August 15, 2010

Urban League Calls on Talk Radio Network to Fire Dr. Laura for Her Racist Rant

I see that it didn't take much time for the National Urban League to hop on the Dr. Laura controversy.

It should be noted that the Urban League didn't have to have as much energy in the fight for economic rights of Black Freedmen and Black Indians which were mandated in the 1866 Treaties. The Harvest Institute has been fighting this issue for a decade in the courts and on Capital Hill. The Urban League chose not to get involved. The Cherokee Nation has used the 1866 Treaties to collect billion of dollars in benefits while the US Government ignores its mandated obligation to the descendants of Black Freedmen and Black Indians.

I encourage villagers and the Urban League to research and take a stand on the issue of Black Freedmen and Black Indians.

Having said that, I do applaud the Urban League for calling on Talk Radio Network to drop the Dr. Laura show from syndication.

"The problem is not simply that Dr. Schlessinger used the 'n-word' repeatedly, though that is offensive enough," National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial said. "Her comments to the caller showed a breathtaking insensitivity and ignorance about racial dynamics in the United States."
In responding to a caller who complained that her husband's friends and relatives use racial slurs and make racially demeaning comments, Schlessinger scoffed, "some people are hypersensitive." She noted that "Black guys" use the n-word "all the time," and repeated the word 11 times in the 5-minute exchange.

But Morial noted that her most revealing comment was, "I don't get it. if anybody without enough melanin says it, it's a horrible thing, but when Black people say it, it's affectionate. It's very confusing."
An audio file of the exchange is available on the Electronic Village blog.

"As she said, she doesn't get it, and she is very confused about what constitutes racism," Morial said. "It's beyond comprehension that Dr. Schlessinger would consider Jade 'hypersensitive' for being offended by the use of the n-word. We should be long past the point in this country where anyone should be advised to laugh off or ignore racist comments."
This blog joins with Morial in making request that Talk Radio Network drop the Dr. Laura show from syndication.

Talk Radio Network
P.O. Box 3755
Central Point, Oregon 97502
Phone: 541.664-8827
Fax: 541.664-6250


Enough is enough when it comes to spewing negative racial attitudes to wide audiences on the public airwaves.

It's time to shut her down!

7 comments:

msladyDeborah said...

Villager,

What is the point of this?

Seriously. Until we stop using the word nigger, niggas and niggaz there is no reason to get up in arms when other people use it. There justification has boomeranged every time an incident like this happens. Black people use the word and it's okay...blah..blah..blah..

If the purpose of using the word nigger was to remove the sting-it ain't working..because every time it comes up there is all of this outcry.

I read the initial story and someone Black already supported her using the word because "it wasn't aimed directly at someone."

So, until we get on the page about it as a race of people, I see no reason to keep wasting up time jumping on others for using it. It is time that we started making some demands within our own communities because as long as we continue to disrespect each other, there ain't no need to get salty when others do the same.

I can think of more important issues than this that the UL needs to lend its voice and resources to resolve.

Unknown said...

Lady D - Quite honestly, I don't hear the word being used. Dr. Laura's rant was first time that I've heard the word in months. Of course, I don't have HBO nor do I listen to much hip-hop music. Do you hear the word being used much any longer?

Big Mama said...

Omo,
Now that you mention it, no, I can't remember when last I heard it.

Bottm line for me, however, is that it makes no difference WHO uses racial epithets (no matter what the race), wrong is wrong.

Unknown said...

Iya - Bingo! 'Wrong is Wrong'...

Gunfighter said...

I agree fully with msladydeborah on this.

We have to start demanding bettor of ourselves.

Yes, too many of us refer to each other as nigger, nigga, niggaz, etcetera... it has to stop, because we cannot demand to be treated with dignity by others, when we don't (from the top to the bottom of our economic places in America) treat each other with dignity.

msladyDeborah said...

I think we all agree that there is no justification for using the word. NO matter who says it. However, Dr. Laura was supposedly trying to help a Black woman who is married to a White man deal with the negatives that she is experiencing from others. Which is why the word was used-as a form of therapy. But in the end, Dr.Laura also noted that the woman must not listen to music, black comedians, or watch films etc...

Did you know that a judge in Australia ruled on a case this week and stated that usage of the word Nigger and Sand Niggers was okay? He used the same justification that has been circulated by other Black people. In his ruling he stated that the word is commonly used, and although it is not a nice word-reasonable people should not be offended by it.

I am just tired of the cycle of reacting to their actions. We need to be gathering up to devise a national, state and local Black agenda that we can push. Villager, you were so on point when you brought up the cases that the organization should be involved in working on. That would be far more beneficial to the masses.

So what if they take Dr. Laura off of the air? She can go to Blog Talk radio or any other site and still do her show. What is the point? Someone else will just take her place and do the same thing.

Unknown said...

Lady D - Your point is well-taken. I don't know if any Urban League members or leaders are following this blog post and comments.

Out of curiosity ... what are 2-3 issues that you would like to see dealth with in the national Black agenda?