The Precursor to the King Day Blog

Hey everybody,

This conversation that I'm about to present to you is between the writer of RomanceXpress, Jig, and myself. We were basically debating about the effectiveness of the "anti-PC movement" (a phrase coined by Ron, thanks mayne) and how much responsibility shows like 'Chappelle's Show' and 'the Boondocks' should have, and whether satire should have some limits. Here is that conversation:

The Good Doctor: what up jig...you listening to dick gregory?
Jig: who?
The Good Doctor: dude on michael baisden show
The Good Doctor: u don't know who dick gregory is?
Jig: Nupe
Jig: I don;t listen all the time
The Good Doctor: dang folk. that's a google search you need to make happen
The Good Doctor: ok. but yeah peep ya boy's site
Jig: what's goin on?
Jig: is he on the air right now or somethin?
The Good Doctor: yeah...he's just talkin about king and stuff like that
The Good Doctor: dawg, MLK said you (i-word) n---as
The Good Doctor: what was the i-word
The Good Doctor: he mumbled it...did he say 'indomitable'
Jig: lol,
Jig: I forgot
Jig: I meant to write it down
The Good Doctor: when he said the I-word, i was dying
Jig: so how do you feel about it mayn
The Good Doctor: well, i'll just give you an insight on the blog...or rather an overview
Jig: cool
The Good Doctor: yeah, it's called 'kings not dogs'
The Good Doctor: and i go in talking about the 'anti-PC' movement, and how it's missing its mark
Jig: for the record, what does the PC stand for
The Good Doctor: politically correct
The Good Doctor: then i go into the actual episode, or some parts oft it
The Good Doctor: of*
The Good Doctor: then i address certain things about how we generalize and thus trivialize black achievement
The Good Doctor: i.e., the comparison of 'glory road' to 'coach carter'
The Good Doctor: and then i close talking about how i will no longer address friends or homeys as 'dog' but as 'king'
The Good Doctor: and see how it goes over. hoping that the younger ones will be impressionable
Jig: okay okay...
Jig: but doesn't TI call himself a king too?
Jig: and flip?
The Good Doctor: king of the south, king of 'clovers', blah blah
The Good Doctor: i mean 'king' in reference to what our descendants were, and what our Father is
Jig: I mean, I know that
Jig: but will they know that
The Good Doctor: and i suppose i should go into detail with that as well
The Good Doctor: i intend on explaining myself
Jig: okay
Jig: so what is your stance on the "anti-PC" movement?
The Good Doctor: my stance is that in a lot of ways, it's ineffective
The Good Doctor: it's good for making people laugh, but it doesn't really make people think, and ultimately, people just view it as entertainment
The Good Doctor: and i was going to tie that in with pryor's death, and how his act in some ways made people think...and later in life, he retracted some of what he said
The Good Doctor: i mean, chappelle and mcgruder in some ways, don't even come off as conscientious
The Good Doctor: u there?
Jig: yeah
The Good Doctor: aiight
Jig: is it?
Jig: is that it?
The Good Doctor: i'm going to write more, but again, just an overview of where i'm going. so you obviously don't agree, seeing how you and mcgruder are on the same page
Jig: Very much so on the same page. I don't even really believe in an "anti-PC"movement
Jig: I just call it not sugarcoating
Jig: It's like Riley for instance
Jig: Riley is what Riley is because the real Riley's are like that
Jig: not jsut to go against PC
The Good Doctor: anti-PC is simply coining a phrase
The Good Doctor: to mcgruder's credit, the comic strip seemed a little more guided
Jig: ???
Jig: to me the comic is just a taste of the show
Jig: it's watered down
Jig: so papers will evne carry it
Jig: and like he said, it's never been a big thing, because who reads the paper
Jig: not "us"
The Good Doctor: i understand all of those things, but again, the show, especially some parts of 'return of the king' were so asinine that it could only be for entertainment value
The Good Doctor: my whole thing is, if you're going to acknowledge those that strived for the end of racism...
Jig: give an example?
The Good Doctor: don't throw out n-words and random references to video awards shows
Jig: even if people do it for real?
The Good Doctor: and associate those things with an icon like King, and basically trivialize the whole thing
The Good Doctor: i understand people do it for real, but again, people just laugh at it and aren't forced to think
The Good Doctor: dude, it's not that i hate the show...it's just that i feel it's lost its way in certain episodes
Jig: the only one who can determine it's "way" is mcgruder
Jig: put it like this
Jig: that show is having too much responsibility placed on it
JIg: it's like you want a CNN program out of it
Jig: but it's not. it's a satire of society
Jig: and no, it's not gonna reach everyone
Jig: but no one program ever will
Jig: it will take others
Jig: of different types
The Good Doctor: i get that, mayne...i just feel like he does have some degree of responsibility, and i'm still not down with cats throwing around n-words and calling it satire, or doing it for kicks and giggles
Jig: okay..
Jig: the Nigga Experience by the Goodie Mob
Jig: what do you think about it
Jig: worthless because it used the N word?
The Good Doctor: not worthless, just poorly titled
Jig: lol... my fault
Jig: that's not the real title
Jig: but that is the real title when you listen to it all th eway
Jig: at the end he says "the nigga experience"
Jig: but to be PC, he calls it the experience on the album
Jig: why speak in code...
Jig: and if he had titled it differently, what difference did it make
The Good Doctor: and because i fear that this convo is being based on the 'n-word'...i'm saying this
The Good Doctor: mcgruder has to understand that you need to have a limit, especially with icons, in order to convey a successful message that just doesn't come off as laughs
The Good Doctor: don't cheapen MLK and Rosa and their movements for a laugh
The Good Doctor: and the speech, that was a good look
The Good Doctor: but even with what huey (or riley) said at the end of the show...
The Good Doctor: 'and the revolution finally began...well, i can dream, can't i?'
Jig: it was a dream... King is really dead u know
Jig: and that's Huey's dream
Jig: just like King had a dream
The Good Doctor: i got that
The Good Doctor: but even in that, it makes the whole movement seem hopeless
The Good Doctor: and that was a bad look jig...'king is dead you know'...but it's cool
Jig: its' true
Jig: that's why they have to make a fake scenario for trhe episode
The Good Doctor: i understand all that
Jig: but you remember what I said a few weeks ago
Jig: choose your words, choose your audience
The Good Doctor: dude i been doing that since i started the blog
Jig: every black work is not going to cater to every facet of black society
Jig: what we need is others to fill in where he misses
The Good Doctor: i took two WHOLE blogs to get people to understand what i was trying to accomplish
Jig: not to try to transform his work to be something new
The Good Doctor: jig, that's what i'm doing now, filling in...and i think some of that filling in requires critique of his craft
The Good Doctor: and if you critique mine, that's cool mayne, that's what i expect
Jig: but now we're reliving booker T and W.E.B.
The Good Doctor: you mean you and I? not even
Jig: criticizing each other instead of just doing our own thing with respec to others
The Good Doctor: no I mean u and aaron
Jig: my philosophy is this
The Good Doctor: for what it's worth, i'm a regular watcher of the show
Jig: criticism is only good if you're actually going to help the person
Jig: how is this gonna help him improve
The Good Doctor: and i like his hunger and how he TRIES to accomplish his goal...
The Good Doctor: just let me write the blog, then when it hits wax, you'll see my stance on things
The Good Doctor: i'm combining like 3 topics that could be blogged separately, so you'll have to excuse me if i cut some things short...but that's where comments come in
The Good Doctor: things can be explained further
Jig: I hear ya. Sorry if I seem hostile mayn
The Good Doctor: jig you straight man. like i told a friend a while back
The Good Doctor: you're in the pantheon of my folks
The Good Doctor: there's not ish you can say that i'll take offense to at this point
The Good Doctor: and it's cool that we're having this discussion b/c you feel you and mcgruder are on the same page
The Good Doctor: so it's like seeing in essence how that brother would respond
The Good Doctor: so that's cool. i've changed in the fact that i don't get so mad when people have an opinion
Jig: nah, he's got more perspective than me
Jig: I didnt' major in african american history
The Good Doctor: truth
The Good Doctor: i read some stuff on him and about him before the boondocks went national
The Good Doctor: and i saw him speak live on c-span...so some of his trends i understand
The Good Doctor: but i'm just speaking on anti-PC in general, not just mcgruder
The Good Doctor: it's just that all eyes are on him right now
Jig: well let me ask you this
Jig: what is the value of Politcal Correctness?
The Good Doctor: ahhhhh! it's a phrase, jib
The Good Doctor: jig*
The Good Doctor: but about the value of PC
The Good Doctor: naw, i can answer that
The Good Doctor: i think it provides a limit not so much to keep feelings from being hurt...because the truth will do that sometimes, it will hurt you
The Good Doctor: but i think PC keeps people responsible for the things they say, so they just don't say something ignorant...or do something ignorant
The Good Doctor: and i know, i know, what if they are ignorant by default
The Good Doctor: i haven't thought about that yet, will get back to you :-D
Jig: alright, let me ask you this
Jig: and I"m gonna use the characters from the show to make my argument
The Good Doctor: oughta be fun
Jig: if macgruder's show were written the way you wanted it to be
Jig: which of the following would it reach...
Jig: Huey, Grandpa, Riley
The Good Doctor: all three
The Good Doctor: and i'll explain why
The Good Doctor: because i think when you do a show, you have to respect historical figures as icons, which appease pa pa
The Good Doctor: but then you have to put him in urban, 2006 situations, which appease riley
The Good Doctor: but you have to allow king to be unchanged by his situation, and to change it into a positive, which is what the militant huey wants
The Good Doctor: and that's what didn't happen
Jig: so you feel that King actually CHANGED?
The Good Doctor: for one, i can't see king using the n-word
The Good Doctor: two, he would've done some research before recruiting the street team
Jig: okay. let's talk about Riley
The Good Doctor: k
Jig: do you honestly think that Riley would care if some serious cartoon came on on some political stuff just because it's modern?
Jig: Or put it like this...
Jig: Do you think Riley listens to Common or Lil Jon
The Good Doctor: both
Jig: For real?
Jig: RILEY?
The Good Doctor: isn't gangstalicious his favorite rapper
The Good Doctor: dang
Jig: GANGSTALICIOUS
The Good Doctor: dude, i
The Good Doctor: i'm having too much fun with this
Jig: Common----> no where near Gangstalicious
The Good Doctor: i don't think that's either here nor there
Jig: Lemme show you
Jig: basically, what you want is more of a common show and less of a lil jon
Jig: do you think that would hold riley's attention?
Jig: just because it's modern?
Jig: I mean, common can spit
Jig: but cats have ignored him for how long
Jig: mos def: ignored
Jig: talib: ignored
Jig: for years
Jig: by rileys
Jig: so why would the show be any different
The Good Doctor: because they're impressionable...and they've been conditioned to be drawn in by urban idiosyncracies
The Good Doctor: i don't even wanna say idiosyncracies
The Good Doctor: i'll put it like this
The Good Doctor: my brother said 'would cats watch videos if they didn't have girls in them'
The Good Doctor: dudes relate to that just like hip-hop fans relate to that tic-tic followed by that bump
The Good Doctor: i'm just saying that those same trends could be enforced in 'my show' and riley would watch
Jig: put it like this... what Im seeing is a Will Smith's Boondocks
Drkenmack: naw dude
Jig: do you know how hip hop fans feel about will smith?
The Good Doctor: they don't
The Good Doctor: they hate that dude, and that's not what i'm seeing
The Good Doctor: (real quick, i have a request from two people to post this conversation in its entirety on my blog)
The Good Doctor: like a precursor or something. you cool with that
Jig: thats fine by me
The Good Doctor: cool
Jig: the whole thng, right?
The Good Doctor: yeah
Jig: cool
The Good Doctor: raw and uncut
The Good Doctor: you talking to (homegirl) over there by any chance?
Jig: Yeah, she hit me up
The Good Doctor: i'm sure she did
The Good Doctor: that chick. but yeah will smith
Jig: is that bad?
The Good Doctor: no it's a good look
Jig: I noticed something, and this isn't expressly about the n word, but its just noteworthy
Jig: each of the three main characters on the boondocks uses the n word
The Good Doctor: k
Jig: but each one represents a different level of african american society
Jig: and the word takes on a different meaning with each one
Jig: it's like I wrote in my blog a few months ago
Jig: the n word is bad because it splits us, but its effect is different depending on how it's used
Jig: and I think the way MLK used it was not meant to be comical in the least
Jig: evne teh Rileys in the church shut up when he called them out
Jig: it wasn't the fact that he used the word
Jig: cuz if it was the word, then it would bother them when each of them used it
Jig: it was what he was saying when he called them that
Jig: it was not at all meant to be funny
Jig: notice he only used it then
Jig: when it had meaning
Jig: when he was drilling that truth
The Good Doctor: when it had meaning
The Good Doctor: i'm glad you said that...continue
JIg: so what I'm saying is, even if the meaning is subtle, Aaron McGruder is not a comedian by any stretch
Jig: we laugh at that show because what he depicts is reality
Jig: and REALITY is the joke
Jig: not him
Jig: not the show
Jig: and nobody sees the joke if it sugar coats what's real
Jig: maybe cats will laugh when they see
Jig: the show
Jig: but when they go out and get their Riley on, they'll think back
Jig: and it'll be a whole different perspective
Jig: it's like sunday school
Jig: 'we don't make the kids do right
Jig: we just plant seeds
Jig: and along the way it gets watered
Jig: we cna't depend on aarons show to do the planting AND watering
Jig: it's a group effort
Jig: and criticizing him for what he's not doing isn't ognna help at all
The Good Doctor: we assume it gets watered, but from my personal experience, sometimes you gotta pull out the hose too mayne
Jig: when you CAN
Jig: but that's not always the case
Jig: he's only one man
Jig: and he' Aaron
The Good Doctor: well that's what i'm here for
Jig: not ML
Jig: K
Jig: exactly
Jig: there ya go
Jig: so you create your own thing
Jig: and where he didn't go, you go there
Jig: that's how we make it work
Jig: we should've learned by now that criticizing each other won't work. that's why some of our ancestors didn't get as far as they would have.
Jig: if you see a gap and you can't help physically, then just take up the slack yourself
The Good Doctor: i get that. but i'm not going to sit up here and act like i agree with something when i don't
Jig: you don't have to
Jig: but don't shoot it down
Jig: and i determine such responses from myself to be constructive criticism
Jig: because you don't see the full effect of it
Jig: constructive, but with no construction?
Jig: it's just like when people go to smoebody's house and badmouth the preacher
Jig: but then sunday comes up, and it was all just talk
Jig: nothing changes
Jig: there was no point
The Good Doctor: dude, i'm sitting up here right now writing a blog addressing what this dude is trying to do with a show, and how it's missing its mark. i didn't say it was a failure, understand what i'm trying to accomplish
The Good Doctor: and that's just a piece of the pie mayne
The Good Doctor: and who are you to say i don't see the full effect of it? by nature of it being art, it's open to interpretation...
The Good Doctor: but the FACT is you don't disrespect an icon like MLK
Jig: Nooooo... I'm not saying just you
Jig: I don't see it either
Jig: millions of people see the show
The Good Doctor: that's my main beef. naw i got you...you're saying only macgruder does
Jig: no one knows how it afffects each one
The Good Doctor: because he's the artist
Jig: that too
Jig: well... I appreciate teh show. because everytime I watch it, although I might laugh, I also say "I saw that dude today... I saw that lady today... that was me today"
Jig: As long as he draws from realtime, it's GONNA make people laugh
The Good Doctor: i get that dude, we can all relate in some way
Jig: because the reality is, realtime is as screwed up as he makes it to be
The Good Doctor: true
Jig: I'd rather the show be that way and not the Augusta way
Jig: where racism still exists and all these problems exist down here, but it's all behind closed doors because it's "socially inappropriate"
Jig: and even MLK...
Jig: great man
Jig: but he was just a man
Jig: we have more regard for MLK than for Jesus
Jig: I dind't hear ONE complaint about the Kill Bunny segment on Robot Chicken
Jig: not one
The Good Doctor: kill bunny?
Jig: I'm glad somebody still sees our heroes as just people
Jig: because we deify them
The Good Doctor: dude, i'm displeased by south park's disrespect of the Son
Jig: it's like Huey said
Jig: we're still waiting for the King
Jig: I dint' hear about south park eaither
The Good Doctor: and drawn together had some ish on last night with the veggietales
The Good Doctor: i mean, it's not a good look all around
Jig: did hear about it
Jig: didn't
Jig: and Don DC Curry said the same thing when Barbershop came out
Jig: cats get pissed about some MLK and Rosa
Jig: didn't say nutting about Jesus
Jig: Not a word
The Good Doctor: oh. yeah man, but i figured now would be a good time at least to address the...yeah, i feel you
Jig: they need to be taken down a little for some reason
Jig: not because of anything they did
Jig: but because we've "lost our first love"
Jig: we're looking to MLK more now to solve our problems than Jesus even as we speak
Jig: so I'm not gonna get bent if MLK says nigga on a cartoon that never happened
Jig: when Jesus says Nigga, then we got a problem
The Good Doctor: i'm not looking to MLK to solve my problems, jig
The Good Doctor: i think you're romanticizing a tad
Jig: not saying you are
Jig: and I think I'm on point
The Good Doctor: i know i know
The Good Doctor: aiight
Jig: I got Aaron McGruder, because we're still looking for the return of the King when it's time for some new "heroes"
Jig: and I think he may be one of the first
The Good Doctor: you're entitled to your opinion. but i'm not ready to crown mcgruder a hero
The Good Doctor: especially when he doesn't have a healthy respect for the past
The Good Doctor: ok, ok, maybe that was a bit much
Jig: yup
The Good Doctor: i'll just say this. last night's episode, not a good look
Jig: aight. so is that is for this convo?
Jig: not the entire chat, bu tjust the subject
The Good Doctor: pretty much mayne...it peaked somewhere around talking about the 'n-word', ha
The Good Doctor: but yeah mayne that was good stuff.
The Good Doctor: so what else is on your mind?
Jig: dat about it. just on some SCIII and waitin for 9:30 to roll around
Jig: this'll be a hot chat on ur site
Jig: should get a lot of attention
Jig: any new things in the works?

Yep, working on this King Day blog. It'll be coming up next,

The Good Doctor