First off, is it my imagination or was Reverend Jackson sampling the Ying Yang Twins?-I'm just sayin.' I'm not going to beat this issue into the ground but can the class answer this question-how does legitimate critique of some of the dysfunction within the African-American community get translated into "talking down" to someone? I believe this latest faux pas around Jackson pretty much proves the point of this blog since its inception-there must be a myriad of voices from varying political perspectives to debunk notions of a Black monolith. When will we hold some in the hip hop community under the same microscope when they "speak" to people of color? The lyricism and cadence displayed in hip hop are very much a form of public speaking, akin to Obama's Father's Day speech; except one format is trying to help its audience and the other calls you a nigga and requests $13.99 for the privilege! Here's more of the fallout as it pertains to No Prophylaction Jackson, courtesy of the LA Times:
NEW YORK -- The Rev. Jesse Jackson apologized this afternoon for making crude remarks about Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama that were picked up during an interview with Fox News on Sunday.
The civil rights leader apparently did not know that his microphone was on when he made the whispered comments to another guest as he prepared to do an interview on "Fox & Friends."
"Barack, he's talking down to black people," Jackson said in a short clip the network aired this afternoon on "Special Report with Brit Hume."
Hume reported that Jackson also "threatened to cut off a certain part of Obama's anatomy."
The cable news network aired more audio and video of what Jackson said this evening on "The O'Reilly Factor."
Jackson also gave an interview to rival network CNN expressing regret for his comments, which he said he made as part of a discussion about Obama's calls for more personal responsibility during appearances before black churches.
"I said it can come off as speaking down to black people," Jackson said on CNN's "The Situation Room."
"And then I said something I felt regret for -- it was crude," he added. "It was very private, and very much a sound bite -- and a live mike. And so I feel -- I find no comfort in it, I find no joy in it. So I immediately called the senator's campaign to send my statement of apology to repair the harm or hurt that this may have caused his campaign because I support it unequivocally."
And for more from the Times, click here.
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