by Erik Rush
Perhaps it’s because one of the gentlemen I’m going to comment on (Harry Belafonte) has West Indian roots, as are some of mine; growing up, Calypso and Afro-Cuban music were integral to my cultural development. Perhaps it’s because the other gentleman I’m going to comment on (Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan), Belafonte and I are all members of that mysterious “lost race” of “light skinned” Black people to whom the superficially-focused frequently refer, but which has yet to be rediscovered on the Dark Continent.
Once again, it’s only because of our mendacious and seditious media that Belafonte’s recent comments (calling our president “the greatest terrorist in the world” and speaking of our nation as though it was an apartheid state before supporters of socialist Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez) and Black Entertainment Television’s (BET) honoring Farrakhan as their 2005 “Person of the Year” receive the level of coverage they do.
Yes, it’s true: One would think that the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) would be more responsible than to honor a loose cannon like Belafonte (recognizing him for his work in serving as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF since 1987; to their credit, the AARP did disavow Belafonte’s remarks in a press release on January 10, 2006). One also might think that BET would be more responsible than to pay tribute to Farrakhan as well.
But then, these aren’t responsible organizations. It has come to light over the past few years that the AARP is nothing more than the Far Left’s outreach to senior citizens, and BET is more or less a typical Left-leaning mainstream media outlet – it’s just geared to a Black demographic.
As far as Farrakhan and Belafonte go; well, what can I say? Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan, the flip side of your White separatist, routinely spouts the most insane and deluded racist rhetoric imaginable; he suggested during the 2000 national election that vice presidential candidate Senator Joseph Lieberman might have “conflicting loyalties because he is Jewish,” and advanced anti-Black conspiracy theories in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Many in the political know are as certain Farrakhan is the man who orchestrated the assassination of Black activist (and fellow Nation of Islam member) Malcolm X as many of us are certain O.J. really did it. Farrakhan is charismatic and clever, but I doubt he’s incredibly bright.
Belafonte is, as I’ve known from my childhood, a marvelously talented performer, but he is an idiot. He’s lived the cloistered life of a celebrity far longer than he ever lived in segregated America. And despite his robust appearance at the age of 78, I strongly suspect he is becoming a little demented. In most ways, he’s quite the typical legendary celebrity; he has no clue as to how the average American – of any color - lives or what their attitudes are.
I have long since begun to find such divisive (Belafonte) and hatemongering (Farrakhan) mouthpieces of color odious; now the attention they generate simply makes me want to retch. On the one hand, I believe all Americans need to know what kind of sabotage and treachery is being committed on the part of other Americans, yet on the other hand, the less attention men like Belafonte and Farrakhan receive, the better, since they and their cohorts relish same because it serves their purposes.
I can’t help thinking about all of this in the context of the holiday we’re celebrating this week, that being that being the recognition of the day of Dr. Martin Luther King’s birth. I remember seeing a newspaper photograph of Dr. King’s body lying akimbo on the hotel balcony when I was seven years old. I also recall hearing of his work and listening to recordings of things he said, which have since become legends of exposition. If I could sum up the message I receive when I read or hear his words into one word, it would be “unity.”
So what does celebrating his birth and his work really signify when, despite those who on a personal level do embrace Dr. King’s vision of unity, we have those who continue to insist upon operating on a “them versus us” mentality? Within this insane creed, there must always be a “good” side and a “bad” side, and if their “good” side engages in monumentally imprudent practices or associates itself with decidedly questionable people – well, that’s acceptable as long as they get their point across. To hell with the nation.
Erik Rush is a New York City-raised Black columnist and author. An archive containing links to his work is at www.erikrush.com. He is also a Staff Writer for the New Media Alliance, Inc. The New Media Alliance is a non-profit (501c3) national coalition of writers, journalists and grass-roots media outlets.