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On Words and Context

Loren Feldman is back in the news again, but honestly, it’s for the same old thing he was in the news for once before. After the cancellation of his deal with Verizon due to an outcry over a video he made a year ago by some third tier Nation of Islam wannabe, NPR found themselves talking to Lynn D. Johnson, Senior Editor of Fast Company about the matter in which Johnson claims Feldman was wearing a dreadlock wig and blackface during the video.

Here’s the video. If at any time you notice blackface or a dread wig, please let me know.

Nothing there. Just a parody video. Might some people find it offensive? Of course. That’s the whole point. It’s edgy. Everyone finds something offensive. Idiots like Jerry Fallwell spent months warning us of the evils of the teletubbies becuase one of them was purple and had a triangle on it.

I digress.

There are a few points to note here.

Firstly, why is NPR talking to someone at Fast Company about Loren Feldman? And why aren’t they talking about Loren Feldman to Loren Feldman? So far just about every news story about this latest incident with Verizon has been lacking one thing. Feldman. They have, however, asked “experts” a lot, and in this case, asked someone from Fast Company what she thought; an obvious conflict of interest considering Feldman’s skewering of Fast Company’s big flop Fast Company.tv.

Secondly, in Lynn D. Johnson’s interview, she mentioned that Loren was wearing blackface and a dread wig. That’s all well and good, but it’s been pointed out that he wasn’t (although as you’ll see in her Friendfeed, one of her dumb boosters thinks it was some slick editing after the fact; the conspiracy nuts never give up!). You might consider that a throwaway comment, except for the fact that Johnson’s mis-recollection of the facts makes the story much more inflammatory. Blackface and minstrel shows are remnants of the Jim Crow era. For all intents and purposes, Johnson might as well have claimed that Feldman did the video in front of a confederate flag. Either way it isn’t truthful, but to say that the extra inflammatory nature of her “mistake” was purely coincidental assumes people watching are utter idiots.

Lynn D. Johnson works for Vibe magazine, a magazine that gives awards to and promotes rappers and their music from the likes of Ice Cube, Jeezy, Nas, and Lil Wayne, while wondering about what videos from Loren Feldman will do to hurt the black community. If that isn’t the ultimate in intellectual dishonesty, nothing is.

Loren Feldman is not a racist, and Lynn D. Johnson needs to apologize.

Now.

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July 10th, 2008 | Category: Ridiculous
  • Lil Wayne Haddddd Braidssssss ....OMG Memoriesss
  • The Masked Rye
    Well, all they see is that he is playing up stereotypes (not unlike Eddie Griffin does when playing 'white' in Undercover Brother, for instance). But these "back" stereotypes are ones that are encouraged and rewarded by the black community in general.

    And not to bring up politics, but when anyone black speaks to fixing the mentality of the black community at large (as Obama has done... and again, I'm still not an Obama fan), someone comes in, like Jesse Jackson (recently in the news, and I was waiting for an entry here on it...) and says something stupid and tries to make it all about racial justice, jobs and health care. Jackson makes it a function of the government and not a function of the people. You would think if Jesse had any pull anywhere, it would be within his own community. You'd think, as smart as he tries to appear, that he'd realize that if you get the community to act more responsibly, the rest would come.

    The black people that work in my company are doing just fine... because they don't act gangsta. They've got healthcare because they have jobs. They have jobs because they are responsible. And the one guy I remember in IT who came in and was a bit gangsta, lasted a month or two and decided that he couldn't deal with working the regular hours and getting here everyday on time. He didn't like having someone tell him what to do (his boss was actually very laid back). He lacked the responsibility. Had he been able to suck it up and realize that it was good money (it was), he could have had healthcare for his kid (with an barely legal girl, out of wedlock).

    And the black community propgating that sort of mentality is just going to lead to problems. Sure I listen to gangsta rap at times. But I don't act that way or agree with the glorification of money and drugs or the objectification of women. I wouldn't let my kids listen to it. I wouldn't promote acting in that way.

    But Loren Feldman is to blame, of course. And as much as I really can't stand Loren, he's just pointing out the stereotypes... and they're not really stereotypes as much as they are an accepted and promoted reality for a large part of that community. Watermelon comments and black face are ridiculous and outdated. But this? This is just the face that the black community is putting forward. For every Will Smith, there are a million gangsta wanna-bes.
  • Tom
    The problem with this whole controversy is that it opens so many cans of worms that it’s hard to nail it down to just one issue that should be the focus. There’s freedom of speech (which I’ve personally staked my claim to), racism, people who perceive racism where it’s not, anonymous internet trolls and now media bias. It’s like someone left off a bomb and now there’s various societal issues laying everywhere.

    Anyway, on this issue you are right to bring it up but I think we all know what the problem is here and it’s that most reporters aren’t the type to take the 1938media side on this and so they just have no interest in talking to him. So rather than doing their job and being neutral they just ignore him.

    I mean really, what journalist with any integrity writes a story about someone and fails to interview that person if they have the chance? It’s preposterous.

    But that’s the nature of our current society. When you teach it’s ok to just do what you feel than people can do just about anything. Sell your integrity down the river because you don’t feel like talking to a person. Interview someone who has no expertise in the area because you feel they’re the one to talk to. And so on…
  • I can't say it any better than that, so I won't. PC bullshit mixed with outright, unchallenged, lies is always a great recipe, eh?

    Cheers.
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