Bryant Purvis and Carwin Jones of the Jena 6 on the red carpet this weekend at the BET Hip Hop Awards.
The State Of . . .
Personally, I have never been that into Jena. Negros will rally for 6 dudes in Louisiana but turn a smirk when you say brothas should raise their kids and women should close their legs. I wish these brothas the best, but I didn't see it as this transformative issue that others did.
36 comments:
What did we accomplish? Looks like two homos to me. Two negros came from Louisiana to Sumner Redstone's second largest party of the year.
surprised that they would show up these awards. i guess they think they are celebrities now!
Nothing but exploitation!
Exploitation by whom?
These guys need to show a little humility and respect for what they went through. One way they could do that is by making progress in their lives, not hangin' out at BET's parties.
Ditto to Insurgent and TheStateof! WHERE ARE THEIR PARENTS!!!!!
II
Exploitation by whom?
Take a guess...?
Quit being obtuse Casper. You made a statement and I'm genuinely curious what you are talking about.
Seriously Casper. By whom do you think these young boys were exploited? I'd bet my right arm they were geeked to attend the BET awards. It wouldn't be so bad if they were wearing suits and appeared to have some inkling of an indication of how/why they came to be able to attend the show. There's clearly no reflection taking place in these young men, at least not that night.
II & rjesq
Celebrities walk the red carpet on to be photographed. There are thousands of attendees to these events who do so via the regular doors. Why are these young men on the red carpet. Because some PR/producer at BET wants to exploit a non entertainment (Jenna 6 trail)event for ratings. TSO was right... someone needs to coach them better.
Big J, Robyn
Would you be more ... empathetic ... if they were standing there wearing little gray suits, white shirts, skinny blue ties, and school boy glasses looking like some faded 1960's black and white photo of civil rights survivors?
What "exactly" about this image disturbs you?
I'm curious.
I don't fault these cats for being sucked up into the wake of Civil Rights redundancy and gratuitous media exercises.
I fault us for letting it happen.
Jena is getting reduced to another Duke Dancer episode.
"Jena is getting reduced to another Duke Dancer episode." DV
Your likely right and these two boys arent helping. The crap going on in our community is not a game. They should know that more than anyone else given what they could be facing in the near future. In light of this, I'd have hope for a touch more reflection, and demonstrated sense of what's important in this world. But you know what, let me check myself, I'm trying to go too deep. They just need to show some damn pride and self respect. And mirroring Usher and Chris Brown aint doing it for me.
DV,
Note that I didn't comment on their dress. I wear stuff like that, but not as tight-fitting, because they look really gay. I also don't wear chains on my jeans, which is gay as hell too.
Jena is the C-Class Duke Story.
When Kobe was under investigation for rape, he went to the MTV Awards. Bad idea. Sometimes you just have to act appropriately given the circumstances you are in. Show some respect for yourself and what you are going through. You don't wear a Zoot suit to a funeral. You don't show up at the BET awards flossin' with $500 cell phones after a lot of people sacrificed and rallied to get your punk ass out of jail.
You don't show up at the BET awards flossin' with $500 cell phones after a lot of people sacrificed and rallied to get your punk ass out of jail.
Of course, they should sit at home and be the pathetic victim "we" need them to be, "we" marketed them to be in order to cry and whine that "we" are all victimized.
Just curious - what activities would be acceptable?
BTW - these two boys were never in jail. Only Mychal Bell was.
II
"BTW - these two boys were never in jail. Only Mychal Bell was."
The police arrested the six students, eventually dubbed the "Jena Six", accused of the attack.[28] Five of them (Robert Bailey, Jr., then 17; Mychal Bell, then 16; Carwin Jones, then 18; Bryant Purvis, then 17; and Theo Shaw, then 17) were charged with attempted second-degree murder.[10] The sixth student, Jesse Ray Beard, was charged as a juvenile because he was 14 at the time.[29]
No, nobody is saying stay home and play victim. Victimhood should be avoided, as should the status of 'hip-hop groupie, completely out of touch with the gravity of the circumstances potentially facing one's ass' or 'yet another young black male sorely lacking in the sense of pride and regalia that makes us great.'
Ok Casper, if arrest = jail, why why didn't "we" -- all these noble warriors for civil rights -- protest when these two kids were arrested? Is it just me or is 9 months after they posted bail a bit late and desperately irrelevant?
Bryant Purvis was expelled from Jena High School last year and is now studying in Dallas, Texas. He's living with his uncle, Jason Hatcher, a professional football player on the Dallas Cowboys.
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/09/21/158231&mode=thread&tid=25
Sounds like this kid got an upgrade. Went from Jena, LA to living in the world of pro football?
And "we" were rallying for whom?
II,
So you see no problem with these kids showing up on Sumner Redstone's big party??
I don't believe that for one second.
Personally, I have never been that into Jena. Negros will rally for 6 dudes in Louisiana but turn a smirk when you say brothas should raise their kids and women should close their legs. I wish these brothas the best, but I didn't see it as this transformative issue that others did.
Only you said they were "victims," not me. I never said they should sit at home, just that they should carry themselves with a certain bit of humility given the circumstances. Why go to the BET Awards when they could probably fill a gym for of kids who'd love to hear their story? Why? Because now they are part of the Sharpton/Jackson/Viacom/Fox media machine, and their symbolic status as black men wrongfully included in the criminal justice system has been reduced to "two gay lookin' brothas at the BET awards."
bottom line is that this Coon-tastic pic (yes they look pretty homo) with the big shades, below the waste pants, and thug posture DOES NOT exemplify two young men as vested in their own futures as gazillions of black folks across the nation.
Forget all the theoretic mumbo jumbo, if these were my little brothers, nephews or cousins, i'd slap the TASTE outta their mouths for their weak attempt at 'stuntin'. This image they are portraying is the same kind of behavior that got their tails in trouble in the first place.
I don't really understand the point you are trying to make.
So you see no problem with these kids showing up on Sumner Redstone's big party??
Would it be better if it were Al Sharpton's party? Is the problem with going to a party or who's throwing it? Why?
Because now they are part of the Sharpton/Jackson/Viacom/Fox media machine, and their symbolic status as black men wrongfully included in the criminal justice system has been reduced to "two gay lookin' brothas at the BET awards."
SYMBOLIC STATUS.
You said it, not me.
SYMBOLIC STATUS. Who gave them that status? Aren't there lots of other Black men, like Mumia Abu Jamal, who are ACTUAL examples (i.e. not symbolic) of Black men wrongfully included in the criminal justice system?
reduced to "two gay lookin' brothas at the BET awards."
Reduced by whom?
So, you J, elevated these kids to SYMBOLIC STATUS and now you're mad because Murray Rothstein bamboozled you? He cockblocked on your symbol and turned it into something else?
Could it be that these kids were never real symbols of anything except what Mr. Rothstein told you they should be? Is it possible that Mr. Rothstein pulled your card from the jump and these kids weren't symbolic of anything than how the media uses people to distract Black sheeple to focus on all the wrong things?
SYMBOLIC STATUS? GTFOOH. Who needs symbols when Mumia Abu Jamal is sitting on death row?
okay, I'm startin to get irritated. None of the people on this blog have proclaimed that these boys are symbols of a damn thing. With that said, we can dispense with the (frankly) unoriginal Murry Rothstein take on this issue.
These boys need to sit down somewhere b/c they need to be concerned with something other than BET. They need to have more on their minds than stunna shades, T.I. and the semblance of celebrity they may now enjoy (regardless of whether that celebrity was ill-conceived). These boys could have had their asses handed to them, and actually there is still a chance this will occur. In light of this, and if only for the purpose of personal reflection (damn the rest of the world), they need to find something else to do this past weekend. And the worse part about it, is that they didnt have any adult around them telling them so.
What exactly is so hard to understand about that? I swear cant stand debate for the sake of debate!
Thank you RJesq!
These young men single handedly halted the momentum of the movement that was behind them. Regardless of if people want to call it a family reunion, a movement is a movement.
The subjects of any movement are responsible for moving forward. making PROGRESS.
Where is the progress on BET's red carpet?
And the worse part about it, is that they didnt have any adult around them telling them so.
This isn't debate for the sake of debate.
The sad part is they probably did have adults telling them they SHOULD go. Bryant Purvis is living in Dallas. The awards were in Georgia. Did he sneak away, surreptitiously buy a plane ticket and leave his uncle with no one knowing?
Is it possible that these kids who beat the shit out of a White boy don't exercise good judgment in general? Not just for what they wore to the BET awards?
You make it sound as if they are supposed to get some sense of introspection and perspective about all that's gone on when it doesn't appear anyone else has it.
It seems to me the only ones angry about the kids going to the party and not dressing "appropriately" are those who took these kids more seriously than they took themselves. That's your bad, not theirs.
That's your bad, not theirs.
Insurgent
Not it is 'their' bad, hence my repeated posts written from the perspective of what these boys need to do FOR THEMSELVES. You seem to want to make this about those who protested. I havent addressed the protesters one time. This is about these boys having their priorities in order and maintaining the proper perspective on the events that have unfolded in their lives.
If these kids had their priorities in order, none of this would have happened in the first place. They would have done the math - a) beat up White boy and get arrested? b) let this stupid shit go and be rewarded by achieving much more than any hick in this trailer park town?
To argue about a BET awards show is too little too late.
In any event, we're still looking for mentors. Interested?
sure.
II
In any event, we're still looking for mentors. Interested?
I volunteer DV!
Casper,
DV has his hands full mentoring you. :-)
II,
I lost you. This thread went awry.
These cats aren't "symbolic" for me. They may be for others. I wish them the best, but they look like two fags going into Murray Rothstein's coon show.
These cats aren't "symbolic" for me. They may be for others.
I wish them the best, but they look like two fags going into Murray Rothstein's coon show."
Big J
Damn man. That's a little harsh for a couple of 17 year old kids.
They were probably invited to the awards show by the producers.
Probably don't have a lot of money. Probably nervous, out of place, excited. Kids.
So what, they are not playing the 'victim of southern racism' according to the script. They are who they are.
Coon show?
You must confuse the BET Awards with a Congressional Black Caucus affair. Despite Sumner Redstone's ownership of BET, some of the most creative, accomplished and recognizable artists on the planet will be in the audience and on stage.
Admit they are at least more creative, accomplished and recognizable than what the Historically Black Colleges have produced in the past 20 years.
Agree?
DV
"Admit they are at least more creative, accomplished and recognizable than what the Historically Black Colleges have produced in the past 20 years.
Agree?"
Are you kidding us. Some of the best Doctors, Scientist, Authors, CEO's have started their educations in HBC's I'll take them any day over a rapper. Are you serious!? I bet you want us to believe that you are training your kids for the rap game? Yeah Right!
DV, you think you may be somewhat over the top on this one?
Were talking about automatic weaponry.
Careful you dont step in to the realm of 'knee jerk reaction' and insufficient discernment....much like those you criticized in Jena, LA.
wrong post.
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