Why protest D L Hughley Part 3 - 6.19.2007.3

Concluded from Why protest D L Hughley Part 2...

Is the line hard to draw? At times yes. But intent is the basis of the determination, as is the response. A comedian making a comment that is off-color or based on a tragic event is not necessarily the same thing as say the writing of kenneth eng.

“To call eng insane is to belittle his hate and absurdity. I will not dismiss him as those that could agree with him would find that a rallying call to defend him. I will rather address the issue at hand. Racism. It’s blatant and in this case seemingly universal. When I hear, or read, such ravings I am sorry that such small minds cannot comprehend the obvious attributes and abilities of people in front of them. It is even worse when such an individual has had the opportunity to educate themselves and failed to take the fruit of the tree.”

I also agree with Mr. Hughley in the thought that there must be better things for most people to do. Chasing comedians in their professional duties is reminicent of the persecution Mr. Lenny Bruce encountered. If people want to get change made, why not address the music industry that promotes almost single mindedly gansta rap music that advocates drugs, child abandonment, degredation of women and criminal pursuits. Why attack 1 man, doing his job with the intent to entertain and arguably does so, when there is an institution making tens of millions while influencing our youth in the most base and morally questionable barrage of content daily.

Lastly, if ANY of the women of the Rutger’s Basketball team are offended then Mr. Hughley owes them an apology. I don’t need it nor do the protesters. Funny or not, if they ask for it they deserve it. That is a private matter between him and them. No different than the apology Mr. Imus made after his bile laced commentary. I didn’t need to hear Imus apologize to them, nor would I need to hear Mr. Hughley. As such no one else can ask him to make an apology, let alone make it a national event. To think that such a demand could be made and seriously considered is either an attempt at sensationalism or arrogance.

This is what I think, what do you think?

*<Why protest D L Hughley Part 1...

**Why protest D L Hughley Part 2...

Helluva continued - 4.10.2007.2

Continued from Part 1...

But back to the point at hand. Mr. Imus and McGuirk insulted more than just a basketball team. They defamed women all world wide. They called your family and women of importance nothing better than prostitutes. That is a ho. That’s what he said without a moment of hesitation. That was his deep thought brought out in a moment of casual flippancy. At least it seems as such to me. And the mega-corporation that allows him to be on air believed that was harsh enough to give him a vacation. Wow.

I do not doubt that this could be the thoughts of many people around the world. I’m not foolish enough to believe that if Mr. Imus is fired this will end comments like this being uttered. I equally understand that not every person feels this way. These comments do not reflect everyone, but they do reflect some. But there are consequences for the actions we take. Mr. Imus has mentioned he recognizes this, even as he refuses to take responsibility.

While I feel Mr. Imus should take responsibility for his comments, I must also consider another part of this that is just as critical. Mr. Imus did not make calling women, particularly African American women, hos a common occurrence. The degradation of Black women has been promoted for decades by rappers in a manner that never existed before. This continuous insult, promoted by corporations, has helped to usher in moments like this I feel.

But where does this all end? How many times must people feel like they can say anything and be unpunished, no matter how offensive they are? In recent months we have heard of the actions by Mr. Mel Gibson, Mr. Michael Richards and Kenneth Eng. We have seen a Presidential hopeful make comments that are specifically targeted to lessen the accomplishments and importance of success in African Americans. Blatant attacks against Black men have occurred, with barely a comment from the news media, while felonies are made by white teen girls and the charges are reduced without cause. Yet while this all happens the fight over an apology to African Americans is heatedly rejected.

Don Imus and his comments are only a symptom of a bigger issue. I don’t agree with the thought that we need incidents like this to address the underlying issues. The issues are apparent, prolonged and ingrained in this nation. The number of incidents that any Black person (or any minority for that fact) in America can name in their life to date proves that. Perhaps it’s time that we address this at its root. Perhaps we need to take responsibility for the music lyrics, music videos, ebonics, lack of education, unjust legal system, economic disparity, addictions, and failure to apologize for the actions that helped to build the nation we all share.

Part of that acceptance of responsibility can start with Mr. Imus being fired. But whether he is or not, it should not be our only action.

This is what I think, what do you think?

The 3 articles in AsianWeek - 2.28.2007.1

OK, I had the unmitigated displeasure to hear about kenneth eng on Fox News this evening. It took some time but I have found his articles, the latest of which was removed from the AsianWeek site. If you have not heard about this be prepared to be angered. On the 23rd of this month eng [not a typo, I have no respect for this individual and will not address him as Mr. or capitalize his name again] wrote an article titled Why I Hate Blacks which was published.

To call eng insane is to belittle his hate and absurdity. I will not dismiss him as those that could agree with him would find that a rallying call to defend him. I will rather address the issue at hand. Racism. It’s blatant and in this case seemingly universal. When I hear, or read, such ravings I am sorry that such small minds cannot comprehend the obvious attributes and abilities of people in front of them. It is even worse when such an individual has had the opportunity to educate themselves and failed to take the fruit of the tree.

What may be worse than the comments of eng, is the fact that editors, including editor-at-large Mr. Ted Fang, allowed these comments to reach print. This is not the first racial assault that eng has made in AsianWeek. On November 24th Proof That Whites Inherently Hate Us was run, and then the apparently self-loathing Why I Hate Asians was run on Jan 12, 2007. I have difficulty accepting that no editor was able to see this material before it was published, or that after seeing it published a retraction could not be made. It seemed inevitable that Blacks would follow and I have no doubt that Latino/Hispanics would be next.

Why would any editor allow such hate to be printed in a relatively mainstream publication (as I understand AsianWeek to be, though I am not a reader)? Why was there not a retraction after the first article? Perhaps the first could have been seen as humor, of a very ill-conceived nature, but I doubt it. Even now both of the prior articles are still online as the links show at this time. What explanation is there for this?

If it is the opinion of Mr. Fang that comments I feel are small-minded are the stuff of comedy then he should stand by it and say that. IF Mr. Fang is actually as remorseful as he claims, then all the publications of offense should be removed and appropriate retractions made. To do less is to imply that the articles have substance and that Mr. Fang and AsianWeek support the views written. I single out Mr. Fang because as editor-at-large he is directly responsible for everything that is in the publication.

I have heard from time to time, notably in Ice Cube’s exceptional program Black.White. via Nick and Bruno, that racism is dead. That it was a thing of the past. That society has grown beyond such things. Sadly it is moments like this, that despicable and reprehensible comments are not only made but allowed to flourish, that directly state racism, discrimination, and other ills born of, I believe, small-mindedness, exist today. Perhaps they won’t tomorrow but that takes active involvement.

I call on Mr. Ted Fang to remove the other 2 articles by eng, to make a retraction in AsianWeek as well as a national media outlet (as this has gotten national attention) for all 3 articles, to fire the editors that approved the publication of each of the articles, and lastly that Mr. Fang donate the equivalent of his pay for each of the months that an article appeared in AsianWeek to an appropriate charity.

This is what I think, what do you think?