This is in response to a comment made by Eddie G. Griffin who commented on my post Why protest D L Hughley Part 3 - 6.19.2007.3.
I’m glad to see you share the passion that your associate g-e-m has. It’s commendable. But I must mention that I feel neither of you have read through the various posts found on this blog, and my other (www.mvass.com).
I say this because your first statement fails to recognize what I said previously, my post was about free speech. I was not commenting on the quality or morality of what Mr. Hughley stated. My clarification on that point can be seen in my comment and the post itself, I don’t believe I need to clarify that point further.
I am glad that you felt compelled to protest Mr. Hughley. You stood for your convictions and that is something most do not do. I will not take away from that.
As for what people in California, New York, Chicago or any other portion of America and the world think or do I cannot comment. I only speak for myself. It is my understanding that the norms of behavior and speech do not change in different areas of the nation to any great degree. I say that as I have lived in several states across the nation and visited perhaps a dozen more. This is my opinion; you may have had other experiences.
Given that, I point you to a couple of things I have said that it seems you have failed to read about. The secret anti-ganst rap movement - 4.30.2007.3, Another Blackplanet poll - 3.22.2007.1, Nick Cannon's Boost Mobile ads, NBA code, Harper Hill - success vs. dmx - airport arrest, Sean Bell - 11.29.2006.1, Mrs. Elizabeth Vargas, formerly of World News Tonight, Chuck Creekmur and Rap on Fox News - 3.7.2007.2. I think you get the point.
I provided these links because this may help you understand what you seemingly have not read. My views are all available for anyone to read. I have a couple hundred posts that speak clearly to my views on women, rap music, the current state of Black culture, education, justice, drugs, media, health, and dozens of other subjects. I would suggest you read some of them, you may find that my opinions are not based on who I am speaking about but what I want to speak about.
I don’t need to say I stand up for women, African Americans, Hispanics, politicians, this nation, children, education, health, or anything else. My posts do that for me. My backbone has been visible to the entire internet since 2005, and easily found in searches on most any search engine. Put Black Entertainment into a search engine and I’m confident you’ll find me on the first page out of millions of results.
Because of my convictions I try not to make personal attacks, implied or otherwise, against anyone. That doesn’t always happen, I’m human. But when I attack gansta rap I do, when I confront an individual rapper I do that. If I speak about free speech I mean that. And I provide information, when possible and I feel needed, to back up what I say. I don’t make it personal (beyond the fact that it is my opinion) as it weakens the argument I am making.
As for the community, I’m glad you are doing things you believe will help. I do as well, this being one of those items. If you disagree, fine. If you think I am incorrect, then provide me an example of what I said and correct me with proof that ANYONE can link to. I try to do my homework, if you want to say I’m wrong in front of the internet, I expect the same as a courtesy. I’m not above saying I’m wrong, but not just because someone says so.
I will say (since you mentioned it) that if you think that Mr. Hughley, a D-list entertainer as you called him on your blog, has enough influence on your kids to cause them to idolize and emulate him then either he is more successful than you think or you don’t understand the influences on your kids in my opinion. I will further state that if you think the influence of Mr. Hughley supersedes that of rappers such as Snoop Dogg and 50 cent, or the peers of your children then I again state you may be missing something.
Lastly, you made a personal attack on me. In defense of that I will respond, and only once. You don’t know me, or my character. You haven’t bothered to read what I have written. You seem incapable of understanding what you have read. I have come to understand from your writing that you are blinded by your passion and cannot see another view. Without the ability to see other views, or to learn from what is being said to you, you become stupid.
Let me define that, ignorance is the lack of knowledge on a thing – such as your comment on my character, but stupidity is the ability to learn a thing and the failure to do so – which would be reading my blog and understanding what I write about and why which it appears abundantly obvious you have not.
I do not care where in the world you live or are from. Your views are your own, I respect that. I respect honest, courteous disagreement. These things, among others, make me the man I am.
But based on your comments, your disregard for my initial reply, and your personal attack – that was unwarranted and small-minded in my opinion, I would surmise that the children you mention disrespecting their elders (male and female alike I imagine) are not emulating Mr. Hughley but perhaps yourself. I don’t believe that has anything to do with Texas, or being Black, or the sex you were born with. I think that applies just to you.
This is what I think, what do you think?
2 comments:
I did read Part 1, 2, and 3, and realized your position and was, in fact, not criticizing you. I was trying to clarify why I (personally) took Hughley to task. The other ministers had their reasons also. But my inspiration came from WhatAboutOurDaughters, and many of my AfroSpear partners took up the call to stand up and defend the honor of our women. I am not above controversy, but I am not a jellyfish either.
Mr. Eddie G. Griffin,
I read your comments to Mr. Vass and I’ve been keeping up with the conversation. Thus far you seem to have side stepped the point that he was writing about, free speech. You said in your first comment to the Hughley post, which followed the g-e-m2001 post, starts out like this “M. Vass, The protest was not about so-called freedom of speech”, how can you use words like so-called freedom of speech? Its because of freedom of speech that you can make such comments to Mr. Vass. The post was about just that, freedom of speech, and it would seem that yourself and g-e-m2001 have both managed to look past that fact.
It has also been revealed that you have only read parts 1,2, and 3 of the Hughley post but you’ve not extended your self to read anything else on his blog. If you were to take the time to read his post on gangster rappers and such you would find that he takes a very strong stance on the way women are spoken about and depicted in rap music and videos.
I find it very interesting that you seem to still be insulting him. You have written, “It was about some black men defending the honor of women”, “Yes, it's a man thing, for all men with enough backbone to stand up and defend our women's honor.” “I am not above controversy, but I am not a jellyfish either.” “Unlike this website writer, we (black men of Fort Worth) do not flip-flop on this issue.” Last but by no means least “Don't Mess with Texas.”
Then you write that you were not in fact criticizing him but you were trying to clarify why you personally had to take Mr. Hughley to task. But in reading your comments I find you throwing insults in the direction of Mr. Vass with out reading his blog site. If your going to use such strong language and insult a person I think you need to read his blog site and be sure as to what it is your saying before assuming, that from one post about freedom of speech, that the man is not a defender of women and how they are spoken of and used in gangster rap music and video.
I noticed that in your post you said you bought a ticket to Mr. Hughley’s comedy performance just for the opportunity to boo him. But in essence you were financially supporting him by buying the ticket. It would have been much more effective to gather a group of people to be outside the theater protesting with picket signs and such than to pay to get inside to be the only person to be thrown out of the proformance. I’m sure the effect you were hoping for was for Mr. Hughley to be defamed by the reactions of the black community to his brand of comedy.
When supporting the community please remember that when you find your self in the possition to personally attack someone to do your research about the person. It never looks good to be attacking someone when others find out later that your information was wrong and now you’ve shown our younger generation that its ok to go on a personal attack without supporting your position or finding out if the information was true and reliable. No one likes to be falsely accused of anything.
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