Black America apparently needs to be told about itself. Now, we have a dynamic duo ready to take on all the ills of African-Americans, external forces be damned. CNN journalist Don Lemon and Bill Cosby have finally taken it upon themselves to take up the slack and give us good for nothing “No-groes” the verbal lashings we need. Since President Obama can’t be everywhere, (graduations are only once a year) Lemon and Cosby have joined forces to do just that. This fall, begins the Bootstrap Tour, where Don and Bill intend to rain condemnation on Black audiences around the country for failing at English pronunciation, cleaning up after themselves, and life in general.
Taking a page from Cornel West and Tavis Smiley playbook, Lemon and Cosby have decided to counter pose hard data and structural assessments with personal responsibility lectures and tough talk. Conservative leaders have praised this move as a step in the right direction for public Black discourse. “This is a watershed event in Black history” said Bill O’Reilly. Lemon and Cosby are determined to help Black America find their bootstraps, and will be coming to a city near you. Once they secure a traveling barber, the tour is slated to begin in late September.
Who better to encourage, inspire and motivate the very people they share a common cause with then Bill Cosby and Don Lemon.
Good morning Glenn. This repeated group slander of Black Americans has very little to do with an attempt to inspire, encourage, and motivate. It amounts to little more than a harangue by rich Black men against the everyday Black person who is struggling. There is no common cause here, just more finger pointing and shaming in public. Bill Cosby and Don Lemon are two well off, highly known Black men who have the ability to put their resources where their rhetoric is. Cosby, to his credit, has done so in the past. Lemon, as far as I have seen, has not. Even if this is the case, the fact that they have done things for the Black community does not give them free reign to excoriate an entire group of people, whether they are Black or not.
Lmbo, good spoof and comment Marc, why you’re my favorite blogger, good afternoon 🙂
Thank you Jenise.
Interesting.
I wholeheartedly applaud their efforts. The frustration in Cosby is more than evident as he has done plenty throughout his career to inspire and motivate people of color, not to mention provide positive representations of us in mainstream America. He has every right to be disappointed given the history of our people in this country, the efforts of our fallen predecessors from generations past to uplift, as well as his own efforts as futile as it may appear. He has earned that right. His social status is an irrelevant distraction, as there are plenty of people of color who are far from wealthy that share his sentiments. I say let the ‘shaming’ continue a la Operation Bootstrap. I’m fairly confident it too will also fall on deaf ears, but fcuk it. Despite whatever label that is slapped on his efforts as of late, no one can or will ever be able to say the man didn’t try in his life to uplift his people and humanize us for the world to see (primarily circa The Cosby Show, A Different World). Yes, shame on Bill for giving a damn.
Its amazing how once a [Black] person acquires success in their life, he/she is no longer allowed to speak with harsh criticism about the community’s self perpetuated failings without backlash from the community. It is clear that arriving at this juncture, one’s success also makes him/her an outlier….at least in the community’s eyes. “You are no longer one of us”. The inferiority complex rears its ugly head in the form of redirection, ridicule and indifference wreaking of the “oh you think you’re better than us” themes, as well as the attempts to obfuscate accountability by redirecting the focus on irrelevancies about the one criticizing. But being less fortunate (or seemingly ‘of the people’), one has carte blanche to talk sh*t about the community all day long while its members and representatives nod their head in agreement stemming from a perceived sense of shared circumstance and strikemore excuses/strike oppression. Concurrently, open criticisms towards ‘the system’ and ‘the white man’ coupled with endless ‘constructive’ round table discussions receives deafening applause, yet haven’t proven to be any more effective in lighting the proverbial fire under the @sses of our community to make change for ourselves collectively.
Sometimes shame can be a good motivator…so long as the people are actually willing look at themselves in the mirror to see it. #RIP MJ. But too much pride will never allow for such self-assessment and personal inventory. Its easier to admonish the culprit calling us to task, proudly sit back and take satisfaction in doing so, all while continuing to meander through life as the under belly of America, perplexed as to why we can’t catch a break.
Business as usual.
I say carry on Mr. Cosby, Mr West, Mr. Smiley and the like. Your message may not be appreciated by all, but it will take root in those serious about altering their circumstances, and thats all that matters. Can’t save em all.
Mr. SoBo
OpinionatedMale.com
Good afternoon Mr. Sobo. While Cosby has done a great deal to help the community, that does not give him the right to launch into group based verbal abuse disguised as “tough love” You can’t “earn” your way into lambasting an entire group of people with a broad brush.