GET YOUR HAND OUT OF MY POCKET!

“Get your hand out of my pocket!” Those words were echoed in the film “Malcolm X”, by a Nation of Islam member, who was upset with Malcolm X, whose honesty and separation from the Nation seemed to dig into the religious sect’s coffers. It also seems to be the words a certain activist is screaming at a certain Democratic presidential candidate.

Talk show host/author/activist/pundit for black folk, Tavis Smiley has no doubt done good for the black community, via his talk show, his radio show and his many tomes, which can all be purchased on Amazon.com or a bookstore near you. According to the Louisiana lieutenant governor's office, Tavis' "day of service" (where people volunteer in rebuilding efforts) will be the largest in the state of Louisiana, since Huricane Katrina hit and I applaud him for that. But over the past week, Tavis has taken issue with Democratic presidential nominee hopeful, Barack Obama for not attending his annual State of the Black Union. Mr. Smiley feels as a representative of “black folk” (a favorite colloquialism of his) that Mr. Obama not appearing at his State of the Black Union would be a "critical miscalculation". Ironically, Mr. Obama took part in a Democratic presidential debate that Mr. Smiley moderated in 2007 on the campus of Howard University. Mr. Obama also appeared on Mr. Smiley’s public television talk show for thirty minutes. Far be it from me to scratch my head, but between a two-hour debate and half hour of "one on one" time with this man, can Mr. Smiley not get the gist of Mr. Obama’s platform. Because I can't find the "critical miscalculation". Recently on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, Tavis pontificated during his weekly commentary on Joyner's syndicated radio show about “what a free man is” and “his right to question political candidates” and again as I said a "critical miscalculation" for Obama to not attend his annual “rhetoric fest”. Yes, I called it a rhetoric fest, because in my opinion that’s what it is. The State of the Black Union? Smiley gets some above average minds, below average minds with some celebrity and Cornel West (a mind that I highly respect and don’t dare question) to appear on a symposium about the State of Black Union. I hate to paint the Black Union with broad strokes, but it’s fu***d up. A cannibalizing, drug epidemic, an educational system that’s not in decay, but stench-reeking, decomposition and BET (thirty minutes at a time) have contributed to eroding the State of the Black Union. I mean with all these problems, I can’t see what renting an auditorium to have people on a stage talking about problems does for Black America--- did you hear me?! They're just TALKING and not doing a thing.

But let me not digress I'm here to speak about Tavis Smiley and his recent comments towards Barack Obama, who is the first, truly, formidable black candidate for the office of the presidency (and please don't utter Jesse Jackson's name, because his run for the White House was symbolic at best, but never taken seriously by anyone but black people). In the beginning I couldn’t understand why Mr. Smiley took such issue with Obama not appearing at his annual "black" party, until I thought about it, but now I get it. Smiley, while philanthropic is a bottom line, businessman. Any good businessman will tell you that you must know your market and their needs. As the neo-cons found and targeted “NASCAR Dads” in the past presidential elections, Tavis Smiley has found his audience, which I call “MOTOWN/Soul Train Blacks” (patent pending). This would be the black people, who were very young children during Motown’s heyday, teenagers when Soul Train really mattered and they have just enough knowledge of hip-hop to recite Rapper’s Delight and some Run DMC lyrics. They are a solid bunch of people, that recall a day, when Jesse Jackson wasn’t sitting front row at a Tyson fight or reciting "Green Eggs and Ham" on Saturday Night Live. They find the humor in the thought that people call Bill Clinton “the first black president” and in some bizarre way a few of them (NOT ALL OF THEM) believe it. I’ll admit Clinton did a lot for people of color during his two terms as Commander-in-Chief, but he is not a black man. If by some stroke of egregiously, terrible luck, that the slavery of black people was reinstated, I just don’t believe that Slick Willie would be willing to stay out back with the rest of the coloreds and eat scraps from the "big house". Most importantly about MOTOWN/Soul Trainers is that, while holding a tremendous respect for gaining a college education, they also respect the concept of a leader, a black leader to be exact— King, Malcolm X, Adam Clayton Powell— that beacon in the community to proudly lead and for us to follow. Tavis Smiley has picked up that torch, copyrighted it, patented it and got some mega-corporations to pick up the tab. Smiley infuses terms like “black folk", forms of alliteration and 70’s slang into his speech to give himself that air of a black leader and ingratiates himself into said MOTOWN/Soul Trainer's life. Some of you out there may not agree with my feelings, but you can’t actually believe the State of the Black Union symposium, while free to attend, is being paid for out of Smiley’s pocket, because it is not. Yes, the revolution is being televised on C-SPAN and it is also sponsored by Exxon/Mobil, McDonald’s, Wells Fargo Bank and Allstate. I must note that Smiley's weekly comments on The Tom Joyner Morning Show are sponsored by Wal-Mart, so even his "King-like" passages have been sold to the highest bidder. As I said earlier, a true businessman knows his market and knows what they want. If I’m promoting a concert, I’m not selling one ticket if my headliner is Cisco singing his new song, “Thong 2008”. No, I’ve got to have a person, who is going to be a real draw and put butts into the seats. Tavis is throwing his annual political concert and he needs a political rock star to headline. Hillary is coming, but she’s Lil’ Kim (there’s a bizarre, interest in her, but we know her steelo), McCain is Lil Richard (we respect what you did, but we’ve got better things to do with our time) and Barack Obama is Kanye West (I don’t know what he's going to do, but whatever it is I don't want to be the one to say I missed it). So while I don’t agree with Mr. Smiley’s words towards Mr. Obama, I totally and sadly understand his need to protect his financial interests.

"Get your hand out of my pocket!" I heard you the first time Tavis.

Smiley has created his own cottage industry, ("poli-tainment", if you will) and when you create a brand, you will do whatever you must to protect it and hang a lantern on it for all to see and continue seeing. Jim Carrey will always do zany, comedies, Richard Simmons will always wear tight, booty-shorts, Flavor Flav will always wear a clock, Clay Davis (for you WIRE fans) will always say 'sheeeeeeeeet, Tyler Perry will always perform as Madea and Tavis Smiley will always preach/entertain to his MOTOWN/Soul Trainers aka "black folk". So to Tavis Smiley I say back the hell off Mr. Obama, for he hasn't done a thing, but try to be the president of America (not just black America) and to the MOTOWN/Soul Trainers I wish you peace, love and soooooooouullll!!!

Now Follow me to Freedom!