Ramblings' Journal

Wisconsin radio shlock jock Sylvester gives "apology" & insults further

Madison, WI radio personality John Sylvester gave a half-assed "apology" for racially insulting Secretary of State-designee Condoleezza Rice in a letter to newspapers this morning.

I'm concerned that I have offended many African-Americans by using a crass term to describe an incompetent, dishonest political appointee of the Bush administration. I apologize. I know the term "Aunt Jemima" is not complimentary to African-American women who have worked so hard and yet receive so little from our great country.

I will not, however, apologize for pointing out that while Rice has clearly enjoyed the American dream, she has allowed herself to be used as a black trophy by an administration that is working hard to deny that dream to other African-American women.

Rice has had a very successful career in academia, but unfortunately she has clearly forgotten that many African-Americans are still paying the price for a country that promoted years of segregation, oppression and discrimination.

This radio hack thinks that by giving a back-handed slap at Rice, and by extension black conservatives across the nation, that he can attone for his offensive behavior.

I would dare say that it doesn't. If anything, it adds fuel to the fire.

Sylvester presumes to think for black America, and feeds into the misconception that black America is an ideological and intellectual monolith that can be led around by a would-be white "good guy" who's come to save the day from the "eeevil" conservatives.

He figures he can get away with insulting black conservatives, because in his pitiful little mind, blacks who happen to be conservative "aren't really black after all."

Pathetic. Simply pathetic.

Posted by mhking at November 22, 2004 11:58 PM