Professor Hough,
I read your comments regarding the fallout from your recent online comments concerning African Americans. As a Durham NC resident, I take exception to people, such as yourself, taking the liberty to speak with presumed authority on the topic of black culture.
In your comments to WTVD, you seem to be throwing down the gauntlet and issuing a challenge to debate the issue of race outside of the boundaries of politically correct "sensitivities."
As one of the ideological children of Malcolm X, who you referenced in your initial comments, I accept your challenge to a no holds barred debate on race in America.
Having the right to voice an opinion is part of a democracy. But to have ideas go unchallenged is Fascism.
Min. Paul Scott
Messianic Afrikan Nation
Durham NC
(919) 972-8305
Showing posts with label racist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label racist. Show all posts
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Controversial Son of God Movie Boycott Interview on Militant Minded Radio
Last night, I was on Militant Minded Radio and we had a powerful discussion of the Son of God Movie and the impact of the White Jesus image on Black people. Podcast link below
http://www.blacktalkradionetwork.com/2014/02/mm-radio-minister-says-white-jesus-is-racist-and-offensive-calls-for-boycott-of-film-son-of-god/
http://www.blacktalkradionetwork.com/2014/02/mm-radio-minister-says-white-jesus-is-racist-and-offensive-calls-for-boycott-of-film-son-of-god/
Sunday, January 6, 2013
The Abolitionists or Absolute Bull ?
The Abolitionists or Absolute
Bull?:
The Myth of the Great White Hope
TRUTH Minista Paul Scott
“Most of my heroes don’t appear on no stamp”
Fight the Power-Public Enemy
The year is 2020, and Goebbels Entertainment Company has just released its Academy Award nominated documentary, Rap, Unchained about how Hip Hop was successful in emancipating millions of Black children from mental slavery during the late 80’s. While it briefly mentions the contributions of a few Black rappers of the time, the majority of the film is dedicated to one great man who risked his life by speaking out on behalf of millions of oppressed African Americans. This great hero is none other than the rap abolitionist himself, Vanilla Ice....
This week, PBS will air, The Abolitionists, a movie about people who during the 19th century , spoke out against the evils of chattel slavery. While the flick does feature Frederick Douglas, instead of rounding out the cast with Nat Turner, Gabriel Prosser and Denmark Vessey, it focuses on the lives of good white folks like William Lloyd Garrison, Harriet Beecher Stowe Angelina Grimke and John Brown. Thus, reinforcing the idea that my ancestors were a bunch of punks during slavery, whinin' in the cotton fields, waiting on the day when some white saviors would free them from bondage.
Like many other topics regarding history, the Abolitionist Movement has been subject to historical revisionism and an attempt for white America to pick our heroes.
Although , the film's trailer proudly proclaims that " if it had not been for the abolitionists, the United States would have thoroughly been a slave nation," historian Herbert Aptheker wrote in his book , American Negro Slave Revolts, that there were more than 200 slave rebellions in this country.
What is also glossed over by historians is the fact that while many of the white abolitionists did not agree with slavery as an institution, they, themselves, were still white supremacists who believed that Black people were innately inferior to Whites. Just because an animal rights activist might protest against cruelty to Fido, the pit bull, doesn’t mean that he wants to take him out for dinner and a movie.
The Myth of the Great White Hope
TRUTH Minista Paul Scott
“Most of my heroes don’t appear on no stamp”
Fight the Power-Public Enemy
The year is 2020, and Goebbels Entertainment Company has just released its Academy Award nominated documentary, Rap, Unchained about how Hip Hop was successful in emancipating millions of Black children from mental slavery during the late 80’s. While it briefly mentions the contributions of a few Black rappers of the time, the majority of the film is dedicated to one great man who risked his life by speaking out on behalf of millions of oppressed African Americans. This great hero is none other than the rap abolitionist himself, Vanilla Ice....
This week, PBS will air, The Abolitionists, a movie about people who during the 19th century , spoke out against the evils of chattel slavery. While the flick does feature Frederick Douglas, instead of rounding out the cast with Nat Turner, Gabriel Prosser and Denmark Vessey, it focuses on the lives of good white folks like William Lloyd Garrison, Harriet Beecher Stowe Angelina Grimke and John Brown. Thus, reinforcing the idea that my ancestors were a bunch of punks during slavery, whinin' in the cotton fields, waiting on the day when some white saviors would free them from bondage.
Like many other topics regarding history, the Abolitionist Movement has been subject to historical revisionism and an attempt for white America to pick our heroes.
Although , the film's trailer proudly proclaims that " if it had not been for the abolitionists, the United States would have thoroughly been a slave nation," historian Herbert Aptheker wrote in his book , American Negro Slave Revolts, that there were more than 200 slave rebellions in this country.
What is also glossed over by historians is the fact that while many of the white abolitionists did not agree with slavery as an institution, they, themselves, were still white supremacists who believed that Black people were innately inferior to Whites. Just because an animal rights activist might protest against cruelty to Fido, the pit bull, doesn’t mean that he wants to take him out for dinner and a movie.
In 1837, Rev. Theodore Wright told the New York Slave Ant-slavery Society that their doctrine must include “recognizing all men as brothers.”
Also, according to Lerone Bennett Jr in his work , Before the Mayflower, although Frederick Douglas used to hang out with William Lloyd Garrison, he eventually broke ranks, as white abolitionists like Garrison wanted Black abolitionists to merely serve as lawn jockeys.However Douglas believed that Black people should have been at the head of the Abolitionist Movement. As Bennett quotes Douglas as saying, “the man who suffered the wrong is the man to demand redress.”
Although Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin is applauded for the role it played in raising awareness about slavery, in his book , Race: The History of an Idea in America, Dr. Thomas Gossett claimed that the novel still “made it quite clear that, in spite of the Negro’s humility and aptitude for religion, he is innately inferior.”
It must be also, noted that the idea that groups who’s religious convictions should have made them long time allies in the fight against slavery has also been blown way out of proportion. In her book , Criminalizing of a Race, Dr. Charshee McIntyre revealed that “ as representatives of the emerging capitalist order, reformers could extend charity to the lowliest segment of laborers, but not even the Quakers could view Blacks as potential autonomous beings”
Although
much has been written about the white Jewish connection to Black suffering,
Harold Cruse wrote in, Plural but Equal, that it was not until 1915,
after the lynching of Leo Frank by a white Atlanta mob, that Jews began to
identify
with the suffering of African Americans. Cruse writes that the idea that the
Jewish community cared much about Black folks prior to that time is “an
inaccurate generalization because it was never explained how Jews as a group
were involved in contrast to certain individual Jews."
The main issue here, is that the further that we get away from a time period, the more distorted the historical accuracy becomes. If we are not careful even modern phenomena such as Hip Hop will eventually become distorted.
As important as Hip Hop has been as a platform that allowed young African Americans to advocate for the rights of poor and oppressed community, if this legacy is not properly guarded, the clear facts will too become muddied by historical inaccuracies and false assumptions.
If we are not careful, our grandchildren will believe that just because Vanilla Ice was popular during the same time period of conscious artists such as Brand Nubian, than he was something other than a cheap white washed version of MC Hammer. Or that even though a white rap group was called “Young Black Teenagers” , they may believe that they were a socially conscious group, rather than a gimmick to prove that white kids could rap.
As we move forward , it must be noted that many of the so-called depictions of “Black History” fictitious or otherwise , have been told from the viewpoint of non-Black people, from Django to The Abolitionists. Thus we find ourselves in the same dilemma as Frederick Douglas, almost a century and a half later.,
The solution is that African Americans, must become experts in the field of their own history, as no other racial group would dare trust the interpretation of their culture to others.
This is why we have started the “Black By Nature/Conscious By Choice Campaign. During the late 80’s rap group Public Enemy had as its mission to raise up 5000 Black leaders. So, our task in 2013 to raise up 5,000 Black scholars who will be experts in Black history, so they can defend our culture against distortions and teach the truth to our future generations.
As Nas said on ," I Can"
“If truth is told/the youth can grow. Then learn to survive until they gain control.”
TRUTH Minista Paul Scott’s website is No Warning Shots Fired.com. For more information on Black By Nature/Conscious By Choice contact info@nowarningshotsfired.com . Follow on Twitter @truthminista
The main issue here, is that the further that we get away from a time period, the more distorted the historical accuracy becomes. If we are not careful even modern phenomena such as Hip Hop will eventually become distorted.
As important as Hip Hop has been as a platform that allowed young African Americans to advocate for the rights of poor and oppressed community, if this legacy is not properly guarded, the clear facts will too become muddied by historical inaccuracies and false assumptions.
If we are not careful, our grandchildren will believe that just because Vanilla Ice was popular during the same time period of conscious artists such as Brand Nubian, than he was something other than a cheap white washed version of MC Hammer. Or that even though a white rap group was called “Young Black Teenagers” , they may believe that they were a socially conscious group, rather than a gimmick to prove that white kids could rap.
As we move forward , it must be noted that many of the so-called depictions of “Black History” fictitious or otherwise , have been told from the viewpoint of non-Black people, from Django to The Abolitionists. Thus we find ourselves in the same dilemma as Frederick Douglas, almost a century and a half later.,
The solution is that African Americans, must become experts in the field of their own history, as no other racial group would dare trust the interpretation of their culture to others.
This is why we have started the “Black By Nature/Conscious By Choice Campaign. During the late 80’s rap group Public Enemy had as its mission to raise up 5000 Black leaders. So, our task in 2013 to raise up 5,000 Black scholars who will be experts in Black history, so they can defend our culture against distortions and teach the truth to our future generations.
As Nas said on ," I Can"
“If truth is told/the youth can grow. Then learn to survive until they gain control.”
TRUTH Minista Paul Scott’s website is No Warning Shots Fired.com. For more information on Black By Nature/Conscious By Choice contact info@nowarningshotsfired.com . Follow on Twitter @truthminista
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Yes Virginia, There is a Kwanzaa
There had been much speculation as to whether President Obama would cosign Kwanzaa, this year. However, looks like the Prez and First Lady issued an official statement, yesterday.
Funny, but the mainstream media seem to have not gotten the memo.
The only major newspapers that I see that have picked up the story are the LA Times and USA Today.
Also, both papers only mention the Kwanzaa address on their Internet blogs, not the print additions. (The USA Today blog is actually about my article, "Christmas, Kwanzaa and Obama."
Even Fox News, the network that issues a news alert every time the President sneezes is keepin' this on the hush hush. I guess they are too busy trying to blame the Obama Administration for the attempted airplane bombing.
Is the "black holiday" a victim of a media "blackout?"
Let it be known that there are Kwanzaa events taking place all over the country.
Just because you don't see it on the news does not mean that it's not happening...
Funny, but the mainstream media seem to have not gotten the memo.
The only major newspapers that I see that have picked up the story are the LA Times and USA Today.
Also, both papers only mention the Kwanzaa address on their Internet blogs, not the print additions. (The USA Today blog is actually about my article, "Christmas, Kwanzaa and Obama."
Even Fox News, the network that issues a news alert every time the President sneezes is keepin' this on the hush hush. I guess they are too busy trying to blame the Obama Administration for the attempted airplane bombing.
Is the "black holiday" a victim of a media "blackout?"
Let it be known that there are Kwanzaa events taking place all over the country.
Just because you don't see it on the news does not mean that it's not happening...
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
The Great Kwanzaa Debate: TRUTH Minista Paul Scott vs Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson
Is Kwanzaa Racist?
TRUTH Minista Paul Scott vs Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson
Part 1
http://www.zshare.net/audio/702954129dbed51d/
Part 2
http://www.zshare.net/audio/702956227eef8d64/
TRUTH Minista Paul Scott vs Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson
Part 1
http://www.zshare.net/audio/702954129dbed51d/
Part 2
http://www.zshare.net/audio/702956227eef8d64/
Friday, December 18, 2009
12/23 TRUTH Minista Paul Scott to Debate Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson About Kwanzaa
The Associated Press is running an attack on Kwanzaa in a story today called "Kwanzaa Celebrations Continue, but boom is over."
The story quotes Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, who you may have seen many times on Fox News as
saying:
"Get rid of it," said Peterson, who is black. "Reject it completely. Just as we would do if a white racist came up with a false holiday to celebrate whiteness."
I am scheduled to debate Rev. Peterson on his nationally syndicated radio show on 12/23 at 10AM EST about Kwanzaa.
To Listen go to:
http://www.bondaction.org/media/radio/radio_clock.php
The story quotes Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, who you may have seen many times on Fox News as
saying:
"Get rid of it," said Peterson, who is black. "Reject it completely. Just as we would do if a white racist came up with a false holiday to celebrate whiteness."
I am scheduled to debate Rev. Peterson on his nationally syndicated radio show on 12/23 at 10AM EST about Kwanzaa.
To Listen go to:
http://www.bondaction.org/media/radio/radio_clock.php
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Christmas, Kwanzaa and Obama
Christmas, Kwanzaa and Obama:
Cultural Diversity or Religious Division
Paul Scott
Twas the night before Kwanzaa and all through the White House, staffers gathered to watch President Barack Obama, decked out in a red, black and green dashiki, deliver his first annual Kwanzaa address, urging Americans to practice the Nguzo Saba (the seven principals of Kwanzaa.) He ended his 45 minute speech with seven extremely loud shouts of "Harambe!" which scared the heck out of Conservatives and had Birthers across the country engaging in frantic Google searches , confident that they had finally come up with, indisputable, proof that Obama is part of some radical, militant foreign nationalist organization, deserving immediate deportation....
'Tis the season to be jolly; a time of gifts, celebrations and endless debates over whether black folks should celebrate Christmas or Kwanzaa. This is an especially touchy subject in the era of America's first black president , when any outward expression of "blackness" is subject to a vicious attack by Fox News for being separatist, divisive or just out of sync with the times.
While many African Americans will spend sleepless nights agonizing over whether they should hang stockings over fireplaces or place kinaras on coffee tables, the real topic of discussion should be the need for mutual respect for religious and cultural expression.
Historically, organized religion has had more to do with politics, economics and cultural hegemony than establishing a spiritual relationship with a Divine Being. This is clearly seen if one looks at the religious history of the descendants of those who have suffered under slavery and colonialism.
We must first start with the Portuguese missionaries who sought to "civilize the savage Africans." It is not the point here to question the religious zeal of the early Christian missionaries but to point out how they laid the foundation for slavery and economic exploitation in areas such as the Congo.
In his book, "Africans in History," Basil Davidson points out that Christian missionaries arrived at the same time as the exploiters in the Congo as early as 1483. This exploitation continued throughout the 20th century. As WEB Du bois wrote in his essay "The Rape of Africa, "the missionaries ,still believing in the expanding trade of the 18th century, coupled commerce with missionary effort and did not see the inherent contradiction between them.
Du bois further wrote "the result was that the missionary and the merchant worked side by side and hand in hand."
In America, it must be remembered that the enslaved Africans were not allowed to read the Bible and had to accept the interpretation of the scriptures by their oppressors as the Gospel, most of it resting on the false ideology of "the Curse of Ham" that forever condemned the sons and daughters of Africa to servitude.
This history led to the formation of various African American religious movements over the last 150 years that have tried to retrieve a sense of spiritual identity that was left on the shores of West Africa.
Out of this context, Kwanzaa was born. Although the celebration was first celebrated by Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga in 1966, Dr. Ishakumusa Barashango wrote in "Afrikan People and European Holidays: a Mental Genocide" that " Kwanzaa was the kind of celebration that was common to most African societies, though the name would be as varied as the many languages that are spoken on the continent."
Unfortunately, just like Christmas with it's commercialization, Kwanzaa has lost some of its meaning in recent years, prompting some to parrot the false pronouncement that Kwanzaa is not a "black holiday" in an effort to get corporate sponsorship dollars and advertisements from those who would frown on bankrolling a "separatist holiday." However, it cannot be overstated that Kwanzaa is just as African as St. Patrick's Day is Irish.
Also, some have mistaken the "nonreligious" Kwanzaa as an Afrocentric alternative to Christmas. This idea is false both geographically and theologically. From a geographic standpoint it would be impossible to deny the Afro-Asiatic origin of Judeo-Christianity as recorded by Afrocentric scholars such as Dr. Yosef ben Jochannan, John G. Jackson and Rudolph Windsor.
Theologically speaking, the principals celebrated in Kwanzaa and Christianity, as well, existed in Africa thousands of years before the first church was built. So, the idea that Kwanzaa is just a cheap substitute for Christmas is just a cover for those who do not have the courage to challenge traditional western, Euro-Christian thought.
The question facing us this year is can we put aside political and religious dogmatism and accept the beauty of cultural diversity? This is the only way that we will be able to achieve the proverbial "peace on Earth and goodwill towards men."
So, to my open minded liberal peeps sippin' egg nog while reading this article, I wish you the universal season's greetings of Peace, Love and Happiness.
And to the ultra conservative, closed minded bigots who, by now, are yellin' "Bah Humbug" at their computer screens.
"Habari gani, haters !"
Paul Scott is a self-syndicated columnist and author of the blog, No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com For information about the Intelligence Over Ignorance Campaign lecture tours visit ioimovement.com
Cultural Diversity or Religious Division
Paul Scott
Twas the night before Kwanzaa and all through the White House, staffers gathered to watch President Barack Obama, decked out in a red, black and green dashiki, deliver his first annual Kwanzaa address, urging Americans to practice the Nguzo Saba (the seven principals of Kwanzaa.) He ended his 45 minute speech with seven extremely loud shouts of "Harambe!" which scared the heck out of Conservatives and had Birthers across the country engaging in frantic Google searches , confident that they had finally come up with, indisputable, proof that Obama is part of some radical, militant foreign nationalist organization, deserving immediate deportation....
'Tis the season to be jolly; a time of gifts, celebrations and endless debates over whether black folks should celebrate Christmas or Kwanzaa. This is an especially touchy subject in the era of America's first black president , when any outward expression of "blackness" is subject to a vicious attack by Fox News for being separatist, divisive or just out of sync with the times.
While many African Americans will spend sleepless nights agonizing over whether they should hang stockings over fireplaces or place kinaras on coffee tables, the real topic of discussion should be the need for mutual respect for religious and cultural expression.
Historically, organized religion has had more to do with politics, economics and cultural hegemony than establishing a spiritual relationship with a Divine Being. This is clearly seen if one looks at the religious history of the descendants of those who have suffered under slavery and colonialism.
We must first start with the Portuguese missionaries who sought to "civilize the savage Africans." It is not the point here to question the religious zeal of the early Christian missionaries but to point out how they laid the foundation for slavery and economic exploitation in areas such as the Congo.
In his book, "Africans in History," Basil Davidson points out that Christian missionaries arrived at the same time as the exploiters in the Congo as early as 1483. This exploitation continued throughout the 20th century. As WEB Du bois wrote in his essay "The Rape of Africa, "the missionaries ,still believing in the expanding trade of the 18th century, coupled commerce with missionary effort and did not see the inherent contradiction between them.
Du bois further wrote "the result was that the missionary and the merchant worked side by side and hand in hand."
In America, it must be remembered that the enslaved Africans were not allowed to read the Bible and had to accept the interpretation of the scriptures by their oppressors as the Gospel, most of it resting on the false ideology of "the Curse of Ham" that forever condemned the sons and daughters of Africa to servitude.
This history led to the formation of various African American religious movements over the last 150 years that have tried to retrieve a sense of spiritual identity that was left on the shores of West Africa.
Out of this context, Kwanzaa was born. Although the celebration was first celebrated by Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga in 1966, Dr. Ishakumusa Barashango wrote in "Afrikan People and European Holidays: a Mental Genocide" that " Kwanzaa was the kind of celebration that was common to most African societies, though the name would be as varied as the many languages that are spoken on the continent."
Unfortunately, just like Christmas with it's commercialization, Kwanzaa has lost some of its meaning in recent years, prompting some to parrot the false pronouncement that Kwanzaa is not a "black holiday" in an effort to get corporate sponsorship dollars and advertisements from those who would frown on bankrolling a "separatist holiday." However, it cannot be overstated that Kwanzaa is just as African as St. Patrick's Day is Irish.
Also, some have mistaken the "nonreligious" Kwanzaa as an Afrocentric alternative to Christmas. This idea is false both geographically and theologically. From a geographic standpoint it would be impossible to deny the Afro-Asiatic origin of Judeo-Christianity as recorded by Afrocentric scholars such as Dr. Yosef ben Jochannan, John G. Jackson and Rudolph Windsor.
Theologically speaking, the principals celebrated in Kwanzaa and Christianity, as well, existed in Africa thousands of years before the first church was built. So, the idea that Kwanzaa is just a cheap substitute for Christmas is just a cover for those who do not have the courage to challenge traditional western, Euro-Christian thought.
The question facing us this year is can we put aside political and religious dogmatism and accept the beauty of cultural diversity? This is the only way that we will be able to achieve the proverbial "peace on Earth and goodwill towards men."
So, to my open minded liberal peeps sippin' egg nog while reading this article, I wish you the universal season's greetings of Peace, Love and Happiness.
And to the ultra conservative, closed minded bigots who, by now, are yellin' "Bah Humbug" at their computer screens.
"Habari gani, haters !"
Paul Scott is a self-syndicated columnist and author of the blog, No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com For information about the Intelligence Over Ignorance Campaign lecture tours visit ioimovement.com
Sunday, September 6, 2009
The Lynching of Van Jones
Back in the day, the lynch mobs used to come like thieves in the night to hang black men from trees. Seems like the Right Wingers are carrying on the tradition.
It's 3AM Sunday EST and my good night's sleep was interrupted by my usual nightmare that Mike Savage and the Savage Nation had overthrown the government and were reinstituting slavery. So, I frantically, went to Yahoo news to make sure that I didn't have to grab my meager belongings and head to Canada via the nearest swamp when I saw the latest headline that green jobs czar, Van Jones, had just resigned.
Who is forced to resign at 1AM on a holiday weekend?
I guess the Conservatives felt that most black folks would be too distracted by family reunions, BBQ and old Marvin Gaye records to raise too much of a fuss during Labor Day Weekend.
What did he do so bad, anyway, record a gangsta rap version of "It's Not Easy Bein' Green?"
Now I knew earlier today when Fox News launched an "unofficial" poll that 97% of their viewers thought that Jones should be fired that this was gonna be a rough ride.
After all, they are still featuring Rev. Jeremiah Wright speeches as breaking news every time they need a black bogeyman.
They also played clips of Jones' alleged "extremist views." One clip had Jones saying that you have never seen black kids doing a "Columbine."
Well....?
It's funny how they attack extremist views but don't explain how the views are extreme.
What happened to "I may not agree with what you say but I will defend your right to say it..."
Guess that saying had as much merit when applied to black folks as "all men are created equal" did during slavery.
Oh well. I guess the only thing worst than being thrown under the bus is throwin' yourself under the Greyhound.
I wish that Jones had stuck to his guns. As the old saying goes, "if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything."
It's sad, they used to lynch black men with ropes now they lynch us with lies.
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com He can be reached at (919) 451-8283
info@nowarningshotsfired.com
It's 3AM Sunday EST and my good night's sleep was interrupted by my usual nightmare that Mike Savage and the Savage Nation had overthrown the government and were reinstituting slavery. So, I frantically, went to Yahoo news to make sure that I didn't have to grab my meager belongings and head to Canada via the nearest swamp when I saw the latest headline that green jobs czar, Van Jones, had just resigned.
Who is forced to resign at 1AM on a holiday weekend?
I guess the Conservatives felt that most black folks would be too distracted by family reunions, BBQ and old Marvin Gaye records to raise too much of a fuss during Labor Day Weekend.
What did he do so bad, anyway, record a gangsta rap version of "It's Not Easy Bein' Green?"
Now I knew earlier today when Fox News launched an "unofficial" poll that 97% of their viewers thought that Jones should be fired that this was gonna be a rough ride.
After all, they are still featuring Rev. Jeremiah Wright speeches as breaking news every time they need a black bogeyman.
They also played clips of Jones' alleged "extremist views." One clip had Jones saying that you have never seen black kids doing a "Columbine."
Well....?
It's funny how they attack extremist views but don't explain how the views are extreme.
What happened to "I may not agree with what you say but I will defend your right to say it..."
Guess that saying had as much merit when applied to black folks as "all men are created equal" did during slavery.
Oh well. I guess the only thing worst than being thrown under the bus is throwin' yourself under the Greyhound.
I wish that Jones had stuck to his guns. As the old saying goes, "if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything."
It's sad, they used to lynch black men with ropes now they lynch us with lies.
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com He can be reached at (919) 451-8283
info@nowarningshotsfired.com
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
NWSF News 7/14: Judge Sotomayor's Supreme Court Hearing
TRUTH Minista Paul Scott: Are Latinos smarter than white men?
It depends on which Latino and which white man. "...Even Slow Poke Rodriguez is smarter than Rush Limbaugh..."
It depends on which Latino and which white man. "...Even Slow Poke Rodriguez is smarter than Rush Limbaugh..."
Monday, July 13, 2009
No Warning Shots Fired News 7/14
TRUTH Minista Paul Scott to Valley Club in Philly: "Find a short diving board and take a long walk...."
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Sacha's Little Black Sambo
Sacha's Little Black Sambo:
Hollywood Still Pickin' on Picaninnies
Paul Scott
Back in the late 1800's a Scottish woman wrote the controversial book "Little Black Sambo." Although, the story was about a dark skinned Indian child with exaggerated Negroid features who liked to rumble with tigers, Sambo gave birth to a long line of Sambo- like comedic characters for the next century .
Based on the reviews of Sacha Cohen's new movie, "Bruno" some people still find this type of racially, offensive humor hilarious.
According to the trailers for the upcoming movie, Cohen plays Bruno, an Austrian, homosexual fashion reporter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAGpmNb2xfQ
However, the part that they are highlighting in the commercials deals with Bruno adopting a black baby to whom he ,lovingly, refers to as "Gayby."
When we first meet Gayby he is being lifted out of a box at an airport by Bruno who is decked out in traditional African ceremonial garb.
The reason for the black baby in the box:
"Angelina's got one. Madonna's got one. Now Bruno's got one."
Later there is a scene where the baby is covered with bees, which I suppose is a reference to those Sally Strothers "Feed the Children" info-mericials with Ethiopian children covered with bugs.
In the movie Bruno, also mentions that he swapped his Ipod for the baby.
Not very funny to a person whose ancestors were traded for cheap gin and rum.
Of course, the Hollywood honchos and their stable of PR apologists will swear that there is ,absolutely, nothing offensive about this movie, as it is a satirical film that pokes fun at many cultures. Anyone offended by the movie just can't take a joke.
We are not amused.
I have an embedded keen sense of when people have stopped laughing with me and have started laughing at me. So excuse me for being a little hypersensitive.
Also, I am aware of the mass media's historical use of "picanninies" to sell movie tickets and boost ratings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSfGvptL_TY
From the Topsy character in Harriet Beacher Stowe's, well intended, Uncle Tom's Cabin novel to those old Shirley Temple movies and even to the 80's "Arnold" character on "Different Strokes," who would puff his cheeks out and go "What you talkin' 'bout Willis" in every episode to the absolute delight of his adopted white father and white housekeeper, the picaninny character has survived.
As Thomas Cripps wrote in the outstanding anthology "Split Image: African Americans in the Mass Media by Janette Dates and William Barlow:
"Hollywood movies have always exhibited a sort of cultural politics in their treatment of ethnicity but their usages of African Americans have always seemed resistant to change, even under the pressure of social crisis."
Even with two beautiful black girls living in the White House, Hollywood is still pickin' on picaninnies.
Now, I'm sure that some of my "post racial" black and liberal white friends will say that I need to calm down; perhaps get a cup of green tea and mellow out.
I do have a sense of humor, black folks have a long history of "playin' the dozens" and dissin' each other for fun. But there is always a point where a "yo mama is so black joke" goes too far and then...
Pow...In the face!
As the late comedian Richard Pryor said in his skit that was immortalized via Public Enemy's sample on "Prophets of Rage"
"I have a right to be hostile. My people are being persecuted!"
Sacha Cohen needs an old fashion back ally beat down for exploiting black babies like that.
(So, if I ever catch you in tha hood, homie be prepared for a behind whippin'.)
Why is it that black folks are the only ones who have to wait for an official national consensus before they express outrage. Or they must wait until some black leader gives them the green light to get angry and then the red light to tell them when to chill back out?
In 2009, I don't have to wait for Rev. Al or anybody else to give me permission to express my sense of moral outrage.
For too long African Americans have been at the bottom of the ladder of social advocacy.
When members of the Jewish community were upset over a verse in Michael Jackson's "They Don't Care About Us," it did not take an act of Congress to have the song pulled from store shelves.
Even if someone abuses a squirrel while filming a nature flick, you can bet that a militant group of PETA activists will mobilize in a matter of hours in front of the director's house pelting it with pistachio nuts.
Black folks should demand the same respect instead of buying into the coming PR spin that Bruno is a humanitarian effort with the sole purpose of bringing about a new era of world peace and universal brotherhood.
I guess that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. One man's treasure is another man's piece of racist trash.
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 info@nowarningshotsfired.com
Hollywood Still Pickin' on Picaninnies
Paul Scott
Back in the late 1800's a Scottish woman wrote the controversial book "Little Black Sambo." Although, the story was about a dark skinned Indian child with exaggerated Negroid features who liked to rumble with tigers, Sambo gave birth to a long line of Sambo- like comedic characters for the next century .
Based on the reviews of Sacha Cohen's new movie, "Bruno" some people still find this type of racially, offensive humor hilarious.
According to the trailers for the upcoming movie, Cohen plays Bruno, an Austrian, homosexual fashion reporter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAGpmNb2xfQ
However, the part that they are highlighting in the commercials deals with Bruno adopting a black baby to whom he ,lovingly, refers to as "Gayby."
When we first meet Gayby he is being lifted out of a box at an airport by Bruno who is decked out in traditional African ceremonial garb.
The reason for the black baby in the box:
"Angelina's got one. Madonna's got one. Now Bruno's got one."
Later there is a scene where the baby is covered with bees, which I suppose is a reference to those Sally Strothers "Feed the Children" info-mericials with Ethiopian children covered with bugs.
In the movie Bruno, also mentions that he swapped his Ipod for the baby.
Not very funny to a person whose ancestors were traded for cheap gin and rum.
Of course, the Hollywood honchos and their stable of PR apologists will swear that there is ,absolutely, nothing offensive about this movie, as it is a satirical film that pokes fun at many cultures. Anyone offended by the movie just can't take a joke.
We are not amused.
I have an embedded keen sense of when people have stopped laughing with me and have started laughing at me. So excuse me for being a little hypersensitive.
Also, I am aware of the mass media's historical use of "picanninies" to sell movie tickets and boost ratings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSfGvptL_TY
From the Topsy character in Harriet Beacher Stowe's, well intended, Uncle Tom's Cabin novel to those old Shirley Temple movies and even to the 80's "Arnold" character on "Different Strokes," who would puff his cheeks out and go "What you talkin' 'bout Willis" in every episode to the absolute delight of his adopted white father and white housekeeper, the picaninny character has survived.
As Thomas Cripps wrote in the outstanding anthology "Split Image: African Americans in the Mass Media by Janette Dates and William Barlow:
"Hollywood movies have always exhibited a sort of cultural politics in their treatment of ethnicity but their usages of African Americans have always seemed resistant to change, even under the pressure of social crisis."
Even with two beautiful black girls living in the White House, Hollywood is still pickin' on picaninnies.
Now, I'm sure that some of my "post racial" black and liberal white friends will say that I need to calm down; perhaps get a cup of green tea and mellow out.
I do have a sense of humor, black folks have a long history of "playin' the dozens" and dissin' each other for fun. But there is always a point where a "yo mama is so black joke" goes too far and then...
Pow...In the face!
As the late comedian Richard Pryor said in his skit that was immortalized via Public Enemy's sample on "Prophets of Rage"
"I have a right to be hostile. My people are being persecuted!"
Sacha Cohen needs an old fashion back ally beat down for exploiting black babies like that.
(So, if I ever catch you in tha hood, homie be prepared for a behind whippin'.)
Why is it that black folks are the only ones who have to wait for an official national consensus before they express outrage. Or they must wait until some black leader gives them the green light to get angry and then the red light to tell them when to chill back out?
In 2009, I don't have to wait for Rev. Al or anybody else to give me permission to express my sense of moral outrage.
For too long African Americans have been at the bottom of the ladder of social advocacy.
When members of the Jewish community were upset over a verse in Michael Jackson's "They Don't Care About Us," it did not take an act of Congress to have the song pulled from store shelves.
Even if someone abuses a squirrel while filming a nature flick, you can bet that a militant group of PETA activists will mobilize in a matter of hours in front of the director's house pelting it with pistachio nuts.
Black folks should demand the same respect instead of buying into the coming PR spin that Bruno is a humanitarian effort with the sole purpose of bringing about a new era of world peace and universal brotherhood.
I guess that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. One man's treasure is another man's piece of racist trash.
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 info@nowarningshotsfired.com
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Beer and Watermelon
According to the News and Observer today, N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Commission Chairman Doug Fox quit yesterday after he was busted for, allegedly, sending that infamous picture of watermelons in front of the White House to his homies , last November.
http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/1515324.html
Most folks know that I have no love for the NC ABC in the first place. I always thought that they were a little too cozy when dealing with an alcohol industry that imports barrels of high powered malt liquor into the black community, everyday.
http://www.ncabc.com/product/
I remember back in the 90's trying to get the ABC and other agencies to even look at the amount of poison being pumped into "urban" areas was like pulling teeth from a mountain lion.
So, I'm not surprised that the head honcho of the agency would find the watermelon photo humorous.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/image/47942
It just makes you wonder, what other jokes are being kicked around high level government offices that we never hear about.
"Hey Jim Bob, you hear the one about the little darkie who drank so many 40oz's and ate so much fried chicken and watermelon that his stomach exploded...."
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com He can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com
http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/1515324.html
Most folks know that I have no love for the NC ABC in the first place. I always thought that they were a little too cozy when dealing with an alcohol industry that imports barrels of high powered malt liquor into the black community, everyday.
http://www.ncabc.com/product/
I remember back in the 90's trying to get the ABC and other agencies to even look at the amount of poison being pumped into "urban" areas was like pulling teeth from a mountain lion.
So, I'm not surprised that the head honcho of the agency would find the watermelon photo humorous.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/image/47942
It just makes you wonder, what other jokes are being kicked around high level government offices that we never hear about.
"Hey Jim Bob, you hear the one about the little darkie who drank so many 40oz's and ate so much fried chicken and watermelon that his stomach exploded...."
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com He can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com
Thursday, February 12, 2009
NWSF Bullet: Relatively Nonracist
I was listening to the Tom Joyner Morning Show this morning and he had as a guest Lerone Bennett, historian and author of such books as "Before the Mayflower." He was discussing his book "Forced into Glory" which seems to say that Honest Abe was not only not so honest but he was a racist, as well.
Now, while some black folks will automatically burst into tears at the mere thought of the dude with the T-Pain hat whose picture used to hang over Grandma's bed next to the portraits of Martin Luther King and the white Jesus being a hata of black folks, it is important to define racism.
Racism is the power of one race to exert influence over another race. Closely related is white supremacy which is a social system that places persons of European descent socially and economically above other races.
So, racism is more than just wanting to lynch a black man just for being black. And white supremacy is about more than parading through town in a white sheet chanting anti-black slogans.
Many people are racists who don't even know that they are practicing white supremacy.
This is so even in regards to the Abolitionists of the 19th century. Just because they didn't believe in slavery as an institution for either economic or moral reasons did not mean that they thought that African people were their equals. (Read "Lies My Teacher Told Me" by James Lowen and "Black Labor/White Wealth" by Dr. Claude Anderson.)
So, it was with Abraham Lincoln.
But since we're supposed to be putting all of that race stuff behind us and moving forward as a nation, in the spirit of Brotherhood I say;
Happy Birthday President Lincoln....
(racist bastard)
Now, while some black folks will automatically burst into tears at the mere thought of the dude with the T-Pain hat whose picture used to hang over Grandma's bed next to the portraits of Martin Luther King and the white Jesus being a hata of black folks, it is important to define racism.
Racism is the power of one race to exert influence over another race. Closely related is white supremacy which is a social system that places persons of European descent socially and economically above other races.
So, racism is more than just wanting to lynch a black man just for being black. And white supremacy is about more than parading through town in a white sheet chanting anti-black slogans.
Many people are racists who don't even know that they are practicing white supremacy.
This is so even in regards to the Abolitionists of the 19th century. Just because they didn't believe in slavery as an institution for either economic or moral reasons did not mean that they thought that African people were their equals. (Read "Lies My Teacher Told Me" by James Lowen and "Black Labor/White Wealth" by Dr. Claude Anderson.)
So, it was with Abraham Lincoln.
But since we're supposed to be putting all of that race stuff behind us and moving forward as a nation, in the spirit of Brotherhood I say;
Happy Birthday President Lincoln....
(racist bastard)
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Tyler Perry: The Art of Speakin' "Christian-ese"
Tyler Perry: The Art of Speakin' "Christian-ese"
Paul Scott
I once asked my homie, spoken word artist, James Washington how it is that a thugged out brotha like him gets invited to speak at churches all the time and a (relatively speaking) clean cut brother, like me, can't even make it past the front door ?
"Simple," he said. "You don't know how to speak Christian-ese."
Christinese- a type of dialect that will make black folks give you the shirts off their backs. Master the language and African Americans will follow you to the ends of the Earth.
Just ask Tyler Perry, multi millionaire producer extraordinaire.
Over the last decade, Tyler Perry has made a fortune with his Gospel plays, television sitcoms and movies. His next film "Madea Goes to Jail," to be released February 20th, should be another blockbuster as he continues to follow the same formula that has been his bread and butter. Also, there is hardly a night that you can turn on your tv and not see his sitcoms "House of Payne " and "Meet the Browns."
Maybe it's just me but I don't see what's so appealing about Tyler Perry's newer stuff. I mean the plays were funny enough the first couple of years when they first came to dvd but somehow the comedy got kind of old and when it was transferred to tv and the big screen, something got lost in the translation.
However, I'm probably in the minority on this one because come the weekend of the film's release, black church folks across the country will make pilgrimages to their local theaters to get a look at Madea.
Perry, is not the first one to use Christianese to move black folks.
Historically speaking, the Portuguese and other European exploiters first used the language as justification for slavery and later the colonization of Africa.
It was perfected by the slave owners as Christianese was used to inspire the enslaved Africans to pick cotton from sun up to sun down with the hope of a reward in "the sweet by and by."
During the Civil Rights Era, black leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King became fluent in the dialect as they were able to convince thousands of black folks to join hands and sing "We Shall Overcome" as they were being bitten by police dogs and doused with water from fire hydrants.
Even today, politicians borrow very heavily from the language as they know one short speech at a black church will translate into a lot of votes come election day.
The strange thing about Christianese is that you don't even have to practice Christianity to speak it. Writer and motivational speaker, Iyanla Van Zandt sold a lot of books to church folks before they realized that she was not a Pentecostal evangelist but a Yoruba priestess.
Not only have entertainers turned the art of speakin' Christianese into a muti billion dollar industry but they have also shown that black folks will forgive a multitude of transgressions because a performer says "Thank you Jesus" at an awards show or puts one Gospel track on an otherwise vulgar cd.
Even with Tyler Perry's movies, how many good old sisters of the church who demonize all forms of Hip Hop bust a gut laughing when Madea pulls out a pistol or rolls a blunt?
The main problem with most Gospel plays that appeal to church folk intellect is the lack of substance. Opportunities to increase social awareness and to explore the depths of theology are replaced with weak story lines and slap stick comedy routines that went out of style with Amos and Andy.
I am not saying that performers like Perry, purposely, dumb-down their productions to reach their target audience but it is a common perception that , for many church folks, their theological understanding does not grow beyond the elementary Sunday school level and their biblical understanding is only a steady reaffirmation of what they learned before they were 10 years old.
So, a Gospel play or TV show can be totally secular but one well placed "Negro spiritual" will make it a big hit with black folks. Not to mention the warn out themes of "the prodigal child returning home," "praying for a good man," or " a sudden conversion after years of substance abuse."
Although, some may argue that these are, indeed, experiences that black folks go through, this is not the black experience in its totality. These are just symptoms of a greater problem that stems, at least partially, from the failure of African Americans to understand the full dynamics of African spirituality and the African American religious experience in the context of the social ills that we have faced in this country.
This raises the age old dilemma as to whether African American film makers are obligated to give us what we need or what will rake in the most dollars at the box office.
Maybe there are socially redemptive values in Tyler Perry productions that I just don't get. Perhaps somewhere between watching Madea threaten to whip somebody's behind and the grand finale that usually includes a Gospel group sing -along, some lives are changed for the better which would make the $10 spent on a movie ticket well worth the sacrifice. Could be that I just don't get it.
But then again, I don't speak Christianese.
Paul Scott, the Hip Hop TRUTH Minista," writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/ He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
Paul Scott
I once asked my homie, spoken word artist, James Washington how it is that a thugged out brotha like him gets invited to speak at churches all the time and a (relatively speaking) clean cut brother, like me, can't even make it past the front door ?
"Simple," he said. "You don't know how to speak Christian-ese."
Christinese- a type of dialect that will make black folks give you the shirts off their backs. Master the language and African Americans will follow you to the ends of the Earth.
Just ask Tyler Perry, multi millionaire producer extraordinaire.
Over the last decade, Tyler Perry has made a fortune with his Gospel plays, television sitcoms and movies. His next film "Madea Goes to Jail," to be released February 20th, should be another blockbuster as he continues to follow the same formula that has been his bread and butter. Also, there is hardly a night that you can turn on your tv and not see his sitcoms "House of Payne " and "Meet the Browns."
Maybe it's just me but I don't see what's so appealing about Tyler Perry's newer stuff. I mean the plays were funny enough the first couple of years when they first came to dvd but somehow the comedy got kind of old and when it was transferred to tv and the big screen, something got lost in the translation.
However, I'm probably in the minority on this one because come the weekend of the film's release, black church folks across the country will make pilgrimages to their local theaters to get a look at Madea.
Perry, is not the first one to use Christianese to move black folks.
Historically speaking, the Portuguese and other European exploiters first used the language as justification for slavery and later the colonization of Africa.
It was perfected by the slave owners as Christianese was used to inspire the enslaved Africans to pick cotton from sun up to sun down with the hope of a reward in "the sweet by and by."
During the Civil Rights Era, black leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King became fluent in the dialect as they were able to convince thousands of black folks to join hands and sing "We Shall Overcome" as they were being bitten by police dogs and doused with water from fire hydrants.
Even today, politicians borrow very heavily from the language as they know one short speech at a black church will translate into a lot of votes come election day.
The strange thing about Christianese is that you don't even have to practice Christianity to speak it. Writer and motivational speaker, Iyanla Van Zandt sold a lot of books to church folks before they realized that she was not a Pentecostal evangelist but a Yoruba priestess.
Not only have entertainers turned the art of speakin' Christianese into a muti billion dollar industry but they have also shown that black folks will forgive a multitude of transgressions because a performer says "Thank you Jesus" at an awards show or puts one Gospel track on an otherwise vulgar cd.
Even with Tyler Perry's movies, how many good old sisters of the church who demonize all forms of Hip Hop bust a gut laughing when Madea pulls out a pistol or rolls a blunt?
The main problem with most Gospel plays that appeal to church folk intellect is the lack of substance. Opportunities to increase social awareness and to explore the depths of theology are replaced with weak story lines and slap stick comedy routines that went out of style with Amos and Andy.
I am not saying that performers like Perry, purposely, dumb-down their productions to reach their target audience but it is a common perception that , for many church folks, their theological understanding does not grow beyond the elementary Sunday school level and their biblical understanding is only a steady reaffirmation of what they learned before they were 10 years old.
So, a Gospel play or TV show can be totally secular but one well placed "Negro spiritual" will make it a big hit with black folks. Not to mention the warn out themes of "the prodigal child returning home," "praying for a good man," or " a sudden conversion after years of substance abuse."
Although, some may argue that these are, indeed, experiences that black folks go through, this is not the black experience in its totality. These are just symptoms of a greater problem that stems, at least partially, from the failure of African Americans to understand the full dynamics of African spirituality and the African American religious experience in the context of the social ills that we have faced in this country.
This raises the age old dilemma as to whether African American film makers are obligated to give us what we need or what will rake in the most dollars at the box office.
Maybe there are socially redemptive values in Tyler Perry productions that I just don't get. Perhaps somewhere between watching Madea threaten to whip somebody's behind and the grand finale that usually includes a Gospel group sing -along, some lives are changed for the better which would make the $10 spent on a movie ticket well worth the sacrifice. Could be that I just don't get it.
But then again, I don't speak Christianese.
Paul Scott, the Hip Hop TRUTH Minista," writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/ He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Has Kwanzaa Sold Out ?
Has Kwanzaa Sold Out ?
Paul Scott
On that old school Charlie Brown Christmas cartoon, there is a scene where Charlie is complaining about the commercialization of Christmas. If the token black kid, "Franklin" had more of a speaking role, he probably would have made the same point about Kwanzaa.
Kwanzaa, the African (American) festival that starts December 26 used to be strictly a holiday for black folks to get themselves reconnected to African based principles. The festival, which was started in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, has in recent years gone the way of Jazz, Rock and Roll and everything else that black folks have created and started to crossover, ie sellout.
http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/index.shtml
Let me say from the jump. I like my Kwanzaa like I like my coffee; black!
Some things should be sacred. As a matter of full disclosure, I remember, I wasn't too happy when they integrated Soul Train, either. The music just wasn't as funky anymore.
Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with cultures admiring other cultures. But when white folks start "feeling" black culture, well, it starts losing its blackness. This is especially problematic when they start dictating the terms of black celebrations.
I don't see too many Irish people letting black folks tell them how to run St. Patrick's Day.
This is what is happening to Kwanzaa. It has gone from a time of black empowerment ,where issues affecting African people were discussed to a perpetual session of "Kwanzaa for Dummies."
Most times, the festival events are stuck in Kwanzaa 101 mode and are geared towards the handful of white folks in the audience and the bougie black folks who just discovered that they were black, yesterday. So, the moderator of the program never gets to the point of discussing the practical applications of the Kwanzaa principles (Nguza Saba.) but concentrates on teaching the new target audience how to pronounce Kujichagulia.
"Now, for the 100th time say it with me, koo- gee- cha- gu -lia"
Also, many people who put on these Kwanzaa programs have an innate fear of offending white folks, so many times the speakers are chosen from the "Safe Negro Temp Agency." Therefore, most Kwanzaa discussions rarely deal with anything deeper than explaining the meaning behind the Kwanzaa candles.
How many times have you heard a Kwanzaa speaker start his presentation with the obligatory, "Kwanzaa is not just for black people but for all people" and you said to yourself "what kind of Umoja Juice has he been sippin' on ?"
The reason why black folks allow our culture to be misdirected is simple.
Money, Cheddar, lucci (I'm not sure how to say it in Swahili)
I just can't see Denny's sponsoring a real, in depth workshop on African Ujamaa (collective economics.)
Every year, we are forced to chose between having a small event in the back of a black bookstore or having a "great extravaganza" at some large convention facility. We have to chose between an event where a few black folks scrape together a few dollars for an African pot lock dinner and presentations by a few local activist speakers or a corporate sponsored mega event where even the African drummers go home with a fat paycheck.
Fortunately, there are folks who have championed the cause for Kwanzaa purity like the S.T.E.P. organization in New Jersey.
http://www.steptothefuture.org/
The O'Jays once sang "Christmas just ain't Christmas and New Years just ain't New Years..."
Until we get our "Kujichagulia" act together, Kwanzaa just ain't Kwanzaa either.
TRUTH Minista Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/
He can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com (919) 451-8283
Paul Scott
On that old school Charlie Brown Christmas cartoon, there is a scene where Charlie is complaining about the commercialization of Christmas. If the token black kid, "Franklin" had more of a speaking role, he probably would have made the same point about Kwanzaa.
Kwanzaa, the African (American) festival that starts December 26 used to be strictly a holiday for black folks to get themselves reconnected to African based principles. The festival, which was started in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, has in recent years gone the way of Jazz, Rock and Roll and everything else that black folks have created and started to crossover, ie sellout.
http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/index.shtml
Let me say from the jump. I like my Kwanzaa like I like my coffee; black!
Some things should be sacred. As a matter of full disclosure, I remember, I wasn't too happy when they integrated Soul Train, either. The music just wasn't as funky anymore.
Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with cultures admiring other cultures. But when white folks start "feeling" black culture, well, it starts losing its blackness. This is especially problematic when they start dictating the terms of black celebrations.
I don't see too many Irish people letting black folks tell them how to run St. Patrick's Day.
This is what is happening to Kwanzaa. It has gone from a time of black empowerment ,where issues affecting African people were discussed to a perpetual session of "Kwanzaa for Dummies."
Most times, the festival events are stuck in Kwanzaa 101 mode and are geared towards the handful of white folks in the audience and the bougie black folks who just discovered that they were black, yesterday. So, the moderator of the program never gets to the point of discussing the practical applications of the Kwanzaa principles (Nguza Saba.) but concentrates on teaching the new target audience how to pronounce Kujichagulia.
"Now, for the 100th time say it with me, koo- gee- cha- gu -lia"
Also, many people who put on these Kwanzaa programs have an innate fear of offending white folks, so many times the speakers are chosen from the "Safe Negro Temp Agency." Therefore, most Kwanzaa discussions rarely deal with anything deeper than explaining the meaning behind the Kwanzaa candles.
How many times have you heard a Kwanzaa speaker start his presentation with the obligatory, "Kwanzaa is not just for black people but for all people" and you said to yourself "what kind of Umoja Juice has he been sippin' on ?"
The reason why black folks allow our culture to be misdirected is simple.
Money, Cheddar, lucci (I'm not sure how to say it in Swahili)
I just can't see Denny's sponsoring a real, in depth workshop on African Ujamaa (collective economics.)
Every year, we are forced to chose between having a small event in the back of a black bookstore or having a "great extravaganza" at some large convention facility. We have to chose between an event where a few black folks scrape together a few dollars for an African pot lock dinner and presentations by a few local activist speakers or a corporate sponsored mega event where even the African drummers go home with a fat paycheck.
Fortunately, there are folks who have championed the cause for Kwanzaa purity like the S.T.E.P. organization in New Jersey.
http://www.steptothefuture.org/
The O'Jays once sang "Christmas just ain't Christmas and New Years just ain't New Years..."
Until we get our "Kujichagulia" act together, Kwanzaa just ain't Kwanzaa either.
TRUTH Minista Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/
He can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com (919) 451-8283
Friday, December 12, 2008
NWSF Bullet: Police Release Report on "Myspace" Scandal
As you may remember about a month ago, there was quite a scandal involving some Durham cops and an alleged diss of President-elect Barack Obama. Apparently, some of Durham's finest, allegedly, put some nasty things about Obama on Myspace.
All across Durham, inquiring minds wanted to know what was said and who said it...
Well, today the Durham Po Po came clean with the "official" results of "their" investigation.
http://www.durhampolice.com/news/pdf/081212_1.pdf
Now, we still don't know "who" but it seems we now know part of the "what." (I guess.)
If you remember WTVD broke a story back on 11/12 that started with the headline:
"The Durham Police Department is investigating whether its own officers posted racially charged remarks about President Elect Barack Obama. "
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=6500831
The story said that "two" officers were under investigation for allegedly putting the messages on Myspace.
According to the "official" police statement, there were three officers under investigation and it wasn't "Myspace" but Facebook.
Or at least the Facebook page is the one that is talked about in the report.
Is the public getting the real deal or just a sanitized version of what could have been a PR disaster ?
The world may never know unless one of the City Council folks raises the question or WTVD tries to redeem itself by posing some real tough questions, tomorrow.
Now, according to the police department's release, come to find out there was nothing racist about Obama at all on at least one of the "Facebook" pages...
According to the release, some of the statements on the page "included" something about the officer preparing for his "2nd dan " and realizing "that's what we get for passing the 14th amendment." He later said that he meant the "19th amendment" not the 14th.
So, he was dissing women voters not black folks...
(And all this time ya'll thought they had called Obama the N word.)
Excuse the scepticism but NWSF wants to know if that is all there was to it, then why all the hush hush ? Wouldn't it have been easier just to post the Facebook page on the police department's website a month ago and let that have been the end of it?
Also, is there an original "Myspace" page showing Obama in a monkey costume floating out in cyberspace, somewhere ?
I mean, Myspace, Facebook, Bebo they're all the same to me...But for professional journalists who get paid the big bucks to fact check, well....
I wonder if the outcome would have turned out differently if the City Council would have held its own investigation instead of letting the fox guard the hen house?
Oh well, shotty journalism by the media or a good spin job by the police department ?
You be the judge.
All across Durham, inquiring minds wanted to know what was said and who said it...
Well, today the Durham Po Po came clean with the "official" results of "their" investigation.
http://www.durhampolice.com/news/pdf/081212_1.pdf
Now, we still don't know "who" but it seems we now know part of the "what." (I guess.)
If you remember WTVD broke a story back on 11/12 that started with the headline:
"The Durham Police Department is investigating whether its own officers posted racially charged remarks about President Elect Barack Obama. "
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=6500831
The story said that "two" officers were under investigation for allegedly putting the messages on Myspace.
According to the "official" police statement, there were three officers under investigation and it wasn't "Myspace" but Facebook.
Or at least the Facebook page is the one that is talked about in the report.
Is the public getting the real deal or just a sanitized version of what could have been a PR disaster ?
The world may never know unless one of the City Council folks raises the question or WTVD tries to redeem itself by posing some real tough questions, tomorrow.
Now, according to the police department's release, come to find out there was nothing racist about Obama at all on at least one of the "Facebook" pages...
According to the release, some of the statements on the page "included" something about the officer preparing for his "2nd dan " and realizing "that's what we get for passing the 14th amendment." He later said that he meant the "19th amendment" not the 14th.
So, he was dissing women voters not black folks...
(And all this time ya'll thought they had called Obama the N word.)
Excuse the scepticism but NWSF wants to know if that is all there was to it, then why all the hush hush ? Wouldn't it have been easier just to post the Facebook page on the police department's website a month ago and let that have been the end of it?
Also, is there an original "Myspace" page showing Obama in a monkey costume floating out in cyberspace, somewhere ?
I mean, Myspace, Facebook, Bebo they're all the same to me...But for professional journalists who get paid the big bucks to fact check, well....
I wonder if the outcome would have turned out differently if the City Council would have held its own investigation instead of letting the fox guard the hen house?
Oh well, shotty journalism by the media or a good spin job by the police department ?
You be the judge.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
NWSF Bullet: Slavery is Back in Effect
The Associated Press is running a story about a white teacher, Eileen Bernstein, in Haverstraw, New York who is "sorry" for binding two black middle school girls and making them crawl under a desk during a class slavery reenactment.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gc0c1hB9MlLCLoAjdsaRHOWOraWQD94SR4I81
According the the story, Bernstein was just tryin' to keep it real with the slavery thing.
Problem is it really upset one of the teens who had to miss a day out of school.
Yeah, I guess for some girls being made to crawl around in front of a bunch of teenage boys, who at that age can find humor in a car wreck, would be kinda humiliating.
But I guess that was real authentic since her ancestors who had to crawl around in front of mobs of white men probably didn't like that too much, either.
I'm just glad that the teacher wasn't doing a lesson on pimps and ho's.
Superintendent Brian Monahan did say that "if the student was upset, then it was a bad idea."
Duh, ya think?
The child's mother, Christine Shand, thinks that the teacher should be removed from class but Monahan is not saying how the situation will be handled.
(In other words Berstein will be forced to write "I'm sorry" 100 times on the blackboard and sing, "Let My People Go" in blackface during the Black History Month program.)
Maybe, Bernstein really didn't mean any harm and was just adding a little flava to the lesson. But like Grandma used to say "the road to hell is paved with good intentions."
I wonder what would have happened if black social studies teacher, Tyrone Jackson, had decided to demonstrate the horrors of the Holocaust by marching two little Jewish girls to the ovens in the home economics room?
Somehow, I don't think Mr. Jackson would be getting a paycheck at the end of the month. Nor do I think Ms. Bernstein would have found it enlightening.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gc0c1hB9MlLCLoAjdsaRHOWOraWQD94SR4I81
According the the story, Bernstein was just tryin' to keep it real with the slavery thing.
Problem is it really upset one of the teens who had to miss a day out of school.
Yeah, I guess for some girls being made to crawl around in front of a bunch of teenage boys, who at that age can find humor in a car wreck, would be kinda humiliating.
But I guess that was real authentic since her ancestors who had to crawl around in front of mobs of white men probably didn't like that too much, either.
I'm just glad that the teacher wasn't doing a lesson on pimps and ho's.
Superintendent Brian Monahan did say that "if the student was upset, then it was a bad idea."
Duh, ya think?
The child's mother, Christine Shand, thinks that the teacher should be removed from class but Monahan is not saying how the situation will be handled.
(In other words Berstein will be forced to write "I'm sorry" 100 times on the blackboard and sing, "Let My People Go" in blackface during the Black History Month program.)
Maybe, Bernstein really didn't mean any harm and was just adding a little flava to the lesson. But like Grandma used to say "the road to hell is paved with good intentions."
I wonder what would have happened if black social studies teacher, Tyrone Jackson, had decided to demonstrate the horrors of the Holocaust by marching two little Jewish girls to the ovens in the home economics room?
Somehow, I don't think Mr. Jackson would be getting a paycheck at the end of the month. Nor do I think Ms. Bernstein would have found it enlightening.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
NWSF Bullet: Durham Po Po Accused of Racist Obama Message on Myspace
WTVD news is reporting that some Durham police officers are being accused of posting some "racially charged" remarks about Barack Obama on their Myspace pages.
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=6500831
The reporter, as well as City Councilman Eugene Brown, seemed shocked because with the supposed end of "Racism" via the Obama campaign that this kind of stuff doesn't happen anymore.
Kind of naive if you ask me.
Racism is not something that you can just take off like a dirty shirt.
The story did say that the messages were on the officers' "private" Myspace pages.
Now, I'm not overly concerned about some anti-Obama message on myspace. But when the poster has the authority to kill at will; that makes me kinda nervous.
I have a lot of respect for the Durham Police. Compared to other cities, you really do not hear too much bad stuff about them. However, there is always one in every bunch.
Just my luck if the next time that I'm rollin' through tha hood late at night, the officer that pulls me over for pumpin' my Public Enemy cd too loud will be one of the Myspace militia.
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=6500831
The reporter, as well as City Councilman Eugene Brown, seemed shocked because with the supposed end of "Racism" via the Obama campaign that this kind of stuff doesn't happen anymore.
Kind of naive if you ask me.
Racism is not something that you can just take off like a dirty shirt.
The story did say that the messages were on the officers' "private" Myspace pages.
Now, I'm not overly concerned about some anti-Obama message on myspace. But when the poster has the authority to kill at will; that makes me kinda nervous.
I have a lot of respect for the Durham Police. Compared to other cities, you really do not hear too much bad stuff about them. However, there is always one in every bunch.
Just my luck if the next time that I'm rollin' through tha hood late at night, the officer that pulls me over for pumpin' my Public Enemy cd too loud will be one of the Myspace militia.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
NWSF Bullet: Annie Get Your Gun!
There are news stories today that are reporting that guns sells have exploded since the election.
Wow, that's a shocker.
Most of the stories seem to be reporting that the reason is fear that the Democrats will start banning guns. Not much mention of the fear of many white folks that black folks are planning a massive take over of the country led by the president-elect, Barack "Hussein" Obama.
Didn't see any interviews with Billy Bob in Alabama who can't sleep at night for dreaming that slave ships from Africa are on their way across the Atlantic to take him and his family to work on a plantation in Kenya.
But some, at least have found humor in it.
The Athens Banner Herald reported Nov 6 that some store owner was having an "Obama Gun Sale."
According to the article, the owner of Georgia Outdoor Sports, Carrie Mental (Oh, my bad that was Carrie Mentel) said that the owners were just trying to use "a little bit of humor."
Guess that must be some of that Jeff Foxworthy type redneck humor that only folks in Georgia can appreciate....
Wow, that's a shocker.
Most of the stories seem to be reporting that the reason is fear that the Democrats will start banning guns. Not much mention of the fear of many white folks that black folks are planning a massive take over of the country led by the president-elect, Barack "Hussein" Obama.
Didn't see any interviews with Billy Bob in Alabama who can't sleep at night for dreaming that slave ships from Africa are on their way across the Atlantic to take him and his family to work on a plantation in Kenya.
But some, at least have found humor in it.
The Athens Banner Herald reported Nov 6 that some store owner was having an "Obama Gun Sale."
According to the article, the owner of Georgia Outdoor Sports, Carrie Mental (Oh, my bad that was Carrie Mentel) said that the owners were just trying to use "a little bit of humor."
Guess that must be some of that Jeff Foxworthy type redneck humor that only folks in Georgia can appreciate....
Friday, July 25, 2008
Should CNN Define Blackness? Radio Show 7/25
There has been a lot of controversy over the CNN "Black in America Series."Tonight, June 25th from 8PM to 10PM EST, Shairis Radio Show (WXDU 88.7FM)will have an on air discussion titled "Should CNN Define Blackness?" and "How do We Define Ourselves?"
The program is hosted by Monica Daye along with her cohosts Sean Ingram and Poetic Mike. Tonight, they will be joined by guest commentator TRUTH Minista Paul Scott of the Messianic Afrikan Nation.
To listen online got to
http://www.wxdu.org/listen/index.html
Call in numbers are:(919) 684-8870 and (919) 684-8871
The program is hosted by Monica Daye along with her cohosts Sean Ingram and Poetic Mike. Tonight, they will be joined by guest commentator TRUTH Minista Paul Scott of the Messianic Afrikan Nation.
To listen online got to
http://www.wxdu.org/listen/index.html
Call in numbers are:(919) 684-8870 and (919) 684-8871
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