Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 25 October 2002 — Page 11

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25,2002

THE INDIANA ROUS RECORDER

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Getting in the 'Bnrbershop'

By RON WALTERS I do not as a rule go to the movies to see the modem versions of the “blaxploitation” films, and so I did not think that the movie, ‘’Barbershop,” was worth it. Nevertheless, the heavy Internet traffic has afforded me a sense of what the conflict has been about and a deep concern with the nature of the dis-

cussion.

What has concerned me is the lack of an appreciation that many exhibit for Black cultural integrity and associated with that, the understanding that there are cultural boundaries which contain cherished, even sacred spaces, events and individuals which should be protected from corruption. Rather, what has come across is that those who question Hollywood’s characterization of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, in this latest film, are enemies of free speech and they should find something more important to do. This criticism reveals a failure to consider cultural boundaries an important dimension of cultural integrity. Perhaps the new multiculturalism has promoted such group interactions that cultural integrity is weakening overall. Nevertheless, there is a naivety about the damage that still can be done when a cultural image is cor-

rupted.

OK. I am also of the civil rights

era generation and spent many years in barbershops growing up. I came to recognize that it functioned as an important place of community education, made possible by a respected sense of cultural intimacy. What went on in those places, and still goes on, happens because there is a social trust that people understand is present in a protected space, so they let their guard down and say what they think is the real deal about what was happening in the community. Hollywood is not a protected space; its purpose is to make the sacred spaces of other people attractive to the public so that they can be commercialized. It projects that intimacy onto national and international stages where there is no trust and no sanction when cultural integrity is vulnerable to corrup-

tion.

It opens up the dialogue, tears down the boundaries in the name of making the content of the statements ‘’universal.” And we just laugh and laugh and laugh, seeming to say that it’s all right, and in the bargain, participate in the debasement of our own image-drink-ing poison we participated in mak-

ing.

The role of Hollywood in corrupting the image of Black people is legion, which is, in part, why the NAACP Image Awards came about. This role should be subject to increased challenge because the

‘’entertainment” produced by Hollywood and its associated medium, television, have become the most powerful cultural educational tools on the planet. We should be concerned that Hollywood gets it right, but instead, we train our fire on those in our leadership whose job it is to protect our sacred spaces, our heroes, our cultural integrity. You can weaken a people by successfully distorting its culture. There seems to be a lack of understanding that this Hollywood treatment weakens the image of Dr. King and Rosa Parks not only in this country, but abroad. I have traveled to many countries where I have had to confront the cultural distortion that Michael Jackson or Diana Ross were the real heroes of all Blacks or that all Blacks were gangsters or drug dealers (which makes the movie ‘Training Day" devastating). But the crime is that in many other countries, American Black heroes are also revered as a model for freedom struggles. And they will now see this movie where even their adopted Black heroes

are debased.

You don’t get the sense that other people will allow you to debase their heroes and feel good about it. They believe that cultural integrity is the key to their own self-worth. An example is that when Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City, invited two members of the cast of “The Sopranos” cable

TV show to march in the recent Italian Pride Parade on Columbus Day, the leaders of that community said no. They felt that the show perpetrated a stereotype about Italians, associating them with organized crime. But the mayor’s response inferred in an arrogant way that they should get over it For not having the sense of selfworth to reject the lines attacking King and Parks, the Black actor in “Barbershop,” Cedric the Entertainer, also bears some responsibility as an artist for contributing to the corruption of Black cultural integrity. You do get the sense that in this ^ra of history, the Black artist who puts everything up for grabs is revered, thatTupac Shakur is equated with Martin Luther King Jr. in importance, that the commercialization of our culture for any purpose is OK as long as it is enter-

taining.

So, the question is — if everything is up for grabs, nothing is sacred, there are no boundaries, and there is no Black cultural integrity — is this what the process of becoming ‘’real Americans” is all about? Ron Walters is Distinguished Leadership Scholar, director of the African-American Leadership Institute and professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland. His latest book is African American Leadership.

A dueless cowboy with his finger on the button

By LLOYD WILLIAMS “Now look, boys, I ain’t much of a hand at makin’ speeches, but I got a pretty fair idea that something doggone important is goin’ on back there. And I got a fair idea the kinda personal emotions that some of you fellas may be thinkin’. Heck, I reckon you wouldn’t even be human bein’s if you didn ’t have some pretty strong personal feelin’s about nuclear combat. “I want you to remember one thing, the folks back home is acountin’ on you and by golly, we ain’t about to let ‘em down. I tell you something else, if this thing turns out to be half as important as I figure it just might be. I’d say that you’re all in line for some important promotions and personal citations when this thing’s over with. That goes for ever’ last one of you regardless of

your race, color or your creed. Now let’s get this thing on the hump—we got some flyin’ to do.” — Slim Pickens’ pep talk to the troops in “Dr. Strangelove” ***** Way back in 1964, the film “Dr. Strangelove” gave us a good idea of what the world would look like with nuclear weapons in the hands of a trigger-happy, good-ole boy with a Texas twang. Stanley Kubrick’santiwar satire was subtitled “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb,” and for a good reason. The visionary director wanted to warn us that the antics of an out-of-control cowboy just itching to launch a pre-emptive strike would only be funny to observe onscreen. For his cautionary tale depicted a scenario with dire prospects if played out in real life. Fast forward about 40 years to the

present where, with life imitating art, we actually have that crazed cowboy in control. And I hope it’s not considered unpatriotic to point out that the president isn’t the brightest bulb in the batch, his Yale pedigree notwithstanding. Don’t be so impressed by an Ivy League degree. Half of the admissions are based on bloodlines, not brainpower. After 9-11, Bush attacked Afghanistan, even though most of the terrorists were from Saudi Arabia. None were Afghanis. Because bin Laden had been training terrorists there, Bush at least had a plausible explanation for the invasion. But when Osama proved harder to find than Waldo, our attention-deficit president shifted his sights to Iraq, another Arab nation. This time, he’s hell-bent on bringing down Saddam Hussein, even though he hasn’texhibited any aggres-

sion against America. The United Nations and most of die countries of the world are opposed to any unprovoked attack, but Bush could care less. And Congress, irresponsibly, has passed a bill giving the president carte blanche. It handed the While House anticipatory approval of any cockamamie plan the president might decide to hatch, however foolhardy. * What about the constitutionallymandated restraints of diecks and balances though the separation of powers? That’s all out the window in the interest of a new desert diplomacy ready to rationalize any flimsy excuse for a war. Anybody else worried about GW now that there’s no way of keqnig his itchy finger off the panic and other buttons? Lloyd Williams is an East Coast attorney.

Your Voire

Do you plan to vote in the Nov. 5 election?

“Heck yeah I’m gonna vote. I vote because I want to see achange. Someone who doesn’t vote can’t complain. If they don’t vote I don’t want to hear them complain about what happens in society. Changes don’t usually occur until people speak up and make their opinions known at the ballot box.” — Eugene May “It’s a shame some people don’t think enough to vote, despite all of the hardships our people had to endure in order to participate in this right. Our individual votes do matter. I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or Republican, just vote; do something that will bring positive results.” — Ulyiee Clemmons

“I might vole if I discover a worthwhile person or platform. I’m turned off by these candidates who

spend much tune slandering and spreading dirt around about each other. If they treat each other like

this, then how will they act towards us if they are elected.” — D. Daniels “I haven’t really voted because I’m unclear about the true motivations of various candidates. Many of these people put down their opponents in hateful ways, which raises as to how benign they will be toward our community. To me, voting is a personal investment into solutions involving issues like the safety of our children and job security. When I look at a candidate, I ask myself ‘Is this person trying to get elected to achieve their own goals, or do they really want to help us?’ n

OPINION

Love is

By JOSHUA COHEN Staff Writer Last weekend I went to a friend of mine from college ’ s wedding, Luttrell Levingston He is originally from Indianapolis and a graduate of Broad Ripple High School (some of you may be familiar with his older brother, the ever-controversial Deon Levingston) but currently lives in a suburb of Detroit. It was a beautiful event and got me to thinking about the institution of marriage and why people decide to make that step. What is marriage? Webster’s Dictionary defines marriage as “state of being married.” No help there. I guess I have to turn inward and think about what I’ve seen in my life and explore it from there. From my experiences, marriage is often a temporary commitment, if that term can actually exist Most of the people I know who have been married are now divorced, including my own parents. The divorce rate in this country goes up every year. So if people know the odds are against them, why do they decide to do it anyway? What makes people think they can succeed where others fail? Some would say that love makes you do crazy things, and I agree having been in love before. Illogical actions are pretty much guaranteed when the foggy haze we call love hovers around us. It affects different people in different ways. Some treat it like a drug, forgetting about everyone and everything around them and completely submerging themselves in it. Others treat it like a terminal disease, something you catch when you don’t want to but once you have it you can’t get rid of it so just leam to live with it. Still others, as we have hopefully become aware of during this Domestic Violence Awareness Month, treat it as a weapon and use it against those who love them, and they, possibly in their own demented way, love as well. Seeing this leads me to believe that no matter how you react to it, everyone should approach love in the same way. Love is power, and that is something I believe those who go to church or read the Bible would agree with. For those who don’t, listen again. Love is power. It is a gift from God. and like most of his gifts people have used it in a corrupt manner, but when it is looked at for its true worth, love can be the best thing on Earth. If we all realize what love can do before we rush into being “in love” with someone, maybe we can prevent the irresponsible actions so many fall into. Know that we are all free to love, but as my parents said to me time and time again when I Was young, with freedom comes responsibility. I met an amazing woman at Luttrell’s wedding, and for brief moments I fantasized about falling in love and being able to tell the story at my wedding that we met at someone else’s wedding. This was just a passing fancy, but the thought was nice. It’s that lure, however, that gets people in trouble more times than not. Having been recently jilted, it served as a reminder po me that love, although potentially dangerous, is still possible and very much out there. Although we didn’t speak on it, Luttrell seemed to have given thought in choosing to take the next big step, and I was excited to see him so happy. I’m no expert, but it appears he has entered into a strong union, and I hope he stays happy for the rest of his days. I also hope people who read this look at my examples and at least give thought to the responsibility that comes with accepting God’s greatest gift.

Readers Respond

Conc«riigd Ckrgy says vota Nov. 5 In the early part of the 20th century, W.E.B. duBois declared that the problem of foe century would be the color line. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. prayed that one day we would judge a person by the content of their character, and not by foe color of their skin. We, the Concerned Clergy and others of goodwill, try day after day, year after year, to improve the quality of life for persons of all racial and ethnic groups in our community. However, we are not joined in our efforts at goodwill by all. In this 21st century, we are witnessing a man trying to demean Congresswoman Julia Carson in our face. He attacks our dignity when he uses “mammy” type images of her in his commercials, and blatantly misrepresents the facts about what she has done for the people of her district. Are we fooled? No. We know which party’s economic policies take from the working class and give tax breaks to the rich. We respect Congresswoman Carson, know the facts and are not impressed by any attempts to stereotype the African-American people. Other code words have found their way into other races such as the sheriffs race, where we hear words such as “lack of experience.” Under the code words “get tough on crime” we see young African-American, Latino and poor white men and women prosecuted and jailed in disproportionate numbers. Then there are more direct words in use such as City-County Council members calling us thugs and gorillas for exercising our constitutional right to petition our government. We see that unless we act, we will go on being represented on the council by the party that got the least amount of the popular vote in 1999. People wai .fag power will use any tactic. Unfortunately, some among us will even help them to get it God’s desire is that we seek to overcome the divisions among us so that through faith and action we may discover true peace, justice and unity. Underemployment, unemployment, and racism are the result of foe current political crisis we face - political problems that must be addressed in political terms. Go to the polls and vole on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Rev. CV. Jetter,

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