I'd like to throw this out there: Kanye West isn't an idiot for saying, "George Bush doesn't care about black people" on live national television.
It seems like everybody I talk to about it thinks that Kanye is so dumb for saying something so blatantly illegitimate, so crass, so politically incorrect. I've even gotten the impression that people feel he's done a disservice to black people.
I mean really, do you think George W., Texan, number 43, doesn't care about African-Americans?
It'd be pretty stupid to say that. But only because it's politically incorrect and he's had two high-profile African-Americans in his cabinet. No, he's probably fine with African-Americans. But I doubt he's real comfortable around black people. I have a Texan friend who had never talked to a black person until high school.
I don't want to talk tons about race here, because you're always tip-toeing the line of saying something too honest, like "George Bush doesn't care about black people," and then you're in hot water. Instead, I want to propose that Kanye West isn't an idiot, because he put his finger on the pulse of something that so many people are feeling, however illegitimate. And while consensus isn't a virtue, it's nice to see that shit actually voiced by someone with the legitimacy to voice it - through the mouth of the media monopoly itself. Not by some pundit, not by some garbage show host who blathers on so much they devalue everything else they say, but by a black person speaking not for African-Americans, but for black people. The blatant disregard for fairness in Kanye's words only holds the mirror back to the Bush administration.
I, for one, said "Amen!" Not because I think GW is racist, but because I felt Kanye played conduit for all the people in New Orleans suffering while GW took a couple extra days of vacation. I mean seriously, the guy's taken more holiday time than any other president in history. He's the ultimate fortunate son, and the spangles of his leadership really don't show unless he's following through on a family grudge. What does he care about New Orleans? Nothing, until the polls show that people care that he doesn't.
This is where I sick myself out, because I hate suspecting the worst in people, even if its as inept a leader as George Bush. But if politicians were as forthright as Kanye West, it'd be a lot easier to know the score in America.
This isn't Kanye, but the lyrics are still pretty on:
GeorgeBushDoesntCareAboutBlackPeople.mp3
It seems like everybody I talk to about it thinks that Kanye is so dumb for saying something so blatantly illegitimate, so crass, so politically incorrect. I've even gotten the impression that people feel he's done a disservice to black people.
I mean really, do you think George W., Texan, number 43, doesn't care about African-Americans?
It'd be pretty stupid to say that. But only because it's politically incorrect and he's had two high-profile African-Americans in his cabinet. No, he's probably fine with African-Americans. But I doubt he's real comfortable around black people. I have a Texan friend who had never talked to a black person until high school.
I don't want to talk tons about race here, because you're always tip-toeing the line of saying something too honest, like "George Bush doesn't care about black people," and then you're in hot water. Instead, I want to propose that Kanye West isn't an idiot, because he put his finger on the pulse of something that so many people are feeling, however illegitimate. And while consensus isn't a virtue, it's nice to see that shit actually voiced by someone with the legitimacy to voice it - through the mouth of the media monopoly itself. Not by some pundit, not by some garbage show host who blathers on so much they devalue everything else they say, but by a black person speaking not for African-Americans, but for black people. The blatant disregard for fairness in Kanye's words only holds the mirror back to the Bush administration.
I, for one, said "Amen!" Not because I think GW is racist, but because I felt Kanye played conduit for all the people in New Orleans suffering while GW took a couple extra days of vacation. I mean seriously, the guy's taken more holiday time than any other president in history. He's the ultimate fortunate son, and the spangles of his leadership really don't show unless he's following through on a family grudge. What does he care about New Orleans? Nothing, until the polls show that people care that he doesn't.
This is where I sick myself out, because I hate suspecting the worst in people, even if its as inept a leader as George Bush. But if politicians were as forthright as Kanye West, it'd be a lot easier to know the score in America.
This isn't Kanye, but the lyrics are still pretty on:
GeorgeBushDoesntCareAboutBlackPeople.mp3
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