Don Lemon's open letter to Russell Simmons

[DEAD7]

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

Don't p*ssy foot around what I stated.
Do blacks support thug culture in mass or do they not ?
Enough of our youth do for me to answer yes, in my opinion. If you're asking me if its a fact then no, i cannot say that.

"Our communities" have long standing issues that aren't the product of Hip Hop.
Do you not see the issue here ?
For sure, but this doesn't exonerate Hip Hop.

Why is it that blacks have their voices shut down through a music
genre ?
No one else in America faces this.
^I dont believe this to be true at all. Maybe I misunderstand though, could you elaborate

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.
At the same time we cant trivialize Hip Hops influence...

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.
Those aren't black specific problems, but I agree.

Who called you a "c00n" ? Having a guilty conscious are we ?
I was referring to Dom not myself. my fault.



It's ignored because despite that people will go off and use
his "support" in anyway that they can.
That isnt his fault, he threw in the caveat, ignoring it to attack him, is no different than ignoring it to generalize blacks.


This mass implication of blacks as active members in some sort of thug/drug culture
is beyond disturbing and again is littered with generalizations.
Agreed.

And when another black person openly supports it, it only gives
racists more ammo.
Who cares... we shouldnt be afraid to point out and address issues in our community publicly because of what the KKK might think.

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.
We need to spend less time being concerned with giving racist ammo and what they think...



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 general 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.

[/quote]

I agree with what some of what you would like to see happen, but not throwing more money at the issues... i dont think more spending will help under any scenario(but thats another discussion). I'm also not interested in equality of results, but rather equality of opportunity.

Dom & Jesse voiced their opinions as they are free to do, I don't feel anyway about them personally over it.

 

[DEAD7]

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.

No I dont think he(himself) is relevant to many of the issues discussed. His credibility/blackness shouldn't come up if black people in general acknowledge what he is saying...

Now if you are saying none of his points are remotely true, and he doesn't know sh*t about black people/being black, then my bad, i misunderstood

 

[the next guy]

never mind.

 

[kingofnyc]

nas lost























































was the 1st thing that came into my mind
anywayz.... NOT totally siding with don
but lets be real -russell dont give 2shyts about blacks esp... poor blacks

 

[bzb]

No I dont think he(himself) is relevant to many of the issues discussed. His credibility/blackness shouldn't come up if black people in general acknowledge what he is saying...

Now if you are saying none of his points are remotely true, and he doesn't know sh*t about black people/being black, then my bad, i misunderstood

anyone preaching to me about what i need to be doing with my life, but can't relate to or acknowledge the issues i deal with gets the gasface.

 

[theworldismine13]

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.

well what i meant by dead end is exactly what you said in your third paragraph, if the response to don lemon is just "lets fight white racism" i believe that to be a corny dead end response

the overall dead end is obvious, at least to me, when you have geographic areas that are majority black with black administrators and you still see the same problems, imo that requiers a framework that goes beyond white people are racist, that requires an evaluation of what exactly we are doing with the resources we do have

which leads to my other point about don lemon or bill oreilly or anybody else, im willing to go outside of the black community for ideas about how to create strong prosperous communities including people that have no idea what its like to be black, imo we need an infusion of new ideas and perspectives to integrate into what we already know, so i dont really care if don lemon is a homo married to a white guy

my opinion of don lemon is that he is simply part of the diversity of the black community so his opinion is just as valid as anybody else's

 

[kingofnyc]

fukk this fakkit.

but russell a fakkit too

 

[bzb]

the overall dead end is obvious, at least to me, when you have geographic areas that are majority black with black administrators and you still see the same problems, imo that requiers a framework that goes beyond white people are racist, that requires an evaluation of what exactly we are doing with the resources we do have

most predominantly black areas are low income areas with underfunded school systems. what i've seen happen in cities or counties that have a predominantly black side and a more diverse side or majority white side, the part of the city that generates the most tax dollars get the most funds. for example, in fulton county ga (basically atlanta) the north side of the county (majority white) generates the most tax dollars while south side (majority black) generates less. guess where most of the tax dollars go for school and municipal funding? that's right, north of the city. so the predominantly black areas stay underfunded.

so even though it's majority black and you would think that those majority black areas would be able to impact their own areas more positively, that's not the way it really works in practice. and i don't know of any predominantly black areas where the majority of business owners are also black. even in those areas other races own the majority of the businesses.

which leads to my other point about don lemon or bill oreilly or anybody else, im willing to go outside of the black community for ideas about how to create strong prosperous communities including people that have no idea what its like to be black, imo we need an infusion of new ideas and perspectives to integrate into what we already know, so i dont really care if don lemon is a homo married to a white guy

my opinion of don lemon is that he is simply part of the diversity of the black community so his opinion is just as valid as anybody else's

it's no secret on how to create prosperous black communities. and i can also tell you that most of the points don and bill brought up with the exception of education are not the key to doing that. the rest are just gripes and things that cause "perception issues" others have with blacks. how about being honest with the situation and addressing why funding isn't equally distributed to black and minority school districts? why can't qualified black people get jobs? why is unemployment of equally qualified blacks at twice or three times the rate of their white counterparts? these aren't new ideas, this is addressing the pink elephant in the room.

i agree we need to do better, but those who are doing the right thing and making the right effort still need the equal opportunities they're not getting. i'm not saying it's all due to racism, but it's clear that educational and employment opportunities are not equally provided for whatever reason.

 

[theworldismine13]

most predominantly black areas are low income areas with underfunded school systems. what i've seen happen in cities or counties that have a predominantly black side and a more diverse side or majority white side, the part of the city that generates the most tax dollars get the most funds. for example, in fulton county ga (basically atlanta) the north side of the county (majority white) generates the most tax dollars while south side (majority black) generates less. guess where most of the tax dollars go for school and municipal funding? that's right, north of the city. so the predominantly black areas stay underfunded.

so even though it's majority black and you would think that those majority black areas would be able to impact their own areas more positively, that's not the way it really works in practice. and i don't know of any predominantly black areas where the majority of business owners are also black. even in those areas other races own the majority of the businesses.

exactly that is what is happening and the response or the solution to this seems to be that we will demand that white people stop being racist, im suggesting that the white areas should keep their money and that we need a framework and an ideology that focuses on developing black areas without white people

it's no secret on how to create prosperous black communities. and i can also tell you that most of the points don and bill brought up with the exception of education are not the key to doing that. the rest are just gripes and things that cause "perception issues" others have with blacks. how about being honest with the situation and addressing why funding isn't equally distributed to black and minority school districts? why can't qualified black people get jobs? why is unemployment of equally qualified blacks at twice or three times the rate of their white counterparts? these aren't new ideas, this is addressing the pink elephant in the room.

i agree we need to do better, but those who are doing the right thing and making the right effort still need the equal opportunities they're not getting. i'm not saying it's all due to racism, but it's clear that educational and employment opportunities are not equally provided for whatever reason.

i dont agree that that is the key to creating prosperous communities, cuz imo you are back at square one of begging white people to do something, you dont have a black agenda, you have a white agenda, you have a list of things that white people need to do

i think we have to focus on individual rights and economic rights, and i think we need an ideology that focuses on creating wealth as opposed to an ideology about spreading wealth and i think we need a culture the puts education first, i think that is how we address those issues, i think that is how you create prosperous communities

and i think white people should continue doing whatever it is they are doing

 

[bzb]

exactly that is what is happening and the response or the solution to this seems to be that we will demand that white people stop being racist, im suggesting that the white areas should keep their money and that we need a framework and an ideology that focuses on developing black areas without white people

i'd like your ideas on how to do this. america's prosperity was built off the free labor of blacks. those businesses and institutions still prosper from that free labor. furthermore they control the market at all the decision making levels and they shut out many minorities. demanding fairness in wealth distribution isn't begging and it isn't unreasonable. what are your ideas or suggestions on how this can be done without fairness in economic and political representation. you understand they draw all the district and taxation maps right?

i dont agree that that is the key to creating prosperous communities, cuz imo you are back at square one of begging white people to do something, you dont have a black agenda, you have a white agenda, you have a list of things that white people need to do

i think we have to focus on individual rights and economic rights, and i think we need an ideology that focuses on creating wealth as opposed to an ideology about spreading wealth and i think we need a culture the puts education first, i think that is how we address those issues, i think that is how you create prosperous communities

and i think white people should continue doing whatever it is they are doing

again, it's not about a white agenda, it's about an agenda that's fair and not radically biased towards one demographic. i think part of the minority agenda should be to demand a change in policies and practices that prohibit minority progress. if that means we need to take something away from some white areas then so be it.

and it would be good to see your ideas on how we generate wealth organically without it impacting whites. please expound...

 

[gho3st]

Don lemon and Russell Simmons are more similar then we think

 

[theworldismine13]

i'd like your ideas on how to do this. america's prosperity was built off the free labor of blacks. those businesses and institutions still prosper from that free labor. furthermore they control the market at all the decision making levels and they shut out many minorities. demanding fairness in wealth distribution isn't begging and it isn't unreasonable. what are your ideas or suggestions on how this can be done without fairness in economic and political representation. you understand they draw all the district and taxation maps right?



again, it's not about a white agenda, it's about an agenda that's fair and not radically biased towards one demographic. i think part of the minority agenda should be to demand a change in policies and practices that prohibit minority progress. if that means we need to take something away from some white areas then so be it.

and it would be good to see your ideas on how we generate wealth organically without it impacting whites. please expound...

well i just said what my ideas where, first i think we need to make a paradigm shift away from ideologies that focus on spreading wealth and focus on ideologies about creating wealth, so in other words i dont agree with the premise of your question

i agree that america used free labor and that america owes black people but i wouldnt agree that slave labor is the root of american prosperity, if slavery is the root cause of prosperity then brazil which had way more slaves would be the biggest economy in the Americas and the south would have been more prosperous than the north

america became prosperous because its a country that focused on capitalism and it was well educated relatively speaking

they definitely shut out black people and violated the individual rights and economic rights of black people, and i think its important that we demand those rights, i agree that that isnt begging, but i think you have to be careful with this wealth sharing talk

i dont think that "sharing wealth" is key in developing prosperous black communities, using your example why would the tax revenue from north atlanta have to be used in south atlanta, on what principle are you basing that suggestion aside from moral grounds ie begging, the point im making is that we need to figure out how to make south atlanta generate its own tax revenue

i think its important that every citizen be treated equally and that tax revenues be treated without discrimination if that is what you mean, that falls under individual rights (democracy) and economic rights, and demanding your rights is not begging but under those principles municipalities do not have to share revenue

overall i dont think that there is anything peculiar about our history, the same principles that made america rich, the same principles that made other countries rich like japan, china, korea etc are the same principles and ideas that can and will make black people rich and following the example of immigrants that have prospered is also good

that is why i completely reject the statement that you made that you will not listen to anybody that doesnt understand where you come from, i would say the complete opposite, black people have to study and take notes from other people, if not we are just going to remain in the dead end where we are now which is essentially begging white people to not be racist

and no we do not want fair representation, what we want is to dominate and be over represented and then we implement our agenda, but if our agenda is really just a white agenda, then i dont think we will move forward, that is what happened for the past 30 years as black people took over many municipalities, they had no real black agenda, their agenda was ending racism and "sharing wealth"

i think its accurate to call what you are saying a white agenda, unless you can explain what it is that black people are going to do, i think the "white agenda" sounds good but it has a dark side to it, the dark side is the unconscious unstated premise that black people cannot progress or thrive without white people and if you believe that then it does follow that don lemon is full of shyt, if white people control your destiny then it is logical that it doesnt matter how black people talk, dress and it doesnt matter what culture we have and we dont even have to do any self analysis, all we have to do is go out their and demand that white people implement the white agenda

no thanks

i think we need to focus on a black agenda, meaning a list of things that black people need to do, and we will be fine

 

[TLR Is Mental Poison]

On one hand he made some good points

On the other hand we need to handle shyt like this behind the scenes, both Don Lemon and Russel are c00ns for putting on this minstrel show

nikkas love theatrics

 

[Serious]

most predominantly black areas are low income areas with underfunded school systems. what i've seen happen in cities or counties that have a predominantly black side and a more diverse side or majority white side, the part of the city that generates the most tax dollars get the most funds. for example, in fulton county ga (basically atlanta) the north side of the county (majority white) generates the most tax dollars while south side (majority black) generates less. guess where most of the tax dollars go for school and municipal funding? that's right, north of the city. so the predominantly black areas stay underfunded.

so even though it's majority black and you would think that those majority black areas would be able to impact their own areas more positively, that's not the way it really works in practice. and i don't know of any predominantly black areas where the majority of business owners are also black. even in those areas other races own the majority of the businesses.



it's no secret on how to create prosperous black communities. and i can also tell you that most of the points don and bill brought up with the exception of education are not the key to doing that. the rest are just gripes and things that cause "perception issues" others have with blacks. how about being honest with the situation and addressing why funding isn't equally distributed to black and minority school districts? why can't qualified black people get jobs? why is unemployment of equally qualified blacks at twice or three times the rate of their white counterparts? these aren't new ideas, this is addressing the pink elephant in the room.

i agree we need to do better, but those who are doing the right thing and making the right effort still need the equal opportunities they're not getting. i'm not saying it's all due to racism, but it's clear that educational and employment opportunities are not equally provided for whatever reason.

didn't someone debunk this proclamation, a few months back. I remember it was one of the last few threads gundumb was showing out in

 

[bzb]

well i just said what my ideas where, first i think we need to make a paradigm shift away from ideologies that focus on spreading wealth and focus on ideologies about creating wealth, so in other words i dont agree with the premise of your question

i agree that america used free labor and that america owes black people but i wouldnt agree that slave labor is the root of american prosperity, if slavery is the root cause of prosperity then brazil which had way more slaves would be the biggest economy in the Americas and the south would have been more prosperous than the north

america became prosperous because its a country that focused on capitalism and it was well educated relatively speaking

they definitely shut out black people and violated the individual rights and economic rights of black people, and i think its important that we demand those rights, i agree that that isnt begging, but i think you have to be careful with this wealth sharing talk

i dont think that "sharing wealth" is key in developing prosperous black communities, using your example why would the tax revenue from north atlanta have to be used in south atlanta, on what principle are you basing that suggestion aside from moral grounds ie begging, the point im making is that we need to figure out how to make south atlanta generate its own tax revenue

i think its important that every citizen be treated equally and that tax revenues be treated without discrimination if that is what you mean, that falls under individual rights (democracy) and economic rights, and demanding your rights is not begging but under those principles municipalities do not have to share revenue

overall i dont think that there is anything peculiar about our history, the same principles that made america rich, the same principles that made other countries rich like japan, china, korea etc are the same principles and ideas that can and will make black people rich and following the example of immigrants that have prospered is also good

that is why i completely reject the statement that you made that you will not listen to anybody that doesnt understand where you come from, i would say the complete opposite, black people have to study and take notes from other people, if not we are just going to remain in the dead end where we are now which is essentially begging white people to not be racist

and no we do not want fair representation, what we want is to dominate and be over represented and then we implement our agenda, but if our agenda is really just a white agenda, then i dont think we will move forward, that is what happened for the past 30 years as black people took over many municipalities, they had no real black agenda, their agenda was ending racism and "sharing wealth"

i think its accurate to call what you are saying a white agenda, unless you can explain what it is that black people are going to do, i think the "white agenda" sounds good but it has a dark side to it, the dark side is the unconscious unstated premise that black people cannot progress or thrive without white people and if you believe that then it does follow that don lemon is full of shyt, if white people control your destiny then it is logical that it doesnt matter how black people talk, dress and it doesnt matter what culture we have and we dont even have to do any self analysis, all we have to do is go out their and demand that white people implement the white agenda

no thanks

i think we need to focus on a black agenda, meaning a list of things that black people need to do, and we will be fine

brazil did benefit from the slave trade just like the us did. they actually have always had a relatively good economy. and where do you think the capital (funding) came from for these countries to establish and grow their wealth? yep, slave labor. in the us, even though the south was primarily the slave labor area many northern corporations and businessmen invested in plantations and/or profited heavily from the cheap price of goods provided by free slave labor. you should do the knowledge on slave economics because it is the root of prosperity in america and most countries where they had successful long term slave trade.

you're also off about the principles that made america rich and prosperous vs countries in asia or africa. very different histories, political, economic and social structures.

and i stand by my comment about not putting much value in people who talk down to me about "our problems" but can't relate to or won't acknowledge the issues people in our community go through. a rich elitist gay black man telling me everything will be ok if i pull up my pants and stop using the n word? foh

the rest of what you're saying is scattered between partially agreeing or harping on what you think is a focus on white agenda. naw, i don't see it as white agenda. i see it as an agenda that focuses on blacks working to establish more balance in the areas important to us. there's only a finite number of resources in all of this. we will have to make it shift from one area to another when we become more prosperous.