Mos Def & Cornel West on New Orleans, Jena 6 & Barack Obama
Now y’all know I love Mos Def and Cornel West. And personally, I think Bill Maher has the best show on television - though sadly not good enough to justify a $100+ monthly cable bill for the HBO package. Therefore, I was sad when I found out that West and Mos were slated to be on Bill Maher this week and I wouldn’t be able to view the broadcast.
Luckily, the cats at Rawkus were kind enough to record the show and throw it up on YouTube. Mos Def and Cornel West made some great points talking about the Jena 6 and the still-horrible state of New Orleans - both topics ignored by corporate-controlled media. They also talked a little bit about Barack Obama and the 2008 presidential primaries. Peep the broadcast below.
bob wrote:
I think that all this excitment about 6 boys who beat up another boy is stupid. 6 not one not 2 not 3 but 6 boys beat up one boy. I think this is a little extreme. I think that the boys should be tried accordinally without pulling race into the mix. I grew up in South Louisians and the faced the repeated abuse of racisim. I was threatend with being jumped, had weapons draw on me and wated as many of my friends were pushed around and told to “do something”. How could they do something when they faced 10 raciest and hate crazied boys. But did I run to the nearest TV station, Jesse Jackson, or Rev. Al Sharpton. NO! Why not? Becasue these people only want to be in the publics eye. Really how do they make money. Could it be that they suck off of those they claim to help. I am so completely sick of this raciest card that everyone wants to through out. My highschool was 95% african american and guess what I am white. Notice I said white I have also been called cracker and other things. I said white the same as my africain american class mates did. Did I get upset no! But if I would have called someone Black oh no call the Rev. and Jesse. I am tired of every “Aferican American” in my home town looking at white people as if we own them something always asking for a handout. Man get off you but and do something. I worked saved and bought my own vehicle, payed my own insurance (which is excesslvely high due to law suit placed by people who think the world owes them) and I payed my own way through college. I went to the same schools as my African friends and those who tired have done well for themselves those who looked around and blamed everyone one else for their problems did not. It’s that simple work hard except your life and move on. This Jena 6 is a bunch of crap brought on by stupid people that think just because they have a certain color or born into a differant family deserve something handed to them. Let me ask you this question which one of those teens had a job, how well were they doing in school, sports and did the coachs of those sports help give them grades. Check into that and see who these boys really are rather than looking at there skin color. Jesse, and Rev. Get out of Louisiana you bring nothing good with you.
Posted on 21-Sep-07 at 9:35 pm | Permalink
Cedric wrote:
Well, you never metioned the white kids jumping the black student and they were suspended for a couple of days. See, i am an educated black man for a small town in Louisiana. I live in Houston, but i know how the law and their law differs and this is a prime example. Race does play a difference because the DA would have never told those white kids i could ruin your lives with the stroke of a pen. Your white and i dont dislike white people but you dont, and will never understand. And we would do all of the people before us in the civil rights movement injustice to just forget about the past.
Wake Up!
Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 6:59 am | Permalink
natlong wrote:
Damn Bob - you ever heard of spellcheck? Do you honestly want us to believe you are college educated after writing something like that? It’s obvious that Bob is just another racist trying to stick up for Jim Crow Law in the South.
As Cedric pointed out, Bob forgot to mention that white kids who committed the same crime received no legal reprimand. In addition, the school and community took no action against the kids who hung nooses under the “white tree.”
But I think we have left out the major factor in this argument: The white kid who was jumped by the Jena 6 was well enough to attend a party the same night! How can the judicial system possibly justify an attempted murder charge when the victim was so far from being murdered that he was out boozing hours after the was jumped? There were no deadly weapons used - which is required for such a charge.
This is not about black kids thinking they should be handed something. This is about a judicial system that is clearly giving them a much more severe punishment based on their skin color. And that is clearly racism.
Posted on 22-Sep-07 at 7:28 am | Permalink
Fisch wrote:
Well put, Nat.
And Bob, I am white as well. However, that does not mean that I can’t call it as it is - and this issue is clearly riddled with racial bias. Is the race card sometimes pulled when it has no place? Certainly. But does that mean that race never plays a part in such an issue? Obviously not.
As Nat pointed out, the white kids also jumped a black kid - with no punishment. But more shocking to me was the noose thing. If that does not qualify as a hate crime, then I simply do not know what could.
And the final point that Nat makes was news to me only after I had looked into this issue. I remember the news putting out stories about the “violent” and “near-death” beating of the white kid. Then I find out that he just got his butt kicked. Welcome to high school. Shit happens. Have you seen the kid’s picture from after the “beating”? Sure, he has a nice shiner on his eye, but who has never gotten a black eye?
At the end of the day, assault is assault. If the local police choose to charge any of these kids, then they should charge all of them - both the white kids for jumping the black kid, and the black kids for jumping the white kid. But neither of these groups should be looking at attempted murder charges. That is simply ridiculous. And then when you balance that the white kids got off and the black kids are looking at these life-ruining serious felonies, it is clear that there is a racial issue involved.
I don’t think either group of kids should see any serious charges brought against them for the actual fights that took place, but if they do charge one group, they should charge the other - and with nothing more serious than simple assault at the very most.
What still bothers me is the noose on the tree. Now that I feel is a very serious issue - much more so than a schoolyard brawl. I personally believe that hanging the noose on the tree was a clear hate crime and the kids that did it should be punished justfully for that horrible decision.
Posted on 25-Sep-07 at 11:07 am | Permalink