Jimi Izrael, a quick witted, Black journalist, recently conducted an interview with Gina McCauley. McCauley is an attorney and women's rights "activist" (explanation for the quotes soon to follow). She runs the blog http://whataboutourdaughters.blogspot.com, and is responsible for the name change of BET's latest tomfoolery "We Got to do Better", formerly known as "Hot Ghetto Mess".
As I read the interview which can be found here, I was initially amused at Izrael's acridity, but as I read on, I began to wonder if he had personal beef with her. With each question, the insults grew more poignant and individualized. He compared her to the crazy cat lady on The Simpsons, called her "bitter and manless" for not revealing her relationship status, and called her "humorless" because she did not find "We Got to do Better" entertaining, just to name a few examples. I mean, can a sista live??
Come on, Jimi! What do you have against this lady? Now granted, she is criticized for her activism which includes selling T-shirts on her blog and for not focusing her efforts on a broader scale. However, don't small victories and grass roots campaigns count for anything?
Jimi's overall argument was that Black women blame Black men for the downfalls of both groups, and that Black women should take more responsibility for our own actions. While it is true that God gave each one of us a mind and hands to think and do for ourselves, his "don't blame me for the Karrine Steffans and the New Yorks (Flavor of Love) of the world" is a gross oversimplification which left a bad taste in my mouth. Furthermore, stop hating on Gina McCauley for trying to make a difference--even if her efforts are a bit misdirected.
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5 comments:
That interview was crazy. He was very hostile and combative, why interview someone in such an unfair way? What was HIS point?
~Midl Chile
Reading that interview makes me want to research Jimi a little bit more. The term journalist should be used loosely when describing him, in my opinion. Blogging is a form a free expression and I understand that authors ought not be held to the same standards as true journalists. Nevertheless, his interview was contradictory in every way. He accused Gina McCauley of being defensive and combative, when most of his comments were combative as well as rude. He called her bitter, yet his tone seemed to reflect his own bitterness against black women. I was through when he mentioned woman driving their men out of the house! If that's not shifting the blame then what is? Finally, how seriously can you take someone who keeps referring to their interviewee’s views as ASS?
Hi Summer.
Well, my credentials as a reporter and news-writer are pretty well documented. My site came kind of by demand, by readers who wanted to hear more of my world-view. I admit it: there's no accounting for taste.
My QnA with Gina was consistent with other QnAs I've done on the site, including one I did with Omarossa's Ex, Aaron and Jiggles, a girl with an entire book about the joy of having a big ass. So, on jdotscom, no one gets a pass. I ask everyone kind of rude, hard questions. Because I can. Gina came off pretty hostile right out the gate, so I just gave it back. No biggie.
It's true: I tire of black feminist dogma. The question about black women driving women from thier home is based on numbers: black man/white woman couples stay together longer and marry at twice the rate of black on black. The numbers suggests something that, while impolite, is totally worth asking. My job is to ask questions.
Thanks for reading.
the izza
Jimi,
The reasoning that you are rude, because you can be, is sophomoric and a major indication that continuing this discourse is pointless. It is true that controversy yields popularity, but to sacrifice morality and logic in order to gain said popularity is selfish and depraved, in my opinion. If your job is to ask questions, why not ask the appropriate ones? The statistics on divorce rates you mentioned in no way are caused by one factor alone: "The Black Woman." External causes such as age, education, employment, religion, and geography play major roles in why a couple divorces, just to name a few. Based on the US census, white women are 10 to 20 percent more likely to divorce than Mexican women, so are they driving their husbands away too? Do you tire of African American civil rights arguments such as the need for affirmative action, as well? Its been at least 3 decades since they were legally segregated against, right? Or is it just black women and gays who you insult and degrade? It saddens me that someone in the position to get their message out to the masses, uses that power for self-aggrandizement, rather than to support and encourage his women and race.
Everything is subjective, isn't it? One nation's hero is another's tyrant. I can only be that which I am: imperfect. I'm not here to address the agendas of race of lost peoples. I get paid most often to give my opinion, unfiltered.
I'm humbled by your observations. Thanks for reading.
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