequality, than during trips to “Meet the Press”? Bill, do you think more whites than blacks watch that show? Why not talk to the people who are watching?
3) If Bill were to address white America and its institutions as harshly as he addresses blacks, how fast would he be UNINVITED to Meet The Press? Dr. Huxtable would suddenly be as out of favor as OJ Simpson. Even the strongest puppy doesn’t bite the hand that feeds him, as Bill has spent many decades eating from the hands of major corporations and media conglomerates who helped create the very problems he is upset about. Like many other "mainstream" African-Americans, Cosby knows full well that any perceived assault on American institutions would lead him to be black-balled from the predominantly white media outlets and right-wing organizations that are cheering him on today.
4) You say that you don’t talk to white America because they won’t listen to your comments? Well guess what Bill, BLACK PEOPLE don’t listen EITHER. Why not speak in a way that challenges both individual behavior and institutional infrastructure? The same way corporations change their business behavior based on IRS rules, individuals change their behavior based on opportunities available, the quality of the school systems, etc. You can't talk about the individual's choices without talking about the individual's options. Bill and O's ridiculously simple-minded analyses of complex social problems is reflective of the growing gap between the rich and poor in the black community. THEY DO NOT REPRESENT ALL BLACK PEOPLE, especially the poor, whom they spend no time listening to. They only feel the need to preach.
5) It’s always easiest to attack poor, single black mothers, because they are not invited onto talk shows to defend themselves. Cosby has learned that verbally abusing women and children is an easy way to feel strong and self-righteous. Even among black people, how often has he mentioned BET and his buddy Bob Johnson for their role in creating a generation of hoochie-mamas and wannabe thugs? Oh, I forgot, it’s all their parents’ faults, even though many of them are working 12 hours a day at minimum wage, something that Cosby knows little about. Don't you think that if it were that easy to create such a perfect and wonderful life, people would already be doing it? Perhaps someone has persuaded Cosby that the perceived cultural inferiority of black people is quite real, for this is the ONLY message he communicates in his constant ranting to mainstream media.
Bill, in order to solve a problem, mathematics says that you must work on both sides of the equation. Why you are afraid to challenge America’s institutions, but boldly go after black mothers and children is beyond me. It is not productive to walk in the middle of a fight and tell one of the kids that he is wrong, while allowing the other kid to go off and play. But then again, that’s the way the black kids are always treated in our school systems, as we learned in the Jena 6 case.
One can’'t be sure who is worse: Bill, who engages in the non-sensical and unproductive act of complaining about black people in front of predominantly white audiences, or the scientist James Watson, who said that he can prove that black people are genetically inferior to whites. What is scary is that Watson would listen to the words of Cosby and agree with him 100%....did you notice that Bill O'Reilly likes Bill Cosby too?
When a proven racist agrees 100% with what you are saying about your own people, perhaps that should give you a moment of pause. But it doesn't appear that Cosby is pausing....he spends too much time flapping his gums. As a professor, I have a saying "When you are 100% teacher and 0% student, you are 100% idiot." I wish he were still telling those corny jokes.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and author of “What if George Bush were a Black Man?” He makes regular appearances in national media, including CNN, ESPN, CBS and NBC. For more information, please visit www.boycewatkins.com.
Five Reasons Black People Don’t Listen to Bill.Cosby
www.boycewatkins.com
www.yourblackworld.com
My questions for Dr. Huxtable, as he engages in his ego-maniacal "reign of terror", completed in celebration of his latest cure for 400 years worth of social ills would be listed below. Of course, Bill would never have a conversation with any scholar with the ability to rip his ideas apart. His only response (on the "O" Show, with no dissenters present) is "My critics are all crazy". Sounds like a doctor to me....Here are my questions for "The Cos":
1) Why does Bill only have the courage to blame black people for racial inequality? The baby of racial inequality has both a mother and a father. Sorry Bill, you can’t just beat up on the group that can’t fight you back. You have to be a bigger man than that.
2) Bill: Ask yourself this question: Why does a man considered to be “America’s dad”, only feel comfortable addressing the white community when you are telling jokes or dogging your own people? Perhaps that is the only time they will allow you to speak. What better time to address white America for their role in the creation of racial inequality, than during trips to “Meet the Press”? Bill, do you think more whites than blacks watch that show? Why not talk to the people who are watching?
3) If Bill were to address white America and its institutions as harshly as he addresses blacks, how fast would he be UNINVITED to Meet The Press? Dr. Huxtable would suddenly be as out of favor as OJ Simpson. Even the strongest puppy doesn’t bite the hand that feeds him, as Bill has spent many decades eating from the hands of major corporations and media conglomerates who helped create the very problems he is upset about. Like many other "mainstream" African-Americans, Cosby knows full well that any perceived assault on American institutions would lead him to be black-balled from the predominantly white media outlets and right-wing organizations that are cheering him on today.
4) You say that you don’t talk to white America because they won’t listen to your comments? Well guess what Bill, BLACK PEOPLE don’t listen EITHER. Why not speak in a way that challenges both individual behavior and institutional infrastructure? The same way corporations change their business behavior based on IRS rules, individuals change their behavior based on opportunities available, the quality of the school systems, etc. You can't talk about the individual's choices without talking about the individual's options. Bill and O's ridiculously simple-minded analyses of complex social problems is reflective of the growing gap between the rich and poor in the black community. THEY DO NOT REPRESENT ALL BLACK PEOPLE, especially the poor, whom they spend no time listening to. They only feel the need to preach.
5) It’s always easiest to attack poor, single black mothers, because they are not invited onto talk shows to defend themselves. Cosby has learned that verbally abusing women and children is an easy way to feel strong and self-righteous. Even among black people, how often has he mentioned BET and his buddy Bob Johnson for their role in creating a generation of hoochie-mamas and wannabe thugs? Oh, I forgot, it’s all their parents’ faults, even though many of them are working 12 hours a day at minimum wage, something that Cosby knows little about. Don't you think that if it were that easy to create such a perfect and wonderful life, people would already be doing it? Perhaps someone has persuaded Cosby that the perceived cultural inferiority of black people is quite real, for this is the ONLY message he communicates in his constant ranting to mainstream media.
Bill, in order to solve a problem, mathematics says that you must work on both sides of the equation. Why you are afraid to challenge America’s institutions, but boldly go after black mothers and children is beyond me. It is not productive to walk in the middle of a fight and tell one of the kids that he is wrong, while allowing the other kid to go off and play. But then again, that’s the way the black kids are always treated in our school systems, as we learned in the Jena 6 case.
One can’'t be sure who is worse: Bill, who engages in the non-sensical and unproductive act of complaining about black people in front of predominantly white audiences, or the scientist James Watson, who said that he can prove that black people are genetically inferior to whites. What is scary is that Watson would listen to the words of Cosby and agree with him 100%....did you notice that Bill O'Reilly likes Bill Cosby too?
When a proven racist agrees 100% with what you are saying about your own people, perhaps that should give you a moment of pause. But it doesn't appear that Cosby is pausing....he spends too much time flapping his gums. As a professor, I have a saying "When you are 100% teacher and 0% student, you are 100% idiot." I wish he were still telling those corny jokes.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and author of “What if George Bush were a Black Man?” He makes regular appearances in national media, including CNN, ESPN, CBS and NBC. For more information, please visit www.boycewatkins.com.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Judge not, lest....
Who made The Coz an expert on Black culture and all that is righteous? When he began his tirade in 2004, he opened the flood gates for people to start criticizing Black youth and poor Black people and their lifestyles. He began using stereotypes to prove that we needed to "get it together".
I was going to just let him do his thing. Though I didn't agree with his assumptions and tactics, I thought I could just let him have his opinion.
But then...
I caught him on Auntie O's show. Auntie O had a young man on the show who saw his mother shot in the face by her boyfriend. He was then raised by his grandmother and made it to college and will be the first in his family to graduate. Auntie O was just "amazed" that he didn't join a gang or sell drugs and loved the fact that he is not bitter about life. Then the Coz asks him what does he think about those who fell victim to the streets.
OK, now I see. The Coz is judgmental and is now training up some more judgmental do nothing talkers. He may drop some cash here and there, but where is he working with misguided teens and young mothers on a regular basis?
When did he give up comedy and become a sociologist? Didn't he go to school for education? I'm tired of him.
Some people grow wiser as they grow older, some just get old.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Independent Thinker....
I don't have hero's but I sure admire Cathy Hughes. She has already done what my husband and I hope to do (create a media empire) plus she is an independent thinker. Let me know what you think about what Ms. Hughes has to say about controlling our own images...
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