Res Ipsa wrote:Jersey Girl wrote:RI,
I read the replies here earlier. I'm not really monitoring the thread at this point. You said you didn't see evidence of Hughley laying into Harvey. You are correct. I wrote poorly. Hughley was laying into the meeting itself and Trump in particular.
If you look on youtube or search online for "Steve Harvey Coon" you'll see various pieces where people are heaping heavy criticism on Steve Harvey.
What annoys me, I guess, is that Steve Harvey and MLK 3 (among others on a variety of issues and concerns) are trying to meet with a guy they obviously dislike in order to try to enter into a constructive relationship with him.
And basically I find politics nauseating as an underlying theme.
I think it is hard to imagine what it feels like for many of our African-American fellow citizens to see Trump elected. Nothing in his career to date can give them confidence that he will do anything to help with the situation in many African-American communities. He has a past that involved keeping black folks away from his father's properties. He continues to condemn the African-American Central Park five decades after they were shown to be innocent. He reacted to the first African-American president by spearheading a blatantly racist conspiracy theory accusing the elected president of being an illegitimate president. And in getting elected, he cozied up to the racist, right wing fringe in America that views black folks as inferior or subhuman -- people that want to ethnically cleanse the United States of black people. He's appointed Ben Carson, who admitted several weeks ago that he wasn't qualified to serve in a Cabinet post, in one of the Cabinet positions that will likely affect inner city black folks the most. And he appointed Jeff Sessions as attorney general.
It's hard for me to imagine what a guy like Lewis -- who got the crap beat out of him marching for Civil Rights -- feels like right now.
It think there's a genuine discussion to be had as to how to respond to Trump's election. And I think reasonable arguments can be made for trying to work with Trump as contrasted to opposing him. In fact, there may be very good arguments for using both the carrot and the stick. But it seemed to me that you were going beyond I think Steve Harvey's approach is right and Lewis's is wrong. It sounded to me like you were trying to call Lewis out as being hypocritical, when I don't see any good reason for doing so. In the grand scheme of things, attending the inauguration or not won't matter at all, except to Trump's ego.
I get that you like the notion of giving Trump a chance. Maybe we should give Lewis the same chance, and not conclude that he's doing nothing but sitting on his hands just because he skips a ceremony.
Back up the truck, RI.
John Lewis didn't cite those instances when he said that he considered Trump an illegitimate president. He cited Russian interference in the election. Race wasn't an issue (that I'm aware of) until Trump shot his mouth off on Twitter.
None of us can fully understand John Lewis's experiences as a civil rights leader. But I submit to you, that while Lewis was attacked, denigrated and beaten, MLK Jr. lost his life. His children lost their father. Here are the words of his son regarding what John Lewis said about PE Trump.
"First of all I think that in the heat of emotion a lot of things get said on both sides. I think at some point I bridge-build. The goal is to bring America together," King told reporters.
Whether or not MLK3 is as devoted a champion of civil rights as his father, I don't know. What I do know is that his stance on bridge building resonates with me, because it's constructive rather than divisive.
Steve Harvey's approach was similar. Here is a recent quote from him:
Our president (Obama) asked that all of us sit down and talk to one another in order to move our country forward," the host of Family Feud and The Steve Harvey Show noted in a statement posted to Twitter. "The transition teams on both sides asked me to meet and I'm glad I did."
Harvey said that Trump "immediately got (HUD secretary nominee) Dr. Ben Carson on the phone to begin dialog in looking for programs and housing to help our inner cities." He added that the president-elect "seems very open to my mentoring efforts across the country."
He added, "I walked away feeling like I had just talked with a man who genuinely wants to make a difference in this area. I feel that something really great could come out of this."
Harvey's bottom line? "I would sit with him anytime."
And on the heels of the vicious criticisms he received:
“On a personal note, a lot of ya’ll hurt me. You really did. I didn’t expect the backlash to be so fierce,” Harvey told his radio audience Monday.
“Change can only happen when we sit at the table. If we sit at the table, then we can have a say as to what’s to be eaten on the menu,” Harvey said defending his decision to work with Trump. “I have an obligation to take a seat at the table when invited.”
So what I see, are two men willing to create a dialogue.
One man (so far) willing to sit out what could have proven to be a positive beginning.
And the media reporting about Trump cancelling his visit to the AA Museum on MLK Day, as if it had something to do with race, when his plans included meeting with MLK3 that very day.
Each of the three, as well as their critics, are free to voice their opinion. However, my eye is on the bridge builders.
