Katt Breaks The Internet; Winter Looms For Chicago Migrants; Uncertain Times Ahead; But 'We're Still Here'
'Speak your peace, Black man. For in the words of my grandmother: “Ain’t nobody mad but the devil.”'
By John W. Fountain
NO LIES TOLD? Hmmmm. It sure seems that way. Just my random thoughts:
On the morning after Katt Williams unleashed bombs on “Club Shay Shay” and spilled a few gallons of proverbial tea about some of the top Black comedians in America, the fallout rippled across social media like a nuclear firestorm.
And yet, what appears to be clear—at least for the time being—is that no one is saying that Williams, who sat on Shannon Sharpe’s brown leather sofa slow sipping cognac in an epic interview that lasted more than 2 ½ hours, was lying. I’m just saying.
The discussion, which appears on YouTube (released Jan. 3, and with nearly 15 million views and counting by late Friday morning), set social media on fire (trending No. 1 on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter). Williams’ disembowelment of some of the top Black comedians of these times (among them Steve Harvey, Cedric The Entertainer, Chris Tucker, Kevin Hart, Ricky Smiley, and others), was riveting in its plain matter of factness, and interspersed with comic humor, which seemed to be more of an afterthought than scripted punchlines.
Williams appeared thoughtful, but not vengeful, contemplative and at times measured with his words as he reiterated time and again that he felt it his obligation to correct certain mistruths that had been said about him and/or about former dealings in the entertainment industry by comedians previously interviewed by Sharpe on Club Shay Shay.
Williams, an Emmy-Award-winning actor and standup comedian, asserted from the opening that he had come to set the record straight in the interview with the NFL Hall of Famer turned broadcaster and podcaster. And he certainly pulled no punches, accusing Cedric The Entertainer of stealing one of his best jokes, though he did assure Sharpe that he would have “bust Cedric’s stomach” had he been there when the comedian apparently told Sharpe that he did not steal Williams’ joke.
Cedric The Entertainer responded in a video posted on social media Thursday, saying in part, “I have no idea what this brother is talking about.”
What do I think? Hmmmm. Let’s just say that if I were a member of a jury, I’d say the Katt in the hat was a damn believable witness.
And although I was not previously a Katt Williams fan, his eloquent recitation about his commitment to preserve as an actor the integrity and masculinity of the Black male image as well as his fierce defense of my main man, Chicago homeboy and comic legend Bernie Mac—are enough to make me stand ten toes down with this brother.
Speak your peace, Black man. For in the words of my grandmother: “Ain’t nobody mad but the devil.”
These are my random thoughts…
Old Man Winter
WITH SNOW AND A sharp drop in temperatures looming for next week in the Windy City, the situation for migrants who have reportedly surged to at least 27,000 in Chicago since August 2022, the harshness of a winter for those dwelling in mere tents is about to get real. For real, for real.
Whether you believe that migrants should be here to begin with, or not, or whether you agree with Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s continued transporting of migrants from Texas to Chicago by bus—or lately by chartered plane—or not, this much is not debatable: Chicago’s frostbitten unforgiving winter streets are no place for animals, let alone human beings.
Not for migrants seeking asylum. Not for the at least 6,139 people whom the city of Chicago estimates experienced homelessness in 2023. Not for homeless veterans. Not for local families who live in cars. Or the other citizens/residents of Chicago who, like the “friends” of Aleta Clark “Englewood Barbie,” are forced to take up residence beneath viaducts, or to sleep in doorways or abandoned buildings, and who have long needed the city and the federal government to be as committed to them in its collective will and also finance. To be about the business of saving them as much as it is about the business of helping new arrivals.
That’s the argument made by many who have expressed opposition, sometimes angrily, about Chicago’s migrant crisis. It isn’t that they don’t care about migrants. It’s a question of, “What are we, chopped liver?” It is a question of fairness. A question of: “Shouldn’t charity begin at home?”
Well, shouldn’t it?
Meanwhile, Old Man Winter looms.
Just random thoughts…
Paw-Paw For President
A LESSER OF TWO evils? It seems more like being stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Despite being a lifelong democrat, I admittedly find myself struggling between the two leading presidential candidates: two aging grandpas. The one who I worry about walking up a flight of stairs or across stage without falling, and the other who could very well find himself wearing prison stripes by the time election day arrives.
(For the record, I am not an ageist! I too am a card-carrying senior citizen and certified paw-paw. Hmmmm, maybe I outta run, nah.)
The choices—neither of them appealing—leave me scratching my head, especially over the fact that the two leading presidential candidates for both the Democratic and Republican parties are either already an octogenarian or else knocking on 80s door.
In my mind, a younger candidate might provide new blood, new ideas and an alternative to politics as usual. But then again, maybe not, given the same old political drivel spilling from the mouths of younger Republican primary candidates who lag far behind Trump in the polls.
On the bright side, I guess, at least the Dems don’t have as a candidate a four times-criminally-indicted former U.S. president on 91 felony counts over allegedly fueling a fake election-fraud conspiracy and fanning the flames of an insurrection that threatened our very democracy. However, President Biden’s endorsement of Israel’s war on Gaza (which has resulted in the killing of more than 22,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7), and his continued refusal to back a U.N. call for a ceasefire, have me seriously considering whether in protest to simply vote for Trump.
Except I can’t help but wonder how much more damage would be inflicted both domestically and abroad by another Trump presidency. I thought about not voting at all. Except I realize that would be a vote for Trump.
The more I think about it, I simply can’t fathom that, even if the available presidential choices leave me between two old rocks.
Just my random thoughts.
Makes Me Wanna Holler
As the winds of 2024 ushered in a New Year, the drums of war continued to pound with fears of the war in Gaza widening. Even as Russia continues its bombardment and assault against the people of Ukraine, and the toll of the ongoing rebel conflict and violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to rise with an already estimated more than 6 million displaced people in eastern Congo.
These wars and their devastation of humanity, the lingering of COVID, the news of shootings and various and sundry crises carry with them a breath of uncertainty about the state of these times even as we move forward upon a new year. And in the words of the late Marvin Gaye: “make me want to holler, and throw up both my hands.”
But when I think about all the storms we have weathered in this world just in my lifetime—and even the challenges of last year—I am grateful and encouraged by three simple words from poet Langston Hughes: “I’m still here.”
So glad to say in this new year, “I’m still here.”
Just random thoughts.
Email: Author@johnwfountain.com