By Walter L. Hilliard III
Any self-respecting Black person has caught onto Don Lemon’s shtick on CNN a long time ago, pretending like he’s down with the “Black Cause,” acting like he’s all about the well-being of Black people one minute, and then the next he’s agreeing with the likes of a racist like Fox News Bill O’Reilly, as if Black men pulling up their pants is a bigger issue than anti-Black racism, mass incarceration, and high Black unemployment.
Lemon’s always trying to physically, verbally, and intellectually “man handle” Black people and issues because he’s Black, forgetting that “respect” is the foundation of Black relationships, whether we’re a business man or a drug dealer – Black people want their respect. During the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, I watched out on the street putting his hands on Black people, redirecting them or lightly pushing them out of the way when he wants them to back up, and I’ve seen him disrespecting Black guests on his CNN show like he did Talib Kweli, who showed up in Ferguson and was invited to do a street interview with CNN. Lemon kept disrespectfully cutting Kweli off when he criticized CNN for misreporting an incident he, Kweli, happened to be at. So Kweli started “going in” on Lemon because he wouldn’t stop interrupting him. Lemon was obviously doing what any Uncle Tom would do – being a patsy and deflecting criticism of CNN and his White bosses or producers and executives. Yes, Lemon was doing what he always does, acting like the Main House Nigg#^ at CNN.
Everyone knows that Lemon is CNN’s star “passive” House Gay, which is the reason why they hired him because we all know he has no real talent or logical Black insight. Lemon is always bashing his own Black people, willing to say the things many Whites want to say but can’t. And as you probably know, the more aggressive, outspoken Black males, those like Roland Martin, were run off of the CNN plantation.
Another issue Kweli and Lemon argued about was the fact that Lemon tried to portray him as being disrespectful when he was gracious enough to invite him onto the show; however, Kweli shot that down and turned to and named the producer who actually invited him onto the show. He also got on Lemon’s case because he actually disrespected him when he spoke to Lemon, who had previously rushed by him playing with his cell phone while Kweli was respectfully saying hello to him. Lemon tried to say he was “working” but Kweli swept the floor with him. And, anyway, why would Lemon want to have a verbal battle with one of the most intelligent, articulate rappers, ever, and a member of the former group Black Star, a group in which he partnered with the also well-known, well-respected – at least by Hip Hop connoisseurs – Mos Def.
Again, Lemon is a snotty nosed TV personality who White media, particularly CNN, has anointed and given a high profile because he’s gay. This is the CNN who ghetto-izes most of its Black host, pushing them to the Weekend TV Hood. Lemon is also very smug, arrogant, and condescending to most Black guests and the Black masses when he addresses our issues on CNN.
So, but of course, Kweli and Lemon “squashed their beef” by the end of the interview, but only because Lemon eventually backed down and gave Kweli some respect, having been intellectually butchered in a Verbal Street Fight on national TV.
That’ll teach ‘em . . . at least not to mess with Kweli again. But the rest of us are in trouble.
