If you watch CNN's Newsroom on Saturday and Sunday evenings, you know Don Lemon. He often shocks the conscience by discussing controversial topics on his Saturday evening show and responding to the initial outrage on his Sunday evening show. Many times the outrage carries over to the following work week, which, many times, requires Don to re-address on the following weekend. In my opinion, Don is an equal opportunity outrager -- as he seems to outrage all races.
In a series/segment he calls "No Talking Points," this past weekend, Don decided to issue a little tough love to his African-American brothers and sisters. Last week, Bill O'Reilly opined that the reason there is so much violence and chaos in black precincts is because of the disintegration of the African-American family and because young black men, raised without structure, reject education and gravitate to street culture, drugs, hustling and gangs. Don Lemon agreed with these points raised by Bill O'Reilly. In response, Don suggested five things that black people (to whom the five things apply) should think about doing to alleviate these problems.
Don's 5 Things
5. Pull up your pants! "Walking around with your ass and your underwear showing is not okay!" It comes from prison culture.
4. Stop using the "N" word -- Black people are not taking the "N" word back by using it.
3. Respect where you live! Black people should stop dropping trash in Black neighborhoods.
2. Finish school! Break the cycle of poverty. Over the course of a career, a college grad will make nearly a million dollars more than a high school grad.
1. Just because you can have a baby does not mean you should! The lack of a male role model is an express train to prison!
Don's 5 Things drew extreme outrage from the African-American community, including people like Rev. Al Sharpton. Even though Don revealed that he lives in Harlem, unbeknownst to him, it appears that his remarks may have caused the revocation of his "hood pass," according to many black talk radio hosts like The Madd Hatta of The Madd Hatta Morning Show broadcast on KBXX - FM 97.9 The Box in Houston, Texas. First thing Monday morning, The Madd Hatta Morning Show and its listeners talked back to Don Lemon's "No Talking Points." However, after a little outrage, it seemed there was agreement that maybe Don said what needed to be said to the black community. What do you think?