Beneath the Spin * Eric L. Wattree
Black Kids Have Heard Enough Whining - It's Time To Inspire Them To Reach For Their Full Potential
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I’ve been so aggressively out front in my criticism of Tavis Smiley and Cornel West that I decided that I needed to draft a formal statement explaining why I’ve embraced this issue so passionately - and by the way, I could also add Boyce Watkins to this mix, but he’s so anxious to play with the big dogs that at this point he might consider it a compliment. The primary problem that I have with Tavis and West has nothing to do with their criticism of President Obama, as they would have the world believe is the motivation of anyone who disagrees with them. The problem that I have with them is their selfishness and hypocrisy. They have a single-minded agenda of promoting their own interest at the expense of the Black community.
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In addition, I’m sick to death of so-called "brothers" who engage in and promote Black-on-Black hatred (bligotry) under the guise of "defending the people." That’s been a blight on the Black community for over 400 years, so it’s past time for us to bring that to an end once and for all.
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So it’s both sickening, and embarrassing, that these so-called “brothers,” who profess to be enlightened intellectuals, are so steeped in hatred that they fail to recognize the historical stupidity of their behavior. Yeah, I know - “They’re merely speaking truth to power.” The only problem with that claim is that they seem to have only found their tongues after George W. Bush and Dick Cheney left office.
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Smiley,West, and their supporters are suffering from a serious case of projection. They’re so fixated on the politics of Obama-hating that they’re completely oblivious to the gross stupidity of their behavior, and they insist that anyone who’s critical of them is merely an Obama cheerleader or defender, but that’s simply not the case. When my son and daughter were teenagers they had a phrase that perfectly summed up the allegations of these people - they’re stuck on stupid.
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Their criticism of Obama has absolutely nothing to do with the Black community’s growing antipathy towards these two. An ever-increasing number of Black people are critical of Tavis and West because we see them for what they are - snake-oil-selling demagogues - and we consider their behavior self-serving, counterproductive, and detrimental to the Black community - period.
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Young Black people have heard enough whining. They need to be educated about who they are and what they represent - the potential answer to the prayers of a million slaves. So they need to be inspired to reach for their full potential. That's what the community should be focused on - that, and educating the community to be more politically astute in order to more effectively promote our political agenda.
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Of course we should hold President Obama accountable, just like we would any other politician, but it's absolutely ridiculous to go out of one's way to slander the most powerful role model that our young people have in the world today. We shouldn't even have to tell that to anyone who professes to be an intellectual, and if we do, both their motives, and intellectual credentials, should automatically be suspect. Common sense 101.But Smiley and West are so fixated on their own self-interest that they’re completely ignoring that fact, and I suspect there are several reasons for that. First, they’re seeking the fame and fortune of being seen as the primary spokesmen for the Black community. Secondly, they have an intense hatred for Obama fueled by jealousy, envy, and the feeling that they’ve been snubbed. And finally, since Barack Obama has completely overshadowed them as president, their egos demand that they try to ride into history on his coattail as the people who "forced" Obama to do right by the people, which, of course, is ridiculous.
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So their actions have absolutely nothing to do with the poor; it’s all about promoting their own self-interest and soothing the pain of their wounded egos at the expense of the Black community - and it's disgusting that millions should have to suffer to assuage the the hurt feelings and envy of two oversized egos.
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And anyone who needs clear evidence that the activities of Tavis and West are self-serving, and have absolutely nothing to do with the well-being of the poor, need simply ask Tavis the following question - “Tavis, since you’re such a big promoter of ‘accountability’ and what’s in the best interest of the poor, were you accountable, and concerned enough about the poor, to returned any of the millions of dollars that you reportedly made from the Wells Fargo “Ghetto Loans” scam to the poor Black people who lost their money and homes?”
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Personally, I’m not privy to any information suggesting whether or not Tavis returned any of that money, but considering his character and greed, I feel completely comfortable in saying, I doubt it. But that's a question that needs to be put to him, and if he didn't return the money, considering his position on 'accountability,' our next question should be, "Why not?"
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In addition to that, as deluded as these two characters are, they should both have sense enough to recognize that the most important aspect of a young person’s ability to cope with adversity is his or her self-image. And one of the big differences between Black kids and others is, Jewish kids are taught that they're "God's chosen people," and White American kids are taught that they're the greatest thing to ever walk the Earth. But due primarily to people like Tavis and West, Black kids are being taught that they're helpless victims whose well-being is in the hands of others - and since, we are what we think, that's what many of our young people are becoming. So it's time to stamp out that message, and correct that image.
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But, of course, Tavis and West would simply glaze over everything that’s been said here and continue to repeat their mantra that they're fighting for the people. But I don't accept that for a minute. Again, what they're actually fighting for is the very lucrative job of spokesmen for the Black community. Tavis has proven that many times over with not only his involvement in Wells Fargo’s "Ghetto Loans" scam, but also with his association with a number of corporations that were members of ALEC, including Walmart. And as I’ve mentioned before, Cornel’s mere association with Tavis gives him the credibility of a man running down the street ranting about fascism after just having lunch with Mussolini.
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So the Black community needs to bring this self-serving nonsense to an end - AND NOW! And we should start by boycotting everything, and everybody, associated with Tavis Smiley and Cornel West.
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Did you hear that Boyce Watkins? You think you want to run with the big dogs, but sooner rather than later the Black press is going to realize that they’re being unforgivably remiss and on the wrong side of history by not more aggressively covering this gross assault on the Black community. Once they recognize that fact, Dr. Watkins, you may find that you’ve latched on to the Titanic.
Why I Love Being BLACK
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http://wattree.blogspot.com/2013/01/why-i-love-being-black.html
Eric L. Wattree
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Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.