Posted on 09/03/2005 6:23:05 AM PDT by Virginia Ridgerunner
Kanye West's Torrent of Criticism, Live on NBC
NBC's levee broke and Kanye West flooded through with a tear about the federal response in New Orleans during the network's live concert fundraiser for victims of Hurricane Katrina last night....
West: I hate the way they portray us in the media. You see a black family, it says, "They're looting." You see a white family, it says, "They're looking for food." And, you know, it's been five days [waiting for federal help] because most of the people are black. And even for me to complain about it, I would be a hypocrite because I've tried to turn away from the TV because it's too hard to watch. I've even been shopping before even giving a donation, so now I'm calling my business manager right now to see what is the biggest amount I can give, and just to imagine if I was down there, and those are my people down there. So anybody out there that wants to do anything that we can help -- with the way America is set up to help the poor, the black people, the less well-off, as slow as possible. I mean, the Red Cross is doing everything they can. We already realize a lot of people that could help are at war right now, fighting another way -- and they've given them permission to go down and shoot us!
(snip)
West: George Bush doesn't care about black people!
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Nicely said.
Bull. To say Bush doesn't care about black people is hateful. That man has done so much for minorities in this country if you would care to look.
And by the way, the US reponse was NOT more immediate in the case of the tsunami. And those people were mostly of color as well. Take your sanctimonious bull somewhere else. Bush was not holed up on vacation. To declare this is a lie, whether it is spoken "from the heart" or not.
Mean and hateful.
You make me sick!
The "Hip-Hop" community's response to the flooding of NO is shooting at rescue helicopters, shooting at buses sent to evacuate people, threatening doctor's and nurses, gun fights in hospital pharmacies, murders and rapes in shelters, and now lectures on how everyone else is at fault.
If the "hip-hop" community had simply suspended their thuggish behavior for 48 hrs, so much suffering could have been avoided. It is this, Hip-Hop, culture whose primary message is law enforcement is the enemy and violent street gangs are stylish; which is directly responsible for making things there so much worse.
You may argue that it is wrong to blame "hip-hop" culture, for the actions of violent street gangs, released prisoners, or the criminal element; that is a distinction without a difference. Hip-hop culture and gang culture are one in the same. The entertainment conglomerates and the media elite don't like to admit to be promoting "gangsta" culture, so they simply substitute the more acceptable, term hip-hop.
A majority of the black community is appalled and outraged by the anti-social savage behavior of the few. It is the black community nation wide who are the primary victims of hip-hop culture. It is the hip-hop culture, which has made their neighborhoods un livable.
The root cause of the chaos and lawlessness which is routine in every large inner city in America, is our collective un-willingness to defy the ACLU, the liberal Judicial and Criminal Justice system, the liberal media elites. We desperately need, once and for all, to put an end to these savage street gangs,. We should have no more tolerance for the Crips and the Bloods operating in our cities, than we would have for Al Qaeda cells.
Well said!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Actually, yes, I have.
But that is not germaine to the situation at hand.
West made an unsubstantiated statement within a venue where the attention should have been on soliciting funds to help people.
This is a sad situation; it is one that should not have occured - I think we are all in agreement on that score. However, if fingers must be pointed (though I don't feel they should), let's start with the mayor of New Orleans. He was informed Friday night shortly after 11PM that a devestating hurricane was on the way. He ignored the problem until late Saturday, and even then had to be asked by Washington to evacuate the city. He neglected to utilize literally hundreds of buses at his disposal to get people out, instead relying on the Superdome, and completely ignoring other options.
To continue, let's look at the New Orleans Homeland Security coordinator. That person was made aware previously of what people called the "Doomsday Scenario" and the type of damage a Cat 3 or better storm could wreak, and ignored that possibility.
Governor Blanco, who looks more like she is eating cookie dough and staring at a movie on Oxygen, has been sitting around with her thumb up her butt rather than calling out the National Guard resources at her disposal to help evacuate Orleans Parish and the City of New Orleans.
Not to say the federal government is blameless. The FEMA Director claimed that his people didn't do anything sooner because local officials didn't tell him what to bring.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff faced his first test and as far as I'm concerned, failed. What if this were an attack by AQ? New Orleans would still be in dire straits.
But to continue this ongoing refrain of racial politics is not only disingenuous, it does nothing more than add divisivness to an already volitile situation, and advance the game of gimme-gimme that liberals play with blacks and other minorities.
Go back and check your newspapers -- US resources took a good week and a half to two weeks before they began to trickle in there.
Everyone seems to be forgetting that. They insist that there was "rapid response" by the US in Asia without realizing that though our response here is slower than it should have been, it is still more rapid than it was in Asia last winter.
But then again, there's no satisfying people.
Bush is damned if he does, and damned if he doesn't.
I'll call his manager and tell him that the super talented Mr. West would like to contribute 110% of his net worth immediately...I'm sure he can make some more...
What "hip hop" community told people to do any of those things? Was there some leader of "hip hop" telling people to act a certain way? You're clearly scapegoating hip hop as a problem for everything bad. If you disagree with what West said, you are a hypocrite since you are using the exact same scapegoating he was. This is utterly ridiculous.
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