Commentary

COMMENTARY: The Hypocrisy Surrounding the R. Kelly Debate

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “Where were all these Black women who now are pouncing on R. Kelly when all these booty-shaking videos were being made. And it is not just the fellas, you should see some of the girls who are making hyper-sexualized videos who portray themselves and other women as bithches and hoes and sex objects.”

Published

5 years ago

January 15, 2019

Oakland Post

By Raynard Jackson, NNPA Newswire Contributor

I usually don’t write about salacious issues involving sex, scandal, and other issues I consider a waste of time; but because of the volume of calls and emails asking me to give my take on Robert Kelly, a.k.a. R. Kelly, I will make an exception and share my thoughts.

I have worked in and around the entertainment industry for many decades. I don’t know, nor have I ever met Robert. We have many, many mutual friends and Kelly’s penchant for your girls have been known for decades.

While everyone is losing their damn minds over the Kelly situation, I don’t deal in emotion; I deal in facts. So, the fact is that I can’t allow the public and the hypocritical media to pile on a guy with no balance or context brought to the discussion.

Do I think Robert likes to have sex with young girls? Yes. Would I buy any of his music or go to one of his concerts? No. Do I think he should be in jail? ONLY if he is found guilty of a crime by a jury of his peers!

Before I go any further, I am putting the issue of statutory rape to the side for purposes of this column. Statutory rape basically means that a person under a certain age (it varies by state) cannot legally consent to engage in sex even if no coercion is involved.

The most overlooked point about the sexual allegations surrounding Kelly is that not one of the girls making accusations about him have accused him of rape!

Let me repeat, Robert Kelly has never been accused of raping any of his alleged victims. This is indeed very unusual for a person that is considered a sexual predator.

So, what does this mean? It means that despite what you think about Kelly’s proclivity for young girls, they all seem to be engaging with him freely and willingly, again putting aside the issue of statutory rape.

As so often is done in this internet age, people want to look at this situation in simplistic terms versus treating it as a very complicated issue with a lot of moving pieces. On this point only do I think Robert is most assuredly being treated unfairly!

A 14- or 16-year-old girl who goes to Kelly’s house or studio knows full well what they are getting into. His reputation is very well known. Yes, I concede that a 14- or 16-year old is easily manipulated, but so is an adult who is star-struck and only interested in fame and fortune.

Absent of rape, these women were willing to make a deal with the devil: Sex for fame and fortune. That’s the reality of the R. Kelly story, once of you strip the story of its salaciousness.

These women chose to get involved with Kelly no matter how much many of us think the decision was crazy.

The fact that a 14-year-old would decide to sneak around their parents and become involved with Kelly can lead an outside observer to question the home life of that child. The mere fact that a grown woman would get wrapped up with Kelly shows you the deleterious impact of all these hoochie-mama videos that even main stream R&B artists have produced. Yeah, the videos that many of you said, “were just videos.”

When you spend the last 30 years portraying women as sex objects through your movies, TV shows, and music videos, it is very easy to understand how these women can be easily taken advantage of.

Where were all these Black women who now are pouncing on R. Kelly when all these booty-shaking videos were being made. And it is not just the fellas, you should see some of the girls who are making hyper-sexualized videos who portray themselves and other women as bithches and hoes and sex objects.

You have women putting videos on YouTube of their 2- or 3-year-old daughters twerking and dropping it like it’s hot.

So, people like Lady Gaga, PLEASE spare me the sanctimonious symbolism of removing your duet with R. Kelly from your Spotify and other streaming sites.

She released the song, “Do What U Want (With My Body)” in 2013 and asked R. Kelly to sing on the song with her. She was damn well fully aware of Kelly’s reputation with young girls in 2013. Did anyone notice what she didn’t say regarding her song with Kelly?

She removed it from streaming services, but she made NO commitment to give back the millions and millions of dollars she made because of Kelly’s appearance on the song. What about the royalties she receives every time the song is played or someone purchases it? Kelly could very well be participating in the revenue stream from the song depending on what they each put in their contracts.

Because this whole controversy involves sex, lies and videotapes, people have lost sight of the bigger picture. Always follow the money. Everyone, and I mean everyone involved in the R. Kelly issue, has made money: the alleged victims (many have or are currently hocking books); many of the artists — who are suddenly condemning Kelly — have worked, toured, or appeared with Kelly — for pay; many mainstream media outlets have interviewed Kelly with the negotiated stipulation that the interviewer would not ask any questions about his sex life.

Kelly has never been convicted of any sexual crime, so it is hard for me to sit on the sidelines while he is being savagely criticized by the very same people who were his enablers because he was making them money.

This hypocrisy is going to turn Robert Kelly into a martyr.

Raynard Jackson is founder and chairman of Black Americans for a Better Future (BAFBF), a federally registered 527 Super PAC established to get more Blacks involved in the Republican Party. BAFBF focuses on the Black entrepreneur. For more information about BAFBF, visit www.bafbf.org. You can follow Raynard on Twitter @Raynard1223.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of BlackPressUSA.com or the National Newspaper Publishers Association.

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Commentary

Opinion: Surviving the Earthquake, an Eclipse and “Emil Amok.”

Last Friday, a 4.8 magnitude earthquake shook New York City, reported as the “biggest earthquake with an epicenter in the NYC area since 1884” when a 5.2 quake hit. A bit bigger. The last quake similar to Friday’s was a 4.9 in 1783.Alexander Hamilton felt it — 241 years ago. That’s why New Yorkers were freaking out on Friday. They were in the room where it happens.

Published

1 day ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

In New York City, the eclipse was about 90 percent visible. Good enough for me. Though a full solar eclipse is a celestial rarity, blockages of any sort aren’t generally celebrated. My one-man play is about growing up with the eclipsed history of American Filipinos and how I struggle to unblock all that.

By Emil Guillermo

I’m a Northern Californian in New York City for the next few weeks, doing my one-man show, “Emil Amok, Lost NPR Host, Wiley Filipino, Vegan Transdad.”

I must like performing in the wake of Mother Nature.

Alexander Hamilton felt it — 241 years ago.

That’s why New Yorkers were freaking out on Friday. They were in the room where it happens.

And it just doesn’t happen that often.

Beyonce singing country music happens more frequently.

When I felt New York shake last week, it reminded me of a time in a San Francisco TV newsroom when editors fretted about a lack of news an hour before showtime.

Then the office carpeting moved for a good ten seconds, and the news gods gave us our lead story.

On Friday when it happened in NYC, I noticed the lines in the carpeting in my room wiggling. But I thought it was from a raucous hotel worker vacuuming nearby.

I didn’t even think earthquake. In New York?

I just went about my business as if nothing had happened. After living near fault lines all my life, I was taking things for granted.

Considering the age of structures in New York, I should have been even more concerned about falling objects inside (shelves, stuff on walls) and outside buildings (signs, scaffolding), fire hazards from possible gas leaks, and then I should have looked for others on my floor and in the hotel lobby to confirm or aid or tell stories.

Of course, as a Californian who has lived through and covered quakes in the 4 to 6 magnitude range, I tried to calm down any traumatized New Yorker I encountered by taking full responsibility for bringing in the quake from the Bay Area.

I reassured them things would be all right, and then let them know that 4.8s are nothing.

And then I invited them to my consoling post-Earthquake performance of “Emil Amok, Lost NPR Host…”

It was the night of the eclipse.

ECLIPSING THE ECLIPSE

For example, did you know the first Filipinos actually arrived to what is now California in 1587? That’s 33 years before the Pilgrims arrived in America on the other coast, but few know the Filipino history which has been totally eclipsed.

I was in Battery Park sitting on a bench and there was a sense of community as people all came to look up. A young woman sitting next to me had a filter for a cell phone camera. We began talking and she let me use it. That filter enabled me to take a picture of the main event with my iPhone.

For helping me see, I invited her and her boyfriend to come see my show.

Coincidentally, she was from Plymouth, Massachusetts, near the rock that says the year the Pilgrims landed in 1620.

In my show she learned the truth. The Pilgrims were second.

History unblocked. But it took a solar eclipse.

Next one in 2044? We have a lot more unblocking to do.

If you’re in New York come see my show, Sat. April 13th, 5:20 pm Eastern; Fri. April 19, 8:10 pm Eastern; and Sun. April 21st 5:20 pm Eastern.

You can also livestream the show. Get tickets at www.amok.com/tickets

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. He does a mini-talk show on YouTube.com/@emilamok1. He wishes all his readers a Happy Easter!

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Commentary

Commentary: Republican Votes Are Threatening American Democracy

In many ways, it was great that the Iowa Caucuses were on the same day as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We needed to know the blunt truth. The takeaway message after the Iowa Caucuses where Donald Trump finished more than 30 points in front of Florida Gov. De Santis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley boils down to this: Our democracy is threatened, for real.

Published

2 days ago

April 16, 2024

Oakland Post

It was strange for Iowans to caucus on MLK day. It had a self-cancelling effect. The day that honored America’s civil rights and anti-discrimination hero was negated by evening. That’s when one of the least diverse states in the nation let the world know that white Americans absolutely love Donald Trump. No ifs, ands or buts.

By Emil Guillermo

In many ways, it was great that the Iowa Caucuses were on the same day as Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

We needed to know the blunt truth.

The takeaway message after the Iowa Caucuses where Donald Trump finished more than 30 points in front of Florida Gov. De Santis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley boils down to this: Our democracy is threatened, for real.

And to save it will require all hands on deck.

It was strange for Iowans to caucus on MLK day. It had a self-cancelling effect. The day that honored America’s civil rights and anti-discrimination hero was negated by evening.

That’s when one of the least diverse states in the nation let the world know that white Americans absolutely love Donald Trump. No ifs, ands or buts.

No man is above the law? To the majority of his supporters, it seems Trump is.

It’s an anti-democracy loyalty that has spread like a political virus.

No matter what he does, Trump’s their guy. Trump received 51% of caucus-goers votes to beat Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who garnered 21.2%, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who got 19.1%.

The Asian flash in the pan Vivek Ramaswamy finished way behind and dropped out. Perhaps to get in the VP line. Don’t count on it.

According to CNN’s entrance polls, when caucus-goers were asked if they were a part of the “MAGA movement,” nearly half — 46% — said yes. More revealing: “Do you think Biden legitimately won in 2020?”

Only 29% said “yes.”

That means an overwhelming 66% said “no,” thus showing the deep roots in Iowa of the “Big Lie,” the belief in a falsehood that Trump was a victim of election theft.

Even more revealing and posing a direct threat to our democracy was the question of whether Trump was fit for the presidency, even if convicted of a crime.

Sixty-five percent said “yes.”

Who says that about anyone of color indicted on 91 criminal felony counts?

Would a BIPOC executive found liable for business fraud in civil court be given a pass?

How about a BIPOC person found liable for sexual assault?

Iowans have debased the phrase, “no man is above the law.” It’s a mindset that would vote in an American dictatorship.

Compare Iowa with voters in Asia last weekend. Taiwan rejected threats from authoritarian Beijing and elected pro-democracy Taiwanese vice president Lai Ching-te as its new president.

Meanwhile, in our country, which supposedly knows a thing or two about democracy, the Iowa caucuses show how Americans feel about authoritarianism.

Some Americans actually like it even more than the Constitution allows.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. He does a mini-talk show on YouTube.com/@emilamok1.