Never let it be said that we do not try to give you the best, here at Afronerd. Our readers/radio listeners undoubtedly know that Mr. Starks and I are big supporters of the artist now known as Prince, hence the above video. But this time, this video was posted because of a guest appearance (at the 3:37 mark) by the one and only, educator supreme, Marva Collins. Ms. Collins may be paying a visit to Afronerd Radio real soon, so stay tuned for more forthcoming information.
Next up, the inimitable NY Daily News columnist and jazz aficionado, Stanley Crouch weighs in on the NY Post racially charged cartoon debacle. Check out an excerpt from the Crouch piece, courtesy of the News:
There is nothing amusing or exciting or titillating about a pet chimp going off his primate rocker and attacking a woman with such fury that she lost her nose and her eyes and her jaw before his owner stabbed the chimp with a knife. Woman's face torn off by a pet turned vicious; vicious pet killed by police.
This is the story that inspired the cartoon run by the New York Post that is defended as harmless and attacked by those who want heads to roll from the masthead. The Post claims to be misunderstood by anyone other than opportunists who see a racial implication in the cartoon, which portrays two cops looking at a primate's corpse and saying, "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill." Yikes to the thousandth power.
While I do not support cartoonish versions of outrage, I cannot dismiss those protesting the cartoon for making the proverbial mountain out of a molehill.
In a more perfect world than the one we presently live in, all of us should at least be able to expect taste even if perusing the New York Post. That organ has long been closer to intellectual and emotional toilet paper than the conservative daily newspaper that it claims to be. Though some of its writers are actually good and others plucky, neither type distinguishes the paper known near and far for its willingness to sink far below sea level whenever anything arrives that can be sensationalized or exploited.
This cartoon has nothing to do with freedom of speech. It takes us back to the kind of casual insinuations that were not only expected in the past but were rule of thumb. I cannot think of a better example of why Black History Month should continue to exist rather than be discontinued because Barack Obama is in the White House.
As I have written before, true black history is also the true history of enlightened and courageous whites who fought slavery and protested racism. They shared what one historian calls "a righteous anger."
My sentiments exactly, Mr. Crouch! For the Crouch analysis in its entirety, click on the link below:
Cartoon makes a monkey out of those who try to defend it
We were fortunate enough to interview the ever stalwart director, Raymond Gayle regarding his important (and necessary) celluloid effort, Electric Purgatory. As he noted in our interview with him, he posted his film on Youtube for public consumption. I definitely want his message of Black musical diversity to go viral, so please take a gander:
And lastly....we all know that Richard Pryor was a comic genius but did he provide the idea for Spinal Tap
, the seminal mockumentary? Take a look at this comic bit (with a very young Sandra Bernhard)...makes one go hmmmm:
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