Rising Like The Phoenix; But You Knew He Would!

Well, you did know that, didn’t you? That’s right, John Donald Imus, Jr., better know as Don Imus, is slated to return to the airwaves, next Monday, December 3rd. In case you forgot, or have been living sans TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, or other periodicals or publications, the 67-year old Imus is the shock jock who imploded on-air, April 4, 2007, while discussing the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship game between Rutgers University and the University of Tennessee.

During the conversation, Imus and an on-air colleague, his executive producer Bernard McGuirk, engaged in a running commentary, laced with insults, sexist comments, and racial ephitets (here, on YouTube) aimed at the young women on the Rutgers’ team. Though it took a week or so to unfold fully, the fallout from the exchange led to Imus and McGuirk being fired.

Although Imus later apologized, his mea culpa was considered too little too late to avert his firing. Indeed, that fait accompli occurred April 11, 2007, when he was axed by MSNBC, and April 12, 2007, when CBS Radio followed suit. Both media giants are located in New York City.

The dust-up that ensued from Imus’ comments, and eventual firing, featured luminaries lining up on both sides, some coming to his defense, and arguing against his firing, while others called for and promote his removal, with equal vigor.

Among those in favor of keeping Imus on the air, Pat Buchanan called Imus a good guy, who made a mistake, and apologized for it, Bill Maher intoned, an apology should suffice, while Rosie O'Donnell made a free speech pitch, on The View.

For those opposed to Imus continuing on the air, Al Sharpton called Imus’ comments abominable, racist, and sexist, and called for his firing, Clarence Page said he would not appear on Imus’ show again, and Joe Klein argued the incident was not isolated.

The National debate, and make no mistake, there was one, often unfolded along racial lines. Frequently, whites asked, “What is the big deal?” Those who posed this question often noted, “after all, he did apologize.” Alternately many blacks seem utterly perplexed that there were whites who just didn’t get the ever-elusive “it.”

One popular argument points to the wide-spread muscle and influence of that favorite whipping boy, the Hip Hop Culture, as the nefarious culprit responsible for all the hoopla. This theory holds that black youth promulgate a contemporary derivative of Blaxploitation by popularizing an inescapable rash of racist, sexist, and misogynistic language.

In other words, so-called blackspeak is such a prevalent component of contemporary interaction; one is left no choice but to engage in using this heretofore despicable verbiage. That is an interesting point of departure for discussion of the issue. However, before it can receive a logic-tested stamp of approval, it must address the fact that whites purchase the majority of hip-hop music.

In one estimate musicologist Arthur Kempton, suggests, "Today 70 percent of hip-hop is bought by white kids." Of course, beyond the consumers, most of the record company owners and key executives are white. This observation is not an effort to reassign blame, rather the infusion of key facts that defy some of the more simplistic efforts to place blame in the first place.

Another oft-used straw man asserts that many blacks use such language between and among themselves. True enough! Therefore, it is asked, how can whites be faulted, or worse attacked for using the same words and phrases? That is patently unfair, they argue, and reverse discrimination, to boot.

While there is no basis for concluding a causal relationship exists in the cases above, it is much trickier to refute in totality. I will never be confused with being a Cosby clone on this issue, but there is no denying, I am in the, bury the N-word camp, as just one example.

Finally, there are those who submit Imus and his antics are covered under free speech guarantees. The First Amendment of the American Constitution, as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a component of international law, both serve to preserve the right to freedom of speech. Of course there are some clear limitations that apply to this construct. For example, it is commonly understood, it is not OK to walk into a crowed theater and yell “fire.” Good, bad, or indifferently, hateful comments such as those made by Imus do not automatically fall in that delimited category.

So Don Imus is back. Do you care? Should you? Are there compelling reasons to ensure his return? Was Imus unduly harmed and unfairly treated by being vanquished in the first place?

Questions 1 and 2 are rhetorical. I don’t need to know the answer. You may find it worthwhile to answer them for your self, however. Questions 3 and 4 are of greater broad significance, and the answers will affect how we approach Imus redux in a National context.

Many individuals felt Imus’ punishment was too harsh for the crime, so to speak. They not only believe there are compelling reasons for his return, they are glad he is back. Those same people likely think his 6-month hiatus was a source of undue harm. After all, his primary income stream was interrupted for nearly half a year. What is fair about that?
Quickly, I’ll give you my answers to all four queries:

No, I do not care. The guy is a shock jock. His mission in life, at least, as an on-air personality, is to create and maintain controversy; the more, and the more often, the better. To reiterate, no, I do not care; to add, I will not be watching…or listening.

No I should not care. Spending more than a fleeting moment being concerned about Imus inflicts an infamous double-whammy. It wastes time and is a magnet for negative energy. No way; no thanks.

No…and yes. There is no compelling socially redeeming reason to ensure he returns to the airwaves. But, market forces dictated he would be back. He will again attract viewers and sponsors in large numbers. That spells cash cow, and that is pretty compelling.

No. Staying with the market analogy, Imus’ 6-month vacation was simply an opportunity cost. If you subscribe to the belief he had the right to express his opinion, his temporary separation from employment was merely the price of that expression.

That is my take. What’s yours?

Holla Back!


Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com, or by Googling thesphinxofcharlotte. A new post is published each Wednesday.

To read and learn more about Don Imus, click on the links below:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Imus

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/12/national/main2675273.shtml

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/04/11/imus.rutgers/index.html

http://tv.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=ce95e851-0d3b-4e3c-b59a-ca80288e62b6&entry=index

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1679772,00.html

http://www.myrateplan.com/blog/satellite/imus-returns-to-tv-but-youll-need-satellite-tv-to-see-him

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/arts/television/14imus.html?ref=television

http://nymag.com/news/features/35539/

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,302075,00.html

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1609490,00.html

It's Thanksgiving, Right?

Those of you who regularly check in have come to expect a variety of discussion topics, usually centering on some current and significant event, or person in the news. In the grand scheme of things, this week is no different in terms of there being a teeming cornucopia of possibilities from which to choose.

Michael Vick surrendered to authorities Tuesday and began his jail sentence early, Don Imus is scheduled to return to the airwaves on WABC-AM Radio in New York, December 3rd, and as Campaign ’08 heats up, early polling reveals Senator Obama currently holds a slight lead over Senator Clinton, who holds a similarly slight lead over Senator Edwards. When statistical insignificance is factored out, it’s essentially a dead heat.

However, instead of choosing from those, or selecting one of many other hot-button topics du jour, I have instead taken note of the example used in TV and Syndicated Radio scheduling. A great deal of money has been invested in numerous sophisticated studies and other research, all of which have found that you and your families will be busy enjoying good food, and better company, instead of watching or listening to your favorite TV or radio program.

Being a reasonably astute observer, I infer…you, gentle readers, will not be spending an inordinate amount of time reading blogs, no matter how deep, or insightful they may be. To that end, this week’s conversation will be a derivative of David Letterman’s frequently mimicked Top Ten List. No newspaper, magazine, blog, or TV links to track and follow, just my personal list of the top ten things I am thankful for as we prepare for Thanksgiving Day, and the advent of the holiday season in general.

Without further ado, I am thankful for:

#10. Basketball. Pee wee, high school, college, NBA; basketball is fantastic. I have played the game for more than 40 years. It is a source of enjoyment and relaxation, and a catalyst for spirited debate. In a nutshell, it is therapeutic. I am at peace.

#9. Talent, ability, and resourcefulness to earn a living. Each of us is endowed by our creator with an enormous array of skills, talents, abilities, and potential. Having the wherewithal and opportunity to employ one’s gifts in productive and useful purposes is a blessing of the highest order. I am blessed.

#8. Knowledge that I am bigger than my doubters. In life we all encounter obstacles. It is incredibly important to refuse to be diminished or deterred by detractors and doubters. It is even better to use these occurrences as opportunities to grow. I am growing.

#7. Wisdom and examples of elders and Griots. It is often said we should learn from our mistakes. However, very often those who passed this way before, parents, and advisers, extend themselves by sharing the lessons of their challenges. As a rule of thumb it is better, as well as less costly and painful, to learn from others’ mistakes, rather than our own. I am open to learn for others.

#6. Intellectual curiosity. The world is hugely complex and growing more so, daily. Successful navigation requires a certain child-like inquisitive nature; a willingness to suspend belief in boundaries, limitations, and impediments, and instead surmise that every question has a complementary answer, every challenge, a gallant conqueror, and every potential failure, a Phoenix-like solution. I am rising.

#5. Teachers, professors, advisers, and counselors. The United Negro College Fund popularized the phrase, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” No individual or group of professionals is more undervalued in our society than those who embrace the essential work of taking young flexible minds and shaping them into vessels that will serve as personal on-board computers and navigation systems for the next 70 to 100 years. I am a product of having had many amazing teachers.

#4. Friends and loved ones. Each of us is challenged to transform our existence from merely making a living to enjoying a fully engaging fruitful and productive life. No single factor is more critical to maximizing life’s bountiful range of experiences than the players present in one’s inner circle. They see you as you are…and love you anyway. I am inspired by my friends and loved ones.

#3. Life, health, strength, and vigor. It goes without saying; most of our fondest desires can be experienced, only if we have at least a modicum of life, health, strength, and vigor. As long as we have a reasonable portion of these commodities, we have endless possibilities to shape our own destiny. I am alive, healthy, strong, and vigorous.

#2. My parents, may they rest in peace. Parenthood is a calling. Not everyone is cut out for it. It is a lifetime sentence, complete with a never-diminishing commitment. However, when done well, it is also the most rewarding experience known to humans. I am fortunate to have had parents who not only gave me great advice, but who also provided me phenomenal examples.

#1. Understanding God is good…all the time! In 2 Corinthians 12:9, God advises: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” My parents, my life, my friends, my teachers, my intellect, my elders, my knowledge, my talent, and yes, even my affinity for basketball are all gifts…from God. I am the humble benefactor of His glorious goodness, grace, and tender mercy. Amen!

As you head off to enjoy time with friends and family, take this original Holiday Haiku, from me, made especially for you and this Thanksgiving Day.

“A Thanksgiving wish:
Eat, drink, and be quite merry,
Peace be unto you!”

That’s it for me.

Happy Thanksgiving; holla back!


Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/, or by Googling thesphinxofcharlotte. A new post is published each Wednesday.

The Hurrieder I Go...

The behinder I get reflects the prevailing experience for nearly half of African Americans born in the late ‘60’s, according to Michael A. Fletcher, writing in an article published in the Tuesday, November 13, 2007 edition of the Washington Post. The data underlying Mr. Fletcher’s story are found in three reports released Tuesday by the Pew Charitable Trusts. The reports, formally known as the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, were designed to evaluate the authenticity of the American Dream.

Two of the key questions explored were: Do Americans earn more than their parents? How is the result influenced by race and gender? In short, the findings show 45% of children born to parents with a median income of $55,000, in 1968, adjusted for inflation, are now among the nation’s lowest 20% of earners. Moreover, children of parents earning a median family income of $41,700 fell to the lowest income group.

Scholars from several think tanks and universities, including the Pew Charitable Trusts, which released the study, the Brookings Institution, which authored the study, and Columbia, Harvard, and Northwestern Universities, have been unable to explain the enormity of the downward mobility phenomenon experienced by the principals in the study. Researchers already knew, based on other data, African Americans had experienced inverse mobility. The sheer dimensions of the problem, however, were as unexpected as the underlying reasons were unclear.

Alternately, some things are clear from the study. Among them:

Participants were repeatedly interviewed about their income since 1968

Only 16% of whites experienced similar income degradation

Two out of three Americans have been upwardly mobile during the period

Roughly half earned more than their parents and were better off in relation to the rest of the population

Growth was most significant among the lower income

4 out of 5 children born to parents in the lower 20% of income out-earned their parents

9 of 10 whites earned more than their parents

3 of 4 blacks earned more than their parents

Median income for adults in their 30’s and 40’s grew 29%

Household size concurrently shrank, raising income per person even more

Between 1974 and 2004, median income for men dropped 12%

For the same period, increased numbers of women in the workforce resulted in tripling their median income

Black women earned a 2004 median income almost equal to white women

At the same time, black men earned less than two-thirds that of white men

Black families in their 30’s earned 58 percent of comparable whites

While no definitive cause has been attributed, there is speculation a number of factors contribute to these sobering statistics. Several scholars, including Ronald Mincy, a Columbia University sociologist, believe the increased number of black single-parent households, persistent educational gaps, racial isolation, and the huge wealth gap between blacks and whites, all affect the disparity. Other studies have found the wealth differential to be 10 to 1, or for every $10 of wealth whites have, blacks have $1.

I believe the inability of researchers to devise pat answers to questions raised by the data presented in the study is tied to the counter-intuitive nature of the results. We are consistently taught, and inherently, really want to believe in certain basic and oft repeated bromides.

We are informed hard work will result in a level playing field. We are told educational pursuit and achievements prepare us to compete at the highest level. We are trained to believe home ownership is the foundation of the American Dream. We have had it drummed into our collective heads that the accomplishments and achievements of those who came before us serve as both the roadmap, and the motivation to spur us on to greater heights. We are told that racism, while a frequent, graphic, and painfully documented fact of the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th Centuries, has been vanquished in the 21st Century, and remains only as an excuse for the slothful, unimaginative, and alibi-seeking.

At this point, I am reminded of the fellow who asks, incredulously, “Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?” Certainly, I do not suggest these advisories, and many others, are without wisdom, value, or merit. However, as I have noted previously, about other matters, this is a complex and multi-faceted issue. We will not construct the solution by looking at only one side of the equation.

The researchers involved with the Panel Study of Income Dynamics are committed to continue working to determine the precise causes of the downward mobility revealed in the reports. But until they get back to us, it is we, the reasonably informed, and moderately engaged, who are called upon to step into the gap. Yes, we must accept responsibility. Of course, we must embrace accountability. Definitely, we must take action, and urge others to do likewise.

But, you know what? While we are doing all that, we must also summon the will and display the courage to go to the proverbial Emerald City (and I don’t mean Seattle), and challenge the men behind the curtain pushing and pulling the levers of institutional racism and intolerance. We must demand that they join us in doing the right thing. James Baldwin wrote, in The First Next Time, “Color is not a human or personal reality (in America), it is a political reality.” Race and racism are not pleasant concepts, yet they are unavoidable constructs. Therefore, we must deal with them!

In summary, the idea that we must get our own house in order is totally appropriate. Yet, imagine what would happen if you completely rebuilt your home in the midst of a decaying, dilapidated, vermin-infested neighborhood. What would be the prospect of your investment increasing in value, or yielding a reasonable return, if nothing else changed? None whatsoever!

Institutional racism, race-based polices and practices, and other forms of intolerance are akin to moral decay, ethical dilapidation, and community infestation. Any effort designed to re-make ourselves without eradicating these environmental toxins is at best a half-way solution. Such an effort cannot provide a full and complete remedy to the problems that plague us.

That’s what I think. What about you?

Holla back!


Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/, or by Googling thesphinxofcharlotte. A new post is published each Wednesday.

To read and learn more about how the middle-class dream eludes African American families, click on the links below:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/12/AR2007111201711.html?nav=rss_print/asection

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/The+Pew+Charitable+Trusts?tid=informline

http://mirroronamerica.blogspot.com/2007/11/middle-class-dream-eludes-african.html

http://educationpolicyblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/work-hard-be-nice-and-other-lies-my.html

http://www.mywire.com/pubs/AFP/2007/11/13/4941522?pbl=289

http://www.usatoday.com/money/2007-11-13-income-gap_N.htm

http://www.civilrights.org/research_center/civilrights101/economicjustice.html

http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=114&subsecID=236&contentID=1346

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/race/economics/analysis.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/race/

Ignorance or Apathy?

You know the standard punch line to this old joke. I don’t know, and I don’t care. Well the matters that weigh in the balance are far too serious to joke about. Simply put, neither response is good enough.

If you have not figured it out by now, this is a discussion born of the fact yesterday was Election Day. For democracies, such as ours, days like yesterday, should be etched in patriotism, solemnity, and importance.

If the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence comprise the foundational framework of the American democratic process, elections provide us with the enabling operational apparatus. They allow us to make the leap from ideals written on paper to the living, breathing men and women who are charged with representing us in the day-to-day. These public officials craft and execute legislation, resolutions, and ordinances, not to mention provide approval for spending billions upon billions of dollars budgeted by local, state, and federal governments.

Indeed, elections are no joking matter. But there is more. Without question part of my interest in elections is stimulated by limited, but intense exposure to the inner workings of the process here in Mecklenburg County (including Charlotte and its six satellite communities). Nearly a decade ago, I had the opportunity to spend six months working in the capacity of interim elections director. This experience provided me an up close and personal view of a real, live Primary Election; complete with a variety of conflict and drama…the nature of which, I will spare you the details. You can thank me later.

But more than that stimulus, the power and purpose of participation in this essential ritual and right is derived from the prodigious cost in human capital and lives spent to guarantee the opportunity for all people, but especially black people, to cast ballots and vote for the candidates of their choosing at the appointed time. Were I to choose a modifier, it would be sacred!

Are you familiar with the names, The Rev. George Wesley Lee, Lamar Smith, and Herbert Lee? How about places, called Belzoni, Brookhaven, and Liberty? Probably not, but for the record, the men are three of the many martyrs who were killed for their role in working to gain blacks the right to vote. All three were Mississippians; the Rev. Lee (Belzoni) and Mr. Smith (Brookhaven) were killed in 1955, Mr. Lee (Liberty, ironically) in 1961.

The senseless death of these men is maladroitly interwoven into the patterned fabric of what is commonly referred to, in the vernacular, as the struggle. For those utterly detached from the concept, the struggle is that amorphous endeavor to rise to attain the level of fully functioning in our society. This concept, of course, is akin to the signature phrase often attributed to Thomas Jefferson, coined by Italian immigrant, Philip Mazzei, “All men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.”

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law by President Lyndon Baines Johnson, August 6, 1965. The most recent extension, the Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 was signed into law by President George Walker Bush on July 27, 2006. The ceremony for the 2006 Act, held on the South Lawn of the White House took 8 minutes. I find it instructive that after more than 40 years there is still a need for a Voting Rights Act, and even more compellingly enlightening that given such a need, the Act has not been made permanent!

It is imperative for each of us to recognize (for those of you in the Hip Hop Nation), A Luta Continua, a Pan-African phrase popularized in the 50’s and 60’s, which translates to, the struggle continues. Sadly, this fact is evident because in spite of Messrs. Lee, Smith, Lee, and others paying the ultimate sacrifice, the City of Charlotte, for example, turned out an anemic 24% of registered voters yesterday to elect a mayor, city council, several school board members, as well as determine the fate of several critical bond issues.

Admittedly, the six Mecklenburg County towns surrounding Charlotte did better, albeit, marginally in some instances:

· Cornelius – 28%
· Davidson – 52%
· Huntersville – 29%
· Matthews – 33%
· Mint Hill – 40 %
· Pineville – 44%

From the City of Charlotte, where less than 1 of every 4 registered voters showed up at the polls, to the Town of Davidson, where barely more than 1 of every two persons registered voted, the people failed the process. The voters abdicated their responsibilities, and forfeited, en masse, the legacy bought and paid for by the likes of Lee, Smith, and Lee.

There exists well-researched trend data that suggest voter participation has been steadily declining since the 60’s. In fact, statistics show, in an election comparison from 1960 to 1995, a variety of rates prevail for democracies, ranging from 95% in Australia, which has compulsory voting, to 51% in Poland, the only Country out of 36 in the data set, with a rate lower than that in the United States. One country, Switzerland, tied the US, with 54%.

Issues believed to influence voter participation include, disenchantment, indifference, contentment, as well as economic, demographic, cultural, technological, and institutional factors. Still, no matter how long and hard I muse, sift through, reckon, or contemplate the subject, I am unable to grasp how, why, or on what level these issues and factors trump those to which Lee, Smith, and Lee were subjected. As a result, I am convinced, we Americans, especially black Americans, are afflicted not with ignorance, or with apathy, but both ignorance and apathy; ignorantly apathetic, or perhaps apathetically ignorant, you might say!

That’s what I believe. What say you?

Holla back!


Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com, or Google: thesphinxofcharlotte. A new post is published each Wednesday.

To read and learn more about voting patterns, and/or the Voting Rights Act, click on the links below:

http://www.meckboe.org/ENRSummary/summary.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_Rights_Act

http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/voting/intro/intro_b.htm

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&newwindow=1&safe=active&q=voting+rights+act+reauthorization

http://www.renewthevra.org/vra_news/remote-page.jsp?itemID=28352945

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_turnout

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0781453.html

http://www.crmvet.org/mem/41lives.htm