Posted on 07/02/2008 1:08:52 PM PDT by Coffee200am
*Now that I have your attention, you have to know that the title is far from the truth.
At least it is for any sane person, but not for a growing number of Black women who are now using the R. Kelly acquittal to bolster their claim that Black men hate Black women.
Before I deal with that, let me tell you a story.
It was the mid-nineties and I was hanging out with Jermaine Dupri at the Santa Monica airport in California, where R & B group Jagged Edge was filming one of their videos.
It was Summertime and the honeys were out in big numbers--legs, breasts and butt cleavage on display for all to see.
These honeys were in line to be chosen for participation in the Jagged Edge video and what happened next stayed with me for a while.
Jermaine pointed to the line and said: “DJ, watch this, man.”
I watched as the young Black women in the line foisted breasts, hiked up skirts and exposed as much flesh as possible the closer they got to the front of the line.
I asked Jermaine if this was usual and he shook his head and replied: “It’s like this all the time.”
Over the years, I learned that such is the behavior of the so-called “Video Hoes,” who are painted by some as strong independent women and by others as victims of sexism.
While I always have problems with such labels as “Video Hoes,” I have an even bigger problem with blaming their behavior on sexism. Particularly knowing that their avocation is an unpaid one.
I have yet an even bigger problem when Black women pretend that the existence of “Video Hoes” is only at the behest of the Black men who make the music. It leaves so many people out of the loop.
It leaves out parents, educators, the media and of course, the women themselves who participate in the degradation of their own image and standing in society.
It also ignores the dichotomy of public opinion regarding music videos, music and sexism, which frankly draws a line down the middle of Black womanhood. Some Black women celebrate the sexual imagery in entertainment, while others decry it and blame it solely on Black men.
But, if Black women can not reach a consensus about crucial issues including sexism and misogyny, then how can anyone expect a consensus from Black men, particularly if they are only watching?
I guess I could have put the cape on and flew to the rescue of those poor “victims” at the Jagged Edge video, but anyone with half a brain knows that none of those women would have come with me to safety. In fact, I would have been laughed at and cursed out and possibly even assaulted.
So why do some Black women continue to blame Black men for any and everything that happens to any of them?
And why do some Black women claim that because Black women are subject to sexist views and sexist behavior it is only because Black men are failing to protect them or because Black men actually hate Black women?
Simple: Because it is the path of least resistance since anyone can say anything about Black men and very few will come to their defense.
I mean, really, we must ask ourselves: Has it been open season on Black women, or on Black people?
Now, back to R. Kelly.
I tried to stay out of the discussion about whether he was the man in the video and whether the young girl was a victim and whether he should be jailed, because, for me, the man deserved a trial before being convicted and punished.
Some people compare it to the OJ Simpson case and claim that African Americans don’t care if a Black person is guilty or not—they just want to see them go free.
That’s asinine.
And it’s also a damned lie.
African Americans are not so unsophisticated that they just want any famous Black person to go free simply because they are famous. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
Black people who cheered for OJ did so because the “evidence” was not evidence at all. They cheered for his acquittal because whites with the same level of evidence had been acquitted. In fact, most Black people don’t really care about OJ, because they know he’s an idiot.
It’s just that we understand the justice system and if “they” can get off, so should we.
For example, there was and still is no moral outrage over filmmaker Roman Polanski, who admitted to raping an underage girl and then fled the country to evade prosecution. There are no extradition efforts and no outrage from women who want his art boycotted and/or to use him as an icon for the sexual abuse of women. Further, he was given a standing ovation at the Academy Awards a few years ago.
The people who cheered for R. Kelly understood that no matter how much people became emotionally involved, he could not be convicted simply because people wanted him to be convicted.
The tape was not evidence enough, as demonstrated in many cases involving police brutality caught on tape.
And the witnesses, including the alleged victim who swore she was not the person on the tape and the woman who stole from Kelly and admitted to extortion were not enough.
For all the crowing about Black men not protecting Black women, this case shows clearly that apparently many Black women aren’t willing to protect themselves, as evidenced by the cheering of Black women over Kelly’s acquittal.
Sad.
What is also sad and very confusing is that in light of Black women’s failure to stand up for Black women, groups of Black women are still willing to give too much focus to chiding Black men about standing up for Black women.
WhatAboutOurDaughters.com, a site run by Black women, admitted that during the R. Kelly trial, it was Black women and not Black men who acted the most disturbing in their defense of R. Kelly.
Yet, the site has posted and is promoting a petition targeting Black men and their need to stand up for Black women by battling the exploitation of their daughters, sisters and wives.
Something is wrong with that. Where is the petition for Black women to stand up, or the petition for Black women to stop participating in their own exploitation?
It’s not that I am opposed to the protection of Black women. I just think it is a mistake to lay the burden of protection solely at the feet of Black men.
I also think it is a grave mistake to link the defense of Black women and girls to the allegedly unjust acquittal of one man. Leave R. Kelly alone, because there is nothing there.
We would do better to launch unified defense campaigns of Black women and girls, simply because it is the right thing to do. We should do so because we love and cherish Black women and girls and they should be defended.
It’s said that some people think we need an icon.
Why not go after all the media outlets that facilitate the soft porn of Black women?
Why not go after—and I know this won’t be popular—the very Black women who participate in and facilitate the destruction of Black women and girls?
And while we’re at it, why not go after the Black women who participate in and facilitate the destruction of Black men and boys?
Really—who’s hating whom?
Next Week: Black Women Hate Black Men
Darryl James is an award-winning author of the forthcoming powerful anthology “Notes From The Edge.” Discounted Autographed and Numbered Pre-Release copies can be ordered at www.darryljames.com. He released his first mini-movie, “Crack,” and this year, will release his first full-length documentary. View previous installments of this column at www.bridgecolumn.proboards36.com. Reach James at djames@theblackgendergap.com
As long as it’s always “us” and “them”, there will be no progress.
Very nicely done.
I think it will be more like 80% maybe 85%... okay 90%, but I will not be one of them. I’m proud that a “black” (biracial) person can be a serious candidate, but his platform isn’t working for me.
The phrase “baby momma” proves that many black men hate black women
I didn’t mean to make generalizations. I was watching a program on BET one evening and the black women on the panel claimed they were dating white men because the black men they dated previously did not treat them well. It is so great that you married someone who gives you the love you deserve. Many happy years together.
I don’t give a tinkers damned what race someone running for office is. I care about their policies. This guy is a Marxists. I fought a war against Marxists and served 20+ years in the military during the cold war era, when we actually defended against communism and Marxists, not elected them to our highest office. I have yet to speak with, or hear, one black person say they will vote for McCain. Every place I have been the only word out of their mouths has been Obama when talking about voting, or Obama stickers on their vehicles. When J.C. Watts starts saying he is conflicted about voting for Obama, because the first black is on the ticket, then I have a huge problem. If I said I was voting for McCain over the black candidate simply because McCain was a white guy, I would be labeled immediately as a racist. However, you let all blacks vote for Obama because he is black, and well, they were just voting for their kind or the first chance a black has had for the office, thus we HAVE to vote for him, regardless that he is a socialist pig. And there is no way in hell McCain gets 20% of the black vote. No way, no how. There are not that many black military personnel.
my son married a black woman because he loves her....and she, him...frankly, what my son saw in college and in the bars soured him on the general run of the mill young white female...I think his words were that the girls in his predominantly white university were all “sluts”...and I assume that my son offered his wife something that she was looking for as well.....
Yes,its a common misconception that blacks overwhelmingly thought OJ was innocent.Not so
I spent many a break in the post office locker room as”brothers”ponificated over the case.One guy with a rather loud and crude reputation blurted out the statement”Y’all n***** KNOW OJ killed that b**** so why don’t you just ADMIT it?”
Everyone laughed uproariously at the truth of his statement.
Yet I truly believe the elation in some black segments of society at his acquital was because of how so many of the WHITE killers of blacks in the South got off scot free by the same jury nullification that let OJ off the hook.The attitude was”Y’all have used the system to YOUR advantage for years.Now one of US gets over and you want to go into hysterics”
I can kind of agree with that logic,twisted as it is in a way.
Let me see whether I understand this. You could care less about O.J. but somehow his acquital is an acquital of the entire black race?
My jaded white brain doesn't get this logic.
American Black culture generally seems to be quite toxic to blacks first and to whites second.. A poisonous social disease has infected them.. Could be Marxism or Socialism at the root of it.. and RAP is indeed Musical Porn..
You whiffed me at “I own”...........
Say what?
I feel you on the sad state of white womenhood in the world today but,if truth be told,a lot of the”sisters”are not representing too well themselves.
I work in a school system that is plurality black.Most of the young”brothers”at these schools seem to be hitting on Asian and Latino girls because the black girls are way too often”skanless”in their language and behavior.I don’t WHY these young black girls do not understand that even these thuggish boys don’t want wifey to be the second incarnation of Li’l Kim!
You go girl..!!
When J.C. Watts starts saying he is conflicted about voting for Obama, because the first black is on the ticket, then I have a huge problem.
I can only assume that you are white. And this subject has come up before on FR. It is difficult to explain without seeming biased. I am proud that a black man could be considered for president after knowing the history of racial strife, Jim Crow laws and other stains on our history. The irony is he is not really black (not all the way) and he is not the descendent of slaves like most black Americans are.
If Barry's lovely and charming wife Michelle be a typical black woman, like all those other typical folk in Barry's family, then I understand black men a lot better than I thought I did.
Pretty much agree..........
While I agree that many a white murdered blacks with impunity, I was disturbed that O.J. got off. I was a work in at a huge financial institution, everyone turned on there radios to hear the verdict. There was a wave of hooping and hollering and celebration from too many of my co-workers. I felt sick to my stomach and just sat down. I have had this conversation many times with other people. We (black folk) know O.J. got away with murder. I hate when my folk support the wrong people for the wrong reasons.
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