Owners and Property, Masters and Slaves



We could say we are at a strange point in America's race relations. But the United States' whole history of obsession with skin color has been strange. Bryant Gumbel doesn't help when, in the words of mainstream media, he "evoked" slave-master criticisms of NBA commish David Stern during the lockout.


He made the comments on his HBO show Real Sports, and his commentary sparked controversy, as Gumbel meant it to. He's too experienced a journalist and TV personality to not have considered the backlash. He must have thought it through, because he's fanned these flames several times in the past.


No one talks about Bryant Gumbel until he says these things. So he must be considered suspect.


Gumbel is probably right: in his heart, Stern (and the other NBA powerbrokers) do see the players as "boys" in the literal, business, and diminuitive sense. All heads of companies and industries think this way about the little cogs of people, doing the grunt work. Makes it hard to understand why any Average Joe Schmoe would ever side with the very wealthy, on just about anything.


Observe how your boss's boss's boss treats you, when he or she strolls through for the yearly visit. And remember that it's not always simply sweat and hard work that gains worldly success.


People who've never cracked a Bible have heard Jesus's words: "And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." (Matthew 19:24, KJV) This verse says: you give me a man who's acquired great wealth, and I'll show you a man who's likely in love with the world.


The fact is, we are all property. In the flesh, anyone reading this is working for someone else. Shelter, food, clothes, transportation... the rest is a bonus.


On a spiritual level, you are either of the devil, or you belong to the Lord. You and everyone else must choose, even David Stern. Our President, past presidents, and the leaders of all of the other countries, have already made their choice. Watch them carefully and see for yourself. More importantly, ask: Who are you working for?

Martin Lawrence: Fight the Power

Once upon a time, I had the whole Martin show collection. All five seasons on DVD. Some of the routines I repeated word for word. WZUP! These are images of Martin Lawrence as a recurring character on the series, "Bob." Martin created several of my favorite TV characters ever (at least, they used to be). I used to want to dress as Security Guard Otis for Halloween, before I found out what the 'holiday' really meant.

But after a while, the humor on the show started bothering me. Lawrence is a very funny person--no news there. I thought his early stand-up was honest and aggressive; his later fare like Runteldat was incoherent. His show was supposed to be a bit different, to have an edge, when it aired.  Fox was sailing over the still-growing The Simpsons bubble when Martin came along. Fox was still pushing the envelope: These are black people, so we're in our own lane. This was years before UPN and its ilk.

The more I watched the show, I saw that what is meant to be comedy seemed needlessly crude and cruel. All the racial, gender and sexual jokes weren't as funny as they used to be.

"But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks." (Ephesians 5:3-4, KJV)

Martin Lawrence has transitioned over to more kid-friendly fare, or so goes the perception. In interviews, he seems almost serene and at peace as compared to years ago. But movies like Rebound have the same humor, only with rubber edges.

Asked a different way: Is soft porn still pornography? Years ago, I would have said no. Now I see that the typical "standard mailing" clothing catalog (from Alloy, for example) can give a man the same sensual thoughts as a Playboy.

So Lawrence's drop from "R" to the occasional "PG"  is kind of deceiving. In 2006's Open Season there is a teddy bear thong and a dog humping a hubcap, among other similar things. Pretty much everything Hollywood and mainstream entertainment produce are introductions to the "real world." Kids' primers for destruction.

Martin Lawrence is simply a vehicle for a larger agenda. But we all make our own beds. When he was waving a gun in that Los Angeles intersection, he was reportedly screaming "Fight the power!" We pray that he meant battling against the enemy's sinister power.

Either way, as the Washington Post wrote in 1997, "Hollywood doesn't care: There'll always be another Martin Lawrence."