Discovery Channel's Gun Dude

I’m anti-mainstream media practices  but this is extreme!

James L. Lee, 43, expressed his rage against Discovery Channel’s programming by showing up armed and taking three hostages. I’m sure he got the attention the he was seeking, but not the results – he was shot by policemen on the scene. This was not his first action against the media company. According to Associated Press, Lee protested outside the company and charged with disorderly conduct in 2008.

Now, this is action! I’m not mad at Lee’s courage for standing up for what he believes in. I am a little disturbed by his method of handling the situation was a bit off. Everyone escaped safely, which is a blessing, but there are more civilized ways to get your point across.

What do you think of Lee’s actions? What could he had done differently?

The Klu Klux Klan is No Longer a Threat to Black People

The  KKK leader stepped to the podium, his hood lowered around his shoulders and a look of disgust  on his face. He said, “Sorry guys but this will be our last meeting; we’re going out of business.”

A member stood up in back. “But why sir?”

The leader sighed, “Well, reverend, the Blacks are doing a better job getting rid of themselves than we ever did, so we are no longer needed.”

There were rumblings and protest. The leader raised his hand to silence the Klan members, and said, “Their rap music says more vile things about Black women than we ever thought of.”

The members grudgingly nodded in approval. The Imperial Dragon continued: “And their women write books and make songs that demean black men better than my two speech writers ever could, looking down at two men seated in front who lowered their heads.

“They shoot each other constantly,” he continued;” And as a group, they spend a huge amounts of money on cars, liquor, that stuff they call bling bling, and the proliferation of rap music – as they talk about all that in their magazines — and nobody needs us to talk about how a lot of their sorry butts keep playing the race and victim cards while complaining that other groups are surpassing them in economic development and supposedly getting more attention in schools.

Hell, they even support a so-called “Black Hair” DVD that a white man is making money on, in four sequels at $20.00 a pop, talking about how Koreans have taken over the “black hair” industry without acknowledging that Black entrepreneurs had 100 years to get a monopoly or entrenchment in the industry that Madam C.J Walker founded 100 years ago, but got out-hustled and out-strategized while spending investment capital elsewhere.   Let’s face it, they’re being hoisted by their own petards.”

Some members went looking for dictionaries, while most members nodded as it hit them that their job was finished; that Blacks had become their own worst enemy.

The leader shook his head. “It’s time to go back to our regular lives as policemen, judges and congressmen, and leave the business of getting rid of Blacks to Blacks. They are just better at it than us.”

He then threw his hood on the ground and walked off the stage.  Thus ended the last KKK meeting.

Rarely Seen on TV: Black Fathers Fighting for Their Children

When I watch TV, I rarely see black men fighting for their children.  Since my TV viewing is limited, I can only speak on the court shows, talk shows  and other shows I used to watch.

The portrayals I found were:

1. Court shows are full of mothers suing fathers  for nonpayment of child support.
2. The father either doesn’t work or is a street hustler and pays when he can or not at all.
3. Maury Povich…I have no words.

The bad thing is, black men as a group are judged as deadbeat dads based on the images of the few ignorant people shown on TV.  It’s not fair, but that’s life.

TVs and movies rarely show RESPONSIBLE black fathers as the primary caregivers of their children (Pursuit of Happyness with Will Smith is an exception).  They also rarely show how mothers intentionally do things to keep their children away from fathers who are willing to provide and care for their babies.  They choose to highlight the negative.

Well, I would like to commend two of my friends who have spent countless hours in court and loads of money fighting for their children.  I have much love and respect for both because I personally know their struggles.  Allow me to introduce Demond Fagan and Leon Green (Charles) .

Demond has gone through his challenges with few complaints.  There were trying times, but through it all, he only complained about the situation.  He has missed work; left early and arrived late to get custody of his children.  Even when he thought it was over, he was back there again.  I’m pleased to report that he was victorious, and he has emotional bumps and bruises as well as a huge bill from his lawyer as proof, but he is a happy father with his babies.

Charles is still going through drama, but he refuses to back down.  He always says, “I want my kids,” and he’s doing what he can to get them.  He loves his boys, but their mother is scandalous. She’ll make plans for the boys when Charles have scheduled to pick them up.  She took away the oldest son’s phone so he couldn’t speak with his dad. It’s a trick.  But, Charles is being a responsible man by putting up with the mess.  He has even more fight because of his challenges with his daughter.

I just had to share Demond and Charles’ stories because I know they would probably never be seen on TV as they do not fit the deadbeat dad images shown on TV and in movies.  And, they are truly exceptional on so many levels.

Why Watching TV and Movies is Bad for Black People

Media sources thrive on stereotypes and inaccurate portrayals.  I feel that the media sends out negative images and messages to viewers about African Americans.  Thus, following are reasons why I think watching TV and movies is bad for Black people and the people who believe what they see.

1. They tell black people how to think, live and act
2. They tell black people what to buy
3. They teach black people how to hate themselves
4. They tell black people that they are not important
5. They show that black people are only good at entertainment, sports and comedy
6. They show black people more as sexual objects and not intelligent beings
7. The show that black is not beautiful
8. They do not show images of healthy black families
9. They show single mothers struggling and on welfare
10. The lack of black actresses in leading roles in large Hollywood films says that they are not worthy of the position
11. Black people are typically portrayed as gun-toting criminals
12. They show black people in lower paying jobs instead of executives and professionals
13. Black actresses are not good enough to star in movies with leading black male actors
14. They show many black youngsters in gangs
15. They rarely show successful black people with successful black mates
16. They rarely show leading black actors in films

That’s all I came up with.  What else can you think of?

Marcie’s Thoughts While Reading About Black Women in History

Disclaimer: I am not a racist. I have strong feelings and views about the history of black people in America.

I am reading When and Where I Enter: The Impact of Black Women on Race and Sex in America by Paula Giddings, and am experiencing so many emotions.  My feelings range from pride to sadness to absolute rage!

I am proud of the courage and  efforts made by the females that made it possible for me to be able to read this book and write this blog post.  I thank God for Ida B. Wells, Mary Church Terrell, Anna Julia Cooper and all the other women mentioned in the book.

Sadness is felt when I read about what black mothers had to do to protect their children in American society.  But it really hurts to learn how they had to protect their daughters from being sexually exploited by white men.  How they had to be protectors of their families because of the racism against black men.  How they had to defend their morality and intelligence despite obvious proof they were intelligent women.  And all of this was made up by white men to their advantage.

Now, rage kicks in when I think about how black women were the only women who could birth slaves which means America was built on the backs of their slave children, yet we are still at the bottom of the political, social and economic food chain.  And, black women were used for other people’s political and social agendas even though their positions in these arenas were not seriously considered.

What really turned my chocolate self purple was when I read that while black women were being “breeders” to produce slave children to make more money for their masters, white women were intentionally getting pregnant to collect money.  In fact, they had  always been degraded so that white women could be placed on pedestals. It’s still happening today; just watch TV. And, we all know that people from other countries have been compensated for “wrongs” done to them by America and are progressing very nicely in the “land of the free”, but black people are still fighting to get equal pay and equal justice.  Hell, they are just trying to get jobs to feed their families these days.  Unemployment rates in the black community far exceeds national levels.  Coincidence?  I think not.  Bulls**t.  Most definitely.

Arrghhh.  I’m getting angry just thinking about the injustice and the unfair treatment.  And I haven’t even reached page 100!

Anyway, When & Where I Enter has given me a greater respect for the black women in history; a greater respect for myself; and a greater appreciation for black women in general.

To vent my frustrations about these findings and other things I learn about the contradictions about blacks in American history, I’m going to start a podcast to complement by blog, As NOT Seen on TV. I don’t know when it’s going to happen, but look out for it because it’s going to happen.  And when I enter, people need to look out!

Want to get enlightened and possibly outraged with me? Click here to order your copy:

When and Where I Enter: The Impact of Black Women on Race and Sex in America

Have you read the book?  What are your thoughts?  What are your feelings?