Are they sellouts?

Selling out refers to the compromising of one's integrity, morality and principles in exchange for money, 'success' or other personal gain. It is commonly associated with attempts to increase mass appeal or acceptability to mainstream society. A person who does this, as opposed to following the original path s/he laid (or claimed to lay) out for him/herself, is labeled a sellout and regarded with disgust and immediate loss of respect. Selling out is seen as gaining success at the cost of credibility. Every person, from the entertainment industry, to political revolutionaries, to a Bohemian who suddenly switches to a socially conservative lifestyle, could be a sellout.

- Wikipedia

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We have heard this term bandied about many times over our lives and I sometimes find it not only amusing, but hypocritical. Being a Black man, I hear this applied over and over to my people who have essentially risen up to a measure of fame and success and who are accused of being an Uncle Tom or a sellout because of it. Now, those who are calling them these names could claim that they are angry because this person has not looked back towards those who helped them to get where they are. But, I wonder if there is evidence of this (outside of that buffoon O.J. Simpson).

You see, we seem to have a problem with people who move along faster than we do. We seem to have an issue with people who were once representative of a certain "lesser" lifestyle but now represent achievement and success.

I was watching "Last Holiday" the other night with my wife. In this charming movie were Queen Latifah, LL Cool J, and Giancarlo Esposito. Of course, Queen Latifah and LL Cool J were extremely powerful rappers from the "mean streets" of New York. Giancarlo Esposito was the young man in "School Daze" who led the Que-like Fraternity and also the very angry militant in "Do The Right Thing."

These performers, along with Will Smith, Ice Cube, and Ice-T, all have become VERY successful actors and are truly prospering by leveraging their talent. In fact, Ice-T has even stated that he will no longer accept roles as a pimp or anything negative, instead playing cops. Ice Cube? One of the hardest gangster rappers ever from his days in NWA but now playing the kindly barbershop owner in Barber Shop and other like roles. Was Will Smith being a "coon" when he played Will in "Fresh Prince" or not being Black enough when he played "Hitch?"

Have these people forgotten from whence they came? I seriously doubt it, but now they may be deemed sellouts or worse because they are highly successful movie stars and who are not making movies about revolution or the struggle yet can command $20,000,000 a picture?

I also find it curious that we want other ethnic groups to truly appreciate us as Black people in areas such as comedy, business, or jazz but bristle when White performers take it and create Smooth Jazz from it. Or we have a problem with Oprah being a billionaire or Queen Latifah being worth over $200 million. I guess they just keep all that money to themselves and don't create jobs for your dumb azz with your pants down your backside and insisting on not speaking White where some hardworking person who deserves the job, works very hard in preserving the "franchise" called Oprah or Queen.

They just don't get it, do they?

I find it curious that when there are instances where no Blacks are represented, we cry racism and wonder why there are not some who are talented enough to fill those slots. But, when they ARE filled, we derisively call the Condoleeza Rices or General Colin Powells or Clarence Thomases sellouts and Uncle Toms. Not every Black person MUST be liberal no matter what definition of Black you want to apply.

We "want" to see Blacks in positions of leadership in business and politics but when we do, with a Black man running American Express and a Black man having a solid chance to be the nominee for President of the United States, we find reasons to question their Blackness. As columnist Eugene Robinson wrote, we believe with all our heart that "they" aren't ready for a Black man to be President. I submit that the "they" may as well be ourselves and not some evil cabal of old white men.

It's a blanket indictment that we place on all of our people...one which makes very little sense.

Is it our slavery ancestry which does this? Can we not applaud the achievements of people who reach the heights of their profession without demeaning the accomplishments because it is not in the area of civil rights?

I submit that unless they feel their physical presence will elevate a certain cause to the forefront of people's concerns, they probably donate MILLIONS to various causes without wishing to have it publicized. The last frame of "Ray" showed that Ray Charles gave over $20 million to HBCUs. Did any of us know that before the movie?

On the heels of Silky's very powerful screed the other day, I'm feeling a little disappointment at the hypocricy of our people. We scream racism; we blame everyone but ourselves for our plight; and to make ourselves feel either like a noble victim or to try and convince ourselves that we are just not worthy enough, we label those who chose NOT to wait on the rest of us these horrible names.

We must all realize that we are just as diverse an ethnic group as any other ethnic group. We all do NOT have to be militant dashiki wearing radicals who won't leave to start their own country preferring to tear down a society that allows anyone to succeed. If White people don't accept your accomplishments, then create your own level of stardom. Bollywood has done so. What's our problem when they DO accept us and play jazz or become rap singers or dress in FUBU-like clothing? You DID want them to accept you, right?

I suppose that the only acceptable representatives of us today has to be 50 Cent or Shug Knight or some other such entity.

Now, I'm just making an observation here. I have probably been labeled a sellout for wanting to make honor roll and get on to college and build a better life when I was younger. I know for a fact that some man called me a "Geechie" TO MY FACE because I am gregarious and can be the life of any party. Amazing.

We have a lot to figure out about ourselves. When you have an idiot like Michael Eric Dyson ripping Bill Cosby a new one because he had the temerity to tell the truth; with Dyson seeing a chance to elevate himself rather than to address THE problem that Cosby pointed out, someone has missed the point.

We sneer and scoff at those who INSIST that we FIRST live lives of dignity and self-respect like our Muslim brothers and sisters advise us. We even blame Christianity for our plight accusing it of being a European creation; a narcotic blinding us to the ills that beset us. We blame EVERYONE but ourselves.

Our hypocricy in the face of our diminishing capacity to see beyond the limits we place on ourselves by labeling those that DO (not just who "can" but who DO) as sellouts, Toms, or whatever is incredible.

Of course, there are systematic ills in our justice system. Our justice system has a long history of racism and unfairness. But, do we produce children who can read English well enough to stay on the safe side of that system and fight those injustices? No...we prefer the bling and the things that are the TRUE narcotics that are toxins to our existence. We prefer to symbolicly bury the N-word rather than FORCE ourselves to never have that label applied to any of us because we will NOT represent a demeaning masochistic lifestyle.

No, we have a problem...a number of them. "God don't make no junk" as the saying went. But, we sure do a good job of jacking up His finished masterpiece, don't we?!

Sheesh...

Donny

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