Kanye West & the Ghost of Emmett Till

"Sticks and stones may break my bones..."

My last post was about the now infamous Kanye West/Taylor Swift incident at the VMA's and the dumbing down of our society thanks in part to a soulless pop-culture driven youth and the Reality TV-reality in which we now live. But, after seeing the intensely personal and sometimes virulent public reaction to West's silly publicity stunt I was once again reminded that 'sticks & stones' always start with silly little words, and people can and do get hurt.

The dangers of this slippery slope are boldly highlighted in "media assassin" Harry Allen's recent piece addressing West's antics and the subsequently frequent and causal usage of the N-word all over Twitter in the aftermath. Coincidentally, as the N-word was flying around the Twittersphere and no doubt the water cooler, classroom and dinner table in many parts of our diverse yet confused nation, president Obama was caught on tape calling West a "Jackass." While the video shows the prez casually laughing off his comments, assuming his lighthearted but poignant remarks are not being filmed, he exemplifies an honesty and yet a naivete to the potentially dangerous situation looming.

You see, however stupid, unimportant and even harmless his actions were, West, a black man, was upstaging a young, beautiful, blond hair, blue eyed white woman; a country singer none the less. By threatening the very image that has long epitomized Aryan purity and white supremacy, something to be protected in the eyes of certain white people, West opened up a Pandora's box full of worms.

Think about it, if Kanye would have upstaged Keisha Cole, a black female singer, the outcry would definitely not have been nearly as intense. At least not in the mass media nor in white circles. And, if you think this desire to protect such a manufactured image of racial purity is not a potentially dangerous subject you are obviously not familiar with American history.



To point out the most obvious example, it was the brutal murder in 1955 of 14-year old African-American, Emmett Till, in Mississippi for allegedly whistling at a white woman that helped to shift the civil rights movement into gear. Of course, many other black men met similarly horrific fates before and after, lynched and murdered by groups of white men, victims of 20th century 'Jim Crow justice.' Today, the unsettled souls of that very ugly period in our country's history continue to haunt our national subconscious.

This high level of seriousness that continues to be the issue of race in America is why it is not only important to call out West for being a "jackass," but to also call out the people who feel comfortable with using overtly offensive, hurtful and racist language in response. Such behavior, whether unchecked or simply misunderstood, only work to reinforce a very insidious, systemic oppression of people of color.

In 2009, it is up to us all to refuse to remain silent when faced with these ghosts. Silence is merely acceptance, and such acquiescence is very dangerous. Indeed while president Obama laughs off his Kanye West comments, he has hate filled language being piled atop of him every day of the week by the likes of Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and the Joe Wilson's of the world. He may have to take the highroad and pretend that they are not there, ominously looming in the shadows like the barrel of an assassins gun, but we cannot afford to do so. We need to take notes from former president Jimmy Carter, an 84 year old white Southerner, who's recent remarks addressing the racism facing the Obama administration, were not only brave but more importantly responsible and necessary.

September 12th America :: Revisited

I wrote this article on September 11th, 2006, and it was published on 'Counterpunch' the following day...

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September 11th, 2001, I remember waking up to the sobering fact that two planes had just crashed into the twin towers. To be honest, I cannot recall if I was actually hung over, although it is not out of the realm of possibility. You see, at the time of the attacks I was living in a small college town, in a house full of guys and school was still out for the summer.

When I shoved open the double doors from my kitchen-converted bedroom, my roommate Walker was sitting on the living room floor, staring at the television. He immediately informed me that planes had crashed into the world trade center and without speaking much more than a few sentences we spent the next hour or so, flipping through the channels in attempts to figure out what was going on. As the fateful morning played out live on our TV screen we would not only be witness to greater tragedy, but we would also begin to speak to each other.

Once the rumors of terrorist involvement began to swirl, I remember insinuating that this horrible event was the perfect thing for Bush and his illegitimate presidency. Walker, who was an All-American rugby player, a championed drinker and a gentlemen of few words, countered with the argument that I was basically a crazy conspiracy nut! Of course, in the coming months I did begin to question if 9/11 was indeed an inside job, however at the time I simply meant that it was a great opportunity for the United States government to do whatever they wanted with foreign and domestic policy.

Maybe, it was my disposition as a history major to immediately view the government in a devious light, or the fact that I had recently read extensively the writings of muck-racking journalist Greg Palast, who covered the fraudulent 2000 US presidential election, or maybe it was simply the fact that ever since anyone can remember I've always been in constant question of authority? No matter what the reason, my quick synopsis of the situation was clearly viewed as ludicrous by my roommate.

For several months after the 11th of September, I began to scour the internet and almost simultaneously remained glued to free-speech radio stations in search of information regarding what our government knew about 9/11 before the attacks and what its ultimate intentions would be in the aftermath. With my bullsh*t filter on high alert I found that I was even watching cable channels and the evening news! It seems that CNN, MSNBC, and FOX had replaced my addiction to ESPN as phrases like "Axis of Evil" and "Homicide Bomber" haunted me in my sleep!

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You can read the rest of this article here: http://www.counterpunch.org/mezmer09122006.html

As God is my witness: "I Am T-Pain"

-->Jay-Z, aka Sean Carter, aka Jigga, often refers to himself as "Hova," short for J-Hova, or Jehovah, the “God of rap,” get it?

If you’re a little confused don’t worry, that’s what rappers do, they make up tons of nicknames that illustrate the fact that they’re way more badass than the next badass. Personally, I used to have like 5 “monikers” myself (that’s police-speak for nicknames), when I was busy tagging on buses in the late 90’s and battling MC’s at house parties. For the record, that was also when malt liquor 40's tasted, to me, like Amstel Light. In fact, if I had one gulp of King Cobra right now I’d probably throw up. And don’t even get me started on Old English. That shit tastes like nickels.

But, back to the Jigga-man, and his God title. If you are offended by this blasphemy, please try not to blame it all on "Hova," as it’s more of a “rap thing,” that shouldn’t be interpreted literally. Plus, he is definitely not the first to hold this self proclaimed title of divinity.

In any case, the chosen one recently took it upon himself to anoint, you guessed it, himself, as the grim reaper of rap, releasing the first single from his new ‘Blueprint’ album entitled, “Death of Autotune.”

Auto-tune, the ‘computer love gone-wild’ vocal effect made famous by crooner T-Pain, digitally adjusts the pitch of ones voice, helping to disguise the shortcomings of the vocalist with computery sounding melodies. The frequent overuse of this tool by artists like T-Pain, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Britney Spears, and countless others, has noticeably watered down and already diluted industry. And it’s quite apparent from the lyrics on "Death of Autotune" that "Hova" felt the need to address the situation:

“This is anti-Autotune, death of the ring-tone/ this ain't for I-tunes, this ain't for sing-a-longs."

"You rappers singing too much/ get back to rap you T-painin’ too much.”

Unfortunately, the crucifixion of Auto-tune has only led to Easter!

Enter: T-Pain's new I-phone Application, "I Am T-Pain" – created by SMULE, a sort of software design firm that develops “Apps” for the I-phone. Basically, a bunch of really hip nerds that either went to Stanford or some other smart school, whose idea of a Friday night on the town is probably cruising University Avenue in Palo Alto with a Jamba Juice. “Who’s up for some Pizza My Heart?”

Anyhow, it appears that SMULE, in combination with T-Pain himself, may have one-upped the Jigga-man, and forever cemented Auto-tune in the annals of music history as the go-to Karaoke device of the future! Yes, the “I AM T-Pain” I-phone app actually allows you to be T-Pain and Auto-CROON from your very own phone. So, scary, yet amazing. (sample the I-Phone app here at your own risk)

Admittedly, I'm one of the biggest anti Auto-tune, commercial radio haters on the planet. I mean, what’s worse for the youth of America than to raise our kids on club music. I get it if you’re an adult, and you want to shake your ass to some mindless shit, get fucked up and forget about your day job. That’s completely understandable. In fact, I promote and produce events such as those for a living, and I feel like its sort of a community service. But, if your brain is always in the club and all you do is listen to club music, the kind the play on the radio 24/7, then you are constantly being dumb down.

So, what’s worse than millions of kids listening to T-Pain 365 days a year? Yep, millions of kids actually becoming him. A Red Army of Auto-tune soldiers hell bent on the destruction of music as we know it, led by the Minstrel-man himself…Oh, the horror!

Then again, not so fast Nate (that's me)! Maybe this is all part of God’s plan? Err, I mean Jay-Z’s!?!

Perhaps taking away the uniqueness of this devilish device known as Auto-tune will only trivialize it even further, thus rendering it impotent far more permanently than “Hova” ever could have imagined. Indeed, it seems that this might have all been part of T-Pain’s grand plan as well, as he has been working hard to trivialize his own persona for a while now. I definitely can’t see Jay-Z doing the “I’m On A Boat” remix, rocking a “BIG ASS CHAIN” around his neck.

In the end, I gotta believe good music is good music and it can’t be destroyed. No matter how many silly songs the radio is paid to play, real artists will continue to create dope shit. My only fear is that the kids growing up today don’t have access to it like I did when I was 15. And now, instead of malt liquor and bammer weed, it’s Adderall & Oxycontin.

If only there was an I-phone app that helped you rap like Biggie.

Top 10 Reasons Why Republicans Should Not Let President Obama Speak To Their Kids

1. He's actually a secret agent for the Government of Hawaii and plans to move the White House to Honolulu.

2. He thinks Global Warming is real and may suggest the possibility that the Arctic is melting.

3. He might influence your kids to go to Harvard instead of Yale.

4. He's a recovering alcoholic that once went AWOL from the National Guard. Wait, nevermind. That was the last guy.

5. His middle name is Hussein, and although he, too, had nothing to do with 9/11, it’s rumored that he may have access to Weapons of Mass Destruction.

6. He wants to create a "Don’t Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the Senate.

7. He’s fathered two children in wedlock with a black woman.

8. He believes Dick Cheney is a threat to national security and has recently flip-flopped on his anti-torture policy.

9. If he keeps getting caught in public wearing ‘mom jeans' he could single handedly destroy the sanctity of marriage.

10. He's “so well spoken” for a black guy, you wouldn't want your kids to get the wrong idea.

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P.S. - If you're still unsure here's two very different takes on the subject...one from Glenn Beck, one from Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan.

Van Jones' Resignation

So it's official. Van Jones, Obama's green jobs "czar" from Oakland, California is gone. Forced to resign by the same GOP/FOX news hacks that want you to believe the president is a communist/fascist/dark overlord, without an American birth certificate. Reminding us all that RACISM & FEAR still reign supreme in the land of the free and the home of the Big Mac.

But...c'mon folks is this really a surprise? Just because we elected a black president that's 'so well spoken,' did you really think we were out of the woods? No, no, no my friends...not by a long shot! This is not a Disney movie (Then again, maybe it is...but I digress). "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah.

Anyhow, if you are feeling a little black and/or blue over this, here's a great piece of advice to help you absorb the blow to the stomach, "Thoughts On Van Jones' Resignation."

In other news, Bret Favre is a Viking, Michael Vick loves birds, and Glen Beck is absolutely insane.