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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy are right wingers so obsessed with Al Sharpton?
You'd think he's the most powerful man in America.
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tradewinds
(260 posts)And......He IS Black, ya know.
leftynyc
(26,060 posts)accused some cops of something pretty fucking heinous and has never apologized for it. He was sued and lost and had to pay out for the damage to Officer Pagones' reputation. Did I mention he still hasn't apologized. I have no use for Sharpton and remember very well when his revolting race baiting tore my city apart. Cops have every reason not to trust him.
tradewinds
(260 posts)But you must admit, citizens have every reason not to trust cops.
Unless , of course you are a white male teabagger. ( I am in NO way implying or suggesting that the poster is, just honing a point.)
leftynyc
(26,060 posts)Before you accuse someone who has been here as long as I have of being a white male teabagger, perhaps peruse some of my posts so you wont look so foolish next time. I've been all over the cops for their disgusting behavior. That does't make al sharpton a decent person and never will.
tradewinds
(260 posts)Sorry you took it like that.
amandabeech
(9,893 posts)Every time I see Rev. Al on TV I think of Tawana Brawley. Then there was the business with the store in Harlem. What really did it for me was the Crown Heights riot. IMHO, Rev. Sharpton practically single-handed incited that riot with his eulogy. He could have spoken to calm a situation that was ready to boil over, but no. And a guy who had nothing to do with the original incident was murdered.
Apparently, he has rehabilitated himself in the eyes of many, but it's hard to get past what he did in NY back then, especially if you saw it on TV and in the papers nearly every day.
BronxBoy
(2,286 posts)Mean no disrespect but it always seems to be White people who hang their hat on those incidents. What a lot of people don't realize is that the Rev was the go to person when unarmed Black men were gunned down. Black people had no one...NO ONE.... to turn to when cops killed or brutalized members of our community during that era. Who was going to listen...Ed Koch???? Yea right.
A lot of people considered him a clown...a buffoon but if you were a person of color and were the victim of police brutality, the Rev is where you usually ended up because you knew he would fight for you. So what exactly did he do???? Stick up for our rights if you were a person of color during that time
branford
(4,462 posts)It is not, however, an actual defense of Al Sharpton's misdeeds.
Anyone is perfectly entitled to judge Sharpton on his own merits, and given his extensive history, it is unsurprising that he is often found to be extremely wanting.
He is not entitled to engage in fraud and destroy lives and property because no one else purportedly stood-up for the black community.
Lastly, if he was just a "clown" or "buffoon," it would imply he was relatively harmless, if embarrassing. I would imagine those affected by the riots in Crown Heights or the Korean boycott would use your relatively benign descriptives for Sharpton.
BronxBoy
(2,286 posts)Only wanting among WHITE people.....
The majority of our community has no problem with Reverend Sharpton. So your problem is your problem. It's amazing how many White leaders have faults much greater than that of the Rev and yet we see them everyday on TV touted as leaders of common sense.
Giuliani and Koch did just as much damage to the state of race relations in the city of NY but they are given a pass. Rev has always had our back so we have his your opinion notwithstanding. Because you know what? If when an unarmed Black man is gunned down with seeming provocatin nor reason, they ain't fucking calling you up, they going to see the Rev
CatWoman
(79,302 posts)
wellst0nev0ter
(7,509 posts)And Martin Luther King is a plagiarist who had multiple mistresses. Let's deny his legacy too.
I know some people might not want to forgive Sharpton for those things, but the one thing I admire about the man is that he doesn't let those things stop him from pursuing what's right. Weaker men would be scandalized by these dismissive opportunistic vultures you see every time his name is brought up.
leftynyc
(26,060 posts)situations. Dr King's problems with having a mistress were his wife's problem alone - the claims never caused riots, never led to the death of another. Anyone who lived in NYC at the time of the Tawana Brawley and Yankel Rosenbaum remembers what Rev Al did to make a horrible situation even worse. With Dr. King, the only one who deserved an apology IF he was a cheat, was his wife. Rev Al came terrifying close to tearing an entire city apart and one of his major causes was nothing but a lie by a girl who stayed out too late and was afraid of getting into trouble. I can't give forgiveness to someone who refuses to apologize. You can call me an opportunistic vulture all you like - I couldn't possibly care less, but anytime people want to rain kudos down on his head, I'll remind them why that wont be happening with me.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)
Judi Lynn
(160,542 posts)amandabeech
(9,893 posts)You're right about Ed Koch, and I was no fan of him either. Nor was I a fan of Rabbi Schneerson, for that matter.
I understand that the black community needed and still needs leaders to stand up for injustices of all kinds, including the murder of black men. Still, I wish that someone other than Rev. Sharpton had been the one to stand up because I think that he has some real personal issues that he has yet to deal with fully. I liked Rev. Jackson better, but obviously his base was in Chicago.
You present a good case for Rev. Sharpton's strengths, and those of us who are less fond of him need to be reminded of those qualities. Despite my opinion of Rev. Sharpton's personality, I do agree with quite a bit of what he says. If Rev. Sharpton is to be the leader, I wish him very well in helping to resolve the pressing problems of today in a peaceful manner.
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)BronxBoy
(2,286 posts)Because doing so will shine a light on the enormous imperfections of their own leaders
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)I had someone on Facebook try to claim that he wasn't even a real man of the cloth! I laughed literally as I proved THAT wrong...he was ordained in the Pentecostal Church when he was 10 yrs old!
BronxBoy
(2,286 posts)he was a true preacher.
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)he was very very nice to everyone who approached him...
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)Only their Pentecostal ministers came be ordained at 10.
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)
BlueCaliDem
(15,438 posts)Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)Black spokesman for Black people, that can be scandalized and dismissed; rather than, A Black man, speak TO issues of the Black community.
When one makes are about the man, one can ignore the message.
BronxBoy
(2,286 posts)representing the power structure when the Rev began his ascendance as a leader in the Black community, their were people, mainly White people who certainly as problematic when it came to so-called ethics and integrity as the Rev ever was. Want to talk about Sharpton and Brawley, fine let's talk about Giuliani and Dorismond or the police riot in which NYC's only Black Mayor was called a washroom attendant.
It cuts both ways. And we can't have an honest conversation we don't hold both parties to equal standards.
amandabeech
(9,893 posts)and it is equally unbelievable that anyone here would support police riots or slurs against former Mayor Dinkins.
A conversation here about Giuliani would be totally one sided. There are other places on the net where you could get a lot of folks to support despicable Republicans and bad police officers, but not here.
BronxBoy
(2,286 posts)but they hold Sharpton to a higher standard than they do those folks. If the power structure in NYC was a just and equitable one, would Sharpton have risen to the point he has now? He did so because there were folks who had much uglier warts than he, yet we constantly get lectured about how he's a race baiter. There was no bigger race baiter than Rudy. Don't like Sharpton, then work towards a system in which a Sharpton is not needed. Until then, and I am speaking generally here not at you, I don't give a fuck what White people have to say about the Rev
CatWoman
(79,302 posts) BlueCaliDem
(15,438 posts)
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)
freshwest
(53,661 posts)And this is only one of your posts in an illuminating thread...
Hope you and yours have a good holiday season...
840high
(17,196 posts)not trust or respect him. His race baiting makes him money. He should pay what he owes in taxes.
BronxBoy
(2,286 posts)Who???????
JonLP24
(29,322 posts)If I was Sharpton and still believed the family I wouldn't either.
Depaysement
(1,835 posts)You produced an oasis of logic in a desert of praise.
To know Al Sharpton is certainly not to love him.
It was Steven Pagones who Sharpton and Brawley unjustly accused of rape.
Enrique
(27,461 posts)Tawana Brawley being the most obvious example.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)That's the excuse. The Reverend Al was on the rightwing sh!t list for years prior to Brawley.
uponit7771
(90,346 posts)
NoJusticeNoPeace
(5,018 posts)they would get confused.
ANY black man who speaks out no MATTER his history or lack thereof is unacceptable to cons.
Van Jones
Al Sharpton
Martin Luther King Jr
Jesse Jackson
Malcolm X
Bill Cosby
Wait, they actually like the Coz, so what is different?
CatWoman
(79,302 posts)we don't see them rushing to Cosby's defense, do we?
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)he can't very well be running around bashing Black youth, at this moment. He's otherwise occupied.
NoJusticeNoPeace
(5,018 posts)they are defending, they dont give a shit about Coz or any black person.
They care about the meme that the Coz unfortunately perpetuated that all the problems of the black community are of their own making
wellst0nev0ter
(7,509 posts)Because unlike the other black opportunists, he doesn't forget the history. However, the doesn't like to portray the whole story and instead just put together soundbites that fits the narratives, and he played right into their hands. Now his shit stinks because he did things he accuses the Black Youth boogieman of doing.
rbrnmw
(7,160 posts)BlueCaliDem
(15,438 posts)He's pretty much on the s**t list of a LOT of White people of all political ideologies. Good thing that there are plenty of sensible Whites who see the broader picture and don't amplify his past mistakes while playing down those of White leaders who have done worse.
GummyBearz
(2,931 posts)but I'll tell you my observations of my parents. They are 70 year old, white, middle class, retired. They are educated, and I think somewhat bitter that al sharpton was right all those years ago, and they didn't realize it back then.
As for current events, they think he's trying to re-live the struggles of the 60's, promoting racial tension when possible for personal gain. Again thats just my observation of them...
And he hounded an innocent person and tried to frame that person for the non existent crime. That guy (can't recall his name, he was a lawyer, I think) sued Sharpton and won. Sharpton has never paid the judgment.
Then there's Al and cocaine and being a snitch. And his back taxes.
Ugh.
The guy is an opportunist out to feather his own nest. He's also a racist. A complete dirtbag.
There are so many fine black people, why in the hell has this guy been elevated to being some kind of spokesman for the black community? It's an embarrassment that the president would give him a position of, what, and an adviser? What's up with that?
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)Attempting to calm down before responding ...
Does his not being a fine black person (because of his past), invalidate the truth of what he says?
Response to 1StrongBlackMan (Reply #91)
Post removed
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)I DO, however, believe in Sharpton's message ...baggage and all.
The fact that Sharpton can "represent the essence of historical racial and religious division and strife", speaks more to those people that would have truth come from "acceptable" negroes.
I don't know that Sharpton is seeking to heal racial wounds, so much as to expose that the wounds are still occurring ...And I'm okay with that. So no, he doesn't need to confront his 30 year old demons to make him an acceptable exposer of truth.
bravenak
(34,648 posts)Like whom? Conservatives and whom? Certainly not the Black community for whom he speaks....
Nearly ALL of the black community support Sharpton.
The very fact that you charge Sharpton with representing "the essence of historical racial division and strife' astounds me to no end. It is not that black man who is guilty of causing racial division and strife. That would be the white supremacy and history of treating Black people like animals in our nation.
You are wrong. Very wrong. And you try your best to use your lawyerly weasel wording to fly under the radar, but what you are saying is wrong and nasty.
America has a habit of finding a black person to blame for racial division and strife caused White supremacy.
It s not his fault America is racist and divided. To blame him is ignorant and foolish. It is an easy out.
Boreal
(725 posts)but that doesn't make Sharpton any less of an opportunistic con man.
I sure didn't mean to make you or anyone upset with my remarks. He is what he is and there are shitloads of good people I would rather hear from.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)In fact, I'm amused that you would think that racism exposed by "good people" is any more acceptable as racist than racism exposed by someone you do not approve of.
It's the MESSAGE, not the man.
Boreal
(725 posts)
kwassa
(23,340 posts)Your judgment of Sharpton as being an opportunistic con man is all yours.
Clearly, others disagree.
BronxBoy
(2,286 posts)Yet I don't see any White leaders being continually held to account. Giuliani was a racist of the highest order yet he's touted as "Americas Mayor" A large portion of NYC hated his fucking ass especially Black and Brown people.
I'll trash Sharpton when all those folks who had no problem with the brutalization of POC are held to the same standard
Boreal
(725 posts)has been trashed by lots of people. I can't stand him. So, I'm with you on that.
jen1980
(77 posts)They only care about the past when it fits their agenda.
Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)traits. Speech pattern,threatening body language,activism with MLK and other people of color groups and mostly how dare he have a cable TV show. Forgot,he is a perceived threat because he is African American.
ProfessorGAC
(65,058 posts)I think we all know the correct answer.
tenderfoot
(8,437 posts)to civil rights spokesperson?
I take him with a grain of salt and wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him. It annoys me that he's a public figure.
unblock
(52,243 posts)he was has been an outspoken civil rights leader for as long as i can remember, long before tawana brawley.
tenderfoot
(8,437 posts)and wasn't aware of his prior experience.
unblock
(52,243 posts)turns out he was in a band for years before that....
tenderfoot
(8,437 posts)What a unnecessarily hostile response.
Having said that, Sharpton's a piss poor leader of anything - especially civil rights. He's self-promoter and I don't have to take him seriously.
Have a nice day.
unblock
(52,243 posts)all joke, zero hostility.
none on my part anyway.
sorry you're having a bad day.
uponit7771
(90,346 posts)... another person to use that cultural reference....
I saw it first when I was 9... lol
cherokeeprogressive
(24,853 posts)1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)others, particularly those that he speaks for ... the poor and PoC, disagree.
tenderfoot
(8,437 posts)
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)but I would venture to guess far more back The Reverend Al, on civil rights/poverty issues than don't ... even if some find him loud, obnoxious.
JustAnotherGen
(31,828 posts)That's how I feel about Corney and Smiley! 
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)JustAnotherGen
(31,828 posts)
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)I can't think of a single PoC that refers to any of those recognized as "Black Spokespersons", as spokespersons for Black people.
I wonder who are the white spokespersons?
JustAnotherGen
(31,828 posts)I might get a hide! 
Oh wait . . .I just did. Oops.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)Though I suspect that the most fearless, progressive liberal "truth-teller, would not be seen as a spokesperson for progressives or liberals, let alone white people.
It's that old independentnessitude that we are genetically, and constitutionally, required to exhibit when we are being lumped into lock-step with any group (that does not bear our personal name) ... but we forget about when it is others being lumped.
rbrnmw
(7,160 posts)1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)rbrnmw
(7,160 posts)PoC may need to vet the white leaders like they do every civil rights leader
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)So much vetting of Sharpton in this thread.
I wonder which negro will be an acceptable spokesperson for Black folks, when none are speaking FOR Black folks; but, are speaking TO the harms inflicted on Black folks.
rbrnmw
(7,160 posts)I guess is their answer that is the message I am getting loud and clear
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)that doesn't make people uncomfortable.
I nominate Pookie for the appropriate approval!
rbrnmw
(7,160 posts)rbrnmw
(7,160 posts)because they think Sharpton shines light on truths that make folks uncomfortable.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)
freshwest
(53,661 posts)unblock
(52,243 posts)he doesn't say things (and say them in a way) that make rich white people comfortable hearing them.
perhaps he's not interested in reaching rich white people, or perhaps he thinks making them uncomfortable is the best approach. or perhaps he's just not good at that brand of politics.
most likely, i think, is that he speaks to poor people and minorities, and he is able to tap into their emotions again and again, and give voice to sentiments and events that might otherwise go unnoticed, buried on page 38.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)unblock
(52,243 posts)oversimplifying, of course, but there is something to that, i think.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)Sharpton is to President Obama on race/poverty issues (Or any other "fine Black person"
).
unblock
(52,243 posts)at least, before many people had heard of him.
i actually remember hearing of him when he became the first black president of the harvard law review, though of course he wouldn't fit the analogy yet at that time.
BronxBoy
(2,286 posts)because you have no idea what the fuck you are talking about
tenderfoot
(8,437 posts)and so congenial!
BronxBoy
(2,286 posts)Always aim to inform the misinformed
tenderfoot
(8,437 posts)just informing you - seeing that you didn't know.
BronxBoy
(2,286 posts)I welcome the time when people can correct my misinformation. I don't look at posters profiles and had no way of knowing....just as I'm sure you probably didn't know why and how Rev Sharpton has come to occupy the place he has in our community
ieoeja
(9,748 posts)"Self promoter" seems to be the standard method used to dismiss Black leaders. So I guess the followup question would be, how does one speak up with being a self promoter? The very act of speaking up makes a person the focus of attention and, hence, a self promoter even if that is not the intent.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)If only they saw themselves through the eyes of others they might hold onto their lying tongues for fifteen minutes.
At times, I just wish they'd hold their breath that long... 
tenderfoot
(8,437 posts)I thought we worked this out via pm.?
Guess not huh?
unblock
(52,243 posts)
Capt. Obvious
(9,002 posts)I literally broke out laughing at that.
a kennedy
(29,669 posts) immoderate
(20,885 posts)And he still does. That is not to say I disagree with him on most issues.
--imm
Response to immoderate (Reply #27)
otohara This message was self-deleted by its author.
Go Vols
(5,902 posts)so he could pay back all the back taxes, he currently owes millions of dollars would be one that is current/today.
Response to Go Vols (Reply #64)
otohara This message was self-deleted by its author.
immoderate
(20,885 posts)What is it about being a media fixture, and using that to publicize marches that you lead, and inserting yourself as a principal in local, personal issues that, "reek of self promotion?" Oh... 
--imm
Response to immoderate (Reply #69)
otohara This message was self-deleted by its author.
CatWoman
(79,302 posts)by Trayvon Martin's parents; by Michael Brown's parents; etc., etc.
and when he did go to help, those stories made national news.
He goes when he is asked to go. He doesn't "insert" himself into anything. Only in the minds of those here who don't like him. The very same people who also can't let go of the Brawley incident. Every Sharpton thread they can always be depended upon to jump in the thread with both feet and start with that crap. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
And those people need to take the hateful blinders off and stop spouting bullshit (not talking to you O) 
wellst0nev0ter
(7,509 posts)Al Sharpton isn't protesting this, this, or this, so he's a HYPOCRITE!
The truth hurts, so they want the messenger to go away.
Judi Lynn
(160,542 posts)It seems to give them something to live for, trying to destroy respect people have for the ones they hate. If they think they've gotten someone to hate along with them, it probably would make their day.
Fortunately most people are mentally, spiritually healthier than to swallow ANYTHING from a conspicuous hate monger.
I can't believe they have still continued this hatred for Al Sharpton so very many years. That takes a real need to hate.
CatWoman
(79,302 posts)yup
Ykcutnek
(1,305 posts)for having the audacity to be both black and outspoken.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)kelliekat44
(7,759 posts)CatWoman
(79,302 posts)giftedgirl77
(4,713 posts)He has been part of the civil rights movement long before Twana Brawley.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Sharpton
BronxBoy
(2,286 posts)olddots
(10,237 posts)And turd maggot wingers hate civil and economic rights .
maced666
(771 posts)So who really has the obsession here. The press appears to love him and he loves the press. Match made...
Ykcutnek
(1,305 posts)That has gotten him enemies on both sides of the spectrum.
They will point at mistakes he's made to justify their hatred, but we all know why they hate him.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)
kentuck
(111,098 posts)Just the racists.
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)They can call racists so they can justify their own....they even think Oprah is....lol!
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)Just sayin'.
Enrique
(27,461 posts)for example in the case of Akai Gurley, the mother and aunt don't trust him, but the domestic partner appreciates Sharpton's support:
But Gurley's aunt, Hertenceia Peterson -- who is speaking for his mom -- tells TMZ, "Al Sharpton came in, put his name on the situation, but has not even made one single call to the parents to Akai."
Peterson says all Sharpton sees "is money and political gain and that he is turning the tragedy into a circus."
Kevin Powell, who appeared on the first season of "The Real World" has been helping the family.
She says the family does NOT want Sharpton at Friday night's wake, where the Rev has promised to deliver a eulogy. She also says he's persona non grata at the funeral.
Rev. Sharpton tells TMZ, he's not grandstanding for the cameras and he was asked to get involved by Akai's domestic partner and mother of his daughter, Kimberly Ballinger.
Ballinger tells us, "Sharpton and his team have been supporting us since day one, and we absolutely want him to attend the wake and funeral."
BklnDem75
(2,918 posts)He turns a local issue into national news. That alone makes him a target of hatred.
PeteSelman
(1,508 posts)But also because he points out racism. Racists hate being called out.
procon
(15,805 posts)We were watching TV and Rev Al was speaking at some protest, and all he was saying was pretty benign stuff like, peace and justice, fairness and equality. Out of the blue, my brainwashed, FoxNoise-watching brother goes ballistic and starts hurtling racial epithets and slinging invectives. He was so agitated that his face turned red and the veins in his neck popped... I thought he was going to have a stroke!
So I asked him what set him off, and in between the usual disjointed snippets anti-liberal propaganda that labeled him a Communist, Marxist, Leninist and/or socialist -- like me -- the only thing he cited the Tawana Brawley story that happened nearly 30 years ago. Mind you, he didn't actually know the details and was primarily interested in casting Sharpton in a negative role to prop up his own preconceived notions.
He thinks Sharpton should not show up to rally black Americans even when he's invited, because he just fires up The Blacks@ into hating Republicans, rich folks, and the Tea Party, so he wants to see conservatives attend instead of Sharpton... it's the "Fair & Balanced" thingy, doncha know!
freshwest
(53,661 posts)I started to say to him:
'You actually thought you said something there, but you're just repeating a catchy meme. That term means nothing. Get back to me when your brain is fully engaged and you begin to create an original thought.'
But he's old and very ill. All he has is television, so I ignored it.
What can you say?
Happy Holiday.
JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)... want to call all black people.
They use him as a surrogate target given that his past is not squeaky clean.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)When a 78-year-old Jewish woman was walking down the street in Brooklyn earlier this month, the last thing she expected was to be punched in the face. Tragically, that's exactly what happened. The elderly woman was apparently the victim of what authorities are calling a "knockout game" -- where, according to police, an attacker or attackers aim to knock out a person with a single sucker punch. It is an alarming trend that is spurring outrageous incidents across the country. It is deplorable, reprehensible and inexcusable. It is insane thuggery, and it is unequivocally wrong. These kids are targeting innocent people, and in many cases specifically targeting Jewish folks. We would not be silent if it were the other way around, and we will not be silent now. This behavior is racist, period. And we will not tolerate it.
Several of these "knockout" incidents have already been reported in New York, and around the country. Many of the New York victims appear to be members of the Jewish community, but even in cases where race/ethnicity/religion aren't factors, it is still unconscionable. As I often state, no one -- black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, male, female, the elderly, children, gay, straight or anyone else -- should ever fear walking down the street. We live in a free and open society, but we also live in a nation where laws protect us from such vicious behavior. A 28-year-old Brooklyn resident was recently arrested for allegedly punching a 24-year-old in a reported "knockout" occurrence. We encourage police to thoroughly investigate each and every case, and bring these perpetrators to justice.
There is nothing funny or even remotely entertaining about attacking innocents walking down the street. This is not a "game"; it is inhumane behavior that has no place in our country or the world. When you start condoning it and you start to act like there's something funny about these types of actions, you set up the kind of crisis that leads to the demise of everyone. Diversity is one of the greatest strengths of this nation, and we must respect one another in a way that preserves and further develops this diversity. Therefore, when an injustice happens to anyone, it is the duty of all to speak up. Silence is akin to tacit acceptance.
This week, I will be meeting with other leaders to address our next moves regarding this crisis. As one who has fought for greater civil rights for all, I cannot watch this travesty unfold. We can discuss the many factors that may lead to this sort of destructive behavior, whether it be poverty, unemployment, etc., but at the end of the day, there is no excuse ever to bestow violence on others. There is no justification for brutally punching or attacking a person in this manner. These kids must be held accountable, and then they must receive the right guidance and mentorship to halt any further damage. In our own communities, we must work harder to spot disastrous behavior and intervene before anything horrific like these attacks take place. All of us need to push for better schools, job opportunities, after-school programs, recreation/community centers and more.
- Reverend Al Sharpton
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-al-sharpton/knockout-games_b_4340317.html?utm_hp_ref=business
helpmetohelpyou
(589 posts)Kind of like Gloria Allred
louis-t
(23,295 posts) That is what I hear every time I try to bring up the actions of the cops, or the peaceful protesters, or ANYTHING related to the recent events in Ferguson, NY, >long list here.<
"Yeah, but why do you let Al Sharpton speak for you?" "Al Sharpton has Obama in his pocket!" "Al Sharpton this, Al Sharpton that!"
I think Al Sharpton does not help 'the cause,' any cause, one bit. He is inflammatory, he is divisive. I understand why Obama thinks he is a conduit to the AA community, but that doesn't mean he has to be granted "advisor" status. He's just a guy. He's not an elected official, he has no official capacity to do anything. Sorry if that might offend some people. He's a guy with an opinion. If his opinions are supported by the largely Democratic African American community, run for office. In the meantime, he has become nothing but a convenient scapegoat for everything in the current tensions.
tularetom
(23,664 posts)But I have to say his TV show is almost unwatchable to me, since it is conducted at about twice the decibel level that my ears can deal with. He isn't a polished or effective TV personality and I found out today that the reason he has a show at all is a payoff for his support of the Comcast acquisition of NBC.
http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/how-david-gregory-lost-his-job/
Nonetheless, he is an effective spokesman because the mere mention of his name makes the cop lovers, fox watchers, and bigots go apeshit and act even more irrationally than normal.
hollowdweller
(4,229 posts)He, Jesse, Teddy Kennedy and Jane Fonda. If somebody claims to be a wingnut and doesn't spew hatred to all 4 then he's not a wingnut.
Fred Sanders
(23,946 posts)well spoken, intelligent black man in a position of power...enough said?
YoungDemCA
(5,714 posts)As opposed to someone like, say, Allen West or Herman Cain or Alan Keyes (or for the smaller number of right-wingers who read books) Thomas Sowell.
Atman
(31,464 posts)Lately he has been more likely to inflame tensions than to quell them. If his goal is to "lead" he should act like a leader. Many (most) people think he is speaking for the president, and that does us all a disservice when his heated rhetoric just stirs up more trouble for both the community and the administration.
YoungDemCA
(5,714 posts)"Why are right-wingers so obsessed with Al Sharpton?"
rbrnmw
(7,160 posts)Atman
(31,464 posts)That would sound Fox-Newsian. My post said "Many (most) people think he is speaking for the president,..." and I stand by that. Virtually everyone I speak with believes Sharpton is a spokesman for President Obama. Many (most) I speak with say he is Obama's official adviser.
This is not the Fox-style "Some people say..." I'm saying flat-out that many, if not most, people today believe Sharpton is part of Obama's official team.
Of course, I could be wrong. But I don't think so.
kwassa
(23,340 posts)and I don't know any that would.
What kind of people make this link? Republicans?
Atman
(31,464 posts)I'm happy you've never met people that think Sharpton speaks for Obama. Good for you.
kwassa
(23,340 posts)There is no connection between Obama and Sharpton, and there never has been. Nobody speaks for Obama but Obama. The very idea that Sharpton speaks for Obama is farcical. Obama has spent his entire career in DC steering clear of the black political structure here that is very much tied up in the black churches and the people who run them. Obama would not be that stupid.
I don't know where on earth you have come up with some connection between Sharpton and Obama. It is truly imaginary. it is a creation of right-wingers hoping to create a false association to tar the president with.
Atman
(31,464 posts)Or are you just mouthing off? I did not say there was a connection between Sharpton and Obama. It was about the PERCEPTION of a connection, and the number of people I encounter that believe Sharpton is some sort of official adviser to the President for race relations. Get of your high horse.
kwassa
(23,340 posts)after you tried to minimize what I was saying.
Sharpton has been a voice of moderation in this entire conflict, which tells me that you have some preconception about him and you haven't really followed anything he has said. As to the people you know, I don't know where you find them with these opinions. The Sharpton-Obama connection, as non-existent as it is, is being touted by only right-wing opinion sources. No one else. This tells me about your information sources.
As I pointed out, Obama doesn't need an adviser on race relations. He lives it every day of his life.
Number23
(24,544 posts)Why would ANY intelligent person think that?
rbrnmw
(7,160 posts)Rev Al speaks for President Obama
Number23
(24,544 posts)that Al fucking Sharpton speaks for the president of the United States.
I am flabbergasted that anyone would even make that comment.
rbrnmw
(7,160 posts)1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)Number23
(24,544 posts)Up, Permed Out" Sharpton is a mouthpiece for the president? I mean, this is in all seriousness.
And if anyone does, I simply have GOT to hear precisely WHY they would think that. And I don't even have any beef with Al, but it has never ONCE even dawned on me that he is speaking for the president.
I mean I have SERIOUSLY got to hear why anyone would think that Al Sharpton speaks for President Obama.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Tom Ripley
(4,945 posts)Fuck them
d_b
(7,463 posts)
Jamaal510
(10,893 posts)are the emperors of the Black Community, and hate when they shed light on backwards-minded social beliefs.
hollowdweller
(4,229 posts)They believe that the reason that black people are not prospering at the rate of whites is that they have been robbed of incentive due to government help, rather than getting shot by cops and suspected of being a criminal just by walking down the street.
Sharpton and Jesse remind us of this fact, Holder, and to a lesser degree Obama.
So when you see any of these people mentioning anything about race immediately Sharpton supporting that girl who was lying comes out, and they are all accused of being reversed racist because they dared mention that discrimination still exsists.
dembotoz
(16,806 posts)and he can mobilize folks
by default he is a big time civil rights leader
you damn fucking right they want to shut him down
who would we have to replace him
Marr
(20,317 posts)He's a convenient excuse to avoid thinking about issues of race. They can just dismiss any such complaints without processing them at all.
branford
(4,462 posts)He's a narcissist with the blood of too many innocents on his hands. It's not just the Twana Brawley fraud, for which he has never taken responsibility, but also instances like his involvement in the riots in Crown Heights, the Korean grocery boycott, Freddy's Fashion Mart massacre, his inciting comments against the Duke Lacrosse players well after most of the evidence proved it a hoax, and other smaller instances and comments that require little more than a long memory and a short Google search.
If there's racial (and anti-Semitic) strife and division, he's usually right in the middle, and making it worse.
Sharpton and some of his supporters claim he's different now than in his purportedly more radical days. I simply do not see it, and he's never apologized for the frauds his perpetrated or the harm he's caused. I admit that he tried to go a little more mainstream, but I attribute that to the fact that he likes to be on television, and it's required if he's to hobnob with more respectable politicians and celebrities.
If African-Americans or others look to Sharpton as a leadership figure, that's their choice. However, it's human nature to be judged by the company you keep, and given his long and controversial history, it's far more than just right wingers who react with disgust and repulsion to his mere presence and might then choose to ignore a possibly otherwise positive underlying message.
840high
(17,196 posts)BronxBoy
(2,286 posts)LOL
We do look to him as a leader because he took our cause up when no one else would. I have my problems with him too but he's been there for us and I'm certainly going to have more trust in him than a poster who seems to go out of his way to justify every cop shooting that is posted here.
As if our community gave a fuck what you think...
giftedgirl77
(4,713 posts)Poor clueless fools 
BronxBoy
(2,286 posts)400 fucking years and we still get lectured about who they think should lead us. Maybe if some people worried more about the leaders in their community than ours, half the shit in this country wouldn't be happening.
giftedgirl77
(4,713 posts)better for minorities that is why it has always been easier for us to just sit back & let them run the show. If we stand up for ourselves we are considered loud, obnoxious, unruly, & god forbid you get more than 3 brown people together. We are then considered a gang or angry mob regardless or the situation.
vdogg
(1,384 posts)I'm black by the way. Part of my problem is that he holds himself up as though he speaks for all black people (and the media lets him). He sure as hell doesn't speak for me. He's toxic, and his approach to race relations is outdated. There is no need for this man to literally fly across country to every single racial incident and involve himself. He seems to be more concerned with keeping himself in the limelight than solving problems. We need a newer generation of civil right leaders, preferably from the younger generations. Things have gotten bad again recently, but most of us haven't grown up being chased by dogs and hoses. Things have changed and there needs to be some acknowledgement of that, and perhaps a more nuanced approach. Not all cases are created equal. I have a problem lumping the Tamir Rice and Eric Garner cases in with Michael Brown. Michael Brown did not deserve to die, but he did a lot to put himself in a situation where he could die. Tamir Rice and Eric Garner did not. Their cases are pretty cut and dry, Michael Brown's case is a bit more Murky.
giftedgirl77
(4,713 posts)
delete_bush
(1,712 posts)Sharpton is nothing more than an opportunist, not that there's anything wrong with that. So is Donald Trump, although I'm not sure how many dead people he can be reasonably connected with.
7 people died in the Freddies incident, and I find it indefensible to argue that Sharpton's involvement was not a contributing factor. Add in Crown Heights and other incidents and it's even more clear that he's an anti-Semite. That the 'left' swoons over such a charlatan is pathetic.
NoGOPZone
(2,971 posts)I think the posts prior to mine sufficiently answer the question. Let me only mention that those who claim he is culpable for the two dead cops don't like to mention that Rev Sharpton himself was the target of an attempted assassination, by an ex con thug who once assaulted a policeman, and who thought he would be viewed as a hero if he succeeded. Wonder where he got that idea?
Judi Lynn
(160,542 posts)NoGOPZone
(2,971 posts)even though it will immediately be ignored, here is a link that has some details on the attack and the fact that the thug had previously been convicted of assaulting a police officer. Unfortunately, I can't immediately source the quote where he said he thought it would make him a hero, it was mentioned in his wikipedia article which was subsequently removed with some of its info merged into Rev. Sharpton's own article. However, if you do an Internet search on "Michael Riccardi and Al Sharpton" you might find further details.
http://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/13/nyregion/sharpton-is-stabbed-at-bensonhurst-protest.html
freshwest
(53,661 posts)mythology
(9,527 posts)Partially because he has the obvious screw up with Brawley incident, partially because he is always out in front on issues of what he sees as racial injustice (I think he's more right than wrong, but I have disagreed with him on some things), and his pattern of speech, partially due to things like the back tax issue that hasn't been resolved if he does in fact owe them or not.
So instead of critiquing his current argument, the right wing can point to his past activism, including one very high profile screw up and use that to dismiss what he's saying now.
branford
(4,462 posts)If he's as noble and reformed as he and others claim, a simple and sincere "I was wrong, I'm sorry" would go a very long way. You also don't get to ruin someone life, claim an "oopsie," and it all just goes away.
As I indicated in my earlier posts, his "screw ups" and divisiveness extend well after and beyond the Brawley disaster. You even concede your disagreements with him on some issues and obvious other serious problems like his back taxes. Sharpton has a long history of worsening divisions and creating strife based on race and religion (he's even had his ant-gay moments), yet I've seen scant few instances were he's been a uniter.
If you want people other than true believers to take Sharpton seriously, you first have to demonstrate he has both credibility and good intentions. Blaming his problems on right wingers is lazy and inaccurate.
d_r
(6,907 posts)he's an uppity black man
treestar
(82,383 posts)And since he messed up on the Brawley matter, they can use his support of anything as a way to tear it down.
branford
(4,462 posts)the Brawley matter (and Crown Heights, Korean boycott, Duke Lacrosse, etc.). Paying the back taxes also certainly couldn't hurt.
If he and his supporters want others to believe him an honest broker and sincere uniter, he need simply speak out about past mistakes and the lessons he learned. Heck, it would probably be a ratings boon for his television show and MSNBC.
The only person to blame for Al Sharpton's problems is Al Sharpton. He a very public figure with an immense ego who thrives on confrontation. How could anyone not bring up his past colossal failures? If he wants to be taken seriously by others, and not just by those on the right, he needs to (re-)earn respect and credibility.
CatWoman
(79,302 posts)branford
(4,462 posts)My feelings about Sharpton are obvious, but I am generally willing to forgive. People do change. However, forgiveness first requires acknowledgment of the wrongs and attempts at atonement. Sharpton has never even remotely demonstrated either of these simple qualities.
Even most of Sharptons supporters, at the very least, acknowledge the disaster of the Twana Brawley fraud. Could you kindly explain to me why Sharpton has still not personally acknowledged the fraud and apologized in the 27 years since it happened?
bravenak
(34,648 posts)She was found in a garbage can covered in feces. We still don't know who's feces, and my rapist did not leave semen in my vagina. She may have been telling the truth. Women are often raped, then not believed. People say they saw her when she was supposed to be a hostage. They may be lying or she may be misremembering the length of time she was held captive.
Unless you have some dna tests proving she was covered in her own feces? I'm sure nobody bothered to test that. Just like the tens of thousands of rape kits nobody is bothering to test. Sone since the early 2000's are still not tested.
He believed the victim and advocated for her. He still believes her.
Why should he apologize? To make you feel better? Please....
gwheezie
(3,580 posts)At the time I was seeing a lot of young folks showing up in the er after getting dusted. I believe there was an unusual amount of weed being sold at the time that was laced with angel dust. Sometimes it took weeks for a patient to clear up from whatever was in that weed. But me and my coworkers took one look at brawler in the news and said she was drugged. Something bad happened to her
bravenak
(34,648 posts)I was pretty young at the time but I remember it vividly. If she had gotten slipped something, or got some weed laced with sherm, anything could have happened, and her memory of it would be sketchy. I do not believe she did that to herself.
CatWoman
(79,302 posts)thank you
BronxBoy
(2,286 posts)He pretends to be the objective thinker but never, ever seems to see things from our side of the fence. Peeped his hole card awhile ago
CatWoman
(79,302 posts)
doc03
(35,340 posts)Iggo
(47,558 posts) rbrnmw
(7,160 posts)He has done so much for so many for many many years.
WillTwain
(1,489 posts)It may be his skin color.
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)On one hand, they're obsessed about expressing their fucked up opinions about black people, while on the other, they have an utter lack of concern over black life in America.
It's as if the only purpose for the existence of black people for wingers is either to have someone to complain about, or to enjoy pandering services from the few black people, who are wingers themselves. Black conservatives primarily function to kiss white wingers' asses and put a black face on white winger racist beliefs.
Sharpton is someone who won't cut white winger racists any slack. And for that, they label him a "race hustler." When wingers go out of their way to deny that white supremacy even exists in this country, they certainly don't like the fact that Sharpton is both showing the concern for the same black lives for which wingers have no concern themselves and is pointing out American white supremacy to them every single day.
applegrove
(118,677 posts)Last edited Tue Dec 23, 2014, 12:08 AM - Edit history (1)
I do not think he was all that honest a broker at the time. Now he is more tempered and reality based. He was someone the right used to fear and since no good fear is allowed to become undone on the right...they try and paint any events Sharpton comments on as something he is behind. In order that nothing true about racial justice sinks into the minds of the right, so that the GOP continues to be able to use the Southern Strategy in election after election.
CatWoman
(79,302 posts)unfortunately
applegrove
(118,677 posts)Last edited Mon Dec 22, 2014, 11:25 PM - Edit history (1)
him these days much. And I do not get MSNBC so I do not get the chance.
CatWoman
(79,302 posts) Capt. Obvious
(9,002 posts)
JEFF9K
(1,935 posts)and much of it is his own doing.
B Calm
(28,762 posts)steve2470
(37,457 posts)They will hate Rev. Sharpton until he leaves this earth, and then will hate the next man or woman who rises to his stature.
jwirr
(39,215 posts)spot to do it in. They do not like the truth.
TransitJohn
(6,932 posts)They're fucking batshit crazy.
Agnosticsherbet
(11,619 posts)It is racism.
JustAnotherGen
(31,828 posts)
appleannie1
(5,067 posts)
Prophet 451
(9,796 posts)That means "race hustler" (i.e. uppity nigger) in their book. Black people should just be quiet and say "than you, massah" for whatever crumbs they get given.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)
Orsino
(37,428 posts)...and because Sharpton stubbornly remains black, but still sometimes appears on TV.
True Blue Door
(2,969 posts)Makes their greycoated Confederate slavemaster blood boil.
Iggo
(47,558 posts)They don't know how to act until they identify a leader. And then when they do identify a leader, that leader becomes the issue, 'cause that's how they roll. Used to be Jesse Jackson. Now it's Al Sharpton. Can't wait to see who's next.
