http://www.local10.com/entertainment/14051896/detail.html
Check the link, it’s a short read. I’ll wait. When you get done, find out my thoughts on the subject and share your own after the jump.
Done reading? Sweet. My take on the subject can be summed up in 2 words: Publicity. Stunt.
Eddie Griffin, while not my favorite actor, is a hell of a comedian. He’s a funny dude… and he’s pretty well known. Odds are that if someone books Eddie Griffin for a show, they’re going to pay a pretty penny. People don’t just drop dough on a product sight unseen, so I think it’s safe to assume that the organizers of the event knew the caliber of Griffin’s material. He’s pretty raw… not Eddie Murphy Raw, but still raw.
Eddie Griffin. If Theo Huxtable thinks he’s cool, who are we to judge?
So why would Black Enterprise, an organization that is familiar with Griffin’s material, yet clearly offended by it, book the man for the event? Ah-ha. It seems to me like a bit of a setup. It seems to me like they hired Griffin with the intent of shutting him down and drawing attention to the whole fiasco. It seems like they sought to paint themselves as heroes for striking out against the big bad n-word. If they really wanted to make a statement about the word ‘Nigger’, they’d have not booked someone who they knew was going to say it! They might as well have booked Michael Richardson if that’s what they were trying to do!
While I’m not going to start a Free Eddie Campaign (like I did with Tim Hardaway a few months ago) I do feel like it is important to not look upon BE as some kind of heroes, because they brought the issue upon themselves.
I know. I know. There are going to be people who disagree with my thoughts. Now is your time to voice those opinions. Use that comment box bellow and tell me how you feel.
I shot most of this stuff right before Eddie worked his comedy magic in Miami. Seems to tie into the discussion nicely.
Rich
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid900837105/bclid900668361/bctid1178178663
http://ihateyoungpeople.com/
perhaps it was a publicity stunt. maybe it wasn’t. the bottom line in every situation, someone has to be made an example of, and he happened to be the target. they probably should have booked sinbad, but the fact of the matter is that some people have to learn the hard way. and maybe other comedians will learn from this example. when we as black folks start raising the standards, things will begin to change. it’s time for us to stop allowing one another to act ignorantly and laughing at it. this is why white folks don’t take us seriously. this is why don imus foolishly thought it was okay to call the Rutgers team “nappyheaded hoes.”
it is not okay for us to degrade one another, and we’ve got to start cleaning up our acts. so what he got pulled off the stage. there are people that were attacked by dogs, beaten, lynched, sprayed with water hoses, etc. just so eddie griffin could have the right to go into that club and do his standup act. the least any of them can do is respect the pioneers and expand their minds enough to come up with better content. he shouldn’t have been stupid enough to fall for the “setup.” slavery is still alive and well, and blacks are still falling for the okey doke everyday.