Friday night according to Associated Press Kanye West burst into a racial catharsis accusing President Bush and white America of racism.
The show, simulcast from New York on NBC, MSNBC, CNBC and Pax, was aired live to the East Coast, enabling it to slip by uncensored.
There was a several-second tape delay, but the person in charge:
“was instructed to listen for a curse word, and didn’t realize (West) had gone off-script”said NBC spokeswoman Rebecca Marks.
Matt Lauer noted that
“Emotions in this country right now are running very high. Sometimes that emotion is translated into inspiration, sometimes into criticism. We’ve heard some of that tonight. But it’s still part of the American way of life.”Kanye West, a wealthy African American rapper whose recent hit has the profane lyric:
"I'm not saying she is a gold digger, but she ain't messing with a broke nigger"is no stranger to racial controversy. Mr. West joins a growing chorus by some black Americans that are raising the specter of racism.
Many bogus reports in the media are fanning the flames. For example there was a widely repeated report of massive roving gangs raping children. This turned out to be bogus but it is still being repeated in the media. Then there is the issue of fairness in reporting about looting. Blacks doing it are reported in a highly negative manner, while whites doing the same thing are being reported as survivors. This is seen as an example of white racism by people like Kayne West.
There is another side though. Take Randall Robertson, writing in the radical Huffington Post slog (slander blog), he said:
"It is reported that black hurricane victims in New Orleans have begun eating corpses to survive. Four days after the storm, thousands of blacks in New Orleans are dying like dogs. No-one has come to help them."
This is of course is a complete and scurrilous fabrication. The National Guard has found no such cases. It has only been a couple of days, not weeks. Anybody who would resort to this would be somebody who would do it regardless.
Then there is another report about the National Guard being sent to kill blacks. This is another complete distortion. The Guard is being sent in to restore order to an area that has descended into udder lawlessness. Police officers have quit in droves out of fear. Helicopters sent in to rescue people are being shot at. The guard, like any police force will return fire if shot at. This is a completely necessary precaution for their safety; and to restore order to the area. In the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, a number of white people were shot for looting, this no different.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Matt
what about this needed to be censored? Because it's unpopular speech in your mind?
2 - cordie
Bush slashed funding for the levees to fund the war in Iraq. The city wanted to reinforce them, but they didn't have adequate funds to do it. And the response to Katrina when juxaposed against the 9/11 seems worse than slow.
3 - Don'tcare
Exactly what part of this was directed towards white america?
4 - Cop Killa
"an area that has descended into udder lawlessness."
hmmm....
must be a side effect of mad cow disease!
5 - John Bill
I never said he should be censored, NBC did.
6 - billy
how dare you call a black man a racist for criticizing white people. what a racist you show yourself to be.
7 - Judah Ben-Hur
To the People who were affected by Hurricane Katrina:
On behalf of myself and others in the United States of America, we wish to extend our deepest condolences for any loss of life that occurred during this past week due to Hurricane Katrina. And we also understand the loss of property as well and know that all affected will recover. We will stand together as a Nation and help you all at all costs. You all will prevail.
Sincerely,
Judah Ben-Hur
8 - BM
I say good for Kanye (and Mayor Nagin). There is so much scripted bull coming out of poiticians mouths right now, it's refreshing to hear some real emotion and reaction to such a tragedy. And to echo what some of the overseas press is saying, why did it take FIVE days to deliver aid to New Orleas, when it took half that time to Indonesia? It's Saturday and the National Troops are rolling in NOW? If you have another reason, other than "George Bush doesn't like black people," please let me know.
9 - sos
nothing in the deck but race cards? no mental legs to stand on? black people cannot be racist? yeah, right.
people make mistakes. this is a new experience and people are doing the best they can to deal. stop the blame game.
10 - Bill S
West's comments are the result of an uninformed and largely unelightened mind. Only a racist mentality would try to use a national spotlight (designed for the aid of the persons he supposedly cares about)for political fiction. This having been said it is America and everyone has the freedom to make an ass out of themselves on national TV.
11 - sos
the argument that the aid came faster to the tsunami victims is just ignorant. it is a fact that more money has been raised in a few days for new orleans than was raised over several months for the tsunami victims. you should research your information before posting.
12 - Garnet Campbell
Its very sad what has happened to those in Katrina affected region, it IS an outrage.
West is an incredible artist and I would say his last album was God inspired, but after seeing a few of his interviews and then last nights spectacle, I think the guy is losing it.
Mayor Nagins comments are truthful, emotional, and designed to make things happen. They were very moving!
West's comments dont really acomplish anything. He's like a little boy making acusations... the sad thing is it will probably cause violent reactions which only leads the situation into further chaos.
WWMLKD
What Would Martin Luther King Do
Garnet Campbell
13 - Kanye West
Here is what Kanye West was referring too....
14 - Jive T
Kanye was right. Bush doesn't care about blacks. But Jessie Jackson doesn't care about whites and neither cares about any other ethnic groups. It goes both ways. And for some of us who aren't black or white, we're tired of this crap.
15 - Erratic
Kanye West's criticisms of president bush are flat out absurd. Obviously there is alot of blame to be thrown around in times like these, however make sure its being thrown at the right people before you open your mouth. It may be easy to say "Oh, well hes the president, it is his fault." But just because something is easy does not mean it should be done. Bush may not be a great president, not even an average president, but he is man enough to have acknowledged the fact that federal response to the disaster has been terrible. The blame does not fall upon bush, but those who have been placed in charge of these situations.
The claims of racism by and large are also a load of bullshit. The military came in with orders to shoot black people? No they didn't. The military came in to attempt to restore a small fragment of order to an orderless world. Why would the military shoot at a black person? Because black people have fired upon them. It's the same reaction that the military would have if they were fired upon by a white person. These people are beyond afraid. They've had to endure conditions that no american - black or white, rich or poor - should face on american soil. Most of the people that didnt leave the affected areas were the poorest of the poor. They've experienced nothing but hard times, and this is no exception. It is easy to see why they would resort to looting and violence to survive. It is easy to sympathize with these people. But being able to sympathize does not mean that we should over-look the fact that what they are doing is wrong. The media has shown alot of blacks stealing and looting and all that on television, but that is because the majority of the poor in that area are black. Thats just a cold hard fact that you're going to have to face. When you see a black person climbing out of a store with electronic goods tucked away under each arm thats not surviving, thats looting. I have seen blacks on the news taking clothing, shoes, and food.. thats nothing more than the human drive for comfort and survival. I've also seen whites taking things that aren't essential to survival.
Kanye's accusations are another example of "emotion before thought" activism. There are just plain more poor black people in the area and thats why you're going to see more of them on tv. Not all of them are stealing, but some of them are. Same goes for the white population.
The government response to katrina has been poor, but that doesnt mean people that feel adamantly about the subject should just start throwing out blame. My message to Kanye West and others that feel as he does is that: Ignorance begets racism. Your ignorant statements are doing nothing but lowering and weakening the image of black people. Think before you speak.
I am a real black american and thats how I feel.
16 - Dave Nalle
>>Exactly what part of this was directed towards white america?<<
Newsflash - hurricane's aren't directed, and president Bush didn't have control over this one, nor did the KKK or any other white people.
Dave
17 - Educated black man
This is to all you ignorant people out there on the web. How many times are you bush supporters going to make excuses for that guy. Part of making mistakes is dealing with the consequences. However being rich and especially white you can get away with b.s. Until white people wake up and share their power(education,money,health care,decision making)with other races this country will continue to be hypocritical,materlistic, and violent. Some people may say you can't blame white people for everything. Very true but you can blame them for Iraq and Katrina. Next time we want to invest billions into rebuilding a country starts with ours first.
18 - Erratic
A comment on the two photos a couple post above: It is really just semantics, you know? The first picture merely calls the person shown a young man. A better word than looting could have been used, but looting doesnt have to be seen negatively. He is carrying food, obviously it is for his survival. But it was taken without payment. Its all a moral argument. Would you steal if it would save you from dying? If you were to say "No" you'd be lying. And from what I can tell the photos are from two different sources(although they look similar).. So it isnt like the same source is calling the black person a thief, and the two whites survivors.
19 - Erratic
White people didnt start the war on Iraq. America did. The entire country is responsible for not speaking out enough to prevent things from escalating to this point. You may not like the war, but what did you do to stop it? Thats probably a big nothing. That goes for me, and everyone else against the war but did nothing but say "I don't like the war." If this war is something that white people want, then why are the only american citizens that you see protesting it on the news white? Bush may be one of the weakest presidents we have had in a long time, but we as a nation have become more and more detached. Hopefully the disaster in new orleans will change that. Speak your mind, but do so with intelligence. You call yourself a "Educated Black Man." If you really believe you are one, start acting like it.
20 - Paul
This is the worst natural disaster in U.S. history; and one of the top disasters in the world's history. The affected area is 90,000 square miles - an area the size of Great Britain for God's sake.
People forget the magnitude of this disaster. There's no racism here.
Also, Bill Clinton was in office for 8 years; he did nothing to upgrade the levees either - so that makes him a 'racist' too?
Gimme a break.
21 - Erratic
I agree with Paul. Lets focus on cleaning up this mess rather than playing the blame game.
Some of you want to call a natural disaster racism?
"Gimme a break."
22 - Anon
Not only black people...he doesn't care about the poor and middle class either! I agree West should not have done it on a charity show, but it's no worse than any of the dumb things Bush has said over the past few days.
Wake up Americans! W is a moron and we're paying for it. Here he is Tuesday afternoon playing dumb:
link
blogcritics? Way to go fair & balanced, retards.
23 - Erratic
I don't think that just because its not on the republican agenda to bring benefits to the poor/middle class that a president would sit idly and let people suffer. Guess I'm just naive. W is just a puppet. His cabinet has all of the power these days.
24 - a white guy with all the privileges
Right on Kanye West!
You are right! George Bush doesn’t care about black people...or any people that aren't rich and powerful.
It always amazes me when white Americans deny that racism exists. They see it as simply this one-on-one thing where it would be clearly visible to their eyes. But what they don't realize is that it has existed - systematically - and continues to exist for the life of this nation. They have no comprehension of the depths that the seeds of classism and racism have been sown into the brittle fabric of the United States. Their parents immigrated to this country...while many African Americans ancestors were forced here, their history, culture and heritage obliterated in the process. African Americans contributions to the building of this nation are far greater than those of my white families because they have been here far longer (and are more American then I). Yet when we attempted to right some of the wrongs by creating programs aimed at trying to level the playing field such as affirmative action, the civil rights acts and increased government funding of education, health and housing programs, many white Americans vote (by way of electing their representatives, etc.) to remove those programs soon after they start.
And to those who would make the ignorant point that “slavery ended over a hundred years ago so get over it", let me remind you that social and economic slavery wasn't even addressed until the 1960's. And even then Reaganomics, the Bakke decision and every other piece of legislation that was aimed at removing the small gains made during the 60’s quickly obliterated those gains.
While George Bush - who I must say has got to be the WORST, must uneducated, ignorant moron to EVER be president - didn't cause Hurricane Katrina, he and others in power are responsible for maintaining the culture, society and economy that resulted in this aftermath. And the media, which continues to be the PR arm of this corrupt government, should be taken to task as well for portraying this disaster in the light they have.
Now what are we as a nation going to do about it?
25 - justanobody
He that is without sin, let them including myself cast the first stone. The powers that be are placed there for a reason. The president may not always be right but he is the president. We have escalated this thing into blaming one and defending the other. some blame bush, some defend him. some blame Kanye, some defend him. Lets all close our eyes on this one, so that we can see no color.just the situation at hand and what each of us can do to come to some type of resolution, ket us come together and reason. Let us let our hearts get in tuned with our head and mouths. We all need help and I'll be the first to admit it