I’ve got a politically incorrect pet peeve. I thought about stewing silently. Alas, I’ve never been good at stewing. It makes my eyeball twitch. And the whole silent thing… obviously, we can forget about that.
Okay the thing is: I’m an Al Sharpton watcher. No, I can’t explain it. I’ve met him. I generally disliked him and consider him to be divisive and fanatical. Plus, he has a horrible hairdo and makes me feel queasy.
In my opinion, he is no different or better than radical white leaders, who push segregation and re-population of the “European” peoples. For this reason perhaps, I try to keep up with what stink he is stirring or the general location where he can be found holding his stink stirring spoon.
Well, after taking three antacids, I cruised over to the website for AL’s radio show. Believe it or not, my pet peeve is not the photos of Al, which you can download. I know. You’re all just dying to race over and download your wallpaper. I’ll wait.
Okay, did you notice the news aggregator over there?
In case you missed it, some of the headlines listed are:
GOP senator says Iraq plan not working
Whitman on hot seat over 9/11 aftermath
Court bars suit against faith-based plan
First Lady begins Africa tour on AIDS
US: Biased Shiites moved from Iraq force
These are Associated Press reports. These are not Associated Press reports about how these issues influence the black community. These aren’t reports written by predominately black AP reporters. These are just plain, old who-the-hell-knows-the-reporter-we’ll-forget-their-name-in-five minutes anyhow news stories the rest of the country reads.
For the record, I understand the need for minority communities have their own groups and organizations to represent their interests and ultimately protect their rights. I understand the need for the Black Miss America pageant as mainstream hasn’t fully embraced the beauty of black women. (C.M. please don’t hit me with that it not all about beauty: it’s forum for expressing viewpoints of young women crap – because any which way you cut it, Miss America doesn’t have cellulite.) I don’t even have a problem with Black Entertainment Television. This seems fair since ya’ll have County Music Television. Each appeals to different viewing audience. Each sustained by advertising targeting the market the audience represents.
BUT how are these headlines unique to the black community? How do they appeal, specifically and separately, to African-Americans? They don’t. So is the “State of black America” accurate? Is the distinction necessary? Wouldn’t this just be “State of America?”
You know the days of de facto and de jure black/white co-existence are gone. Consequently, the goals and tactics of black power in America have to be adjusted to the reality of America. And any black community leader or news outlet who supports or promotes self-segregation, encourages arbitrary identification of self on the basis of race and/or draws ridiculous lines between African American and other communities – when it is completely unnecessary, slows progress toward true social, political and economic equality.
[...] brings forth a controversial thesis: You know the days of de facto and de jure black/white co-existence are gone. Consequently, the [...]