The Boondocks is returning soon. I think October Novemberish.
I know the season is probably already produced, but I do have a wishlist.
1. Please roast Al Sharpton. He's not all bad, but he needs to be knocked down a peg or two or two thousand.
2. Please roast the SCLC. They were ridiculous for thinking of "honoring" Michael Vick. They couldn't have possibly meant "honor". They must have meant whup with a switch.
3. Please roast Jason Whitlock. I know he's not that famous and the Uncle Ruckus character is a fabulous figurative interpretation of him, but I know Aaron McGruder can bring the heat stronger.
No matter what you think of Sharpton, this is a good thing.
The only thing that will change Wilson's situation is to rain shame down on the state of Georgia. Via newspaper article, via blog, via boycott and/or even via Al Sharpton. From a legal perspective, Wilson's battle is uphill. However, publicity may pressure the appropriate parties to make concessions so that he is freed as soon as possible.
Sharpton preached:
"Ten years in jail is not a correction. It is wicked... It is immoral... And it is illegal."
Wilson's sentence is wicked and immoral. But it is not illegal. It must be clarified that Sharpton is engaging in inaccurate rhetoric concerning this case. He is not the only one though. Sharpton and others are understandably frustrated by Genarlow's plight. But Genarlow's plight is because of a stupid law, not because he didn't break the law. In that sense, he is not wrongfully imprisoned.
Sharpton also said:
"The case of Genarlow Wilson ... is a national issue because if they can establish a precedent in Georgia, it will be a precedent that we will have to live with in California, New York, Oregon and everywhere."
That is just flat out wrong. The laws of one state are generally unrelated to the laws of another state. Wilson's case will set no precedent outside of Georgia (unless Wilson's case makes it the US Supreme Court, which is unlikely). For example, I contrasted Genarlow's case with that of Elijah Dukes. Dukes had sex with a minor, but the laws of Florida are different from Georgia's. Consequently, Dukes is not guilty of a crime.
Al Sharpton also took a shot at Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker, who is Black and appealing a judge's ruling that Wilson should be released.
"To those in office, particularly those who are in office because of us. Don't walk over the bodies of martyrs and achieve a position of stature and forget how you got there and sit there in silence while your children are locked in jail with unjust sentences."
This is unfair of Sharpton to allude, without proof, that Baker is an affront to the civil rights movement. Baker's motives may be unseemly, but his position is perfectly reasonable, if not absolutely necessary. He has sworn to uphold the laws of Georgia and that is what he is doing.
Baker responded to Sharpton with dignity.
"I have the utmost respect and appreciation for the sacrifices made by Dr. King and the other leaders of the civil rights movement who changed America for the better. Those leaders also believed in a system governed by laws because the alternative is a lawless society. I am doing no less than following the law that I have sworn to uphold."
Finally, Al Sharpton decided to wrap up the rhetoric with a bang.
"If this young man's name was Scooter Wilson, he wouldn't be in jail. Since we don't have anybody in the oval office to deal with the excessive sentencing for him, he has got hundreds in the streets that will speak on his behalf because we understand Genarlow is not only her (Bennett's) son, he is my son, he is your son."
Surely, Sharpton is not expecting a pardon for Wilson from the current president. But I guess some things have to be said for effect.
So, Sharpton doesn't have all his facts straight, but his heart is in the right place. It's not a perfect world.
Oh snap. I'm supposed to be upset about this. Syndicated radio host Don Imus made some, ummm, disparaging remarks about the Rutgers ladies basketball team. The exchange went like this:
"That's some rough girls from Rutgers," Imus said. "Man, they got tattoos ..."
"Some hardcore hos," said McGuirk. Imus responded: "That's some nappy headed hoes there, I'm going to tell you that."
McGuirk compared the team to the NBA's Toronto Raptors. A voice in the background added: “The [Memphis] Grizzlies would be more appropriate.”
“The girls from Tennessee, they all look cute,” said Imus. “Kinda like a Spike Lee thing – the jigaboos vs. the wannabes.” McGuirk then said erroneously, “From ‘Do The Right Thing.’”
Here's the video:
To be certain, Imus' statement was incredibly sexist and racist. "Nappy headed hos" is not a slip of the tongue. It was as if Imus couldn't wait to say it. It is beyond dismissive to refer to college students - Black, White or otherwise - as hos. And "nappy headed"? Black people barely use that one anymore. Imus goes on to show off his "knowledge" of Spike Lee films. His reference to wannabees and jigaboos was a sorry attempt to reference the Spike Lee film, "School Daze."
"This is not the first time Imus has said stuff like this. Then to hide behind free speech, taking jigaboos and wannabes out of context, is ridiculous. The sad thing is, I bet a lot of their audience was laughing at it. I came up with jigaboos and wannabes . . . for something very specific about how African Americans view themselves based on hair color, complexion, etc. I was trying to show how crazy it was to do that, that black folks come in all different shapes, tones and sizes, etc., that one is not to be ridiculed over the other because we're all beautiful.
[Imus] don't know what I was talking about with School Daze, and it's evident with unfortunate comments like that. They'll probably have bigger ratings next week because of it, too."
Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer said she was “deeply saddened and angered” by Imus’ comments about her team. "To serve as a joke of Mr. Imus in such an insensitive manner creates a wedge and makes light of these classy individuals, both as women and as women of color," she said.
But it's not like, prior to Imus' comments, I felt valued in America. I can't even get R. Kelly banned from my radio station, lol. I am admittedly numb to this sort of treatment.
And, yes, it was a racist, sexist statement. But worse, it was mean without purpose, not even humor. The young ladies from Rutgers didn't deserve to hear that after they valiantly competed in the NCAA tourney. Women, in general, didn't deserve to hear that. Black people, in general, didn't deserve to hear that.
Many are calling for Imus' firing. So called representatives of Black people are demanding that he perform some sort of outreach to back up his apology. I guess it became fashionable in 2006, but that has to be the most ludicrous solution for racism and/or sexism and/or anti-semtism and/or homophobia that I have ever heard. Outreach? It is what it is. Imus is an old guy. Maybe a racist. Maybe a sexist. Definitely ignorant and thoughtless. Counseling is not going to change him. Let him be.
I can not join the PC police in calling for his firing because Imus made those comments. What would that accomplish? Will Imus have sudden deep felt respect for women? For Black people? Doubtful. Fired or not, he'll still be an asshole. If Imus is fired, will the airwaves be free of hateful people? No. Society will not turn on whether Imus keeps his job.
I suspect Imus might even be sincerely contrite in his apologies. Last week, Imus said:
"I want to take a moment to apologize for an insensitive and ill-conceived remark we made the other morning regarding the Rutgers women's basketball team. It was completely inappropriate, and we can understand why people were offended. Our characterization was thoughtless and stupid, and we are sorry."
And on Monday, Imus continued to apologize, calling himself "a good person" who made a bad mistake.
"Here's what I've learned: that you can't make fun of everybody, because some people don't deserve it. And because the climate on this program has been what it's been for 30 years doesn't mean that it has to be that way for the next five years or whatever because that has to change, and I understand that."
I don't know if this would be a case where the punishment exceeds the crime, but Imus spent two hours on the Al Sharpton radio show. Al berated him (deservedly) and Imus took calls. It was probably good for him. Call it a hunch, but I suspect Don doesn't have many Black friends. Thus, it was probably valuable for him to hear from some regular Black folk with no agenda. The discourse was perfectly civilized. Some even supported Imus' right to say what he did. Imus promised to personally apologize to the Rutgers basketball team. I suppose that's pretty much all you can do.
I appreciate Reverend Al, Reverend Jesse and the like standing up for ladies like me. Even though they have their own agenda, that is. I am more than disturbed that defending against racism has become a commercial enterprise in and of itself. But Al needs ratings. Jesse needs contributions to his foundation. There's never been much love for hos in this country, but I guess this little sliver of support is better than nothing. And nothing is pretty much what I'm used to.
