As a political music blogger with no political credentials and horrible musical taste, it was a huge deal when I found the very first straw-man Daily Kos rebuttal to an article of mine. According to the author “jethrock,” I hopped on “the false narrative that reverse racism exists and scary Black people hate you (if you’re white) and are out to get you.”
Note the progressive buzzwords: “reverse racism,” which I never mentioned and is a silly concept (racism is racism, no matter from whom), and “scary Black people,” which I never mentioned either, yet seems to be the default spin thrown at Andrew Breitbart for pointing out racism in the NAACP. The point of the article was that comments and actions which would have drawn the ire of the NAACP if made by white entertainers (can you imagine the response if Lady Gaga made a video where she wore a pointed hood and rallied a mob with torches and lead pipes?) were ignored when they were made by black entertainers–entertainers lauded at the Image awards.
As some in the comments suggested, however, these entertainers cannot be racist, because racism is not about race but about power; only whites can be racist because only whites have the power to oppress. Ridiculous as that is, let’s just assume that it’s correct for the sake of argument. So if it’s not wrong for Ice Cube to refer to white people as his “enemy” and to rap about shooting white people– since as a black man, he cannot oppress a white man–is it wrong for Ice Cube (an Image award recipient) to rap, “Fuck and get up is how I do them stank hoes”? Regardless of race, the Left cannot deny that men are still in a position to oppress women (just ask about Clarence Thomas), and the NAACP has been woefully silent on the open advocacy of misogyny and sexual violence amongst its Image award nominees and winners.
Discussing sexism in rap is nothing new; I won’t linger. But do check out this analysis by Edward G. Armstrong. It’s old, but it’s thorough. And there are a few egregious examples to focus on: if you can stomach it, read the lyrics to “Giving up the Nappy Dugout” by Ice Cube, and keep in mind that all of this Polanski-esque perversion is a fantasy involving a 17-year old (he states, “I know she’s a minor and it is illegal, but the bitch is worse than Vanessa del Rio”). Also note that, with many of the examples I gave of Image awards being given to entertainers with racist lyrics, their nominations were for other works of art. However, in 2002, Ja Rule won an Image award for his song “Living It Up,” which states, “Half the hoes hate them, half of them love me / The ones that hate me only hate me ’cause they ain’t fucked me.” And finally, consider the case of Nelly’s 2008 song “Tip Drill,” whose music video features the artist sliding a credit card through a woman’s buttocks.
The NAACP has said nothing to criticize the debasement of women in these songs. However, have no fear. They really hit it out of the park with that Hallmark card that warns black holes that a recent graduate is going to be successful in life. They’ve got this violence against women thing down pat.
But criticizing rap is old hat, you may say. That’s just part and parcel of a subculture that has nothing to do with the NAACP (despite their Image awards given to woman-objectifying rappers). Touche, progressives. I submit to your superior logic. But what about Image award recipients and hosts whose sexism has been ignored by the NAACP?
D.L. Hughley, the 2008 host of the Image Awards, said to Maryline Blackburn, who beat out Sarah Palin for Miss Alaska, discussed Palin’s performance in the 2008 Vice Presidential debate on his CNN show. When Blackburn said Palin became a good public speaker through beauty pageants, Hughley suggested, “If you had a thong and couldn’t talk, you would still get my vote.” Black commentator tells a black woman her underwear is more important than her thoughts: no comment from the NAACP.
Spike Lee was honored with the Hall of Fame award at the 2003 Images. Lee’s depiction of women has long been considered misogynistic, from his exploitative nude scene with Rosie Perez in Do the Right Thing (her words, not mine) and his 2004 film She Hate Me which depicted a throng of lesbian couples paying the film’s protagonist 10 grand to impregnate them (and not through clinical sperm donation).
And, you’ll love this: in 2001, Bill Clinton– the textbook case of a politician using sexual harassment to control women–was given the President’s Award.
Silence on racism, awards given to racists. Silence on sexism, awards given to sexists. Accusing non-racists and non-sexists of racism and sexism with no evidence whatsoever. This is the modern NAACP. How does this fulfill their titular goal of advancing people of color?
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