Capital One cashes in on Katrina and NBC censors anti Bush remark at fundraiser
How disgusting!
Fortunately, Kanye West had the guts to depart from the script.
Kanye West’s Torrent of Criticism, Live on NBC
“… West and Mike Myers had been paired up to appear about halfway through the show. Their assignment: Take turns reading a script describing the breach in the levees around New Orleans.
Myers: The landscape of the city has changed dramatically, tragically and perhaps irreversibly. There is now over 25 feet of water where there was once city streets and thriving neighborhoods.
(Myers throws to West, who looked extremely nervous in his super-preppy designer rugby shirt and white pants, which is not like the arrogant West and which, in retrospect, should have been a tip-off.)
West: I hate the way they portray us in the media. You see a black family, it says, “They’re looting.” You see a white family, it says, “They’re looking for food.” And, you know, it’s been five days [waiting for federal help] because most of the people are black. And even for me to complain about it, I would be a hypocrite because I’ve tried to turn away from the TV because it’s too hard to watch. I’ve even been shopping before even giving a donation, so now I’m calling my business manager right now to see what is the biggest amount I can give, and just to imagine if I was down there, and those are my people down there. So anybody out there that wants to do anything that we can help—with the way America is set up to help the poor, the black people, the less well-off, as slow as possible. I mean, the Red Cross is doing everything they can. We already realize a lot of people that could help are at war right now, fighting another way—and they’ve given them permission to go down and shoot us!
(West throws back to Myers, who is looking like a guy who stopped on the tarmac to tie his shoe and got hit in the back with the 8:30 to La Guardia.)
Myers: And subtle, but in many ways even more profoundly devastating, is the lasting damage to the survivors’ will to rebuild and remain in the area. The destruction of the spirit of the people of southern Louisiana and Mississippi may end up being the most tragic loss of all.
(And, because Myers is apparently as dumb as his Alfalfa hair, he throws it back to West.)
West: George Bush doesn’t care about black people!
....”
Have to admit that I had no idea who Kayne West is until today, but he sure is right.
From the LA Times article: The Show Didn’t Benefit by Censors
“As we enter the celebrity telethon phase of the Katrina tragedy, NBC’s “A Concert for Hurricane Relief” stands as a blueprint for its own kind of institutional failure.
By censoring Grammy-winning rapper Kanye West’s remarks critical of President Bush during its West Coast feed of the program Friday night, the network violated the most moving and essential moment in an otherwise sterile, self-serving corporate broadcast. ...”
“… The line NBC stopped us from hearing on the West Coast: “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” ...”
“… Whether we agree or disagree with West’s impassioned riff on media and government racism, the network’s relentless self-promotion was by far the more offensive part of the broadcast.
It started with a welcome from Bob Wright, the chief executive of NBC Universal, which was followed by thoughts from another chief executive, Capital One’s Richard D. Fairbank.
Why Fairbank?
Capital One “underwrote” the telethon, which makes you immediately ask: Was his appearance part of the underwriting deal? The fact that the question comes up at all shows you how wrong that move was. ...”
It is sickening.
I’ve developed a serious dislike for the Rolling Stones because of the offensive Ameriquest commercials. I can’t say that I’ve ever been a huge fan, but I liked many of their tunes. Now I hear the Stones and I think Ameriquest and I find the music repulsive.
NBC not only censored this comment about Bush, but turned a fundraiser that’s supposed to help hurricane victims into an advertisement for Capital One—which no doubt will continue to exploit the poor people of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, deliberately and illegally ...
Part of the donations will end up in Capital One CEO Fairbank’s bank account.
The entire article:
The Show Didn’t Benefit by Censors
AS we enter the celebrity telethon phase of the Katrina tragedy, NBC’s “A Concert for Hurricane Relief” stands as a blueprint for its own kind of institutional failure.
By censoring Grammy-winning rapper Kanye West’s remarks critical of President Bush during its West Coast feed of the program Friday night, the network violated the most moving and essential moment in an otherwise sterile, self-serving corporate broadcast.
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“It would be most unfortunate,” the network said in a statement defending its action, “if the efforts of the artists who participated tonight and the generosity of millions of Americans who are helping those in need are overshadowed by one person’s opinion.”
Excuse me, but whose tragedy is this: NBC’s or America’s?
NBC may have been nervous about West’s comments, including the notion that America and its president are unresponsive to the needs of the poor. But you can be sure those remarks would have been cheered more than anything else in the program by the black parents and children still trapped in the New Orleans Convention Center and the Superdome if they had been able to hear them.
The line NBC stopped us from hearing on the West Coast: “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”
The puzzling thing is why NBC axed that, but allowed another provocation, potentially more disturbing, to stay in: “We already realized a lot of the people that could help are at war right now, fighting another way, and they’ve given them permission to go down and shoot us.”
West was apparently referring to the National Guard troops who were sent to New Orleans to help the flood victims and stop the looting.
The show was aired live on the East Coast, where West’s full comments were heard.
There was a several-second tape delay, but the person in charge “was instructed to listen for a curse word and didn’t realize [West] had gone off script,” NBC spokeswoman Rebecca Marks told Associated Press.
Whether we agree or disagree with West’s impassioned riff on media and government racism, the network’s relentless self-promotion was by far the more offensive part of the broadcast.
It started with a welcome from Bob Wright, the chief executive of NBC Universal, which was followed by thoughts from another chief executive, Capital One’s Richard D. Fairbank.
Why Fairbank?
Capital One “underwrote” the telethon, which makes you immediately ask: Was his appearance part of the underwriting deal? The fact that the question comes up at all shows you how wrong that move was.
Then we had Matt Lauer, perhaps the most famous male face of NBC east of Jay Leno, host the program, and “feel-good” scenes of NBC anchor Brian Williams walking the streets with New Orleans musician Harry Connick Jr.
Surely Connick, also known for his appearances on NBC’s “Will & Grace,” knew his way around without Williams’ help.
The censorship of West only added to the insult.
West, a black artist who is arguably the dominant creative force in mainstream popular music right now, isn’t one of the thug-life rappers who might use a moment on a telethon for shock or exploitation purposes.
The most respected newcomer in rap, he has refocused interest on socially conscious themes, as did Curtis Mayfield and Stevie Wonder in R&B decades ago. There’s even a spiritual undercurrent in his biggest hit, “Jesus Walks.”
His provocative on-air comments come as his new album, “Late Registration,” is expected to enter the national sales chart at No. 1 this week.
Posted by Christine on 09/04/2005 at 02:13 PM
2004 Suit (credit limits, credit reporting - on appeal) • Capital One - ruthless banksters • Free speech & corporate censorship • (0) Comments • Permalink
