The Dream Scheme

For the past few days, I've been getting an earful regarding the Martin Luther King, Jr. episode of The Boondocks aired on Cartoon Network. If you're not familiar with the episode, here's quick synopsis. Huey narrates a dream in which the late Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and injured instead of killed. He's in a coma and wakes up in the present day. He's slow adjusting to the new world he's confronted with. Naturally, he's the talk of the town and has the support of the nation behind him. This soon fades when he makes a comment to not retaliate against terrorist regarding the 9-11 attack. Suddenly his popularity takes a nosedive and he's more of a pariah than a savior. Huey rallies the people to have a celebration for MLK that ends up being a VIP hip-hop celebrity throw down. King himself had problems getting in to the event. The show builds up to an amazing speech where he addresses the audience and the world, calling the black participating and watching "Niggers." He walks out and tells Huey, he's tired and moving to Canada. Okay, you got the gist. If you need more, I suggest you just watch the damn thang.

After the airing of the episode, the reverend Al Sharpton holds a press conference denouncing the episode and demands the shows creator, Aaron McGruder offer a public apology for the, in his words "tasteless and offensive" episode.

Now I must admit, I'm a boondocks fan. I don't think it's the funniest show in the world. Nor do I think it will have a long run (in short, it's just not that good), but I applaud the bold, straight-out-the-gate direction the show has taken. It's like seeing your favorite potty-mouth, wanna be drawn up and put in front of you for 30 whole minutes, well 22 if you don't count the commercials. I can go on an on about the pros and cons of the show, but let's address the issue at hand, did he go to far with the "I had a dream" episode.

Friends of mine have taken the stance that he was well within his rights to produce the show, which in their opinion is one of the most brilliant tributes to King since, uh...well...ever. They also think that Al Sharpton is an oil-slicked storefront minister who just likes his time in front of a camera. Here's what I had to say about this bag of hornets.

While I don't agree with the Rev's comments on the "tasteless" Dr. King episode, I do feel that brings to light a point that I think Aaron was trying to make us wake up to how we see ourselves and how much progress we, the younger generation has made since he and our forbearers championed the issue.

Al Sharpton is a necessary evil so to speak, he does voice his opinion and uses his clout to bring several issues to the media's attention. Sometimes it sounds that pressed and slicked brutha is in left field, but one thing I can say is that he keep the "man" in check by calling him out on so many issues that affect African Americans. Consider this, ABC, CBS and even "The Daily Show" mentioned during the Democratic National Convention that he was the only person worth listening to. His views are typically not rhetoric and voices the concerns of the black majority.

I also agree that he should do more to voice the concerns of the plight of the delta and use his influence to make a bipartisan solution to rebuild the area and provide more opportunities for people to the area.

Watching the show, I felt ashamed of my contribution (or lack thereof) to efforts brought about by Dr. King and several others to ensure I have the opportunities I take advantage of today. Reading the entry, I tried to imagine myself as an older person who participated in the civil rights effort and how would I feel about the episode. I could see how someone COULD be insulted by the show, but it is just one person (and his production company's) view on the matter. I wonder what the sentiment would have been if this was a "Family Guy" or "American Dad" episode. Would you be standing beside the Rev or still against him?

My last point is this; no one in our generation has taken the mantle of leadership since the civil rights. In that point the episode was very clear on. What have we done as a people to deserve the liberties we're given? If everyone who enjoyed the Boondocks episode were to donate a dollar, we could have saved the King Memorial in D.C. Just one dollar would speak volumes, but still the project is struggling to make 11million dollars for its construction.

Just something to ponder.
To all who read this, I’d like to think we're still moving forward and not stepping back. Who's really the martyr in this issue? Watch the news and then decide. Okay, I'm done. My dogs think I have better things to do.