Notes On Some Scandals

Since this was posted, Don Imus has been fired by CBS, and Mike Nifong has apologized to the former Duke lacrosse players.

Neil Explains It All

Truth is worth more than pride.

Just My Thoughts

Just what's been going through my mind concerning Don Imus, the Duke lacrosse scandal, and the NFL Suspensions...

• While I thought Don Imus's remarks concerning the Rutger's basketball team were racist, sexist, and dumb, I was not personally hurt by them. I've heard worse on 96 Wave.
• Why do so many want to be loud, angry, and stupid?
• There's just too much meanness afoot, but I also think some are using it to their advantage both as sponsors and victims of it.
• I find this all completely fascinating.
• Haven't made up my mind if Imus should be fired. There are so many loud boorish people on the radio, and while he's a prominent person, he's just the tip of a ugly iceberg.
• The color that will decide his fate is green, not black or white.
• He and his producer thought they were being funny to those that think that sort of thing is funny, but isn't. There's a difference in being politically incorrect and just plain vile.
• He doesn't realize the depth and breath of his remarks--hair/sexuality/beauty/skin color among blacks. There's so much we haven't come to grips with--so much I have yet to come to grips with in the way I see myself.
• The people he really needs to apologize to are the women on that basketball team. Hopefully, he will do so.
• Why do so many in the media think that Sharpton and Jackson speak for all black people? Please stop!!!
• Sharpton never impressed me, and I lost all respect for Jackson when he felt it was okay to play Take Your Mistress to the White House Day. Dude, you are supposed to be a man of God.
• While there are people whose opinions I respect and admire, I can think for myself and come to my own conclusions.
• I believe there's media bias, not so much based on right or left--although that's certainly a factor, but on ratings and advertising revenue.
• Money talks and everything else can walk.
• How many people will come on his show to "kiss his ring" now?
• When I first heard the Duke case last year, I was so angry. It dredged up a time a terrible time in history for so many black women who had no recourse by law if they were assaulted.
• I totally believed the accuser, and just knew that they three men accused were guilty sleazeballs.
• As the evidence came in --no DNA match, no witnesses, the accuser changing stories--I had to questions my own beliefs. I pride myself on logic and evidence, and I wasn't using it here. I don't know what happened that night, and probably never will, but these men did not rape this woman. I just got caught up in the hype, a rush to summary judgement, and my own prejudice.
• The prosecutor did need to investigate the charges, as well to weigh the evidence, and honestly, there was none. The emotions of the case were so high, but he needed to do the right thing; he didn't, and people suffered.
• When I watched the press conferences yesterday, I realized that these young men and their families were put through hell. I saw them as just young men who got caught up in something beyond them, and I realize how I had dehumanized them and demonized them because of their gender, race, and social status. I felt ashamed of myself.
• For what it's worth. I'm so sorry. While they probably will never know, I need to make a public statement.
• I hope others apologize too. The accuser certainly needs to. I really would like to hear from her.
• I'm glad that the NFL commissioner suspended Chris Henry and Adam "Pacman" Jones.
• Maybe they'll learn--maybe they won't, but the league's policy is clear.
• I'm especially distressed about Jones's violence against women. This doesn't get a lot of play in the sports media.
• I grew up poor, and while totally poverty sucks and is generally ignored in this country, it's not an excuse to be a criminal.
• The poor are no more morally inferior than the rich are morally superior.
• I don't think it's cool for black men to say degrading things about black women regardless of the context. It's not cool for anyone else to emulate that behavior either.
• Too many of our young people are getting their values from violent media and not parents. Too many of our children are being raised by hip hop.
• I love old school rap--Sugar Hill Gang, Kurtis Blow, etc., but I turned away from it once the hate,violence, and misogyny took over a lot of it. I know that all hip hop is not all bad, and there are artists doing positive things, but there's too much ugliness out there that needs to cease.
• I wish we can get beyond the camps and tribes and stereotypes and just talk.
• Honestly, we are just humans here--honestly.
• If you got this far, thanks for reading this and bearing with me. Agree or disagree--both are okay by me. I just needed to get these things off my chest.

The State of Education

More Than Merely Going to School

The other day, I ran across a great post on Agricola's blog that discussed the dismal state of education in South Carolina and especially among black males, and I had a wonderful back and forth with the author in the comments.

Here are more of my thoughts.

Who Is Responsible?

I'm a firm believer in education being a way to get above the circumstances of your birth. Ideally, education doesn't start and end at the school door.

It starts at home with parents who know that it is their job and not the responsibility of the state to educate their children with public school being merely a partner and helper in the child's education. It's the parent's job to cultivate a love of learning in their children and impart to them that education is a lifelong process than can happen almost anywhere. Parents need to ensure that the child comes into school prepared to learn

Of course, many things aren't idea, are they? Then who is responsible?

We are.

Chaos and Control

Many of the problems in the school system stem from children coming into the school not at all prepared to learn. Too many children comes from lives of chaos, uncertainly, and danger. While there is so much chatter about excellence in schools, no child left behind, and standardized test, many children come into school every morning hungry, tired, perhaps abused.

It 's really hard to prepare for school when the electricity turned off or your family is facing eviction, or you may have to be the primary caregiver of younger siblings, or gunshots keep you awake at night.

While I recognize that South Carolina's public school have many problems that need to be solved and we as citizens need to hold our lawmakers accountable to produce safe competitive schools, we are only dealing with part of the problem.

We need work on controlling the some of chaos in the lives of children by dealing with issues of crime, drugs, poverty.

Help--Not Hate

Single mothers are under tremendous amounts of stress and need help. Inner city single moms engender a great deal of contempt in our society, but they are the one of the keys to working on the problem. Bringing in fathers in essential too. Girls and boys need to learn from an early age that they have choices and making good choices can help them in life.

Real law enforcement is another key component. Most people in the inner city are held hostage by the crime and drugs in their neighborhoods with little help or hope.

The Solution?

Not one of these things I mentioned is a solution to the poor performance of South Carolina's students alone. It is very complex, and there are tons of other factors we may agree and disagree on.

We can build all the schools we want, spend all the money we want, test kids every day if we want, but if we don't come together as a society and help outside the classroom, it will do no good.

Back and Better Than Ever???

I'm watching Monday Night Football. It's the fourth quarter, and New Orleans is enjoying a comfortable as well as surprising lead over Atlanta.

I'm really glad this game will be over soon. The hype and the self-congratulations have been just plain tiresome.

I know, I'm such a grumperina.

I'm glad that the Superdome has been repaired from all the Katrina hell, and that the citizens of New Orleans get to take a small break from their troubles to enjoy some football. I'm totally down with the respite that sports can give one from the mad, mad, mad, mad, mad world.

What I'm not down with is when people say, "New Orleans is back."

No it's not!

Yes, the French Quarter may be up and the Superdome looks good, but let's not forget the the lower ninth ward is still in ruins. It been over a year since the storm, and debris still hasn't been cleared, and until fairly recently, dead bodies were still being found.

Also remember the many who are far from home and still cannot return.

I hear the sportscasters encouraging people to come to New Orleans and spend money. "They city needs money to rebuild," they plea.

I wonder just how much of that money will go to clean up and rebuild the ninth ward and let those who are displaced return.

Of course, I also wonder, what did the city do to help the poor with all that tourism money before Katrina hit?

Maybe, in that sense, New Orleans is back.