"The Convenience of Comedy- Don't Be Fooled By Your TV!!!"

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For those not familiar with the Willie Lynch letter, it was a business plan drawn up to ensure that blacks would remain in slavery forever. It explained to the slave owner that if you stripped an African of his/her religion and native tongue, made it illegal for an Arican to go to school or learn to read, separate husband from wife, mother from child, and play up differences like light vs. dark, that African would be in a state of mental slavery. There would be no need for chains, the African would have nothing to struggle against. The African would love his white master unconditionally because loving his master would be his only source of pride. The African would hate thyself, particularly the physical traits that exposed African heritage, such as big lips, big noses and black skin and nappy hair. The letter says that if you put these policies into practice on your plantation, the African will not only be mentally enslaved now, but for GENERATIONS TO COME.
This was systematic destruction of the black family. African women were treated as merely breeders, their husbands and babies sold off. They were routinely raped by their slave masters as used as unwilling concubines. As the African family was being dismantled, America traded in the plantation for industry and grew by leaps and bounds. No need for whips and chains, black people would become the country's biggest labor force and consumer source for free, and still love thy master. The ramifications of slavery and the mental damage it has caused is the biggest problem facing black people today. To be honest about how the past affects the present and future is not living in it. To ignore its affect is to be blind. It is the reason why the black family structure is broken, why we go to jail and fail standardized tests at alarming rates. It is the reason why we still think the white doll is nice and pretty and the black one is ugly and bad, in 2007. It is the reason we are racially profiled, and have higher infant mortality rates, and it is the reason we refer to each other as niggas and hoes.
On the flip, this destruction is also the cause of white priviledge in this country. It is silly to hold the son responsible for the sins of his father, but it is stupid to not acknowledge the vast priviledges that come from the forefathers business plan. The plan was to make sure that the children of rich white male land owners would profit off the land at the expense of black bodies and souls for GENERATIONS TO COME. White people live in better nieghborhoods, live longer, make way more money, and have access to way more resources and opportunities as a direct result of slavery. Affirmative action programs were created to try to achieve a better balance, but you cannot legislate whats in peoples hearts and minds. True, there are more rich black folks on TV, but our neighborhoods are worse than they've ever been. The white community has benefitted so much from slavery, it's no wonder the media tries to discredit anyone who brings it up.
So now they want to talk about double standards? Don Imus can say "nappy headed ho" because rappers say ho all the time? Are you kidding me? That is wrong on so many levels. First, a rapper claims to be nothing but an artist. As I have said before, an artist responsibility is to be honest with the craft. I don't think it's right to call women bitches and hoes, so I don't, if I did, I would be being dishonest with my craft. Don Imus is a journalist and political commentator who wallows in bathroom humor to make up for lack of substance. When it's convenient, he's a comedian. What Imus did had nothing to do with hip hop, do not let them fool you. Hip hop sells, so every time Hannity and Colmes does a show about hip hop, their ratings go up, period. These talking heads on the TV trot out fed up sisters, uncle tom negroes and political vultures who equate hip hop with the devil, but have never heard a record by Lupe Fiasco, the Roots, Immortal Technique, Common, Jean Grae, Little Brother, the Coup, Dead Prez, Zion I and too many other incredible artists to name. They love the earning potential of hip hop, and they how they sound bashing it, but the have zero respect for the art. They sound ignorant.
Many hip hop artists are young black men who have never had the priviledges Imus had growing up. If you have been severly oppressed by white people, and the ramifications of slavery have ensured that your family remains broken and poor, your instinct makes you wary. If a nigga is what you oppressor fears the most, than it is seductive to be the realest nigga out. You attack your women by calling bitches and hoes. It is a defense mechanism, because you are scared to love. Love equals loss in your world. These are not exuses, there are reasons. There are also reasons why Imus called the outstanding Rutger's womens team "nappy headed hoes". It is because he is inherently racist and his white priviledge has blinded him to it. His priviledge allows him to believe these were just jokes without specific historical context, when his brain should have told him he's smart enough and experienced enough to know better.
Don't let the TV tell you that this is about hip hop, or rap, or Nelly, or Al Sharpton, or Hilary Clinton, or Timbaland, or Jesse Jackson. This is about a white man who was doing radio long before Bambatta started Zulu Nation or Herc plugged a speaker into a lamppost. He did not need hip hops permission to call Gwen Ifill, a respected journalist, the cleaning lady for the NY Times 15 years ago. If I'm correct, I think he has daughters, but these young black women were objects to him, not people. His objectification made it impossible for him and his producer to imagine that these women were somebody's daughters. Imus has gotten away with many offensive statements, and he will remain an esteemed member of his community, fired or not. Jimmy the Greek was fired for less, as were many others. Imus will be OK. Even if it wasn't justice (which it was), it was karma. I'm glad those women found it in their heart to forgive him, forgiveness is divine. But they had nothing to prove to him. He was fired for losing advertising dollars, not for disrepecting black women. Now is the time to stand by our sisters, and to stand up for our music. The music is our life and we cannot let those who do not participate regulate it for us.

Talib Kweli....Blacksmith is the Movement