Posted on 09/27/2002 7:29:35 PM PDT by where's_the_Outrage?
I Somebody, please tell the Rev. Jesse Jackson to chill.
Jackson has been complaining about Ice Cube's hit movie ''Barbershop'' and how some of its jokes about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and him have crossed the line of propriety.
I've seen the movie. It's funny, touching, thought-provoking and, at times, embarrassingly true-to-life. And, yes, Cedric the Entertainer's character - a crusty old barber - skewers Jackson, King and even the regal Parks.
The jokes made me laugh, but also made me uncomfortable because I knew the crusty old barber was attacking some sacred cows. But after my guffaws - and those of the near-capacity crowd behind me - subsided, I realized why.
This is America, the land where we are supposed to be free to think and say what we wish.
Jackson wants the producers to excise the offending scenes from any DVD or video versions of the movie - censorship.
I hope they don't do it.
The First Amendment protects the right of every comedian or comic actor to skewer any person or thing in striking distance. No matter how offensive or contrary their points of view may be, they have a God-given right to express them (even if God is the target of their jokes.)
This is one of the things I love about our country. I don't have to like or listen to the crusty old barber's jokes, but he doesn't have to keep silent because I don't.
Of course, I'm one of those people who will listen. Sometimes we need to hear views that conflict - even irreverently - with our own to remember why we believe what we believe.
I have the utmost respect for King and Parks. Both are saints in my book. They dedicated their lives to a struggle larger than themselves.
Still, both of these saints - like the rest of us - are human.
We black folks have gotten into the bad habit of tip-toeing around some of our respected leaders, refusing to examine them for failures or to discuss the ones we find. Problem is, pretending the emperor is wearing clothes when he's actually as naked as a newborn has never made him any easier to look at.
More troubling is that Jackson's call for censorship suggests that he thinks he, King and Parks have earned the right not to be scrutinized or challenged by black people.
Leadership that thinks itself above scrutiny is deluded at best and corrupted at worst. ''Barbershop'' is challenging us black folk to de-sanctify our sacred cows - which should not be confused with a call to send them to the butcher.
No person, idea or entity is above scrutiny. That's why it's perfectly fine for President Bush and Sen. Tom Daschle to square off over an invasion of Iraq. It gives all of us a chance to scrutinize both men and their positions.
It's past time for the black community to scrutinize all of its so-called leaders, from King, Ralph Abernathy and Malcolm X to Ward Connerly, Clarence Thomas and Jackson himself. And while we're at it, let's add the NAACP, the Nation of Islam and the black church to the list.
Let's add entrepreneurs, entertainers, athletes, preachers, teachers and even newspaper columnists.
The good, bad, ugly, conservative, liberal and moderate: Let's be willing to scrutinize everyone and everything that claims to lead or influence us. Let's turn over every rock. Dig into every closet. Dust behind every dresser.
If you need some motivation, go see ''Barbershop.'' After you finish laughing and applauding, put on your white gloves and go do your duty.
David Person's column appears each Friday on the Commentary page. He can be reached via e-mail at davidpe@htimes.com or at 532-4362.
I usually wait until movies come out at rental, but will try to see this movie. If Jessie Jackson doesn't like it, there must be something good in it.
And to Dave Person, Way to go. Think free. Look at what's right for America, regardless of race.
And if Bush is dorking up on the war, tell us why. We'll listen. But just saying Bush is wrong and invoking politics doesn't work. Tell me why, specifically, show me where he's wrong.
If you want on (or off) of my black conservative ping list, please let me know via FREEPmail. (And no, you don't have to be black to be on the list!)
Extra warning: this is a high-volume ping list.
Sacred cows make the best hamburgers.
Have you ever tasted sacred cow?
Marinated...in beer?
And blew that snot-nosed brat to Kingdom Come.
I'm sorry, your version is nice but I like mine better these days. Guess I'm getting cranky.
While I agree with the thought, I hate to admit that I've been wrong before, therefore I have to give the SOB the benifit of the doubt. So I have to support him, with the possibility that he may be right.
Very big LOL.
Your post made me realize what inspired this poem....Barbara Frietchie..
"Up rose old Barbara Frietchie then,
Bowed with her fourscore years and ten;
Bravest of all in Frederick town,
She took up the flag the men hauled down;
In her attic window the staff she set,
To show that one heart was loyal yet.
Up the street came the rebel tread,
Stonewall Jackson riding ahead.
Under his slouched hat left and right
He glanced; the old flag met his sight.
"Halt!" -- the dust-brown ranks stood fast.
"Fire!" -- out blazed the rifle-blast.
It shivered the window, pane, and sash;
It rent the banner with seam and gash.
Quick, as it fell, from the broken staff
Dame Barbara snatched the silken scarf.
She leaned far out on the window-sill,
And shook it forth with a royal will.
"Shoot, if you must, this old gray head,
But spare your country's flag," she said."
Guess there aren't too many youngsters (black or white) learning that poem these days.
Carolyn
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