Is Al Sharpton a Racist?
Sharpton is Applying a Double Standard Regarding Racist Behavior
Aug 17, 2008
On July 6, 2008 Jesse Jackson said that Barack Obama was "talking down to black people ... telling n—--rs how to behave,’’ but relatively little has been said by his peers.
In April 2007 Al Sharpton and other Civil Rights activists led a campaign to have radio talk show personality Don Imus fired after he did a parody of gangsta rappers, referring to the Rutgers Women's basketball team as some "nappy headed hoes."
One only needs to read the comments of Snoop Doggy Dawg, who said he and his friends rap ‘’about ho's that's in the 'hood that ain't doing sh--, that's trying to get a n---a for his money,’’ to reason that Imus was poking fun at the disrespectful terms that many black rappers use to describe women and not at all incinuating that he himself felt that way.
Don Imus clearly made his ‘controversial’ remarks in jest. Jesse Jackson did not. Yet Al Sharpton and former head of the NAACP, Bruce Gordon, who both vehemently called for the firing of Don Imus in April 2007, have not demanded a boycott of Jesse Jackson.
A Double-Standard?
Is Sharpton applying a double-standard when it comes to what and who should be considered racist or discriminatory?
Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson called for a boycott of the sitcom Seinfeld when one of its stars, Michael Richards, made bigoted comments to two black men at a comedy club in Nov. 2006.
A month before the Richards incident however, Oct. 2006, Isaiah Washington, who is black, called his Grey’s Anatomy co-star, the openly gay T.R. Knight, a f****t. Sharpton and Jackson made no call to have him fired or to have Grey’s Anatomy boycotted though.
In the past 5 years Sharpton has never demanded that Comedy Central’s Chappelle’s Show, in which the N-word is frequently used, be cancelled or boycotted. Sharpton also never demanded that Dave Chappelle, despite his constant use of the N-word, be fired during the 3 years that new episodes, with the use of the N-word, were being created and airing.
Sharpton though, was immediately available for comment on June 24, 2008 a day after Don Imus asked what color Adam ‘Pac-Man’ Jones was, saying:
‘’It has been reported to me that statements were made by Mr. Imus this morning and National Action Network has monitored his show since his return… We will determine in the next day or so whether or not his remark warrants direct action on our part as we did in April of last year.’’
When Mr. Jackson was caught using the N-word on tape, just 2 weeks later however, it took 11 days and a surprise encounter in a subway before Sharpton would comment. When caught Sharpton’s initial comments regarding the incident were that he was disappointed and ‘’…that this certainly does not reflect the Reverend Jackson that we all know and love,"
Sharpton did not say which Jackson the comments did reflect nor did he ask Jackson to resign from the public spotlight as he did of Don Imus. Instead on July 29 Sharpton defended Jesse Jackson saying, “We have all made mistakes… But we should not throw away everything when we err… Jesse Jackson is somebody.’’
Must One Be Black To Be ‘Somebody’ To Al Sharpton?
This has left many asking why Don Imus or Michael Richards are not entitled to the same treatment. Why throw everything away that Don Imus or Michael Richards has earned for err but not treat Jesse Jackson or other black individuals equally?
Al Sharpton’s record of recent behavior is very disturbing and should be addressed by him if he hopes to be viewed as a legitimate advocate for Civil Rights in America.
Graham, Tim. Snoop Dogg: Don't Compare Me To 'This Punk' Don Imus. <http://newsbusters.org/node/11981>
