To Be Young, Black and Female

Oh, awards season... you give me so much to talk about. For once,I am not talking about something that someone was wearing, but instead I am typing about the now infamous Tweet that made the interwebs scream with justifiable outrage last night. If you missed it (where have you been?!) a parody newspaper- that will remain unnamed because I am not giving them any free press on this blog- called a 9 year old, Black actress a cunt.

Now, I know what parody and satire are, I use these instruments in my every day life. I use them well... against people who deserve it. I also know what Freedom of Speech is. I often defend the right for people to say what is on their mind... and my right to make them pay for it through tears they will shed when I prove them wrong. Calling a 9 year old a cunt is not parody or satire. It wasn't a joke. It wasn't funny. Does this "newspaper" have the right to say it? Yes, but then we, as the public, have the right to make them regret the choice of posting it on social media. I gladly take part in making them regret that choice.

I am angry. I am angry because there are people who have actually typed "that is just how this 'newspaper' is." That does not excuse the behavior. There are people who deny the racial aspect of this tweet... and believe me, there IS a racial aspect to this tweet, namely that this "newspaper" has never used this vile description for a young white female who was nominated for an Oscar. There has been plenty of opportunity for that to happen, considering there have been scores of young, white women who have attended the Oscars and have been nominated for awards. So many more opportunities for this kind of thing to happen to Dakota Fanning, or her sister Elle, or anyone that looks like them.

Most of all, I am angry with Black people who seem to have no outrage for this behavior. I don't care who it is- no one, no publication, no politician, no RAPPER has the right to attack our children. Ever. That little girl got nominated for her work, got dressed up and went to an awards ceremony. That does not make her available for being called anything but her name (which I cannot pronounce). Going to get praised for work that you have done, especially as a child, SHOULD NOT open you up for name calling. I don't care if it was intended as a joke. There is not one thing that a 9 year old can do that would be a justification for calling her a cunt. Truthfully, there are a limited amount of things any woman could do that would warrant calling a GROWN woman a cunt. I am angry with Black people because about a year ago, everyone was so upset because of an unprovoked shooting of a Florida teen. Oh, there were marches and fantastic speeches and facebook petitions. Yet, here you can see the disgrace; you can see the beginning of the depravity. THIS is when there should be protests, letting people know that Black children cannot be abused in the "media". The protests cannot be saved for when they are shooting children down in the street because then it is TOO LATE. We should not be complacent about this "newspaper" calling this unsuspecting girl a cunt, a rapper calling women hoes and bitches (and our children constantly repeating these ideas), a man hitting a woman, a woman hitting a man, or ANYONE, under ANY circumstance, using whatever position they have to make others feel bad about themselves. This is NOT ok and what we put up with now is what will be used to destroy us later. You want to complain to me about how Black History Month is in the shortest month of the year, yet you don't want to defend a little girl who is being attacked by a media outlet? You want to tell me about the plight of Black men and how they are an endangered species in America and there should be outrage for you... yet, you are ok with this little girl getting lambasted and called out of her name? Where are the fathers? Where are the protectors? Where is the outrage for her? Can you NOT see that if we let this go, someone will do it again and think it is ok? That this could be the beginning of a downward spiral?

And just so everyone is clear: Freedom of Speech is real and I believe in it. I also believe in consequences and paying for what you have done. Those are not separate ideals. If you put something out there, be prepared to reap the anguish or the benefits. Hopefully this "media outlet" suffers some firings and reorganizations for this monumental mishap.


 

Rihanna, Chris Brown, Raz B and a Death Threat

When will these youngins learn!?!?!

So I was innocently browsing Twitter the other day. By browsing I mean checking every other minute while lying in bed, contemplating the rest of my day. Twitter is a sickness of mine, and I don't mind saying that I visit frequently and owning an iPhone only makes the obsession worse, but I digress. As I was being nosy, I come across a Twitter "beef" between Chris Brown and Raz B, that was SO ridiculous I have to write about it.

We all know who Chris Brown is, but here is the recap- he sings (um...sometimes), dances and he and Rihanna dated. One day they got into an altercation and he beat the hell out of her. Raz B, former member of B2K (boy band) is trying to get with Rihanna since her recent breakup with Matt Kemp, so he takes his campaign to Twitter. Out of the blue Raz B says, "I'm just sitting here thinking how...Chris Brown (and others) disrespect women as intelligent as ... and Rihanna." Um, was Brown just on your mind? Where did that comment come from? Have you actually talked to Rihanna or are you just pulling out the intelligent card to get in her pants?

Ok- I will NEVER stand up for Chris Brown and what he did to Rihanna. No ONE should ever hit the person that they are dating (or anyone else for that matter). He was wrong. He has apologized, gone to counseling and gone to some sort of jail. His album sales have suffered, he is currently not doing as well as he was. Now loyal readers know that I am not into simply forgiving people because they say that they are sorry. Sorry rolls off the tongue a little too easy for me. People say it without really thinking about what they are apologizing for. So I don't really deal with Chris Brown. I don't buy his albums, and I don't promote his music... but I also do NOT just bring his name up out of the blue and put him on blast like Raz B did. Why?? Everyone knows that Brown and Rihanna have Twitter accounts. Why feed the fire? No one should get press for challenging a person known for domestic violence.

The Twitter fight quickly got out of hand. There was name calling, the 'n' word was passed around and Raz B's brother (RickyRomance) got involved, saying that he will "put his pistol" in Chris Brown's mouth if he ever comes to LA. DUDE... seriously?!?! You are going to use a public forum to threaten a superstar? Have you lost your ever loving mind?? What the hell is wrong with people? Ok- beyond the fact that these two "stars" play on Twitter and talk about each others bad deeds and misfortunes, you then have a third party come in with some death threats. OMG- I fear for the future of our country because these assholes are going to be in charge some day...

For the record:

Everyone- keep your hands to yourself!!

Raz B- know your role. Dude, you are so yesterday and starting fights on Twitter is lame, especially if it is to get the attention of some chick who has been passed around the industry. If she hasn't been with you, she doesn't want you... come to that conclusion. Even if she DID want you, she probably doesn't now because you have shown yourself to be a press whore.

Chris Brown- you need NO more trouble. You haven't even bounced back from the last troublesome situation you were in. Damn dude, mind your manners.

Ricky Romance- wait, who are you again? Nobody?! I thought so!

Town Hall Debate- Did he just say that?

Ok- I have not commented directly on a debate, Presidential or Vice Presidential, until tonight. I feel like I have to. No secrets here. I am speaking from a biased point of view. You can scroll down and see that I am no republican. I think that W. is a moron, who made it to office simply because of the Christian conservatives and who his father is.  I think that the GOP does not look out for the interests of the vast majority; those of us who are in middle America; those of us who have to work more than one job to pay bills, a mortgage, college tuition, car payments, etc.  In my heart of hearts, I do not think that the republicans care if I make it or not, or if I loose my house to foreclosure... I take that back, if it were going to hurt them financially, then they MIGHT care.  

With that said, I do not agree with all Democrats either. I think that both parties have a tendency to get to Washington and forget what got them there. So, I am gladly an Independent. I have voted for republicans before, sure I will do it again- never for President, but I digress.

Tonight, John McCain referred to Barack Obama as "that one"... whoa. Do I even have to explain why that was inappropriate? Do I even have to tell anyone why that kind of talk (whether it was a slip or not) is unacceptable in a PRESIDENTIAL debate? What would be the reaction if Barack said the exact same thing?? I am not one to automatically pull out the race card, but really, "that one" is something that I would envision was said when buying slaves on the auction block. I am truly offended by McCain's choice of words and believe that he should issue an apology.  The complete disregard that I felt when he said that cannot be described. As a politician, you HAVE to know when your words will be hurtful; when they will be inappropriate; when they will be seen in a bad light.  If I can't trust John McCain in a town hall meeting debate, how can I be sure he won't have a slip of the tongue in a diplomatic meeting with another country? Feel free to comment... 

Oh Sarah, get that foot out of your mouth...

LOL. Sarah Palin has done more than upset me with her lies... she has upset the Community Organizers across the country. They want an apology... rightly so. Let's see if she jumps off that pedestal and gives them one. ** At the end of this article are the truths that I posted yesterday. I have omitted them for space, but feel free to visit the site, or scroll down.**


http://www.eurweb.com/story/eur46797.cfm
*Numerous lines in Gov. Sarah Palin's speech at the GOP convention Wednesday night have been exposed as lies by various media outlets. But one of her quips struck a nerve that has galvanized grassroots organizations across the country to respond en masse.
During the convention on Wednesday, the former mayor of Wasilla (population 7,000) took a jab at Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama with the line: “I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities.”
Her sentiments were reinforced in two earlier speeches on the convention floor Wednesday in St. Paul.
• Former Governor George Pataki said: “[Barack Obama] was a community organizer. What in God’s name is a community organizer? I don’t even know if that’s a job.”
• Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani said: “On the other hand, you have a resume from a gifted man with an Ivy League education. He worked as a community organizer. What? [Laughter]…I said, OK, OK, maybe this is the first problem on the resume.”
In the wee hours of the following morning, Obama's campaign sent an e-mail to supporters objecting – among other things – to the attacks against community organizers. It read:
Let's clarify something for them right now.
Community organizing is how ordinary people respond to out-of-touch politicians and their failed policies.
And it's no surprise that, after eight years of George Bush, millions of people have found that by coming together in their local communities they can change the course of history. That promise is what our campaign has been about from the beginning.
Throughout our history, ordinary people have made good on America's promise by organizing for change from the bottom up. Community organizing is the foundation of the civil rights movement, the women's suffrage movement, labor rights, and the 40-hour workweek. And it's happening today in church basements and community centers and living rooms across America.
Also on Thursday, a coalition of community organizers across the country launched the Web site OrganizersFightBack. (http://organizersfightback.wordpress.com/) to demand an apology from Gov. Palin and to "defend their work organizing Americans who have been left behind by unemployment, lack of health insurance and the national housing crisis."
• “Community organizers work in neighborhoods that have been hit hardest by the failing economy,” said John Raskin, founder of Community Organizers of America and a community organizer on the West Side of Manhattan. “The last thing we need is for Republican officials to mock us on television when we’re trying to rebuild the neighborhoods they have destroyed. Maybe if everyone had more houses than they can count, we wouldn’t need community organizers. But I work with people who are getting evicted from their only home. If John McCain and the Republicans understood that, maybe they wouldn’t be so quick to make fun of community organizers like me.”
• David Gonzalez of the New York Times has posted a column, Bronx Organizers React to G.O.P. Punchlines, featuring the work of two past local community organizers still active in the neighborhoods.
• Also, this entry on the Huffington Post features the Center for Community Change's official response to the remarks.