The official Biggest Black Shames of the year 2010; Let the HATIN’ Commence!
Hate it, or despise it, these were the African Americans who negatively made headlines this past year and were the very people of 2010 that made you say, “Damn, I wish they weren’t Black.” Here is the countdown of urban celebrities and organizations whose actions and statements we could’ve done without...
Antoine Dodson
If you don’t recall him by name, maybe you’ll recall Mr. Dodson’s infamous interview with Alabama NBC affiliate, WAFF-48 News, where Dodson is quoted saying, “...Hide ya’ kids, hide ya’ wife, hide ya’ husbands, cause they’re rapin’ everybody out here!”
What should have been a typical news story about a thwarted sexual assault attempt in a housing project, where Dodson resided, is now a catastrophic, bastardized auto-tune monstrosity, available on iTunes.
Dodson’s doo-rag and permed hair, flamboyant personality and choice of words has made him an instant internet sensation, with more than 16 million hits on YouTube (as of August 2010), more than 100,000 sales of the “Bed Intruder” song on iTunes, reaching #89 on Billboard's Hot 100 list (September 2010), more than 1 million ringtone downloads (September 2010) and exposure from numerous TV appearances along with his short performance on BET’s 2010 Hip Hop Awards.
But wait, there’s more.
Mr. Dodson has also made a profit from selling imitation Halloween costumes of himself and T-shirts with his signature lines from the interview.
Head in hands, HATIN’
What’s next for Mr. Dodson? I know, why not put on a minstrel show. Yea! He can round up his family and housing project neighbors and put on a show, chock-full of “country-bumkin’” humor, blackface included. That will REALLY elevate the status of African Americans in this country.
I’m not 100% sure Mr. Dodson knows the total extent of damage he has caused by profiting off of his new-found celebrity. What I do know is Black people never looked so bad.
Bishop Eddie Long
...Or should we call him Longstroke?
In September 2010, Bishop Eddie Long, prominent pastor of a 25,000-member megachurch, outside of Atlanta, GA, and an anti-gay advocate, was accused by three different men, of using his influence and gifts - including cars, cash and travel - when they were 17 or 18 years old, to coerce them into sexual relations.
Long denies the allegations in a statement where he said, "Let me be clear. The charges against me and New Birth are false."
In his career, Long has called for a national ban on same-sex marriage and his church counsels gay members to become straight. In 2004, he led a march with Bernice King, daughter of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to support a national constitutional amendment to protect marriage "between one man and one woman." He also has released several gospel albums, authored books on relationships and spirituality and hosts a weekly television program.
This scandal shows the hypocrisy, greed and politics that exist in forms of organized religion, completely negating all of the good works that may have preceded the events in question. And whether the allegations are found to be true or false, it remains a low point for blacks in 2010.
Twitter Thugs
Yes, there is such a thing.
As insignificant as petty celebrity squabbles, to the more serious bickering between African-American youth, resulting in flash mobs and even murder, Twitter Thugin’ is all the rage and a terrible stain on the black pride banner.
Let’s review the evidence, shall we:
- LA Lakers Matt Barnes vs. Basketball Wives Star, Shaunie O’Neal
The basketball star went on a tirade and called out Ms. O’Neal and the other “Basketball Wives” for being every derogatory name in the book.
Check out the Twitter Postings below to see for yourself.
- Chris Brown vs. Soulja Boy
I’m not even sure how this started… but, seemingly out of the blue, Soulja Boy tweeted "#ListenBitch @ChrisBrown & @BowWow followers together u still aint half way f**kin wit me lol."
In case you can’t understand the misspelled, ignorant lingo spewed by Soulja Boy, allow me to interpret: Chris Brown and Bow Wow you do not have as many Twitter followers and friends as I do. Nan Nananah Nananah. Insert sticking out tongue here.
Chris Brown then replies: "@souljaboytellem yall funny… lol." AND "@souljaboytellem and @bowwow what yall make in a show I make for an hour at an afterparty… jus sayin."
Don’t know why Bow Wow was brought into this feud, but I’m glad he didn’t dignify this ridiculous back-and-forth banter with a response.
In essence, Brown and Soulja Boy exchange a few more posts until Soulja Boy declared himself the winner.
#LAME - The last infraction of 2010 involved Raz B vs. Chris Brown (AGAIN)
This time, Raz B, formerly of boy band group B2K, started in on the dissing and, not one to be “disrespected,” Chris Brown retaliated.
See their Twitter posts below.
Although politically incorrect, I must say I agree with the sentiments of rapper/actor Xhibit when he was quoted as saying “Twitter beef's are like the Special Olympics, even if you win you're still retarded.”
And, now, for the tragic…
Twitter taunts between two young men, who grew up together, ends in blood.
It started with140-character spurts of anger by victim Kwame Dancy, 22 and accused killer Jameg Blake, 22. But the tough talk exploded out of cyberspace and onto the streets of Harlem, where Dancy, a college student, was gunned down.
Hours before the shooting, Dancy taunted Blake with a tweet: "N-----s is lookin for u don't think I won't give up ya address for a price betta chill asap!"Blake's Twitter account is also full of online disses, though only one tweet mentions Dancy by name: "R.I.P. Kwame" on Dec.3.
Dancy's mother, Madeline Smith, is appalled Internet chest-thumping could have led to blood spilled on the sidewalk."That's not a reason to shoot somebody," she said last week. "That's crazy. I don't know what's going on with that Twitter thing."
Dancy, who was studying to be a nurse, was killed by a shotgun blast to the neck Dec. 1 across from Lenox Terrace in Harlem, where he grew up with his father.
Blake - who lived on the same floor as Dancy, was arrested two days later.
Police sources said the two had a rocky relationship and the Twitter messages they posted - with friends jumping in - only made it worse.
Twitter Thugin… Something to LEAVE behind in 2010.
The NAACP
Many fights, not many wins.
This year, under the leadership of president Ben Jealous, the NAACP has engaged in many battles and wars against injustice and civil rights, but have very little to show for their efforts. Most notably, their battle with the Tea Party and in the case of Shirley Sherrod, the NAACP is getting further away from the national advocacy powerhouse that it used to be.
In July, the civil rights organization came out swinging against the far right Tea Party, filing a resolution condemning its racist factions. NAACP made claims that the Tea Party was responsible for promoting bigotry as well as calling African-American congressmen obscene names. Tea Party leaders weren't fazed, however, with Sarah Palin denouncing the claims as "typical divisive politics."
Not long after the NAACP accused the Tea Party of harboring racists, conservative blogger, Andrew Breitbart, fired back by posting a video excerpt from a NAACP meeting in which Shirley Sherrod, an African-American employee at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, appeared to describe how she had racially discriminated against a white farmer — as the audience nodded approvingly.
Once the footage surfaced, Sherrod resigned. Everyone rushed to judgment — INCLUDING the NAACP, and condemned her remarks. But just one day later, general opinion had a complete change of heart, as Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack apologized for forcing Sherrod to step down. It seems that Breitbart had posted an edited version of the speech, lacking the latter half in which Sherrod described how the white farmer had led her to see beyond race, to see him as another poor person getting shafted by the system.
My question to the NAACP: what happened to the support? If you’re supposed to be the backbone of black America, we need a realignment.
Black Politicians- The Blame Shame Game
This includes you, Charlie Rangel and Maxine Waters.
Not a great year for African-American political leaders.
First, let’s begin with NY Rep. Charles Rangel.
Beginning in 2008, Rangel faced a series of allegations of ethics violations and failures to comply with tax laws. The United States House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct focused on whether Rangel improperly rented multiple rent-controlled New York City apartments, improperly used his office in raising money for the Rangel Center at the City College of New York and failed to disclose rental income from his villa in the Dominican Republic. In March 2010, Rangel stepped aside as Ways and Means Chair and in November 2010, the Ethics Committee found Rangel guilty of 11 of 13 accused counts of violating House ethics rules. On December 2, the House approved a sanction of censure against Rangel.
Be sure to check out my colleague Slim Jackson’s in depth piece on Hon. (or not so honorable) Charles Rangel in his post Rangel is Walking on Water.
Rep. Maxine Waters’ case, however, revolves around allegations that she improperly intervened with federal regulators to help a bank that her husband owned stock in and on whose board he once served.
Waters denies any wrongdoing.
"Congresswoman Waters has chosen to go through an adjudicatory subcommittee hearing, rather than accept any of the counts from the investigative subcommittee," a source close to the case told POLITICO.
Trial date to be determined.
And lastly, I came across this New York Times article that questions the funding and double standard loopholes of the Congressional Black Caucus, suggesting that it is a “hotbed for privilege and corruption.” In Black Caucus, a Fund-Raising Powerhouse .
So, Here’s to 2011… Let’s bring BLACK back with no more shame in our game.
