Lee wrongly spiked Condi

[groover]

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/14044604.htm

Jenice Armstrong | Lee wrongly spiked Condi

THE THING with being a racial minority group in this country is that you always have to deal with stereotypes.

And sometimes they're from people of your race.

I'm referring to a recent remark attributed to filmmaker Spike Lee, who blasted Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, accusing her of having gotten a free ride from African-Americans because of her skin color.

"I dislike Condoleezza Rice more than [President] Bush. The thing about it is that she's gotten a free ride from black people," Lee says in the April issue of Stuff magazine.

"People say, 'She's so successful' and 'Look at her position as a black woman.' She is a black woman who grew up in Birmingham, Ala.,and said that she never experienced a day of racism in her life," Lee said.

Lee reportedly went on to chastise Rice, saying, "Condi, stop smoking that crack."

Now, I'm no apologist for Rice or for the actions that have taken place under her watch in the Bush administration. I'm still waiting for those weapons of mass destruction to turn up and for the mess in Iraq to be resolved.

And Rice, no doubt, deserves some of the knocks she gets, especially if it is true as is rumored that she shopped for shoes and took in a show in New York City while thousands in New Orleans were caught up in the disastrous grip of Hurricane Katrina.

But for Lee, whose film credits include "Malcolm X," "Jungle Fever" and "Do the Right Thing," to play into racial stereotypes as he did with his crack-cocaine quip demeans her as a black woman. Lee wouldn't have made the same assertion were he talking about one of Rice's white predecessors.

Yet, Lee went there when he was talking about the first black female to hold the job.

I guess we're lucky Lee didn't unleash the really big guns and come out and call this learned, accomplished woman a "ho."

When you become a politician, you become fair game for the late-night talk-show hosts, journalists and other armchair critics who hold you accountable. Free speech is integral to our system of democracy.

Lee was well within his rights last month when he spoke out at Purdue University and urged blacks not to vote for Rice if she seeks the Republican presidential nomination in 2008.

What troubles me, though, is when critics stray from critiquing what a person does or doesn't do, and instead, sinks to making sexual or racial jabs as Lee did with his crack slur.

Lee, of all people, knows better. So, why doesn't he do right thing?

[clinthopson]

Ignorance comes in all colors.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Groover, Groover, Groover. You lookin' for trouble, boy? Now you know this thread is gonna turn into one of those threads.........

[groover]

Not necessarily, Jimmy, if everyone just reads it out of curiosity and keeps their thoughts to themselves. Move along, folks, nothing to see here.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Originally Posted by groover

Not necessarily, Jimmy, if everyone just reads it out of curiosity and keeps their thoughts to themselves. Move along, folks, nothing to see here.

That's funny. JCers keeping their thought to themselves. Heh heh heh heh heh heh.......

[Chris D]

It does belong in the politics section.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Yo, Chris, keep your thoughts to yourself!...............

[Sergio Zamora]

Had Ms Armstrong not mentioned it, it would have not crossed my mind that the crack reference had racial overtones.

It seems Ms Armstrong is a little guilty herself of making racially charged comments when she assumes that that such an association was obvious - not to mention her assumption that Lee, a black man, would use the word 'ho' to refer to a black woman.

In any case, this news is non-news. Much ado about nothing.

[moneyp]

What a lame article.

[Brian Olewnick]

I agree with Sergio. "Are you on crack?" is pretty widely used in my experience, having nothing to do with the race of the questioner or potential crackee.

[Scott Dolan]

Crack is wack.

[Gary Sisco]

Are you on crack? has been a common saying since the 80s, come on.

[Scott Dolan]

And from the looks of Boy George these days, he chose the wrong crack.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Remember, people, crack kills..........

[Captain Hate]

Originally Posted by Brian Olewnick

I agree with Sergio. "Are you on crack?" is pretty widely used in my experience, having nothing to do with the race of the questioner or potential crackee.

I agree also; it was just a non-race-specific stoopid statement by Shelton, who must've picked up some tips on treating women respectfully from Jim Brown.

[Enforcer]

Glad to see I'm not the only one to wonder how a reference to smoking crack is a sexual or racial jab.

[Monte Smith]

Originally Posted by Gary Sisco

Are you on crack? has been a common saying since the 80s, come on.

Yes, ever since the CIA created crack and began flooding the urban streets with the stuff in order to destroy the black race. This has all been documented in a series of town hall meetings with Maxine Waters, people. What are you all smoking?

[Scott Dolan]

Hmmmm........

Bush blew up the levee's to kill all the black people in New Orleans.

It's all starting to make sense now.

[jeff54]

Originally Posted by groover

'Look at her position as a black woman.' She is a black woman who grew up in Birmingham, Ala.,and said that she never experienced a day of racism in her life," Lee said.

Did she really say that ???

[patricia]

Originally Posted by jeff54

Did she really say that ???

Yes she did. She grew up in a middle-class family in a nice section of town.
Her mother was a music teacher. Her father was a pastor and a college prof.

[bobetterblues]

The only good kind of crack, is FREE CRACK!

[Scott Dolan]

werd

[Monte Smith]

Originally Posted by patricia

Yes she did.

Alright, if patricia confirms it--it's almost certainly bullshit. Patricia, I don't know if you can back up your assertion this time, that Rice said this, with a link. But if you can, I'll cancel the "I Stand Corrected" t-shirt I'm ordering for you. You need one badly. Boy, do you need one.

Ms. Rice was the same age and went to the same school as at least one of the victims of the bombing at Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church. That was certainly a day of racism. And she's on record as saying race played a role in driving her to be better--you had to be "twice as good" if you were a minority, as reported by Nicholas Lemann of the NYT and posted on Wikipedia.

[Root Doctor]

Rice has spoken many times about her experiences with racism. For instance:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050512/...t_pe/rice_guns

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, recalling how her father took up arms to defend fellow blacks from racist whites in the segregated South, said Wednesday the constitutional right of Americans to own guns is as important as their rights to free speech and religion.

In an interview on CNN's "Larry King Live," Rice said she came to that view from personal experience. She said her father, a black minister, and his friends armed themselves to defended the black community in Birmingham, Ala., against the White Knight Riders in 1962 and 1963. She said if local authorities had had lists of registered weapons, she did not think her father and other blacks would have been able to defend themselves.

Birmingham, where Rice was born in 1954, was a focal point of racial tension. Four black girls were killed when a bomb exploded at a Birmingham church in 1963, a galvanizing moment in the fight for civil rights.

Rice said she favored background checks and controls at gun shows. However, she added, "we have to be very careful when we start abridging rights that the Founding Fathers thought very important."

Rice said the Founding Fathers understood "there might be circumstances that people like my father experienced in Birmingham, Ala., when, in fact, the police weren't going to protect you."

[patricia]

Originally Posted by Monte Smith

Alright, if patricia confirms it--it's almost certainly bullshit.

And she's on record as saying race played a role in driving her to be better--you had to be "twice as good" if you were a minority, as reported by Nicholas Lemann of the NYT and posted on Wikipedia.

First of all, Monte, I take issue with your first assertion that if I confirm something, it's bullshit.

But, that aside, I never said that Rice did not experience discrimination merely for being black during the days, in the fifties, when segregation was still the law. That's true of all black people who grew up during that period in history in the U.S.
I also didn't say that she didn't have to be "twice as good" to advance in her goals. Most women can relate to that part of her biography and it was even more difficult for her because she was black, so a double-whammy.
I said that she did not grow up poor, which she didn't. I said that her family was middle class, which they were. She grew up with an appreciation for education and culture because of that.
I read the "Wikipedia" link that you did, as well as others.
I think that Spike Lee's point, though it was certainly impudent, was that he didn't think that she had much in common with the average black person, or more particularly average woman even now. He was quoted commenting on Rice's shoe-shopping and attendance at a production of "Spamalot" while New Orleans and the other locations on the Gulf Coast were being flooded. So, while it may have been rude and tactless, he was angry.

Google "spike lee on condoleeza rice" for the complete quote.

[Monte Smith]

No, you said that "yes she did" say that she never experienced a day of racism in her life. Like you know, or something. Like you have access to a link to a quote of Ms Rice.

Monte, I take issue with your first assertion that if I confirm something, it's bullshit.

It's a consistent indicator on this board.

[Scott Dolan]

Total fucking horseshit, particia.

As with your imaginary "phase II" of the 9/11 report, you are so far off the mark here it would be best for you to quietly bow out and not discuss this issue anymore.

Spite Lee accused Ms. Rice of saying she had never experienced a day of racism in her life.

Jeff54 asked if it was true that she had said that.

You said yes she did.

And in the word of our good friend Bobby Byrd, "WRONG!!!!"

And although I wouldn't have said what Monte did, I have to agree. You have shown a serious lack of having done your homework these days.

[bluenoter]

Oh, quit ganging up on Patricia. Monte and Scott, if one of the men had made an erroneous assertion, no matter how consistently you perceived him to do so, you would have given him the verbal equivalent of a quick, casual towel flick (or whatever guys do ), not blasted him with years' worth of pent-up hostility. Or you would have simply refuted the erroneous assertion, as Root did.

You don't seem to realize that bullying is just as unattractive on a message board as it is in real life--especially in an adult.

[Scott Dolan]

Rita, you are so full of shit it's astounding.

You know goddamn well I call out ANYBODY that comes out with a bunch of bullshit. Especially if they choose to continue to defend it.

You want to defend what she said? Fine. Have at it. But don't even bother trying to give me your tired fucking poor little girl being victimized by brutal and barbaric men because they can garbage.

[Noj]

When I'm snowboarding up in Mammoth, I refer to the Gondola as the Gondoleeeeeezzzza.