"First Black President" Confronts Reality: Will Black Folks Follow Suit?

By: Tolu Olorunda

Staff Writer - YourBlackWorld.com

“I tell you this much, it’s up to every one of you/

Learn from the past or the future will punish you/

Power flows to those who remember/”

- Hip-Hop artist and philosopher, Canibus, in his 2002 album, Mic Club: The Curriculum.

Perhaps at this very moment, Grand-Author, Toni Morrison, is recanting her 1998 words, suggesting that Bill Clinton was the embodiment of the “first black president,” because he displayed “almost every trope of blackness: single-parent household, born poor, working-class, saxophone-playing, McDonald’s-and-junk-food-loving boy from Arkansas.” For what good is it to be an esteemed culture critic, and have the memories of an ill-conceived statement lurking behind your every mention and declaration. But upon a moments’ reflection, Ms. Morrison is merely a mirror-image of the heartfelt conviction of millions of Black folks who, having being mesmerized by the allure of a president who went the extra mile in rendering unfulfillable promises, had become emotionally overdosed and dwarfed by political immaturity. One thing is for certain however: 99% of the Black population which believed Bill “Bubba” Clinton to be the first black president holds no such sentiment anymore. With Barack Obama’s emergence as the new Messiah, most of those Black voters have little need for the “counterfeit” Black president, when the possibility of a “real” Black president is more tangible than ever before.

Bill Clinton has, of recent, had to confront a reality most familiar to Black folks: A feeling of usage and exploitation. In Bill’s mind, it was virtually unimaginable to be relegated to the sidelines – all in the name of the materialization of a long-sought dream: The fulfillment of a bonafide Black president. Much of this ongoing struggle to acknowledge reality is playing out in dramatic fashion on the national political field. In recent appearances on both, The View, and Late Show with David Letterman, Bill Clinton has appeared to be, at the very least, uneasy about accommodating the prospect of Barack Obama attaining victory in November – by way of Obama’s skill, charisma, character and intellect. Clinton has cited numerous fanciful and coincidental rationales why Barack Obama will win; which included tribalism, political exasperation and sheer luck. No doubt President Clinton is still reeling from the painful, public rebuff he received from the Black Community – a community he considered to be a second home (albeit he never earned such credit). Chris Rock, the grand comedian, noticed this hardly hidden expression. In an immediate appearance following Clinton’s feature on David Letterman, Rock noted, “Is it me, or he didn’t want to say the name Barack Obama?” Whether Bill Clinton is capable of conceding the Baton to Barack Obama or not, one thing is for certain: The Black Community has moved on. But what does “moving on” delineate? Is the Black Community more politically knowledgeable and literate as a result of this encounter with the Clintons, or are we back to the same old childish games of embracing the lesser of two evil, which, to paraphrase Ralph Nader, would only yield us “evil” and “less.”

Sadly, the same high level of unconditional loyalty to corporate politicians – a la Obama – would only guarantee more and more disappointments – even if a Black face is accepted as fit for the highest place, come Nov. 4th. In the Clinton administration, many Blacks underwent economic ascendancy (up a ladder now shortening from the bite-wounds of George Bush’s termites), but issues of Black concerns accelerated to pandemic-like rates and statistics. A few of them include:

• The Mass Incarceration Of Black Men (Brought Courtesy of Sen. Obama’s running mate, Joe Biden, who authored the infamous, “Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994” a/k/a the “1994 Crime Bill,” which helped facilitate the establishment of 100,000 more cops on the streets, and the imprisonment of more Blacks than in any other administration).

• A “Welfare-Reform” legislation, which owed its supreme inspiration to Ronald Reagan and his vituperative usage of the acidic terminology, “Welfare Queen,” to characterize Black female welfare recipients. Not surprising, however, coming from a president whose solemn vow to “end welfare as we know it,” it seemed to be bubbling into fruition. In Death Blossoms, political prisoner and prophetic leader, Mumia Abu Jamal, described the “legislative obscenity” as a “chilling” plot, drafted to dash “the hopes of millions of the poor, all in order to protect his political ass.”

• The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). An “agreement” coming at the expense of 900,000 jobs – disproportionately, as one would expect, from within the Black Community.

The legendary civil rights activist and author, Kevin Alexander Gray, debunked Bill Clinton’s “symbolic” relationship with the Black Community as a cheap political stunt and a means to an end – whose last bus stop was in 2000. In a 2002 article titled, “Clinton and Black Americans Soul Brother?” Gray exposed the silliness of Black celebrities who – through the culpability of naïve Black masses – had hopped on the bandwagon to celebrate President Clinton as an honorary Black Man. “… What makes Clinton’s race act so successful is that black America never asked him to do much to begin with… For 12 years before Clinton, Ronald Reagan and George Bush insulted and ignored black people. Consequently, when Clinton wooed African Americans, most were just happy someone was finally paying attention… The notion of Clinton as a great friend of the black community or defender of civil rights is… crazy.”

In 2008, if progressives would candidly admit, Barack Obama’s unusual relationship with the Black Community is eerily reminiscent of that from which Bill Clinton benefited. In fact, as late as October 2007, Barack Obama still – according to polls – trailed Sen. Clinton by 13 points in the Black Community. Not until recently, was there the 90% percent phenomenal-like sustainment that helped deny Hillary Clinton the Democratic Presidential nomination. It was widely reported that Blacks had withheld support from Obama because they never perceived him as a realistic candidate. Let’s explore that for a minute. Black folks pride themselves with the false-assertion that the only reason they withdrew their endorsement from Hillary, was as payback for Bill and Hill’s racially inflamed and denigrating statements toward the Black Community and their slain leaders. Nevertheless, many Black voters would readily admit that if not for the overwhelming amount of White voters in Iowa who poured out their support for Obama, Hillary Clinton would have, more than likely, clinched the Democratic Presidential Nomination. This clear insinuation that the exemption of White Iowan’s validation of Sen. Obama’s candidacy would have done very little to damage the relationship between the Black Community and the Clintons – Bill and Hill’s acerbic remarks notwithstanding – is simply stunning!!!

With such a precedent, the future is at best bleak for a people who stubbornly refuse to develop the political maturity for which Malcolm X so strongly advocated. When choosing a running mate, Sen. Obama opted for a man whose portfolio on the Black Community – and financially disempowered folks of all color – reeks of unmitigated indifference and static apathy.

Black folks of conscience must, at this moment, WAKE UP, and resist the satanic beast of acquiescence. Now is not the time to revel in the inept pleasure of seeing “one of our own,” in the highest seat of the land. If we cannot lend credence to our conscience, and all we pursue is the felicity of an historical moment, we would have to explain to the next generation – and the one coming after them – why their livelihood was traded for the comfort of the historicalness of Obama’s presidency. As far as I can tell, it’s not just Black folks engaging in quid pro quo.

Reposted From Black Commentator

Your Black World: The Slow-Witted Beast: Mass Media Sings the Devil's Tune

By: Tolu Olorunda

Staff Writer - YourBlackWorld.com

“Unenlightened mass media has served as a covert propaganda machine for white supremacist thought, skillfully manipulating representations to convey to black folks and everyone else the notion, however false, that black life is horrible, that black people are the enemy, dangerous to themselves and others.”

- Acclaimed Scholar, bell hooks, in her highly enriching 2002 book, Rock My Soul : Black People and Self-Esteem.

The “slow-witted beast” is a phrase borrowed from a recent lecture given by Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart, in which he sat down a few corporate journalists and told the brutal and honest truth to their faces. Calling the mainstream press a “brutish, slow-witted beast,” Stewart chastised them for the “false sense of urgency they create, the sense that everything is breaking news.” The Comedy Central host also seemed to be displeased with the level of adulteration that has become normative within the cable news beltway. He said, “The 24-hour networks are now driving the narratives and everyone else is playing catch-up.” No doubt this cry from the hyper-wealthy, White-Jewish comedian is but a mere reflection of the dissatisfaction and discontent most Black, Brown, Red and Yellow peoples around the world have expressed for decades. Peoples of culture/color around the globe have suffered the sting of unfiltered dishonesty, distortion and deformation by the affluent media empires. At the crossroad of a black man rising to the highest pedestal in political platform, journalists of culture/color still remain underrepresented in Washington. It is as though the corporate press has neither the intellect, nor the moral fortitude, to see how grossly illogical it is to host panels of White men/women over the age of fifty, whose attempt – rather pathetic – to “understand” Barack Obama never exceeds the thinking capacity of a fifth grader.

The 2008 Presidential race, particularly with the emergence of Barack Obama, has exposed many, otherwise hidden, insightful details about the media’s laziness and self-obsession. NPR co-host, Brooke Gladstone, affirmed this notion in a recent appearance on PBS’ Bill Moyers Journal. “This is about celebrity,” she said. “This is about putting your finger in the air and following the public mood. Is it news? No.” A media which prides itself in being “dependable,” “trusted,” and “powerful,” sure has some explaining to do - if those slogans are to be taken seriously. It is of little doubt that the corporate news empires have always had challenges when it comes to race, and Barack Obama’s presence at the balcony of political stardom helped reinforce this reality. It was the white-controlled media stations who first asked the question – with such unbelievable gull and effrontery – “Is Barack Obama Black enough?” In an unsuccessful effort to look self-interrogatory, the corporate press would, from time to time, feature all-white panels to confront the issue of race in the campaign. As a noted scholar once quipped, “That’s like Hugh Hefner getting a stripper to come on the show and tell him that he's not a sexist.”

In 2005, when Rev. Jesse Jackson challenged the National Association of Black Journalist for failing in its responsibility to confront the corporate media structures, many thought such provoked outrage would yield substantive results, but three years later, just like the disaster of Hurricane Katrina, not much has changed. Rev. Jackson, noting that “Not one black (person) leads a show on CNN, or Fox News or MSNBC,” asked the NABJ-packed room a simple question. “Doesn't that offend you?” It is remarkable to acknowledge that a Black Man might attain the seat of the presidency, and the task of reporting, translating and transcribing the implication of the moment would float upon a sea of unenlightened white journalists. In 2008, three White females host highly-watched newscasts on the cable news networks, but not one individual of color has, at the very least, been subjected to consideration. With such a precedent, the “manipulating representations,” of which bell hooks spoke, can only yield more credence. In a race where a black man is faced with the daunting task of opposing a White man, without coming off as threatening, “uppity,” or “disrespectful,” the mainstream press has operated as the third leg of the McCain campaign.

The media has played “enabler,” as “Master John” and “Mistress Sarah” have lived out their fantasy of cracking the whips of invective-laden insults on the back of their disobedient slave (Obama), who, as John McCain put it, should have done what he “asked Sen. Obama to do.” John McCain unabashedly proclaiming that he is punishing Sen. Obama for being defiant seems to have not made a difference in the mainstream media's malnourished coverage of this historic race. The 24-Hour News Networks have neither budged nor subsided in their hyper-vigilance on Obama. Barack Obama is not a unique case, as Black men throughout history have had to deal with the grim reality of being rendered “invisible,” while simultaneously functioning under the scope of societies’ omnipresent judgmental lenses.

Perhaps Black Athletes in the media are the greatest example of the corporate media’s hyper-vigilance on Black bodies. Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback, Donovan McNabb once, in an interview on HBO, infuriated the White-supremacist press for his courageous admission that Black Athletes are inordinately scrutinized, antagonized and microscopically examined by fans, coaches, owners, managers and teammates alike – especially in contrast to their White counterparts. “There’s not that many African-American quarterbacks, so we have to do a little bit extra,” McNabb said. Using his Black-Quarterback status as a case-study, he declared, “Because the percentage of us playing this position, which people didn’t want us to play, is low, so we do a little extra.”

Powerhouse tennis players, Venus and Serena Williams, are also specimens in the laboratories of White public opinion. Award-Winning Sportswriter, Dave Zirin, once remarked that Serena Williams and Venus Williams still remain alien-like figures – in spite of their enormous gift and talent – in the world of professional Tennis, because the administrators, referees, fans and coaches “don't know what to do in Tennis with people like the William Sisters. The announcers don't know how to report on them, they don't know how to talk about them.” In a recent episode of the popular NBC comedy talk-show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Zirin’s theory and proposal was unambiguously confirmed. The host, an Irish Comedian, struggled to characterize the combativeness of U.S. Open champion, Serena Williams. Ending up with “Intimidating” and “fierce,” O’Brien spent a substantial slice of the interview, examining the No. 1 seed’s on-court outfits - which he called “sexy,” drilling a hole into her personal life, and making random comments – probably meant as compliments – concerning her temperament. One can only envision the Gloria Steinems of the world, holding press conferences and rallies to deliberate what to do next, if Ms. Williams happened to be non-black. Serena Williams’ dad, Richard Williams, is no doubt a believer of this gospel, as he once observed, much to the shock and feigned ignorance of White Tennis players/fans/coaches/sportscasters, that his daughters are “never accepted” because “people are prejudiced in tennis.”

The slow-witted Beast, which has abdicated its responsibility and duty should not be depended upon to make amends any time soon. As the old saying goes, “A leopard cannot change it spots.”

Reposted From Black Commentator

Your Black World: Barack Obama: Black Rage On The Auction Block

By: Tolu Olorunda

Staff Writer – YourBlackWorld.com

In an interview with Sen. Obama last week, primetime news anchor, Keith Olbermann, asked the Democratic Presidential Nominee a question that seemed, at the very least, troubling in its framing. “... Maybe the most compelling moment of your acceptance speech in Denver was that one strongly voiced word, “enough,” Olbermann said. Known for his neo-liberalist philosophies, the MSNBC ratings king proceeded to query the Illinois Senator if he had ever “thought of using on the campaign trail and in your speaking engagements, more exclamation points.” And then, in a striking tone, Olbermann inquired, “Have you thought of getting angrier”? At this point, to avoid paying critical deference to Olbermann’s uninformed suggestion, Obama chuckled and skillfully diverted attention to Sen. McCain’s woeful record on reform.

Media Mogul, Arianna Huffington, also displayed a similar longing for Black Rage in a Huffington Post column titled, “Enough!: Why Obama Should Release His Righteous Rage.” Built upon the premise of Black prophetic anger, Huffington all but scolded Obama for acting civically and gregariously in his pursuit of the White House. To Arianna Huffington, and those who think like her, Sen. Obama cannot clinch the 270 electoral votes if he remains “analytical,” “thoughtful” and “composed.” She wrote,

“Obama has demonstrated a laudatory levelheadedness - the ability to keep his head while those around him were losing theirs - over the long haul of the '08 campaign, always presenting a cool and unruffled image. And it has served him well… Being likeable is obviously a good thing in politics… But the last seven-plus years demand more than a detached analysis - and certainly more than a beaming smile. They demand indignation. Outrage. Fury… As a leader fighting for fundamental change in this country, Obama has to be willing to show us that kind of righteous anger… Obama clearly has it in him. We saw a flash of it in Denver when he announced: "Enough!"

What most surprises the curious mind is how Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright was, earlier this year, demonized and castigated by the exact same White neo-liberals for his prophetic anger and candid criticism. Black Rage seems to only yield acceptance when commodifiable. In her 2002 critically acclaimed book, Rock My Soul, astute scholar and cultural critic, bell hooks, bore witness to this tragedy, saying, “Anger has rapidly become the only acceptable emotion for black people to express, so normative that it is often seen as synonymous with blackness by black and non-black people alike.”

While media elites like Olbermann, Huffington and Rachel Maddow desired – so desperately – to be entertained by the manifestation of “Barack Obama in Black Rage,” others craved to see the ever-collected Senator flip out and confirm their historically racist presuppositions of Black men. The “Black Rage Syndrome” had subjected many White Americans to gripping suspense as they anticipated the fulfillment of their 19-month long dream: Barack Obama losing his cool and acting a fool. No doubt, white pundits, like Chris Matthews, experienced the “thrill up their leg” shoot even further, as Obama blurted out “I don’t care what they say about me, but I love this country too much to let them take over another election with lies and phony outrage and swift boat politics. Enough is enough!” To them, Barack Obama had dispelled the notion that Black Men could exceed traditional limitations within the parameters of White Supremacy with a poised, controlled and endearing demeanor. As Comedian, Cedric the Entertainer, once comparably remarked, of Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, the White, passive “Barry Durham” had left the building, and the Black, angry “Barack Obama” had taken over.

To understand the context of Sen. Obama’s outburst last Thursday, one must put into full context the issue at hand. Sen. John McCain, the war-mongering and Orwellian presidential candidate, performed in a way that made trick-master, Karl Rove, admit was “one step too far and sort of attributing to Obama things that are, you know, beyond the 100-percent-truth test.” By now, most are aware of the “lipstick on a pig” kerfuffle, which put to bed the claim that the 2008 U.S. Presidential race will center on issues affecting everyday citizens. In the midst of the mainstream media’s self-congratulation for highlighting the McCain Campaign’s overt hypocrisy, little dedication was paid to the racial element that gives John McCain ample leverage to lampoon Sen. Obama for daring criticize a White man’s policies. Many media watchdogs rapidly pointed out the absurdity of accusing an opponent for maligning a running mate whose name wasn’t mentioned in the same breath, but none would go far enough to speak out courageously against the introduction of “Jim Crowism” into the presidential race.

What the mainstream press failed to explore, was the explicit incorporation of the southern strategy in John McCain’s demand that Barack Obama apologize for insulting a White Woman. Luckily for Sen. Obama, this isn’t 1955. In the face of strident criticism from conservative proponents such as Bill O’Reilly and Mike Huckabee, the McCain campaign remained insistent on the call for Sen. Obama to make amends for his statement. In a September 12th appearance on The View, following censure from the co-hosts for his manipulatory tactics, Sen. McCain stubbornly refused to concede, adding that Sen. Obama “chooses his words very carefully,” and so therefore, “he shouldn't have said it.” Unless one willingly declines to accept reality, Sen. John McCain - who is admittedly part of the “White, Christian Male Power Structure” - is openly reminding Sen. Obama of the cultural boundaries of American politics. How else to explain the McCain campaign characterizing Barack Obama as “disrespectful,” for rightfully pointing out that Gov. Sarah Palin has consistently spewed lies and half-truths about her record as Mayor and Governor. Sen. Obama was spot on in condemning the phony outrage of the newly-born feminists who were nowhere to be found when their good ole’ pal Clarence Thomas was unbridled in his thrashing of Anita Hill in 1991.

In an effort to successfully portray Sen. Obama as the stereotypical “Black Beast,” the McCain Campaign borrowed a page from the Hillary Clinton playbook. In the McCain ad, titled “Disrespectful,” the footage shamelessly alters Sen. Obama’s imagery, and through cosmetic distortion, darkens his skin tone. This tactic, used prior to the political birth of John McCain, plays right into the occupied minds of White Females, who awaited the final nail in the coffin to justify the perverse decision of voting for a ticket which would exercise dominion over their personal lives, and deny them the God-given right to infallible control over their bodies. Another scheme, unmentioned by the adolescent media, is the McCain campaign’s diabolic usage of coded words to define Sen. Obama. In the stump speeches following her acceptance of the GOP V.P. nomination, Sarah Palin has employed a curious phrase to characterize Sen. Obama. “Our Opponent,” as she describes him, is neither in favor of the collective good or the prosperity of the U.S. With Obama’s Muslim heritage and the fabricated report suggesting he was schooled in a Madrassa, the portrayal of Obama as an opponent of America’s interest would only stoke the infantile 10% U.S. population who believe Obama is a Muslim, and Islam represents the core of inhumanity.

Having walked through the valley of the shadow of White supremacy, Sen. Obama should be commended for his outright candor and composition. But I also believe that if the fulfillment of a Black president can only come at the reception of rabid and morally repugnant assaults upon Barack Obama - and inversely the Black Community - Sen. Obama must speak vociferously against the evil force of White supremacy which has - with the help of John McCain - shown itself to be at the root of the 2008 presidential race. If the Illinois Senator is too timid (or sophisticated) to answer the clarion call, his progressive supporters must pick up that baton and run with it. If not, the 2008-2012 Presidency will bear the fruits of the poisoned tree.

Reposted From Black Commentator