Do You Hear Me Now Black Male Vulnerability Don Cornelius Soul Train

If a clean cut guy like Sen. John Edwards can cheat, do politics and adultery go hand in hand?

–Josh McNown  Raleigh, NC

{column1}

Sugar’s Take

I looked up the word adultery and found it to be of Middle English origins dating back to about 1325. Middle English was the chopped up language used until the 17th century. I say all that to say that folks have been getting’ down for the get down for hundreds if not thousands of years. The watchful eye seems to be pointed at politicians as of late. Ever since Bill Clinton was wildin’ on Capitol Hill, folks have been taking a very close look at politician’s “movements” (as they say in the Caribbean). Then Eliot Spitzer’s situation resurrected an even bigger “side chick” task force. I don’t think people are cheatin’ any more or less than they were in times past. It’s just a rather scrutinous climate for politicians and their affairs. It’s kinda like wearing a turban on a plane after 9/11…not a good time. {/column1}

{column2}

Ed’s Take

When news of Sen. Edwards broke, I immediately thought of my Aunt Bobby’s juke joint in Vicksburg, MS and hearing blues and soul cats like ZZ. Hill, whose hit “Cheatin In The Next Room” (click here to here the song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_fEoQQjNo8) articulated the trials of untrue lovers, break down affairs of the heart.  Edwards’ fall from grace has less to with politics and more to do with POWER. Power is seductive and often taints our sense of right and wrong. If anything, an overwhelming sense of entitlement and invisibility created the perfect platform for Edwards’ adultery.  Plus, it’s no secret that women are attracted to powerful men and often have their sense of morality tested when encountering smooth talking gentlemen with influence and cash to boot.  What is hard to fathom, personally, is why in this era of relentless media inquest, do men like Detroit Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick, President Bill Clinton, Jesse Jackson, and others keep getting caught with their pants down?  Yes, I do believe that politicians and public figures are unfairly targeted at times.  But, if you aint’ doing wrong…then you can’t get caught up. Instead of placing politicians on a pedestal, we should accept the fact that seemingly clean cut guys like Sen. Edwards are human …and susceptible to temptation and the trappings of fame.

{/column2}

To Read John Edward’s statement of his affair click here:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/08/edwards.statement/index.html

Got a question; email us at askedandsugar@afrostoshelltoes.com.

About Sugar Between catching the uptown train to conduct “we luv the kids” writing workshops to dancing rumba on the lower eastside, Sugar Johnson flaunts his creative freedom in various mediums. The actor, vocalist, and educator have not only shared the stage with prolific artists such as The Last Poets, M-1 of Dead Prez, Jessica Care Moore, and Spike Lee, but he also labors to cultivate the forgotten souls of Rikers Island. Johnson made his film debut in Dave Chappelle’s Block Party. The ASCAP member holds a B.A. in Mathematics from DePauw University and will release the poetry collection Food Clothes and Shelter on his imprint Home Grown Publishing, LLC in 2008.

About Ed Award winning writer, educator, counselor, and activist Edward M. Garnes, Jr. is the founder of From Afros to Shelltoes: Art, Action, and Conversation, a nationally acclaimed series of cultural productions confronting the social divide between elders and hip hop heads, and holds a B.A. in English Writing from DePauw University and a M.A. in Counseling from Michigan State University . His seminal essay, ” Sweet Tea Ethics: Black Luv, Healthcare, and Cultural Mistrust,” currently appears in Not In My Family: AIDS in the African American Community, a 2007 NAACP Image Award nominated collection edited by Gil Robertson. (www.afrostoshelltoes.com).

Print PDF

No related posts.