Chicken or Egg
Not that I am surprised but it seems that the good Rev. Al Sharpton is kinda missing the point here -- a chicken and egg sort of thing.
From Cajun at
Mostly Cajun:
Huhhhh?!?!?
I’ve heard the message before, but this is a new angle:Sharpton: ‘Gangsterism’ Harming Blacks
Rev. Al Sharpton Says Potential Black Leaders Falling Under ‘Gangster Mentality’
By CLIFF BRUNT
INDIANAPOLIS Aug 18, 2006 (AP)— Many black youths fall under a spell of “gangster mentality,” preventing them from becoming leaders and making a positive impact in politics, the Rev. Al Sharpton said.
The civil rights activist faulted Hollywood and the record industry for making “gangsterism” seem cool and acceptable.
“We have got to get out of this gangster mentality, acting as if gangsterism and blackness are synonymous,” Sharpton said Thursday at the annual conference of the National Association of Black Journalists.
I seem to remember that “Reverend” Sharpton was one of the black “leaders” who jumped down Bill Cosby’s throat for making similar remarks some time ago.
For a long time the blacks have been looking for an "authentic" culture. They took the street, gangster, drug-dealing, rap elements and turned it into something that Hollywood for some reason likes to market and promote. And now clowns like Rev. Al have their knickers in a bunch about how the popular perception of black people is that of brutal, semi-literate thugs and how if a black man seeks to improve himself, he is derided by his "friends" for trying to
turn white.
As Cajun goes on to say, these people are focused on the dregs and on the Hollywood stars and are totally ignoring the middle class. From Cajun:
For some years I’ve noticed the big disconnect between the real black community’s image and the image portrayed by popular black culture. In the area where I live and work, it is impossible to find a job where one does not meet a racially mixed workforce. I find myself working with black as well as white engineers and electricians and operators, and there’s no noticeable difference in competence that can be correlated to skin pigmentation. We share the same goals: healthy families, job satisfaction, personal successes.
However, these sorts of black people are hardly the ones that get the media exposure. We get to see plenty of rap stars and hedonistic millionaire athletes instead.
Cajun has
more to say and it is spot on...
Posted by DaveH at August 20, 2006 3:59 PM