Pamela
Assistant Webmaster
THIS GOAL JUST ISN'T WORTHY
« on: December 09, 2003, 10:33:29 AM »
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This goal just isn't worthy
By BARRY SAUNDERS, Staff Writer
Whew, that's a relief. Just when it appeared that black people couldn't get upset about anything, along comes an issue that has apparently reignited our fire for social justice.
The war in Iraq? Nope.
The way the cops beat that fat guy to death in Cincinnati? Get real.
What has seemingly ignited a spark is -- sit down for this one, Loretta -- the scheduled release today of Ruben Studdard's new CD.
On Monday morning, I heard two syndicated radio show hosts urge blacks to mark today as the day to rush out and purchase the American Idol's new CD, as though our lives, or anything else, depended on it.
Since the beginning of November, I have received dozens of frantically forwarded electronic letters urging me to do the same. One of these came from the head of a national civil rights organization whom I won't name because he probably would, or should, be embarrassed.
This dude has never to my knowledge expressed outrage over the fratricide, a fancy word for brothers killing brothers, that has destructively rippled through our communities, or on how to persuade Bush to send our young'uns home from Iraq.
Yet, with what I presume was a straight face, he forwarded a letter urging me to "go out and buy one or two copies and make sure your friends buy a copy so we can surpass Clay's" sales.
Surpass this, chump.
With all of the pathologies blacks face -- fatherless kids, crime, high blood pressure -- I figured nobody but Studdard's record company could really care how many CDs he sold. I called J Records in New York and asked whether this alleged competition with Clay was designed to boost sales by making a phony appeal to race pride.
"That would be kind of trifling," Biff Warren, J's senior director of publicity, said with a laugh. "That's a fan thing. We had nothing to do with it. We've shipped 1.3 million units, and with this kind of groundswell, we think Ruben's going to do very, very, very well."
Years ago, I boarded a plane in Charlotte and passed rasslers "Nature Boy" Ric Flair and Ivan "the Russian Bear" Koloff sitting in first class. They were drinking and laughing together like old comrades.
I'd screamed myself hoarse the previous night, urging Nature Boy to rip Koloff's arm out of the socket and beat him with it. Imagine my disillusionment upon seeing them kicked back, sharing cocktails.
The people trying to foment a rivalry between Ruben and Clay are destined to be similarly disillusioned since, Warren assured me, "They have a great personal and professional relationship. They tour together."
Not only that, he said, but J Records, Ruben's label, and RMG, Clay's label, are part of the same company.
Darn. Of course, that'll make no difference to people determined to see a racist conspiracy lurking behind every CD. For instance, one e-mail message stated, "With our dollars we can surpass Clay ... and remind America who won their 'American Idol' competition."
I don't know about you, but I can think of more important things than reminding America who won a made-for-television "event." And I can think of a million more things we can do with those dollars besides buy Ruben's CD.
LINK