Couldn't agree with you more about the AI message boards. Even though they aren't hosted on Fox's site, the network really should do some sort of monitoring, considering they have direct links to these posts on every page of the show's official site.

However, I'd like to think that the bigots on these boards don't represent the majority of Americans. Bear in mind that those who post racist remarks there represent a tiny fraction of a percent of the viewing audience.

18 million votes were cast for the finalists last night, and it was a white girl (Leah LaBelle) who was voted off.

You can't look at this year's finalists and make the argument that those millions of votes that gave us this group came from bigots.

I didn't say the selection of finalists reflects bigotry. My focus is on the message boards in this piece. And, according to further reading and emails I've received, the threads I cited are mild, compared to others. Apparently, Fox removes the most glaringly offensive threads, but there are so many with racist overtones it would take a lot of monitoring to prune most or all of them. For reasons of the length, I went with examining just one of the threads in my entry. The attacks on Fantasia Barrino also include some that are more masked, but not convincingly. They attack her for having a Southern accent (often writing in dialect), being a single mother (though she isn't the first and her child is well cared for) or looking pretty West African. It becomes clear that singing, the raison d'etre for the show, matters little to the people who make such posts to the American Idol message boards. I think that is often the case with bigots. Their discomfiture with a person of color getting out of what they consider to be her place subsumes anything else.

The title of your post is American Idol site reflects racism of society.

Are there a bunch of racist loons who post on the AI message boards? Yes.

Is this indicative of the "blight" of racism permeating American culture? Clearly not.

As prime evidence, I'll point again to the millions of Americans who called in to give us a racially and ethnically diverse group of finalists.

It seems to me unfair to assume that the worst elements of society, which make up a minority, are a reflection on the majority.

It's easy to troll through online message boards and pull out dozens of posts that are offensive. It's dishonest to hold up a few idiots as indicative of a nationwide trend.

Additionally, someone seems to have finally cleaned up the message board and gotten the discussion back on track.

Well said Mac.

And my question to these posters are, why in the great name of Jebus are they tired of hearing 60s and 70s soul but they enjoy themselves when the contestants all sing trashy wannabe R&B like Christina Agelwhatever?

Certainly there is some element of racism in the quoted threads, but it is always out there if you look for it. I think it far more meaningful that the actual voting seems to totally ignore race entirely.

Randy Jackson wasn't in the Jackson 5, nor is he in THAT Jackson family. That's a different Randy jackson.

Fantasia is awesome.

The thing is, you can go with me about 10 miles down the road here, to an African American church, and I'll have you sit and take a listen at several singers present in their church choir, who will bring you to your knees, or get you up out of your seat, depending on your present spiritual state ;0)

I would almost say, hands down, African Americans are better performers overall, and I believe in giving credit where credit is due. Maybe it comes down to a matter of personal preference.

As for racisim...you certainly can't ignore it in hopes it will go away. As for me, I strive to see people as individuals, regardless of race, and for that reason, I can count African Americans amongst my list of friends.

You are SO utterly determined to see Klansmen everywhere that you conjure them up and put them where they aren't. Jebus H Criminy. You find ONE very lukewarm jackass on a message board about a tv show and pick THAT out to somehow taint the whole show and our whole racist society. This has NOTHING to do with American Idol, the judges, contestants or 99.9% of the viewers.

Even this dummy from the message board was pretty mild. Why would ANYBODY even care? He's not oppressing anyone, nor showing any particular intention. He's hardly even calling names. He's just an idiot. Ignore him.

You need some new material here Diva. Seriously.

"I would almost say, hands down, African Americans are better performers overall"

Well thank you kindly, Miss Sherry, now, may I please shine your shoes, or dribble a basketball for you? Howsabout I perform a little soft shoe while I serve your dinner?

No thank you, I can't afford such luxury.:0)

I do think Michael Jordan is the best basketball player that has ever lived though!

I agree with Mac Diva: American Idol reflects racism in America quite well! It reflects how racism is DECLINING! First off, a great many of the contestants are of mixed race. Second, the contestants all appreciate, perform, and enjoy different styles of music. Third, they all get along fabulously, there seems to be no reports of them getting into camps or playing favorites among one another by race; both the contestants and the families. Finally, the show and the winners and meritorious losers have been embraced all over mainstream America. Were I a racial separatist of hater of any stripe, American Idol would let me know that me and my ilk are a rapidly vanishing breed in this country. And people who claim otherwise obviously have agendas that have nothing to do with helping legitimate victims of discrimination at work.

I agree tha Michael Jordan was probably the best ever, but I don't believe for an instant that his skin color or societally mandated classification has a thing to do with his hard work and talent.

Bricklayer, awesome!

Lik I said, I give credit where credit is due.
And when I said African Americans are better performers, I was referring to singing. I grew up in the south, and have been influenced by African American gospel all my life. That means...that they could just...do something to Amazing Grace, far better than the stodgy, stuffy, way my church sang it. Peace Out !

This is so weird, as I was going to write a post about how I felt watching the American Idol show this past Tuesday.

Very simply put, I thank God that this country has such wonderful diversity and that without African-American influence in our cultural mainstream that we would be utterly devoid of soul and rhythm, and all the other amazing qualities that culture (and all the others) bring to our melting pot we call America.

Actually what I said was "I love black people," but my above statement was what I meant.

Mac, I encourage you to avoid message boards ('cept Blogcritics) I have always found the most ignorant people seeking attention frequent them.

I should point out, for the sake of honesty and accuracy, that I am not myself an African American individual, at least so much that I am aware of, because for all I really know, there may very well be some ancestors of mine who may be of African descent, of course most of the people in my family do have that Eastern European been standing out in the cold too long, industrialized look, not that you can go strictly by that, however, I am VERY empathetic (and somewhat pa-thetic, ba da bum!), and also that I feel Wilt Chamberlain was the best professional basketball player of all time. Or maybe it was Larry Bird. Who is white. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Or maybe, Yao Ming. Who is not white. Not that there's anything wrong with that either. Oh, and I can't dance soft shoe either. I do, however, do a mean jazz ballet interpretation of Metallica's "Ride the Lightning". And one more thing...ah, crap, I forgot what I was gonna say. Oh, yeah, what about the posterior on that Kelly Clarkson? Yowza, that is some fine junk in that trunk.

hey, does this mean that if i admit i don't like motown that i'm a racist?


dammit.

Gerald, exactly my feelings but better put, thanks!

And the discussion Dawn refers to went along the lines of "thank God we have had strong African-American influence on our culture or we would be ... Europe."

Sheri meant only good things - there isn't the slightest stereotyping involved in saying she is moved by African-American-derived, gospel-style singing.

Mark:

Whether it means you are racist or not is of no consequence. What is important is if anyone cares if you are a racist or not. I say that people (other than those who know and love you and whom you have some sort of influence of you) should have more important things to do than care about what is in your head and heart and concern themselves with your actions.

No Mark, if you don't like Motown it means they wren't black enough for you.

Eric:

Good one! Familiar with the shameless (or should I say shameful) Berry Gordy crossover ambitions, eh?

Thanks, I am deeply familiar with Motown on many levels. But were Gordy's attempts to walk boldly down Mainstreet, USA - coaching the homies on diction, decorum, dress, etc, so much so that the Beatles thought the Supremes were stuck up debs - shameful? Or was he simply chasing the American "melting pot" dream? Where does assimilation end and pandering begin? I thought our national goal was a colorblind society - didn't Motown contribute greatly to that aim?

i just couldn't stand that damned everpresent tambourine in the wall of sound.

Despite the racial overtones, the one thing I do agree with is that I could do without all the warbled singing on American Idol. So many of these contestants oversing (as Simon said the other day) and try and hit 200,000 notes per measure like they were singing a Kirk Hammett guitar solo. There is no need to try and identify this as some sort of "black" trait as the commenter on that message board did. It is just as bad when Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera and other performers do it.

Eric Olsen:

Berry Gordy was only interested in money. He did his bit for the civil rights movement, but the way he handled his artists was purely financially motivated. I don't much care about how he packaged and sold his artists. What I care about is how he had them all making the same songs over and over again and forcing them to sing mindless pop ditties. It (and his shafting them of royalties) is why many performers left and many others threatened to. Imagine if, say, Stevie Wonder hadn't rebelled against Gordy in order to force Gordy to let him make his own music. He would have been a musical footnote that disappeared in the 70s if he had. Well, a lot of people who weren't as brave as Stevie Wonder or didn't have his talent had their potential crushed.

Mark Saleski:

Oversinging is a problem that comes from not having formal music training. Once you receive formal music training, you will know when to wail (and how to do it) and when not to. Sort of like a power hitter in baseball having to be coached into not having three times as many home runs as strikeouts. The really terrible thing is that we now regard the shrieking and modulating as singing. Go listen to MOTOWN (or better yet gospel music from the 60s and 70s) and you will hear the "oooh yeah uh uh huh uh huh yeah yeah yeah" were MINOR PARTS of the songs, not the songs themselves. Unfortunately, those were the parts that certain people seemed to have liked the most, and the "oversinging" is all that remains. Back in the day, artists (if they were allowed to at all) were only allowed to cut loose at the end of the song to give the radio stations the option of not playing it. It was common among those seeking the "crossover" market.

GB, Yes, your assessment of Gordy's business ethic and modus operandi makes perfect sense. You would think he would have learned when his biggest hit-makers HDH left, but at least he did loosen up artistically in the '70s, and allowed Stevie, Marvin Gaye, Norman Whitfield and some others to do their thing.

Let me clarify what I did and did not say once more. I said the AI message boards reflect a strong current of racism online and in the American psyche. I did not write about the show American Idol, just its messsage boards. Maybe someday I will write an entry about AI. The people who are under the impression I've written about the show already, such as Scott and Gerald, will just have to hold their horses until I do.

I agree that people with some rather despiscable ideas tend to dominate message boards. That is why so many media have had to shut theirs down since the influx of the masses to the Internet. And, I don't mean just mainstream newspapers and broadcast media. Places like MacWorld and Nerve have had to limit comments because too many Mikes showed up. However, I believe it is fatuous to not notice that there is a strong current of racism among such people and that they represent that current in American society. Doing so is like saying, 'Sure, there is a lot of pornography on line, but it doesn't tell us anything about what people are interested in or like.' Not true. It does.

What can AI do to improve its message boards? The monitoring isn't working and, like other sites, Fox is probably unwilling to spend the money to assign people to the seemingly endless task of cleaning them up. One thing it could do is try to focus on news and information about the contestants, thereby stealing the thunder of the Mikes. Though I went to the comment boards to get information about Fantasia, I learned much more about her from news accounts. It would be a good idea to post a links section for each entertainer that takes people to real information. Then, many of us would forgo the message boards, preferring substance to silliness.

Finally, I did not post the entry to provide a place where one of Blogcritic's believers in the genetic inferiority of black people, Al Barger, could promote his beliefs. I regret that he has soiled the thread with his presence.

Speaking of which, it's been about a week since you've publicly soiled your threads. Keep up the good work!

Sheri was right; one can go in any black church in America and find two or three females who can sing the roof off as good if not better than anybody on American Idol.

And now Sheri is called a racist.

No matter what you say, ya just can't win when dealing with the Eternal Professional Victim.

And MadDiva, a message board on FOX TV???

*You really do need some new material.


*stole that material from Big Al!

And Bricklayer, your little minstrel show mockery of Sheri marks you as not only a raging moron, but a lousy satirist.

And Gerald Ball was spot on in #10, but that won't stop McDevil, which is good --- 'cause I'm just here to see how many times she writes, "Let me clarify..." before someone figures out what she wanted to say.

Stop scratching your head, Sheri. True, I have not said a word about you being a racist or you, period. Nil. Zilch. Nada. However, Psycho Shark has difficulty grasping reality. But, his delusions are very, very strong. The fact they have no basis in reality never stops him. Perhaps his blog Daddy, Al Barger, will give him a time out.

Mac Diva:

Sorry that I misread your post so thoroughly. I do agree that there are a lot of racists on the Internet. However, I think that they are overrepresented. Also, there is a lot of posturing and axe grinding that goes on with the Internet that people would never dream of saying publicly, let alone acting on. The fact is that if a person is upset that almost everyone on American Idol sings black songs, that is something that they are only going to vent about on the Internet. I dare say that if I was a fan of country or rock, I would have very little use for American Idol either, and I also personally happen to believe that being able go sing an R&B song better than the next guy doesn't make you a better SINGER.

It is well known that people who are on the Internet (and who spend lots of time on it) tend to be whiter, older, more male, more affluent, more conservative, and less socially active than the population at large. And such people are emboldened by the anonymity of it that allows them to say and do things that they would never dream of personally. That explains the popularity of internet porn as well as the scummy racist remarks ... both from people who in fact aren't all that racist and the people that are. The show American Idol and its huge following are better reflection of America, especially America's future, than its website chats are. Happily, that is a future with less racism, but sadly it is a future with a lot less musical diversity for those of us who like rock, folk, and country music.

Shark:

Now, don't go off on Ms. Mac Diva. You are going to need lots of people like her to go scare up black folks to get out the vote to get Kerry out of office for you, especially if either Usama is found or unemployment continues to drop. Black activists with chauvinistic and aggressive racial views are a vital part of your coalition, so you cannot exploit them on election day and then brush them aside as dangerous bothersome bores otherwise. Folks like Mac Diva keep you guys in power ... they deserve much more than they are getting. Bill Clinton was able to go eight years retaining the black community's support without having an urban agenda ... I sorely hope that the Mac Divas of the world won't allow themselves to be abused by Kerry in a similar fashion. With BET.com saying that Kerry as a mixed record on civil rights and Al Sharpton having as much to do with Howard Dean's tanking in Iowa as anything else, my hopes may yet be realized.

And by the way ... you do realize that by agreeing with me you are taking the side of a right winger (ardent anticommunist religious right no less) against that of an ardent progressive? If that gets out, I sorely fear for your reputation, especially as I got you to switch sides after only a couple of posts on "The Passion" a couple week ago. So even if you do agree with me and find Mac Diva's statements extreme, it may behoove you to follow the party line and be decent enough to lie about it :-).

Gerald, I agree there are legitimate criticisms to be made of talent show television shows. Their need for a mass audience is the key consideration for such shows, and that means less popular genres are going to get less attention. Only one of the current AI finalists, if I read correctly, has had any voice training. I think it would be a good idea to make that a criterion for being selected and publicize the information. Not make or break, but to be encouraged. Then, the AI crew could spend less time trying to curb bad singing habits. But, that kind of constructive criticism is not what the Mikes are really about. They are attacking Fantasia precisely because she is talented. From the perspective of bigots, a talented person of color is someone who needs to be at least discredited, preferably destroyed. Their sense of superiority is threatened because they are reminded of their own lack of ability. So, since I know the Psycho Sharks/Mikes of the world will do people harm if they get the opportunity, I believe exposing them is a worthwhile thing to do.

Shark (if that's really your name):

No way dude, that post was funny as all get out. I may indeed be a raging moron (anybody remember that song "Under A Raging Moon"?), however I do take umbrage with being called a lousy satirist, as I don't know what that is. I must look the term up. I do appreciate the attention, however, I wish you would have mentioned my line about doing a mean jazz ballet interpretation of "Ride the Lightning", as it is by far the funniest visualization to fill my head this cold, grey day. See, it really is the little things that count. But, I shall forgive your slight, because as Mel Gibson likes to say: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do". In this spirit, I will not even make any snarky references to your obviously made up name. Like your more like chum (though no chum of mine) than a shark. I mean, I have to forgive you, because that's what the movie tells me to do. But never the less, you have hurt my feelings, and thus I will leave here, my head hung low, my normally robust, muscular chest sunken and shaking. I shall take my leave, as once again, I have overstepped my bounds, and gone typing into something where I have no place. Why, oh why, cruel Blogcritics, can you not post only extreme metal album reviews!?!?! Good bye, my fair friends*Sobs*
*walks off slowly into the fog, clutching nothing but a broken lamp, and a paddle ball, and a used copy of the Archers of Loaf's "Icky Mettle"*
*fade out*

Uh uh uh, as I used to say when I lived down South. Stop trying to give the liberals/progressives Psycho Shark, Gerald. This progressive utterly rejects hypocrites like him. In fact, I've coined a phrase for them, "racist liberals." They claim to be liberals, but at the same time are as wrapped up in white supremacy as anyone you would encounter at a League of the South meeting. It is no accident Psycho Shark shares a bed with Al Barger here at Blogcritics. Despite claiming to be from different parts of the political spectrum, they both have pathological obsessions with people of color and our alleged abilities (singing, playing basketball) and alleged lack of other abilities (thinking, writing). No. You and the Right Wingers can have have Psycho Shark, without a handler's fee even.

Can we talk about over-singing now? I think that is at the heart of this issue really. Warble-voiced hopefuls who think vocal gymnastics make everything sound better. Damn those American Idol kids and their Christina Aguilera impressions. Down with Celine Dion and every other over-singer on this earth.

By the way, there just aren't that many damn notes in the Star Spangled banner.

"Black activists with chauvinistic and aggressive racial views are a vital part of your coalition, so you cannot exploit them on election day and then brush them aside as dangerous bothersome bores otherwise. Folks like Mac Diva keep you guys in power...

Gerald, I ain't nowhere near 'in power'. And I've never exploited anybody for anything (okay, there was that girl in the backseat of a VW back in the 9th grade).

As to political parties, I think it's pretty much a toss-up between the puppet on the left and the puppet on the right.

I respect honesty, intelligence, character, and integrity -- which is why I'll read your posts and Big Al's and ignore McDevil's.

As far as labels, I've described myself elsewhere as a Liberal Reactionary... which pretty much allows me to take any side or stance -- depending on how I feel at the moment. (For instance: I believe in Peace, but that sometime's ya gotta kill somebody to get it. See how that works?)

As far as my "pathological obsessions with people of color and our alleged abilities (singing, playing basketball) and alleged lack of other abilities... (thinking, writing)

1) I would never have known McDevil was black if she didn't mention it every other friggin' post.

2) I criticized her pathetic writing before I knew her alleged 'color'.

3) As usual, I throw out a challenge to McLiar: find me one derogatory post I've EVER written about 'people of color's' basketball, singing, thinking, or writing abilites or retract that statement in public.

As far as my general opinion of African-Americans, I'd say that if they gave the brains in their heads half as much attention as they do their hair, they would be a thousand times better off.

Have a nice day!

Anyone who has followed the short, but incredibly stupid, career of Psycho Shark at Blogcritics knows:

1) He has followed me from thread to thread trying to harass me, often in the company of BB or Al Barger, since his arrival.

2) Among his claims about uppity persons of color are that we are unintelligent and incapable of writing. (Ironically, he, despite his grandiose assertions otherwise, fits that bill perfectly himself.)

3) On any thread where there is any mention of people of color Psycho Shark's comments denigrate them, as if discrimination and the pain it causes are the most hilarious things he is aware of. In fact, he has put up at least one thread for the express purpose of making fun of the victims of racial discrimination.

Rather than post links to the hate threads Psycho Shark has been the most active participant in, I urge people to revisit them for themselves if they have any desire to. However, I know most of you 'get' Psycho Shark and will not need to.

For newer people, everyone thing I've said is amply demonstrated by Psycho Shark on this thread. Like most people with his condition, he is obsessive and repetitive.

Someone suggested to me that I should not hold Psycho Shark accountable for his actions because he obviously has some serious mental health issues. I disagree. If he has enough gray matter to come here and abuse people, then he has enough to endure the consequences.

Back off Shark! I, Al Barger, am the designated White Devil of Blogcritics. Can't you see that Mac Diva is just using you to make me jealous?

Ha! I'm far more offensive and devilish than you could ever aspire to be, you LIBERAL. The crazy black chick is MINE!

I will also note the following sentence, very odd to have come from the keyboard of Mac Diva: "Someone suggested to me that I should not hold Psycho Shark accountable for his actions because he obviously has some serious mental health issues. I disagree. If he has enough gray matter to come here and abuse people, then he has enough to endure the consequences."

Fascinatingly unselfconscious psychologically projected public self-rebuke. Was this another one of those deals where you're writing yourself letters from one of your other blog pseudonyms?

Alas, dear Diva, even as the price of your love, I must gently refuse your kind offer that I should take up your severe and toxic racial baggage as my own. You and Tekwh0re seem determined to create specially for me some huge racial complex built purely from YOUR acts of will expressed in continuing bitter accusations.

You seem to be trying to personally give me reason to take a bad attitude toward black folks through your constant hysteria. That really won't work, however, because I'm a good libertarian. Unlike you, I tend to be as much as possible disinclined to consider people as groups- particularly as I get to know more about a person individually.

Working from those individualist premises, I've known enough black folk to understand that they ain't all hostile, irrational and hysterical. It doesn't take great deep insight into the philosophical depths of racial wisdom to figure out that there are a few crazy-ass cranks in any crowd.

Thing about your constant smears is, I am only hateful or obsessed with something based on my own actual actions, not merely on the insistence of obviously less than rational third parties. Jumping up and down yelling 'Al is KKK' 5,000 times real loud STILL does NOT make it true

If I may break it down for you real simple: Simply being black does not give you the power to arbitrate the morality of white folks. Or of other black folks, or green Martians for that matter.

I love you anyway, though. Are we still on for the prom?

McDevil:"Rather than post links to the hate threads Psycho Shark has been the most active participant in, I urge people to revisit them for themselves if they have any desire to."

You'll notice this chickenshit slanderer doesn't post any links, nor does she accept my challenge to provide any quotes from my BC history that 'denigrate' persons of color.

Typical techniques of the lying cowardess.

McDevil: He has followed me from thread to thread trying to harass me...

REALITY CHECK: Just to show McD's level of lying, self-deception, and outright insanity, here's a picture of the grand canyon that divides her Perceptions and Reality:

In one of her boring entries, after two days of boring but polite comments from a few readers, she ended comment#8 with this, an out-of-the-blue invocation of yours truly, even 'quoting' me in a fantasy conversation, virtually BEGGING me to show up in her thread and liven things up:

=======================

McD writes (talking to herself?):

"Something is missing from this thread. . . . Aha! It has not yet been spammed by Psycho Shark. Perhaps, his weeks long mania has shifted to depression. And, when those people crash, they crash hard. So, let me do it for him:

(Sneering tone.) Mac Diva said the woman is gonna testify. But, what does she know? She claims to be an actress* and a lawyer. Lying bitch. She ought to die. She's always making things up. Now, lemme tell y'all about the screenplay I wrote for "NYPD Blue."

*Actress? In what universe?

Now, the thread reads like I expected it to.

===========================

This woman is crazy.


read it here

Al Freud: Fascinatingly unselfconscious psychologically projected public self-rebuke.


So true. Her mind contains the circled street of hell.

Was this another one of those deals where you're writing yourself letters from one of your other blog pseudonyms?

I read an old thread on another SITE(!) about some contest; it appears McDevil was submitting multiple votes for herself under various names that bore the same email. She managed to piss off about two dozen strangers in the course of her multi-voting. She was also accused of trying to up her traffic/pings/googles/etc, by having two blog sites that link to each other with constant references. (SilverRights and Macaloonies)

This was WAY before Shark entered her little world and started pointing out her insanity and dishonesty. (ie, it ain't just me, folks.)

She truly is becoming an online legend.

I tried to send this earlier, and it didn't work, so it if shows up twice,that's why.

If my comments came across as stereotyping, it wasn't my intention, and I sincerely apologize. I am very much against stereotyping, that is why I used the word "almost". To explain my reluctance to completely commit to the statement, I followed with "maybe it comes down to a matter of personal preference".

Again, my apology, I zapped off the comment without any deep thought put into it, and while trying to talk on the phone at the same time :0)

Can we talk about over-singing now? I think that is at the heart of this issue really. Warble-voiced hopefuls who think vocal gymnastics make everything sound better. Damn those American Idol kids and their Christina Aguilera impressions. Down with Celine Dion and every other over-singer on this earth.

I agree. Singers should leave the gymnastics to guitar players.

As Gerald cogently stated, vocal gymnastics used to be a little bit of showing off and embellishment that was kept in check other than in selected spots on records, usually the end of the song. Now the "showing off" is often the essence of the song, the song in the service of the singer, not the other way around - a little bit goes a long way as far as I'm concerned.

Though I regret having the thread spammed by two virulent racists whose insanity further fuels behavior that would have gotten them banned from any site with real leadership long ago, I believe they have proven themselves to be exactly what I say they are, even beyond my expectations. As the Staples Singers sang, 'Just get out of the way and let the gentlemen do their thing.' Psycho Shark and Al Barger have only one thing: Bigotry.

Unfortunately, other fine entries are being missed while these two perform. Consider:

*Is Michael Moore a petty person?

*How did a state with other issues closer to home become the leader in the gay marriage movement?

*Art Spiegelman is the name that crosses our minds when we think of comics as literature, but have you read Joe Sacco yet?

Read on.

McDevil:

AGAIN - MY CHALLENGE

Find one derogatory post I've written about 'people of color's' basketball, singing, thinking, or writing abilites.

EITHER PUT UP OR SHUT UP.

McD: I believe they have proven themselves to be exactly what I say they are, even beyond my expectations.

I'M ASKING YOU TO PROVE IT.

Instead, you provide links elsewhere in order to 'change the subject'.

Slanderous liar.

Fascinating what a simple search turns up about our infamous MacDiva:

Interesting reading on a board of innocent bystanders who happen do just enough diggin to expose her lying, deceitful, and dishonest methods.

Read on:

Mac Diva BUSTED!

Hilarious.

Singing and athletics are the only two things blacks can do -- oh, and crime. You don't hear much about Zambia's high-tech sector, or the Haitian school of astrophysics, or a single black Nobel Prize winner in anything other than the politicizable prizes (i.e., literature and peace, of which there have only be a few.)

Ever wonder why blacks are so territorial about music and sports? Because it's all they've got.

Why read the ramblings of a third-rate hack when you can read the real thing? Silver Rights covered the harm to the poor that is being caused by the Bush administration's tax cuts and undermining of Medicare. The far Right blogger Psycho Shark cited thinks the harmful policies are just dandy. SR doesn't. Decide for yourself. There are entries from the coverage here and here. I regret that I don't have time to post more material about this important issue.

McD: I believe they have proven themselves to be exactly what I say they are, even beyond my expectations.

I'M ASKING YOU TO PROVE IT.

Slanderous liar.

"SR doesn't."

Huh? Aren't these both your blogs? Shouldn't this be "I don't?" There's nothing wrong with running two blogs, so what's the difference?

I usually try not to watch this program, but I did happen to see a largish black chick from Chicago a week ago or so who was actually pretty good. For some reason even Paula Abdul was complaining about her dress. What was her name, anyone know?

Jennifer Hudson.

Thanks Eric. Besides being a good singer, I also appreciate that she came up with a song that I didn't know. I assume that it's a cover, as is everything on this show. But there are a lot more than the couple of dozen possible songs that these people inevitably choose. In the AI context, I count it a blessing to hear a song that is NOT "Bridge Over Troubled Water" or "Proud Mary" or "Dancing in the Streets."

ummmmmmm. so how did the best singer's remaining on the show all end up in the bottom 3. coincidence? i don't think so. but luckily, the idiots voting at home don't hand out any record deals. jennifer although voted off, will get signed by someone. i'm not a real big r&b fan, but jennifer, fantasia and la toya are by far the best singers on the show. isn't that what the show is supposed to be about? style or genre aside, finding the most talented singer. i love rock music, but rock singers generally don't have the best voices. Perhaps their should be another show highlighting bands? 70's,& 80's rock rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't have much to say about AI but I have been reading some people's posts saying that racism is declining and other similar comments. I don't know where all of you are from but racism is NOT declining. If it were there wouldn't be this new emphasis on Hate Crimes. Racism is not declining people are just keeping their racist thoughts to themselves and then posting them all over the internet. And like someone said saying that racist comments on the internet do not portray what is going on in society is totally wrong...Society is on the internet and the internet is a reflection of society today. Most people who think racism is declining are people who have never been a victim of it! I see racism in many forms everyday from people who claim NOT to be racist at all. Most people who adamantly deny being racist are in fact racist, because those of us who aren't racist know it in our heart and do not feel the need to justify or explain ourselves to others. I don't really see an end to racism because everywhere I turn I see media, marketing, etc that is targeted to this racial group or that racial group. Unless the media, politicians, and government changes it's marketing and campaining strategies things will remain the same because none of those people see American's as American's it is African-American, Mexican-American etc. Yes we should all cherish and protect our racial identity but we should not try to separate ourselves from others based on skin color or ethnicity. I hope and pray every day that racism will dry up and dissappear but it just wont happen until you can get an entire nation to think the same way and getting even 5 people to think the same way is virtually impossible! As for AI I do think that the voting clearly shows that America is opposed to "African-Americans" winning the contest. I think that Ruben Studdard winning was a definite step in the right direction by America to recognize talent but was that decision really upheld after the fact when Clay outsold and continues to outsell Ruben?...and Clay's music sucks!! Bottom line and my point in posting is that people who think racism is on the decline need to wake up and look around...when I start seeing promising Black presidential candidates(receiving majority votes) I MIGHT start to think it MIGHT be on the decline but not before then!

I know my above post will catch hell so I wanted to clarify my last sentence. WHen I start seeing promising Presidential candidates (receiving majority votes) of any race other than caucasian, I MIGHT start to think that racism MIGHT be on the decline but not before then!

Well,well,well has everyone lost their minds?When a BLACK person loses ANYTHING in American Society,the WHOLE race will cry like a baby whose bottle has been taken away...Then BLAME the White MAN ......It will NEVER change.. Motown is DEAD.. American Idol?Let it rest in peace.............

I is sick of this rasism in amrika! This ia n outrage!!!!

Racists do tend to prove they are racists themselves. So, I think it best to let the ones spamming this thread carry on.

Conspiracy, Kingston, etc., your thoughtful comments are appreciated. I can't think of any reason for the backlash against the three African-American divas other than bigotry.

This webpage pays homage to stupidity and the one wrote wrote it, seems to be a bigot idiot.

This webpage pays homage to stupidity and those that wrote the paragraphs the author is talking about it, seems to be bigoted idiots.

One more comment for those of you who think racism is declining look above at a post by "John Kerry".I'll copy it here for all to see the types of people that perpetuate racial stereotypes and keep the racial "fire" burning! These people are everywhere especially on the internet!

Post by "John Kerry"

Singing and athletics are the only two things blacks can do -- oh, and crime. You don't hear much about Zambia's high-tech sector, or the Haitian school of astrophysics, or a single black Nobel Prize winner in anything other than the politicizable prizes (i.e., literature and peace, of which there have only be a few.)

Ever wonder why blacks are so territorial about music and sports? Because it's all they've got.

Somebody posted racist stuff under the pseudonym John Kerry? Who in the world would waste time doing that and to what end?

......of which there have only be a few.

ohhhhh.......hiya George, how's the reelection campaign going?

And....

Jews are arrogant, well endowed masters of the slimy Midas Touch - known for their business acumen, love of diamonds, and Psalms of joy and/or sorrow.

American Indians are savage warriors, prone to alcohol and violence- known for their crafting abilities, ability to work on very tall bldgs., and dancing chants on consecrated ground.

Southern Whites are buttless,Bible thumpers, backwards but somehow controlling the world-known for their biscuits, hospitality, storytelling, and country music.

Irish are layabout dreamers, with no sense of real time,who love malarkey, and drinking themselves into an angry red nose- known for their poetry,writing, and mystical songs.

Arabs are smelly , death embracing, ragheads- known for their exceptional rug making, and haunting calls to prayer.

Mexicans are pot smuggling, pepper eating, working machines- known for their outstanding cuisine, work ethics, and horn blowing hombres.

The British are pompous snobs, likely a victim of the current national epidemic of drug addiction- known for their classic literature, and awesome British rock 'n roll.

The French are cheese eating, cowardly, hairy froggies- known for their learning of the arts, kicking wines, and ...ladies of the night.

Italians are mobbing stud muffins who love to get all huffy and say fu*k, fu*king, or motherfu*ing.- known for their family bonds, NY pizza, and opera.

The Chinese are atheist hard asses, who don't like little girls, and prefer the goose step -known for their chicken chow mein,and the art of fighting with the "open hand".

what's wrong with this picture.

If the Chinese don't like little girls,
then how come there's so damned many of
them ? Do they have a factory in Taiwan
where they make 'em or sumpin'? Chinese
people that is.

You have seen the light !! Part of it anyways. But wait....don't go to it, some say it's God, some say it's the Devil. (feelin' real wise)

Sheri, Post #67 was pretty funny. I had
to make some witty dumbassed crack about
it.It was my attempt at humor only not
as funny.That is what happens when you
smoke stuff too early in the day.As for
going towards the light,I will,but only
if it says:"Cold Beer On Tap".

PS:My grandma lives in Louisiana and her
biscuits are thee best!!!

Gerald, no such thing. Whitney, Mariah, Xtina, aretha, Labelle, Chaka, celine still over sing. It's just an ego thing. Trying to show your vocal range and do some vocal acrobatics and sometimes missing the tone of the whole song. Therefore, your point that, control will come from musical training is wrong, in my opinion. The people that inspire these warblers, oversing every chance they get.


"I am just sick and tired of hearing the same old 60s and 70s Motown selections by the contestants who all seem to want to duplicate sounding like Aretha Franklin or some other Black warble-voiced church choir screamer and jive performer."

The above does not come across racist to me. I fully agree with it. Personally, I prefer Latoya London because she sounds less like a choirister and more commercial. Fantasia? There ae 20 of her in my church at 10am mass on Sundays. Some are even white. Lots of latoya too..but atleast if she sings me a ballad I won't feel it's a hymn like everytime Fantasia opens her mouth except when she sang "Summertime". Her best "non-churchy" performance by far. Exquisite!

It doesn't surprise me that the poor contestants are straining their vocal chords to show that they can sing. When they spend the whole time reading and hearing ignorant criticisms from old farts calling them no talent wanabe pop stars and criticisng every pop star or pop song in the land. It's not their fault that they think they need to show that the way to attain "respect" is to show that you can hold a note longer than it takes a 90 yr old with prostate cancer to pee and you can break glass with a shrill. They forget the basics.

Some songs don't need all that riffing and shit. There is a time and place for everything. If every song out of Aretha's mouth ranges from A sharp to B flat..what good will that do me in White Lotus when all i want to do is dance? Bugger all! This is why I saw musical tastes is the most subjective thing. Sometimes, you just need to sing and enjoy it.

The point is, too much emphasis has been given to powerful singers these days. Power is not all its about. Celine Dion has this up tempo track on her last Album. It was horrific. I was yelling, somebody give that track to Debbie Gibson:)

Thanks, Stately. Biscuits with homemade jam, yummy,:0)~~~

I am heartened by the limitations of that American Idol. Because the manufactured star phenomenon is such a small part of the overall quest for success for entertainers, those who come to the recording industry through traditional means will continue to have the advantage. I also believe they will often be older, more experienced and better singers. AI is favoring youth for reasons that have to do with television demographics, not talent. So, we are still going to get talent, but it will not usually be the result of a show like that.

Kingston, the 'cover up racism' impulse is largely one of racists, so when I see someone singing that song, it tells me something about that person, not racism. I look to research and experience for information about that. Both tell me racism is still very much with us. Here is an entry you may find interesting. I came across it while preparing an entry about the second shooting of an unarmed African-American motorist in Portland in just 10 months. The guy has a blog completely devoted to posting racist drivel directed at blacks (homies and homitas) and Hispanics, (essies). Those are his more 'pleasant' terms. The Internet has become the place de rigeur for such behavior, despite the denials of the stupid and the racist. I appreciate Sheri's willingness to serve as the poster child for what I mean over and over again.

RE: MacDiva

It's the good, the bad, and the ugly of stereotyping . Even when we know in our intellect, that all individuals in each group do not possess all, if not any of these traits, we are all guilty of letting it at least enter our mind,of at least one specific group,of at least one specific trait, at least once in our lifetime.

But to adress your article....I think the voting is rigged myself, but the point is, do all votes have to take offending a certain race into consideration, or according to one's own personal taste?

Not liking Motown is no more being bigoted, than not liking opera.An Italian might kick my ass for saying that I thought opera sucked the big one, but he/she is more than likely NOT to call me a biggot or a racist because I just don't happen to appreciate it the way he does.

Seems to me that the perfectly natural attitudes derisively referred to as "racism/bigotry" by those who would make a social issue out of everything, is more interesting to America than whatever "talent" this show might discover.
It is inarguably true that negro/african/black/blah/blah entertainers are fairly/grossly overrepresented, but it may not be true that they represent americas favorite sound, only our most energetic. It is also true that the "African influence" on american music is emphasized to the point that one could seemingly believe that white people have lived forever without anything musical in their culture other than some Irish jigs or a few archaic waltzes recently derideded as "classical exercises in boredom".
I kind of thought "pop" meant "popular", so then are you telling us that the "popular" vote should be discarded in favor of the "social" vote?
Racism is not the evil leanings of the white supremecists, it is the instinctual tendency of all people of all races of all time, in other words, it's natural. What is not natural is the notoriously poor musical taste of bored disc jockeys, and the definite economic agendas of rich producers who tell us what we like regardless of what our artistic tastes tell us.
The only "racism" I see on the "idol" show is the normal preference of the publics taste in music. There is no groundswell of racial prejudice unless the cries of the wounded egos of the socialists be considered as such.
The public has become so used to being discriminated against by minority interests, that the voice of the masses has been restrained in deference to "political correctness". So then, where is the REAL evils of racism! There is also the widely held belief that 50 years of accomadation have done little more than accent the reduction to the lowest common social denominator. That's not my argument, but one that may be just as valid as any other. So why not just do the "natural" thing, and listen to the public.
My only agenda is "let people (all people) choose freely what they want", all else will lead to force, and only the closet demons want that.

Racism is not the evil leanings of the white supremecists, it is the instinctual tendency of all people of all races of all time, in other words, it's natural.

Speaks for itself.

However, I am wondering: Why are the bigots who post to Blogcritics nearly always people who can't reason logically or write a literate sentence?

While I have enjoyed this post and thread, I was offended one time -

Michael Jordan was NOT the greatest basketball player in history. I think we all know Larry Bird was......

If anything the recent voting on American Idol clearly illustrates the fact that over half the American public is downright stupid when it comes to voting on anything. Whether their votes are cast in a jury box, a polling booth or on a national TV show idiots tend to rise to the top.

Is the voting racist? Undoubtedly! But just as many blacks as whites could be voting along racial lines. To say that voting is not affected by race to at least some degree is ridiculous. It's normal to tend to favor people who you can identify with and who look like you. But when it becomes the deciding factor in a person's vote, that's when that person joins the imbeciles of the world.

Despite my being of a relatively pale complexion I thought Jennifer Hudson was the standout performer in the bunch. I'd be a fool to say that I'm totally devoid of any racial awareness but any slightly negative feelings that I might have had regarding the final two or three performers being black was wiped away by Jennifer's performances. Hopefully some music producer out there has recognized real talent and grabbed onto this girl. I think she'll be around long after "Idol" has bitten the dust. Amen.

You know I thought about it last night and I DO have something to say about AI...I think the whole show should just be put to rest. No one and I mean NO ONE who has gotten ANY fame from AI has become a successful entertainer. I mean where is Kelly Clarkson? What about Justin Guarini (SP)? Clay stinks and has Ruben really made any progress in sales? None of the contestants have become "American Idol's" or anything close to it. If no one is getting any real success then what is the point? The only people who benefit from AI are the judges I mean how many times have we seen their faces in commercials and ad's rather than the "winners" of AI? I say end the show before another aspiring singer is led to believe that he/she will become incredibly famous from performing on AI because it just wont happen!

Kingston, that may just be the nature of modern celebrity. I was doing research for an entry I intend to write about dwarves (yes, dwarves) the other day. In regard to show business, the names that came up were those of the 'Mini Me' actor and the new fellow in the movie, The Station Agent. There were no mentions of Herve Villechaize in any of the material I read. I had to go looking. Yet, his name used to be a household word. I think there is a big appetite for celebrity that must be sated. People are just fed to it one behind the other to disappear into anonymity again. The same thing will happen to the overwhelming majority of reality tv show contestants.

Mac Diva - Herve Villechaize "da plane, da plane!" was rumored to have beat his wife. I'm not sure how interested people were -- or would be -- in him after those allegations. I remember reading that he committed suicide in the early nineties.

But, think how quickly the machine moves on from one celebrity to the next and next and next. Household word today, 'who is he?' tomorrow. Back in the days of Ed Sullivan, being on television meant a lot more than it does now. It is an assembly line.

Wednesday night's results were a godsend for the Fox network. If another black contestant had been voted off, the show would have probably gone under (to the relief of some viewers). Was it a backlash from last week's fiasco? It would say "Yes!".

In my opinion it's enjoyable viewing. I enjoy the music and most of the performers. I do not care much for Fantasia Barrino. She's a bit too flashy and brassy for my tastes but she certainly has a good voice. If she was white I'd have the same opinion.

George Huff is an extremely likeable fellow. I'd hate to see him go but he's really not in the same league with the others. If he gets the axe it won't be because of his color. Personally, I'm a little partial to Diana DeGarmo because of her youth and her voice. Latoya is right up there as well but Jasmine has never seemed to be a standout in my opinion.

There will undoubtedly be an American Idol IV and we can look again for more controversey and stupid votes by the viewing audience.
That's entertainment folks!!!

I am racist, yet it's only because in 100 years Western Europe will have a non-white majority. The overwhelming majority of people don't want more immigration, yet the political elite overwhelmingly support it. The left does for more votes, and the right for corporate donations. This isn't right.

Otherwise, I would not be racist.
http://www.stormfront.org

that was the most ridiculous article ive ever read. it was pointless and if u dont follow the show then dont jump to conclusions because they do differnt genres of music each week.

I agree

Some people are just dumb how in the world is larry bird close to as good as MJ he couldnt dunk haha all he could do is shoot threes...