RE: Position Paper
TO: Dr. James I. Cash, I. M. Terrell, 1965
jcash@hbs.edu
FROM: Eddie Griffin, I. M. Terrell, 1964
eddiegriffin_basg@yahoo.com
Thursday, August 09, 2007
For one-out-of-every-three black male children, there is a straight line from birth to death, from public school to prison. It is a straight line to hell, from not being understood, not being respected, low expectation, snares and trips into drug and alcohol addiction, failed parental relationship, unemployed and unemployable, cast-outs and outcasts and outlaws and gangsters, to be somebody… to be something in life, other than what people expect him to be. Nobody expects a black boy in America to succeed.
First, there is the great fear of black boys and black men.
They clutched their purse when you walk by, said Dr. James I. Cash, the Fort Worth native and TCU African-American TCU basketball star who went on to become one of the founding fathers of IT (Information Technology). Dr. Cash recalled this experience in Boston during the time he was serving as director of Harvard School of Business.
The lesson: You are still a Negro. You are still suspicious-looking in the eyes of some. They distrust your integrity. They secretly fear you, because you are big, burly, and black. They give you no respect and esteem, not even if you are a black doctor and father of Information Technology.
This little known great black man serves as an example of white stigmatization. It happened to Dr. Cash, and it is still happening today in our schools.
Stigmatized
To paraphrase the late Ann Richards: “They can’t help it. They were born with a silver bullet in their brains.” Yep, about as clean a brainwashing as a child can get. They grow up with a Disney World mentality, with stigmas and stereotypes embedded in their subliminal. [Gee Whiz! I didn’t know that.]
The first thing that comes crashing down in the world of a black boy is Disney World. Duh! In its place, they create Cartoon World.
In a parallel universe, there is Teacher’s World. Somewhere is a gap in the Theory of Learning. Different students in Cartoon World have different learning styles. In a hierarchical society, it’s all about getting over, getting to the top. [Can’t get there with Mrs. Teacher.]
Teacher’s World rationalizes its existence by thinking, “The world needs me, more than I need the world. Mine is willful service for the common good of our society. [It’s the parents’ fault that 50% black male children drop out of school. It’s a lack of good parenting that causes them to act disruptively].”
Fire ‘em all, I say
Let the real teachers come forward and teach. We are impatient with failure. And, the statistical records of the public education exude failure. There must be accountability, across the board, in publicly funded schools across the United States.
What type of teachers do we need?
Instead of having police officers roaming the hallway, looking for and expecting trouble, why not have the same officer teaching a class in Civics, so that children might understand civil behavior, responsibilities, and social and legal expectations and consequences?
To know the rule is a prerequisite to obeying rule. But nobody is willing to teach law and the consequences of disorder. Nobody cares to establish the bounds. All Teacher World wants is rules and regulations backed by law enforcement. All Teacher World wants is peace and social control in order to make a salary. But nobody wants to teach Law & Order, Etiquettes & Ethics, as we black children learned under the old segregated school system.
This is why we want our children back, especially if they are a disciplinary problem in our public school system. We have a right to ask for them back if the school system does not offer them a viable future. The buck stops here, because here opens the door to the criminal justice system and the prison-industrial complex.
Case in Point: Prison Industry
A small Texas prison town becomes the center of a world-wide scandal when an investigation revealed that prison officials were sexually abusing children in the custody of their care. The corruption and abuse of powers and sexual enslavement was so widespread Governor Rick Perry had to literally Fire Everybody, from the top of the Texas Youth Commission’s board of directors, executive officers, and much of the rank and file, down the line.
The Legislators also mandate the release of 473 youthful inmates who had been held beyond their punishment sentence- some as sex slaves for a warden and his deputy.
When the Texas Legislature passed the TYC reform package, it called for mass releases from incarceration and closing down some of the juvenile facilities.
The small Texas prison town cried to their legislators about the number of jobs that would be lost. Local merchants would lose the inflow of commercial traffic from urban visitors. The local economy would lose its pro rata share of tax dollars based on population census. Plain and simply, the local citizens in the small prison town needed the prison in order for it to survive. But in order to keep the prison, they need “offenders” to populate them. [Some parts of rural Texas need prisoners like plantations need slaves.]
Architects, engineers, and constructors who design and build prisons oppose any leniency for juvenile offenders. Their desire seems to be in keeping the prison population growing, and to keep building more lucrative prisons.
The district attorneys and their association even challenged some of the 473 inmates to be released. And, some tries to create mass hysteria by prophecying an increase in crime. At issue is Self-Justification.
For Example:
The case of ShaQuanda Cotton, a 14-year old freshman, shoves a teacher’s aide while trying to get inside the school building to the nurse’s office “before time”. [No child should be denied immediate access to medical attention.]
This child is charged by the District Attorney with “assault upon a public servant”. She was sentence to an indefinite term, up to her 21st birthday. This is a typical sentence in the State of Texas for black juvenile offenders, while some sentences are commuted to their 18th birthday. This is why there are a disproportionate number of black juveniles inside the Texas prison system.
The DA made a conscientious choice to bring about the charge of “assault”. The court accepted the charge, prima facie. [A rational judge would have looked at juvenile behavior and reasoned that this was a child, who thought as a child and understood as a child- he would have adjudicated it as “childish”.]
Here is the use of a scatter gun to kill a gnat. The Appeals Court upheld the conviction of ShaQuanda Cotton for “assault”. [This legitimizes injustice by discretion of the court.]
If the ShaQuanda Cotton case had occurred under the ole segregated system, childish behavior was dealt with, corporally. And, then the teacher’s aide would have been admonished not to deny a child access to medical care, under any circumstances.
We Want Our Children Back- The Consequence for Non-Compliance
We have made our proposition clear. The first time a child is expelled from class, sent to the principal’s office, and not allowed back in class, we want that student back.
If the principal attempts to override our demand, we will hold him or her for any subsequent disciplinary reports against that child. And, it the pattern continues, we will hold the superintendent responsible.
Every case denied is a case more to the composition of a class, and another case for the Civil Rights Division of the Education Department to consider.
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Cartoon World. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Cartoon World. Sort by date Show all posts
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Art of Deception by Charlie Gibson & George Stephanopoulos
By Eddie Griffin
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
In prison, there are some good and honorable men who simply made a mistake in their lives. But then there are some of the vilest creatures on the planet locked up. Although God changed my life in prison, some of the meanest men in the world changed my attitude about sin. I was not one of them, had no desire to be one of them, and didn’t want them around me. If they asked me, I will tell them to their face that I could care less if they fell off the face of the earth. They were bad and were not about to change. And, I was as mad and as bad as they were.
So do not ask me about the death penalty. I have my own option based upon my personal experiences and what I learn from the scriptures. It’s not politics to me, because I saw men justifiably executed by their fellow inmates, and I would not even lift a finger to stop it. One man rapes another man, and the other man kills him. Justifiable death penalty, I say.
Now there is a question about who has the authority to speak on a subject, seeing that everybody has a butt hole for an option. If their idea stinks, it stinks. You cannot sell me.
Recently, the mass media got busted trying to brainwash the public. ABC News anchor Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos tried to pull the wool over the public’s eye in the presidential debate, and then tried to sell the American public on the idea that presidential candidate Barack Obama was crying because of “tough questions”.
Yeah, riiiiight!
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Garbage-in, Garbage-out, Gibson puts the garbage-in and George Stephanopoulos takes the garbage out... like two trash men.
Men in prison may study the art of deception, but ABC News has made it a science.
But you can only fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time. Them idiots you can fool all the time, they are a dime a dozen, but you cannot fool me, none of the time.
You may as well call ABC News “Cartoon World”. Here is the wily fox is standing behind a tree with a club in his hand, waiting for the innocent chicken to walk by. (In Cartoon World, it is sooo obvious). But when the fox is Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos and the innocent chicken is Barack Obama, Cartoon World turns into a Soap Opera, “As the World Turns” on its ear, brought to you by ABC News.
POST NOTE:
There has always been political “mouthpieces” that speaks for the kings and lords, explaining why there is divine rule in the land. They create philosophies of state and government and religion. But a funny thing happened in the revolution in medieval times. When the peasants chopped off the king’s head, there went the heads of his philosophers also.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
In prison, there are some good and honorable men who simply made a mistake in their lives. But then there are some of the vilest creatures on the planet locked up. Although God changed my life in prison, some of the meanest men in the world changed my attitude about sin. I was not one of them, had no desire to be one of them, and didn’t want them around me. If they asked me, I will tell them to their face that I could care less if they fell off the face of the earth. They were bad and were not about to change. And, I was as mad and as bad as they were.
So do not ask me about the death penalty. I have my own option based upon my personal experiences and what I learn from the scriptures. It’s not politics to me, because I saw men justifiably executed by their fellow inmates, and I would not even lift a finger to stop it. One man rapes another man, and the other man kills him. Justifiable death penalty, I say.
Now there is a question about who has the authority to speak on a subject, seeing that everybody has a butt hole for an option. If their idea stinks, it stinks. You cannot sell me.
Recently, the mass media got busted trying to brainwash the public. ABC News anchor Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos tried to pull the wool over the public’s eye in the presidential debate, and then tried to sell the American public on the idea that presidential candidate Barack Obama was crying because of “tough questions”.
Yeah, riiiiight!
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Garbage-in, Garbage-out, Gibson puts the garbage-in and George Stephanopoulos takes the garbage out... like two trash men.
Men in prison may study the art of deception, but ABC News has made it a science.
But you can only fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time. Them idiots you can fool all the time, they are a dime a dozen, but you cannot fool me, none of the time.
You may as well call ABC News “Cartoon World”. Here is the wily fox is standing behind a tree with a club in his hand, waiting for the innocent chicken to walk by. (In Cartoon World, it is sooo obvious). But when the fox is Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos and the innocent chicken is Barack Obama, Cartoon World turns into a Soap Opera, “As the World Turns” on its ear, brought to you by ABC News.
POST NOTE:
There has always been political “mouthpieces” that speaks for the kings and lords, explaining why there is divine rule in the land. They create philosophies of state and government and religion. But a funny thing happened in the revolution in medieval times. When the peasants chopped off the king’s head, there went the heads of his philosophers also.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Cartoon World & Barack Obama
HAT TIP to Anderson @ Large
It takes intellectual savvy to listen to Barack Obama’s words and discover his wisdom in responding to the New Yorker cover. Anderson @ Large has ears to hear and eyes to see.
New Yorker Magazine Runs for Cover
The July 21 cover of the New Yorker perpetuates racial stereotypes. In the name of satire, the "Politics of Fear" cartoon plays into the smear that Barack Obama is not patriotic. The depiction of Michelle Obama as an AK-47-toting revolutionary in combat boots evokes the "Angry Black Woman."
In a transparent attempt to cover its rear, the New Yorker has compiled a gallery of past political covers. But without context, the current satirical cover merely fuels "a lot of distortions, lies and misconceptions about the Obamas."
[Excerpted]
For his part, Obama is downplaying the kerfuffle. He told CNN's Larry King:
Well, I know it was the New Yorker's attempt at satire. I don't think they were entirely successful with it. But you know what? It's a cartoon, Larry, and that's why we've got the First Amendment.
And I think the American people are probably spending a little more time worrying about what's happening with the banking system and the housing market, and what's happening in Iraq and Afghanistan, than a cartoon.
So I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about it.
King asked, "Did it personally sting you?"
Obama said:
I've seen and heard worse. I do think that, you know, in attempting to satirize something, they probably fueled some misconceptions about me instead. But, you know, that was their editorial judgment.
Ultimately it’s a cartoon. It’s not where the American people are spending a lot of their time thinking about."
OK, end of story
[Read Essays by Eddie Griffin referencing “Cartoon World”]
It takes intellectual savvy to listen to Barack Obama’s words and discover his wisdom in responding to the New Yorker cover. Anderson @ Large has ears to hear and eyes to see.
New Yorker Magazine Runs for Cover
The July 21 cover of the New Yorker perpetuates racial stereotypes. In the name of satire, the "Politics of Fear" cartoon plays into the smear that Barack Obama is not patriotic. The depiction of Michelle Obama as an AK-47-toting revolutionary in combat boots evokes the "Angry Black Woman."
In a transparent attempt to cover its rear, the New Yorker has compiled a gallery of past political covers. But without context, the current satirical cover merely fuels "a lot of distortions, lies and misconceptions about the Obamas."
[Excerpted]
For his part, Obama is downplaying the kerfuffle. He told CNN's Larry King:
Well, I know it was the New Yorker's attempt at satire. I don't think they were entirely successful with it. But you know what? It's a cartoon, Larry, and that's why we've got the First Amendment.
And I think the American people are probably spending a little more time worrying about what's happening with the banking system and the housing market, and what's happening in Iraq and Afghanistan, than a cartoon.
So I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about it.
King asked, "Did it personally sting you?"
Obama said:
I've seen and heard worse. I do think that, you know, in attempting to satirize something, they probably fueled some misconceptions about me instead. But, you know, that was their editorial judgment.
Ultimately it’s a cartoon. It’s not where the American people are spending a lot of their time thinking about."
OK, end of story
[Read Essays by Eddie Griffin referencing “Cartoon World”]
Monday, November 26, 2007
At-Risk Children: A National Imperative
It is imperative that I give more attention to children at-risk because of (1) a lack of understanding, (2) lack of direction, and (3) lack of competent leadership in solving their problems. By “at-risk”, I mean children in danger of falling through the cracks in the system.
Personally, I have undertaken several new responsibilities related to children and character-building. I have started teaching bible class for male high school children this quarter. I volunteered to join the Fort Worth ISD Communication Action Teams (CATs) and help to develop an effective school dropout prevention strategy. In addition, I continue my work serving on Congressman Michael C. Burgess Economic Summit Workforce-of-the-Future subcommittee, which looks at improving the workforce skills of the future generation and the vital role played by our educational systems.
All of these roles are directed at reaching young people and putting them on a productive course in life and society.
I also look at children at risk who fall through the system by examining factors related to the lives of juvenile delinquents caught up in the criminal justice system and to help the reintegrated back into society through Tarrant County Commissioner Roy Brooks Reentry Council.
I am also take pride in the role of an international child’s rights advocate for the World’s Children’s Prize for the Right of the Child, and frequent advisor to legislators on children rights’ issues.
What draws my immediate attention back to the at-risk population was an editorial (“Mental health: Class Dismissed?”) by Star-Telegram Steve Jacob (25-Nov-07). What concerns me most is this statement:
An estimated 75 percent of children in the Texas juvenile system have behavioral health issues, and 30 percent of those in the juvenile system will end up in the adult system. An increase in the number of U.S. juvenile delinquents has been blamed in part on diagnosed and undiagnosed mental illness. Since 1991, there has been a 33 percent increase of children 7 to 12 years old appearing in juvenile court.
The problem here is not the observation, but the center of thinking of the observer.
First, it would be a leap of faith to assume that the observer is sane and completely neutral. For example, I have seen some of the most insane behavior accepted as normal behavior- a case example would be the way people drive on the highway. Nobody can say that playing arrogant bumper cars on the freeway is sane behavior- zipping in and out of traffic, at high rates of speed, chasing the fastest car on the road, and refusing to show common courtesy by yielding the right of way.
Second, sanity seems to be based on Cartoon World standards. We see a two dimensional world in our mind’s eye- my way or no way- my observation more valid than your observation- Homer Simpson people with Disney World ideations about the meanings of life and socialized behavior.
Why is it that only “75 percent of children in the Texas juvenile system have behavioral health issues”, when it seems that it is more like 199.9%? This is to say that 100% of the juveniles in the system have mental health issues and 99.9% of the rest of the population. In a word, we are all crazy. We notice only the extremes and so jaundice in our perception that we cannot properly diagnose the problem.
Anybody with a life after 9-to-5 has issues. But we are too busy exempting ourselves and stigmatizing others that we foolheartedly charge the “mentally ill” as being the cause of their own mental illness. We tend to forget that childhood is a retarded form of adulthood. This is why a 2-year old feels competent enough to walk across the street.
We tend to forget: When I was a child, I spoke, understood, and thought as a child. But then we never seemed to have put away our own childish things, such as our childish selfish behavior on the road.
Once we began to understand our own mass insanity, we might be able to see clearly enough to recognize children who are at risk and what they are at risk of.
Personally, I have undertaken several new responsibilities related to children and character-building. I have started teaching bible class for male high school children this quarter. I volunteered to join the Fort Worth ISD Communication Action Teams (CATs) and help to develop an effective school dropout prevention strategy. In addition, I continue my work serving on Congressman Michael C. Burgess Economic Summit Workforce-of-the-Future subcommittee, which looks at improving the workforce skills of the future generation and the vital role played by our educational systems.
All of these roles are directed at reaching young people and putting them on a productive course in life and society.
I also look at children at risk who fall through the system by examining factors related to the lives of juvenile delinquents caught up in the criminal justice system and to help the reintegrated back into society through Tarrant County Commissioner Roy Brooks Reentry Council.
I am also take pride in the role of an international child’s rights advocate for the World’s Children’s Prize for the Right of the Child, and frequent advisor to legislators on children rights’ issues.
What draws my immediate attention back to the at-risk population was an editorial (“Mental health: Class Dismissed?”) by Star-Telegram Steve Jacob (25-Nov-07). What concerns me most is this statement:
An estimated 75 percent of children in the Texas juvenile system have behavioral health issues, and 30 percent of those in the juvenile system will end up in the adult system. An increase in the number of U.S. juvenile delinquents has been blamed in part on diagnosed and undiagnosed mental illness. Since 1991, there has been a 33 percent increase of children 7 to 12 years old appearing in juvenile court.
The problem here is not the observation, but the center of thinking of the observer.
First, it would be a leap of faith to assume that the observer is sane and completely neutral. For example, I have seen some of the most insane behavior accepted as normal behavior- a case example would be the way people drive on the highway. Nobody can say that playing arrogant bumper cars on the freeway is sane behavior- zipping in and out of traffic, at high rates of speed, chasing the fastest car on the road, and refusing to show common courtesy by yielding the right of way.
Second, sanity seems to be based on Cartoon World standards. We see a two dimensional world in our mind’s eye- my way or no way- my observation more valid than your observation- Homer Simpson people with Disney World ideations about the meanings of life and socialized behavior.
Why is it that only “75 percent of children in the Texas juvenile system have behavioral health issues”, when it seems that it is more like 199.9%? This is to say that 100% of the juveniles in the system have mental health issues and 99.9% of the rest of the population. In a word, we are all crazy. We notice only the extremes and so jaundice in our perception that we cannot properly diagnose the problem.
Anybody with a life after 9-to-5 has issues. But we are too busy exempting ourselves and stigmatizing others that we foolheartedly charge the “mentally ill” as being the cause of their own mental illness. We tend to forget that childhood is a retarded form of adulthood. This is why a 2-year old feels competent enough to walk across the street.
We tend to forget: When I was a child, I spoke, understood, and thought as a child. But then we never seemed to have put away our own childish things, such as our childish selfish behavior on the road.
Once we began to understand our own mass insanity, we might be able to see clearly enough to recognize children who are at risk and what they are at risk of.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Racism in Star-Telegram Cartoon
From: “Isn't an apology enough?” (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, April 12, 2007)
Excerpts of Letters to the Editor:
I've been offended by many things, but I got over it. And I'll probably be offended again. Still, I'm not sure that anyone has a "right" to not be offended… Don Imus was stupid to have said the things he did on national radio. But he has apologized! Some folks think the apology insincere. So what? He has apologized publicly!
Do his remarks really make him a racist? Have we become so politically correct that no one can make a mistake and survive? Do the media have a "right" to continue to castigate this person so long after the event? The No. 1 racist is Al Sharpton. He seems to think that anyone who disparages anyone who's black deserves to be crucified. An apology isn't enough for him!
I was born and raised in the South in an era of separate drinking fountains. I enlisted in the Air Force in 1952 at age 17… There were good white people and good "colored" people… The media need to back off. The African-American community needs to take stock. An apology offered should be enough and accepted. There's no reason to examine the excuse or apology and declare that it wasn't sincere enough. We must be more tolerant than that.
Wake up, folks. We can get over being offended every time someone steps on our toes, no matter how stupid their remarks! Not to do so is stupid in itself.
Tony Girtman, Runaway Bay
Ten years ago, a sincere apology would get anyone out of trouble. Not these days. Apologies aren't enough when minorities and those on the left are insulted… But when insults fly from the left, hardly a word is mentioned. What Imus said was bad -- double bad... I think Imus should be given a pass... I suggest that people who feel offended should write to the advertisers on Imus' show. If the sponsors feel that a marketable number of people is offended, guess what? The show will be cancelled.
Steve Carson, Arlington
Hip Hop Gives Imus Sponsors Economic Backhand Lash
By Eddie Griffin
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Today’s Star-Telegram printed this “racist” editorial scapegoat cartoon by Etta Hulme.
Can you see the racism? I thought not, and neither can the media. It is ever so subtle the normal person might miss it. Look. First, you see the cartoon character with his back toward us, droopy shirt, sagging pants, and on his back: Hip Hop. The character is wearing a cowboy hat with the word: Imus.
How is Imus connected with Hip Hop, except through insinuation? At the bottom of the cartoon is the word: Accessory. The only accessory possible is the cowboy hat (Imus) while the whole body belongs to Hip Hop. What does that suggest?
I noted on yesterday, how ABC News anchor Charles Gibbon connected Imus comments about “nappy-headed ‘hoes” to the kind of language used by hip hop rap artist all the time. [“ABC NEWS Anchor Ask Wrong Question in Imus Debacle”]. The Etta Hulme confirms this suggestion that hip hop is the blame for such derogatory racial slurs used by Imus.
Let the hip hop community speak in their own defense:
Unlike stereotypes, the hip hop community is a very politically self-aware and intelligent community. This is why I subscribe to Thug Life Army, because hip hop is the only true political consciousness in the black community. Here is a reprint on the Imus controversy.
The Hip Hop Community is growing every day. As a ‘body’ we have the numbers to make a difference when we speak out. Hip hop is being ‘blamed’ as one reason that Don Imus felt comfortable with his remarks about Black Woman and the Rutgers University women's basketball team.
As a community Hip Hop should ‘stand up’ and 'speak up'. Hip Hop is not the cause of all of society’s woes or should hip hop be blamed when racists’ remarks are made – especially against women of any color.
Imus has attempted to ‘apologize’ for his comments but it was with the ease that it came out of his mouth that makes this serious. If you think a certain way it is surely to slip out sooner or later and he can blame it on humor or what ever else it would like, but he would have not said those comments if he did not think of Black Women in that context.
Hip Hop needs to stand up and speak out on this. We should not take the blame for his remarks.
Davey D has posted a list of Don Imus' Corporate Sponsors. Below is Davey D’s post. Hip Hop Stand Up and Speak Out.
Here's Don Imus' Corporate Sponsor List: Hit 'em Where It Hurts by Davey D
The MSNBC / NBC sponsors are:
Cadillac
Wyeth Laboratories / Caltrate
Covergirl cosmetics
Aleve
Comcast Chanel One
Xerox (sorry Neet)
Subway Sandwich Shops
Capri Sun Drinks
Nasonex nasal spray
Mazda CX9 SUV
Ask.com
Verizon Wireless
Nivea body lotion
Expedia.com
Valspar house paint
Nissan Altima
Mitsubishi Lancer
Mancini's Sleep World
Chevy Silverado Extended Cab Trucks
Mercedes R350 Class Cars
Comcast Digital Voice Home Service
TRANE Air Conditioning Systems
ETrade
Dove Pro-AGe Shampoo
Imitrex Migraine Medication
Pampers Cruisers Disposable diapers
2008 Lexus RX Automobile
Claritin Clear Allergy Medication
Thompson's Waterseal wood finisher
Source: Thug Life Army
Dear Corporate Sponsor:
In view of the egregious remarks made by Mr. Don Imus on his NBC Radio broadcast last week, and in view of the fact that NBC Radio has failed to terminate him from their employ in response to these and other equally unacceptable comments about members of our community, I am forthwith ceasing from purchasing any of your products and/or services if you continue your sponsorship of MSNBC, NBC, and their affiliate broadcast entities, who by their failure to adequately sanction the behavior of their staff, are sending a clear message to the black community that they either agree with Mr. Imus' comments or find them to be acceptable. By your sponsorship, you share in the responsibility of Mr. Imus' reprehensible behavior with the NBC Broadcast Corporation.
Regards,
Davey D
Contributed by Eddie Griffin
Excerpts of Letters to the Editor:
I've been offended by many things, but I got over it. And I'll probably be offended again. Still, I'm not sure that anyone has a "right" to not be offended… Don Imus was stupid to have said the things he did on national radio. But he has apologized! Some folks think the apology insincere. So what? He has apologized publicly!
Do his remarks really make him a racist? Have we become so politically correct that no one can make a mistake and survive? Do the media have a "right" to continue to castigate this person so long after the event? The No. 1 racist is Al Sharpton. He seems to think that anyone who disparages anyone who's black deserves to be crucified. An apology isn't enough for him!
I was born and raised in the South in an era of separate drinking fountains. I enlisted in the Air Force in 1952 at age 17… There were good white people and good "colored" people… The media need to back off. The African-American community needs to take stock. An apology offered should be enough and accepted. There's no reason to examine the excuse or apology and declare that it wasn't sincere enough. We must be more tolerant than that.
Wake up, folks. We can get over being offended every time someone steps on our toes, no matter how stupid their remarks! Not to do so is stupid in itself.
Tony Girtman, Runaway Bay
Ten years ago, a sincere apology would get anyone out of trouble. Not these days. Apologies aren't enough when minorities and those on the left are insulted… But when insults fly from the left, hardly a word is mentioned. What Imus said was bad -- double bad... I think Imus should be given a pass... I suggest that people who feel offended should write to the advertisers on Imus' show. If the sponsors feel that a marketable number of people is offended, guess what? The show will be cancelled.
Steve Carson, Arlington
Hip Hop Gives Imus Sponsors Economic Backhand Lash
By Eddie Griffin
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Today’s Star-Telegram printed this “racist” editorial scapegoat cartoon by Etta Hulme.
Can you see the racism? I thought not, and neither can the media. It is ever so subtle the normal person might miss it. Look. First, you see the cartoon character with his back toward us, droopy shirt, sagging pants, and on his back: Hip Hop. The character is wearing a cowboy hat with the word: Imus.
How is Imus connected with Hip Hop, except through insinuation? At the bottom of the cartoon is the word: Accessory. The only accessory possible is the cowboy hat (Imus) while the whole body belongs to Hip Hop. What does that suggest?
I noted on yesterday, how ABC News anchor Charles Gibbon connected Imus comments about “nappy-headed ‘hoes” to the kind of language used by hip hop rap artist all the time. [“ABC NEWS Anchor Ask Wrong Question in Imus Debacle”]. The Etta Hulme confirms this suggestion that hip hop is the blame for such derogatory racial slurs used by Imus.
Let the hip hop community speak in their own defense:
Unlike stereotypes, the hip hop community is a very politically self-aware and intelligent community. This is why I subscribe to Thug Life Army, because hip hop is the only true political consciousness in the black community. Here is a reprint on the Imus controversy.
The Hip Hop Community is growing every day. As a ‘body’ we have the numbers to make a difference when we speak out. Hip hop is being ‘blamed’ as one reason that Don Imus felt comfortable with his remarks about Black Woman and the Rutgers University women's basketball team.
As a community Hip Hop should ‘stand up’ and 'speak up'. Hip Hop is not the cause of all of society’s woes or should hip hop be blamed when racists’ remarks are made – especially against women of any color.
Imus has attempted to ‘apologize’ for his comments but it was with the ease that it came out of his mouth that makes this serious. If you think a certain way it is surely to slip out sooner or later and he can blame it on humor or what ever else it would like, but he would have not said those comments if he did not think of Black Women in that context.
Hip Hop needs to stand up and speak out on this. We should not take the blame for his remarks.
Davey D has posted a list of Don Imus' Corporate Sponsors. Below is Davey D’s post. Hip Hop Stand Up and Speak Out.
Here's Don Imus' Corporate Sponsor List: Hit 'em Where It Hurts by Davey D
The MSNBC / NBC sponsors are:
Cadillac
Wyeth Laboratories / Caltrate
Covergirl cosmetics
Aleve
Comcast Chanel One
Xerox (sorry Neet)
Subway Sandwich Shops
Capri Sun Drinks
Nasonex nasal spray
Mazda CX9 SUV
Ask.com
Verizon Wireless
Nivea body lotion
Expedia.com
Valspar house paint
Nissan Altima
Mitsubishi Lancer
Mancini's Sleep World
Chevy Silverado Extended Cab Trucks
Mercedes R350 Class Cars
Comcast Digital Voice Home Service
TRANE Air Conditioning Systems
ETrade
Dove Pro-AGe Shampoo
Imitrex Migraine Medication
Pampers Cruisers Disposable diapers
2008 Lexus RX Automobile
Claritin Clear Allergy Medication
Thompson's Waterseal wood finisher
Source: Thug Life Army
Dear Corporate Sponsor:
In view of the egregious remarks made by Mr. Don Imus on his NBC Radio broadcast last week, and in view of the fact that NBC Radio has failed to terminate him from their employ in response to these and other equally unacceptable comments about members of our community, I am forthwith ceasing from purchasing any of your products and/or services if you continue your sponsorship of MSNBC, NBC, and their affiliate broadcast entities, who by their failure to adequately sanction the behavior of their staff, are sending a clear message to the black community that they either agree with Mr. Imus' comments or find them to be acceptable. By your sponsorship, you share in the responsibility of Mr. Imus' reprehensible behavior with the NBC Broadcast Corporation.
Regards,
Davey D
Contributed by Eddie Griffin
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Where is the Racism in the Tea Party?
By Eddie Griffin
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Some people are questioning the resolution of the NAACP about racism in the Tea Party- a resolution, mind you, that still has to be finalized. But when NAACP President Benjamin Jealous spoke about the resolution, there were clearly despicable pictures in the background as proof of what he meant.
NO, not everybody in the Tea Party is racist, and I doubt if many really understand what racism truly means outside of bigotry. This is why I stopped using the term “racism” to describe “white supremacy”- the ideology of “white rule”, either by natural divine right or intellectual superiority. Most bigots fall on the low end of the IQ pool, easily aroused, dumped, and hoodwinked, by their more intelligent counterparts.
In an article in the Fort Worth Weekly, I forewarned that “unhealthy rhetoric” coming from the ranks of the Tea Party was comparable to the racist rhetoric hurled at African-Americans during the Civil Rights Movement. (See “Unhealthy Rhetoric” by Eddie Griffin, Fort Worth Weekly, March 31, 2010). Instead of toning down the hostilities, some readers unleashed their anger upon me as the writer and demanded proof.
I presented a montage of pictures to the editor Gayle Reeves, which was later included in an editorial, “Tea Parties, Racism and Eddie Griffin”. As I asserted in the original article: “Plausible denial is a racist’s chief defense. That nobody saw him, nobody heard him, and nobody can prove what is in his heart is all the cover he needs.”
The YouTube link to Gayle’s editorial has been disconnected (for obvious or unobvious reasons), but the montage is picture proof is here, and here is why these depictions are racially offensive:
(1:34-1:43) A poster read: Save White America
What is “White America”? How is it different from “Other America”? Why the implied dichotomy between White and Black America? Why must I accept the unscientific codification of Race based on skin color? And, why does “White America” feel imperiled and the rest of us do not? There are no white people, per se, only people who are spoofed into believing genetic and pigmentation means something.
Politics is colorless, but not odorless.
(1:17-1:34) A poster read: Slave Owner Taxpayer - Niggar
By civil convention, I thought the N-word was antiquated due its vile nature and hateful conjuring. But here is a man, in patriotic red, white, and blue, with this sign.
(2:06-2:14) A poster read: Obama is the Antichrist – Oust Obama
(4:00-4:09) A poster read: The Antichrist is living in the White House
When people use religion to vilify the president in a demonic way, he or she intentionally corrupts the scriptures, as if there is no respect for the true and living God in heaven, or the leader elected by the majority of the people.
What does this say of those of us who voted for Obama? That we are satanic?
(2:39-2:47) A poster with an image of Barack Obama half-dressed in savage garb with a bone in his nose.
The image is reminiscent of pictures I remember as a child during 1940s and 1950s when we realized our African roots. We were brainwashed into shame about our heritage by these very same pictures. But there were Negro actors willing to portray such roles on stage and in movies.
We were taught that Africans were always uncivilized and dressed like this, not the fact that Africa was colonized, raped and pillaged, carved up like a pork chop, and the people thrown back into the stone ages by European encroachment. In time we discover Timbuktu and the cradle of civilization, and that Africa gave the Greeks their education, and Moors gave the world the Arabic number system.
It took a life time to overcome this shame, and now it returns in this form.
(2:47-2:55) A poster with a cartoon monkey with the inscription: Obama Nomics – Monkey see, monkey spend.
Telling Negroes that they evolved from monkeys and look like monkeys goes back as far as I can remember. It was part of the ongoing daily humiliation we had to endure. Not that this vile expression has ever gone away, it is an old rehash out of the same closet as great-great-great-grandpa’s Confederate uniform.
EDDIE GRIFFIN ADVICE TO THE NAACP-The pictures identified above are indeed proof of racism. The organization should neither be shamed nor intimidation in revealing an undeniable social reality. Pass the Resolution and move on to the next work, and never look behind. It is now incumbent upon the Tea Party Movement to keep these vile images out of its ranks and away from its rallies. The rest we can devote to an open and honest political debate, if we can keep honest alive.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Some people are questioning the resolution of the NAACP about racism in the Tea Party- a resolution, mind you, that still has to be finalized. But when NAACP President Benjamin Jealous spoke about the resolution, there were clearly despicable pictures in the background as proof of what he meant.
NO, not everybody in the Tea Party is racist, and I doubt if many really understand what racism truly means outside of bigotry. This is why I stopped using the term “racism” to describe “white supremacy”- the ideology of “white rule”, either by natural divine right or intellectual superiority. Most bigots fall on the low end of the IQ pool, easily aroused, dumped, and hoodwinked, by their more intelligent counterparts.
In an article in the Fort Worth Weekly, I forewarned that “unhealthy rhetoric” coming from the ranks of the Tea Party was comparable to the racist rhetoric hurled at African-Americans during the Civil Rights Movement. (See “Unhealthy Rhetoric” by Eddie Griffin, Fort Worth Weekly, March 31, 2010). Instead of toning down the hostilities, some readers unleashed their anger upon me as the writer and demanded proof.
I presented a montage of pictures to the editor Gayle Reeves, which was later included in an editorial, “Tea Parties, Racism and Eddie Griffin”. As I asserted in the original article: “Plausible denial is a racist’s chief defense. That nobody saw him, nobody heard him, and nobody can prove what is in his heart is all the cover he needs.”
The YouTube link to Gayle’s editorial has been disconnected (for obvious or unobvious reasons), but the montage is picture proof is here, and here is why these depictions are racially offensive:
(1:34-1:43) A poster read: Save White America
What is “White America”? How is it different from “Other America”? Why the implied dichotomy between White and Black America? Why must I accept the unscientific codification of Race based on skin color? And, why does “White America” feel imperiled and the rest of us do not? There are no white people, per se, only people who are spoofed into believing genetic and pigmentation means something.
Politics is colorless, but not odorless.
(1:17-1:34) A poster read: Slave Owner Taxpayer - Niggar
By civil convention, I thought the N-word was antiquated due its vile nature and hateful conjuring. But here is a man, in patriotic red, white, and blue, with this sign.
(2:06-2:14) A poster read: Obama is the Antichrist – Oust Obama
(4:00-4:09) A poster read: The Antichrist is living in the White House
When people use religion to vilify the president in a demonic way, he or she intentionally corrupts the scriptures, as if there is no respect for the true and living God in heaven, or the leader elected by the majority of the people.
What does this say of those of us who voted for Obama? That we are satanic?
(2:39-2:47) A poster with an image of Barack Obama half-dressed in savage garb with a bone in his nose.
The image is reminiscent of pictures I remember as a child during 1940s and 1950s when we realized our African roots. We were brainwashed into shame about our heritage by these very same pictures. But there were Negro actors willing to portray such roles on stage and in movies.
We were taught that Africans were always uncivilized and dressed like this, not the fact that Africa was colonized, raped and pillaged, carved up like a pork chop, and the people thrown back into the stone ages by European encroachment. In time we discover Timbuktu and the cradle of civilization, and that Africa gave the Greeks their education, and Moors gave the world the Arabic number system.
It took a life time to overcome this shame, and now it returns in this form.
(2:47-2:55) A poster with a cartoon monkey with the inscription: Obama Nomics – Monkey see, monkey spend.
Telling Negroes that they evolved from monkeys and look like monkeys goes back as far as I can remember. It was part of the ongoing daily humiliation we had to endure. Not that this vile expression has ever gone away, it is an old rehash out of the same closet as great-great-great-grandpa’s Confederate uniform.
EDDIE GRIFFIN ADVICE TO THE NAACP-The pictures identified above are indeed proof of racism. The organization should neither be shamed nor intimidation in revealing an undeniable social reality. Pass the Resolution and move on to the next work, and never look behind. It is now incumbent upon the Tea Party Movement to keep these vile images out of its ranks and away from its rallies. The rest we can devote to an open and honest political debate, if we can keep honest alive.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Virtual School Tools supplement Public Education
Solving the Classroom Crisis – Part IV
Compiled Eddie Griffin
Make no mistake about it: The days of public school education, as we know it, are numbered. The online distant learning concept has evolved into Virtual Schools across the internet. Online tutorials, which once supplemented traditional school curriculum, have grown up into a full and mature educational system in its own rights.
Here are some of the best free tutorials and teaching tools on the internet.
In the Field of Math
[Remember a Standard/ Scientific Calculator is available in Computer Accessories]
Math.com is a comprehensive math tutorial, covering subjects ranging from Basic and Everyday Math, to Pre-Algebra, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Statistics, Calculus, Vector Analysis, and other advanced subjects.
Math.com - Free math lessons and homework help.
Principles and Standards for School Mathematics is a guide for focused, sustained efforts to improve students’ school mathematics. It aims to do the following:
• Set forth a comprehensive and coherent set of learning goals for mathematics for all students from prekindergarten through grade 12 that will orient curricular, teaching, and assessment efforts during the next
decades.
• Serve as a resource for teachers, education leaders, and policymakers to use in examining and improving the quality of mathematics instructional programs.
• Guide the development of curriculum frameworks, assessments, and instructional materials.
• Stimulate ideas and ongoing conversations at the national, state or provincial, and local levels about how best to help students gain a deep understanding of important mathematics.
Build Math Worksheets
Math Fact Cafe provides math fact sheets and flashcards for parents and teachers. The focus of our site is on the elementary grades, K-5. Our site allows visitors to access hundreds of pre-generated math sheets or create custom sheets to meet a child's specific needs. In addition, interactive flashcards allow visitors to review flashcard problems with the choice of simple card flipping or mandatory input (visitor must enter answers and is graded on correct answers).
Combined Fields of Math, Science, and other Subjects
Brain Pop is one of the most entertaining ways to teach Science, Social Studies, English, Math, Art & Music, Health, and Technology. Some courses are free. Other courses provide a 14-day free trial and a subscription.
Science Academy contains an array of math and science tools, as well as links to other educational websites. Most interesting at this site are the collection of reading math problems.
NASA Education tools provide students with exploratory learning experiences. The agency employs an vast array of tools developed through its space program.
The Shodor Foundation is a non-profit research and education organization dedicated to the advancement of science and math education, specifically through the use of modeling and simulation technologies.
MASTER Tools, developed by The Shodor Education Foundation, Inc. are the result of on-going collaborations with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), George Mason University, and other education organizations. They are designed to be interactive tools and simulation environments that enable and encourage exploration and discovery through observation, conjecture, and modeling activities.
[NOTE: Our growing portfolio of MASTER tools will soon be fully integrated with new collaboration tools and online research facilities to create an authentic scientific experience. All of our simulations and supporting curriculum materials are designed in accordance with the new National Science Education Standards and the National Math Education Standards.]
RHL School - Free Learning Resources:
The place to get free ready to use quality worksheets for teaching, reinforcement, and review. Worksheets included in the Field of:
Reading Comprehension
English Basics
Math Problem Solving
Research Skills
Math Computation
LANGUAGE SKILLS
GUIDE TO GRAMMAR AND WRITING
Building sentences and paragraphs, composing essays, learning forms of communications, Power Point presentations, interactive quizzes, and other grammar and writing tools.
Vocabulary Building
Dictionary-Thesaurus Lookup
The site also provides pronunciation of words, translations to and from other languages, synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms, and other language tools.
SOCIAL SCIENCE
Library of Congress
Library of Congress Learning Page
Library of Congress History Page
Texas History
The Handbook of Texas Online is a multidisciplinary encyclopedia of Texas history, geography, and culture sponsored by the Texas State Historical Association and the General Libraries at UT Austin.
EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT COURSES, EXERCISES, & GAMES
Scholastic produces educational materials to assist and inspire students:
• To cultivate their minds to utmost capacity
• To become familiar with our cultural heritage
• To strive for excellence in creative expression in all fields of learning, literature, and art
• To seek effective ways to live a satisfying life
• To enlarge students' concern for and understanding of today's world
• To help build a society free of prejudice and hate, and dedicated to the highest quality of life in community and nation
ABC Teach is geared for the youngest learners in various subjects.
FREE student memberships! Join the many education professors and education students around the country that are using abcteach. Take advantage of our special university memberships that are available at no cost to education majors, professors, and their universities.
PBS Kids is an all-time favorite for computer literate elementary grade school children. It features PBS recognizable cartoon characters in educational exercises, from counting to verbalizing words.
School Express is another children’s favorite. Of special interest is the games Concentration and Jigsaws. Concentration helps develop children’s attention span and concentration skills, while Jigsaws help develop their mechanical aptitude and manual dexterity skills. School Express also features a Math Generator that helps development basic math skills up to three-digit multiplication and division.
Current Events for Kids
Kidsnewsroon.org is a non-profit organization that offers students and schools alike free access to excellent educational resources.
Compiled Eddie Griffin
Make no mistake about it: The days of public school education, as we know it, are numbered. The online distant learning concept has evolved into Virtual Schools across the internet. Online tutorials, which once supplemented traditional school curriculum, have grown up into a full and mature educational system in its own rights.
Here are some of the best free tutorials and teaching tools on the internet.
In the Field of Math
[Remember a Standard/ Scientific Calculator is available in Computer Accessories]
Math.com is a comprehensive math tutorial, covering subjects ranging from Basic and Everyday Math, to Pre-Algebra, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Statistics, Calculus, Vector Analysis, and other advanced subjects.
Math.com - Free math lessons and homework help.
Principles and Standards for School Mathematics is a guide for focused, sustained efforts to improve students’ school mathematics. It aims to do the following:
• Set forth a comprehensive and coherent set of learning goals for mathematics for all students from prekindergarten through grade 12 that will orient curricular, teaching, and assessment efforts during the next
decades.
• Serve as a resource for teachers, education leaders, and policymakers to use in examining and improving the quality of mathematics instructional programs.
• Guide the development of curriculum frameworks, assessments, and instructional materials.
• Stimulate ideas and ongoing conversations at the national, state or provincial, and local levels about how best to help students gain a deep understanding of important mathematics.
Build Math Worksheets
Math Fact Cafe provides math fact sheets and flashcards for parents and teachers. The focus of our site is on the elementary grades, K-5. Our site allows visitors to access hundreds of pre-generated math sheets or create custom sheets to meet a child's specific needs. In addition, interactive flashcards allow visitors to review flashcard problems with the choice of simple card flipping or mandatory input (visitor must enter answers and is graded on correct answers).
Combined Fields of Math, Science, and other Subjects
Brain Pop is one of the most entertaining ways to teach Science, Social Studies, English, Math, Art & Music, Health, and Technology. Some courses are free. Other courses provide a 14-day free trial and a subscription.
Science Academy contains an array of math and science tools, as well as links to other educational websites. Most interesting at this site are the collection of reading math problems.
NASA Education tools provide students with exploratory learning experiences. The agency employs an vast array of tools developed through its space program.
The Shodor Foundation is a non-profit research and education organization dedicated to the advancement of science and math education, specifically through the use of modeling and simulation technologies.
MASTER Tools, developed by The Shodor Education Foundation, Inc. are the result of on-going collaborations with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), George Mason University, and other education organizations. They are designed to be interactive tools and simulation environments that enable and encourage exploration and discovery through observation, conjecture, and modeling activities.
[NOTE: Our growing portfolio of MASTER tools will soon be fully integrated with new collaboration tools and online research facilities to create an authentic scientific experience. All of our simulations and supporting curriculum materials are designed in accordance with the new National Science Education Standards and the National Math Education Standards.]
RHL School - Free Learning Resources:
The place to get free ready to use quality worksheets for teaching, reinforcement, and review. Worksheets included in the Field of:
Reading Comprehension
English Basics
Math Problem Solving
Research Skills
Math Computation
LANGUAGE SKILLS
GUIDE TO GRAMMAR AND WRITING
Building sentences and paragraphs, composing essays, learning forms of communications, Power Point presentations, interactive quizzes, and other grammar and writing tools.
Vocabulary Building
Dictionary-Thesaurus Lookup
The site also provides pronunciation of words, translations to and from other languages, synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms, and other language tools.
SOCIAL SCIENCE
Library of Congress
Library of Congress Learning Page
Library of Congress History Page
Texas History
The Handbook of Texas Online is a multidisciplinary encyclopedia of Texas history, geography, and culture sponsored by the Texas State Historical Association and the General Libraries at UT Austin.
EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT COURSES, EXERCISES, & GAMES
Scholastic produces educational materials to assist and inspire students:
• To cultivate their minds to utmost capacity
• To become familiar with our cultural heritage
• To strive for excellence in creative expression in all fields of learning, literature, and art
• To seek effective ways to live a satisfying life
• To enlarge students' concern for and understanding of today's world
• To help build a society free of prejudice and hate, and dedicated to the highest quality of life in community and nation
ABC Teach is geared for the youngest learners in various subjects.
FREE student memberships! Join the many education professors and education students around the country that are using abcteach. Take advantage of our special university memberships that are available at no cost to education majors, professors, and their universities.
PBS Kids is an all-time favorite for computer literate elementary grade school children. It features PBS recognizable cartoon characters in educational exercises, from counting to verbalizing words.
School Express is another children’s favorite. Of special interest is the games Concentration and Jigsaws. Concentration helps develop children’s attention span and concentration skills, while Jigsaws help develop their mechanical aptitude and manual dexterity skills. School Express also features a Math Generator that helps development basic math skills up to three-digit multiplication and division.
Current Events for Kids
Kidsnewsroon.org is a non-profit organization that offers students and schools alike free access to excellent educational resources.
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