Don Lemon's open letter to Russell Simmons

[Rekkapryde]

But Dom isnt wrong tho...

I understand where Dom was coming from. Now the pants saggin and saying nikka is bullshyt and it aint going nowhere, but the rest I agree with. And it's nothing new that he said with his first 3 points.

Dom should have NEVER uttered the words of that hoe ass troll Bill O'REilly though. that's where he fukked up IMO. fukk Bill OReilly.

1. Just because you can have a baby, it doesn’t mean you should - HE'S RIGHT. And we all know this.

2. Finish School - AGAIN, HE'S RIGHT. The biggest thing we can do as a minority is ensure we take advantage of the educational opps available to us.

3. Respect where you live - What's the problem with this?

4. Saying "nikka" - Come on Dom, that shyt aint goin nowhere and isn't a "problem". Of course you gotta know the time and place to use it, and if that's what's he talking about then but he wasn't.

5. Pulling up your pants - Again, I don't necessarily agree with it. However, we've all been told to pull our pants up as kids growing up by our parents, grandparents, adults, etc at one point. I think it's more of a thing of time and place again. Not a major issue IMO. Saggin is one thing, but showing your drawz is going too far for real.

nikkaz just don't like hearing their own dirt out in the media even when it's true. We know we have issues in our communities, esp the less afluent areas. I think what he was trying to point out is that we gotta start taking care of ourselves and our communities. And that's common sense.

 

[DEAD7]

what side is don discussing? the side that ignores the origins of the problems exhibited in the black community? the side that ignores white america's privileged role in undermining black progress? the side that ignores just who is at fault for the high incarceration rates of black men? the side that ignores who is at fault for the poverty lying at the heart of wayward black teens in our inner cities? the side that ignores the lack of funding in school systems that don't adequately prepare our black boys and girls for productive futures in this society?

the only side don lemon is concerned with is the backside his white boyfriend gives him shots to.

Lets not get emotional.

Are you really pretending those issues are never brought up?


The origin of many of those problems will not be found in racism, or "white privilege"...

 

[Serious]

to be honest, i think that's interesting and informative but i really dont give a fuk, i think white people have the right to be racist and to not like black people

i roll with don lemon because i think the future of black people rests with black people, white people should continue doing whatever it is they have been doing

this post has no substance, you might as well have said he's a c00n and left it at that since your post is just an elaboration of personal attacks and questioning his blackness

so do you think russell simmons is in touch with racial identity? are people that sag their pants and say nikka in touch with their racial identity? what is the criteria you use to know whether somebody is in touch with their racial identity?

Look I'm just saying these practices shouldn't be undermined. Especially when poor minorities are "attempting" to do the "right" things to empower and better themselves.

Ignoring the racial component would be like not seeing a problem with matters like the prison industrial complex and unfair loan practices and schemes(for profit colleges and sub prime loans) which unfairly target and abuse minorities.

Essentially I'm saying solely focusing on "just" fixing an "anti-academic" culture will eventually reach a ceiling....

 

[bzb]

this post has no substance, you might as well have said he's a c00n and left it at that since your post is just an elaboration of personal attacks and questioning his blackness

so do you think russell simmons is in touch with racial identity? are people that sag their pants and say nikka in touch with their racial identity? what is the criteria you use to know whether somebody is in touch with their racial identity?

my opinion about how well he relates to black issues i relate to and my view of them vs his view isn't a personal attack. it's an opinion based on the comments and positions he's held over time. i also expounded on why i though that. that might bother you because you ride with don, but just calling it from my pov.

if the black struggle and black agenda means begging white people to not be racist, i dont identify with the black struggle and black agenda either

the black struggle isn't about begging anyone for anything. it's about acknowledging the external and internal challenges and dealing with them appropriately. that can be through a number of things on the political and economic front. my a-alikes don't need to beg for anything, we have the power to go and get it or take it. imo it makes it easier when white people are out and about with their racism. i hate closet racists and bigots. smile in your face and then stab you in your back or pull the chair out from under you just because the color of my skin.

 

[theworldismine13]

what side is don discussing? the side that ignores the origins of the problems exhibited in the black community? the side that ignores white america's privileged role in undermining black progress? the side that ignores just who is at fault for the high incarceration rates of black men? the side that ignores who is at fault for the poverty lying at the heart of wayward black teens in our inner cities? the side that ignores the lack of funding in school systems that don't adequately prepare our black boys and girls for productive futures in this society?

the only side don lemon is concerned with is the backside his white boyfriend gives him shots to.

he is discussing the black side that relates to how black people contribute to our problems and make the effects of racism worse, there is nothing wrong with self analysis and self improvement and simply blaming white racism isnt gonna solve things

the question is what are we doing as black people doing to decrease poverty, improve education and reduce incarceration rates?

 

[theworldismine13]

Look I'm just saying these practices shouldn't be undermined. Especially when poor minorities are "attempting" to do the "right" things to empower and better themselves.

Ignoring the racial component would be like not seeing a problem with matters like the prison industrial complex and unfair loan practices and schemes(for profit colleges and sub prime loans) which unfairly target and abuse minorities.

Essentially I'm saying solely focusing on "just" fixing an "anti-academic" culture will eventually reach a ceiling....

im not ignoring it, its just im putting it in its proper place, i strongly believe in individual rights and economic rights, and we should definitely fight for that

i think the weakness of the "fighting racism" strategy shows up when you have places with a black majority and black people in power, if it was just racism, the less white people around the better situation it would be for black people, but that isnt the case

it seems the black agenda is really a white agenda, its just a list of things that white people need to do, but im saying, now that we know what white people need to do, the question then becomes what do black people need to do, which is where what don lemon is saying comes in

 

[bzb]

I dont think any of us here are in a position to make assertions about Don as a person, or his life... nor should we, since it comes across as conceding the argument.

why not? he's certainly expressed his personal points of view and his lifestyle choices to great extent during his time on tv. if he attributes those comments to himself and not to the network then i think it's a significant amount of content to make a general assertion about a person...to a certain extent of course.

 

[theworldismine13]

my opinion about how well he relates to black issues i relate to and my view of them vs his view isn't a personal attack. it's an opinion based on the comments and positions he's held over time. i also expounded on why i though that. that might bother you because you ride with don, but just calling it from my pov.



the black struggle isn't about begging anyone for anything. it's about acknowledging the external and internal challenges and dealing with them appropriately. that can be through a number of things on the political and economic front. my a-alikes don't need to beg for anything, we have the power to go and get it or take it. imo it makes it easier when white people are out and about with their racism. i hate closet racists and bigots. smile in your face and then stab you in your back or pull the chair out from under you just because the color of my skin.

i have a neutral position on his homosexuality and i dont care if he doesnt relate to real black people (whatever that means)

i think black people are in a dead end intellectually and economically, so im open to new ideas and new perspectives, i think the whole "lets fight white racism" mentallity is losing steam and its leading to a dead end

but i agree the black agenda is about examining and acknowledging external and internal challenges, i agree 100% with that

 

[Insensitive]

1- They don't need his support(obviously since he was just echoing a white person)

This is a moot point.
Echoing white people or not they're still reinforcing negative imagery.

2- Its true rap does glorify drug dealing. I dont see what so hard to accept about this?

Don't p*ssy foot around what I stated.
Do blacks support thug culture in mass or do they not ?
Obviously you're neither a drug dealer nor a gang member.
So why would you support someone who tries to generalize blacks
as people who endorse criminality ?
And Don clearly believes this, he brought it up a SECOND time
when replying to Russell Simmons.
And while I'm at it since when has rap been the focal point of black culture ?
Never mind that you're ignoring that Hip Hop is much more than the sub-genre
"Gangsta rap".
Which is an entirely different discussion.

I think we do more harm to our communities trying to pretend this isnt the case?

"Our communities" have long standing issues that aren't the product of Hip Hop.
Do you not see the issue here ?
Why is it that blacks have their voices shut down through a music
genre ?
No one else in America faces this.
It's a does a disservice to blacks across the country to treat whatever
struggles they face as the result of a genre of music.
It doesn't address any real issues like a failing school system, living below
the poverty line or all of the other issues a black person can face in this country.

Does acknowledging that fact make me a uncle tom/c00n?

Who called you a "c00n" ? Having a guilty conscious are we ?

i haven't heard noe thrown any support to the idea that black people are _inhernetly_ f*cked up.
For the record, I reject that notion completely.

I never said YOU DID.
This message had a very specific address and I'm sure the people it
was mailed to got the message.
It's obviously meant to be a critique of BLACK AMERICA.
Which includes MILLIONS OF PEOPLE.
And obviously can be SEEN THAT WAY.
I mean just look at your posts in this very thread !
Like the brilliant quote below !

he didn't make it a generalization and several times stated "if this doesn't apply to you, i'm not talking to you"...
Why does this go ignored?

It's ignored because despite that people will go off and use
his "support" in anyway that they can.
Like this charming little post below vvv

before calling it absurd, you must explain how he is wrong, How we dont embrace drug dealing? how we don't have a problem with single parent homes? and how we dont need to stop shytting where we eat...
Saying "quit c00ning", "thats absurd" or "look at this cac lover" are not counter arguments, nor do they help anyone, in fact they do harm.

Stop with this "We" shyt, that is why people call it absurd.
You throw the entirety of black people under the bus then
turn around and proclaim to "care".
Clearly it wouldn't be odd for a person to look at what you
state and deduce how you feel.
This mass implication of blacks as active members in some sort of thug/drug culture
is beyond disturbing and again is littered with generalizations.
And when another black person openly supports it, it only gives
racists more ammo.
It only helps to reinforce racists and if this is what YOU personally think
of black people, then maybe you need to look in the mirror.

Shut down?

The president is black, the head of the justice dept. is black and you call black voices shut down?

Word ? You don't get what I mean ?
Oh no clearly you do, evidenced below.

Their "symbolism" doesn't mean there isn't an issue or its all good, but to say blacks are shut down, while they are occupying the highest positions in the country is a bit much.

Thankfully you answered this one yourself.
Symbolism means fukk all when class rooms are suffering from overcrowding,
hundreds are dying by the hands of those that look just like them and prisons are funded
before a school is.

But I forgot lemme play my role " You gotta black president why are you complaining ?"
"Yeah but black people make a very specific sub-genre of music so clearly no blacks (as in
everyone who is black in case you didn't get the picture) cannot air their grievances with the government
and/or any racism/discrimination you may face"

Let me ask this to get a clear idea of where you are coming from, what is it you want to see happen exactly?

What is it *I* personally want to see happen ?
I want to see black issues not treated as the result of
blacks being abject failures only looking for handouts.
I want people to drop their party allegiances and look at issues
that are clearly affecting American's.
I want to know why we can spend billions of dollars engineering more accurate
bombs but we can't spend that money on research to get black and latino
children up to par with their white counterparts.
I want to see all of the Americans who are so ready to
accept blacks as criminals in training change their
views in mass
I want an honest look at the issues facing Black Americans that isn't
dressed up in sensationalism to sell clicks and youtube views.
I would also like the Don Lemon's and Jesse Lee Peterson's of the world
to have their platforms snatched from under them.

 

[bzb]

i have a neutral position on his homosexuality and i dont care if he doesnt relate to real black people (whatever that means)

i think black people are in a dead end intellectually and economically, so im open to new ideas and new perspectives, i think the whole "lets fight white racism" mentallity is losing steam and its leading to a dead end

but i agree the black agenda is about examining and acknowledging external and internal challenges, i agree 100% with that

my comment was not an indictment one way or another on homosexuality. i don't care who he chooses to be with. the only place his sexuality comes into play in my mind is how well a homosexual black man in an elitist demographic can really relate to the average black person. i just don't see it.

i don't agree that black people are at a dead end intellectually and economically. that means you've given up and don't see or experience progress in the black community, another area a really don't agree. i see progress being made everyday and i make it a point to do something everyday to contribute to that progress.

i do agree "let's fight racism" strategy by itself is a dead end because you become dependent on that angle alone. if racism were to be gone today then what? it's like a convict waiting to get out of jail, once you're out what you going to do? that's why i believe we still have to focus on education and be motivated to be responsible for our future. i'm more about do for yourself without depending on someone else, but that also includes the steps we can take to empower our communities and reduce or eliminate the shackles of bigotry and racism.

 

[DEAD7]

why not? he's certainly expressed his personal points of view and his lifestyle choices to great extent during his time on tv. if he attributes those comments to himself and not to the network then i think it's a significant amount of content to make a general assertion about a person...to a certain extent of course.

"doubtful he's in touch with much of his racial identity. he probably identifies as gay elitist which puts him in a whole other demographic. and i'm sure he's been coddled because of it his entire adult life."

I dont recall hi expressing these things... or any of the other charges leveled against him. His sexuality is also held against him, for what reason i dont know, it seems like plain bigotry.

But I agree, to a certain extent he has put himself out there

 

[ExodusNirvana]

Gay black man who is married to a white man continues to dictate to the black community how they should carry themselves.

And c00ns on The Coli all applaud.

Dudes are so fukking blind it's infuriating.

 

[Serious]

@Insensitive

Breh shut this thread down

 

[valet]

fukk Don Lemon.

pause

 

[bzb]

"doubtful he's in touch with much of his racial identity. he probably identifies as gay elitist which puts him in a whole other demographic. and i'm sure he's been coddled because of it his entire adult life."

I dont recall hi expressing these things... or any of the other charges leveled against him. His sexuality is also held against him, for what reason i dont know, it seems like plain bigotry.

But I agree, to a certain extent he has put himself out there

his sexuality isn't being "held against him" what i wrote aren't his expressions, they're my opinion based on what he's expressed several times on national tv. none of what i said is unreasonable, unrealistic, inflammatory or bigoted.


the problem is you seem to think a gay black elitist can relate to the avg black person.