Don Lemon: He has a point…

Don Lemon:  He has a point…

Being a black man that’s been called white because I talk properly, I can see his side of things.  And, I hate say this, but Bill O’Reilly is right about this issue.  I think Lemon is taking a lot of heat because he used O’Reilly as a springboard, and it gives people a reason to attack him.  In some ways, it takes away from what Lemon has to say. 

But he is correct…

I’ve noticed that studying isn’t really placed in a positive light in our community and it saddens me.  Talking correctly is mocked.  We’re more worried about swag and how much our “paper” we have on us in the here and now.  Swagger is more important than intelligence. 

5 Pull up your pants:  Every time I see a young teen or older man sagging their pants showing their underwear, I actually make that statement.  I love wearing loose shorts and shirts, but I am not foolish enough to walk around showing my underwear.  I use a belt.  I HATE when I see black people doing this, and I get even angrier when white people sag.  Please can we stop doing this? It makes us look like clowns.  

4 The n-word:  I don’t use it to describe other black folks.  I understand what rappers and comedians are saying about taking it back.  However, other minorities don’t use these harsh words like we do and throw it out there all the time.  It just makes you look stupid when you keep using it over and over again.  Please stop. 

3 Respect where you live:  I ride around Louisville a great deal and see some rundown hoods.  You get more broken bottles and trash in lower income neighborhoods, not just black areas.  People say they respect their hoods, but don’t show it.  Cut the yards and water the plants.  Because it is your street, you have to take more pride in it.  Only you can give a shit about your hood.  Side Note: What’s up with all the drive-thru liquor stores in poor neighborhoods? 

2 finish school:  Yes, this one bothers me the most.  I was a C student in high school, but that was more of me not wanting to be a part of the school community and social class.  But, I did pass and graduate high school.  It was only after leaving high school when I realized studying hard can get you somewhere and better grades.  We need more nerds and less “boyz”. 

Lo and behold, black people are already calling Lemon an Uncle Tom for his remarks. It seems this is the only time when black people work together...by attacking one of their own for stating what is painful but true. It is the same routine that Billy Cosby had to deal with after his remarks. When I point out the problems in our community, I am called a sellout and I act too white to understand.

Yes, there are social and racial problems that hold us back coming from the outside world. However, we can't fight them if we keep destroying ourselves from the inside.  Right now, crime and foolishness is destroying our communities.  These inside problems have to be fixed before we take on other issues. We need an educated group of black people that can fight against the outside forces, but we have more young black people attacking each other than going to school.  Look at Chicago.  We can't even be bothered solving our own problems and blame it squarely on the government and white people.

You can't blame it on racism when a black man shoots another black man to rob him.

Falling off my soapbox now...