White Rapper Kreayshawn Sparks Controversy With N-Word Issue

Natassia "Kreayshawn" Zolot

The issue of whites and white rappers using the so-called N-word has come into focus again, with a story about Natassia "Kreayshawn" Zolot, a white rap artist.

She uses the word and doesn't much apologize for her use of it - in spite of the fact that she has now found herself knee-deep (at least) in a controversy. One of the general arguments in this case, and as is typical with use of the N-word, one of the primary arguments is that if they (black people) can use it then everyone else should be able to use it.

Here is a comment she recently tweeted about the controversy:

“People are acting so funny OMG lol. I got 200k views, not 200k dollars. WTF YOU WANT FROM A NIGGA. DMX VOICE.”

That comment tells me a few things: 1. She feels passionate about this issue, 2. she doesn't care too much what other people think (at this point) and 3. she is getting a WHOLE lot of marketing value out of this controversy.

A report from News One added this little nugget to the issue:

“In Oakland, Asian people will call Mexicans that. A Mexican will call a black dude that. A white person will call an Asian that. Everyone calls each other that. I feel like that word is used in the low-income community more than anything. I can see if I was some rich crazy trick and I was just saying this because it’s hip-hop,” Kreayshawn said, “I was raised around this. Me and my sisters were all raised around this. People call me that. But personally I’m not flaunting it around.’’

Whether she is flaunting or not is an interesting discussion. One thing is for sure, this controversy is helping Kreayshawn big time.

Honestly, she has the right to use it (like anyone else), but no one has the right to everyone's approval of use of the word. Based on what I've read, she probably has built up some credentials to be able to use it more than some (based on where she is from), but it doesn't mean everyone has to like it. Some do not and will not like it.

It's a controversy and not an easy one.

Interesting Case Of Racial Allegations Coming Out Of Cleveland Against Basketball Coach

This is a case I found kind of interesting as a white basketball coach is being accused of using racial slurs against black basketball players.

The team is undefeated, 15-0, and these charges have thrown the Cleveland area community into the spotlight in the wrong way.

Here is a portion of the story from the television station website:

RICHMOND HEIGHTS — Racial tensions between a coach and his players have an undefeated high school basketball team threatening to boycott the rest of the season.

The Richmond Heights basketball team is 15-and-0, but the team planned to sit out Tuesday night's game, unless their coach was fired.

Monday, parents sent the school superintendent a letter, claiming he uses racist and degrading comments.

"Everybody in this room are responsible for these children, it's time to stop," said parent Nneka Slade Jackson, during a heated school board meeting Monday night.

"They been dealing with this for months (years), this ain't something that just started yesterday," said parent Alvin Fulton.

The parents are demanding the superintendent, Dr. Linda Hardwick, remove high school varsity basketball coach Jason Popp, alleging he uses inappropriate language, as well as racist comments towards his players.

Here is the full version of the story: http://newsone.com/entertainment/sports-entertainment/casey-gane-mccalla/team-may-boycott-hs-basketball-coach-jason-popp-for-racist-comments/

Due diligence must be taken to investigate the very serious allegations, but if true then the words of this coach would be very disturbing for a person entrusted to lead a group of young men.

Spare Me Comparisons of Bill Maher's Use Of "Nigger" To Dr. Laura's

I've been more than a little amused of late reading blogs referencing Bill Maher's use of the word "nigger" on CNN's Larry King Live.

I have been saddened (though not surprised) that while people correctly point out that he did in fact use the word "nigger" on CNN - they generally miserably fail to explain (simply embedding the clip into a blog or article does not count) the full context of Maher's use of the word.

For some of our brothers and sisters on the right, this is the smoking gun - a liberal using the word "nigger" and no death threats coming from those of us who are considered to be to the left of the political middle. Many of these critics have blasted King for not challenging Maher for his use of the word, and thus (in the minds of our friends on the right and far right), validating the idea that the mainstream media has a liberal bias.

It's absurdly laughable and a pitiful one-dimensional argument.

Such a hysterical reaction to Maher's dropping of the so-called "N-bomb" is little more than a betrayal of common sense. It also conveniently ignores the difference between Maher's use of "nigger" and Laura Schlessinger's multiple uses of the so-called "N-word" as she viciously verbally attacked a caller seeking help.

Look, a knife can be used to slice cheese or it can be used to murder someone. The dangers or benefits of a knife are defined by its usage and its user.

In my estimation, the same principle holds true for the use of the word "nigger."

Maher did not use the word to attack. He merely used it to say that (in his opinion) people are using code words to substitute for "nigger" as that is a word that has long since become too toxic for most mainstream Americans.

Those who try to portray liberals as hypocrites for not attacking Maher are foolish, and, furthermore, ignorant for not making a minimal attempt to at least add context to the use of the word.

Sarah Palin Is OK With 'Nigger' But Not With 'Retarded' ... Apparently

Sarah Palin seems to be OK with the word "nigger" but is not so cool with people saying the word "retarded" because it is offensive line "nigger" is to people. Huh?

Former half-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin continues to prove why a person would have to be a fool to think of this person as a legitimate candidate for the presidency of the United States of America.

There are people of color in America. We're not all white people, Sarah.

Lets face it, Palin symbolically spit in the face of black Americans recently with her absurd rush to defend the disgraced Dr. Laura Schlessinger, who viciously attacked a black female guest on her radio program who called in for help to set off a racial powder keg after she used the so-called N-word like 11 times during a verbal tirade on the air.

This is what Mediaite had on its Web site:

From her twitter feed last night:

Dr.Laura:don’t retreat…reload! (Steps aside bc her 1st Amend.rights ceased 2exist thx 2activists trying 2silence”isn’t American,not fair”)

Dr.Laura=even more powerful & effective w/out the shackles, so watch out Constitutional obstructionists. And b thankful 4 her voice,America!

Palin, posing as a constitutional scholar misleadingly advising us on the first amendment, rushes to the defense of Dr. Laura, who uttered "nigger" the way most humans use the word "the" in conversation. Palin didn't seem to have much of a problem with Dr. Laura dropping "nigger" left and right. Interestingly enough, Palin's defense of Dr. Laura is even more bizarre considering these words Schlessinger offered when Palin was named the vice presidential nominee:

This also is from Mediaite:

Via Joan Walsh at Salon who dug this up from Dr. Laura’s blog in Sept 2008:

I’m stunned – couldn’t the Republican Party find one competent female with adult children to run for Vice President with McCain? I realize his advisors probably didn’t want a “mature” woman, as the Democrats keep harping on his age. But really, what kind of role model is a woman whose fifth child was recently born with a serious issue, Down Syndrome, and then goes back to the job of Governor within days of the birth?

That Dr. Laura is quite the sweetheart, eh? Sarah sure knows how to pick 'em, huh?

It just goes to show that, for Palin, far-right politics trumps all else - even family.

You may recall that Palin had a fit and called for Rahm Emanuel, President Obama's chief of staff, to be fired for his use of the word "retarded" in a negative way a while ago.

From CBS:

At an August strategy session of liberal groups and White House aides, the Wall Street Journal recently reported, Emanuel told liberals they were "F-ing retarded" for planning to air attack ads against conservative Democrats opposed to health care reform.

Obviously, not good on Emanuel's part in this kind of a politically correct climate. Once upon a time, it might have been OK to use that word in that context, but not anymore (not in his kind of a high-profile position).

Palin, of course, launched a political nuclear war to score points for her side.

"Just as we'd be appalled if any public figure of Rahm's stature ever used the 'N-word' or other such inappropriate language, Rahm's slur on all God's children with cognitive and developmental disabilities – and the people who love them – is unacceptable, and it's heartbreaking," Palin wrote.

"Heartbreaking," to Palin, is saying "retarded" in a way she sees as hurtful, but it's not apparently "heartbreaking" for "nigger" to be used in a way that is hurtful - if you're Sarah Palin.

Now, not to say Dr. Laura is a person of Rahm Emanuel's stature (spare me that argument Dr. Laura/Palin defenders), but it is kind of interesting to see Palin rush to the defense of someone using "retarded" which she seemed to put in the category of the so-called N-word.

BUT, when Dr. Laura used the N-word so often she sounded like a record on a player that was skipping, Palin did not seem to be quite so offended.

She told Dr. Laura, "don't retreat...reload." It seems that, in Palin's world, saying "retarded" is so horribly wrong and an offense worthy of termination, but "nigger" is no big deal and people who use it shouldn't back down, and instead would be advised to "don't retreat...reload."

CBS:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-6166034-503544.html

Mediate:
http://www.mediaite.com/online/sarah-palin-apparently-prefers-n-word-to-retard/
http://www.mediaite.com/online/sarah-palin-supports-dr-laura-in-n-word-controversy-wants-her-to-reload/

Fox News Keeps Silent On Dr. Laura's Repeated Use Of The So-Called N-Word

Dr. Laura Schlessinger is shown here in a screen grab from a Fox News program. Dr. Laura appears somewhat regularly on the network and the network ignores her repeated use of the so-called n-word in a venomous and racial rant.

Think Progress and News Hounds makes an excellent point about the right and the far right going silent about the crazed rant of Dr. Laura Schlessinger who hysterically and repeatedly dropped the so-called n-word like it was her job.

What has Fox News had to say about Dr. Laura's rant ...

In recent months, Fox News (the public relations firm of the GOP) has made a point of digging up and pointing out as many cases as possible of black racism to scare white people.

This is from News Hounds:

Fox News is so quick to accuse black people of racism against whites. Yet, as Think Progress reports, it has ignored Dr. Laura Schlessinger's on-air harangue with an African America caller in which Schlessinger repeatedly used the n-word (Huffington Post counted 11 times in 5 minutes). So where's the "fair and balanced" coverage? Nowhere to be found apparently.

This is from Think Progress:

Why has Fox News ignored the story? Perhaps because Schlessinger is a regular guest on the network. Just last year, Sean Hannity hosted the right wing radio host to promote her new book.

Perhaps, but perhaps it's because it is not aligned with the Fox News trend of reporting black racism.

Fox News has predictably been very quiet on this subject, but plays up everything even remotely negative said about their darling, former half-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (Fox actually pays Palin to, in essence, provide her a media platform to stay in the spotlight ... quite an arrangement when a PR firm pays to represent a client).

Think Progress:
http://thinkprogress.org/2010/08/13/fox-news-ignores-schlessinger/

News Hounds:
http://www.newshounds.us/2010/08/13/why_hasnt_fox_news_reported_on_laura_schlessingers_nword_harangue.php#more

Fox News, Far Right Use New Black Panther Party Case To Smear President Obama, AG Holder

Far-right people could really care less about Philadelphia or any kind of voter intimidation or voting irregularities (we learned that in the election of 2000 when George W. Bush defeated then Vice President Al Gore in a disputed presidential race).

Those right wingers who made excuses when voters in Florida and elsewhere were disenfranchised in 2000 (and arguably in 2004 as well), and excused voters in the Sunshine State of being too dumb to understand the ballots, now are crying foul because two members of the New Black Panther Party have been accused of voter intimidation. This is so horrible for our friends on the far right, but those who were turned away unfairly, had their votes discounted and were otherwise intimidated in 2000 don't seem to count (once again).

By the way, as Field Negro points out, the non-New Black Panthers in the above photo don't appear to be too frightened or intimidated.

When black politicians, including civil rights legend Rep. John Lewis, were spit on and had the N-word used against them, many conservatives accused them of lying and grandstanding and suggesting they should have entered the Capitol Building from some other entrance. Rep. Lewis and others, including Rep. Emanuel Cleaver who was spit on and Rep. Barney Frank who had homophobic slurs used against him, were attacked by the conservative media - men and women who rushed to the defense of tea party people who were accused.

Apparently some far-right conservatives believe that Rep. Lewis and others should have come in the back way ... like black people had to board the bus from the back prior to the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Andrew Breitbart, who is about as nutty as it gets on the far right, had this to say about people who were victimized by racial slurs and spit from bigots, had this to say:

BREITBART: The very act of the Black Congressional Caucus, walking through the tea party people while holding all those videos was an act of provocation. They need this desperately and one last thing. The language that Nancy Pelosi is using about the civil rights movement, comparing the unpopular health care bill to the civil rights movement ties into this… They’re all on the talking points, basically telling black people that the white people are trying to take your health care from you. This is a racial, racist, racially divisive strategy that they’re playing that’s very dangerous in the United States.

In other words, he is blaming the victims.



It's amazing how Fox News and the rest of the far right are so concerned about these two members of the New Black Panthers supposedly intimidating voters but had little problem with Tea Party protests spitting on black people and calling them the N-word.

I've listened to all these right wingers on Fox News today crying about voter intimidation. I imagine many of them were quiet excuse makers in 2000 and excuse makers when Rep. Lewis, Rep. Frank, Rep. Cleaver and others were verbally assaulted and spit on.

Now, of course, Fox News and the far right are playing this story up. The idea is they want to portray President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder as black men who are racist against white people to the point they will let off these black thugs from the New Black Panther Party. Did I mention the New Black Panther Party people are black too?

This is the Fox News theme and you better believe they will continue to hammer it home.

Bar Owner With Racist, Anti-Obama Sign Calls President “Half Breed”

It never ceases to amaze me the things that it seems some people will do or say to get onto television and cash in on their 15 minutes of fame. I watched a clip on a news network about this bar (The Georgia Peach Museum and Restaurant) with a truly racist sign in front of it, discussing health care and President Obama’s plan. The sign read: “Obama’s plan for health care – nigger rig it.” WTF! The owner of the restaurant is a man named Patrick Lanzo, who has declared his sign “strictly about free speech.” Then, as is customary, who goes to a variation of the “I have black friends defense” when challenged on his racism as he talks about marching for gay rights and how he used to be a member of the NAACP.

Oh, I am soooooooo impressed.

Anyway, Think Progress has a story about his this man was interviewed by Alan Colmes who gave Lanzo a platform to explain himself. Colmes challenged Lanzo for using the so-called n-word because President Obama is an “African American.” The host had to be stunned when Lanzo basically denied President Obama was an “African American” and instead referred to him as a “half breed.”

COLMES: No one’s questioning that you have the first amendment right to do it. That’s not the issue.

LANZO: You’re saying it’s not politically correct.

COLMES: It’s not a matter of being politically correct. It’s downright offensive, it’s downright insulting, it’s downright nasty and meanspirited towards a group of people who have been spending fighting for equality. Finally we get an African American president and you’re busy using the n-word to describe something he wants to do in terms of fixing health care.

LANZO: Well, see that would offend me, because I don’t look at Obama bein’ an African American. What’s wrong with him being a Black American? And he’s even a half-breed, he’s not a full black person.

COLMES: Well, again, the word half-breed is rather an insulting term.

That is a disgusting term that is demeaning and disgraceful. This guy is a low life who has more than cashed in on his 15 minutes of fame and our nation is the poorer for having known him.

Floyd Mayweather Drops A Few N-Bombs On The Public

Boxer Floyd Mayweather is not exactly what you would consider an introverted kind of guy. The man many people consider to be the best pound-for-pound boxer can create at least as much excitement with his mouth, outside of the boxing ring, as he can with his fists, inside the ring. Mayweather, in an article published by ESPN, had some explosive comments prior to his Saturday night showdown with Jan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

MAYWEATHER: If you’re rich, you’re a rich n—–. If you’re poor, you’re a poor n—-. If you’re smart, you’re a smart n—–. At the end of the day, they still look at me as a n—–.

Oh, no he didn’t. Yes, he did. You know, I can already imagine a good number of people squirming in their chairs as they read those comments.

The 32-year-old Mayweather returned to the ring about two years after defeating Ricky Hatton in what was, at the time, a much-anticipated bout. Mayweather is one of the master’s of using words to promote his fights – even if he causes you to want to watch him to be sure you’re there just in case he loses (as Muhammad Ali used to do back in the day). During his interview (one that you already now know is overflowing with controversy), Mayweather did not let down as he continued elevate the racial DEFCON level.

Here is a quote from Mayweather who compares how he was received in England vs. in the United States.

MAYWEATHER: This country needs to be more positive. We’re already at war. We’re in a recession, we’re at war and we continue to be negative. The fans in the UK showed me more love than in my own country. That’s crazy … Sometimes I’ll sit back, I’ll be in my theater sometimes, and I’ll think: ‘Imagine if I was the same fighter that I am, and I was the same person that I am, and I was from another country. Can you just imagine how big I’d be?

As Field Negro wrote: See, that’s what the white man is talking about; you have a theater in your house, and the rest of us are still watching the wall mounted plasma. So instead of wondering why they look at you as “just another nigger”, kick back in your home theater, break out some popcorn, and slip in that last Ricky Hatton fight.

It would be nice to have a theater, but I am still working up to the mounted plasma.

Did you think Floyd was done there? Come on, now.

MAYWEATHER: But I wouldn’t change my life for nothing in the world. There’s nothing like being young, black and rich. But there are certain things you think about. If Floyd Mayweather was white, I’d be the biggest athlete in America. The biggest, the biggest. I know that for a fact.

I am always intrigued by people when they talk about themselves in the third person.

Back to the subject.

No, Floyd is not done yet as he compared himself to one-time popular boxer Oscar De La Hoya, a man Floyd defeated in a split decision in 2007.

MAYWEATHER: One thing you never hear. You never hear anything negative about Oscar De La Hoya. Anything he do negative, it gets swept under the rug.

Oh goodness … where do I start?

One thing with Floyd Mayweather is sometimes you don’t know if he is in fight promotion mode or if he truly is saying what’s on his mind. With most of these statements, however, I think Floyd is telling the world exactly how he feels about these topics related to race, success, athletes, money, popularity, etc.

I think Floyd is perhaps remembering an older era of the United States. The country has made a lot of progress (although you would be hard-pressed to know that listening to racial right-wing flamethrowers like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, Bill O’Reilly and others). This country has really moved forward and continues to break down some of the walls that divide us.

We’re not there yet, but we’re closer than Floyd Mayweather thinks.

ESPN:
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=4478216

ESPN (Jemele Hill column):
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hill/090918

Guest Calls Out Sean Hannity On Use Of Code Words As The ‘New N-Word’

For quite some time, I’ve been pointing out that hardcore conservatives like Sean Hannity have been using words or terms like “socialist” and “anti-American” to attack people. These words are designed to attack and de-humanize people in the eyes of conservatives and people in middle America who may be a little more easily influenced by what they see on television. Frankly, a lot of people can’t distinguish between opinion reporting (hopefully based on some facts) and news reporting. Fox News has been an expert at blurring the line. But, that part is a topic for another day.

Hannity, and people like him, have cleverly turned words or terms like “socialist” and “anti-American” into verbal weapons. You don’t like liberal policies then you call them “socialist.” Liberals are routinely labeled as “anti-American” by so many conservatives. Think about how President Obama was attacked by conservatives during the campaign and since his election and inauguration. He has been called a socialist, fascist and communist. People have tried to portray him as a hater of America and a hater of white people (the absurd claim made by the idiotic Glenn Beck).

For example, I believe the birther movementis founded on a blend of racism and xenophobia (think about the hysteria for some about illegal immigration).

Now, back to Hannity, who for years has provided a comforting platform to people who have made racist comments about black people (Jesse Lee Peterson, Dog Chapman and Rush Limbaugh to name just a few). In this video, posted by Media Matters for America, Hannity is called out by a gutsy guest for his use of these code words to attack people.

The audience member referred to these code words as the “new N-word.”

The rest of the audience (probably stacked with conservatives) tried to shout the man down, but he made his point.

It’s good to see someone call Hannity out for these kinds of attacks.