Wow you are really emotional about this aren't you! I'm merely playing devil's advocate about this situation and building an argument, so calling me a "sissy ass cupcake" is not the best way to debate...however it's all you know, so carry on.
Why do you assume emotions have anything to do with what I said? I'm just talking, like you or Heresy or any other person on here does. I don't take this subject to heart, and I really have no emotional attachment here other than I enjoy spending a few minutes reading and responding to posts here and there.
I'm sure you hang around people that cuss all the time, or who talk as if they are mad as fuck, but you know they are just talkin shit and not actually getting emotional. Since you and I don't know each other, and you aren't hearing my tone of voice speak those words, I can understand if they come off as being emotional, but I'm just talkin shit.
And I should have been more clear, but I was not calling Seargent Hustle a sissy ass cupcake. I understand your position was simply to present the devil's advocate argument, and my editorial was just my opinion on those simple-minded folk who actually do take that idolized view of athletes to heart. I could tell from your posts that you are not so blind as to view them as infallible, and I was speaking of those people who really DO blind themselves to reality in order to perpetuate a faulty perception of a star or athlete or whoever.
No, I don't believe Kobe to be perfect or believe in everything the media feeds me. I am the media. I'm a radio dj. My point is that white people like to condemn and villify Black men and it was nice for a change to see mass media embrace a Black figure instead of constantly downing one.
I understand that. Like I said, I was speaking about those who DO accept the media's carefully manipulated image to be the *actual* personality of their hero whom they worship, be they movie stars or athletes.
As far as the race thing goes, I disagree with your assessment that it "was nice for a change to see the media embrace a black "figure" instead of constantly downing one".
This is a very suspect statement. I don't give a fuck whether the media "embraces" a black "figure" or not, because I know that the media invariably paints a faulty picture and is only showing what they are paid to show in order to benefit them. So if they "embrace" a black figure, it is only because to do so benefits their bottom line. And if they "condemn" a black figure, it is only because to do so benefits their bottom line. I place no value in the media's assessment of *any* figure.
The media embraces people of *ANY* race who can help them profit further. And the media vilifies people of *ANY* race when it helps them profit further. Therefore what value can be placed in the media's love or disdain for *anyone*? They don't care about race they care about money, and they exploit and misrepresent everone on the planet in order to make more money.
It is ignorant to think that these super-conglomerates are concerned with whether Kobe is black or white, or that their journalistic protocol is dependent on one's race, because their entire activity is superceded by a desire for *green*.
Even kids with the best parents are not necessarily equipped to deal with these types of issues at a young age. 7-year-old Micheal will probably not be able to understand the issues of adultery, rape, the court system, etc., etc, etc. even if it is broken down into layman's (sp?) terms.
I agree, but at the same time 7-year-old Michael can understand through intelligence that athletes and entertainers need to be viewed in their proper perspective. They own no more or less than anyone else, nor are their lives more or less valuable than anyone else's. If 7-year-old Michael's parents are not giving him knowledge of self, and Michael is being sucked into the capitalistic machine where Kobe is king and money is God, then his sense of values will be out of wack and he
will be the ignorant cat who is "disappointed" by Kobe when Kobe fucks up. But the kid who knows better will not be surprised at all.
It's a shame either way....and yes...kids do look to basketball stars, actors, etc., etc, as role models whether you like it or not. You're right...they probably shouldn't because we are all human, but it's just a fact.
Of course, they are public "larger-than-life" figures who
appear to be living fantasyland lifestyles where dreams come true (but as we find out every day, all that glitters is not gold). So it is inevitable that your average jane who makes $8.50 an hour will be enamored and in awe of the star's opulence. She is so in love with the money Kobe is worth that she will not accept the facts that he is imperfect and completely fallible. She would rather perpetuate the lie than face the truth. There are millions of janes out there, and that's who I was talking about.
But the real REAL fact of the matter is that a person can have all the money in the world, and when they die, they aint takin none of it with them. That is an irrefutable truth. So, why then should anyone idolize or worship a person just because they have more money or fame than others? To do so even with the knowledge that we actually own nothing, is due to the illusion that "maybe one day I will live like that". Everybody is plotting and scheming to get rich and live luxuriously, and the media feeds off of this hunger which is felt by the mass majority. They increasingly flash and flaunt the excesses of the rich in order to whet the appetite of the poor. Dangling a twinkie on a stick in front of a brainwashed audience who can't say no.
Like I said, I wasn't directing what I said earlier at you Sgt. Hustle, but to a certain type of mentality. I have no problem with civil debate or discussion. Peace.
