The Return of the Nappy Headed Hoe - Monday,
December 2, 2007
I did an interview this morning on American Urban Radio Networks about Don Imus. They'd heard that we have a petition to keep Imus off the air, and wanted me to talk about it. I agreed to do so, mainly because Bettie Lee, the woman who interviewed me, is a respected friend. I also like AURN because they allow black people to have a voice that is not muffled by the stupidity of mainstream media.
When it came to Don Imus, I made these simple points:
1) His return to the air after apologizing signals a fundamental disrespect for people of color and women. Had Tyra Banks referred to Rudi Guiliani as an "oily skinned cracker", she would never be put on the air again.
2) It seems that the networks could have found a woman of color to replace Imus, since they are non-existent from mainstream media. So, while Imus paid a 6 month price for degrading women of color, they have paid with a lifetime ban for doing nothing.
3) Don Imus, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly form the the New KKK in America. Without using the N-word, they engage in the perpetuation of policies and ideologies that have been hurtful to all of America.
4) Our plan for boycotting Imus and his supporters is not a short-term plan. I want, for at least 2 years, for all people of color to do the following:
- Boycott the Imus Show and WABC Networks in New York.
- Consider boycotting all corporations that sponsor this network (we have a list of current sponsors below this post)
- Hold all dignitaries and political candidates who appear on their shows accountable for their actions. It's interesting that Republican Presidential candidates did not appear in the debate on HBCU campuses, but yet they find time to appear on racist conservative talk shows.
Here is an episode we did that refers to Don Imus:
Those Judging Sean Taylor Should Spend Time Judging Themselves -
November 29, 2007
Today I saw an article by a chubby black sports writer in the
Midwest. In his column, he was alluding to the fact that the
media’s portrayal of Sean Taylor’s death, in which they’ve continuously
made reference to his troubled past, is simply Taylor’s fault.
In the column, the writer stated that the white media’s negative
portrayal of the former Washington Redskins safety was clearly created
by him for choosing the way he lived. He argues that Taylor made
choices that led to his death. That is what got my fingers
clicking on the keyboard.
Taylor was surely “caught up” in some things that led to him being
killed. I believe that he was murdered, and that someone was
coming to get him. But someone coming to get you doesn’t mean that
you are begging to “get got”.
What the chubby writer doesn’t understand is that when one lives in
the black male jungle, you are going to sometimes have enemies.
You get challenged when you are the “alpha male” and everyone wants to
take you down: “Awe, that N*gga ain’t sh*t” is what you deal with
on a regular basis. Challengers come at you constantly, many of whom
have nothing to lose.
When you are dropped in Vietnam, you are sometimes forced to be a
soldier. There are no angels in this game, but then again, none of us
are angels are we? I know this, because I have dealt with this as a
young man. My best friend was shot in the head, and I was almost
shot myself. Neither of us deserved to be shot, but that’s not
how the media would have seen it.
It didn’t matter that I was a straight A student. It didn’t matter
that I was going to be the only African-American in the US to get a PhD
in Finance. Instead, the world would have focused on what Boyce
Watkins did in order to get himself killed. I understand why the chubby
sports writer doesn’t get it, since chubby people don’t do well in the
jungle. It’s easier to just sit in your office and run your mouth
about it.
I recall being on ESPN with Method Man and I mentioned the death of
his close friend, Tupac Shakur. Meth put Shakur’s behavior in
perspective by explaining “When you are on top, people are always
constantly coming at you.” Perhaps that is why Taylor had a gun
and a machete under his bed, I’m not sure.
Was the media wrong for constantly discussing Taylor’s past the way they
did? Yes. Why? Because there are many things about a
person’s life we can choose to focus on. Taylor was a family man.
He was a great team leader elected by his peers. He worked like
hell to be successful at a very young age. He led his team in
interceptions. Instead, we choose to focus on an argument that
implies that he had his murder coming because he was stupid.
When Nicole Brown Simpson was killed, did we focus on the fact that
she was a crackhead, or a mother of two?
If Marv Albert were to be killed, would we focus on the fact that he was
tried for sexual assault or that he was a great sports commentator?
If a soldier in Iraq is killed, do we try to argue that he was silly
for choosing to fight an unjust war for a corrupt administration or do
we focus on the fact that he was a brave American with a family?
Bottom line: We would show respect for the dead by focusing on the
great things they achieved in life. I am sure you have things
about your past you would hate to have someone mention in your obituary.
The same thing goes for myself.
Although none of us is perfect, it’s ironic that when black males are
killed, the media tends to focus on their dark side, but the same is not
true with others who have sides that are equally dark.
Nobody, no matter how much “beef” they are in, deserves to be killed.
Sean Taylor was only 24 years old and surely made mistakes like the
rest of us. Respect this man’s memory and celebrate his
achievements. Those who want to judge him need to start by
judging themselves.
What Barry Bonds, OJ Simpson and Michael Vick all
have in common: The Most Arrogant Negro Club
-November 20, 2007
I talked to a guy from a network yesterday about Barry Bonds.
They were going to have me on the show to discuss whether or not his
recent indictment for obstruction of justice and perjury has anything to
do with race. Unlike other networks I’ve worked with, NPR is one
of those places where the commentator is asked to use more than one
brain cell when processing his analysis. Had it been CNN, I would
have given a couple of sound bites. Had it been Fox, I would have
given a one sentence answer, “No thank you”.
I explained that Barry’s situation is highly connected to race, but the
connection is so indirect that most Americans won’t ever get it.
This sort of racism is the kind of thing that you only understand if
you’ve lived it everyday for at least 35 years. I also explained
that it’s not a coincidence that the most hated athlete in America is
almost always black: Barry Bonds, Michael Vick, OJ Simpson, Ron
Artest, Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, Latrell Sprewell, Muhammad Ali, Jack
Johnson, the list goes on and on.
The attacks on athletes tend to include some discussion about the
individual having poor character, linked to the perceived cultural
inferiority of black people. Of course, this trend has NOTHING to
do with the fact that America has spent 400 years prosecuting,
persecuting, vilifying and murdering black men who didn’t “know their
place”. People seem to think that it’s all just one big coincidence –
the uppity negroes “just happen” to be the ones who always end up
getting screwed, while the Happy Negroes get extra cookies.
With that said, it’s clear that OJ, Vick and Bonds are in the same
category. They are in the Most Arrogant Negro (MAN) Club. Membership
requirements: White America judges your character, decides you are
a bad person, and then uses whatever resources it can find to bring your
arrogant black ass to the ground. Membership has few privileges
and I’m not just the president of the MAN club, I am also a client. I’ve
gone through it myself at my own university.
Let’s be clear: OJ may not go to prison for recent events because
he did something wrong (maybe he did, but then again, he WAAAAS stealing
back his own stuff….does that count?). He will go to prison
because he pissed off white America. People have been waiting for
this guy to fall since 1994, and finally they have their chance to get
him. Never mind the fact that he and his wife were heavily involved in
the drug game and Nicole’s murder easily could have been a contract
killing. It’s much easier to believe that this big black man was
enraged over the loss of his precious blonde spouse. But as an
ex-drug dealer friend of mine in LA told me, “It’s normal for washed-up
celebs to serve as drug mules to maintain their standard of living.
Do you think OJ got the money for two expensive homes and five top-notch
attorneys from his 5 minute roles in Naked Gun films? “
Michael Vick learned that, apparently, the only thing worse than hurting
a white female is hurting a dog. So, in spite of the fact that we
have hundreds of thousands of people who shoot deer in the head and
stuff them on the mantle, Vick has been painted as a monster for
engaging in dog fighting. As a result, he will lose everything,
and America sees no problem with taking it from him. After all, he was
in the MAN club.
Barry Bonds’ case is a little more subtle, yet not as complex as we
might think. Let’s be clear: The government did not spend 3
years and millions in tax payer dollars because they truly believe
Bonds’ alleged crime was worse than anyone else – even child molesters
don’t get this kind of attention. They did it because people feel
that his record is tainted, that he cheated and that his attitude needed
to be adjusted. I recall watching several executives from the
tobacco industry declare under oath that they truly believed smoking was
not harmful to your health. So, there are a lot of people who’ve been
equally shifty in their government testimony. Other questions
remain as it pertains to Barry Bonds.
Question 1: Is there any conclusive evidence that Barry Bonds took
these drugs in the first place? No. In my opinion, there is no
more evidence in his case than in the case of Lance Armstrong.
Question 2: What is a performance enhancing drug, exactly? The
definition is not all that clear, and it changes from one person or
official to the next. Major League Baseball did a Helen Keller
imitation all through the 90s when it came to steroid use, mainly
because all those homeruns were filling up the stands. One thing we do
know for sure is that Bonds is not the only person in the league to take
this stuff. He just had the misfortune of going to the lab that
was raided.
Question 3: Why were we spending government resources on hearings
for a steroid probe anyway? Aren’t there more important things
going on in the world? I don’t know…maybe that little war across the
world where thousands of troops were sent to die because someone lied to
the American people, how about that that? I am continuously amazed
that a man could go to prison for lying about steroids, when there is
not a single person in the Bush Administration held accountable for lies
that led to thousands of deaths and hundreds of billions of dollars in
financial loss. There are at least a hundred other issues that
would have been far more worthy of a congressional hearing.
At the end of the day, America’s selective morality always comes into
play: Dog fighting makes you a monster, but deer hunting makes you
an American. Bonds lying about steroids is horrific, while lying
to kill Americans in Iraq for oil money is just a mistake. Public
lynchings of high profile black athletes occur annually and won’t stop
anytime soon – they are as American as apple pie and crappy inner city
schools. The rapper E-40 might have been right when he used these
lyrics in a song: “They’ll find a new nigger next year.” Given
that most of these guys were once highly respected, you truly never know
who that person is going to be.
Boiling Hot with Boyce Watkins - America's War with Black
Male Athletes
Why I Love NPR - November 16, 2007
This has been a challenging two days for me. I got my laptop
fixed for the first time in a while (which was driving me crazy - I have
a lot of computers, but all of them are necessary for me to get things
done), so when one of them goes down, so does my productivity. I
am a workaholic, so not having my drug really drives me nutts.
Once my computer was fixed, it blessed me with a virus.....a bad one.
It was the kind that won't let your computer do a damn thing, even
reboot. But I have a philosophy that states that you usually only
grow when you are challenged. So, if you embrace progress, you
must also embrace struggle. I am a firm believer that it is our
most challenging times in life that give us the greatest opportunities
for personal growth. I did what I could to embrace the challenge,
but even wise words don't keep you from being pissed off.
As a result, I learned alot more about computers, viruses, booting
your computer in "safe mode", and all kinds of other things I would not
know if my computer had behaved perfectly. So, I think I am a
stronger person now (haha!).
I got two calls from NPR this week: One from NPR Wisconsin and the
other for a show called "News and Notes", which is national. I've
taken some time away from doing nearly anything in national media, but I
always do the monthly appearance on NPR Wisconsin out of respect for the
people who run the network there. NPR is one of the few media
organizations that actually try to give meaningful news and still work
to utilize media as a way to keep the public informed, educated and
evolving. In other words, they are the opposite of The O'Reilly
Factor and Hannity & Colmes, who work to keep the public ignorant, dumb,
racist and prehistoric.
So, I agreed to do both appearances in spite of the fact that I've
been turning down nearly everything else. I am starting to find
that having a normal life is fun, and I really enjoy being at home with
the ringer off on my phone so that I can think and hang out with the guy
called "me". "Me" time is important for my life, for that is what
made me into the wierd person I am. When you spend time reflecting
constantly and questioning everything, you can't help but walk away with
a different view on life. I try to mentally live my life out over
and over again, to find out how I want to invest the precious time I
have on this earth. I never wanted to just go through the motions.
As a result, I see a lot of my colleagues who think they are actually
doing something important, only to find that when they are 80 years old,
they are going to wonder why they let someone persuade them to sit in
their offices writing research papers that no one is ever going to read.
Another reason I was happy to agree to the NPR appearance is because
they invited me to speak as a Financial Expert. The racism in
"mainstream" media that people don't notice is that every time I am
called, it's because there is "black stuff" going on. When they
want a financial person, they call the white guy down the hall. My
university gets peeved that I do so much commentary related to race, and
a big part of it is because when you step outside, the world see you as
a black man first. That perception then taints the value of
everything else. But the NPR producer who called me, who happens
to be black, saw me as a Finance Professor. This usually happens
when I get calls from BET, Wendy Williams or other black media.
They don't just see me as "the black guy", they see me as so much more.
Today, I also found out that some of my students hate my guts.
I am a tough teacher, and it's inevitable that some of the
students will complain about my exams. I really don't care,
because a person never got anything by being lazy. I push my kids.
But when you are an outspoken black teacher and almost none of your
students have ever experienced a black authority figure, you are surely
going to get some people coming after you. My university has no
idea what kind of abuse they subject faculty of color to by putting them
in powerless positions in such an abrasive environment. Also, some kids
who come from wealth and privilege can be worse than the worst welfare
recipient when it comes to feeling that they are entitled to an easy
life. George Bush is one of them. I also feel bad for the
college students who've been taught that coming to college and drinking
like a damn fish for 4 years is normal behavior. Most of my
friends who did that during college are now alcoholics. It's sad.
With all that said, I should say that I love most of my students.
Even the ones who hate me don't really know why. They only think
they hate me because their dad saw my face on some TV show.
On brighter notes, I went to a campus event this week with the Black
Graduate Student Association. That's an awesome feeling, and I
wish I could attend more stuff. The problem is that I am in a
constant state of mental and physical exhaustion, so optional stuff just
doesn't happen for me. I saw one guy there who has been a
consistent hater on me, but I just shook his hand. I was actually
surprised that I was glad to see him. I just don't have the energy
to respond emotionally to the people who want to build themselves up by
attacking me. I can only wish them the best. In fact, I
learned that most of the time, someone who chases you around and is
jealous of you or constantly obsessed with everything you do is really
fighting some deep inadequacy within themselves. I figured out
that the more time I spend thinking about what someone else is doing,
the less time I can spend doing my thing. That's why I still don't
know alot of names in my building, I don't get involved in petty office
politics, and I don't waste my time with silly gossip. Our time on
this earth is short, and it should be used productively. At least
I try my best.
I did a commentary on the NCAA that is pasted below.
Enjoy!
Don Imus
Set to Return on December 3
Hey everybody,
Not sure if you are aware, but Don Imus is due to return to the airwaves
on December 3 on WABC in New York. I’ve been on the phone with my
network contacts to let them know that many people are NOT happy with
Imus’ return. We also felt it imperative to inform our audience
that The YourBlackWorld Coalition plans to join the National Association
of Black Journalists in their fight to keep Don Imus off the air.
Our petition and open letter is here if you would like to sign:
http://www.yourblackworld.com/imus.html
Here is what I know. I will be honest about what I’ve seen behind
the scenes:
1) The fight is going to be long and
difficult. Imus was a money-maker, and he will be signing with one
of the networks that makes its money by appealing to the racism embedded
in neo-conservatives such as Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Bill
O’Reilly. They EMBRACE the fact that Imus is considered a racist and a
sexist.
2) When I worked with Rev. Jackson and
Rev. Sharpton to get Imus off the air the first time, I told them that
boycotting the corporate sponsors would be the best line of attack.
That is ultimately what shot him down, since anyone will abandon you if
you lose corporate sponsorship (I am a finance professor after all, so
I’m always analyzing the money trail). The truth is that many of
the corporations that sponsor WABC (GEICO, Chase.com, AT&T Wireless,
McDonalds and Verizon) also make money directly from Y-O-U. I
personally plan to reconsider my business relationships with these
corporations. A list of the corporate sponsors for WABC can be found
here:
http://www.yourblackworld.com/news/stories/110607/wabc.htm.
3) The mainstream media doesn’t give a
damn: they are too myopic in focus, and if they cover this issue,
it will only be for a couple of days. The networks like to wait
out the storm and then go back to business as usual. Also, if
you’ll notice, most mainstream media is not very well diversified to
begin with (the top news networks don’t have any African-American hosts
for their news shows and don’t care to find any). Like the Jena 6,
this is going to have to be a grassroots movement and one in which we
focus on being a consistent thorn in the side of those who support this
sort of racism and sexism.
4) Any political figure who appears on
Imus’ show should be forced to explain their decision. This is
especially true of the Republican presidential candidates who chose to
snub the debate held on an HBCU campus by Tavis Smiley. I stand
with my brother Tavis in his disdain for the individuals who so readily
embrace ethnic exclusion, yet have the audacity to think they have the
right to lead our country.
The petition is here if you would like to sign:
http://www.yourblackworld.com/imus.html. I welcome articles
from anyone who has something to say about the issue, we will publish
them on YourBlackWorld. Also, anyone who runs an organization that
would like to join us in this fight, we would love to hear from you.
Sincerely,
Dr. Boyce Watkins
YourBlackWorld.com
Reprint from LA Times - 6 Ways You can
Tell that the NCAA Might be exploiting its athletes - 11/11/07
Boyce Watkins, a finance professor at Syracuse, is a
harsh critic of the NCAA, and not because the Orange were snubbed by the
NCAA men's basketball tournament selection committee.
Author of the book, "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About College,"
Watkins maintains that the NCAA exploits basketball players by raking in
$6 billion in television rights for the tournament on the backs of those
athletes.
Watkins recently gave the Atlanta Journal-Constitution five ways to tell
when the organization that runs college sports might be exploiting
athletes:
"1. When t
he coach flies to games on private jets, but the
star player's mother is riding a Greyhound bus.
"2. When the league sells a commercial spot for more money than it costs
to educate every single player on the team.
"3. When this nonprofit, tax-exempt, amateur organization has a
tournament that earns more money than the Super Bowl and the NBA Finals
put together.
"4. When the coach earns $4 million per year, and a player is
investigated for receiving a free bologna sandwich.
"5. Can you say, '$6-billion TV rights deal?' "
Transcript of My NPR Conversation with Farai Chideya
August 6, 2007 Monday
SHOW: News & Notes 9:00 AM EST
Race in the Court of Public Opinion
ANCHORS: FARAI CHIDEYA
LENGTH: 1123 words
FARAI CHIDEYA, host:
Being a black man is tough, but try being a high-profile black man who's
had run in with the law. The court of public opinion judges you even
before the courts. Just ask Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick.
He's under investigation for allegedly running a brutal dog-fighting
ring.
Now Boyce Watkins runs the popular Web site YourBlackWorld.com. And he
conducted a poll for the site and found that 46 percent of
African-Americans believe race has something to do with the charges
against Vick. Only 14.5 percent of whites believe it. There was a
similar result for Giants slugger Barry Bonds.
And Boyce Watkins joins us from his home near Syracuse University where
he's a professor of finance. Welcome.
Professor BOYCE WATKINS (Finance, Syracuse University; Creator,
YourBlackWorld.com): Thank you for having. Glad to be here.
CHIDEYA: So why and how did you conduct this study?
Prof. WATKINS: Well, I conducted this study out of my own intellectual
curiosity. After I'd written "What if George Bush Were a Black Man?,"
which was one of my first books, I - we get a lot of questions from
places, you know, places like CNN and Fox and others that would sort of
ask me things like, you know, why is it that all these young black guys
are misbehaving? And I said, well, actually most of them aren't. It's
just the only ones you tend to put on TV are the ones who are acting up.
And so I sort of felt curious as to whether or not there was some sort
of a racial divide in this situation. So I conducted a poll. It wasn't
scientific, but I did ask for people to respond when they went to the
Web site.
And so out of the young - out of the YourBlackWorld respondents,
effectively we found that the divide was pretty much as I predicted it.
Whites tend to be about six times more likely to think that race has
nothing to do with the Michael Vick case than African-Americans. But in
the Barry Bonds case, what's interesting is that there are a lot more
whites who are more sympathetic to the Bonds situation, even though even
in that case, whites are overwhelmingly against the notion that race has
anything to do with that situation either.
CHIDEYA: There was an article in USA Today and African-American man says
about the Vick case, a $100-million black man, they - meaning, white
Americans can't stand it - white folks has been grinding on an axe, and
that axe ain't got sharp enough for them. What do you say to that kind
of point of view?
Prof. WATKINS: Well, I can say this. I find it awfully ironic that,
typically, the most hated athlete in America is always a black man.
Before Michael Vick, there was Terrell Owens, Barry Bonds, Ron Artest,
OJ Simpson. You can keep going down the list.
And I've always kind of felt that the black male, to use a pit bull
analogy. We're sort of like the American pit bull. You know, the pit
bull is a kind of animal where you can sit back and relish in its
strength and beauty, and love the animal if it's lovable back. But the
minute it bites you on the leg, you want to go put it to sleep. So the
minute that Vick and OJ and others became the least favorite son in
America, that's when they were sort of hung you out to dry.
CHIDEYA: What do you think about the language being used about Bonds and
about Vick?
Prof. WATKINS: Well, you know, you have to read racial undertone in
terms like, you know, monster and thugs and all these other things. And
I saw an interview when Nancy Grace even made reference to Michael Vick
possibly having herpes or something like that. And I said, what does him
having herpes have to do with dog-fighting? You know, did - does she
know that he have herpes? Did he give herpes to a dog?
I mean, this has nothing to do with anything and - but the fact is
though that, typically, you only see black men on television when they
are playing the sport or committing a crime. So that bias in the lens
with which the media uses to analyze black male behavior is going to
show itself when you look at a situation like a Michael Vick.
CHIDEYA: We had an author on talking about racial protectionism - her
phrase. Do you think though that black folks when faced with what may be
stereotypes, then go totally hole hog in front of people and, you know,
concern of people who may not deserve that concern?
Prof. WATKINS: Well, you mean, hole hog in terms of defending people...
CHIDEYA: Supporting them and defending them.
Prof. WATKINS: Yeah, well, you know, what I've seen is that the people
who've been defending Michael Vick like NAACP in Atlanta and others,
they're not defending Michael Vick as a person. Most of us don't know
Michael Vick as a person. They're just defending his right to a fair
trial.
I woke up in this place that I naively call America in which I expect
Americans to behave like Americans and allow the evidence to be laid out
before we convict this guy. So all these signs saying, you know, neuter
Vick, and go kill him, and go get him. That's kind of - it's kind of
silly. It's little premature.
I'm not in favor of dog-fighting, but I am in favor of allowing people
to have a fair hearing before you attack them. So even with the likes of
Reverend Al Sharpton, who I love and respect, a great deal, I found it
problematic that certain black leaders who were going after Michael Vick
before any evidence have been presented.
CHIDEYA: Finally, if this is a syndrome, what's the cure?
Prof. WATKINS: Well, the cure is communication. It's just like in a
marriage or in any family. The American family has a lot of pain in its
past that it hasn't really dealt with. And the fact is that we're all
afraid to really honestly talk about race. And until we have that
conversation, and every time you take a poll like this, whether it's
during the Michael Vick case, the OJ Simpson trial, or the Hurricane
Katrina situation, you're always going to find the simple and common and
normal reality, which is that whites and blacks see the world
differently. And that will never go away until we learn to communicate.
CHIDEYA: Well, Professor, thanks so much.
Prof. WATKINS: Thank you for having me.
CHIDEYA: Boyce Watkins is a professor of finance at Syracuse University.
He's also author of the book, "What If George Bush Were a Black Man?"
and he runs the Web site, YourBlackWorld.com.
(Soundbite of music)
CHIDEYA: That's our show for today and thank you for sharing your time
with us. To listen to the show or subscribe to our podcast, visit our
Web site, nprnewsandnotes.org. No spaces, just nprnewsandnotes.org. To
join the conversation or sign up for our newsletter, visit our blog at
nprnewsandviews.org.
NEWS & NOTES was created by NPR News and African-American Public Radio
Consortium. Tomorrow, we've got Africa update.
I'm Farai Chideya. This is NEWS & NOTES.
What's up with all these blinged out Pastors?
- November 8, 2007
My father is a pastor, and I have
alot of respect for the church. Also, as a financial expert, I
have alot of respect for money. But I know enough about money to
know that sometimes, money and God just don't mix. Don't get me
wrong. I'm all for chasing economic empowerment and using money as
a tool for positive change in the world. But I think we've gotten
to a strange reality when I can't tell my preacher from a rap star.
I've never thought that a pastor should be a CEO, since many CEOs
worship the dollar bill. That's almost like saying you can be a
hooker and a school teacher. Some combinations are like ketchup
and apple sauce....they just don't mix.
It is for that reason that I invite
the Senate investigation into some of the megachurches, some of whom
seem eager to prey while praying, and invoke the name of God to make
themselves into Gods. I don't hate these men, but I know what lies
in the hearts of men. In the hearts of men, you find ego, lust,
and a thirst for power, things that don't seem to fit with the righteous
path.
For those pastors who seem to feel
that it is critically important for them to have private jets and Rolls
Royces, I only ask this question: What would Jesus do? Would
he drive in a Rolls Royce and live in a mansion while there are people
starving in his own community? I think not.
My video thoughts are below, enjoy!
Bill Cosby Comes Up on my Screen Once Again -
November 6, 2007
Remember this?
OK, the black dude second from the left is Joseph
C. Phillips. Joseph is one of my conservative homeboys, a person
that I love to disagree with. He also played Deniece's husband on
"The Cosby Show". Remember Martin, the Navy guy, Olivia's daddy?
Just so you know, the other people in the picture are myself, Paula Zahn
(formerly of CNN), Cousin Jeff from BET and a liberal radio show host
dude who sounded pretty conservative, I cant' remember his name.
The segment was done after I'd written some research on college athletes
and why they should be paid for their work. It's funny to me that
with all the billions earned by college basketball and football players,
people seem to think that the coaches are the only ones who deserve to
be paid. I guess the players and their families didn't do anything
to earn the money and are only worthy of a scholarship. I say let
them earn what they are worth and pay their own tuition. But the
NCAA puts a lot of anti-competitive practices in place that keep players
from being able to negotiate an honest salary. If these practices
were being utilized in any other industry, the captains of that industry
would be put in prison.
Anyway, Joseph and I debated Bill Cosby on the
radio (you can listen below, there are 3 pieces to it). He is the
only conservative I agreed to debate with on the Cosby topic, mainly
because many of the conservatives are not interested in having a
productive dialogue. This is especially true for the buttholes on
FOX News. The last thing I want to do in the world is talk with an
idiot like Sean Hannity about something that affects black people.
There is also another guy at the university who has continuously been
biting at my ankles to get me to publicly dialogue with him. I
told him that I know a hater when I see one, and I don't waste my time
dealing with them. That's part of the challenge of being
public.....as Method Man said about he and Tupac (when we were on ESPN),
"You don't go looking for beef, it's just that everybody is always
coming at you." I agree. Haterologists need not apply,
and I told George Kilpatrick (the host of the show) that the only way I
would have a public discourse on this topic would be with someone whom I
respect. Joseph has my respect because although we don't see eye
to eye, he is a decent brother who really wants to see black people do
positive things.
With that said, I digress. I woke up today
looking forward to spending the day with my sweetie, since she is off
work. Prosecutors get like zero days off work, so when she has
free time, we use it to our advantage. We were thinking about
going to see the new Denzel movie, which I actually saw this weekend.
"American Gangster", while featuring the objectionable behavior of a
person who sold poison in the black community, also serves as a source
of inspiration for black people. In the film, the black man found
a way to free himself from ownership by someone else. He changed the
game by being creative, courageous, disciplined and intelligent. I
can identify with that. The downside was that he created a great
deal of misery for his family, sending over 30 cousins to prison or
morgues. Overall, I recommend the film, it was a good one.
I was also thinking this morning about how blessed
I am to have so much amazing support from my people. Literally
every single day, I get to open my email to find scores of messages from
people thanking me, congratulating me or encouraging me to continue the
fight. This means a lot, because in spite of what any haterologist
might say, I do what I do because I believe in it. At the same
time, each day I walk off to battle, I am prepared to fight alone and
die on the battlefield if necessary. That is where you have to get
to mentally in order to fight in this world as a black male. If
you hold onto carrots and seek status in racist institutions, then you
will become a victim of your own ambitions. The easiest way to
fight is when you have nothing to lose. My people have given alot
for me to be here, so I must give something back.
Anyway, the video with me and Joseph is below.
Enjoy!
What up Dog?Is that what you really
think about us? - November 4, 2007
I just listened to the recorded phone conversation between Duane
Chapman (aka Dog The Bounty Hunter) and his son Tucker. The
conversation was about “that black girl”, also named Monique.
Apparently, Dog was worried about losing everything he has worked for
because some “f*cking n*gger” might overhear him using the word “n*gger”.
Dog explained to his son that the reason he could not work for him is
because they sometimes use the n-word around the house, and that he
didn’t want America to take it the wrong way.
So Dog, how are we supposed to take it?
I listened to Dog’s words with an open mind. I honestly felt bad
for the guy, who was just sold out by his own son. It was
clear that Dog was feeling the pressure of someone under a constant
spotlight, since the bigger you get, the more haters you have. He
made reference to people threatening to record him and take his words to
national magazines to embarrass him.
Too bad for Dog, it turned out his threat was right under his nose, as
his son Tucker sold him up the river by recording the very conversation
in which he expressed his concern about those trying to get him.
Man, that sucks. I actually feel bad for the guy. There is also an
almost comical irony to it all.
I am not sure where Dog is going or where he belongs. But from the
tone of his conversation, it’s clear that he doesn’t hold black people
in very high regard. He seemed to have a problem with his son
dating Monique, and I got a strong indication from his tone that it was
her blackness and not much else, that kept her from having an
opportunity to become part of the family. That’s the problem Dog…you
rejected her because she was black. You made that clear in the
conversation.
Before we all stand on our soap boxes and condemn Dog, we have to
realize something. Dog, in some ways, is nothing more than a Sean
Hannity with long hair. He says, in his own “Dog the Bounty
Hunter” way, what a lot of America is thinking or says behind closed
doors. He reflects sentiments that are quite common, as there are
plenty of white folks,
teachers-doctors-lawyers-professors-scientists-judges in America who
would not want their child dating a black person. What is most
ridiculously amazing to me is that these people will then turn around
and claim not to be racist.
Sorry to tell you this, but if you feel that African-Americans are not
good enough to date your children, then you are a pure cut,
USDA-approved, Grade-A, good old fashioned, straight off the assembly
line racist. White supremacy is very subtle, and many of us are
victimized by it. You can’t claim to believe in equality while
maintaining beliefs that are so blatantly laced with white supremacy.
As for Dog, I hope he pays a high price for his mistake. He has
the right to say what he wants at home, but he doesn’t need a show to
say it. Besides that, I am not sure if his network has any black
hosts anyway, perhaps it’s time they find one.
Video- Dr. Boyce Breaking Down "Dog The Bounty Hunter"
Dr. Boyce "Bustin Rhymes" About the NCAA -
11/3/07
Why Universities are fundamentally racist -
Tuesday, October 31, 2007
This was an interesting weekend. Two things happened that I was
involved with that led to a tremendous amount of reflection on my part.
I’ll start from the beginning, as the passion is so strong that my
fingers are boiling on the keyboard. They say you shouldn’t try to think
or write when you are angry, but I am a man of passion and passion
brings out the strongest part of my intellect.
First, I went to visit my alma mater (or my “alma-mama” as I call it),
The University of Kentucky. UK is an amazing school, beautiful in
some ways, but sick and twisted in others. I saw our football team
win an amazing game a couple of weeks ago, as they beat the #1 ranked
team in the country for the first time in 43 years. I was with
them the entire time, cheering and jumping up and down as they scored
one touch down after another. Part of me bleeds blue, which
happens to be one our school colors.
But it is also my love for my “alma-mamma” that inspired my visit to the
school this week. I gave a speech after being requested by the
black students on campus to come in and comment on the series of
racially-motivated incidents that took place on campus recently.
In one of the incidents, a black student had the words “Die Nigger”
sliced into his door. The incident was in the media, and I was
forwarded the article by one of my cousins. The reason I got the
article: The student who had the words scratched into his door
also happened to be my cousin.
Before I could pick up the phone and “raise holy hayell”, I received a
call from one of the black administrators, who wanted me to intervene.
The answer was a resounding “yes”.
Coming back home was an amazing experience, as I could literally look at
every corner, street, building and sidewalk on that campus and have a
fond memory of being in that particular spot. It could be the
place where I first kissed my girlfriend, stood fuming over a bad grade
in a class, played football with my friends, had a car accident or drank
a milkshake. I consider that university to be my home.
The energy in the auditorium was off the chain, as the house was totally
packed. Apparently, the arrival of the “Dangerous Negro” had
driven many people to come out, young and old, white and black.
The students came ready for war, and I was ready to guide them down the
war path. I didn’t want them filled with hate. I just wanted
them to have understanding, purpose and direction. I reminded them
that the same things that happened in 2007 were also happening in 1997,
1987 and 1977. I told them about how the administration had
made promises 20 years earlier to substantially increase the presence of
black faculty on campus, and that none of these promises were kept or
acknowledged. I reminded them that if they acted firmly and
strongly, 2007 would be the year when the shit was going to stop.
I then asked the students how many of them have had more than one black
professor. Almost none of them raised their hands, I don’t think
there were more than one or two hands in the air. The fact that
there were hundreds of people in the room, yet only a couple of them
have had more than one black professor (after taking a multitude of
classes) made my point immediately and clearly. I told them that
they should be ANGRY about the fact that people like them have been
systemically cut out of academia and not allowed to stand in front of
the classroom. This is NOT FAIR and highly indicative of the fact
that their university does not consider the hiring or tenure of black
professors to be a high priority. The excuses universities use for
not hiring or tenuring black professors usually fit into (but are not
limited to) a few neat categories:
1) “We can’t find them, they don’t exist”
– Bullshit. They do exist. I know a lot of them. They
apply for the jobs and are told that they aren’t qualified for the
position. Most of them are not even interviewed, even by universities
that have positions that have never been held by a person of color.
I have many friends RIGHT NOW who are highly qualified to teach at the
top universities, but they aren’t getting a second look when they send
in their applications.
2) “They are not qualified for hiring or
tenure” – There is not a more insulting statement in the world, nor one
that is more indicative of the mentality that embraces white supremacy.
The idea that you can have a job that hundreds of people have done,
mostly white men, in which THERE IS NOT A PERSON OF COLOR ON EARTH
QUALIFIED TO DO THAT JOB implies that you are in serious denial.
Given America’s history of racism and exclusion, it is far more likely
that this history of exclusion plays a role in the fact that many people
are being systematically shut out of these opportunities. The
environment was built by racists to promote and support the success of
one ethnic group over another. So, even when racism leaves the
hearts and minds of the individuals affiliated with that institution,
their commitment to the standards created and embraced by the
institution (created on an undeniably racist foundation) allow racism to
fester and have an impact in the hiring and promotion processes. This
does not even consider the fact that many Americans still embrace racist
ideals when it comes to how they evaluate the significance and
importance of work being done in black communities. Being a black
scholar who does work in the black community, it is clear that while
many people of color deem my work to be important, most of my non-black
colleagues do not.
This leads to the another important question: “Who is deciding if an
applicant is qualified?” If a group/committee created and sustained by
an historically racist institution is making decisions on who is
qualified and who is not, then their criteria for choosing those who are
most qualified is again likely to support the advancement of one group
over another.
For example, in academia, we have the so-called “elite” journals: mostly
controlled by white males or those who think like them. When I
have submitted work relevant to the black community to these journals,
that work is then rejected. At which point, I am criticized for
not having my work published in the so-called “premiere journals”.
That’s like me forcing Garth Brooks to perform in the Apollo Theatre in
Harlem, and saying “From the crowd’s reaction, it’s clear that you’re a
shitty singer”.
Now, the third standard excuse:
3) “We made offers to them, but they won’t
take the job” – Easy racist tactic: offer the minority candidate an
embarrassing and lowball salary and then let them walk away.
That’s what the Yankees did to Joe Torre- they made an offer, but the
offer was so insulting that they knew he would not take it. That’s
like urinating on your girlfriend’s $3 engagement ring and then saying
“B*&^%, will you marry me?” What’s interesting is that when UK,
Syracuse and other universities want to get a top quality basketball
coach or player, they will dig deep in their pockets to make it happen.
They don’t do the same when it comes to creating diversity, primarily
because it just isn’t on their priority list.
I explained to the U. Kentucky students that their university is a
modern day plantation. Black people have 4 dominant roles:
To dribble basketballs, throw footballs, cook the food and take out the
trash. One does not have to explicitly tell students that they
feel that whites are superior to blacks…..they teach it every day with
their actions and choices.....actions speak louder than words.
When every person you see at the front of the classroom is white, you
are being implicitly told that you are not meant to be in that position.
Also, there are almost no mentors in place who can identify with you.
I once saw two pictures of the law school professionals at U. Kentucky,
placed side by side. One was a picture of the faculty, the other a
picture of the janitorial staff. The first picture was 100% white,
the other 100% black. There’s not much else to say beyond that.
I then told the students that my own university and many others are not
much different in their racism. Syracuse University has SCORES of
academic departments that have NEVER tenured a person of color.
Rather than considering the possibility that this reality is an artifact
and result of institutionalized racism, many allegedly intelligent
individuals would rather presume that the disparity is due to the fact
that no qualified black people have applied for the job.
Again, I must clear my throat and respond with a resounding “Bullshit”.
I have seen many qualified black professors come through my university
either as applicants or assistant professors attempting to obtain
tenure. In every single case, they were told by individuals at
this university that they were not qualified for the job. These
were hard working professors who have gone to the best schools.
Some of them went on to have tremendous success at other universities or
at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, where they were not
going to be forced to endure this sort of discrimination. It is
shameful, ignorant and absolutely ridiculous. It is 2007 and you
have some departments that have NEVER EVEN HIRED a person of color (even
though many have applied for the job). I find that both sad and
pathetic. The horrific denial is even more embarrassing, and
future generations are going to judge our so-called intellectuals as
harshly as we judge those in the 1960s who felt that black kids should
not attend the same schools as whites, or who spent their time
attempting to prove the genetic inferiority of people of color.
I myself have been told consistently, recently by a committee of peers,
many of whom don’t have an academic record as strong as my own, that I
am a “substandard professor”. I was told that my work in the black
community adds no value to my reputation as a scholar and that I am not
good enough to make tenure at this university. I took the
immediate step of letting people know that I UNCONDITIONALLY REJECT this
assessment of my academic capability.
I have (to my knowledge) more solo authored research publications than
any other person on my faculty.
I graduated as one of the top students at one of the top 10 finance
programs in the world (the acceptance rates for these programs can be as
low as 1 out of 100 applicants)
I have, through my work on CNN, ESPN, CBS, NBC and other networks,
contributed substantially to national debates on issues related to
people of color, and to America as a whole.
I probably achieved more by the age of 32 than many of those judging me
will achieve in a lifetime.
Yet, I am considered clearly unqualified to make tenure at Syracuse
University. I can't help but laugh.
Someone has to fight this, so I guess I am going to have to be that guy.
I am prepared to fight alone, and die alone on the professional
battlefield to challenge this kind of injustice, for it is harmful to
millions of youth everywhere and the reason that black kids are
mis-educated in American systems. It is the same reason that I was
told by high school teachers that I was not qualified for college.
It is the same reason that my sister, who is studying medicine at the
Mayo Clinic, was told that she too was not qualified for college.
All the while, idiots like George W. Bush are being funneled to the top
of major corporations, Harvard Business School, Yale University and the
White House. The same is true of academia, where individuals wear
crowns made of discriminatory entitlement and arrogantly sprinkle scorn
on those of color who've been exposed to such clearly flawed
assessments. Not me homeboy, I'm not that brotha.
Another one of my outstanding black colleagues, Martin Nunlee, just left
the university in a shadow of shame. He too was told that he was
not good enough to be here. The problem? Every single one of
the many departments of our business school has consistently denied
tenure to EVERY SINGLE black man or woman who has applied for the past
120 years. Rather than analyzing the system, priorities, psychological
constructs, procedures and legacies, many would rather say that black
people are just not trying hard enough…..bullshit.
I saw Harvard University do the same the Cornel West, who will go down
in history as one of the great minds of the 20th century.
Countless other black professors have endured the same injustice.
The notion that so-called intellectuals are immune to the disease of
racism is incorrect. Sometimes those with the worst infections are
the ones who are most confident that they have been cured.
So, if you’ve ever gone to college and wondered why none of your
professors are black….it is not, as many will have you believe, because
we are dumb, lazy or unqualified. It is because even when we work
our butts off and give 110%, we are still told that we are not cut out
for the job…. “black boy you don’t belong here” is the message sent to
me on a regular basis – it became especially true once I spoke openly
about racism in America in national media (leading the university to
officially disassociate itself from my words, something that has not
been done to any other faculty member in recent memory). I have
some colleagues who don’t even speak to me, they just look at me as if I
am a common criminal…..just a big, dumb nigger. That is what it
means to have an institution built on a racist foundation. So,
while I might have been hard on The University of Kentucky for their
racism, the brand of racism at Syracuse is not much different. Racial
inequality took 400 years to build, but for some reason, people are
asinine enough to think that it was gone in 20.
Bill Cosby – The Ultimate conundrum-
10/23/07
Bill Cosby is NOT a Happy Negro. I make this clear distinction so
that the world realizes that I don’t put him in the same category as
Juan Williams. Juan is a person who shows all the signs of a
sell-out, given the fact that he has destroyed a distinguished
journalistic career in order to make himself into the “Intellectual
Flavor Flave” of Fox News. How do you spell Flavor’s name anyway?
I put up a video on Cosby this week that got a lot of response.
Apparently, some people don’t agree with my assessments. But
again, I stick by them. I personally feel that a black man going
on a tour of predominantly white television shows in order to bash black
people is not doing anything productive. That would be like
someone doing a tour of Iran to talk about how pathetic American
citizens are. Doing that same tour on American soil would have a
very different interpretation, because you could argue that you are
doing your work out of love for America. But doing the same tour
in Iran or Venezuela would imply that you are empowering those who
already feel that America is a terrible place with terrible people.
I did get an email from my buddy Joseph C. Phillips. He was
actually on the Cosby Show years ago, playing Martin, Denice’s
husband…you remember, the guy in the Navy. Well, anyway, Joseph
and I were on CNN together a while back and I have been dialoguing with
him on and off since then. I don’t agree with him, but I respect
him.
Out of respect for his privacy, I can’t share what he emailed to me. But
I can share my response. Essentially, he agreed with Cosby and
seemed to feel that my response to Cosby was inappropriate. I also
get the sense that Joseph felt that I was misinterpreting Bill’s
actions. I hope he is right because right now, I’m confused.
The problem, however, is that Cosby does not feel equipped to respond to
and dialogue with anyone who disagrees with him, especially scholars.
But then again, who wouldn’t get nervous when they saw me coming?
I can be pretty strong and abrasive at times, I admit that. I
think it comes from the fact that when I am truly offended, I don’t hide
it behind diplomacy. I have to tell the truth and be honest about
how I feel. Cosby has offended me and the community that I come
from. For that reason, I feel that he must be challenged.
Without further ado, my response to Joseph:
Hey Joseph,
good to hear from you man. Very quick points:
1) I wonder how many times Bill has talked to Bob Johnson at BET for his
role in the creation of millions of wannabe thugs? This makes it
more than a racial thing, it's a question of whether or not he has the
courage to confront everyone responsible for the problem.
2) Speaking to white audiences about the perceived cultural inferiority
of the black underclass is nothing new. People have been doing it
for 400 years and it happens around the world: India does it to
the "untouchables", Australia does it to the aborigines. It
happens all the time because the image of those with less media access
is controlled by those who control media.
3) We are not any more flawed than anyone else. A white man doing
a tour of black America discussing everything that is wrong with white
people would be perceived as a pathetic whiner. I am not sure why
the perception should change when a black man does a tour of white
America complaining about black people.
4) Black people are powerful and strong, we've overcome a lot. The
lighting used in the lens to tell the story of a people has a great deal
to do with which aspects of the story receive the most attention.
Don't fall for the hype my man....many black people are doing amazing
things. We're better off educationally, economically and otherwise
than we've ever been. I love our people and encourage us to
improve, I don't enjoy discussing us from a point of negativity.
Randy Moss And T.O. -- Judging The Character Of
These Characters - October 16, 2007
I recall hearing a lot of self-righteous individuals dogging, dissing
and dismissing the two most controversial receivers in the NFL, Terrell
Owens and Randy Moss. "We would never play with these guys", stated many
a self-righteous owner, fan, player, or whatever.
Everyone seemed to want to cite this and that about their character, how
they are not good human beings, that they are cancers to their teams and
a lot of other stuff that didn't make any sense. Well, cancers don't
make your team one of the best in the league, and that is exactly what
these guys have done. When evaluating the
character of Owens and Moss, I see three things: they both work hard,
they are winners, and they are also two of the best receivers in NFL
history. You don't get that good by being the lazy bums they've been
depicted to be. I applaud Jerry Jones and Bill
Belichick for seeing past the silliness. Obviously they are able to
separate the studs from the duds and see through the mob mentality that
many fans have when it comes to black athletes who behave too
"brother-like" for their collective taste. Not that every black
man behaves the same way, but as a brother myself, I understood T.O. a
lot more than most middle age, Caucasian sports writers.
The same way the public convinced us that dogfighting is the worst crime
in the history of the world (although many of Vick's critics have no
problem shooting and stuffing innocent animals over the fireplace),
there were individuals convincing us that Terrell Owens should be
treated like a convicted sex offender. The truth was that Owens has not
done anything worthy of the hatred he received two years ago. He was
just being himself, which apparently isn't good enough for some people.
The fact is that angering mainstream America has become a crime. It's
not a coincidence that the most hated athlete in America is almost
always a black man. When they step out of certain pre-defined cultural
boundaries and expectations, they are punished like field slaves.
Michael Vick is the latest athlete to be made into an example, as he is
surely going to lose everything. Owens and Moss also received their
share of public disdain. Smart owners, fans and coaches want
winners. That's what should matter most on the football field, unless
you're talking about serious criminals. Owens and Moss are
not criminals, they are just weird. Self-righteous
snobs find their teams sitting at home, as the Jets did when they passed
up on Warren Sapp (caught smoking marijuana in college), and instead
chose the allegedly "clean cut" tight end from Penn State (what's his
name again? Oh, it doesn't matter anyway). The
teams who arrogantly claimed they would never consider acquiring Terrell
Owens will be sitting at home when the Cowboys are advancing in the
playoffs. The teams who passed up on Randy Moss in the draft soon found
him catching touchdown passes over the heads of their defensive backs.
I am happy for these guys, and I stand by them. They are flamboyant, a
little nutts and sometimes even spoiled. But dammit, they know how
to win, their character is reflected in their work ethic, and there is
no replacing their talent. The haters and judgers can talk all they
want, but these guys are getting it done.
The inside Scoop on my Feud with Bill
O’Reilly - Saturday October 13, 2007
In case you didn’t hear, I’ve had an interesting month. Some would
say that I was under fire, since Bill O’Reilly (Host of “The O’Reilly
Factor”) chose to spend his entire week explaining why Syracuse
University should fire me for using a “racial slur” in describing his
conservative sidekick, Juan Williams. With my face plastered up like OJ
Simpson, O’Reilly went on and on to the audience drones at Fox News
about how my comment was “racist” and that I am a bad person (Imagine
Bill O’Reilly, the David Duke of the new millennium, calling someone
racist. That’s like Britney Spears calling someone a bad mother).
I think he even called me a moron, which is ironic, since I have more
education in my big toe than he has in his entire family. He
didn’t rail on the issue for 5 or 10 minutes…..he went on for an ENTIRE
SHOW AND FOR THE ENTIRE WEEK. Not since my days at my racist alma
mater, The University of Kentucky (where someone scratched “Die N----
Die” on my cousin’s door last week), have I seen racists get so bent out
of shape.
In a Bat Man and Robin kind of way, Juan Williams, O’Reilly’s loyal side
kick, followed suit on the assault by writing some pretty nasty words
about me in Time Magazine. I guess if I were Austin Powers, O’Reilly
would be Dr. Evil, so that would make Juan Williams “Mini-me”. I
responded with an article of my own, but I sent it to black
publications, since this was a conversation I wanted to have with my
people. I could care less what Fox News viewers think, since that
network has done a huge disservice to American journalism.
I was flattered that Dr. Evil and Mini-me would spend so much time
expressing their love for me. As my old friend in the south used
to say “The hit dog always hollers”. In other words, I struck a
chord with Juan Williams, primarily because millions of people around
the country have been thinking what I’d simply chosen to say…..that he
has made himself into Bill O’Reilly’s “Happy little negro”. I don’t
back away from my comments one bit, since it is a long tradition for
racists to validate their attempts toward black oppression by finding an
African-American willing to go along with the program.
In case you’re wondering, none of this hoopla and media stuff bothered
me a bit, I’m used to it. I learned long ago from my mother that
the world is not trained to love any black man who speaks strongly in
support of his people. I don’t say things to be popular, I say
them to tell the TRUTH. The 2000 emails didn’t bother me, since
they go into a file I am saving for my grand kids. Seeing my face
on national TV only makes me wonder if I am wearing my favorite suit.
I actually slept through some of the episodes that O’Reilly spent
talking about me. When you’re well educated, honest, without fear
and trying to do the right thing, then you can sleep well at night.
I’ve been snoring as loud as ever.
My university was also forced to get into the game, as the poor
chancellor was getting slammed with tons of emails from ridiculous Fox
News viewers, who demanded that I be fired for verbally assaulting their
precious hosts. The university then did something I’ve never seen
it do in response to the words of a faculty member: it issued a
statement making it clear that my words do not reflect the views of the
university.
Not that the statement bothered me (it didn’t at first), but one of the
reporters got me thinking when she asked “Why do they feel it so
important for them to detach themselves from you, do they do that to
anyone else?” I wasn’t quite sure, since I’d just assumed that most
people are afraid of black men, especially educated ones. All I
know is that for the longest time, it has been made very clear to me
that the university is not happy with my role as a black public scholar.
I was told long ago that anything I do in public that is not directly
involved with finance would not be recognized by my business school.
So, while they celebrate the public contributions of other faculty, most
of my appearances on CNN, ESPN or anywhere else were virtually ignored,
mainly because I was discussing black people. Even when I’ve
spoken on Financial issues, if the topic connected to African-American
males, it was deemed controversial by definition, and usually not
mentioned at all on the business school website. However, if other
faculty even received a peep of attention for their words, it was
plastered all over the place.
If I were to think on it, I might actually be insulted. I was the
first black finance professor to be hired in the ENTIRE HISTORY of
Syracuse University. I was the only African-American in the United
States to get a PhD in Finance during the year I graduated. So, to not
recognize the fact that my contributions AS A BLACK MAN are not critical
to my community is like NASCAR telling Danica Patrick that she shouldn’t
give a damn about women’s rights. That, my friends, is a classic
example of how institutionalized racism infects many of our nation’s
universities.
I am not angry at anyone over this. But I only hope that this
gives people a chance to see what institutionalized racism is all about.
It’s not about hanging nooses or calling someone the n-word in the
hall….it’s about creating an institutional fabric and social
infrastructure built with policies, sociologies, and procedures that
benefit one race over another. The simple fact that my
contributions as a black scholar are heavily valued in the black
community, yet ignored and virtually disrespected by my predominantly
white university is directly connected to the fact that many departments
on this campus (mine included) have NEVER, to my knowledge, tenured a
single black person in over 100 years of existence. Black faculty
are typically fired or never hired because they are consistently deemed
less qualified than their white counterparts. Are black students
made to be more successful when they can go through an entire 4 years of
college without ever having a black teacher? I feel the need to
address these issues, not for my own career, but for the careers of
those who come in behind me.
Well, that’s the thick and thin of it. I am actually going to take
a break from national TV stuff for a while and focus on other issues,
like my next book. I’ve done about 70 interviews this month and I
am honestly tired of it. I also have a TV deal in the works, but I’ll
let you know more about that when it’s done.
To my friends who have worried about me and sent me letters of support,
God bless you and I appreciate the love. I happen to be a second
cousin to my greatest hero, Muhammad Ali. I’ve always felt that if
he could deal with the hate he received in the 60s, then damnit, I can
deal with that dumb ass Bill O’Reilly. In fact, O’Reilly’s not
smart enough to be a real challenge.
Headed to get some Sun!!!!! Yeah!!! – Friday,
October 12, 2007
I am really tired today. Really tired. Sometimes I get this
way when everything gets out of control. Not that this week has
been more than I can handle, since I can handle a lot. The key is
knowing how to not take things too seriously.
I did make some decisions recently: I am not going to do any
national media for a while, at least not with mainstream networks.
I am honestly tired of CNN and FOX, and I find myself getting weary of
the fact that people deem a debate to be more important just because
it’s on national tv. I would rather spend my time focusing on
things of substance, like our initiative to keep Don Imus off the air,
and also my next book. My literary agent seems excited about it,
and I decided that it would provide some guidance on leadership in the
21st century. Well, at least my two cents worth.
Second, I am really really really excited about the speeches I am giving
over the next few weeks, which are in the south. I like the south
because it’s warm. The north is really cold, and I hate cold
weather.
I did an interview today on Wisconsin Public radio, one of the few
networks I have a tremendous amount of respect for. I am also
willing to do things with American Urban Radio Networks and a limited
number of friends I have with XM Satellite. I feel that those
conversations are more productive than the ones I’ve had on FOX.
Being on FOX is like having really bad sex….where you walk away saying
“Did I just do it so that I could say I did?” Kinda makes you think.
Here is a video my management put together on this feud with Bill
O’Reilly, yet another man I have very little respect for. What
people don’t realize is that he is actually worse than Don Imus.
Imus is a racist, but O’Reilly is another David Duke.
Why Don Imus Should Not Be Allowed Back
on the Air - October 11, 2007
For some reason, the representatives of Don Imus feel they can insult
the intelligence of fair-minded people in America. Just a few
months after his reference to innocent, young black women as a group of
“nappy headed hoes”, there are efforts and negotiations to get him back
on national radio. It appears that those who represent Imus simply
told him to “wait a few months and the angry black people will go away.”
While some might think that protests by the black community have a
limited shelf life, this could not be further from the truth. The
reality is that movements of the 21st century exist within a different
paradigm. The Jena 6 case showed clearly that with the power of
the Internet and related ability to circumvent mainstream media (which
has not properly served the interests of black people), there is a fresh
ability for people to engage in the truest freedoms of America reflected
in our power to protest.
We at YourBlackWorld want to use this power to challenge the likes of
Don Imus, Bill O’Reilly and others who have felt that the power of the
airwaves has justified their continued abuse of people of color.
Their remarks, hatred, and bullying has done nothing more than
perpetuate the racist foundations of our country. America cannot
move forward if these individuals are continuously given platforms that
allow them to spew such rhetoric.
Don Imus’ individual right to freedom of speech is respected, but his
right to use hate speech via the support of a corporation funded with
consumer dollars is not. Similar to the fact that Americans would not
have chosen to support Nike had they chosen to sponsor Michael Vick,
fair-minded Americans should choose not to support any network or
corporation that decides to sponsor Don Imus.
We are calling for the following:
1) Any organization considering putting
Don Imus on the air is warned in advance that signing him will lead to
prolonged, relentless protest and potential boycotts of your network.
Your network will be clearly defined as an enemy to people of color and
to fair-minded Americans everywhere.
2) Corporate sponsors who sign deals to
have their products on the air of such a show will be held accountable
for their desire to profit from an individual who has made a reputation
for hate.
3) Dignitaries, politicians and other
respected individuals will have their credibility questioned should they
choose to be guests on such a show. For example, Republican
presidential candidates who chose to pass the presidential debate
sponsored by African-Americans, but then choose to come onto Imus’ show,
will be subject to question and scrutiny.
Individuals who would like to sign the petition to keep Imus off the air
are encouraged to do so. We support the National Association of
Black Journalists and other organizations in our initiative. The
fight will never stop.
Sincerely,
Dr. Boyce Watkins
YourBlackWorld.com
OK, I'm done. O'Reilly REALLY DOES have
a Secret Obsession with me - Sunday 10/7/07
I saw something this week I've never seen before: Bill O'Reilly
and his goons for an audience spent 5 STRAIGHT DAYS talking about how
much he hates me and wants me to be fired. If only girls in high
school had given me so much attention.
I won't waste your time with more of my thoughts on the situation, I
am actually bored with O'Reilly. I can only say that I will be
talking about this whole situation in my next book, and we are close to
having a done deal. I am excited. Here is something I saw on
Mediamatters.org that shows just how Fox News, Juan Williams, and The
O'Reilly Factor are losing their credibility one day at a time. I
once considered going onto O'Reilly's show to respond to him, but now I
realize that I've hit a wounded duck. Actually, I feel sorry for
both he and Juan, for all indications say that neither of them will be
around in 5 years.
Here is something I saw in a great blog post on mediamattes.org:
It appears that Williams has sacrificed so much of his journalistic
integrity that I bet NPR will fire him in the near future. I feel sorry
for any black man who has put himself into such a sad, pathetic,
situation.
Juan Williams, Fox News and the NPR conundrum
by Eric Boehlert
For years, journalist Juan Williams has straddled the divide between two
unique media worlds; the thoughtful and erudite journalism of National
Public Radio (NPR), where Williams serves as an analyst, and the rowdy
hothouse at Fox News, where Williams works as a contributor. Most of the
time, the two worlds don't collide. But recently they did, and NPR has
the bruises to show for it.
That's because last week Williams wasn't commenting about the news, he
was in the middle of it. First, he became entangled in the controversy
that swirled around Bill O'Reilly's
puzzling comments
about visiting Harlem, which were seen by many as being
racially
insensitive. Williams, a prominent African-American journalist,
strenuously defended O'Reilly on Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor and
accused his critics of launching a smear campaign.
Then later in the week, Williams made news when he complained that NPR
had turned down the White House's offer to have him interview President
Bush and discuss race relations. Officials at NPR were uncomfortable
having the White House handpick the interviewer, so they passed. Fox
News though, quickly accepted the invitation, complete with
restrictions, and Williams conducted the interview for the all-news
cable channel.
With his often over-excited and misleading defense of O'Reilly, as well
as his need to publicly side with Fox News and badmouth NPR's decision
regarding the Bush interview, it seems Williams no longer straddles that
peculiar media divide. Instead, he's deliberately marched over into the
Fox News camp and in the process has stripped away some layers of his
journalistic integrity.
Worse, real damage is being done to NPR by having its name, via
Williams, associated with Fox News' most opinionated talker. In fact,
Williams' recent appearance on The O'Reilly Factor almost certainly
violated NPR's
employee standards, which prohibit staffers from appearing on
programs that "encourage punditry and speculation rather than fact-based
analysis" and are "harmful to the reputation of NPR."
Content-wise, The O'Reilly Factor is a complete train wreck. As O'Reilly
biographer Marvin Kitman recently noted, "Frankly, I can't listen to
him anymore. As much as I praised the early O'Reilly, I think he's gone
nuts. ... He just seems to go berserk more often now."
That's no secret, and my guess is that senior executives at NPR
understand that about O'Reilly. And yet NPR let Williams appear on The
O'Reilly Factor in his effort to bail out the host from a brewing
race-based media scandal. The fact that Williams repeatedly misled
viewers while recounting O'Reilly's comments last week also did not help
NPR's cause.
Evidence suggests that, behind the scenes, NPR is not happy about
Williams' relationship with Fox News. If so, now is the time for the
network to address the growing problem.
Complaints about Williams' alliance with Fox News are not new. For years
he has drawn criticism from liberals who protest his weekly appearances
on the more grown-up Fox News Sunday, arguing there are better advocates
for genuinely liberal positions than Williams, who, for instance, was a
supporter of Clarence Thomas' Supreme Court nomination. Over the years
though, I've found Williams to be among the most consistently focused
and aggressive of the so-called
Fox News Democrats, often (though not always) pushing back against
the particularly egregious Republican talking points that swamp the Fox
News Sunday telecast.
If Williams wants to serve as a well-paid prop, a self-described "foil,"
brought in to manufacture
entertaining conflict in front of the Fox News cameras for
un-persuadable viewers who vote overwhelmingly Republican, that's his
choice.
What changed last week was that Williams inserted himself into the news
and cast himself as the great Fox News defender, and did it on The
O'Reilly Factor, a program no serious NPR journalist should ever appear
on.
Williams played a starring role in O'Reilly's saga surrounding Sylvia's
restaurant in Harlem, because it was on that same broadcast that the
host interviewed Williams and the two men talked about race in America,
including damaging stereotypes that exist. (Williams was busy promoting
his book, now out in paperback.) So when more and more news outlets
began asking questions about why O'Reilly was surprised a black
restaurant in Harlem was like a white restaurant in midtown Manhattan,
Williams was quickly invited onto The O'Reilly Factor to help explain
away the story.
Clamoring about how news organizations were guilty of "rank dishonesty"
in covering the O'Reilly controversy (they're trying to "shut you up"),
Williams conveniently sidestepped the host's most inflammatory remarks
from the telecast. Williams had nothing to say about O'Reilly's
condescending suggestion that "black Americans are starting to think
more and more for themselves." Again and again, Williams took to the
airwaves to defend O'Reilly, including on Fox News host John Gibson's
radio program, and again and again Williams simply flushed that quote
down the memory hole and pretended it never happened. I assume that's
because the quote did not fit into Williams' defense of O'Reilly being
the victim of a smear campaign, or simply being misunderstood.
Meanwhile, appearing on The O'Reilly Factor, Williams wouldn't touch
O'Reilly's Quote of The Week:
And I couldn't get over the fact that there was no difference between
Sylvia's restaurant and any other restaurant in New York City. I mean,
it was exactly the same, even though it's run by blacks, primarily black
patronship.
Days later, on September 30, Williams
appeared on C-SPAN's Washington Journal, and a caller very
specifically asked him to address that quote. Williams though, ripped it
out of context and told viewers that O'Reilly made that comment as a way
to compare the peaceful scene at Sylvia's to the ugly stereotype of
black America that's portrayed through gangsta rap videos. But that's
simply not true. The discussion O'Reilly and Williams had about rap
video images came well after O'Reilly made his initial comments about
Sylvia's. It's simply not accurate to suggest O'Reilly told the "no
difference" story about Sylvia's amidst a larger discussion about
gangsta rap. But Williams, playing defense for the Fox News host, did
his best to re-tell the story in an O'Reilly-friendly way.
Writing an essay for Time magazine, Williams made an
absurdly shallow (and dishonest) attempt at explaining the details
of the controversy. According to Williams' thin spin, O'Reilly was
unfairly "slammed" simply "for saying he went to a restaurant in Harlem
and had a good time." That's like saying Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) got
slammed for simply not flushing the toilet at the Minneapolis airport.
Williams could not even bring himself to reprint O'Reilly's quote about
being surprised that Sylvia's was just like any other restaurant "even
though it's run by blacks."
Of all his media appearances last week, it was Williams' stint on The
O'Reilly Factor that was most noteworthy, simply because Williams
provided O'Reilly with crucial political cover by rushing to his
defense. I understand why O'Reilly was desperate for Williams to appear
on The O'Reilly Factor. I cannot understand, however, why NPR allowed
it.
Public broadcasting guidelines clearly state that when appearing on
outside programs "journalists should not express views they would not
air in their role as an NPR journalist." They should not appear on
programs that are "harmful to the reputation of NPR." And, "They should
not participate in shows, electronic forums, or blogs that encourage
punditry and speculation rather than fact-based analysis."
Let's take them one at a time. First, when he appeared on The O'Reilly
Factor last week to announce that there was a media conspiracy in motion
to try to shut Bill O'Reilly up, was Williams expressing views that he
would not air on NPR? My hunch is yes. And FYI, according to a Nexis
search of the transcripts, Williams did not discuss O'Reilly on NPR last
week. Second, is The O'Reilly Factor a program that is harmful to NPR's
reputation? Of course. And third, is it a program that encourages (wild)
speculation? It is.
Additionally, the NPR
Code of Ethics forbids all NPR journalists from participating in
appearances that "may appear to endorse the agenda of a group or
organization." Fox News, as an organization, has an open political
agenda, and by defending O'Reilly on The O'Reilly Factor, NPR's Williams
was endorsing that organization's agenda, which was to attack and smear
anyone who raised questions about the host's incendiary comments.
Clearly Williams' appearances on The O'Reilly Factor ran counter to
NPR's established guidelines. Or can you name a single other "news"
program that, based on public broadcasting standards, would be more
inappropriate for an NPR employee to appear on and pontificate?
And last week wasn't the first time Williams sprinted to O'Reilly's side
during an embarrassing media moment. Back in January when O'Reilly
appeared on CBS' Late Show with David Letterman, the host, during some
entertaining banter, zinged his guest by claiming 60 percent of what
O'Reilly says is "crap." O'Reilly was widely seen as the loser in the
televised tête-à-tête.
Once again, Williams
rushed
onto The O'Reilly Factor to help his glass-jawed pal get back on his
feet. Williams, acting like he'd never seen two grown men argue on
television before, decried Letterman's "antagonism" towards O'Reilly and
all the "horrible things that he said to you." Williams compared
Letterman to a serial killer and expressed amazement that O'Reilly
didn't have a "black eye." After all, he'd been in a "knife fight" on
the Letterman show.
The fact that O'Reilly doles out far nastier insults to his Fox News
guests on a nightly basis went unmentioned by Williams.
Juan Williams sides with Fox News over NPR
If Williams was appreciative of NPR for bending the rules to allow him
to flack for O'Reilly on Fox News, Williams had a strange way of showing
it. The day after his September 25
ill-advised visit
to The O'Reilly Factor, Williams was featured in a Washington Post
article about the fact that NPR passed on an interview that Williams
was offered with Bush to discuss race relations, as well as the brewing
controversy in Jena, Louisiana, over charges of excessive prosecution
for six black teens there.
Ellen Weiss, NPR's vice president for news, told the Post she "felt
strongly" that "the White House shouldn't be selecting the person" for
the interview. Williams lamented how he was "stunned by [NPR's] decision
to turn their backs on [Bush] and to turn their backs on me."
I think NPR execs might have been too polite to express it publicly, but
based on the tenor and response to Williams'
much-hyped interview with Bush last January, back when the president
was out selling his surge strategy for Iraq, it's possible NPR brass
simply didn't think Williams was up to the task of going one-on-one with
Bush.
As firedoglake blogger TRex
noted, the January sit-down Williams conducted with Bush, "was a
travesty." The problem? "Williams was in full, Fawning Fox News
Toady-mode, pitching softball after softball at the president and
offering no follow-up questions. It left the line between journalism and
PR way behind and crossed into the territory of worship."
Indeed, one memorable moment came when Williams assured Bush that
Americans were praying for him. At the time, NPR listeners took notice
and they were not
impressed.
So why would NPR send Williams, armed with the same lapdog approach,
back to White House to interview a president who, since January, has
managed to become even less popular?
Plus, there's a backstory. In his seven years in office, Bush has
basically stiffed one of the nation's most prestigious government-funded
news organizations and granted NPR just a single interview; the Williams
puff session in January. To this day, Bush has refused to allow an NPR
anchor or new correspondent to interview him on a range of topics, the
way
ABC,
CBS,
NBC,
CNN, and Fox have all been allowed to do. What exactly is Bush
afraid of? (Williams is an analyst, not an anchor or news
correspondent.)
Then again, the antagonism should not be surprising since the
administration's contempt for public broadcasting is
well documented. (Question: Do NPR bosses allow Williams to maintain
a high profile at Fox News as a way to defend public broadcasting
against relentless right-wing critics who claim NPR has a liberal bias?)
So I'm not surprised NPR balked. And I'm not surprised Williams ran to
the media to tell his sad tale of woe.
But the story doesn't end there. Because after NPR passed on the
interview, Williams went ahead and did it in his role as a Fox News
contributor. Fox then made a big deal about how NPR had turned Bush
down, complete with issuing a name-calling press release about how
"appalling" NPR's treatment of Williams had been.
In truth, Fox News' treatment of Williams, and his Bush interview, was
even more insulting. Because what did Fox News actually do with
Williams' interview? Fox News basically ignored the contents. As best I
can tell, Fox News last week aired less than two minutes from the
interview in which Bush discussed race. In fact, Fox News spent more
time talking about how NPR punted on the interview than it did
broadcasting that portion of the interview. (During the interview,
Williams also asked Bush about the 2008 campaign and Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; Fox News aired more of that.)
There was a telling moment when Williams appeared on The O'Reilly Factor
to hype the Bush interview. O'Reilly, a public broadcasting hater, went
on and on about how NPR turned down the White House interview offer.
Turning to the interview, O'Reilly announced, "[W]e'll run a clip of it
because it has to do with Ahmadinejad." [Emphasis added.] As for race or
the Jena 6? O'Reilly couldn't care less.
Same with John Gibson's The Big Show; the host asked Williams about
Bush's comments regarding the 2008 campaign, as well as Ahmadinejad.
Zero interest, though, in Bush's comments about race or the Jena 6
demonstrators, whom Gibson had already
mocked on the
air for allegedly inventing claims of racism in America.
But that's what Fox News does;
Fox attacks black America.
Note that while making the rounds on his spin control tour last week,
Williams appeared on Gibson's radio show, where he
mentioned that they're both employed by Fox News.
"They don't much like that at NPR, do they, Juan?" asked Gibson with a
chuckle.
"Oh boy. Ugh," came Williams' response.
If NPR is unhappy with Williams' increasingly high-profile and
controversial appearances on Fox News, then now is the time to tell him
that he has to choose between the two media outlets. Although from the
looks of things, with Williams providing cover for O'Reilly and then
trashing NPR for not obediently accepting the White House guidelines for
a Bush interview the way Fox News did, it looks as if Williams has
already made his choice.
SU prof in middle of O'Reilly uproar (The Syracuse Post Standard)
Friday, October 05, 2007 By Pam Lundborg Staff writer
A Syracuse University professor has received death threats and hundreds
of nasty e-mails after he entered a controversy over remarks made by
talk show host Bill O'Reilly.
Boyce Watkins, a black SU business professor, last week on CNN called
National Public Radio senior editor Juan Williams a "happy Negro" after
Williams defended O'Reilly.
The racial debate began when O'Reilly, on his radio show, said black
people were well behaved at a Harlem restaurant that he visited and that
no one yelled, "m-fer, I want more iced tea." Many listeners called
O'Reilly a racist.
Williams, a black journalist, defended O'Reilly on the O'Reilly Factor
TV show, saying the talk show host's comments were not racist and that
O'Reilly was "trying to deflate stereotypes."
Watkins spoke to CNN several times, saying Williams is, "the eternal
happy Negro." Williams' defense of O'Reilly is "like a stripper telling
Hugh Hefner he's not a sexist," he said.
O'Reilly, Williams and Watkins have been debating the issue since,
appearing on national television several times this week to defend their
perspectives. The controversy is also festering at SU, where Watkins
says the university administration is distancing itself from him and his
comments.
Watkins, who is in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, said he
met Wednesday with his dean, Melvin Stith, who told Watkins that he
appreciates his freedom of speech but wants the professor to make it
clear that he is speaking as a public scholar and not as a university
representative. The university released a statement Thursday echoing
that sentiment:
"Syracuse University acknowledges the right of Dr. Watkins, outside of
his employment with the University, to express his personal views on
issues of interest to him. However, when faculty do so, they are not
reflecting the opinion or mission of Syracuse University or any of its
schools or colleges."
Stith echoed the statement Thursday night, saying "my position is that
of course we all have a right to speak as citizens of this country, but
he does not speak on behalf of Whitman or SU." He would not comment on
the content of Watkins' comments.
Watkins said he doesn't feel the university likes that he stirs up
controversy.
"I feel that (Chancellor Nancy) Cantor's camp doesn't like what I do,"
he said. "I'm the stepchild that's been swept under the rug . . .
Syracuse is ashamed of me. The university has not embraced anything I've
done."
Watkins said he stands by his statements to CNN. O'Reilly has "made an
enemy of the black community," he said. Williams, he said, "validates
the racist."
"(Williams) does not challenge white America to take responsibility for
creating institutions that perpetuate racial inequality," Watkins said.
"His job is to sit with borderline Klansmen and say the world is screwed
up because black people are screwed up."
Williams, reached by telephone Thursday, said Watkins' "happy Negro"
comments were cheap insults that lack substance. The men have never met
or spoken, he said.
"It's just kind of low-ball, almost what you'd describe as schoolyard
language in what was intended to be a serious discussion about race in
America," Williams said. "This guy calling me a happy Negro suggests I'm
some Uncle Tom and that I'm making excuses for racism. . .How outrageous
is it to attack someone who promotes healthy race relations in this
country."
Watkins and Williams both say they have been flooded with response. Both
say members of the black community have been supportive.
Watkins, who said he has received more than 600 e-mails, said several
Fox viewers have sent death threats.
"I'm getting hundreds and hundreds of e-mails telling me I'm a bad guy,"
Watkins said. "I'm not talking polite disagreement."
Bill O’Reilly’s Secret Obsession and Why
Lawyers are so smart -10/5/07
I woke up this morning to the voice of an attorney. Not one from
Fox News though, but one from the conference at which I was speaking.
She asked me if I was the guy she saw on Fox the night before, with his
face splashed on the screen like OJ Simpson. I figured that
denying it wouldn’t work, so I told her that I was the guy. She
then expressed concern that Fox News was sending a camera crew to cover
the event at which I was speaking, and I think it made her nervous.
Why O'Reilly and his goons are so obsessed with me, I have no idea.
In light of the fact that so many conservatives are in the closet, I
just hope that it's not some kind of weird mandingo fantasy or
something. The guy is just wierd.
No problem. I told the Fox people to go away. I guess
attorneys are supposed to worry about stuff like that, and I sometimes
forget what it’s like for black people who are afraid to lose their
jobs. Being associated with someone like me might actually reveal
to your corporation that you are indeed, a black person.
Part of this is what makes me feel sorry for us. We hide in the
same way we did during slavery….saying and being one thing in public and
being something else in private. We wear the corporate suits and
speak the lingo during the day, only to have “dinner table revolts”
every night. This is the reason why I knew, long ago, that I would
never be a good corporate negro.
This is not to berate the women at this conference (it was a conference
for female attorneys of color). They were awesome, and I loved the
energy. I talked a lot about my sweetie, who also happens to be an
attorney, and they got a kick out of that. I figured that telling them
about my sweetie from the beginning would fend off any women from either
thinking that I am hitting on them or that they should hit on me.
I don’t expect that any woman in her right mind would want a guy with a
face like mine, but sometimes I am surprised.
I also found out from my sweetie that I was on the front page of the
Syracuse Post Standard. I haven’t read the article, but I plan to.
Part of me can’t wait to see how this plays out. But one thing
that Bill O’Reilly should know is that I have a VERY LONG memory and my
reach is farther than he might think. He gets caught slipping
again, he might find himself crying on TV like Juan Williams.
Both of these guys are enemies of America, and the worst thing in the
world is to go to war with a guy who is prepared to put it all on the
line. I don’t hate Bill O’Reilly, I feel sorry for him. I
feel especially sorry for anyone who tries to get in my way.
OK, I have to get on a plane. Bye!
O’Reilly does ANOTHER
Show about me? – October 4, 2007
I can always tell what’s going on in the world by the “pulse” in my
emails. When I start getting a barrage of positive emails, it
means that some black publication has written something about me or my
feud with Bill O’Reilly. When I get a slew of negative and nasty
emails, I know that Fox did something. Fox tends to have an
“interesting” crowd viewing its shows, and you would be amazed at the
kinds of things that people say.
Today, I started getting a ton of really crazy emails. I
knew it could only be due to one thing: O’Reilly again. I
then asked my friend, who actually watches this kind of stuff, if she’d
heard anything. She confirmed it: Bill was talking about me
again.
This time, he was asking my University President to defend my remarks.
That’s incredibly silly because my university hates me. I have
NEVER IN MY LIFE had one single conversation with our university
president. So, I feel bad for the central administrators who have
to defend the negro across campus that they don’t even like.
Of course, I don’t expect Bill to ever confront me himself. He’s
not smart enough to manage what I would have to say. People like
him fear intelligent black men. Let’s keep it that way. In fact,
the more I think about it, the more I realize that he is probably not
smart enough to know how much smarter than him I am. Either way,
I don’t exactly jump with excitement over the idea of going head to head
with the King Redneck in front of a bunch of people who already have
biased viewpoints. I would rather share my thoughts with
predominantly black audiences, as I’ve done for most of this week.
I deliberately avoided mainstream media and went after outlets I
respect, like Black America Web, where there is an audience that
respects and cares for the advancement of black people. Most of
the people who read Black America Web have little or no respect for Juan
Williams, so my comments were welcome. Fox News is the opposite,
since a black man willing to agree with a proven racist is always a
precious commodity.
I am in NYC giving a speech at a conference for black female attorneys.
I am excited, since these are an intelligent, conscientious group of
leaders. Amazing women. At the same time, speaking for
lawyers can be tough, since they tend to ask really detailed questions.
But given that my fiancé is an attorney, I kinda know what to expect.
Outside of that, it’s life as usual. Well, except for the fallout
with all the Fox stuff. But for the most part, this was actually
the first relatively normal day I've had in a while.
Why I called Juan Williams a “Happy Negro” on CNN – And why He and Bill
O’Reilly Are Not Happy About it
By
Dr. Boyce D. Watkins
www.boycewatkins.com
A friend (Valencia Roner) called me one night to
ask if I watch “The O’Reilly Factor”. I said “No, I don’t watch silly,
racist television programs.” She then informed me that I might want to
watch this particular episode.
Why? Because I was the topic of conversation….for
the entire show. I set the DVR and went to sleep. I woke up the next
morning to watch what had been recorded. Valencia was
right. They were showing images of my CNN appearances, and playing my
comments repeatedly, like Sports Center Highlights. I’ve never seen so
many guests asked to comment about someone else’s comments.
The kicker was watching Juan Williams and Bill
O’Reilly congratulate each other like brothers for allegedly winning the
“smear campaign” placed upon them by CNN. I listened to O’Reilly tell
the world that CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, Mediamatters.org and
other news organizations were all corrupt, but not him. Williams even
wrote a piece about me in Time Magazine, in addition to making several
radio and TV appearances to complain about my words. During the show, I
honestly thought Williams was going to cry. This brought back memories,
since I remember making a lot of conservatives cry in college. My mother
said I shouldn’t make grown men cry, and I felt bad.
I was asked on CNN (and other shows) about Bill
O’Reilly’s racist remarks about Sylvia’s, a black restaurant in
Harlem. In his comments, O’Reilly said that he could not get
over the fact that the people were civil and well-behaved. He commended
black people for finally learning to “think for themselves” and was
relieved that there was no one in the restaurant saying “mf-er I want
more ice tea.” (Good thing no one was really thirsty!).
O’Reilly tried to argue that his comments were
meant to compliment the black community. He said that they were meant to
defy stereotypes. As humbly and naive as a school girl, he argued that
he was only intending to shed light on how racial stereotypes are bad
for our society. Like the movie
“Transformers”, “America’s
Educated Redneck”, Bill O'Reilly had morphed himself into Martin Luther
King Jr.
On CNN, I essentially explained that anyone who
thought Bill O’Reilly was suddenly a reformed racist who’d seen the
light has been getting high with Bobby and Whitney too long. I’ve been
on this man’s show before, and he has consistently demeaned, degraded
and devalued everything about black culture he could get his hands on
(remember when he said that the Katrina victims would not have been
stranded on rooftops if they’d chosen to get an education?) I also
mentioned that I was unimpressed with Juan Williams’ agreement and
defense of O’Reilly. Seeing Williams sitting there congratulating
O’Reilly for his bigotry reminded me of the Negro in the white suit
defending “massa” at all costs. His attitudes were
consistent with his latest and most terrible book, which does nothing
but blast black culture and black people, as if we are the sole causes
of socioeconomic inequality.
Therefore, I could only use terms I felt
appropriate. I defined Williams as “The Happy Negro”. On CNN, I compared
O’Reilly’s use of Williams to Hugh Hefner hiring a stripper to tell him
that he’s not a sexist. Williams was irate after hearing my words.In other words, “The Happy Negro” was no longer happy.
I am not sure how smart or dumb Williams is (I have
3 times more education than him, but I guess he is of at least average
intelligence). I hope he has enough sense to know that he is being used
by a man who has consistently and reliably shown himself to be an enemy
of black people.
I have, through my books “Everything You Ever
Wanted to Know about College” and “What if George Bush were a Black
Man?” consistently attacked problems in the black community. I have
spoken to millions of African-Americans about the value of getting an
education and managing their money. I support the black family and even
proposed to my future spouse in front of millions of people, in order to
give black men the courage to express love for our beautiful black
women. I wish I could tell you how many times I argued with CNN
producers to cover the Jena 6 story long before
it was popular to do so. So, everything that Juan Williams might say
about advancing the community has been consistently on my radar screen.
But here is where we differ.
I am very hard on the black community about
improving our plight. But I am also man enough to challenge the white
community, the media, universities, corporations and other American
institutions for their role in creating racial inequality. Racism is a
disease that lies within the fabric of nearly every American
institution. So, any conversation about racial inequality that does not
include White America’s flaws and roles in the process is ridiculous,
misguided and counter productive. In
mathematics, I learned that you cannot solve a problem without working
with both sides of the equation.The functions and systems of that equation are at least as
important as the individual parameters.In other words, the systems in America play a
powerful role in the creation of incentives, opportunities and outcomes
of the individual.
If a young lady is sexually molested by her father
and grows up to become a prostitute, any weak man can say “Miss, your
life is in shambles because you’re choosing to be a whore.” This might
even be an obvious point, but it will also continue to erode her
self-esteem and ignore the critical half of the equation. It takes a
stronger man to first challenge the young lady, and then go inside the
home and confront her father for what he has done to create the problem.
There is no denying that her father should pay for his daughter’s
counseling, apologize, get psychiatric help, be made aware of and told
to cease his present abusive actions and face punishment for what he has
done. He cannot expect that his family will be peaceful as long as he
has not acknowledged his role in the creation of his family’s
devastation. At that point, you also teach the daughter personal
responsibility, and how to move beyond the past and toward the future.
Why won’t many men do this? Because the daughter is
an easy target, and her father might kick you in the ass. That is why
many black conservatives won’t challenge white America to have
personal responsibility for their role in racism, for this is biting the
hand that feeds them (how long would Juan be on the Fox News payroll if
he were to tell White America that their institutions and attitudes are
a large cause of racial inequality? Contrary to O'Reilly's indication, I
am not compensated by CNN or any other networks for what I say). It also
feeds directly into white supremacy to say “The black community is in
shambles because black people are making bad choices. The 400 years of
oppression have nothing to do with the last 30 years of expression.”
Hence, we have Bill O’Reilly getting his rear-end rubbed by Juan
Williams, as they both agree that the little girl is nothing but a
whore.
O’Reilly claimed that Rev. Jesse Jackson (another
guest on the show) was appalled by what I said about Williams, but of
course he could not validate his claims on camera. I got a call the very
next morning from Jackson’s daughter
Santita and received no indication of disapproval from the Jackson family. I am sure
that if they had disagreed, they would have told me personally.
Santita is a good friend and
straight shooter.
Williams, for some reason, thinks that he is
contributing to the advancement of black people by teaming up with a
proven racist who has KKK members and Neo-Nazis watching his show (you
should see the language used in my hate mail). A man who has a problem
with President Bush would not team up with Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad to go after Bush. No matter how valid his arguments might
be, the fact is that such actions amount to TREASON and are ultimately
destructive. Having a black face does not mean you care about the black
race. Clarence Thomas taught us that.
Hence, at the end of the day, I still call Juan
Williams the “Happy Negro”. I stand by my remarks and might even put it
on a t-shirt. From the response I've gotten so far, I wouldn't be the
only one wearing it.
Dr. Boyce
Watkins is a Finance Professor at SyracuseUniversity and author of “What if George
Bush were a Black Man?” He does regular commentary in national media,
including CNN, FOX, ESPN, and BET. For more information, please visit
www.BoyceWatkins.com or
www.yourblackworld.com.Dr. Watkins is represented by Great Black Speakers, LLC,
www.greatblackspeakers.com.
The O’Reilly Factor Spends an Entire Show Talking about Me? I
guess “Happy Negroes” get Mad Too– 9/28/07
I got a call last night from a friend of mine in California. Her
name is Valencia, a very talented writer and author of the blog
whyblackwomenareangry.blogspot.com. At first, I was sitting there
thinking “why is someone calling me so late?” Then, I found out
why. She asked me if I was watching “The O’Reilly Factor”. I
told her that I don’t watch ridiculous TV shows. She then told me
that they were spending the entire show talking about me. That got
my attention.
I am not sure why they would waste so much time talking about me or my
comments. But apparently, what I said about Juan Williams got
their attention. I don’t take back my comments, I always mean what
I say. You can watch the comments yourself in the video below.
Today I got a call from Santita Jackson, the daughter of Rev. Jesse
Jackson. Apparently, there are some people who want to know what I
think. I only tell the truth, so that’s all anyone will get out of me.
I don’t regret what I said about Juan, he needs to feel the same degree
of insult that he has thrust upon our community. His continuous
attacks on poor blacks and single mothers, while aligning with enemies
of black folks in order to share his message, is ridiculous.
If Williams, in any way, has become convinced that Bill O’Reilly
has the best interests of black people at heart, this man needs serious
psychological help. So yes, he is the “happy negro”. Oh yeah,
here's the video
Another CNN Appearance and Dealing with
Irritating Negroes – 9/26/07
Today has a multitude of firsts…it’s the first time that I’ve blogged
twice in the same day, and it’s the first time that I was on CNN twice
in the same day. I was actually really sleepy the second time, but
I always look forward to the Out in the Open Show, which actually tries
to shine light on race. I was especially pumped after hearing some
comments that Fox Producers made about my comments on Bill O’Reilly.
I don’t take back a word I had to say, since I think that this guy needs
to be held in check and questioned for running his mouth and degrading
black people like that.
I’m sick of it. I’m not taking it anymore.
I was on the second show with a black conservative that runs some
organization of black Republicans. Perhaps we shall call them the
House of Coons. Maybe that’s not the name, but the name doesn’t
matter very much.
On this show, I was RUDE…..really really RUDE. I am not a rude
person. Anyone who watches me on other shows knows that I am super
polite and respectful to anyone who has deemed themselves worthy of
respect. When I proposed to my sweetie, I was as gentle as a
flower, mainly because I have tremendous capacity to be a gentle
person….
But not tonight.
I’d seen this guy on other shows and I knew going in that this SOB takes
10 minutes to finish a damn sentence. If I had waited for him to stop
talking, I would be an old man before it was my turn to talk. Add
that to the fact that he was cooning his way to the top by supporting
the likes of Bill O’Reilly….I had to get straight medieval on his butt.
I got tons of emails after the show telling me that I was rude. I
honestly didn’t give a damn. Again, I am a polite guy. But
there are two times when I’ve been rude on national television:
tonight and when I dealt with Sean Hannity. There are some
situations where being nice simply DOES NOT WORK.
I will probably owe my publicist and CNN producers an apology, for I was
like a caged animal. But would I change a thing? Absolutely
not. Respect must be earned, and part of that respect is shown by
finishing your damn sentences in a timely fashion.
After the show, I got a text from a friend of mine who had been on shows
with this man. He said “Good job dude….he takes too damn long.”
My sentiments exactly. As my mother taught me, there are times
when you have to throw southern hospitality out the door, and tonight
was one of those times.
the o'reilly non-factor - september 26, 2007
I was slated to be on CNN twice today, which is even a lot for me.
Twice in one week I can see, but the same day, not always.
Actually, it was supposed to be 3 times, but something happened. I
never ask what, I just keep moving.
The topic du jour is Bill O’Reilly. He made some interesting
comments about black people and a lot of people took offense. I
learned to laugh at O’Reilly and ignore him, but even goofy people like
him should be dealt with on some level. I’ve been on his show
twice, and I can’t say I dislike him. I just don’t think about him
one way or the other.
People asked me if I think he should be removed from the air for his
comments, but the answer is no. However, he needs to get
pimp-slapped for always trying to insult black culture. At the
same time, the fact that his show is so highly rated (along with another
racist show I’ve been on before, Hannity & Colmes) says something about
how far we need to go as far as race relations are concerned.
They lined me up against some of the usual Uncle Tom suspects. I
love black conservatives, they’ve always made me laugh. I don’t
take them seriously, I just feel sorry for most of them. Some of
them, I can almost respect, like Bill Cosby (whom I’ve disagreed with
vehemently). But others, such as Juan Williams, are nothing more
than a continuation of the House Negro syndrome that has plagued us
since slavery. Someone could say “All black people are dirty and
pathetic", and there would always be some negro standing next to him
saying ‘yeah boss…..and we stooopid too!’”
Here is some of the email I got after the appearance. I get a lot
of hate mail, I am not sure why. Doing the math, I presume and
expect that roughly 1 out of every 20 emails is going to agree with my
viewpoint. Why? Well, black people are about 13% of the
population and about half of all black people understand and care about
eradicating racism (wealthier African-Americans are sometimes made to
forget....until something happens to them, of course....Michael Jackson,
OJ Simpson, etc.) . That makes me a bad candidate for political
office, since I could care less about being popular. Seeking
popularity is a great way to make yourself into another man's puppet.
That is why Oprah, Obama and others are forced to say one thing behind
closed doors and another thing in public. I respect them both, but
they will never be able to say what is truly on their minds.
I guess people actually think I pay attention to the nasty emails.
Don’t they know I was born for this stuff? At least the CNN hate
mail is not as bad as Fox. Fox viewers tend to enjoy using the
N-word….it says a lot about them, doesn’t it?
I watched Boyce Watkins on CNN;
his comments on Bill O'Reilly's
statements just screamed "DIVIDED WE FALL!" People like Watkins just
keep the division going. I'm not defending O'Reilly, what I am
defending is America. Tthe rest of the world sees all this whining
about racism as just another aspect of a nation divided. Mr. Watkins &
those like him, people of any and every skin color can keep it up, I'm
sure that it pleases our enemies to see us so torn. Way to go.
By the way, I accessed his website to try and find a comment link which
I did not, what I did see is reference to skin color repeatedly. I find
this as a form of racism, a big giant, flashing sign that points to the
one obvious difference between blacks and whites. I'm not sure, but do
the whites have websites that boast "Best White Writers"? I think not.
Mr. Watkins and those of all colors that are just like him are
defeating the ideal of equal and united because all of the nit-picking
just points to the differences, they are all merely feeding the monster
we all call racism.
Josiegeo@aol.com
"Happiness is a choice, not a condition of circumstance." K. F.
George
I saw your segment this morning and it's amazing how you spun it.
I wish liberals could see how they always look so unhappy. You
were wrong with what you said about Bill O'reilly. You should be
ashamed.
Linda Allan
I watched an Oprah Winfrey show a few months ago in which Russel
Simmons was a guest along with some other prominent black men. They
were discussing negative comments made about a female basketball
team by a white male radio talk show host. During the course of the
show Oprah attempted to get a committment from these men that they
would encourage hip hop artist to stop using the "b" word in their
lyrics. Russell Simmons skated all around that request leading me to
believe that he has no concern for the degredation of black females
by our own men let alone those of other races. So, to read this story
about Russell Simmons taking action to help destroy a black man's
life that has admittedly made a mistake, over some dogs, lets me know
that his opinion of dogs rates higher than his opinion of black
female human beings. What a truly sad state of affairs.
Dr. Watkins,
It pains me to see an obviously well-educated man such as yourself so
filled with venom that you are blinded by what is obvious. I watched you
on CNN responding to the words of O'Reilly ad it became very apparent
that you are so hateful toward anybody on the right side that you will
attack and demean anyone, even the President of the United States.
The topic of conversation was whether or not O'Reilly was being
disrespectful to the black community by making the statements he made
regarding the onduct of the patrons of Sylvia's in Harlem. You took it
upon yourself to state that once O'Reilly made a left-handed compliment
to Obama about how articulate he was and that Obama graduated from
Harvard and therefore there was a high probability he would be
articulate, except of course in the case of George Bush.
That comment negated any credibility towards your opinions and it is
quite obvious that you have an underlying hostility towards the
conservative point of view and potentially, when it is all boiled down,
to whites in general. For an educated man, Dr. Watkins, that was a
pretty stupid remark to make. President Bush had nothing to do with that
conversation...nothing...but you saw an opportunity to berate him as a
man and jump on board with the liberal media regarding President Bush
being ignorant. In fact, Dr. Watkins, you are ignorant and you are
wallowing in your own prejudice and venom. You are doing nothing towards
bring our nation together. You desire to maintain a distance between the
races. I understand why, you earn a living off of being devisive. Much
like your buddy on your website---Al Sharpton. Oh by the way, how is
Twana Brawley today? Don't hear much about her. aybe she is working at
Sylvia's.
You're a bigot and a very harmful man to the progress of our country. If
you listened half as much as you spoke, you might learn something.
Sympathetically,
Mark S. Hampton
Dr. Watkins
Thank you for standing up for our community this am on CNN. I am
so offended by Bill O'Rilley's comments and Juan Williams and LaShawn
Barber continuing to be as you described the "happy Negroes" of the
community. It's sad that they will do anything for acceptance,
prestige and money at the expense of selling out our community.
You represented us extremely well. It's sad that Rev. Al is no
where in site on this issue. Is it perhaps because he had lunch
with O'Rilley and is attempting to gain some kind of working
relationship with Fox news. If so it's a sad day for us all.
Than you and God Bless
Lavern
What ever happened to that case against Limbaugh involving Dr. Shopping.
These guys can't take the heat, and I love to see them squirm.
What do you know about Larry Elder from L.A.
MAY GOD BLESS; FROM THE RALEIGH'S
Thank you Dr. Watkins..
I caught a few moments of you on MSNBC this morning, discussing Bill
O’Reilly comments about Sylvia’s,
and I highly support your point of view.
I am Caucasian, and I personally found O’Reilly’s comments extremely
offensive and inexcusable.
They are no different from any damaging comments based on stereotypes.
This kind of behavior is divisive, evil, and degrading to our society.
Simply put, this man needs to GO.
Thank you again for speaking out.
Carl Mazer
San Francisco, CA
I've always been curious of Dr. Watkins and respected, without
necessarily agreeing, his points of views.
NOT ANYMORE!
While on CNN this morning he took the Bill O'Riley comment segment to
ridicule and nastily insult President Bush and Juan Williams.
This from a man who is trying to argue how wrong it was for Bill O'Riley
to say what he said.
Can't the black community find someone more intelligent and thoughtful
to represent their point of view on this story then Boyce Watkins?
He is a joke, and quickly becoming an embarrassment whose inflated ego
seems to give him the right to insult, in a hateful way, others he
disagrees with.
Juan Williams is one of the most intelligent, thought provoking
individuals on the air today and for him to be insulted by this man, who
arguably is not very bright, is insulting.
Proud of you Dr. Watkins. A legend in his own mind.
Anthony
Sir, I'm writing in response to your comments on CNN News this morning
regarding Bill O'Reilly, but having just viewed your web site, I've got
to say that yours is the most over-the-top self promoting web site I've
ever come across. But be that as it may, I just want to say that
your attack on O'Reilly is exactly why we will never have anything
resembling racial peace in our country. Not only does it give
white racists more reason to hate & denegrate African Americans, but it
frustrates non-racist white people like myself who are just so tired of
black leaders & black spokespersons who seem to make every incident
involving a black & a white faction into a racial issue. I am
truly sorry for the decades long abuse that blacks in America have had
to endure, but I'm NOT sorry for blacks like you who invent racial
incidents when nothing is there. I sometimes wonder if blacks like
you genuinely want racial peace, because your "voice" would not be so
important if it ever were to happen.
Jack Schmitt
Dear Mr. Watkins,
I believe you have taken the comments of Mr. O’Reilly completely out of
context. The comments you refer to in your conversation this
morning, on CNN’s Heidi Collins program, seemed educational in nature to
those whites who are not aware of the black culture and would seem to be
trying to bridge the two cultures, not divide people.
To me and many of my friends Mr. O’Reilly could have used any other
culture in place of the Black Culture and wonder if you would have been
so offended. Your sensationalizing of these comments show a
sensitivity to an over abundance amount of pain you may be feeling
towards Mr. O’Reilly. At least that is my view of your
interpretation I heard when you expressing.
Your comment regarding the President not being articulate was rather
silly. It detracted from your message. As your comparison of Bill
O’Reilly to the President of Iran, two completely different
personalities. Your making a mountain out of a mole hill.
Sincerely,
Laura Lambert-Smith
Why don't you get after the rappers who represent black culture as
despicable.
If I continued to listen to you I'd surely be converted to racism
which is probably your subverted agenda.
O'Riley and Juan Williams are voices of wisdom.
To Whom It May Concern…or reads emails…
I understand many people “in the media” thrive on controversy.
Your statement about Juan Williams as a “happy negro” is WAY off base.
Do you think of our national treasure Bill Cosby in the same way?
I also think your remarks about Bill O’Reilly were made to inflame and
had racial bias. How come no one such as yourself, Al
Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and others, had NO remorse for totally unfounded
statements about the Duke lacrosse players? There were many
taunting those students with “dead man walking” remarks and other
things. I am embarrassed by uncivil behavior and more often
embarrassed for our male gender.
I tried to watch the ESPN panel discussion about Michael Vick but turned
it off because I was disappointed with brothers and sisters in the
audience continually interrupting. No matter what setting, it is
disappointing to be in (let alone see on television) a public forum
where any person sees it fit to disrupt otherwise civil discussions.
Thank you for hearing me out.
Dear Mr. Watkins,
The more individual blacks like yourself react with such hostility and
outrage over benign comments, the more you alienate black people from
the rest of society. Your total overreaction to O'Reilly's
comments is doing a lot more harm than good. You are appealing to
the lowest common denominator and it may make some blacks feel good that
someone like you is "defending" them, against what I'm not sure, but the
fact is that for the vast majority of Americans, you are harming the
image of black people.
I think it is really important that black activists step back from these
situations and not just react. The Don Imus comments obviously
warranted a reaction. O'Reilly? Come on. Pick your
battles and focus on true injustice. And consider that the more
you overreact and attack anyone who even talks about blacks (that isn't
also black), the more you will make people afraid to even discuss black
culture publicly, which will drive the discussion under the radar of the
media. This would not be a good outcome for any culture, black,
white, hispanic, asian, etc.
Scott Molloy
Dr Watkins:
I was so pleased to see you on CNN this morning debating the crazy Bill
O'Reilly comments. I think it is important to discus both points of view
of any controversial issue, but news outlets are increasingly trying to
pit one black person against another in on-air debates about race. I
suppose the suggestion is that "not all blacks think this way" (true!),
but more so the tactic is to dilute the value and validity of the black
person claiming racism. You did a very credible job-you were articulate
(to borrow a word from O'Reilly), reasoned, logical, confident and calm.
I thank and congratulate you for your advocacy and urge you to continue.
When ignorant bigots like O'Reilly, Hannity or Glenn Beck go
unchallenged, they become emboldened and feeble-minded listeners/viewers
take their rantings as gospel.
Regards,
Glen McDaniel
After listening to your rant regarding Bill OReilly on (cnn) its no
wonder they are loosing viewer ship and declining in ratings. You
sir are not helping your cause( whatever it may be) by bashing Mr.
Oreilly, Why don’t you go on Fox and debate him man to man and let the
people decide if he is in fact a racist, as you allude to.
Personally I have been witness to many attacks on the black race where
he has stood up and defended the African American people to
attacks like the one you are trying to pick with him. Pithy
enuf?
Just saw you on CNN...you made a fool out of yourself. Can you
read and understand in the full context of what O'Reily was saying or is
that to practical of someone to ask of you. To call out Mr. Juan
Williams is disgraceful, and you wonder why so many white people have a
negative stereo type of us. If your going to fall on your sword
you might want to pick something a little more important than something
as meaningless as what O'Reily said. If the truth is to be told
and I understand that is hard for you to do in this case, O'Reily was
stating fact. O'Reily gives more air time to "Blacks" than any
other TV host, lets be fair...you might not agree with him but to
compare him to Imus is absurd. I'm disappointed in you but it
doesn't surprise me.
So sorry to hear that O'Reilly dissed you and the entire black race.
Here is a little advice for you and your black friends. When you
stop lining up behind the likes of Sharpton and Jackson who crawl out
from under the sink every time a black points the finger at a white
person, and defend them regardless of the evidence then I will listen to
you. The first Simpson trial, Tawana Brawley, and Duke rape case
are just a few in the litany of injustices that your thinking and
attitude has spawned in the black culture. I find it difficult not
to hate you as much as you hate white Americans, however I refuse to
lower myself to your level of intellect which is far lower than
President Bushs'.
Regards,
Mike Hicks
Mr. "RACIST" Watkins,
I am appalled by the way you say that O'Reilly was such a BAD person
when he visited Harlem, then in the same racist breath say that it would
be alright for Joyner to say such things.
YOU sir are the reason there is so much racial hate! It's people like
your racist self that DISGUSTS me! I see you hang out with the other
racist Sharpton and Jackson. You are all "peas in a pod" so to speak.
Racist by every meaning of the word!
See, to most Black people it is a double standard this race card that
you so often play. Your thoughts are "we can do no wrong" We are owed
something because we are so discriminated against, we were slaves way
back when....BLAH, BLAH, BLAH
It's time to stand on your own two feet and finally realize THERE IS NO
DOUBLE STANDARD! Your black population can say certain things but other
ethnic groups can't? GIVE ME A BREAK YOU RACIST!
Enough said, you sicken me with your views and your jibberish you spread
on TV just fuels more hate.
YOU ARE A RACIST NOBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dear Sir, I just witnessed your comments on cnn regarding the comments
of Mr O'Reilly. I am fed up with blacks always playing the race card. I
understood completely what Mr. Williams and Mr. O'Reilly were
discussing. I have no problem with Mr. O'Reilly's words, sentiment, or
intent. I absolutely have a problem with liberal crybabies seeing racism
everywhere. Why don't you focus your attention on cleaning
up the black communities own problems? Do you even acknowledge that they
exist? Your sleazy attempt to "Imus" Mr. O'Reilly is pathetic. Thank
you.
Boyce,
You are an ignorant uninformed member of the leftist radical movement.
You are a separationist who fosters and breeds the segregation that you
claim to fight against. You prove your ignorance day in and day out with
remarks such as the reference to Harvard and President George W. Bush.
As usual, you spoke before you thought and with out realizing forgot the
fact that Pres. Bush attended Yale. But that didn't matter to you, it
was simply an attempt to take a shot at the President, with out any
basis for the comment whatsoever.
It is because of you and people like you, that the African American
community will always face the racial separation issues that have been
seen through out history. It is because of you and people like you that
there will always be room for comments such as the one that Bill O'Riley
made. It is because of you and people like you that a second racially
motivated civil war is eminent.
Please, do the world a favor and think before you speak!!!
TJC
Your comments about Juan Williams on CNN were ridiculous. Calling him
the "happy negro" agreeing with Bill O'Reilly was all too typical of
how liberal blacks treat a black person who has any conservative
viewpoints. Somehow it is ok to say question the "blackness" of
people like Juan Williams, Condoleezza Rice, and Clarence Thomas
because they dare stray from the liberal plantation. La Shawn Barber
was much more reasonable in her comments, and she clearly won the
debate. Better luck next time!
i just watched you on CCN re: Bill oReily.
I agree with you that he seems amazed that stereo types can be wrong,
since he is so educated.
but when you said you will go after anyone who makes blacks look bad, do
you mean rappers, MTV, entertainment industry in general?
i think they have a greater far reaching,effect, yet subtle way of
affecting many more people. oreily just tags along for profit.
and please, dont judge me by oreily.
take care
tl
The random, peculiar
existence of Dr. Boyce Watkins, documented word-for-word
The Jena 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 – Thursday,
September 20, 2007
I got up this morning, for some reason, thinking that I would have a
normal day. I had stuff to write, things to finish and 80 year old
emails that needed a reply. I somehow forgot that today was the
day that the world would be focused on Jena, Louisiana.
It’s not that I didn’t care about the Jena 6, I do. I want those
kids freed and I want everyone involved in hurting them to be punished.
But I was doing what I normally do, which is look ahead. I was
thinking about the Jena 7, 8, 9 and 90,000….all the kids out there who
went through the same thing and didn’t get any help from anyone. I
thought about the mother who just sent me an email this morning begging
me to help her son get out of jail. I didn’t know what to do.
I’m not Jesse Jackson, I don’t have the power to just make a phone call
and make things happen. I can’t get CNN or FOX News to allow their
media channel to become my own for whatever purposes I choose. I
felt bad, and sad, really.
One day, I want to help those mothers. All of them. The most
I can do now is what I did this week. Today, I was on Wendy
Williams’ Show again, along with CNN Headline News (below). I also
did an interview with a local station and a national radio show hosted
by a conservative whom I actually respect quite a bit, Lars Larson.
On all of these shows, I have consistently worked to advocate for a
sustained effort of protest, one that will improve the quality of the
justice system to help all those kids who were affected in the same way
that these kids were. The Louisiana Justice system is broken, as
it is throughout the south and many parts of the north. Something
has to be done.
What else did I do today? Not much. I just worked with my
assistant, Laquana and also made plans with my business manager for my
next book and speaking tour for the fall. We have a busy October
coming up, and I may release my next book with the help of a literary
agent this time around. On top of that, YourBlackWorld is now
getting over 25,000 pageviews per day, which is pretty awesome.
Outside of that, just life as usual.
Dr. Boyce Watkins Talks about the Jena 6 on
CNN Prime News with Erica Hill
Steve Erkel Voice…. “Did I do thaaaaat?”
DR. BOYCE IS ENGAGED! – Sunday, September 16, 2007
OK, today is the day after the day after the day
that I almost put my foot in my mouth.I went on The Wendy Williams Experience, primarily to discuss the Jena 6 case
and
our petition against it.
The other guest on the show, for the end of the hour, was the Rev. Al
Sharpton.
I’d been thinking for days about the idea of
proposing to my significant other, Romana.She’s a special woman, one of the best on this earth, and I
wanted to find a way to let her know what she means to me.I figure that it’s easy for a man to tell a woman how he feels
behind closed doors, and another thing to tell the world.Also, as more people have come to recognize my face, this leads
to a lot of temptations I would just rather not deal with.Women coming out of my closet in bikinis is not exactly something
I look forward to, since I have never had any interest in emulating Kobe
Bryant (That was just nasty!)
So, during the show, I decided I would let Wendy be
the first major personality to know that Dr. Boyce is settling down.I figured that there would also be another 10 million interested
people somewhere on the line as well.But I didn’t mind, since, after a while, you kind of just forget
that the people are there.
Wendy’s Show is like being at home.They put you in an incredibly pink room with tons of soul food on
the table for you to eat.I
couldn’t eat this day, since my stomach was churning like MC Hammer at a
birthday party.
So, I let her rip…I just did it.The video is below if you want to watch.The beautiful woman who looks like she’s about to have a heart
attack is Romana.I thought
she was going to have a baby without being pregnant.She was genuinely surprised, as I did a good job of keeping all
this to myself.She just
figured that my moments of deep thought on the drive to NYC were all due
to the fact that I am just a really deep and really weird person.The truth was that I was thinking about how the hell, why the
hell, who the hell and what the hell…as it all pertained to my hair
brained scheme to remind the woman I love that she is the woman I love.
Now that the dust has sort of settled, the response
has been interesting.My
cell phone has blown up like the
Hiroshima, with the few friends I have in the
world calling to congratulate me.I have some jealous ex-girlfriends who are pretty upset with my
move, resulting in the inevitable “who in the hell is this *&^%”?
That response you expect.But it matters not to me, since I always figured that any woman
who passed on the chance to be with me might be passing up on something
special.I have a lot of
love and loyalty in my heart, and one of the things I’ve learned through
life is that it’s not the prettiest or the sexiest woman that is going
to get you through life…it’s the one who is truly in your corner, who
backs you, loves you and supports you.I have seen the selfish, the evil, the manipulative and all that
stuff, and I learn that no matter how beautiful a woman is on the
outside, her insides always define what you see when you wake up in the
morning.When I realized
that this woman was in my corner, that’s when I knew that she was a
notch above the rest…..especially that wretchedly horrible girl who
dumped me in college.Now
THAT was a terrible experience!I guess you have to kiss some toads to get to the princess, and I
have found my princess for life.Ok, I’ll stop.I’m
getting all mushy and geto now. . You can watch the video below to see
some of the behind the scenes stuff for yourself.I am going to ask Wendy’s producers to send me the audio and I’ll
have that put up as well.
By the way – I’ll be on CNN Monday night talking
about OJ…that should be VERY interesting!
Barack and
Jesus Winfrey…I mean Oprah – 9/7/07
Today I did a segment with CNN’s Prime News with
Erica Hill.I like Erica,
she’s a cute lady.She’s
also very nice.I was on
their show last week around this time, and they called me again this
week.This time, the topic
du jour was the surprising alliance between Oprah Winfrey and Barack
Obama.Yes, the two Big Os
have come together, leading to a huge “O – MY-GOD” from Hillary Clinton.
Perhaps black people are finally realizing that we can actually have a
black president and not just someone who eats barbecue and plays the
saxophone to convince us that he is black as well.
The other guest was a Republican Strategist, Leslie
Sanchez.I like doing shows
with CNN, because they are not contentious.Leslie and I are not on the same page, but we did agree on a lot
of issues.Namely, we both
agreed that Oprah
has proven that she can sell books, but she hasn’t proven that she can
sell black people (meaning Obama). At the same
time, her entering this election certainly changes the landscape.It’s clear that she could be president if she wanted to be, but
she is in a more powerful job.
The election should be interesting.
Exhausted, I then came home and watched my beloved
Louisville Cardinals barely defeat mighty
MiddleTennessee
StateUniversity.I get the feeling that they won’t be in the top 10 for very long.Either way, I love em.
The video from the CNN thing is below.Enjoy!
Why I love
Santita Jackson - Wednesday, September 05, 2007
This week was pretty much like all the rest.I have been teaching my new students this semester, who didn’t
take long to figure out that I am an absolute f*cking lunatic.I have a lot of fun in class: running, jumping and falling on the
floor.I don’t take credit
for my insanity, I blame it on the Holy Spirit.Sometimes, the spirit moves me to do whatever is necessary to
bang the information into their young minds, and I work to achieve that
goal by any means necessary. I
like teaching: it’s a fun job and it’s actually quite easy compared to,
say, sweeping the street, or cleaning up landmines in the middle of
Iraq.
I was on FOX News yesterday…well I think it was yesterday
(Neil Cavuto).As much as I might give Fox a hard time, I have to give them
credit.They are the only
network that calls me to talk about stuff other than “black people
crap”.Not that I don’t
enjoy discussing black issues, I have a PHD IN FINANCE! There
is a whole lot more to me than just black stuff, and it can get old to
hear a network say “Well, we don’t want your opinion on the stock market
decline, but we do have a show coming up on ‘why black men cheat on their
spouses’….you’d be great for that.”
On FOX (the video is below this entry) we discussed
Big Government vs. Small Government and why Big Government can possibly
be a good thing.The
Democrats tend to see Government as a fix for a lot of issues, sometimes
more so than the Republicans.But what people don’t understand is that EFFICIENT government
helps EVERYONE.Corporate
Welfare is the most costly kind of welfare around, but every company in America is lining up for their free
cheese and monthly payout. Some
degree of corporate welfare can be beneficial to all of us, assuming the
company is smart in the use of those resources.
Government, if done correctly, is the ultimate personification of the
American family.It can
bring us together, help us and protect us, IF we do it right.The problem is that many of our leaders on Capital Hill have
forgotten who in the hell they work for.
I speak in
New York in a couple of weeks.I also have some other speeches in other cities.My business manager keeps all that together and he leaves me
thoroughly confused.But I
am glad I have him and my assistant, because if they were not here, my pathetic little life
would fall apart into complete chaos. I
think I am due to go to Boston,
New York, Kentucky,
Alabama and a
few other places.I actually
look forward to it.
I am also
petitioning for the disbarment of the prosecutor in the Jena 6 case.I think that if Mike Nifong can be disbarred for what he did to
the Duke Lacrosse players, then this guy should certainly be
investigated. I also think there needs to be a broader investigation of
the justice system in the south and why so many black men are being
imprisoned.That is the
broader and more important question in this entire situation.
I talked today with Santita Jackson, the daughter
of Rev. Jesse Jackson.I
love Santita and I’ve been a guest on her show in
Chicago
10 or 15 times in the past year. I genuinely respect her and her
producer, Stacy, who have really been supportive of me through time.
Talking to those two was probably the highlight of my day, since it’s always good
to be thought of by your friends.
Santita shared with me that there are
misperceptions about her father’s relationship with hip hop.I listened and learned a lot, because some of this was also news
to me.I believe her, since
she and her father have earned my trust.I see her father out in the world fighting for things that need
to be fought for, like getting the guns off the streets.I learn a lot from Santita, who knows a lot more about being in
the limelight than I ever will.She’s a good person to know and actually one of the few people I
make an effort to stay in touch with. Honestly, I tend to be a bit
of a loner, so a lot of my friends get irritated when I don't return
their calls. It's no offense to them, I just find that the best
way to commit to independent thinking is to be a relatively independent
person. I don't like my thoughts to be tainted by all the hype and
expectations placed on you by those around you. That can be
constraining.
Ok, I’m going to bed.
I’m tired.
Where are the Rest of the Marburys? - August
27, 2007
I was on Hot 97 in
New York with Stephon Marbury recently.When you appear on a show with an athlete or rapper, you never
know what to expect.You
might get sharp-dressed and professional, or you might get thugged out
and gangsterific.
I sat in the “green room” (which is almost never green) waiting for the
show to start.Suddenly, I
saw a sharply dressed brother about Marbury’s height, walking through
the door with two other sharp dressed men with him.It was night time, so it wasn’t as if he was going anywhere after
the interview.Perhaps he’d
gone some place before, but either way, I was impressed.
“Hi, my name is Stephon,” the man said to me. “Nice
to meet you.”
I was impressed.No chains, tattoos were covered up and nobody smelled like weed.With the image that the media gives of professional athletes,
this is usually what others make you think you should expect.
I enjoyed doing the show with Marbury.He was fun to talk to during the breaks and came across as a
brother with a lot of sense.
He gave a lot of credit to God for his success and opportunity and was
deeply committed to helping the black community.THAT was a black man I saw that night, one who achieves the
greatest on the court, but goes much further than that when he steps off
of it.
We were discussing Michael Vick and dog fighting.There was a woman there named Roxanne Jones, who is a VP with
ESPN.I think she was one of
the founding editors of their magazine.She was nice to talk with and mentioned the idea of me helping
with one of their documentaries on black athletes.I told her I would love to do it.
There was also a psychologist from ColumbiaUniversity.I don’t remember his name, but I know he caused a stir when he
connected Vick’s behavior to slavery.I thought “Wow, this is interesting”.Apparently, he felt that the violence shown toward slaves:
breeding them, beating them and making them fight was similar to what
Vick was doing with the dogs.
I wasn’t off board with what the psychologist was
saying, since slavery has a huge impact on modern-day society.At the same time,I
didn’t want his comments to be misinterpreted as saying that dog
fighting is a black thing or a hip hop thing.That’s not true at all
After the show was over, I had a chance to talk
with the host, Lisa Evers.
She’s a nice lady and it wasn’t until recently I found out that she’s a
living legend in NYC.In
fact, just as many people tell me that they know of her as when I ask
about Wendy Williams. I like both
of them, but I honestly feel that Lisa was a bit more approachable.I have talked to Wendy a lot on the air, but very little off the
air.But both of them have
been very kind and respectful toward me, which I appreciate.
One thing about NYC and being an outsider is that
when I go onto various shows, I never assume ANYTHING.
I rarely talk much about one
person in front of the other.If I meet one rapper or show host, I never talk much about the
others.There are so many
rivalries in NYC that I don’t even want to get in the middle of all that
and end up choosing sides. For example, I unknowingly expressed my
respect for P.Diddy and Jay-Z on Wendy’s show, only to find out later
that she spends most of her time kicking rappers in the ass.
Lisa stood outside of the building telling me for a
while about 50 Cent.She
shared something that a lot of people know, but that I’ve long
suspected.THE BOY IS
INTELLIGENT.I knew he was
smart when I saw the details of his Vitamin Water deal and how he
merchandised out his products so well.Right after his first hit album, he was starring in a film (a
very good one by the way), selling shoes, novels, action figures, video
games, you name it.I was
impressed.Lisa even told me
that Fiddy wants to be president one day.Honestly, when you survive being shot 9 times, you can probably
accomplish anything.God
bless him.
It’s 4 am as I write this and I know I am going to
be exhausted for my 8 am class.On top of that, I am supposed to do something on CNN tomorrow
night.The hard part about
this stuff is that you have to do pre-interviews, and this one is likely
to interrupt my afternoon catch-up nap.I asked Marbury if he was going to be on CNN with me, since they
invited him, but he declined.Either way, I told him that I was proud of him for supporting
another black man’s right to freedom, and I asked why other athletes
aren’t willing to do the same.He, like I, was not saying that Vick is a good guy, nor is he
innocent.We were simply
saying that he’s a human being, not a monster or someone who deserves to
die.He’s a young man and
deserves a chance to make up for his mistake after he pays his debt to
society.
Stephon Marbury in the House! Hot 97, CNN
– Reuniting with FOX News
Ok, this has been an interesting week.But I have a lot of interesting weeks, so I will stop
complaining.When I get old,
I’ll be able to show volumes of hate mail to my grand kids and say “See
little Boyceee the Third, this is how much they wanted to kill your
grand daddy!”I swear,
since I took my position on Michael Vick, the haterologists have
been coming out of the closet.I DO NOT think that Michael Vick is innocent and I do feel that
he should go to jail.But I
think it is also important to remember that he’s 27 years old and if
George Bush can be allowed to be forgiven for his youthful
indiscretions, then so should Michael Vick.End of day, end of story.
I’ll be on Hot 97 today with Stephon talking about
Michael Vick.It is my
greatest hope that Marbury will be strong and not let anyone scare him
into backing off his statement.I was like “Come on man!This is your homeboy!
Back him up!” I respect Marbury
for stepping forward, for many of our black male athletes are so
socially castrated that they are afraid to say damn near anything.Black men need to support one another, no matter what the
repercussion.In this case,
we are simply saying that the punishment must fit the crime.He should not pay for the rest of his life over this incident.
It also bothers me that we get more upset as a
nation over dogs being killed than we do over 100,000 people dying in
Darfur. I find that
incredibly irritating.We
have to reassess our priorities as a nation.This is insane.
I did a segment the other day on Fox News.The show is called “Your World with Neil Cavuto”.I was debating whether the GOP would benefit from a terrorist
attack.The other guy in the
debate was Ben Ferguson, a conservative with big ears, as well as big
talent.I can’t talk about
his ears, with my head being big enough to have its own gravitational
field.But I digress.
I am about to get in the car to head to the city
for the thing with Marbury.
I think that one of the main editors for ESPN – The Magazine is going to
be there.It should be a lot
of fun.After that, I get to
arrive back home at 2:30 in the morning and dread over how I am
going to be ready to teach an 8 am class.Such is life, I’m not complaining.
Why I like Erica Hill – August 24, 2007
I love the morning and afternoon shows on CNN.My favorite is Robin & Company, the show that comes on in the
morning.I also must confess
that Robin is actually kinda pretty.Another host I like is Erica Hill, whom I watch when I have the
chance.I was invited on her
show yesterday to talk about the Michael Vick thing (video is below the
entry).It was nice, just
she and I, one on one.I was
looking forward to it, and I figured that I would have more time to
speak my piece than I’d had earlier that morning on The Today Show.Today interviewed me for 30 minutes and then took 8 seconds of
footage out of that.Seems
like a bit of a waste, since I can give you 8 seconds of major footage
in about 8 seconds.But then
again, Deion Sanders and Stephon Marbury also had about 8 seconds in the
same segment, so I didn’t feel so bad.
I am going to be on Your World with Neil Cavuto
today, a show that I’ve never been on before.I look forward to it.
But I have to admit that Fox News makes me nervous.At the same time, Cavuto seems more laid back than some of the
other hosts on FOX, so I don’t worry so much about him.I also am doing some things on the O’Reilly Radio Factor and
Wisconsin Public Radio.
I consider this a good day for two reasons.One the guest host for O’Reilly Radio is a guy name Dom Giordano,
a host in Philly that I’ve worked with several times.Dom and I agree about as much as hot sauce and ice water, but I
love the guy.He’s a damn
good host and a good human being, along with Lars Larson, another
conservative I’ve spoken with several times.Secondly, I love Wisconsin Public Radio because it’s the chance
for us to just talk about whatever’s going on in the world.It’s a great show and the host, Ben Merens is super cool.
What else is new?Not much.I better
run now and get dressed.
They don’t want you wearing baggy jeans to the interview.In fact, they are banned in
Atlanta.
The Today Show and Michael Vick - 8/23/07
I had a toothache today.A bad one.If my
dentist were standing next to Beyonce in a bikini, she would just have
to get dissed.I was lying
down, about to try to take a nap to sooth the throbbing in my face, and
I got a phone call.It was
my secretary at SyracuseUniversity.Her name is Mary Jo, and she’s a serious life saver.She saves me from myself when I do stupid things, and that’s why
I love her.
She was calling to tell me that I was
being stalked.By whom you
ask?It was The Today Show.I guess that’s better than being stalked by that crazy
ex-girlfriend I had in college, she was a pain in the ass.OK, I should stop.As
my friend would say “TMI Boyce, TMI”.
Apparently, the producers from The Today Show
really go after who they want.The woman had called my office phone, my secretary’s phone, my
home phone, my cell phone, my business manager’s phone and sent me an
email to 2 separate addresses.I was impressed.This
producer should get a promotion.
So, I crawled out of bed, not really
looking forward to doing anything that involved movement, to return the
call from the producer at The Today Show.I’d never been on their show, and I wasn’t sure what to expect.
The producer seemed nice enough and she
briefed me well enough.
Normally, there are pre-interviews and stuff, since a lot of networks
want to know what you have to say before you say it.But thankfully, Today just goes for it.I was glad, because my teeth were really hurting and I didn’t
feel like doing much of anything.
Apparently, the person requesting the
interview was Kevin Corke, a White House correspondent.I liked the guy, honestly.I don’t always like people I interview with, but there was a
coolness he possessed that made me feel ok talking to him.I didn’t know he was a brother, since I didn’t look up his name.But once I did, I recognized him as a vet in the game.Much respect. Actually, he
also worked for ESPN at one point and knows Stephen A. Smith, a guy who
hosts a show I was on a few times last year.
I did the interview at a local NBC
affiliate, which was interesting.In fact, all these satellite things are interesting, since you
are in a room full of news anchors, listening to your every word.They all stopped typing as I was talking to Kevin, but I didn’t
really notice until I was done.
When they linked me to the interviewer,
I was actually connected to The White House.Given my book “What if George Bush were a Black Man?”, this
actually made me kind of nervous.I am sure that President Bush and Condi aren’t too thrilled with
me running my mouth the way I do, but I have to speak the truth.
My positions on Vick (stated below)
were pretty clear cut and to the point:basically, this notion that hip hop is the cause of dog fighting
is incredibly stupid.The
idea that he should be banned from playing football for life is
ridiculous.The idea that
none of his hatred has anything to do with race is also incredibly
stupid.I basically told
Kevin that if you want to look for monsters, start with the hundreds of
thousands of hunters we have in
America.You might make a bigger stride against animal cruelty if you bark
up that tree instead.
I may end up flying to
New York
or Washington
to do follow-up stuff, I am not sure. Right now, my greatest concern is
getting ready for my great students this fall.I love teaching and when I leave
Syracuse, I am going to miss the kids here.A friend of mine asked me if
Syracuse
has made any efforts to keep me here.I explained “I am sure that they are counting the seconds till
they don’t have to deal with my ass anymore!”That makes me somewhat sad, since I personally feel that the
university may have missed out on some opportunities.But march on, I shall.Life is too short to look backward.
The Today Show.....Uh, Actually Tomorrow,
August 22, 2007
I’ve been asked by some to clarify my position on
Michael Vick.The Today Show
interview may or may not get it right tomorrow, but I thought I would
let my friends have the 411.
Ok, I’ll be the first to say it.Michael Vick is NOT a monster.He’s not a menace to society.He’s not a scumbag or barbarian.He’s a young man who made a terrible mistake.There, I said it. Now
crucify me, I can take it.
If you are looking for monsters, start
with the hundreds of thousands of Americans who go hunting every year.Look for their spouses who stand to the side watching their mates
shoot down innocent animals and stuff them for the mantle.
My position on Michael Vick is laced with a
poisonous and highly unpopular ingredient called COMMON SENSE.It means that my goal is not to jump on the band wagon and behave
like an animal when I see that someone may have hurt an animal.It means that you PROTECT animals by enforcing the law, and you
enforce the law in a FAIR manner.You then allow the man to serve his sentence and reintegrate
himself into the society to which he has contributed.
Yes, Michael Vick HAS contributed
to our society. No one is 100%
good or bad, and this man has done some good things for his friends and
family.
Imagine if your son were arrested for
murder.He would be a
criminal and he should be punished, but you would not evaluate him
without seeing the good that lies within him.You would also consider the notion that he might actually be
SORRY for his mistake and worthy of rehabilitation.
You would realize that he is
young and there is still a chance that he can continue to make a
positive contribution to your household after the price was paid.
This is the way fair-minded Americans
perceive Michael Vick.They
see him as a young man who got caught up doing something he should not
have done.Virginia Tech
should see him as a man who has made ENORMOUS contributions to their
university and athletic program (he put that program on the map).The idea that Virginia Tech, as well as the Atlanta Falcons are
so quick to abandon Vick says something about their character.
Do I believe Vick is innocent?
ABSOLUTELY NOT.But should
he pay for the rest of his life for dog fighting?No, he should not.
Why not talk to Karl Rove, who is leaving his position without a care in
the world after killing thousands of Americans in
Iraq
and endangering the life of a woman in the CIA?To learn of animal cruelty, let’s visit Dick Cheney, who was not
only hunting with full intent to kill animals, but shot someone in the
face while he was doing it. He
didn’t shoot a dog, he shot a PERSON.
Some wonder why leaders spend any time
at all supporting Vick.
Well, I can’t say that all of us are, since Rev. Al Sharpton and Russell
Simmons went out of their way to condemn him.
I did not agree with their
position.The fact is that
while Vick might be a big star, he is also a big TARGET.Bigger targets need bigger shields, so there is nothing wrong
with protecting this young man’s right to justice.
I don’t care if he’s rich or
poor, educated or not, he’s still a black man where the punishment does
not always fit the crime. Remember:
we live in America:One of the greatest countries in the world, but one with a lot of
unresolved issues, particularly as it pertains to race.
Dr.
Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at
SyracuseUniversity and author of
“What if George Bush were a Black Man?” He is a regular social
commentator in outlets such as CNN, FOX, ESPN and BET.He is represented by Great Black Speakers, LLC.For more information, please visit
www.YourBlackWorld.com or
www.BoyceWatkins.com.
Wednesday, August 17, 2007
I
just got off the phone with someone from Real Sports on HBO.They wanted to know about
the column I wrote about a chubby sports writer out west
named Jason Whitlock.We had an interesting conversation, as I was impressed
with the producer’s desire to truly understand the divide within
the black community over issues like hip hop, the Michael Vick
situation, etc.We
talked for over an hour, as I had the chance to explain a few
things to him:
1)Most of the divide is cultural, rather
than racial.People
think that African-Americans are going to come to some uniform
decision on what it means to be black.That’s not going to happen.That’s as ridiculous as all whites agreeing on what it
means to be white.
2)I love the fact that Bryant Gumbel, who
is criticized for speaking proper English and appearing to be
white, has helped redefine additional options regarding what it
means to be a black man.He has served notice to those who feel that speaking
proper English makes you less black.But he has also served notice to the educated folks who
feel that a black man must socially castrate himself in order to
get ahead in corporate
America.I consider Bryant a strong black man, and he continues to
prove that with every show.
3)There is a difference between being an
African-American with an alternative viewpoint, as opposed to
being a comical Krusty-the-clown kind of guy who simply swings
his verbal bat at everything around him.Whitlock has attacked a fellow ESPN writer, Scoop
Jackson, for being too urbanized in his writing.Rather than recognizing that there are many ways to
present intelligence, he contributes to white supremacy by
attacking other African-Americans for not engaging in an
adequate amount of cultural assimilation.The same was true when he attacked Etan Thomas, a very
intelligent and conscientious athlete in the NBA.Being so reckless in your critiques of others makes you
look kind of silly.
4)The debates which occur in the black
community end up being distorted when being projected through a
lense of whiteness.
White media doesn’t care about the black community, and it’s not
always in their interest to present a positive or favorable
image of black people.Your ratings are usually going to be higher when you
present the scary black man vs. the one who takes care of his
kids.This is the
bias that leads to the media’s portrayal of Michael Vick and how
it is much different than it would be if it were Brett Favre.
What's
Going on with Dr. Boyce - August 14, 2007
Hey Everybody!
The past few weeks have been somewhat busy,
since I am getting ready for the school year.I am also preparing to see where I want to teach next
year.So, this is
an exciting time.
-I was on NPR, CNN, The Tom Joyner
Morning Show, American Urban Radio Networks and a few other
places recently.If
you want to see any of that stuff, please visit
www.youtube.com/blueboymedia.You can also go to
www.YourBlackWorld.com.I’ll be on NPR again this week giving financial advice,
at least that’s what my publicist is telling me.Check my site for updates.
-FIERCE Magazine (our women’s online
magazine) had a record-setting month!Last week, we had over 16,000 visitors and we’re clicking
somewhere between 50,000 and 70,000 page views per week now.I am proud of the team of talented writers, since they
are really hustling their butts off.
The site is
www.FIERCE411.com if you
want to take a look.The results of a FIERCE poll about Usher are in the
article below.The
results are interesting, since it seems that
Usher’s recent drama caused him to lose a lot of fans.
-I recently talked to the folks at The
Wendy Williams Experience again in NYC.I was on Wendy’s show 3 times during the past year.I expect to be back soon, as we have discussed some of
our recent
controversy about Usher’s marriage (below) on FIERCE411.com.
Also, there is the
little issue about 50 Cent vs. Kanye West in a debate that I
want to chime in on.Both of these guys are intelligent, but I am not sure who
would win a debate.
I can say that I am not a fan on the assault on hip hop that is
taking place by some black leaders.It seems that everyone wants to believe that all of hip
hop is bad.As much
as I love and respect Al Sharpton, I made it clear to him that I
disagree with his attacking rap artists and Michael Vick to
appease those who critiqued him during the Don Imus situation.I was on the radio with Rev. Jackson and Rev. Sharpton
during the Imus controversy, and I honestly felt that there was
a serious generation gap between the 3 of us.Where they see little or no value in modern hip hop, I
honestly think the problem is far more complicated than they
make it out to be.
-If you like to write or know someone who
does, I am always interested in hearing more black perspectives
for FIERCE Magazine or YourBlackWorld.com.The students who run the sites are out of The Newhouse
School of Communications, which is one of the top 3 journalism
schools in the world. I am quite proud of them.
-My book “Everything You Ever Wanted to
Know about College” is leading me to get a lot of emails from
college students around the country.I love helping kids, and in case you don’t know, EVERY
BLACK KID IN AMERICA IS COLLEGE MATERIAL!Don’t forget that. I
cut and paste one of the rhymes I read to the kids when I speak
on campuses to help them understand the importance of making
good grades. Getting
INTO college is NOT enough.Our kids must EXCEL in college once they get there.
-I’ll be discussing my book
“Financial
Lovemaking 101” this month at the Corporate Counsel Women of
Color Conference in New York City.I am sure the lawyers will give me a bunch of really
tough questions, I look forward to it.
FIERCE411 Poll:
Usher’s Relationship Woes May Have Hurt His Image
Syracuse,
NY.
– In a recent poll taken by the popular women’s website
FIERCE411.com, 78% of the respondents claim that the entertainer
Usher’s recent wedding drama hurt his image.Usher’s relationship overcame a series of ups and downs
as the 28 year old singer prepared to wed 37 year old Tameka
Foster.Rumors
circulated that the marriage was cancelled and that Foster had
faked a pregnancy in order to get the singer to return her
calls.To the
surprise of Usher’s audience, the two were married on the
weekend of August 7th.Additional controversy came from rumors that Usher fired
his mother at the urging of Foster.
Prior to the
wedding, Usher was reported to have called several prominent
radio show hosts to ask them to stop making jokes about his
fiancé.Prominent
host Tom Joyner claimed that Usher threatened to “whoop my a…”
in response to his jokes.Wendy Williams of WBLS and Angela Martinez of Hot 97 were
also reported to have received calls from the singer.
“Usher’s drama
was likely a publicity stunt to get attention for his upcoming
album,” says Stacey Gentles, Editor-in-Chief of FIERCE411.com.
“But you don’t need to declare holy matrimony in order to
promote your album.”
When asked if
Usher should have married Tameka Foster, 67% of the respondents
either said “Probably not” or “Definitely not”.Additionally, 2/3 of the respondents consider themselves
to be Usher fans, though most are not happy with his recent
actions.
“The FIERCE411
poll reveals that Usher may have become the Tom Cruise of the
black community”, says Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University
Professor and author of “What if George Bush were a Black Man?”“Usher doesn’t want to go to war with gossip columnists
and the media, because that can get ugly real fast.”
Education is your vehicle, it’s kinda like
your first car
Here are tips from the top on how to live
like a star
You think school’s not important and you
let your grades slide?
Well, buckle up my negro, cause I’m pimpin
your ride
Some think school is important, some think
that it’s not
But it’s Ludicrous to think you’ll get that
number one spot
Without that paper in your pocket, you’re
getting no love
That top position that your fishin….it
ain’t hiring scrubs
Do you want to fly like an eagle or live
your life with a limp?
Pimpin ain’t too easy, but it sucks getting
pimped
Some people think good grades come to those
who are smart
But you can’t be a great heart surgeon if
you ain’t go no heart
If you got good grades already, then the
burden’s no lighter
Your GPA is slammin, but it can always be
tighter
And when you hit that first obstacle and
you’ve just been beat down
Are you gonna get up like a fighter or lie
down like a clown?
College is the place to make your dreams
come true
But making silly choices can create
nightmares for you
So, let me pimp your ride and I’mma start
with the rims
24 inch spinners, the paint job matching
your tims
Number 1: study for 6 hours a day
If you are consistent and persistent then
your hard work will pay
Pulling all nighters might make sense when
your doing it see
But that F up on your test is what you’re
getting from me
Number 2: don’t allow yourself to skip any
class
Days off never pay off when you’re trying
to pass
But passing all your classes is not your
first role
Be a baller and a scholar, straight As are
your goal
Number 3: Don’t feel you have to drink till
your drunk
Cause cupid makes you stupid when the
party’s too crunk
We have rapists and drunk drivers when the
liquor gets full
And lifetime alcoholics when they get out
of school
Number 4: don’t forget this part of the
rhyme
NEVER drop out of college for any reason,
any time!
People leave school for a second, to get
out of that cage
Then their 35 with 3 kids making minimum
wage
Number 5: make sure you learn to manage
your time
Your time is like your money, you should
count every dime
Procrastination is a gamble, don’t rely on
your luck
Or you’ll crap out and be busted, with a
report card that sucks
Number 6: Getting a college degree is real
cool
But to make the monster money, go to
graduate school
I promise that if you’re willing to go that
last mile
The bling on your check will match the
bling in your smile
Number 7: make sure you know your major by
heart
Know every class you’re taking from the end
to the start
Know all the classes that you need to get
the degree in your hand
Don’t be sitting at the end, saying “I
didn’t know man!”
number 8: baby mamas are created by sex
And child support be like pacman when it
eats up your check
If you call yourself a player and eager to
please
The campus is a GREAT place to catch a
nasty disease!
Life is kinda serious, and it ain’t playin
no games
You have to come out dunkin like your names
Lebron James
Cause if you don’t hustle like Muhammad to
get that last inch
You’ll find yourself defeated at the end of
the bench
Yes this ride is costly, cause pimpin ain’t
free
But your whip will be the tightest if you
listen to me
Whether you want a life of freedom or just
want some cash
Or if you want a chromed out Bently with
DVDs in the dash
Education lets you travel down the highway
of life
It creates freedom for your kids or your
husband or wife
You’ll drive this ride forever, until you
are dead
So get on it if you want, cause its built
in your head
Dr.
Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at
SyracuseUniversity and author of
“Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about College”.He makes regular appearances in national media, including
CNN, FOX, ESPN, and Essence Magazine.For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.com.
Screaming on the Radio - Saturday, August 11, 2007
I was on the radio this morning
with Wilmer Leon, a good friend of mine and host of “On with
Leon”,
a show on XM Satellite.Wilmer is a smart brother, very thoughtful and careful.I know that when I am on his show, he is going to be
prepared.That’s not
always the case with every show I’m on, where the producer might
call you 20 minutes after the alleged start time, the segment
doesn’t cover the topics you expect, or the show is not as long
or as short as they promised.Then, there are the shows where you are sitting there
listening to someone else for 40 minutes, only getting a word in
edgewise.I think
that the shows I like the least are the ones that try to have a
complete panel over the phone.The phone is not the best place to have a panel, since
you can’t see visual cues to know who is going to cut in.It is also frustrating if the host or another guest
overshadows the members of the panel and enjoys hearing himself
talk.Ok, now that
I’ve got my frustrations out, the bottom line is that Wilmer’s
show is great.
We were talking about the Barry
Bonds situation.I
got really heated with one of the callers, something I almost
never do.I am like
a pit bull when attacked.I don’t start fights, but I can definitely finish them.He really went off on me for something I said, and rather
than turning the other cheek (as I normally do), I blasted him
like Hiroshima.It was actually fun to yell and scream on a Saturday
morning.Shows like
that are the best.
The callers were then blowing up the phone after that, so it was
a great show.
Yesterday, I was on with Jesse
Jackson’s daughter, Santita.I love her to death and I have a tremendous amount of
respect for her.I
also love WVON, which is my favorite black station in America.Unlike the rest of radio, they really connect with the
people.
What else is new?Not much.I
spent a lot of time on the computer the past few days, learning
this language and that one.I enjoy being a techy when I am not bogged down with
other stuff. The semester is starting soon, and I know that the
students are going to eat up 40% of my time.But I love them to death, so I look forward to it.
Tonight I might go to the
drive-in again.I
love going to the movies, especially the drive-in.There’s nothing like sitting under the stars with a big
bowl of popcorn, a bag of twizzlers, a milkshake and enjoying
your favorite movie.
The simple things in life make me excited, and that’s the way I
want it to be forever. All
this other stuff that people chase: money, power, prestige,
really mean nothing if you aren’t happy on the inside.I learned about 8 years ago that there is tremendous joy
in spending time with yourself, in the event that you choose to
find that joy.I
also find peace and wisdom by sitting alone and thinking.In fact, I don’t even like being bothered by anyone most
of the time.That
helps me keep all the hoopla in perspective.
But after I’ve spent some time
alone, I then go out and get to whoopin ass.
NPR and Being a Black Man -
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Yesterday,
I was on News & Notes, the only black show on NPR, as far as
I know.The host,
Farai Chideya, has been a love interest of mine since about
1997.Don’t tell my
woman I said that and please don’t tell Farai.
They were going to interview me
about the Vick case, which everyone wants to talk about these
days.I enjoy
weighing in on these debates, even though the amount of weight I
have is subject to question.Sometimes people respond to what I say, sometimes they
don’t.I still
remember Condoleeza Rice’s reaction to my comments about her on
Hannity & Colmes after Hurricane Katrina.I was pretty pissed off back then. I tend to get that way
when black people are dying. I do have reason to believe that
the Al Sharpton and Russell Simmons’ camps are not so
enthusiastic about
my comments about their decision to join PETA and screw Michael
Vick.But the
truth is that I could care less about what anyone thinks, as
long as I am telling the truth.
I had a good time talking to
Farai and I enjoyed the fact that she is a strong interviewer
who actually allows her guests to finish the answers to their
questions.I admit
that as much as I love Joe Madison at XM Satellite, his approach
made me feel rushed on my answers, even though I am pretty
efficient when interviewing.I mean shit, I’ve done
hundreds of interviews in the past year alone, so I hope
that means I’ve gotten some good practice.
It’s typically easier to
do interviews on shows where the host either agrees with you or
is objective.Farai
and Paula Zahn at CNN are objective.Fox News makes you want to get to whoopin ass.Not that I mind, for I thoroughly love beating down the
idiots at Fox News.
I mean seriously, they all learned their logic from Rush
Limbaugh, a high school graduate and recovering drug addict.He’s the Flava Flav of the conservative community.I can’t imagine learning to debate from Flava Flav.
But anyway, back to Farai’s
show.She is a good
host, and the show is fun.I actually learned something when listening to the show,
even over the phone.
I was irritated by a black Republican who was on the show right
before me.Not
because he is a Republican, but because he was a STOOOOOPID
Republican (yes, I misspelled the word “stupid”.I do that when the person is especially goofy).
I was also not surprised when
NPR moved News & Notes to 8 pm in many markets instead of its
original 9 am slot.
I would not expect a lilly white network of any sort, even NPR,
to have a black show during morning drive time.That would be too much for its audience to handle.I recall the local NPR Program Director explaining to me
that I should not be “too black” when addressing their audience.I also do regular monthly segments with Wisconsin Public
Radio, where I see similar resistance from the audience.I love the listeners there, but I sometimes feel like I
am carefully walking on a stack of blankets covering newborn
babies.
What’s most interesting to me
is that many liberal whites feel that they “get it”.But they too have been infected with the disease of
racism, and it is those who feel they are not infected that can
sometimes cause the most damage.I deal with it all the time here at SyracuseUniversity, where the racism I’ve dealt
with on central campus has been unbelievable.I grind on and don’t worry about such things, since my
mother made it clear when I was a child that the world will
never love you for being a strong black man.Perhaps if I simply played the game, and quietly accepted
all the injustice around me, they would like me more.But I’ll be damned if you can say that you promote
diversity when you have many academic departments who have never
tenured an African-American in over 100 years of existence.THAT IS NOT DIVERSITY AND THAT IS NOT FAIRNESS.I will say that to my grave.
But I digress.Farai was great.My girlfriend kept correcting me for mispronouncing her
name.She told me
that I would never get anywhere with my love interest if I can’t
say her name correctly.OK, let me stop before I say something stupid…..too late.
Why I am not Backing Down on the Michael Vick
situation
August 3, 2007
I was on a show today called the Lars
Larson Show.It’s in
about 200 cities, but I honestly don’t know anyone who listens
to it.However, I
think a lot of people do, just people who are not like me.The host, Lars Larson (of course) is a cool dude whom
I’ve developed a great relationship with over time.We can’t stand one another’s opinions, but game respects
game, and I like his style. He
was recently invited to The White House with some other talk
show hosts, presumably conservative.I guess The White House knows where its bread is
buttered, especially when it comes to FOX News.
Tonight, we were talking about Michael Vick
and dog fighting (again).For some reason, he and others think that by defending
Vick, I am defending a bad person.I argue to the contrary.I am not sure if Mike is a bad person, because I don’t
know him very well.
I am defending Vick because I am defending AMERICA and the right of ALL
AMERICANS to have a damn fair trial before being convicted.
This notion of wanting to drag a man in the
streets, take away his livelihood and ruin his life even before
he has a trial is downright scary.It’s McCarthyist, and shows that many Americans have a
hard time embracing American principles.
It is also reflective of
a time in the not-so-distant past, where a black man in the
South caught holy hell for any accusations that were offensive
to white America.That’s what I see in the Michael Vick Dogfighting case,
and it makes me quite sick.
I also talked to a great producer with the
NPR Show “News and Notes”.I was invited to the show on Monday, and this will be my
first appearance.It’s
funny how you can be on every white show in America, but unless
you are on Tom Joyner, Tavis Smiley, Michael Baisden, Doug Banks
or Wendy Williams, many black people still don’t know who in the
hell you are.I got
more calls from friends after being on Wendy and Tom’s Show than
I got from FOX, CNN, ESPN,
CBS, USA Today and combined.“News and Notes” is that way for educated black folks,
since every middle class black person I know either listens to
the show or knows of it.I look forward to it, and I also look forward to meeting
the host Farai Chideya, the beautiful woman whose name I always
misspell.Even my
business manager put her name in my calendar as “Rod Chiday”,
which I thought was hilarious. No
offense Farai if you are reading this.I am sure you’ve become used to having your name
misspelled by now, but I’ll try not to contribute to the damage.
Since the CNN thing the other day, I’ve
gotten some emails from random folks.I was surprised at how many people caught Kevin Powell’s
comment about me being in the academy and not the projects.After thinking about it since then, I realized that he
didn’t mean any harm, and I still have much respect for the
brother.
There’s not much else going on in my life
except for the usual busy stuff.People are starting to call in about speaking and such,
but that’s kinda normal these days.I am also going to go to the drive-in this weekend.I love the drive-in, since it reminds me of the days when
my parents would take me with them in my pajamas.I kid you not, they took me to see The Exorcist when I
was 5 years old!But
then again, my mother was only 22 at the time, so she was a baby
herself.I have a
lot of respect for my parents, they gave me a lot.
In fact, my mother is the
only person that I can say has been with me for my entire life’s
journey.Part of me,
in my heart, feels like we are going to be together forever.
Family is ahead of all
else, I’ll always believe that.
More Michael Vick, more CNN, more
haterology– July 30, 2007
I went on CNN again today, I
guess that makes two trips in the past 3 days.It was interesting.I was on there with a guy named Kevin Powell.I’ve never met Kevin, but it’s one of those “Friend of a
friend” kinds of things.I know people well who know him well, and I’ve always
respected him from afar.The only thing I knew about him was I think he was on the
Real World or something, but I am not sure.
The
conversation (which you can see by clicking here) was
interesting.I find
it odd when I am debating with someone on the same side as me.But then again, maybe we weren’t on the same side, as he
seemed quick to draw a line in the sand.He seemed to argue that personal responsibility is the
simplest answer to the actions of black male athletes.I have always been a complete advocate of personal
responsibility, but I feel that this personal responsibility
should be shared by all of us as we are responsible enough to
confront the system that tends to deliver injustice to some more
than others.
What was also interesting was
that he mentioned that I am an academic and that this somehow
reduces my ability to talk about what happens in the real world.I am not sure if having my best friend shot in the head,
being born in the projects and having a father in prison
qualifies me to have the “regular black male experience.”Whatpeople
should always remember is that professors have to go home too.My community is just as devastated as his.But at the end of the day, I respect Kevin Powell, as I
respect any black man out in the community working to make
things better.I am
not in favor of doom and gloom scenarios of the black community,
but I do understand that there are areas where we can do much
better.
One thing I respect about
Powell is that he ran for Congress.That is something I would never do, since politics is a
dirty profession, driven by greed, money and self-interest.You rarely arrive to office without being bought and paid
for, and if you aren’t willing to be bought, then you won’t get
elected.My goal is
to strengthen the black community without trying to apologize,
get financial support or broaden my base of votes.I pay my own bills, fund my own business and say what is
in my heart without owing anything to anyone.That’s what makes it easy for me to always be honest.
At some point I will email
Kevin Powell.But I
won’t email all the nasty people who’ve been sending me hate
mail lately.There
are honestly days when I wish I hadn’t said anything.But the problem is that if I keep my mouth shut, that
asshole in my mirror won’t let me go to sleep.
But speaking of sleep,
it’s time for me to get some right now.
Another Day at CNN – 7/27/07
Today, I was on CNN with Paula Zahn.
I think she must like
black dudes, since there are a lot of us on her show.She’s a cool lady and the prettiest 50 year old I’ve ever
seen.We were
talking about Michael Vick and the dog fighting thing.I really feel bad for the guy, since he could be making
some major mistakes.
Even if he wasn’t into dog fighting, if there were people on his
property doing it, he should have known.
I mean come on, it’s not
like you can’t go to the house that you own and smell the dog
sh*t all over the yard.
I would imagine that he might have known something.
I remember when his brother Marcus was
getting into a lot of trouble in the past.I thought that it was just him, not the older brother
too.I think that
getting that kind of money and fame at such a young age can
cause a brother to just lose his damn mind.
My points on the show were pretty simple:PETA needs to back off and let justice take its course.I also took exception with Al Sharpton and Russell
Simmons condemning Vick in public.I love Al on a certain level, but I can’t imagine PETA
having teamed up with him and Russell if they were not black.I guess they all figured that if a black man condemned
him, they would not be accused of being racist.Actually, it was the fact that they were chosen as black
men to condemn the black man that serves as a clear indication
of their racism.
I was also on the Tom Joyner Morning Show
this week.That was
fun, as we were discussing Barry Bonds.I always wonder why in the hell a black man is usually
the most hated athlete in America.
That’s not a coincidence.
You can talk about OJ,
TO, Bonds, Latrell Sprewell, Vick, Artest, and others, and you
always end up with a black athlete being public enemy number
one.That’s
interesting.
Sometimes, life would be easier
if I could say things that would make people like me instead of
always having a need to speak the truth.I call it like I see it, so when someone says that they
are a fan of mine, I just say to myself “Oh, just wait.I am going to piss you off too at some point.”
I don’t care about saying
what people want to hear.I say what lies in my heart.Honesty gets me into a lot of trouble.
A BusinessSchool
Professor’s Advice to Michael Vick:Handle your Business
By Dr. Boyce Watkins
I was on the radio talking about Michael Vick
yesterday.But then
again, I am on the radio talking about some social issue with
black athletes every other day.I find the black athlete experience fascinating, as these
men become walking corporate brands, consistently exposed to
factors that corporations are completely incapable of
understanding.They
can’t tell the difference between a Warren Sapp vs. a Lawrence
Phillips, or a Gary Sheffield vs. a Doc Gooden.Such inability to understand the experience of the black
male in America causes
them to lose billions as they consistently guess wrong and miss
out on valuable opportunities.
There is also a level of
complex analysis that must be done by the athlete/corporate
brand himself to figure out how to manage living in two separate
worlds.
Most “brothers” understand what
I am saying.You
have the friend you can’t get in the car with because you don’t
know what’s in the trunk or whether a bullet is going to be
flying through the windshield that day.You have that relative who borrows a little too much
money and stays at your house long after his welcome is over.You might have “messed with” that girl with the crazy
ex-boyfriend who just got out of jail, pissed off because you
are satisfying his woman better than he could.
OK, I should stop putting
my business out in the street, but you get the point.
You’re tempted to deal with the
mess, out of loyalty. The
urge to “keep it real” is very real, as we have been bombarded
with corporate types telling us to completely abandon our
friends and communities.“Never!”, you say to yourself each morning, as you blast
Jay-Z in your stereo on the way to work.No self-respecting black man wants to be a castrated
corporate monkey.
Michael Vick, however, may need
a moment of clarity.
When you are a franchise player, earning far more money than
anyone is worth, there’s a time when you have to realize that
you’re not in college anymore,you’re not a kid, and you’re damn sure not in the hood.You can’t wear a white suit and still swim in mud
puddles.Stray
bullets, ex-baby daddies, or jealous haterologists can put you
in situations you should probably avoid.It doesn’t mean you lose touch, you just create a
different touch, one that is more consistent with the realities
of your situation.
So, as an “OG” (I am now 36
years old, which makes me a senior citizen in football terms),
my advice to Vick is “Handle your business”.As a walking icon for the Falcons, you are a franchise
player and a multi million dollar brand.Don’t get “caught up” with people doing things they
shouldn’t be doing. This
dog fighting scandal can cause you to lose everything you’ve
worked for in all those hot two-a-day practices.It can nullify every great run, leap, pass and touchdown.It can make your mama cry at the end of the day, your
kids embarrassed to see you on TV, and put you at risk of
becoming the next Mike Tyson or Darryl Strawberry.
All I can say brother is
“handle your business”, and I’m not just talking about money.
Dr.
Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at
SyracuseUniversity and author of
“What if George Bush were a Black Man?”
He makes regular
appearances in national media, including CNN, FOX, ESPN and CBS
Sports. For more
information, please visit www.boycewatkins.com.
Nifong, Duke and the dirty, dirty south –
why we still just don’t get it
By Dr. Boyce Watkins
I was taken aback yesterday by
the volume of hate mail I received in response to the last
article I wrote about Mike Nifong, the prosecutor in the Duke
LaCrosse case.
Apparently, a few folks had the
urge to circulate the column through various chatrooms,
news stations, magazines,
KKK rallies and porno shops causing the panic that rocked the
nation.One of the
writers even called me a “negroid”, which is a nice change of
pace.I am not sure
if I’ve ever been called a “negroid” by anyone other than a
scientist.
“What long emails, do these
people have jobs?” I wondered, as I checked my email in my boxer
shorts.“Maybe they
are on welfare or something.”
I am used to this sort of
thing.It happens
every time I appear on Hannity & Colmes or when I go back to my
home state of Kentucky.
I’ve rarely seen people work so
hard to defend a pack of drunken thugs, and I wonder if they
would have the same passion when defending Pacman Jones, who
just lost his job for a shooting he didn’t commit.
Some made the point, rightfully
so, that the North Carolina Attorney General had proclaimed the
Duke Lacrosse Players to be innocent.“Isn’t that cute”, I thought.“I am sure his statement gives people a lot of
confidence, no matter how false that confidence may be”.While the Attorney General may go to some campus parties,
I am sure he wasn’t at this one. Neither was I.So, neither he nor I will ever be able to prove innocence
beyond a reasonable doubt, particularly in a climate that is
overflowing with political motivations and the racist, sexist
history of the south (remember this is a case involving the rich
and powerful, and a lot of butts were being covered in the end).
Also, let’s be clear:the south is horrifically, undeniably and disgustingly
racist. Hence, the
credibility of the entire justice system is as weak as that of
the drunken frat boys.
Remember that little email from
the Lacrosse player about killing strippers?Sweet, innocent boys don’t talk about killing strippers.
So, the Attorney General’s
declaration of innocence has as much credibility to me as
President Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” statement 4 years ago
regarding the
Iraq
war. Read my lips: Just
because a politician says something, that doesn’t make it true.
Attorneys General are
politicians.
In all fairness, I want to hear
from the alleged victim in the Duke Lacrosse case.She has gone into hiding and hasn’t said much in public.
She should be forced to
testify at risk of incarceration.If she lied and made everything up, then she should be
prosecuted.If she
was bribed or intimidated, then that should be revealed as well.When a victim has one story and suddenly changes it,
there is usually a reason for the abrupt change of heart.
To have her say “I made
it all up” without the risk of going to prison has no
credibility, since such a person can take their bribe money and
live happily ever after. The
seriousness of sex crimes says that she should be forced to
testify as well.
On another note, I found it
quite ironic that many people seem quick to discuss the
questionable credibility of the alleged rape victim, but they do
not question the credibility of the students themselves.Who’s the bigger “ho”?Someone who takes their clothes off to feed their family,
or the idiots who get naked with strippers for free?Men who have wild drunken stripper parties are not all
that reliable in court.
I’ve said my piece.Attacking the integrity of rape victims and mobbish anger
after racially-divisive conflicts is a long-standing tradition
in the south and much of America.The OJ trial, Hurricane Katrina and the Duke rape case
showed us that.When
put on trial for racism in the highest degree, the south and
Duke University (a campus that rarely hires black professors or
admits black students) are guilty as charged.Such a reality, no matter how much we deny it, will
always play a powerful role in our interpretations.
Dr.
Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at
SyracuseUniversity and author of
“What if George Bush were a Black Man?” and “Everything you ever
wanted to know about college”. He
makes regular appearances in the national media, including CNN,
BET, FOX, and USA Today.
For more information,
please visit
www.boycewatkins.com.
Boyce Watkins on NPR(Click Image
Below to Listen)
Nifong Trial
lets the “Dukes of Hazard” off the hook
OK, Mike Nifong committed misconduct. I’ll go
ahead and say that right now. I recall watching the start of the
Duke rape trial last year, as District Attorney Nifong appeared
to be as cocky as Star Jones fresh out of liposuction. My
significant other (who happens to be an attorney) watched in
disgust, yelling at the top of her lungs “What in the hell is he
doing! You shouldn’t be on TV running your mouth like
that!” That’s when I knew Nifong was in trouble. My girl is not
only drop dead gorgeous, she is also a killer prosecutor.
Nifong’s mistakes led us down the path to
where we are today: He is an inch away from a jail cell and has
been disgraced worse than Milli Vanilli. He has, without
question, become the Darryl Strawberry of the legal profession.
What is interesting, however, is how the
dirty light shined on Mr. Nifong has taken the focus off the
Duke boys, who apparently enjoy drinking till they puke and
degrading black women in their spare time. Since the trial took
place, these guys have received high paying jobs on Wall Street,
heroic half-time docudramas on national television, and an
unprecedented extra year of eligibility from the NCAA. Most
accused and acquitted rapists don’t get such royal treatment.
I can’t help but compare this case to the OJ
trial 13 years ago. In both cases, you had an athlete allegedly
committing a heinous crime against someone of another race and
gender, serious misconduct on the part of the accusing parties,
and a questionable history for the alleged victim. For OJ, the
cheating liar was the LAPD and Mark Furman. In this case, it was
Mike Nifong, the District Attorney. In both cases, there was
strong reason to believe that something happened that night, and
in both cases, the accused was acquitted.
In the aftermath, the Duke boys are hailed as
American heroes. OJ, on the other hand, has not been allowed to
make a living, can’t eat in many public restaurants, and has
become the most hated man in America. Nicole Brown Simpson was
not portrayed as a gold-digging cocaine addict. She was
portrayed as a beautiful, innocent angelic figure victimized by
a brutishly abusive husband. The woman in the Duke trial was
portrayed as a geto hoochie slut with no future, taking
advantage of clean cut college students. What’s the difference
here?
I dare to ask: If these were 4 black
basketball players accused and then acquitted of raping a white
woman, would the outcome have been the same? The proof is in the
potato salad, since the OJ trial says that they would likely be
convicted in the court of public opinion, no matter how
underhanded the accusing parties might have been.
I believe something happened in that
house. The contentiousness was evident from the witnesses who
saw the men yelling the n-word at the women as they were leaving
the party. The men were rowdy and drunk, and even they may not
remember what they did that night.
Let’s be clear about another fact: Being
found not guilty is quite different from being found innocent. I
do not believe these guys were innocent.
Since the alleged victim’s story changed, she
has gone into hiding and hasn’t said a word in public. It could
be because she is a liar or had amnesia. But it is also quite
conceivable that the rich and powerful parents of these
privileged students, who have spent millions in legal fees and
have millions in their bank accounts have “persuaded” this
struggling single mother to step to the side. After all, she was
stripping to pay her way through college, so they could probably
bribe her with the money in their glove compartments.
Is it my right to believe that something
happened that night, in spite of their acquittal? Yes, it
is. That is exactly what America has done to OJ Simpson.
The Duke Boys are not innocent victims. They
are rowdy, disrespectful, thuggish frat boy alcoholics who abuse
women of color. They are also, ironically, the future leaders of
our country. They live in the same spirit as President Bush, and
reflect everything that is wrong with America. I’m done now, you
now have my permission to get angry.
Judge Mathis, Alonzo
Mourning, and hanging out with the
Chicago
Crew – Thursday, June 07, 2007
I
spent this week in Chi-town, and it was a complete
blast.I went to the Rainbow
Push Convention, something I’ve never attended in the past.I was surprised at how much fun it was.There were a lot of good people there, and a lot of great
speakers.I swear, black
pastors are the best speakers on earth.They can make you jump up and down even when they aren’t saying
anything at all.I love it.
Of course Jesse and Al were there.Al had on this incredibly plaid coat, something I’ve never seen
before.Must be a
New York
thing, or a civil rights leader thing.Of course Jesse was there, walking in the open, with a thousand
people following him with pens, paper and cameras looking for a chance
to brush up with greatness.
I am not sure how you can live that way for 40 years, but he has somehow
found a way to do it.As I
have gotten a chance to know him and the people around him, I am
surprised at how humble he is, much more so than the media portrayals.I also know I wouldn’t want to trade places with him, since it’s
not easy to be out there in the front all the time.
Alonzo Mourning was there too, with his
head scraping against the ceiling.I was to sit on a sports panel with him and some hall of fame
football players, but I missed it.I was not sure where things were being held, and I had also
co-hosted The Santita Jackson Show.Santita, a diva to the max, is really fun to hang out with.I also learn a lot from her about how the media works.You would be surprised at how some of the things you think you
see are really not what you see.
Judge Mathis gave the best speech of the
entire conference.I dug him
a lot, and it turns out that he and I probably have the same mama and
the same brain, since he gave the exact same speech I would have given.
It’s almost as if he has read “What if Geore Bush were a Black Man?”
because he made many of the same arguments I made in the book, and he
delivered the arguments with the kind of passion I could appreciate.
He didn’t seem to really give a
damn.
Chicago
is an interesting place.
They have the kindness of the south, but the sophistication of the
north.I like nice people,
and I meet a lot of them in
Chicago. I spent a lot of time with the folks at
WVON, which is the radio station that represents the essence of
Chicago’s southside.I do regular segments on their station with Santita, and I am
hopeful that they will consider syndicating “Boiling Hot”.Even if they don’t, they are still my favorite station in Chicago.
I enjoyed Push, and I’ll be back.I also think that we should support black organizations and
institutions, even if it’s a little bit. This week is followed by back
to back trips to Buffalo, Montana and
Alabama.This should be a fun and interesting week.
Boyce Watkins on The Tom Joyner Morning Show
(Click the picture to Listen)
50 Cent's headed straight to the bank - I'm
headed to Chicago - Saturday, May 25, 2007
I hope this doesn't mean I have a boring life, but
it's Memorial Day Weekend, and I'm not doing a DAMNNN thing! Just
chilling, and working hard as usual. I think I work too much, but
I love what I do, so I guess it's not work. I head to Chicago this
week for the Rainbow Push Convention, being hosted by Jesse of course,
and then I get to go a few other places. Namely, I think that
Alabama, Montana and Buffalo are on the map. It should be fun.
I haven't done as much media as usual, since I've
been tired of the press. It was fun earlier this year, but I want
some privacy for a while. It's been nice. I did see a story that
got my attention, and I write about it below.
Note to Oprah –
50 Cent is going straight to the bank with this
By Dr. Boyce
Watkins
Those who think rappers’
brains are not worth a nickel might wish their own brains were worth
50 cent.Recently, in a deal for the
sale of Glaceau (makers of Vitamin Water) to
Coca-Cola,
50 Cent (aka Curtis Jackson) netted himself a cool $400
million resulting from his 10% ownership stake in the company.That puts him on the map with the likes of Michael Jordan,
Bob Johnson,
Jay-Z and
Oprah Winfrey when it comes to “sittin on swoll” with his
bank account.
Whether you like “Fiddy”, feel
he’s ignorant, or think he’s a jerk, you have to respect the fact
that he represents the hard working, relentless “hustler’s
mentality” which exists in the minds of many black male rappers.Their entrepreneurial spirit is stronger than that of most
doctors, lawyers and professors, who simply work hard so they can
work for someone else.The hip hop community
has been ostracized by the rest of society, including many black
female groups, church groups, conservatives and damn near everyone
else. These men are written off as gold-chain
wearing, sexist loudmouths without a brain cell in their collective
skull.Some of this criticism is warranted,
as the genre could certainly use some adjustments.But some critiques are just flat out haterology and the same
kind of racism that causes the rest of America to diss the black
male, especially if he is from poverty, uneducated or not affiliated
with the church.
“Fiddy’s” lyrics can be
clearly problematic, and they are not forgiven.But there are many millions who are inspired by
50 Cent, and this must be acknowledged.A kid growing up without a nickel in his pocket, with drug
dealers and drug addicts in his own house is likely to end up dead,
in jail or on drugs.“Fiddy” made it out of
that hell which would have killed most of us, and for this, he
should be commended. What should also be
recognized is the fact that he stands as an equally powerful symbol
of hope for many millions of impoverished young boys who don’t
connect with the Oprah Winfrey Show. A black
boy in the hood is not likely to be inspired by a woman who has
shows featuring celebrity puppies or the best Tupperware for the
fall season.Oprah and others don’t respect
the rappers, but there are a lot of people who do.
My point is not to say that
50 Cent is perfect, nor is Oprah completely imperfect.It is important to recognize that these are two outstanding
individuals who worked hard to make it out of their circumstances.Oprah was 14 and pregnant,
50 Cent was shot 9 times.The only
thing worse would be to get shot 9 times right before giving birth.
As a Finance Professor, a black man and an
advocate of black ownership and wealth building, I personally feel
that both of these people are off the charts.
50 Cent is no longer rich.He is
now WEALTHY.He’s not singing for cash, he’s
making a splash.His recent song entitled
“Straight to the bank” is right on target. Those
aiming their guns at hip hop are not.No one
is beyond criticism, but props should be given where they are due.
Keep pimpin 50, I’m proud of you.
Now take your black butt to the bank.
Hosting
XM, and why R. Kelly pisses me off – 5/17/07
This week, I had the chance to
host an XM satellite radio show. The show is called “We
Ourselves with Ambrose Lane Sr.” I have been on Ambrose’s show
a lot, and fortunately, some producers had enough faith in me to let
me hold the reigns for 3 hours. I enjoyed the experience a
lot.
On the show, we had 3 guests:
Etan Thomas from the Washington Wizards, Marc Lamont Hill from
Temple University and The Rev. Jesse Jackson. It was on and
cracking, and I had a great time. Rev. Jackson is finally
starting to remember my name now, I guess because we are interacting
much more frequently. He once called me “Dr. Joyce Watkins” on
the air, and a few other names that were not my own. I figured
that’s the price you have to pay when you are the new kid on the
block. But this time, he remembered who I was, and even gave
me enough compliments to make me blush. He mentioned that it
is activist professors such as myself who inspired him to become the
man he is today. He also said “Boyce, you’re the man!” It was
cool.
Etan Thomas is a Syracuse
graduate and a cool dude. We talked about his feud with Jason
Whitlock, one of the biggest morons in all of sports.
Seriously, if the word “stoop-id” were in the dictionary, his face
would be right next to it. I appreciated and respected the
fact that Etan was willing to go after this guy in the open.
But then again, this probably fits right into Jason’s plan to be
enough of a coon that he can get his own national tv show. If
black people have no respect for you and white people love you, you
have a direct in-road to becoming the favored negro. I guess
that’s the definition of being a sell out. And yes, this guy is a
complete sell out.
We also talked about R. Kelly. I
am not hating on the man, because I think that he is talented like
no other. But come on! This dude was allegedly seen on a
widely circulated tape showing a man LOOKING SHOCKINGLY SIMILAR TO
HIM having sex with a 14 year old girl! Why has he not been on
trial? He has made 6 albums, and gone on 3 world tours, and no
one has as much as seriously considered putting this man behind bars
for what he did.
As the father of a teenage
daughter, I am annoyed with this. Yes, I can understand why
young women are attractive, but 14 is sick. What’s even more
interesting is that his own brother has come out and really dogged
R. Kelly big time. I am especially annoyed at all the Chicago
DJs who stopped playing his music right after the incident took
place, and then forgot all about it when he came out with his next
album. To all those who are hating on hip hop, think about
that the next time you listen to an R. Kelly album.
Here is a copy of an article
written about his brother’s allegations on MTV.com:
Carey Kelly levies additional allegations
against brother on low-budget DVD.
By Jennifer Vineyard
A few years back a rumor
circulated that R. Kelly planned to claim that it was actually his
brother featured on the sex tape that prompted child-pornography
charges against the singer. But R. Kelly's younger brother has a
tape — and a few claims — of his own.
Carey Kelly has resurfaced in
a new low-budget DVD in which he puts forth a number of allegations
against his more famous brother. Chief among them, Carey says R.
offered him $50,000, a record deal and a house if he would perjure
himself on the witness stand. Previously Carey had expressed
concern when he heard that his resemblance to his brother might be
used as a defense strategy to cast doubt that it was really the
singer on the tape (see "R. Kelly's Brother: I Support Him But Won't
Take The Fall").
"I got a call about a year and
a half ago," Carey says on the Drahma Magazine-produced DVD, which
was first available on MediaTakeOut.com and was released Tuesday.
"My brother wanted me to do some sh-- pertaining to this case that
would leave me behind bars with a record deal. It doesn't make
sense, so I turned it down. ... Since I couldn't lie for him in a
court of law, we're back to beefing again, and we ain't brothers no
more."
Carey elaborated on New York
radio station Hot 97's Friday morning show, saying R. made the
offer while the two were in a hot tub, ostensibly so the singer
could be sure his younger brother wasn't wearing a wire.Even
though he was alternately living in an abandoned building and
sleeping in his car at the time, the offer of money and fame "was
not worth it to me,"(what? Living in an abandoned building and
you’re R. Kelly’s brother?) Carey said. "I'd rather get it on my
own than sell my soul, so that's why I'm speaking the truth."
Carey also claims
that R. abuses his wife (see "R. Kelly, Wife Separate — Petition For
Restraining Order Tells Of Alleged Abuse"), tried to molest their
other brother's daughter and molested their 12-year-old second
cousin. And if those claims weren't enough, Carey also says R. is
bisexual ("He in the closet for real," Carey said on Hot 97).
"This is not the first time
Carey has made ridiculous accusations against his brother," an R.
Kelly spokesperson said. "We're not going to dignify them with a
comment."
A source close to the singer
said Carey's accusations are "frustrating" because "R. Kelly doesn't
want to go after him publicly." But the source said R. considers
Carey to be "troubled guy with lots of problems who's mouthing off."
Carey says all his claims can
be proven. But Carey's credibility might be called into question for
a number of reasons — most of them self-admitted. His grudge against
his brother, however, is paramount — he says he believes the singer
has prevented him from having a successful music career of his own.
Even though he contributed to a few tracks to R.'s 1993 record, 12
Play, Carey says he hasn't received any royalties. "I never asked
for a handout, but pay me for what I do," he told Hot 97. Carey says
he also believes that his brother got him blacklisted by the music
industry.
"Why are people feeling sorry
for [R.]?" Carey asked. "Saying that the girl's lying and that's why
he caught the case? He caught the case because that's God's way of
waking him up. What you put out there comes back. It's called karma.
But I'm not trying to say anything that's going to put him behind
bars. I just wish that people that supposedly love him really reach
out to him and say, 'You need help, man.' He's sick and he needs
help."
R. Kelly's child-pornography
case proceeds in a Chicago court April 7
Here is my article for the week.
Enjoy!
Five
tips for Teaching Your Kids about Money
We send our kids to school to read Edgar Allen
Poe, but they don’t learn how to balance a checkbook. They
learn the names of every dead American president, but don’t learn a
thing about building wealth in the black community. Well, it’s
up to parents to fill in that gap, and I am going to show you how.
Why is it important to talk to your kids about
money? Because financially responsible children can help you
avoid a long list of problems. It’s cute when little Paquon
asks for money when he’s 5 years old, but it’s not so cute when he
does it at 35. Believe me, if you never break this habit, the
habit will eventually break YOU. The last thing you need as
you prepare for retirement is to have a bunch of adult children move
back into your house and eat all your food, while allowing you to
pay all the bills.
On the flip side, raising kids who are
financially responsible can be better than winning the lotto.
I am a professor now, and in my 30s. When I was born, my
mother was 16 years old and broker than the 10 commandments.
We once fantasized about how I would purchase a beach house for her
one day, and how much better life would be once I got older and got
an education. I held onto those dreams, and I am now living
them. Years later, my sister is nearly a doctor being trained
at The Mayo Clinic, my brother is a successful entrepreneur, and I
am doing OK myself. All of this would never have been possible
had my mother not thrown a little “tough love” into the mix.
Here are some tips for mothers and mothers-to-be
on how to financially train your kids from an early age. If
you don’t teach them the right values, then they will never learn
them. Mothers can be the last line of defense against our kids
growing up ignorant.
1)Make them earn and spend their own money
Earning your own cash is a good way to teach
your child the real world reality that we all must deal with: “You
go to work, you get to eat.” Every time you give him/her
money, your child should know that they need to EARN it. I
don’t care if it’s sweeping the floor, washing the dishes, or
cleaning imaginary kool-aid off the kitchen table. If you
establish the work/reward connection early, then they are going to
get it. If you don’t, your child may spend the rest of his
life thinking that the world owes him something.
2)Let your child see the bills and how expensive it is to make
it in the real world
A lot of kids are allowed to live far too
long in a fantasy world, where food is free, they can get money from
a personal ATM (Automatically Took from Mama),
and they live rent free under someone else’s roof while keeping
their own rules. Not in my house. First, as soon as your
kids are old enough to understand the inconvenience of living with
no lights on, they should be shown the light bill. You don’t
have to tell your children everything. Just give them just
enough of a taste to let them know that living isn’t free.
This yanks them out of Lala Land (a permanent vacation spot for some
people), and gets them thinking about how they can find ways to
afford the life they want to live.
3)Let them contribute financially to every single thing they
get after the age of 8
From the time I got my first job at 12,
my mother charged me rent. Yes, this was cruel, but I was
financially independent far earlier than my friends. Allowing
your child to contribute financially doesn’t mean you try to rob
them every chance you get. It means you allow them to make
regular contributions to whatever they are going to receive.
For example: Little Tiffany wants a new doll. Let her
work for a week to earn $10. She can save $5 and then invest
the other $5 toward her purchase. Her mother pays the rest.
Tiffany’s mother has then subsidized her daughter’s purchase, while
allowing Tiffany to be able to feel the fruits of financial
responsibility. Years later, rather than ruining her
retirement to provide for an overgrown dependent, Tiffany’s mother
has a daughter who can help make her retirement that much easier.
Allowing your child to contribute to household finances in some
meaningful way will make them feel strong, important and grown-up.
4)Help your child start a business of some sort
Get your child addicted to the spirit of
Entrepreneurship. Don’t give your child a fish. Don’t
teach her how to fish. Teach her how to own the land that the
pond is on so she can rent it out to people teaching each other how
to fish. Owning something is how you get really rich, not by
working for someone else. You are going to pass a lot of
things onto your children, don’t pass on the slave laborer
mentality.
5)Teach your child the importance of budgeting and managing
credit
When I did a recent appearance on the TV show
“Inside Edition”, I met up with middle class families who didn’t
even know what their household expenditures were. Most
Americans do not keep a budget. Without knowing where your
money is going, it’s hard to know where it went. Learning the
basics of budgeting, managing credit and all things financial is a
good way to get your child’s financial future started off right.
If you don’t know these things yourself, then now is the time to
learn. Your efforts will be multiplied by the fact that your
children will replicate your behavior and teach it to their
children. That’s what I call creating a wealthy legacy!
If you start your child off on the right foot,
they will keep on stepping. Don’t be afraid to be different.
Don’t be afraid to be strong. Make your child into an asset,
not a liability, for it will pay off for the rest of your life.
From 2LiveCrew to NBA Commissioner
to Inside Edition - May 10, 2007
I am drained this
week, as I just got back from NYC (again). It was a last
second call to appear on Inside Edition, giving financial advice to
couples who have jacked up their money situation. I feel bad
for the people I worked with, because I think alot of Americans have
fallen into a state of Financial Drunkeness. We all try to
keep up with the Joneses, even though the Joneses can't keep up with
themselves.
The show was kind of
funny, because they tend to take a very Hollywood kind of approach
to everything. It was probably the closest I've come to what
it must be like to be an actor, where they were like "OK, walk into
the building from the left, act surprised to see them.....now, walk
in from the right and act surprised again......now, yell at them and
tell them they are going to die if they don't stop spending so much
money on the damn kids!" I enjoyed the show, but it's always
interesting to see how this stuff happens behind the scenes.
My interview with
Luke from 2LiveCrew was really interesting. I have the most
fun on shows like this one, since he is a wild man. We spent
most of the time yelling at each other back and forth about sports:
Is Michael Vick a player or a pretender? Could the NBA be
racist? Are rappers to blame for the lyrics in their music? It
was fun and crazy. I love shows like this, since anything
goes. A brother can really let his hair down, even if he is
bald like me.
Earlier in the week,
I appeared on Jesse Jackson's show again, this time with NBA
commissioner David Stern. I am not a big fan of Stern,
because I see the NBA as the rich man's plantation. At the
same time, I understand his thinking as a businessman, as his goal
is to protect his multibillion dollar brand. But it's
hard to protect such a brand without being a bit ruthless.
Here is the article I wrote on the topic for The Black Athlete
Sports Network:
Racism in
NBA Play Calling -- Oh Really?
by Boyce Watkins,boycewatkins@blackathlete.com POSTED:
May 7, 2007
NEW YORK
-- When I saw the recent University of
Pennsylvania study citing racism in NBA play
calling, my reaction was like anyone else who
watches sports: "No duh."
I expressed this
sentiment over the weekend with Rev. Jesse
Jackson and Darth Vader himself, David Stern.
Yes, I did call him Darth Vader on the radio,
since the man pimps his athletes like no other.
To bring you up to
speed, the study found that fouls were more
likely to be called on players by referees of
another race. While there was some bias of black
refs calling more fouls on white players, the
strongest, and most significant bias was that of
white refs calling fouls on black players.
The authors of the
study go on to say that the difference "is large
enough that the probability of a team winning is
noticeably affected by the racial composition of
the refereeing crew assigned to the game."
I also took the
time to contact Wolfers, a fellow economist,
about the study. After reading his work, I can
tell you this: The man is an academic stud. His
PhD is from Harvard (and he was one of their top
students), he took great pains to conduct his
analysis, and his work has been carefully
analyzed by Nobel Prize winners.
Quite simply, THE
MAN IS NOT A QUACK, and he is especially immune
from the critiques of boneheads like Charles
Barkley, who probably spells the word "college"
with a "j."
Everyone asked why
so many prominent players were coming out and
refuting the Wharton study. The answer was
simple: Because those who agree with the study
won't say a word for fear of losing their jobs.
Like a good pimp,
Stern puts serious financial beat downs on
anyone who deviates from the company line.
Remember the fine he laid on Mark Cuban for even
SUGGESTING that the refs might cheat? If team
owners are punished so severely, what do you
think happens to players?
When it comes to
NBA racism, nearly any basketball fan could
write a book on the topic. Remember 1992, when
Christian Laettner was chosen over Shaquille
O'Neal for the Olympic Team? Years later, when
they both played for the Heat, Laettner was so
far down the bench that people thought he was a
cheerleader.
Did you wonder how
"Melt-down Nowitzki" had been predicted as the
league MVP right after another white guy won the
award for two years in a row? Not to say that
these guys "ain't tight", but if they were black
and Kobe
were white,
Kobe
would have been considered the second coming of
Jesus Christ.
My point is not to
say that the NBA officials are bad people. David
Stern is not a bad guy, just a greedy, ruthless
businessman (just picture a white Don King). But
the bottom line reality is that racism is alive
and well in the NBA, with the league serving as
a rich man's plantation.
Players need to
become owners if they want to have leverage.
They are doing all the shooting, but someone
else is calling the shots. End of story.
Dr.
Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at SyracuseUniversity and author of "What if George
Bush were a Black Man?" He is the
host of the nationally-syndicated radio show,
"Boiling Hot with Boyce Watkins" and does
regular commentary on CNN, ESPN, FOX and other
networks. For more information,
please visit
www.boycewatkins.com
or
www.y
Spending money in
itself is not really a crime
It only hurts if you're addicted, spending to your last dime
So I'm gonna break it all down like the best business schools
You want to keep your money? Then then follow these simple
rules
Number one: Before you pay light, gas and your rent
You should pay yourself at first, saving 15 percent
Making money doesn't matter if you're always broke.
Credit cards and spending makes your bank account choke
Number two: Retirement is coming, so plan right away
Yeah, I know, you're only 20, but you should plan for this day
The years they creep by slowly, then quicker than heck
Saving after 40 is a pain in the neck
Number three: Think hard about job security
Cause alot of US jobs are sent right over the sea
If you've got the time, then use it to keep going to school
Investment in yourself, that's the number one rule
Number four: a good job is really nice, but you're being
played though
When you own your own business, that's where you make the real dough
If you get that job you want, don't let the work stop there
Start a business of your own and you'll have money to spare
Number five: Before you get your car and your spouse
Save your money with your honey and buy your own house
People in apartments really don't get ahead
Cause you'll be paying rent for landlords up until you are dead.
Number six: Before you even get your feet wet
Avoid the sweet temptation of credit card debt
Bad credit sneaks upon you like a thief in the night
It takes a second to destroy it, but years to get right
Number seven: While you’re shopping for Gucci purses and socks
Take a sec and just reflect on purchasing stocks
A small investment in the Dow just a few years ago
Would buy more Guccis and Armenis than you ever would know
These are a few lessons from the Finance guy
You're blessed to get a piece of the American pie
But America the pie can be American pain
If you don't commit yourself to be on top of your game.
Start this while you're young, you'll be the cream of the crop
The money river, when it's flowing, it won't ever stop.
Financial futures don't just happen, every step must be planned
So make the right decisions, and your life will be grand.
Why Oprah is
Hip Hopping off Target - April 19, 2007
By Dr. Boyce Watkins
When I was young, my mother used to say, “ Coco
(my nickname), your mouth will either make you great or get you
killed, I’m curious to see which one.”
My mother may see her prophesy fulfilled by that
religious figure otherwise known as Oprah Winfrey. I was asked to
appear in a documentary as an Oprah critic, but I refused. People
think that because you question someone’s motives, you must hate
them. I don’t hate Oprah, I love her. But my love can’t match the
worship she receives from the millions who rely on her for life
support. Oprah should change her name to “Black Baby Jesus”, since
her following makes me think she sprinkles crack cocaine onto the TV
screen. Talking about Oprah on national TV will get you in serious
trouble and I have never gotten as much hate mail as I get when I
mention her name. I quickly recognized the gravity of challenging a
sacred religious figure, as I have nightmares of the angry big woman
from “The Color Purple” running at me in the cornfield and saying,
“You told Coco to beat me!”
This week “Queen Pope-ra” gathered for a “town
hall meeting” with her army of soccer moms, all to discuss how
terrible hip hop has become (as if they know anything about rap
music). She included the “brilliance” of men like sports writer
Jason Whitlock, who couldn’t get second place in a two-man spelling
bee against George Bush. The only rapper present was Common, whom I
don’t think has ever “spit” a vulgar lyric in his life. Not that
Common “ain’t tight”, but his presence on the show was probably
rewarded by the fact that he has been approved by Queen Pope-ra for
being a good boy, not a “hood boy”.
Let’s be clear. Much of hip hop is dog crap, any
dummy who watches MTV knows this. But it’s not identifying the
problem that matters, it’s how you analyze it. Basically, I can say
4 things about Oprah’s “town hall meeting”: wrong people, wrong
venue, wrong analysis, wrong target.
The “town hall meeting” quickly turned into a
cheerleading convention, with nearly every person stating that hip
hop is bad, rappers suck, and some even saying that we can’t hold
Don Imus accountable for what he said, since black people say the
same thing. Blah blah blah blah blah. So, as Oprah held her
anti-meat convention with an audience full of vegetarians, I
wondered if she realized a few important facts. First of all, the
language used in hip hop does NOT excuse Don Imus. The “I’ve seen
others do worse” argument is just dumb. I wouldn’t be able to defend
a crime against white women by saying that I saw a white man do
worse. Secondly, if you want to impact hip hop, attacking the
artists in a venue of people who don’t even listen to the music is
not going to achieve very much. OK great. Now soccer moms will no
longer buy rap music. But guess what? Their kids don’t give a damn.
Third, having a “panel of experts” consisting of a bunch of people
who feel the same way you do is NOT a town hall meeting. It’s a
McCarthyist witch-hunt against those you do not agree with. Oprah is
good at having those, as she possessively avoids “providing
legitimacy” to those with whom she does not agree. She proved that
to the rapper Ludicris, whom she reluctancy placed at the edge of
the stage as a member of the film “Crash”, proceeded to chastise
him, and then edited out his response to her statements. Only a
bully a**hole would do something like that.
If rappers suddenly changed their tune, then the
record labels would simply do as Queen Pope-ra has done with Jason
Whitlock; find some other idiot off the street to say what they want
to hear. If you really want to have this conversation, and you want
it to mean something, you have to go after the labels. This isn’t so
easy, because many of the companies that own these labels ALSO own a
piece of Oprah.
Hip hop hating is not the answer, and neither are
cultish gatherings with Stepford Wife-like unanimity. Constructive
and productive solutions work best. THAT is how you kill the
monster.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at
Syracuse University and author of “What if George Bush were a Black
Man?” He does regular analysis on CNN, FOX, BET, CBS and other major
networks. For more information, please visit www.boycewatkins.com.
Me, Jesse, Al and Imus
– April 9, 2007
What’s going on this week:
-Last week, I was on the radio with Jesse Jackson for 2 hours,
talking about the NCAA and its exploitation of athletes. We
also had a private conversation after the fact, which was
interesting. His first words were “Whew! You are bad!”
That was a nice compliment. Admittedly, I was talking with a
face full of shaving cream and I was anxious to get back in the
shower. But he was very nice to me.
-The next week after my first phone call with Jesse, I got
another call from their show (I write about it below). This
time, I was appearing with Jesse, Al Sharpton and George Curry, head
of Black Press USA. Our topic of discussion was the situation
with Don Imus, the shock jock who called the women on the Rutgers
women’s basketball team a bunch of “Nappy headed hoes”. The
conversation was lively, and my primary point was that we should not
only picket and ask that he be fired, but we should try to kill his
corporate sponsorship.
-Shows this week: Santita Jackson (Jesse’s daughter) has me on
her show a lot. She is a really sweet lady, XM Satellite
Radio, Fox News, Jim Bohanon, Lars Larson, Big Mo Sports, and some
other places. I am in Essence Magazine for the months of April and
May and also Black Enterprise. I will be appearing on Wisconsin
Public Radio every 3rd Friday for the entire hour talking
about whatever is going on in the news. If you live in NYC, I’ll be
on FOX 5 News this a couple of times this weekend.
-Our guests for
Boiling Hot with Boyce Watkins: Marc Lamont Hill
(www.barbershopnotebooks.com), prominent Temple University Professor
and regular CNN/FOX commentator. Joseph C. Phillips,
conservative commentator and actor (The Cosby Show dude who was
married to Deniece). Richard Dubin, Emmy Nominated Hollywood
writer. The show is on in different cities, but a great way to
get it is to stream it off of
www.power1069.com, which streams from the web at 7 am on Sunday
mornings. It actually sounds pretty clear. To get archived
versions of the show, please visit
www.yourblackworld.com and click “radio show”
-Our magazine for women of color age 18 – 25 is called Fierce
Magazine. The site is
www.myfiercemag.com. It was created by the powerful young women
who work for me and I am very proud of them. Please take a
look at the site and provide us with feedback or if you know someone
who likes to write, just let me know. As I mentioned, Syracuse
has one of the top 3 media schools in the world, so these women who
worked with me on the magazine are FIERCELY BAD! If you want to
submit something to the magazine, please email it to me at
Boyce@myfiercemag.com.
What’s on my mind today? You guessed
it….nappy headed hoes
My conversation with Jesse and Al
right before the Don Imus Beat Down – It’s all about the Benjamins
The phone rang on a Sunday morning, the way it
normally does. It never stops ringing and my email stays full.
I am going to be apologizing to people for the rest of my life, I
know it. I knew that I was set to appear on Rev. Jesse
Jackson’s radio show, “Keep Hope Alive”. I didn’t want to wake
up so early, since this was a rude interruption to my dream about
having Beyonce’s baby. But for Jesse, I was willing to make an
exception, especially since his daughter Santita (also a radio show
host), is as sweet as chocolate covered, sugar flavored, barbecue
ribs. Don’t get it twistified: By “sweet” I mean she is
a kind person. I am NOT about to flirt with Jesse Jackson’s
daughter. He’s taller than I am and looks like he might know
karate.
I do most of my radio interviews in my office
with no shirt and a bowl of cheerios. I usually surf the web,
watch Sports Center or get more cereal during the marathon
commercial breaks. I swear that radio commercials are longer
than Rush Limbaugh’s list of prescription drugs. But as a
Finance Professor, I know that media must also pay the bills,
because that is why they exist. It’s all about the Benjamins
baby…all about the Benjamins.
We were gathering to discuss some old white dude
named Don Imus, the nappy headed hoe who felt the need to attack
some black student athletes. I personally wanted to slap him
because I am a strong defender of college students and take great
offense when they are being exploited or mistreated (i.e. the pimps
from the NCAA parading them on TV and letting their mamas live in
poverty). The other guests on the show with me were Al
Sharpton and George Curry, head of Black Press USA. I’ve been
on shows with Al before, it’s always interesting.
We talked about the Imus situation quite a bit.
I had no idea that Imus would be the lead story in the entire
country during the following week, but I knew that millions of black
people listening were…for lack of a better word….PISSED. Jesse
mentioned that his group was going to boycott the NBC studios in
Chicago. Sharpton mentioned that his group was calling for
Imus to be fired. I mentioned that my group (consisting of me,
my teddy bear, and a bunch of very angry cock roaches) were aiming
for something a little different: We wanted his corporate
sponsorship.
As a “money guy”, one thing I know for certain is
that corporate sponsorship is the lifeblood of any celebrity
personality. Many celebrities would rather have their
testicles yanked out of their ears than to lose their corporate
sponsors. The celeb gets money from the network, the network
gets money from the sponsors, the sponsors get money from the
customers, and customers get their crappy content from the
celebrity. It’s all a vicious circle-cycle. If you cut
off one part of that circle, it’s like cutting the intestines inside
your body….messy, uncomfortable and humiliating, to say the least.
So, I proposed this: why don’t we find a
list of the companies that advertise on his show and ask them if
they know what they are supporting? Then, we can ask the black
community if they know they are supporting corporations who are
supporting networks that are supporting nappy headed hoes like Don
Imus. The guys listened respectfully, and I think they agreed.
That was my contribution to black history….at least for now.
You can imagine how I felt a couple of days later
after hearing that many major corporations were cutting their
sponsorship of Imus’ Show. When the money stops coming, it’s
like cutting off the water supply to the human body. Your rep,
power, platform and mojo are going to die a slow, painful death.
Your homeboy becomes your hater, people stop returning your calls,
and unconditional support becomes a little more conditionalized.
We all think that white men stick together like super glue, but like
most humans, they too abandon one another when you change from rain
maker to pain maker.
One of the things that irked me the most about
Imus’ “apology at gunpoint” was that he explained his actions by
stating that people in the black community (mostly rappers) were the
ones to put that language out there, and that he was simply
repeating it. I again wanted to go to his studio and slap him.
First of all, Imus is NOT a rapper. He is a man who regularly
hosts some of the leading political dignitaries of our nation.
Had Senator Obama made a similar statement, we would be hanging him
out to dry as well.
Secondly, it’s a really bad excuse to say “others
have done worse, which is why my actions are ok.” That’s just,
as my homies would say “ig-nant”.
I am not sure why Imus feels that the Rutger’s
women’s basketball team should be the victims of his verbal assaults
just because there are some black people who use this language.
Had it even been Tom Joyner making this statement, the outrage
against such sexism would have been tremendous. Imus received
a greater degree of outrage than Tom Joyner would receive because
his comments were both sexist AND racist.
OK, that’s my two cents. It’ll be easy to
find another 98 cents worth of opinions, and in the end, we have a
dollar. But it’s having that dollar that led to us achieving
something that we could not have accomplished 10 years ago.
Don’t get it twistified. A love for black folks is not what
led to MSNBC cutting off Imus: This was all about the
Benjamins baby….all about the Benjamins.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at
Syracuse University, author of “What if George Bush were a Black
Man?” and host of the radio show “Boiling Hot with Boyce Watkins”.
For more information, please visit
www.boycewatkins.com or
www.yourblackworld.com. He is represented by Great Black
Speakers, LLC,
www.greatblackspeakers.com.
To be taken off this list, send an email to
info@boycewatkins.com and type "remove" in the subject line.
From Wendy
Williams to Jesse Jackson, and my run in with the CBS Propaganda
Machine – March 31, 2007
I received some calls this week. Actually,
there were a lot of calls, but that’s my life these days I guess.
One of them was from CBS sports, who asked me to participate in a
“Pay for Play” show they were going to run right before the Final
Four. I was surprised to see them run this segment, mainly
because CBS benefits financially from college sports. “Why
would they challenge the institution that creates so much revenue
for them?” I quietly wondered to myself, as I scrubbed the soapy
bubbles beneath my armpits.
I eventually found out why CBS was running the
show. Basically, the “journalism” being done on the pay for
play issue was really an NCAA infomercial, explaining why they
should never pay the athletes. Most of the critics of the
pay-for-play concept were employees of either CBS Sports or the
NCAA, so you would never expect them to bite the hand that feeds
them. I actually laughed while watching this, since I then
understood why NCAA President Miles Brand was participating in the
segment. Typically, the NCAA hides from such open criticism
(when I have discussed this topic on CNN, FOX, ESPN, etc. they can
never get the NCAA to come out and defend their ridiculous
arguments), and I can’t imagine what conditions were placed upon CBS
before airing the segment.
Watching the segment got me excited. “Good,
the bastards are backpeddling!” I said to myself as I finished my
icecream and turned to reruns of South Park. The presence of
this segment was, in my mind, nothing more than their
acknowledgement that they fear the words of critics such as myself,
Marc Lamont Hill and others about the way they do business. I
have never been prouder. I also loved the softball questions
that Seth Davis (who was one of the analysts for the NCAA finals
last week, along with another participant in our show, Clark
Kellogg) was throwing at the president. It was sort of like
"So Dr. Brand. What do you say to those people who say that
coaches are getting paid too much?" Typical answer: "Less than 1% of
all coaches earn more than $1 million dollars per year." Why
is that a stupid response? Because he was likely counting
every single division 1A coach, in every single sport in this
calculation, including the guy coaching the women's field hockey at
MC Hammer State University. Just flat out silly if you
ask me.
We will continue to go after the NCAA, as it is
critical that the hypocrisy of college sports be uncovered.
They can try to ignore the criticism, but they won’t be able to do
so for long. I got a call from Jesse Jackson this week to be
on his show for two hours on Sunday, April 1. I will make sure
that Jesse is brought up to speed on all of this.
I also did a show with Wendy Williams again.
She is tough as hell, but very nice to me. I like her also,
since she is a great business woman. I went to the city with
two of my interns, since my interns get excited about Wendy.
The lady has a lot of power. Her publicist/booking agent is
going to book my radio show also, which excites me, since she is
good.
Here is what else is on my mind this week:
Hey everybody!
-CBS
is running a segment called “Pay for Play” right before the Final
Four. They came by my office and interviewed me for this
segment. It should air at 3 pm on March 31, on CBS of
course.
-I
hung out with Wendy Williams again this week. I always have
fun on her show (I had a ton of pictures taken and there is video
that should be on
Youtube real soon). The person who books her show is going
to also book mine, and I am going to bring Financial Lovemaking to
some of her groups for black women.
-The
past few weeks have been a bit crazy (as most weeks are these days).
I wanted to really hit this issue on NCAA athletes hard, which I
did. After talking about it on CNN, I saw something I’d
written on the topic appear on the front of the sports pages of the
LA Times and Atlanta Journal Constitution (along with dozens of
other papers across the country). That led to calls from XM
Satellite, CBS Radio, ESPN Radio, and other places. Also, I
along with Marc Lamont Hill (regular commentator on Fox and Temple
University Professor), Lee Jones (CEO of Inspire Magazine and
brilliant professor), The Black Athlete Sports Network, and some
others are forming a coalition to shine light on the issue of
athlete exploitation. The arguments against paying the
athletes have never made sense to me, since any of us would expect
to be compensated with more than a scholarship if we were generating
MILLIONS of dollars for somebody else. This notion that these
“dumb *&*$@#” should be happy with whatever the NCAA gives them is
BS. Personally, I think the athletes should go on strike to
remind the league of their value to the process. Without the
players, there is no money, so there is NO JUSTIFIABLE REASON for
them to be left out of the income generating process. What’s
more is that the restrictions on football and basketball players,
keeping them from going pro by a certain age don’t exist for
baseball and tennis players (who are typically non-black). I
find this sad and ironic.
-I was
on CNN with Joseph C. Phillips, who played Martin, Deniece’s husband
(Olivia’s daddy) on The Cosby Show. That was interesting.
We are not the same kind of person, but he is nice enough.
Cousin Jeff from BET was also there. That’s a cool dude.
-My
good friend, George Kilpatrick is having Mel Tiller, a
nationally-recognized motivational speaker come to Syracuse.
For more information, let me know.
-
Greatblackspeakers.com is sponsoring my book tour for the summer for
Financial Lovemaking 101. I thank them for their support.
-On my
radio show, “Boiling Hot with Boyce Watkins” (which can be
downloaded from
www.yourblackworld.com even if you missed it on the radio), we
are planning to interview Richard Dubin, the man who won an emmy for
the creation of “Franks Place”, a great black show on CBS a few
years ago. He was also a writer for the hit shows “Rock” and
“Living Color”. He’s an amazing person and a great friend.
-
Speaking of writer friends, I’ve been hanging out a lot via email
with my friends Rob Edwards and Sekou Hamilton, both extremely
successful black writers in Hollywood. I am learning that
writing for the screen is very different from writing a book or
something, but it’s a ton of fun. I am going to spend some
time in Hollywood this summer to work on some small projects and
learn the business. What is really funny is that one of my
friends who makes films offered me a role (she is not black).
You know what she said to me (no kidding)? “Boyce, could you
play a thug?” - So, even with the PhD behind my name, there
are some who only see one thing when it comes to black men. Of
course I told her (in a friendly way) that she could kiss my black
assets (wait, did I say that?)
-Our
magazine is launching soon. It’s called Fierce Magazine, and
it’s for black women aged 18 – 25. The site is
www.myfiercemag.com. Most of my interns are in that
demographic, so I suggested that they run with a project that allows
them to escape the slavery that occurs for media majors trying to
beg some large magazine to let them write. I am the CEO and
the person who brings the money, and they bring the brilliance and
beauty to it. I recommend checking it out when it launches.
As I mentioned before, Syracuse has one of the top 3 media schools
on earth, and the talent here is off the hook!
-Check
out this month’s Essence Magazine and also the one for May. I
have been told by the editors there that my advice is going to be in
both of them. I love the people at Essence, they are good.
What’s
on my mind this week? More Financial Liposuction! – I wrote
this piece for Precious Times Magazine and I wanted to share it with
my friends…enjoy! It was written for a black female
demographic, but anyone can read it and learn
Using Financial
Liposuction to work your way out of debt
Black women, as
beautiful as they are, are not usually the first ones to line up for
any form of cosmetic surgery. God made you the envy of the
world and it’s going to stay that way. But being the
trendsetters of our world, you’re known for changing the game.
So, please allow me, your personal Financial Physician, to help you
make your financial body as perfect as your physical one. I’m
not a plastic surgeon, but as a Finance Professor, I’ve done surgery
on the credit card plastic of millions of people just like you.
It’s called
“Financial Liposuction”, and it’s a technique I created to help all
of us who feel “financially chubby” and don’t know why. You
have 150 pounds of student loans, 200 pounds of credit card debt,
and perhaps even a deadbeat relative who continues to hold you back.
You may not know why you overeat financially, but you are sick of
it. You are ready for a positive, productive financial
lifestyle that will lead you down the road to financial security,
and you dont care what it takes to get there.
The Financial
Liposuction procedure is painful, traumatic and invasive and
therefore, not for the faint of spirit. But in the end, it can
be the most rewarding decision you’ve ever made. You can find
your way out of debt, and out of the grips of modern day slave
masters, otherwise known as credit card companies. Most
importantly, the head surgeon in the procedure is you.
My job is to guide your hands during the procedure, to ensure you
don’t remove a lung while aiming for the kidneys. Here are the
steps you can take right now to get your financial life together.
Remember: Your life is nothing more than a culmination of YOUR
day-to-day choices. Make the right choices, and you are
creating the right life, even if the steps are small.
Step 1:Find out why you engage in financial overeating in the first
place. The reasons you overspend are between you and
Dr. Phil, but some psychological house cleaning might be necessary.
Filling a bucket does nothing if you never find the leak. Pay
attention to your habits, documenting all of your spending for one
week, or thinking about some of your worst financial choices.
Make a decision right now to address these habits and improve upon
them. The path to financial independence is a long one, and
the first few miles of this road go through a town called “You”.
Step 2:
Engage in
financial anorexia for about 3 months – You spent so much money last month that your friends are calling you
“Creflo Dollar Fifty”, now it's time to deny yourself a few things.
Cut any excess fat from your budget, and consider even slicing at
the bone. Pay necessary bills only, give yourself no credit card
access, and keep a limited amount of cash in your pocket. You may
even want to have your spouse put a WANTED poster of you in all
major department stores for your own good. This part of the
Financial Liposuction procedure gives you the chance to make
dramatic changes in your lifestyle. They say that it takes 40
days to break a habit, so consider this day one.
Step 3:Get to slicing one
of your favorite credit cards. You’ve been in an Ike and Tina
relationship with this credit card for far too long. The card
makes you feel good inside, and then it beats you down at the end of
the month with a massive bill. It’s time for you to have the
courage to walk away. Yes, you and this card have been through a lot
together, and your “love” has created a lot of expensive financial
babies (some of whom are 10 years old). But there are more
loving credit cards out there. Once you are financially
prepared for a new relationship, you can move forward. But for
right now, you need to get this credit card out of your life for
good.
Step 4:
Figure out how much you owe and
understand the terms.
Some people deal with the chubbiness of financial debt by living in
denial. Feeling they are too far gone to be helped, they just
pretend that the debt doesn’t exist. You might think bill
collectors are going to disappear just because you’ve stopped
answering the phone, but that’s wrong. You’ve got to
face the problem. Make a list of all your debts, determining
the interest rates you are paying, and the amount of the monthly
payment. Then, either approach a company about consolidating
the loans under a lower interest rate, or simply start making higher
payments, focusing first on the loan with the highest interest rate.
It’s hard to know where you are going if you don’t fully understand
where you are.
Step 5:Forgive yourself and look
forward. You are human. Our most valuable lessons
come from our most costly mistakes. You are not a bad person
for making financial mistakes, all Americans do (believe me, I’ve
done the research on this). The question is: What are
you going to do now? Get your back up off the wall and start
becoming an active player in your own financial independence.
A child is not going to learn if his parents do not actively shape
his future. Like this child, your financial future is not
going to have a healthy development without being nurtured through a
series of good choices. Be smart, be strong, and don’t be
afraid. This procedure is painful at first, but you’ll look
and feel great in the end.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at
Syracuse University. He is also the author of Financial
Lovemaking 101: Merging assets with your partner in ways that feel
good. You can reach Dr. Watkins by going to
www.myfinanceprofessor.com.
Boyce
My tiring
week, but all the fun I am having! – March 21, 2007
I
haven’t had much time to write, since I’ve been running around like
a chicken with no testicles. But actually, this chicken had all his
nuggets, since that is what helped me to stay focused in the face of
a bit of pressure. Not the kind of pressure that really
bothers you, just the kind of pressure that can annoy you a little
bit.
Early in the week, the Fox interview was cancelled. They picked
me up in the limo, drove me for an hour and a half, made me sit and
talk with some random lady in the TV station for 30 minutes (who was
very nice by the way – you would be amazed at how happy I can
be when someone shows me the way to the bathroom), put the bug in my
ear, the camera in my face, the mike under my jacket, promoed my
segment, and then CANCELLED! Ugh! Now, you see why FOX
News pisses me off so much!
OK, they had a good excuse. There was breaking news in
Bogota
,
Colombia
, as yet another group of people were determined to try to take out
President Bush. OK, no problem. I understand that people
getting tear gassed for trying to go after the president is
certainly more interesting than anything I would have to say.
Or is it? No prob.
No time for haterologizing, I just got into the limo and rode back to
the house. I had to get ready for CNN the next day. I
like Paula Zahn’s Show. She is actually as nice in person as
she appears to be on TV. Also, she is 50, but looks better than many
of the 21 year olds on our campus. Big ups to the pretty white
lady on TV!
The CNN trip had some complications as well. I was told that
our segment was moved a day back, which is again part of the game.
I just took it in stride, telling them that I would rather just stay
in NYC for an extra day. I like being in the city, since it makes me
feel alive and like I am a part of what is happening in the world.
Being in a dead city like
Syracuse
can make you feel like you’re missing something. Probably
because you ARE!
The hotel they always put me in at CNN is nice because it’s right
across from the studio. But it’s also annoying because it’s
not such a comfortable hotel. Everything is all trendy and
minimalist, so your room is like a damn closet. I would rather
have a Comfort Inn with a big ol remote control, a nice desk, and a
healthy selection of stupid movies. Oh yeah, give me a vending
machine in the lobby and a pizza hut across the street, and I’m
straight!
The night before the CNN interview, my business manager called me
with a weird interview request. I was to appear on The Joey
Reynolds Show at 2 am! That was strange, since I wasn’t
interested at all in popping on anybody’s show that late at night.
At the same time, we made an agreement to appear the next time we
were in the city, so it was a go. I was on the show with a
psychic, which was very interesting. I have never appeared on
anything with a psychic.
The next day, CNN was fine. I actually met one of the Cosby
Kids that day. Ok, he wasn’t really a Cosby kid, he was
actually Joseph C. Phillips, the guy who played Deniece’s husband
Martin, the Navy guy (remember him?). I also met Cousin Jeff
from BET. He’s a cool dude. His daughter is cute and
seemed to enjoy taking my picture over and over and over and over
again. Little did she know that I have a face that can break a
camera.
After CNN, I flew to
Pittsburgh
for a speech for an organization called NEED. That was awesome,
even though the limo driver was trying to kill me. I swear
this woman COULD NOT DRIVE! She swerved violently once and
another time, I had to tell her that another car was going to crash
into her if she wasn’t careful. It was kind of weird for me,
since I was hit the last time I was in that city. Perhaps I
don’t mix well with that damn city.
The next day, I got up for an early flight back home. I was
tired, and ready to get back. But guess what? I couldn’t fly,
because United Airlines (and the bastards that they are) told me
that you can’t use the second half of a round trip ticket!
(remember when I said that CNN had to fly me right to
Pittsburgh
? Well, they did and that invalidated the round trip ticket I’d
already purchased weeks earlier). My only option? To pay
$700 for another ticket!
I was tired, and ready to get back home. My clothes were fonky,
since I had not brought enough stuff for a 3 day trip. I was
ready to choke the lady across the counter, who didn’t’ make things
any easier for me with her horrible attitude. So, I did what I
had to do. I went and got a rental car and drove the trip
back. I could have paid for the ticket, but I was NOT
going to pay $700 for a ticket I’d already bought! I HATE
UNITED AIRLINES AND I AM NOT going to fly on that airline for at
least another 10 years!
OK, back to the story. On the drive back, it was pouring rain
and I was sleepy from not getting much sleep from the night
before. Then, right before my eyes, the rain turned into snow.
No kidding. I’ve never seen this before, but the rain just
transforms into snow right in front of me. Yes, the weirdest
shit Ive ever seen in my life.
So, I stopped to take a nap at a rest area. The nice thing
about the Chrysler 300 is that you can lay the front seat waaaaaaaay
back like a bed. That was cool. I slept like a baby and
got some well-needed rest.
When I woke up, the Lawud had taken care of me. The snow was
gone, the roads were clear and the sky was clear. It was
smooth sailing for the rest of the trip home.
This week, I was asked to host a radio show on the Black Athlete
Sports Network. I love that site a lot
www.blackathlete.net, and the idea of hosting a sports show
would be amazingly fun. We just have to work out some details
of the agreement. My other show, Boiling Hot with Boyce
Watkins, is killing the circuits. I love it.
OK, the final kicker: I got a call today from CBS Sports.
They are going to do a show before the Final four called “Pay for
Play”. They are coming to my office to interview me on the
topic of athletes getting paid in a couple of days. I am glad
to know that I can contribute to this important debate. It
makes no sense when someone is earning money for someone else is not
getting a serious cut of that money. It’s wrong and
un-American.
Another round with
Fox News and CNN - 3/9/07
Sunday on Fox News at 12 (I think that's the time) and the next night on
CNN (Paula Zahn, Monday at 8 pm), we are going to talk about whether or
not college athletes should be paid. I think that it's an
interesting issue, since many of the athletes are black males, and also
billions of dollars are extracted from the black community through
college sports. For example, CBS signed a $6 billion dollar deal
just to air the March Madness Tournament. This tournament earns
more revenue than the Super Bowl and the World Series COMBINED. That
doesn't include the hundreds of millions earned during the rest of the
year. Additionally, coaches earn salaries exceeding 3 - 4 million
dollars, multimillion dollar shoe deals are signed by universities, and
players are put under tremendous pressure to try to study while keeping
up with a rigorous sports schedule. All the while, if they receive
a free meal from the wrong person at the wrong time (even a candy bar),
they lose their eligibility. I have seen it for years while
teaching at Ohio State, Kentucky, Indiana and Syracuse, all big time
athletics schools.
In
case you want to know, this is an issue I am passionate about, primarily
because many of these men come from poverty. It never made much
sense to me that the coach flies to the game on a private jet, while the
star player's mother arrives on a Greyhound Bus. One star player's
mother recently had to beg her church for money so that she could see
her son play in the Final Four. At the same time, the university
received a check for nearly $20 million dollars from her son's
performance. As a Finance Professor and an American, that just doesn't
seem fair to me. But that's just my opinion. Some people disagree
with me, which is why I will surely be arguing with someone Sunday and
Monday.
An article from my good friend, Wilmer Leon -
Host of "On with Leon" on XM Satellite (and Political Scicence Professor
at Howard University) - 3/7/07
We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us
By Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III
t r u t h o u t | Guest Contributor
Tuesday 06 March 2007
When read in the context of the Declaration of
Independence, The Constitution of the United States of America (the
Constitution) is truly one of the most impressive documents of
governance ever written. It contains approximately 4,300 words, was
completed in 1787, and 220 years later is the oldest operating
constitution in the world. Compare this with the proposed Constitution
of the European Union, which is approximately 60,000 words and not yet
ratified.
The Constitution in its original form was far
from perfect. Written into the document were justifications for
oppression and slavery such as Article I, Section 2, known as the
three-fifths compromise; Article I, Section 9, allowing the slave trade
to exist until 1808, and Article IV, Section 2, allowing the rendition
or capture and return of escaped slaves to the "... Party to whom such
Service or Labor may be due." In spite of these flaws, at its core are
the revolutionary principles of natural law and social contract theory
as articulated in the Declaration of Independence. These concepts
forever changed how people view themselves in relation to their
government. It is not the words that make these documents great; it is
America's reverence for these concepts that make the Constitution what
it is.
Natural law states that people possess the
God-given or natural right to govern themselves, as opposed to the
earlier concept of divine justification of a king or monarch. Social
contract theory is the idea that people in a civilized society consent
to be governed by a set of standards and elect representatives in order
to protect these natural rights. Most importantly, as stated in the
Declaration of Independence, "... That whenever any Form of Government
becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to
alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government ..." In other
words, the People must always hold their elected representatives
accountable for their actions.
Since its inception, the Constitution has been
the world standard for liberty, equality, and justice under the law. For
example, in 1945 the Vietnamese based their documents of freedom upon
our own. The European Union in 2003 and the Iraqi Constitution in 2005
were also based upon our Constitution. According to a June 25, 1996,
Wall Street Journal report, only 39 countries (25 percent of the world's
independent nations) were democratic in 1974. By 1996, 66 percent of the
world's independent nations were implementing democratic processes to
choose their top leaders. Those numbers have continued to grow - again,
based upon the US model.
Outside of the political realm, as multinational
corporations have expanded their reach and influence through
globalization, American concepts of fairness and equality as articulated
in the Constitution, have been used internationally to address sweat
shops, child labor, women's rights, illegal detention and ecological
racism in many foreign countries. For many decades, in spite of its
imperfections, America, because of the Constitution, has been the
stalwart of democracy and the beacon of hope for many people throughout
the world.
Have the actions of the current Bush
administration forever tarnished America's reputation in the minds of
those abroad? According to a PEW Research Center survey, an independent
research company "... anti-Americanism is deeper and broader now than at
any time in modern history... On matters of international security, the
rest of the world has become deeply suspicious of US motives and openly
skeptical of its word."
On the domestic front, laws that cut at the core
of American democracy have been implemented without public debate.
According to the New York Times, "The president can now use military
troops as a domestic police force in response to a natural disaster, ...
terrorist attack or to any "other condition." In October 2006, at the
very last minute, the administration slipped into the defense budget
bill provisions to undercut posse comitatus and the Insurrection Act of
1807. These two actions now make it easier for the president to declare
martial law. It is the undefined "other condition" that should be of
greatest concern to the American public. The fact that this was added to
the defense bill by the administration and the Democrats did nothing to
bring it to the public's attention is reprehensible.
Also, habeas corpus, a person's right to object
to his or another's detention or imprisonment, has been weakened.
According to the Associated Press, a federal appeals court has held that
foreign-born prisoners seized as terrorists by the US government and
held offshore may not challenge their detention in US civilian courts.
It is now left up to military tribunals to police themselves and make
this determination according to the Military Commissions Act. Senator
Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) stated, this is a dangerous and misguided law that
undercuts our freedoms and assaults our Constitution by removing vital
checks and balances that would restore detainees' legal rights. This
could gravely impact approximately 12 million lawful permanent residents
who currently reside in the US.
The Bush administration constantly admonishes
those who question their motives and challenge the constitutionality of
their actions. Members of the administration accuse critics of
emboldening the "insurgents" and sending the wrong message to our troops
and our enemies. With it now being easier for the president to declare
martial law as well as chipping away at the constitutionally guaranteed
right of habeas corpus, the US is looking more and more like the
dictatorships it went to war to overthrow. What message is that sending?
The US will impose democracy upon others at the barrel of a gun, but
usurp and violate its own constitution when following its precepts
proves to be inconvenient.
Benjamin Franklin said, "Those who would give up
Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither
Liberty nor Safety."
The US invaded Iraq in order to overthrow an evil
dictator who, among other things, imprisoned and tortured his critics in
order to silence them. According to the Guardian Unlimited, "... at the
US detention camp at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba ... According to the Red
Cross, the regime at Guantánamo causes psychological suffering that has
driven inmates mad, with scores of suicide attempts and three inmates
killing themselves last year. Even US officials are shocked ... FBI
documents revealed that an inmate's head had been wrapped in tape for
quoting from the Qur'an. Another was humiliated for his religious
beliefs and 'baptized' by a soldier posing as a Catholic priest. The
documents show FBI agents saw 26 instances of abuse in their time at
Guantánamo. The FBI is highly skeptical about alleged confessions gained
by its military colleagues."
The interrogation techniques originally employed
at Guantánamo were later implemented in Iraq itself at Abu Ghraib.
According to The New Yorker, "In the era of Saddam Hussein, Abu Ghraib
... was one of the world's most notorious prisons, with torture, weekly
executions, and vile living conditions." We are all too familiar with
the now infamous Abu Ghraib photographs that document the human rights
abuses perpetrated on Iraqis by the US Army and by other American
agencies and operatives. All the US did was to replace Saddam's
torturers with US torturers, all in the name of American democracy. But
torture by any entity is still torture. As a rose by any other name ...
In a Time magazine interview on January 27, 2005,
President Bush stated, "torture is never acceptable, nor do we hand over
people to countries that do torture." I guess no one told him about
Maher Arar, a Canadian engineer who was kidnapped by US officials at
Kennedy Airport in New York on September 26, 2002, sent to Syria for
months and tortured. Eventually, he was released on October 5, 2003,
without being charged with any crimes. Again, all of this is done in the
name of American democracy.
How does kidnapping and torturing people in the
name of democracy make us more democratic? How does violating people's
most sacred beliefs - their religion - in the name of "The War on
Terror" endear them to you and your cause? How does this make us safe?
Vice President Cheney has said repeatedly " To
prevail in this fight, we must understand the nature of the enemy ...
This enemy has no regard for the rules of warfare, and is unconstrained
by any standard of decency or morality ... They seek to impose a
dictatorship of fear, under which every man, woman, and child lives in
total obedience to a narrow, hateful ideology. This ideology rejects
tolerance, denies freedom of conscience ... Such beliefs can be imposed
only through force and intimidation, so those who refuse to bow to the
tyrants will be brutalized or killed ... and no person or group is
exempt." This sounds more like self-criticism than the condemnation of
others.
This administration has violated its own
constitution and the Geneva Conventions. It has invaded a sovereign
country, overseen the hanging of its president, instilled fear in the
hearts and minds of its own people through lies and misinformation, and
demonized an entire ethnic group of people and their religion. How do we
ever expect to win in the court of international public opinion and win
over the hearts and minds of those who disagree with US action? Are we
not engaged in the very actions and activities, both nationally and
internationally, that will result in our demise? Based upon the illegal
and immoral actions of the current Bush administration, I think Pogo the
possum was correct in 1971 when he said, "We have met the enemy, and he
is us."
--------
Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III is the producer/host of
the nationally broadcast call-in talk radio program "On With Leon" on XM
Satellite Radio Channel 169; producer/host of the television program
"Inside the Issues With Wilmer Leon" and a teaching associate in the
Department of Political Science at Howard University in Washington, DC.
Go to
www.wilmerleon.com
or email: wjl3us@yahoo.com. (c)
2007 InfoWave Communications, LLC.
-------
Getting ready for Hollywood – March 4, 2007
This week, we are shooting a video to go with
my new book, “Financial Lovemaking 101”.I am excited about it, although I am learning first hand what a
pain in the ass a video production can be.We had an entirely different game plan for the project, until we
found out that the people managing the creative side of the production
(i.e. the actors) were not ready the way I thought they were.Man, talk about losing money out the ass, this was a great
example.When I lose a lot
of money because of either my own stupidity or someone else’s, I
consider that to be tuition paid in the school of life.I just paid a few thousand in tuition, trusting some other people
when I probably should have done a bit more micromanagement.What is worse is that the creation in its old form, would have
gotten serious looks at some Hollywood contacts I have, so I am not sure
if those who messed this up realize what kind of opportunity they might
have missed.But I won’t
say any names or go into details, just know that it was all f*&$#ed up,
and I found myself learning a valuable lesson in the process.
So, I get to spend the week relearning a new script
for the production, which is going to get done come hell or high water.
I now know a bit more about the pressures of getting ready for the
camera.I also met a cool guy from Hollywood named Rob Edwards, who is a
writer on the show Studio 60, that new thing with NBC that cost more
than the space shuttle.He
and I hit it off pretty well, since we are similar people.Shoot, we even look alike, which was kind of weird.But I noticed immediately that he was a writer, since he had an
amazing ability to describe a scene with his words, and he was also
funny as hell, a sign that he was a comedy writer.I find it interesting how Hollywood has so many formulas and
metrics for so many things that the rest of us try to do naturally:when to laugh, how long the audience laughs, how often a joke
should be in the script, how the joke should be structured, etc.It’s amazing.
Speaking of Hollywood, I plan to take a trip out
there this spring.I don’t
want to be an actor or anything, but I would like to learn how the
business works so that my media company can eventually make low budget
films for black audiences.
The audience is so highly underserved that you can make a $3 million
dollar movie that earns you $80 million at the box office.That’s a great opportunity that whites have left us on the table,
sort of like when gangsta rap hit the scene with Shug Knight.
I’ve been giving a lot of speeches lately, so I am
just tired.I like making
that paper, but the time commitment can be a killer, and all that
traveling can eventually get on your nerves.I think I am going to go skiing or something.
I teach sophomores this year, which I love.They are better than seniors, since their minds are fresh and
like putty.You can let
them learn early about how not to do the retarded shit that you did when
you were their age, and half of them actually listen.I worry about some of my students, since they get into
serious stuff, like cocaine use and gambling.I personally think that college can be jack up your life if you
are not careful.
What else is going on?My radio show has been really hot. I find myself really having
fun on the radio.I also
found out that I am in the next two issues of Essence Magazine and
another Black Enterprise thing.
But the media stuff is kind of old news these days.Honestly, if it don’t make dollars, it don’t make sense, so I am
more into the business side these days, since that is where the
real power comes in your career.
Either way, I am having a ball, no two ways about it.
- I should be in the next issues of Essence and Black
Enterprise. All of the stuff talks about money, so I guess I am being
labeled as a pure finance guy. As you know, I am a black man first,
and a Finance Professor second.
- I was on Hot 97 in
New York with a rapper named Uncle Murda discussing the state of
Black America. As you can imagine, the panel was quite eclectic.
- That BET Special "25 Events that misshaped Black America"
aired Tuesday night at 8. I was on there giving some commentary and
flapping my gums. It was fun.
- We did a lot of interviews near Valentines Day for Financial
Lovemaking – Dom Giordano, Maryland Public Radio, XM Satellite and a few
others.
- On Boiling Hot with Boyce Watkins, we hit a lot of
issues of relevance to the black community. People are buzzing and the
show is really hitting hard. We should be in
Philly on
WURDwithin one week and WLOU in
Louisville, KY. We should be in Cinci soon as well. To hear
the show, please visit
www.yourblackworld.com.
Me and Uncle Murda at Hot 97 - 2/13/07
I was sitting there, in the
studio for Hot 97’s show “Street Soldiers”, in NYC.In case you don’t know, Hot 97 is the #1 hip hop station in
the city of New York, effectively making it the top hip hop station in
the world.There are
others, but only Hot 97 can brag about how many rappers have been shot
on their doorsteps.
I was there with a
motivational speaker whose name I can’t quite remember, and a rapper
named “Uncle Murda”.He
introduced himself, and I was like “Uncle what the &*^%”?He said “Uncle Murda”.
I then said “Is he related to Aunt Homicide? What about Cousin Man
Slaughter?”Of course I was
being silly, but I admit that it’s funny seeing the young guys come up
with names more creative and violent than those before them.But I have to give Uncle Murda major credit – his beats were
definitely slamming.
There was one tiny problem:
His first major song was called “Shoot the Police”.
I was like “huh?” I listened to the song, which was pretty graphic.But as I said, the beat was slamming.I was trying to understand why someone named Uncle Murda would ever
write a song about killing someone.
As I analyzed the lyrics, I could tell that Uncle Murda was frustrated
by the recent shooting of an unarmed black man in New York City, the one
who was shot on his wedding night.
He was also angry over the fact that the police had shot one of his
friends the week after the incident, and that he has had run ins with
the police on a regular basis.
As a man whose father is a
law enforcement officer, I’ve had long conversations with my dad about
what police go through.I
have firmly concluded that not all cops are bad people.However, I could also understand Uncle Murda’s anger, which he
expressed through rhyme.
Many of us know that, while most cops are honest, police can behave like
a street gang at times, keeping their lips shut while others abuse their
authority, engage in illegal activity and even murder people in cold
blood.Black men usually
find themselves at the other end of this stick, as they are the ones
least likely to be believed in the court of law.
So, I listened to Uncle
Murda’s lyrics, which were actually creative.I then concluded that his anger is not much different from the
anger that any man would possess if he felt that he and the people he
loved were being violated.
It’s not about good and bad, it’s about war.If a man feels that other men are attacking him and stripping him
of his masculinity, he is going to fight back.The same was true of the Black Panthers, Malcolm X, The American
Revolutionaries, etc.His
song reminded me of the song F*#k the police, by NWA 17 years ago.Everyone was shocked that these guys had the audacity to say
violent things about the police, but two years later when the Rodney
King incident occurred, everyone knew what they were talking about.Had it not been for video cameras, we would still think they were
lying.
How The Reagan
Administration put drugs in the black community (in case you didn't
know) - 2/10/07
In case you didn’t know, the 1980s were not a
necessarily good time for black people in America. But then again, I am
not sure which decade was a good time for us.But the 80s were especially bad, as crack cocaine hit the scene,
and communities were destroyed in the process.Not only did you have the abandonment of families and resulting
crime that comes with rampant drug use, you also had violent drug wars,
and the devastation of mandatory sentencing and 3 strikes laws.
Then, you have Ronald Reagan.During black history month, we should set the record straight
for those who never bought the album….The CIA under the Reagan
Administration was largely responsible for a great deal of the drug
trafficking allowed in the US.
It has been written about and later confirmed through additional
research.Effectively, it was our government’s dysfunctional relationship
with the Contras that led to us allowing the distribution of drugs,
primarily in black neighborhoods, as a solution to the fact that they
could not openly fund their operations.That is the short and long of it.
All the while, the self-righteous crusaders in the War
on Drugs convinced us that the incarceration of as many black men as
possible was the solution to the problem.The reality was that all of America was being lied to in the
process.Twenty years
later, our kids are still getting high, and our country continues to
suffer from the lost productivity of millions.
Rest in peace Ronald Reagan, for you truly left your mark on Black
History.
Transcripts from the
CNN Interview, and my Great Super Bowl Prediction - February 5, 2007
Yes, I am such a peeyamp. Not a pimp....a
"peeyamp". You have to put the twist in the word if you want to
say it right. Why am I a peeyamp? Because I made my radio
prediction of the Super Bowl on Wisconsin Public Radio, a station with
hundreds of thousands of listeners. I predicted the score would be
34-17, Colts. The final score? 29 - 17. Yes, I am a
peeyamp.
Once I realized how right I was, I called up the host
of the show to remind him to kiss my butt the next time we talk.
He is a good guy though, so I won't rib him too much.
At any rate, I just got back from a speech at Western
Kentucky. It was fun to go back home, but the schedule was so
tight that I didn't even have time to visit my mother. That
bothers me, since I never want to become one of those celebrity bastards
who doesn't have time for his mother. I am not even a celebrity,
so I have no right to be a bastard yet. But I will never let that
happen to me, since I am not that kind of person.
I thought my readers might want to see the transcript
of the Paula Zahn interview:
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAHN: We are talking about race in the NFL and the 41 years it
took to finally see a black head coach in the Super Bowl.
Our "Out in the Open" panel tonight, Kevin Blackistone -- you have
seen him on ESPN's "Around the Horn" -- national radio talk show
host Steve Malzberg, who covers sport for many, many years --
yes, he is a really old guy.
(LAUGHTER)
ZAHN: And Syracuse University professor Boyce Watkins -- Dr. Boyce
Watkins, I should say -- author of the book "What If George Bush
Were a Black Man?"
Good to have all of you with us tonight.
So, if you look at how long it has taken us to get us to this
point, it this because owners have strong prejudices against
blacks as coaches? KEVIN BLACKISTONE, ESPN'S "AROUND THE HORN":
Well, I mean, I don't think it is anything but that. I mean, it
is even more outrageous that it took from 1921, when the first
black coach was ever hired in the NFL, until 1989, when the
second black coach was ever hired in the NFL.
I mean, this is a -- this sport is behind basketball. It's even
behind Major League Baseball, which is thought of as stodgy.
And, up until now, since the Rooney rule was passed, which I
think you talked about...
ZAHN: Which basically mandates that you have to...
BLACKISTONE: Sure.
ZAHN: ... at least interview...
BLACKISTONE: Exactly.
ZAHN: ... a black candidate.
BLACKISTONE: Up until now, it was a real struggle for talented,
aspiring black men in pro football to even dream about becoming
a head coach, because it just didn't happen.
ZAHN: How alive is the perception today, when you look at these
numbers, that -- that blacks are better suited, because of what
great athletes they are, and they don't want them in the front
office, nor telling the players what to do on the field, because
they don't think they are smart enough? Is that perception alive
and well?
BOYCE WATKINS, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR: Well, we have always
had a country that was ready and willing to allow a black man to
run and jump and lift things.
Allowing a black man to actually control the -- the intellectual
mechanism behind whatever you are doing is something that people
are still getting used to. And I would say that the racism in
the NFL is really a matter of tradition, sort of, holding people
back from doing the right thing, because, effectively, owners in
-- in -- choose coaches through the old-boy system, which was
built on a racist foundation.
So, black men were not allowed in that old-boy system. So, when
you have the Rooney rule come into play, that forces them to
widen the search, then, it helps the entire NFL, because you are
forcing them to find the best person qualified for the job. That
is what progress we have made found so far.
ZAHN: Are white coaches smarter? Is that what the...
STEVE MALZBERG, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: No.
ZAHN: ... the fundamental problem is with perceptions among owners
here?
(CROSSTALK)
MALZBERG: Greg Gumbel said just the other day that this is nice
now, but, by next year, everybody is going to forget this. Black
coaches are not smarter or dumber. They're not better or worse.
It depends on the players you have.
They're making a big deal about this. I can understand that. But,
when it is over, it is over, and you move on.
Look, Ron Rivera, who is the defensive coordinator for the Chicago
Bears, could become the next coach of the Dallas Cowboys. He is
Puerto Rican. Does he count? Or is he not going to count? Well,
the -- I mean -- I mean, this is so ridiculous, this whole thing
of counting the numbers and the numbers game. It is a quota
system.
Because 70 percent of the players are black, what does that mean?
So, in corporate America...
(CROSSTALK)
ZAHN: ... one-fifth of the coaches are black.
(CROSSTALK)
ZAHN: I mean, isn't there something askew with those statistics?
MALZBERG: In corporate America, if a corporation have 75 percent
whites, does that mean that a black man shouldn't be running the
company? People will say, of course not.
Well, what difference does it make how many black players are in a
league compared to how many coaches are in a league?
WATKINS: But you're comparing apples and oranges.
When you are talking about putting a wide receiver on the field,
you are looking for the guy who can run the 40-yard dash in 4.3
seconds, or whatever.
MALZBERG: Sure.
WATKINS: You can't really manipulate that.
But, when you are picking a coach, that's very arbitrary. You are
picking the guy that -- whom you think is the smartest. And the
reality is that, for I don't know how many years, we just
decided that a black man isn't the smartest guy that should be
running the team.
MALZBERG: No. There's a lot more than smarts involved in picking a
coach. You're picking the man who you think is going to
motivate, who is going to organize, who is smart. There is a
whole ball game going on there.
(CROSSTALK)
WATKINS: And black men were rarely given that opportunity. And,
so, I am not saying that black men should take over the coaching
booth, the way they have taken over the field. But black men
should be given opportunities. That is all they're asking for.
(CROSSTALK)
ZAHN: Do you think there is almost, though, a -- a patronizing
sense of amazement here, that you have got two black coaches
heading off against each other on Sunday next?
(CROSSTALK)
BLACKISTONE: Yes, there is, because -- because, to me, with these
two guys, getting to the Super Bowl is not an amazing story. To
me, that's a historical footnote.
To me, I am more excited that, on the same Sunday that they made
that advancement, the Pittsburgh Steelers were about to announce
that they had hired a 34-year-old guy from Minnesota who no one
had ever heard of by the name of Mike Tomlin, who, oh, guess
what, we saw his picture and found out he is black. That is the
way the system...
MALZBERG: And how did that happen in a racist league?
BLACKISTONE: Well, that's the way...
MALZBERG: How did that happen in a racist league?
(LAUGHTER)
BLACKISTONE: Well, I will tell you, it happened -- it happened
because of the Rooney rule.
WATKINS: Yes.
BLACKISTONE: And, in fact, of course, Rooney comes from the
Pittsburgh Steelers.
WATKINS: Yes.
BLACKISTONE: Why did Marvin Lewis get hired in Cincinnati? Mike
Brown, the boss in Cincinnati, admitted that, until the Rooney
rule came up, he never even -- he never even considered
interviewing a black man for any -- any position that he had in
the front office or as -- or as head coach.
(CROSSTALK)
ZAHN: Very quickly.
MALZBERG: It's fundamentally wrong to force an owner of a club or
a business to have to interview a minority. That is
fundamentally wrong.
ZAHN: All right, team, stay right here. We have got plenty more to
talk about. And we want to hear from you out there, as well.
Please send us the e-mails tonight to Now@CNN.com. And our panel
will weigh in on your thoughts a little bit later on. You don't
even have to be nice to them. These guys are tough guys.
(LAUGHTER)
ZAHN: They can handle anything you throw their way.
(LAUGHTER)
ZAHN: A black NFL player's frightening experience helps brings our
next story out into the open on whether police are too quick to
pull the stun gun trigger on minorities.
And, then, a little bit later on: singer Brandy facing prosecution
after a fatal car crash. Is she being singled out because she is
famous and rich? We will bring that one out in the open in a
little bit.
We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAHN: So, what it is like to be targeted by police and shocked
with a 50,000-volt taser because of the color of your skin?
Hundreds of African-Americans in Houston say that is what they
have experienced, racial bias at the end of a stun gun. One of
them is NFL lineman Fred Weary, who claims that police there are
trigger- happy in their treatment of black suspects, something
Houston police strongly deny.
But, tonight, our Ed Lavandera helps us bring this racially-
charged controversy out in the open.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On a November
afternoon a 6'4'' black male weighing more than 300 pounds was
pulled over on a Houston highway for failing to use his signal
to change lanes.
Police say, the driver became verbally combative, and then made a
threatening move toward the officers, so one officer tasered
him. He dropped to the ground. The driver turned out to be Fred
Weary, a lineman on the Houston Texans football team.
CHARLES DAVIDSON, ATTORNEY FOR FRED WEARY: I think the police,
these two officers, drew the completely wrong impression and
decided they were going to stop with this guy and they were
going to jack with him.
LAVANDERA: Weary's attorney says he's left wondering if race
played a role in the altercation. Weary was charged with
resisting arrest, but a judge dismissed the charges. The case
has triggered a high-profile controversy, raising questions
about whether Houston police officers are unfairly using the
taser weapon against African-American suspects.
(on camera): According to the department's statistics, in the last
two years, 63 percent of all suspects tased by Houston police
officers were African-American. But that number represents less
than 1 percent of the total number of arrests made during that
time.
(voice-over): The mayor is asking for an independent review of how
the department uses the weapon. Until the report is complete,
City Councilwoman Ada Edwards is calling for a moratorium on the
use of tasers.
(on camera): When you look at those statistics, someone who might
say, oh, maybe it's just a coincidence. You don't see that?
ADA EDWARDS, HOUSTON, TEXAS, CITY COUNCIL MEMBER: I don't think
that, if it was 60 percent white males in that age group, I
don't think that it would be looked at as a coincidence. I think
people would at least like to know why.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Police Chief Harold Hurtt says race does
not play a factor in taser incidents. He says that, because
disenfranchised minorities are more likely to interact with
police, that that explains why more African-Americans have been
tasered. Fifty percent of all suspects arrested by Houston
police in the last two years were black.
HAROLD HURTT, HOUSTON, TEXAS, POLICE CHIEF: We're not
indiscriminately going out, selecting individuals, and taser
them. We are -- in most cases, 60 percent of the cases that we
use them against African-American males, or black males, as a
result of calls from people in the community or their own
family.
LAVANDERA: Supporters of the taser even suggest that the weapon
has saved lives.
Houston City Councilman Adrian Garcia worked as a police officer
for 24 years. He says, since the taser was employed on the
force, there have been 40 cases where police officers could have
used their gun, but instead used the taser.
ADRIAN GARCIA, HOUSTON, TEXAS, CITY COUNCIL MEMBER: The taser, I
had understood it, would be a alternative to a firearm, that it
would be a device that could be used to prevent a physical
confrontation from escalating into a deadly-force confrontation.
LAVANDERA: Officers stunned Fred Weary with two taser shots.
Houston police say the officers acted properly. But Weary says
the taser shot numbed half his body, and that was more painful
than anything he's ever experienced on the football field.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Houston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: Let's turn this over to our "Out in the Open" panel tonight,
Kevin Blackistone, Steve Malzberg, Boyce Watkins.
Glad to have you all back.
Let's review the numbers again. When you look at how often this
has happened to black suspects, the numbers say it all: 64
percent of the cases involving blacks; Latinos, 23 percent;
whites, 12 percent.
What's the deal here? Are police more afraid of black suspects
than whites?
WATKINS: Well, I talk to my father about this a lot, because he
happens to be a high-ranking police official in my hometown.
And, so, I try to get both sides of the picture.
And the reality is that, when you are a black man, which I have
been for the most of my life now, you know that...
(LAUGHTER)
ZAHN: And when did that happen, by the way? I just want to know.
(CROSSTALK)
WATKINS: Since the operation. Since the operation.
ZAHN: Oh, OK.
(LAUGHTER)
ZAHN: I haven't -- I didn't know you before the operation.
WATKINS: Yes, yes, and since the surgery.
But, you know, I have always known that, when you go deeper into
the South, when you are a black man, you do not deal with the
cops the way you would if you were white. It doesn't mean all
cops are bad. A lot of cops are very good people. They are
honest, just like the rest of us. But there are some cops who
abuse their power.
And it is easiest to abuse your power against people who you don't
think can fight back.
ZAHN: Is that what it is?
(CROSSTALK)
ZAHN: Are they -- do you think...
MALZBERG: Oh, my gosh.
ZAHN: ... these cops are trigger-happy in Houston? MALZBERG: It is
very -- and, with all due respect, it is nice to hear that some
-- most cops are nice. Not all cops are bad. The number of bad
cops is an infantile percentage. Cops are good.
Look, this guy was charged by these cops with resisting arrest. He
is a big, bulky football player. I don't know...
ZAHN: All right. Now, I talked to him one on one a couple weeks
ago.
MALZBERG: OK.
ZAHN: And he denies that he ever behaved the way the cops describe
him as behaving.
MALZBERG: All right.
(CROSSTALK)
MALZBERG: Well, the police chief is black.
ZAHN: He said he never put up a fight.
MALZBERG: The police chief is black.
WATKINS: That doesn't mean anything.
(CROSSTALK)
MALZBERG: The guy -- the Hispanic officers said how -- how -- how
thankful he is that they have tasers.
Look, you don't -- each case has to be taken on its own merits. We
don't know what went on there. I wish they had cameras. But we
don't know what happened here. And, as for the 64 percent, we
don't know what happened in each one of those cases either.
ZAHN: Kevin, what about that? Because you hear the police chief
talk, and he said, yes, it seems like a disproportionate number
of blacks are being hit with stun guns.
BLACKISTONE: Right.
ZAHN: But the black suspects are the ones more -- blacks are more
often to interact with police.
BLACKISTONE: Well, the black community does have a very
interesting relationship with the police. We often need them a
lot more than anybody else. And, oftentimes, we wish they had
never showed up more than anybody else.
I mean, we know that deadly force is -- is something that affects
us more often when we come in contact with cops than anybody
else. Right now, it happens to be the taser.
And the taser happens to have elements of deadly force as well,
because we know that there are people who have died from being
tasered. And there a lot of cities around the country right now
looking into using the taser and what kind of impact it has on
people that it is used upon. But we rarely in journalism I know
ever talk about whether or not anyone other than people of color
and particularly males of color are being -- are being hurt more
by what police are doing when they come into the community. So I
don't think there is any question that this is a real problem in
the black community.
STEVE MALZBERG, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: New York City lowered the
murder rate from over 2,000 a year, over 2,000 and David Dinkins
the African-American mayor New York to now, 500 from Giuliani to
Bloomberg. You know whose lives are being saved? Minority lives
are being saved.
BOYCE WATKINS, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY: But the black mayor or the
black police chief, and Clarence Thomas is black.
MALZBERG: Yeah, so?
WATKINS: And there are a lot of black people who don't care about
black people.
MALZBERG: Well, that is ridiculous. Clarence Thomas, to say he
doesn't care about black people?
WATKINS: Well, we won't talk about Clarence Thomas today, but the
reality is that the criminal justice system as a whole does have
a bias against black men. We are not talking about just the
police force. We're talking about the system as a whole. You
look at the millions of black men that are incarcerated. That's
destroying black families (INAUDIBLE). Some of them did and also
just because you commit a crime, does not mean the punishment
fits the crime and many times we are disproportionately punished
for the crimes that we have committed. You look at - for
example, down in Florida A&M University, two black men, two
Kappas in the Kappa Alpha Phi fraternity was sent to prison for
two years for hazing. That's never happened in a white
fraternity. So the punishment must fit the crime and that
doesn't always happen when you're black.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR, PAULA ZAHN NOW: Kevin, final thought, are
the cops targeting these blacks because they are racist or
because of the fact that Steve pointed out, crime statistics
would show that they commit a majority of the crimes?
BLACKISTONE: Well, I certainly don't think that the police forces
in America and certainly in a large one like Houston are without
people who may carry some prejudices and biases into their work.
And those may very well spill out into the community. And it is
certainly looking like right now Houston has a problem with the
way that police are interacting with black males in particular.
ZAHN: Fred Warey (ph) has said that he will sue the city unless
they explain the disproportionate numbers we are talking about
here tonight. Don't laugh, Steve. He is going through with this.
MALZBERG: I'm not laughing. Of course, he's going to sue the city.
ZAHN: All right. We're going to get your take on all of this a
little bit later. Please e-mail us tonight at now@cnn.com. We're
going to read them and get our panel's reaction to what you have
to say a little bit later on.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: And coming up, Anderson Cooper joins us live from the scene
of that tornado disaster in central Florida and then our panel
weighs in your e-mails next. They are reading them now. Wait
until you hear what all of you had to say. We will be right
back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAHN: We have been getting your reactions to the stories we
brought out in the open this hour. Our panel is standing by so
let's read some of your e-mails right now. We get started with
this one from Adam about black NFL coaches. He writes, given the
history of racism within organized sports and other areas of
employment, it is obvious that simple steps like expanding the
interview process should be utilized. Whites who can't see this
basic truth need to explore the depth of their racial bias. He
is basically saying you are racist.
MALZBERG: Of course that's ridiculous.
ZAHN: ...without saying that directly.
MALZBERG: Right of course, code words, code words, but...
ZAHN: ... because you are not in favor of the Rooney (ph) process
that mandates these team owners...
MALZBERG: Well, why stop at sports? Every business, all through
corporate America, let's set quotas. You have to interview a
certain amount of blacks, Asians, Puerto Ricans, Hispanics, et
cetera, right down the system. Make the whole system a quota
system. How's that for Adam? Maybe Adam would like that.
WATKINS: That's not the answer and really, when you implement
something like this, you are not saying that these owners are
bad people, that they want to do bad things. What you are doing
is --
ZAHN: Well, historically, that is what a lot of people have said
about that.
WATKINS: People have said that, but I don't believe it. What I
believe is that we have a system of hiring that has a racist
foundation and therefore in order to deal with the racism
system, you must implement a systemic strategy that will
eradicate the racism from that system, because racism is built
into the fabric of the institutional infrastructure by society.
It is not something that people just have in their hearts and
minds.
ZAHN: Let's move on to this one from Alice G who writes, that when
we as people stop identifying individuals according to the color
of their skin, in this case African-Americans, then and only
then will we be able to say we have accomplished a huge racial
divide. Guilty of defining yourself as an African-American or
black man? BLACKISTONE: I do it proudly, but I mean, it's hard
not to do that in the context of what we are discussing tonight
when you look at all the data and you look at all the statistics
and we are the ones being tasered. We are the ones that have
been - we're shut out of the NFL when it comes to head coaching
jobs for 60-some years. We are the ones who suffer all of these
maladies in society, so it is kind of hard not to look around
and identify yourselves as such when all of these things...
MALZBERG: In case you haven't noticed, the blacks suffered great
injustices for more than 60 some years. That has been remedied.
The fabric (INAUDIBLE) of the rules have been fixed (INAUDIBLE)
legally and you can't discriminate against you because you're
black legally. That is the law now, wasn't back then 60 years
ago, 50 years ago. It is now.
BLACKISTONE: As a matter of fact, it took two lawyers, Johnny
Cochran and Cyrus Mary (ph) to bring together the Rooney rule to
bring pressure upon the league because they were threatening a
lawsuit.
MALZBERG: How do blacks succeed in this country? How did you
succeed? How did he succeed?
BLACKISTONE: I got an opportunity to prove that I could succeed.
MALZBERG: Right. (INAUDIBLE)
WATKINS: I was very (INAUDIBLE) my job at Syracuse University but
the fact was I was the first black finance professor they hired
in over 100 years of existence and I was not the first smart man
to apply for that job. So sometimes the law does do good things
in terms of achieving equality. And it is not good for black
people. It's good for America. Don't forget that.
ZAHN: We got to leave it there. Kevin Blackistone, Steve Malzberg
and Boyce Watkins, have a great weekend you all. Appreciate all
of your perspectives here tonight. Right now I want to take a
quick biz break.
On Wall Street, the Dow lost 20 points, Nasdaq up 7.5 points. The
S&P gained over 2.
This is going to be the most expensive year yet for the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan. The White House today requested an
additional $100 billion to fund the wars in 2007. Now that's in
addition to the $70 billion already approved by Congress.
A jury found in Atlanta today found a former Coca-Cola executive
assistant guilty of conspiring to steal Coke's trade secrets and
trying to sell them to rival Pepsico. She faces up to 10 years
in prison.
Next, we're going to go live to Florida for the latest on
tonight's breaking news. Tornadoes have killed at 19 people and
left hundreds homeless, many more than that without power. We
will get the very latest from Anderson Cooper as you can see,
live on the scene when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAHN: Now back to our lead story tonight, the state of emergency
in four Florida counties after this morning's killer storms. In
Lady Lake, Florida tonight, we find Anderson Cooper. He is
getting the story firsthand. He joins us live from the heart of
the disaster zone. Exactly where are you tonight, Anderson?
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're in Lake County, Lady
Lake, which as you know Paula, is the hardest-hit county. Of the
19 fatalities so far reported, all of them have been reported
from this one county. You can see really, just driving in here,
the devastation is everywhere. This is a home that was ripped
off of its foundations, shoved about 50 feet probably into this
grove of trees, and you know, we have become all too familiar
with this sort of thing from hurricane Katrina, but you can see
into this person's house, the front door here lying on the
ground. Someone already went through, found that doll, found
some pictures. There's a picture over there, but very little is
salvageable from this home and block after block, Paula,
throughout this entire county, you will find homes like this. It
is a scene very reminiscent of hurricane Katrina, Paula.
ZAHN: Anderson, tell us about some of the people you met today and
what they were affected by. Obviously, there has been a
tremendous loss of life and homes all but leveled.
COOPER: There have been a lot of tears shed in this county, I can
tell you that, Paula. There is a church very close nearby here
that has been completely destroyed. I talked to a lot of the
parishioners there. They are upset. They're still in shock, of
course, but they are resolved. They're determined to rebuild.
They say the church is just - that's just a building. The church
is really the people and the people are alive and remain strong.
They plan to have Sunday services.
And I spoke to the mother of a girl who was killed just a couple
hundred feet from where I was standing. They found her earlier
this morning, a high school student. Her name is Britney May
(ph). She wanted to go into the Marines. That dream of course
now will never occur and her mom is of course still in shock. So
there is a lot of people here still trying to figure out what
comes next, Paula.
ZAHN: A storm hitting in the middle of the night, very few people
getting the warnings. They should have or could have had they
been awake. Anderson, thanks, we will see you at 10:00.
Meanwhile, the network's coverage will continue all day tomorrow
as well starting at 7:00 a.m. in the morning. Thanks again for
dropping by here tonight. Glad to have you with us. We hope you
have a really good weekend. Hope to see you Monday.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR
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Riding the Hoarse
with Paula Zahn - 2/4/07
I love going to New York.I find that I am making trips to the city all the time now, which
is great.What is even
greater is getting picked up in big, fat limos and SUVs that look like
they are carrying President Bush.
Perhaps it is the super-sized egos of celebrities that make them feel
that they need super sized vehicles to pick them up. The damn truck
could have held 9 people, but there was only me, the driver and 3 tiny
bottles of water.Of course, “we celebrity types” need to be fully protected from the
dangers of temporary thirst.
Yeah right.
OK, I get to the city planning to appear on Paula Zahn,
but this day was especially rushed, since I was also going to do an
interview on Wisconsin Public Radio right before.
Not only was I rushed, but my voice has been incredibly hoarse for
several days, and I sound like Marlon Brando with lung cancer.
I like NPR shows, since they actually try to get to the heart of an
issue through productive discussion, which is the opposite of the Fox
News, kill the guest approach. I don’t like going onto Fox shows, and I
tend to only watch Fox when The Family Guy is on (one of my favorite
cartoons).
But enough about Fox.I went to my favorite store to try to spice up my wardrobe.There is a place on 38th street that I love, so I took a
walk to go on a short little shopping spree.I love walking through New York, since there is always something to
look at.I swear that one
day I am going to see an alien walking down the street, and I will
barely notice.That is what
New York does to you.
I bought 4 new suits, with shirts and ties to match.I aimed for stuff with color, because I want to be more colorful
with my look. My ex-girlfriend said I
used to dress like a mortician, and I notice that my female friends and
relatives always comment on my outfit when I am on TV, and some don't
even remember what we were talking about. That is when I learned
the importance of appearance. Some people don't even listen to you
if you don't look like you belong on television. I think it's all
a bit silly, but life is stupid I guess. I called 6 or 7
people on the way to the store, none of them were home. But in full
compliance with Murphy’s Law, all of these people chose to call me right
back right in the middle of trying on my clothes.That was annoying, but at least they called me back.
The guy was patient with me, as I had to spend 15
minutes on the phone with the people from CNN, discussing the topics
that we were going to hit that night.First, there was the Super Bowl and what it means to have two black
coaches.Then, there was
the player for the Houston Texans who was tasered by the Houston Police.Apparently, they were messing with the wrong negro that night,
because he is suing their butts off. I
think that he is asking for a full apology, as well as a review of the
taser policy for Houston police.
Good for him.
I know how justice is in the south, especially in
Texas.Black men are
imprisoned so easily in Texas and Louisiana that it makes the slave days
look good.My father is a
high ranking police official, so I have tremendous respect for law
enforcement.But abuse of power can be rampant at times, and their “stick
together no matter what” mentality can sometimes lead to cops behaving
like a gang.But again, I
am not one of those “march in the street every time a black man gets
shot’ kind of people.
Sometimes, a person should be dealt with by police, and not every black
man who gets shot was innocent.
I am not saying that I don’t want justice, I just want justice to be
just.
The CNN producers kept changing the topics, and I just
kept rolling with the punches.
When you deal with the networks, that’s all you can do, really, since
they call the shots.The
cool thing about this particular segment was that it was going to be
like 40 minutes or something, which is a mad sick long time to be on
CNN.Even the guy who drove the limo I rode in (a really intelligent man
from the middle east) said that he was surprised at how long our segment
was.He said that Paula
Zahn’s show normally gives just 6 minutes for show topics and guests.Perhaps it was my perky lips and killer charm that made her
want more of me (haha).
Speaking of Paula Zahn, I have to say that she is as
sweet in person as she is on TV.Everyone I talked to spoke highly of her, and I enjoyed the last
time I met her.What
surprised me is that she is 50 years old, but doesn’t look a day over
40.Black women are the
most beautiful women in the world, but Paula Zahn actually caught my eye
for half a second.Just
half a second though, so don’t be hatin.
I was on the show with a conservative guy, I can’t
quite remember his name.
His first name was Steve, and I don’t remember his last name.He reminded me of the typical conservative that I’d known back in
college:Well-dressed, a
bit arrogant and entirely too self-righteous.But I had a respect for him given that he is a vet in the media
game, and I have to give him credit for the fact that he seems to
actually believe the bullsh*t he was spitting on the air.OK, no problem.I
figured I would just have to dismantle him slowly, since I have learned
through time that a really well-educated black man can be a very scary
thing.By the end of the show, I could tell the poor guy was
petrified.I have gotten
used to that. My father, the cop
who reads people for a living, summarized the appearance by saying “At
the end of the show, the black guy looked at you with respect and
admiration, and the other guy was afraid of you.”I said “Good.Mission
accomplished.”
But I wasn’t mean to the conservative.I don’t take alternate views personally most of the time.I learned long ago that getting all mad really doesn’t change
anything.Also, arguing all
day really doesn’t make much of a difference.We sit there at the dinner table, arguing for hours with our friend
who has an opposing view, fully convinced that we can change their mind
and change the world if we just keep talking.Neither happens, as the world remains the same after we’ve wasted 3
valuable hours of our lives, and the person we’ve been barking at still
has the same opinion.The
only exception are arguments that occur in media, since media has the
powerful ability to change opinions.Therefore, I usually don’t argue for a very long time with people
in person, and I don’t get mad.
But I will argue with you on TV just so that we can share our views.In personal settings, ,it is my goal to listen and learn from you,
not to change your perspective.
So, if I were talking to David Duke, the Klansman, I would not yell at
him, get mad or try to get him to see the light.I would ask lots of questions and try to see why he is so retarded.
So, I didn’t have a problem with Steve the
conservative, even though I knew he was going to be outmatched.Most of the time, when you argue with a conservative, it
doesn’t take much to break down the logic of their arguments.That’s why many of the boneheads on Fox News, such as Sean
Hannity, spend all their time yelling and ranting and raving.Then, you have those who will simply edit out your replies to their
arguments (as Oprah did to the rapper Ludicris).I guess killing alternative viewpoints is a method of argument, but
it’s not all that productive.
The other guy on the show was a dude named
Blackistone.He’sa cool brother that I’ve seen on Around the Horn, an ESPN show.When I came in, he was text messaging someone, so he couldn’t talk.
But once we talked for a while, we found we have a lot in common.He’s also familiar with Stephen A. Smith, and he and I traded
theories on why his show was cancelled.I respect Stephen A. a lot, and I wish I could have given more
consultation on the structure of the show.I think that I could have helped keep that thing on the air.I compared his show to successful sports shows, and there was a lot
missing.Seeing that show
disappear really broke my heart, since I thought Stephen A has a great
television personality.
Perhaps one day I will get a chance to host an ESPN or CNN show of my
own, it would definitely be off the chain.
But then again, I could care less if that ever happens.
I am going back to the city in a few days for another
show that I’ve been dying to be on.It’s called Street Soldiers, on Hot 97.Hot 97 is the radio station where all the rappers get shot, so I'll
definitely be packing.I’ve
heard of Hot 97 for over a decade now, and I have much respect.This station is the key and primary channel to getting to the hip
hop community in NYC.I
can’t wait for that one, because shows like this are the ones that keep
me in my element.CNN is fun, but Hot 97 is made for me. OK, I have to go
pack now for my speech in Kentucky. Western Kentucky University,
here I come!
Black coaches and
another date with CNN - 1/31/07
I was watching CNN the other day, along with 80 zillion
other people, and I noticed that they were taking a poll of the best
Super Bowls ever. I could not help but notice that every option
you could vote for consisted of a white quarterback and his great feat.
For example, Joe Namath and his predicted win was one of them.
They had others by Terry Bradshaw, Roger Starbauck and others. You
almost would have sworn that there was not a single black man in any of
these Super Bowls. This made me think hard about the two black
coaches in the Super Bowl this week and what that means for America.
Personally, I could not help but notice that when the
Colts are discussed, the media tends to focus on quarterback Peyton
Manning as the mastermind behind everything that happens. But when
the Patriots won their Super Bowls, the attention was on the coach and
his brilliance. I also noticed that in the NFL, it almost seems as
if the presence of two black coaches in the Super Bowl serves as
required proof that these guys can do the job. Being an average
black coach just doesn't seem to be enough these days, as only Super
Negroes need apply. I don't think we ever needed two black coaches
in the Super Bowl to prove we can do the job.
Low and behold, I get a call from CNN to appear on
Friday to talk about this issue. It's funny how those things work,
I am thinking about signing up for one of those psychic hotlines if they
exist anymore. I think about something and then it happens.
Poof! The show is Paula Zahn Now, and it's 8 pm. I actually
get quite a bit of time to run my mouth, and I think I am going to have
a lot to say.
Other than that, I have a cold today. I love
black women, for every female friend I have immediately recommended
their favorite remedy toward me. My male friends didn't give a
sh*t. I got a call from one friend, she says "You need to get out
and get you some honey and lemon." Five minutes later, I got a
call from my mother, who said "You need to get out and get you some
honey and lemon." They sounded serious. I think I am in for
a major ass whooping if I don't show up with honey and lemon in my
house. I better get moving.
It turns out that the NCAA and I launched simultaneous
investigations.It was
uncovered by both of us, at the same time, that an individual involved
with USC’s football program received a set of cash, gifts and other
inappropriate benefits in exchange for his contributions to the team.When I uncovered this information, I was appalled.Not because the gifts were exchanged, but because this man had done
little to actually earn the funds in question.
As I prepared for my big day in court with hundreds of
pages of grand jury testimony, tape recordings, sexy photographs and
catchy bible verses, it occurred to me that perhaps the NCAA and I were
not investigating the same person.
My target was USC coach, Pete Carroll, and their target was Heisman
Trophy winner, Reggie Bush.
Taken aback and stunned like an Evangelical preacher
during the Janet Jackson Super Bowl, I tried to reconcile my confusion.
My logic was quite simple:
How in the world can Carroll receive between 2 and 3 million dollars per
year, along with numerous other perks, while none of the guys on the
field are getting a thing?
Shoot, he can’t even run the 40-yard dash in under 6 seconds and hasn’t
played a down since the Beatles released their last album.Why in hell had they chosen to compensate Carroll, while everyone
on the field was getting almost nothing?
On the other hand, I figured that Reggie Bush would be
the LAST guy for the NCAA to investigate.He is faster than a crack head on payday, was declared by sports
writers to be the best and the most (financially) valuable player in a
multi-billion dollar sports league, and earned millions for USC by
putting his body on the line with back flips, triple twirls and other
super human feats that left the country mesmerized.It was only logical to me that he should be the first to get paid,
not the last.If I make a
film and it earns $100 million dollars, shouldn’t the star of the film
get something for his efforts?
“You’ve got the wrong man!”I yelled at my TV at the top of my lungs.I knew I was in the right, since I’ve watched USC play.I would be willing to swear in front of any grand jury that it had
been Bush who scored those touch downs, not the guy with gray hair.It was Bush, not Carroll, who sprinted down the field, risking life
and limb for the sake of USC glory.
Pete Carroll didn’t make a single catch, block or carry, and I could
verify this fact.For some
reason, no one at the NCAA would listen, as they insisted that Bush’s
family had done nothing to earn the financial benefits he received for
his performance.They’ve apparently concluded that Reggie had contributed
little value to USC’s championship run, and therefore, any benefits Mr.
Bush or his family received were illegal.
I will never get the NCAA.In what other field in America is it illegal for someone to be paid
for adding so much financial value to an organization?Reggie Bush was practically an iconic brand for the NCAA, not
just from TV rights deals, but also merchandizing, as every little kid
in America wanted to own a jersey with the number 5 on it.If I were to open “The Reggie Bush House of Pancakes”, some little
geek from the NCAA would have a lawsuit on my porch before I could fry
the first piece of bacon shaped like the Heisman Trophy.Given that most men are typically paid for their labor, it seems
that Reggie was never a man to the NCAA.Instead, he was more like a circus horse or a prize monkey, shown
to audiences around the world, told to engage in acrobatic tricks and
then put back in a cage at the end of the night.All the while, the circus masters spend the night counting gate
revenue earned from their carefully staged chicken fights.
Someone should tell the NCAA that they’ve got the wrong
man.If Reggie is being
investigated for taking money that he allegedly did not earn, then their
first investigative target should certainly be Pete Carroll.When I watched USC football, it wasn’t to see the stiff on the
sideline.It was to see the
amazing man with the ball in his hands.Pete Carroll was NOT that man.But for some reason, when he picks up his paycheck, no one says a
word. When Reggie Bush does the same, we call a grand jury.Can someone please explain what’s wrong with this picture?
What’s Love got to do
with it? – Michael Jordan, Britney Spears and the peculiarities of
marriage - 1/24/07
I was the best man in my good friend’s wedding.It all seemed right, since he and his girlfriend had been getting
naked together for about 2,438 years.Over the following 9 months, I watched their marital dream turn
into the Nightmare on Elm Street.They were divorced before the wedding cake digested, as he
and his wife worked overtime to earn their restraining orders.Their relationship had become a creepy little War on Terror, with
spying, torture, failed intelligence and weapons of mass destruction.She was Osama Bin Laden, and I often wonder if he is still trying
to hunt her down.
This is not uncommon, as I’ve seen many couples go
from “I love him more than anything” to “I got hot grits for yo ass”.
Only something as special as love can make people want to kill each
other so much.As I was doing research for my book “Financial Lovemaking 101”, I
was in awe of how many relationships changed shape faster than Oprah’s
waistline.Once chubby with
love, their vows deteriorated into anorexic, hate-filled bastions of
demonic deceit.I then saw
celebrity divorces, like that of New York Giants star Michael Strahan,
whose wife was awarded $15 million dollars (out of their $23 million
dollar fortune, mostly earned from football), plus $214,000 per year in
child support. Not to say that she didn’t deserve a substantial share of
the money, but I didn’t see her make very many tackles for the Giants
last season.Then, there is
poor Britney Spears, where the love of her life sunk as low as using
their personal sex tapes to chokehold her into forgetting about that
little prenup.They say
love is priceless, but that’s not true.
If you ask Michael Jordan, he might say that love is worth about $250
million, which is probably the minimum his wife will get when their
divorce is said and done.
If marriage were a financial investment, some might
consider it a junk bond.
According to the book “There Goes the Bride”, 20% of all engagements do
not end up in marriage.
Additionally, the Enrichment Journal on Divorce in America states that
41%, 60% and 73% of all first, second and third marriages respectively,
end in divorce.That’s uglier than Jermaine Dupree and Nancy Grace put together.But staying married doesn’t mean you are out of the woods.I have seen a lot of couples that are happily married on the
outside, but on the inside, they want to poison each other’s kool-aid.Their anatomy of love is surrounded by a thick layer of scabby
skin, made hard by years of agonizing pain endured for the sake of
proving their in-laws wrong.
I commend these couples for maintaining the moral fabric of our society,
but damn.I often wonder if
there is a better way to live.
So, given these stats, we can value marriage as a
stock. After passing up a new big screen TV and buying the engagement
ring instead, you have an 80% chance of getting married, a 59% chance of
staying married if you get there, and (say) a 50/50 chance of staying
happily married, if you get married and stay that way.Under these assumptions, you have about a 1 in 4 chance of not
wanting to trade in your relationship for the TV.Imagine buying a stock in which the company has a 75% chance of
going bankrupt.In addition
to the bankruptcy, the stock can take half your assets, all of your
kids, and most of your sanity.
This makes Enron look like a feel good story.
My goal is not to pee in the fountain of love, for I
drink from that same fountain.But how can something so beautiful get so ugly?It’s not because men or women are pigs and gold diggers.Well, maybe it is.But it could also be because we have a system in place that
gets in the way of true love and the development of families.Can we really criticize those who choose not to get married,
when the rest of us are doing it wrong anyway?That would be the pot calling the kettle stupid.Personally, I wonder if there is a day when marriage is not
considered to be the only meaningful destiny of a great relationship.The day when people are not quietly calling you a whore or a dog
just because you don’t choose to walk down the isle.Will we ever wonder why vows before God must also be vows before
the court of law?They say
that “breaking up is hard to do”, well it’s even harder if you are
financially, emotionally and socially castrated in the process.We force one another into the institution of marriage, but I wonder
if being institutionalized is really that much fun.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at
Syracuse University and author of “Financial Lovemaking 101: Merging
assets with your partner in ways that feel good”.He makes regular appearances in the national media, including CNN,
BET, MSNBC, USA Today, and Essence Magazine.For more information, please visit
www.financiallovemaking.com
or www.yourblackworld.com.
Me and Wendy Williams – Again...plus that old bastard FOX News!
What do they want from me? -January 11, 2007
This week I got the chance to hang out in the big city.
I love New York, which I consider to be one of the cornerstones of
modern civilization.I guess it’s the Rome of our time, the place where you go only if
you are tough enough to make it.
The people in New York used to scare me when I was a kid, mainly because
the image presented of New Yorkers made them look like they have skin of
leather and don’t care about anything but themselves.While this is true in some cases, I have found that under the tough
exterior of New Yorkers, there is a real, living, breathing human.The people take pride in “their hood”, and they do care about one
another…..sort of.I love
New York.I must admit
that.
My trips to the city are always fun, and this one was
the “funnest” trips I’ve taken in a while.I took the train, since it’s very peaceful.On the train, I can work on my research, relax, sleep and
think about life.The
people I rode with were clearly annoyed with my snoring problem.The woman behind me was speaking in Spanish, but I heard her say
something about how “that snoring annoyed me too.”Sorry lady, but I was tired. She can join the same club that some of my ex-girlfriends belong
to…the ones who dumped me because sleeping near me was like living next
to a construction site.
At any rate, my first experience in the city was with
BET.I have never been to
their studios, so I looked forward to meeting the people there.One of the producers I met there, Johanna, was incredibly nice to
me the prior week.This
made me look forward to meeting the team, since I am used to producers
being a little tough and terse.
I wasn’t disappointed with my experience there.Everyone was kind and professional, and I literally had a great
time.One of my former students has a sister who works there, and
she was also very nice to me.
I met this guy named “Stretch” who used to choreograph for Michael
Jackson.That’s pretty
cool, and I bet he even knew Michael before he turned white.
After BET, I had to shuffle across town to meet with
Wendy Williams and her crew.
Going to Wendy’s show is always a peculiar experience.Most of her people are incredibly nice, but you never appear on
Wendy’s show without wearing a good, strong testicle protector.She is good at taking folks out on her show, and I am never one to
assume that I couldn’t end up on her bad side.To this date, that has not happened.
My interns were with me, and they also went with me to
BET.I love working with my
interns, since they are sharp and talented.I also love teaching them, as the ultimate test of being my intern
is whether you can withstand the hours of ranting I do when I go into
Professor mode.If they
make a mistake, I don’t get mad – I teach.But the thing is that teaching them can lead to an hour long
soliloquy about the long-term implications of such behavior.For example, being late to meetings might get you fired from my
company, but it’s also going to lead to a lifetime of frustration in
corporate situations.
Wendy was going to hear about my book “Financial
Lovemaking 101”.We talked
about it a lot, along with her 11 million listeners.I also gave her listeners some financial advice.Wendy seemed to be taken aback by my down to earth nature.Apparently, a lot of the professors she has met have been from that
planet that most professors live on called “Academicky”. I then told her that most professors are too “academicky” to see
value in connecting with the real world. Some of them do a good job, but
many of them seem to think that their “exceptional intelligence” gives
them an excuse for having little desire or ability to connect with the
real world.I go through this all the time, as I try to persuade other black
scholars to do something other than sit in their offices reading
research papers that no one is ever going to read.It’s sad and a horrible waste of society’s resources if you ask me.
I must have done ok, since the interview ended with “I
love you Dr. Boyce!”, followed by a real hug from Wendy. Every time I
see Wendy, she gives me a stronger, more genuine hug.I appreciate that because you can always sense a person’s
“realness” by the way they hug you.They can give you those “polite tap on the back with the bootie
out” hugs, or the “come here you loveable sonofabitch” hugs.I got the latter from Wendy, which I am sure is tough for her to
deliver in light of how many people want to strangle her.I love Wendy, but a lot of people don’t.I noticed that right away.
Earlier in the day, I hung out with a nice lady who
used to work for Def Jam Records.
I enjoyed talking to her because she helped me to really understand how
the recording industry works.
Yes, I teach, but I am much better student.I love to listen and learn from those who’ve had valuable
experiences that they can share.
This woman was definitely in that category. She didn’t agree with me
about Oprah, but then again almost no one does.This doesn’t take away from the fact that she was a great person to
talk to.
The next day, I jumped over to Essence Magazine to meet
some of the nice folks there.
One of their editors, Kimberly Allers, is a good friend of mine.She wrote a great book called “The Mocha Manual” that she is
building into an amazing brand. Kim
is a sharp lady.She has
studied finance and business to the Nth degree, and has written for
Fortune, The NY Post, and a lot of other great places.I respect her a lot.
She also lived in London, one of my favorite cities.
I met a bunch of the people there and had coffee with
Kim.They seemed to enjoy
hearing about my Financial Lovemaking book.It was a fun meeting, and the women at Essence are very friendly.
It’s funny how people in media completely change their disposition when
you are right there in the office. Call them on the phone, and you
probably won’t even get an answer.One of my interns commented about how the people at WBLS “were so
nice”.I then had to
explain to her that in this world, how people treat you varies based
upon how they perceive you.
I said to her “You’re in here, and you are treated nice.But there are 200 million people out there who can’t even get in
this door.This treatment
is a privilege that should be valued, nurtured and not taken for
granted. Don’t forget that.”
I could see the producer from Wendy’s show nodding in agreement in the
background.This is a
dog-eat-dog world, but some dogs turn to puppies of you bring the right
flavored bone.
Tomorrow, I go over to Fox News 5 (I am still in the
city as I write this, having a ball).They are the local Fox affiliate in NYC.Doing a local interview in NYC, the largest media market in the
world, is a lot like doing a national interview.So, it’s not to be taken lightly. So,
to say that we are going to be on the local news is like saying that
King Kong was just a monkey.
We are going to talk about “the N-word” for an entire
30 minutes.30 minutes is
hella-long for a TV interview, so I am surprised.But I am going to show up with bells on, ready to “spit game” as I
normally do.I have a lot
of opinions on the N-word, many of which have gotten me both applause
and death threats.I guess
that’s the price you pay for telling the truth.Right now, I can afford that price, and it doesn’t’ bother me.
My Buckeyes get embarrassed - 1/9/07
Before I head to NYC for quality time with Wendy
Williams and BET, I thought I would make a note of some lessons I
learned last night while watching my Ohio State Buckeyes take a major
league, nationally-televised ass-whooping (41- 14 in the national
championship game):
1) The Heisman is overrated. It seems to always
go to the quarterback of the top team. The probability that the
quarterback of the best team is the best player in the country nearly
every single year is almost 0. I give the award almost no respect.
I just watched the alleged top player in the country throw for 36 yards
and get sacked more than a bag of groceries.
2) Ted Ginn (OSU's speed demon) is a monster. His
absence from the game after his injury probably increased his status in
the draft. That is when people saw just how helpless Ohio State is
without their true superstar.
3) Athletes should be paid. These guys were the
reason the fans came to play. It was sad that they didn't get any
of that money.
4) The BCS System is retarded. Boise State went
undefeated and beat the crap out of Oklahoma. I believe they would
have given Florida a run for their money. But the world will never
know, since they were not given a chance to get into the game. How
much more can you do than go undefeated?
5) Jim Tressell can be outcoached. Florida
appeared better prepared in every way.
Nick Saban Contract is Right on time - 1/7/07
Good.I am
glad they did it.Finally,
the NCAA has embarrassed itself at just the right time.The goofy hillbillies running the coaching turnstile at Alabama, in
their perpetual effort to find a way to regain lost glory, blinged out
their latest coach, Nick Saban (roughly $32M over 8 years), so much that
Congress is starting to take notice.
Thank God.
As a professor at several universities with big time
athletics programs, I have always been sickened by the way academics has
taken a back seat to making money on TV.I am a Finance Professor, so I love money as much as anyone else.But I also know that money can turn a pastor into a demon, a
professor into a pimp, and a university into a sweatshop.
Last year, a lawmaker questioned whether or not
corporate interests have turned universities away from their academic
mission.In a letter to the
congressman, NCAA president Myles Brand wrote that the salaries of
college coaches are “commensurate with other highly paid and highly
recruited faculty and staff.”
Wow.That
was officially, without question, the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.
After hearing his “profound” statement, I wanted to say
to Dr. Brand “Dude, you have a PhD.Can’t you come up with anything better than THAT?”Brand is definitely not earning his mega salary, as every good pimp
knows that solid, two-faced public relations is critical to “keeping
your hoes in check”.
OK, I’ll stop being silly.But I can’t help it.
The hypocrisy of the NCAA is so daunting that you can only laugh to keep
from killing someone.
Esteemed academics have turned themselves into laughing stocks, absolute
clowns in front of the entire world.
Their quest for riches is not as problematic as the fact that they are
simultaneously forced to explain why the athletes should not get a
serious cut of the money.
They remind me of the dirty pastor explaining why “the lawud” wants you
to give him an extra $500, or Anna Nicole Smith explaining how she truly
loved the 90 year old billionaire to whom she was married.
While coaches are continuously fired for not winning
games, they are almost never fired for not graduating their players.In fact, a coach with a high graduation rate and low winning
percentage is more likely to be fired than one who wins games and
doesn’t graduate anyone.
Does this sound like an academic mission to you?Me neither.
As I watch my alma mater (Ohio State) play in the
national championship (with 18 corporate sponsors paying millions for
their ads) on January 8 (the date chosen so that the event can replace
the revenue generated by Monday Night Football), I congratulate both
teams (who will receive roughly $18 million dollars each for simply
participating).I will watch the game with anticipation (along with the
thousands of people in the stadium who paid hundreds of dollars for
their tickets), to see the great Troy Smith (who is not going to be
compensated). If this is not a great amateur experience, I don’t know
what is.
Ohio State guard T.J.
Downing said. "We're the reason this money's coming in. We're the guys
out there sacrificing our bodies. We're taking years off our lives out
here hitting each other, and we're not being compensated for it."Given that I once taught at Ohio State, I am proud that my former
students have been trained to know when they are being screwed.There is nothing wrong with selling a product, but you should at
least be consistent and fair in the process.Professional coaching contracts in an allegedly amateur sports
league makes as much sense as The Michael Jackson, R. Kelly Child
Sitting Service.I’m
not buying either one.
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