Whitlock: Up to His Old Tricks

Jason Whitlock unleashed his latest hate letter to Negro America today. Talking 'bout some sort of "revolution" against Negroes, or some such blather.

When revolution comes, you pick a side, ride the wave and hope you’re on the right side of history.America is in upheaval over what it can do to limit the pervasiveness of negative images in pop culture. Black America is on the verge of revolt over what it can do to curtail the negative influences of a particular strand of pop culture – hip hop.

Last time we checked, Negro America was on the verge of revolt; against Imus and racist remarks. Jason Whitlock is the one revolting against hip hop...and Negro culture. Don't lump everyone in with you and your "revolution", Mr. Whitlock. Some Negroes refuse to "jigaboo" for the man.

There are people – Al Sharpton, Russell Simmons, for example -- who want to control this revolution. They want to continue holding “hip hop summits” and negotiate a $ettlement. They want to talk until the revolution goes away or offer up some farfetched, grand plan that will basically say that “KKK rap” – it’s not gangsta – will go away when poverty ends.

Whitlock forgets, rap was born in the streets. The hood. In poverty. The connection is fundamental. To suggest that Sharpton or Simmons would be wrong in connecting the demise of what is the poetry of the hood with the alleviation of poverty itself only shows a massive disconnect. The underlying innuendo is that Sharpton and Simmons are in it for personal gain. That they only provide lip service and blame everything on poverty, knowing that poverty can't be wiped out quickly. To suggest that Simmons, the brains behind Def Jam and Phat Farm, a man that essentially molded the culture of hip hop through music, entertainment, fashion and language, is only in this for personal gain (after making billions) is borderline slanderous. Why would a man that has a vested interest in the proliferation of hip hop culture have any reason whatsoever not to actively try to address the problems it may (or may not) create?

The real problem then and the real problem now is a lack of respect. White folks wouldn’t give us our respect then, and we’ve lost our respect for ourselves now. We need to protest our self-hatred wherever we see it.

That almost sounds as if Mr. Whitlock is putting some of the blame for race relations and for the day to day problems of Negroes....on NEGROES! Has Mr. Whitlock never heard of slavery or racism? Does Mr. Whitlock not understand that white people are responsible for those things? And therefore assume responsibility for all the problems? If Negroes were to now assume some sort of responsibility, it would be akin to saying, "Slavery was the fault of the Negro".

Where better to start than “KKK rap?” Why not challenge the folks who call us bitches, hos and nigga? Why not protest against the very people and institutions that promote and celebrate our self-destruction? Why not go after the people who are defining black men and women as immoral animals?

We remind Mr. Whitlock, that is exactly what the Rev's did just two weeks ago!

I know the perfect target: Black Exploitation Television, sometimes known as BET.It needs to fall, and it needs to fall hard. It’s the leading provider of “Jigaboo TV.” It justifies all the other jigabooing you see on TV. If we bring down Black Exploitation Television, we won’t have to wait 10 years for victory.

So, the agenda becomes clear. Mr. Whitlock contends that Negroes have some sort of responsibility to change. Have some sort of culpability for the situation of Negroes in America. And need to police themselves.

Is that what he is saying?

Well, Mr. Whitlock, we see through you.

Clearly, Whitlock must have pitched an idea to BET and was shot down. And now he is demanding that Negro society look inward for their problems and their solutions, as penance for his failure.

Again, we ask Mr. Whitlock: Have you never heard of slavery or racism?