LOS ANGELES-- Reverend Al Sharpton has secured the top spot, knocking Reverend Jesse Jackson out of the running for the “who’s the blackest activist in the world by embracing causes in order to promote themselves” competition. Held usually about once a year, in the midst of some singular cause that may or may not be construed as a situation of racism, these two juggernauts crept out of hiding from whatever they do on a daily basis, and came out swinging. This year’s competition - who will preside over the funeral of Michael Jackson.
The contest kicked off with the King of Pop's sudden death last Thursday as The Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton, both known to wind up smack-dab in the middle of every media crisis, but never really work together towards a unified voice, converged on Michael Jackson's family acting as semi-official spokesmen and advisers.
“It’s been exciting,” explains Cornelius Fable, head of the National Alliance for the Advancement of Crooked Politicians, a committee that tracks public figures as they inject themselves into the media to keep relevant, “they didn’t have a lot of time to make this happen, so they’ve been working fast. I thought Sharpton took it with the postage stamp, but once he suggested to rename the country after Michael, I knew he had won by a landslide.”
The feats of prominence began with Jesse Jackson’s announcement that the Jackson family wanted a second autopsy for Michael, citing Michael's death as "abnormal.”
“He came out swinging,” continues Fable, “Dropping the conspiracy theory that early was bold, but he has a lot to lose so I understand his strategy. He’s delivered rites for prominent black figures ranging from Miles Davis to the slain family of singer and actress Jennifer Hudson. But Sharpton got the 2006 James Brown memorial. That was big. They both got the Coretta Scott King funeral by default, cause you can’t really compete with Reverend King.”
Sharpton then held his press conference alongside Michael's father, Joe Jackson detailing his plan to lead a full-day memorial at Harlem's Apollo Theater on Tuesday. But with Joe believed to have been written out of the will, and Michael's mother, Katherine — who was closer to the star and is regarded as the heart of the family — leaving the scene just as Sharpton was arriving, many believe that Sharpton chose the wrong alliance.
“That’s when he started dropping H-bombs,” opines Fable, “Sharpton’s 'Little Boy' revealed that Jackson won Obama the White House, there should be a stamp, a national day of mourning, he should be knighted, and considered for sainthood - and then 'Fat Man hit.' The United States of Jackson? Stroke of brilliance. There was enough inundation of ass kissing there that he just pulled away. It just ceased to be a contest.”
Sharpton is now believed to have emerged as the family’s “black activist who doesn’t really work, but somehow is rich, and turns every situation into one of racism” choice to help define Jackson's legacy, which would be of great import to black Americans in particular. With James Brown, and now Michael Jackson under his belt, Sharpton just may be in the over-all lead. Surprisingly, no comments from either camps have been made at this time.
No comments:
Post a Comment