Why does CNN select your spokespersons?

[Aaron (Al) Lewis]

I was having a conversation with Mr. Black this afternoon and I shared with him how on CNN a young principal of a charter school from Connecticut shared last night how tired he was of people giving their autobiographical responses to the issues and problems facing the youth of today. He referenced the old standby, “When I was young if I did wrong I would get a whipping all down the street, by strangers”.

He went on to state that a great part of the denial of so called black people is that their children have lost respect for them based on their own behavior and that they are in denial of that impact. Now that’s a paradox inside an enigma and something I think needs some serious and analytical thought.

As the conversation progressed Mr. Black said something that resonated with me to my core and I am paraphrasing, he said, “With the exception of so called black people and so called Hispanics why don’t other groups have spokespersons for them?” He went on to say that your news networks and in particular CNN trots out a cadre of black experts including, but not limited to, Dyson, West, Gates, Smiley, Martin, T.D. Jakes, Eddie Long and others as if they and they alone have the pulse and understanding of every so called black person and their problems in the country.

He asked me did I ever see panels of American Koreans or Japanese on these shows? I responded that I did not and that I don’t see panels of so called white people experts either. Why not? Are the news networks suggesting that so called white people are not poor, are not ignorant, and don’t experience crime and other issues plaguing the people of this country?

What do you think the consequence is of this? What impact does it have on the brains of those watching these panels of pseudo subject matter experts? I don’t ever remember CNN contacting me to ask if I am selecting any of them to speak on my behalf. Of all the (PSMEs) only the young brother from Connecticut makes any sense and even he isn’t aware of how he is being used.
Mr. Black, shared with me that this has been going on a long time from Merv Griffin inviting James Brown on his show as a PSME to CNN inviting Gatling gunned mouthed Negroes on with a host of clichés but absolutely no solutions. Now I loved Mr. Brown’s music especially his “Say it Loud”, but that doesn’t make James an expert of the problems and issues facing so called black people.

I might add if you live by cliché you die by cliché principally because few people know and understand the vital contextual nuisances of the cliché they are quoting. They sound good as sound bytes, but as they say in 12th step programs, “You can’t work them off the wall.” In other words how do you make them applicable when you don’t really know what they mean.?
Take for example the much touted, especially after Hillary Clinton, used it, “It takes a whole village to raise a child.” For a time during that period it was hard to attend an event peopled by Negros where you wouldn’t hear this as if it was applicable in an urban environment in the first place.

First off there would need to be a continuum concept present to nurture and expand it to a reality. Secondly if a group truly wanted to do that they had better gain a clear and deeper understanding of language because if not they will be setting their children up to be ab-used!

Most people will assume erroneously that the word whole, in the cliché “It takes a WHOLE village” to mean ENTIRE village. Okay then act on that assumption and in no time at all your babies will be returned to you beaten, sexualized, stupefied and zombified because you would have entrusted them to an entire village of damn fools without employing any vetting process.

Now if you take the word whole for what it really means and please don’t act as if you already knew this if you didn’t, whole means healthy, and now apply the cliché, you get an entirely different context. Yes that might work if you indeed had a village of mental, emotional and physical healthy adults caring for the little ones.

However, the converse is in effect in the remnants of what used to be community. You’d be putting the cart before the horse and in that with crystal clear clarity I understand Mr. Black’s deep desire and angst at trying to get adults to see that they must learn the language so that they may think critically to prevent someone else, CNN, to do their thinking for them.

That way when our children are presented with the dilemma of seeing and hearing people who look similar to them, but are saying things that are contrary to them having a healthy and productive existence on this planet, the adults relative to them who have learned how to know can point out to them that what they are seeing and hearing is falsely constructed, how it is in error and that it is basically bullshit that has NOTHING to do with them! Now you have a healthy village folks….

What do you choose to do?

[Aaron (Al) Lewis]

Peace back to you Master Brown. Do hurry, we welcome and appreciate thoughtful, intelligent dialogue.

[Clifford Black]

This is a very insightful thread---THANK YOU.!!!!!!!!!

B.

[Clifford Black]

OH and by the way to address E-LA's question----People are sold What they are BUYING.

B.

[Adisa]

Reading this thread reminds me of a conversation I had with a co-worker regarding political leaders.  It seems whenever an upcoming group of people seek to move in a higher position of status, the fight of the negro to obtain civil rights is invoked.  However, I've never seen a leader or spokesperson that represents that group, most recently I look at the LGBT community and the fight to receive state acknowledgement and benefits.  I do not recall a public face yet, I've heard even the presider mention this group and their rights to exist.  Al you stated suggesting Think Tanks, and with my experience I've often had the same thought.  Longstanding and existing organizations conduct think tanks and even look at the failures and study them to implement "Lessons Learned."  Unless a process of critical and analytical thinking is employed how can one expect to obtain any concrete results or answers to move forward?

I can admit, when I would hear what I thought to be powerful words, "... it takes a whole village..." I never once considered what whole meant beyond meaning everyone.  This passage along with we are not free unless we are ALL free were actually stumbling blocks.  To simply repeat a process over and over again, based merely on the experience of loved ones or those entrusted with agreed upon authority will continue all the sicknesses within the village.  No one steps up and makes a case that maybe the village is actually infected.  The village has also intertwined love and fear and find no issue with inflicting fear upon those they claim to love and/or who may rely upon for protection.   

I know many who are identified as very smart, who not only do not know what the letter A means but they also have no clue how to even find the answer.  They would probably even respond to such a question, as I once did, "Why is that even important?"  Thinking and learning was never explained beyond getting a good education just to obtain a good job.  Many people actually think what they have been doing all along is thinking and if they have some resemblance of perceived success it is even more difficult to convince otherwise. 

It is an equal concern of mine that fewer and fewer young people will have a chance to evolve or even having an opportunity to do so.  There is another saying that the children are the future, but I can not think of anyway the children are being prepared for the future.  What future are they being prepared for when many are not pleased with their existence currently yet continue repeating the same learned behaviors and passing it on to their progeny only because it is what was experienced and no one seems to consider that another way may need to be explored to ensure the children have an existence that we ourselves would truly appreciated experiencing.

[Clifford Black]

"The children are the hope for the future" is one of those sayings, that have been passed down, and, has at this point in time, LOST, all meaning.  The only hope for the children and the future is if people stop waiting for some child, in the future, to do what needs to be accomplished at this moment in time. No more passing it forward unless it gets DONE. The Buck Stops HERE!

Mister Black!