Needed: A thicker skin

Wish I'd said that!

[Reprinted from Issues & Views October 7, 2002]

On the home page of the website, New Black Voices, the editors, borrowing a line from journalist Roland Martin, ask, "Where does it say that stalwarts of the civil rights movement can't be made fun of?" Then follows a raft of articles, including Martin's, all dealing with the latest hissyfit thrown by pretentious black elites over actors' portrayals in the new film "Barbershop."

Martin, of BlackAmericaWeb, begins his article, "Get Some Thicker Skin, Jesse," with the above-cited question. He goes on to rebuke Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton for assailing the film, because they happen to dislike some of the negative, off-handed remarks expressed about such figures as Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Rodney King (!), and, of course, the Great Ones themselves, Jackson and, by association, Sharpton. Due to the ribald irreverence shown to these icons, the Great Ones are threatening a boycott of the film.

In addition, they have called for a public apology from the filmmakers (the film is written, produced and directed by blacks), and demand that the "offending" scene be removed from the film when it is released in video.

Writes Martin, "People like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and a host of others are always talking about First Amendment rights, yet when their delicate sensibilities are irked, the first thing they do is complain about it and want something changed."

The film, with a black cast, takes place in a barbershop, where raucus banter ensues between customers and barbers. In the scene in question, a character ridicules Martin Luther King, Jr., whom he describes, according to the Los Angeles Times, in "less than flattering terms." And when Jesse Jackson's name is brought up, the same character responds with profanity.

Martin suggests that those who oppose the film might harbor less-than-sincere reasons for showing public outrage. He says, "This critique has nothing to do with joking about Parks, King or Jackson. It's about some needy folks having to get some press attention because the movie is the top-ranked film in the country."

Martin's speculation prompts still another. Has Jackson or Sharpton ever threatened to boycott a film in outrage over its verbal filth and violence, and the negative messages thereby sent to young people? Or does the concern of each of these leaders begin and end with imagined damage to his own personal image? Might they read such damage as possibly influencing a new generation of prospective black "victims" to think twice before following the lead of these two great hustlers?

Teresa Ridley also speculates. Her message, originally posted to the listserv of the National Association of Black Journalists, is cited on the New Black Voices website: "I just wonder how effective such a boycott would be if the vast majority of black folks think Sharpton/Jackson are being ridiculous (as I do). And, if Sharpton/Jackson suspect that a boycott would be ineffective, will they still go through with it and risk being seen as less than formidable?

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