There hasn't been anything to air in quite sometime that bothered me in such a way that I was finding myself getting more and more irritated at the ignorance of this commercial, and more and more disappointed in the lack of truth stated within this commercial that I stopped watching MSNBC for a good period of time.
To summarize, the was of a white correspondent of MSNBC basically 'reminding' viewers that hard work and determination is the back-bone of what makes America the greatest place in the world.
I honestly cannot effectively put into words the level of disgust I had for this commercial. It bothered me to my core.
Well, this past Saturday night, while watching a pre-recorded Tavis Smiley Forum - Remaking America: From Poverty to Prosperity, on C-Span the thoughts I have never herd acknowledged outside of my own mind were not only acknowledged by another person, and in public a forum setting, but voiced from a person I would have least expected.
To understand why I say 'least expected', you have to understand the make-up of this panel. Among the various intellectual white panelists such as Suze Orman and Barbara Ehrenreich, were also speakers such as Dr. Cornel West, Majora Carter, and Tavis Smiley who are some of our most prominent, affluent, educated, and influential black economist, activists, and professors of today. But, it was Michael Moore who put the exclamation point on something I have shouted in my head time and time again.
'This is a nation founded on genocide and built on the backs of slaves...We [America] tried to eliminate one entire race then used another race to build this country, quite quickly, into a world power. This country never would have had the wealth that it had, had it not had slavery'
My surprise was not because of any dislike towards Michael Moore. I actually admire a lot of what he does and agree with him on probably 90% of his views on a lot of issues effecting America and those living in American today. My shock came from the fact that it wasn't Tavis Smiley who set the record straight on how our nation was founded, it wasn't Dr. Cornel West that spoke on who the true contributors of America, it was Michael Moore that shined the light on a history America tends to overlook and often times try to rewrite.
But, regardless of where it was said, how it was said, or who said it. Im just glad it was finally said!
