I’m going to say some harsh things about some people. Guideline 1 of Free Speech Handbook remains, “Judge the thought, not the thinker.”
Until these things happened, I knew nothing about Nick Cannon. I still know nothing more than is reported in the articles linked to here.
I have been unable to find in my History many of the articles I remember reading originally. I need to develop a faster finger on the Bookmark button. I must say, the more I read about this guy, the less I like him.
What happened
From Wikipedia:
On July 14, 2020, Nick Cannon was fired by ViacomCBS after making racist and antisemitic remarks during an episode of his podcast with Professor Griff.[57] Cannon endorsed conspiracies about Jewish control of finance, claimed that Jews had stolen the identity of black people as the “true Hebrews“, and cited Louis Farrakhan[.] * * * Two days later, Cannon released an apology for his remarks, but has demanded for complete ownership for Wild ‘n Out, and an apology from ViacomCBS for his termination.[62]
From Newsweek:
Cannon made the comments while interviewing former Public Enemy member Professor Griff on a June episode of the show, Cannon’s Class. Griff was fired from the rap group after a 1989 interview in which he blamed Jewish people for “the majority of wickedness that goes on across the globe.”
Cannon said that “the Semitic people are Black people.”
“You can’t be anti-Semitic when we are the Semitic people,” Cannon continued. “When we are the same people they want to be. That’s our birthright.”
Cannon also said that Black people were “the true Hebrews.”
And he attributed that teaching to Minister Farrakhan.
Cannon’s initial response to the firing was to come after Viacom like a snarling Doberman pinscher with cast iron balls. Two days later, he apologized to the Jewish community — without specifically retracting any of his original statements — sounding as if he’d been emasculated. How anyone got to him that hard, that fast, I can hardly imagine; unless Cannon specifically gains no courage from his convictions.
The responses …
… remind me of the controversy that, a few years ago, surrounded Tamika Mallory, co-chair of the Women’s March, over her admiration for Louis Farrakhan. The accusations were all as if she’d chosen the wrong hero. No one ever asked her to agree or disagree with any specific thing Farrakhan has ever SAID.
No one’s asked Cannon, either.
I don’t care who calls Farrakhan racist or anti-Semitic. Three of the guidelines of Free Speech Handbook apply:
I want to look at the merits of what Farrakhan, or Cannon, actually said.
What does Louis Farrakhan actually say?
Black people are the true Hebrews.
I don’t know what basis he asserts for that statement, but there’s ample evidence to the contrary.
1. Black nations are descended from the Biblical Ham, not Shem.
“Semites” are the supposed descendants of Noah’s son Shem. From Genesis 10, it is evident that the black nations are descended from Noah’s son Ham; Shem was the ancestor of the Jews and Arabs.
NOTE: I have never yet met ANY persuasive explanation of racial origins, Biblical or otherwise. A common “scientific” theory holds that when the first modern humans, who were black, emigrated from Africa to Europe, light skin developed as an evolutionary advantage in the Temperate Zone. By that reasoning, however, the Zulu should also be white.
2. The Hebrews are one nation. The black nations are many.
How then could ALL black people be Hebrews?
A case on point: the Afro-centrists insist that when the Israelites went down to Egypt, because of the famine, it was one black nation being welcomed into the land of another. In that case, you have THIS black nation who ARE Hebrews, and THAT black nation who AREN’T. And we’ve not even mentioned the rest of the continent.
Black people could not and cannot ALL be Hebrews.
3. The language issue.
For nigh on 6,000 years, the Hebrew LANGUAGE has been preserved and transmitted by those people who today call themselves Jews. There is no evidence, none, of any such preservation or transmission among peoples who are black.
Torah scrolls, which are painstakingly and with astonishing accuracy copied from originals from the time of Ezra, abound among the caucasian Jews. There are none among black peoples.
In the end, …
… the problem’s not that it’s racist or anti-Semitic. The problem is that it’s just not so.
Links
The Daily Wire, July 16, 2020 – Terry Crews Cites Nick Cannon’s Racist Anti-White Comments: I Told Ya So – Quotes some outrageous anti-white remarks Cannon made in his podcast “this week.” As indicated by the use of the word “Racist” to refer to a black person, in the headline, The Daily Wire is a right-wing outlet, and one needs to sidestep its biases.
Complex, after July 17, 2020 – T.I. Says Nick Cannon’s Apology Shouldn’t Be Used to ‘Slander One of Our National Treasures’ – Cannon’s apology got a backlash from black people that apparently made him suicidal.
The Blast, July 18, 2020 – Nick Cannon Fired From ‘Wild ‘N Out’, Gets Backlash After Anti-Semitic Comments – Includes quotations from his apology, as well as his initial demands toward Viacom
Vigdor, Neil (July 15, 2020). “ViacomCBS Fires Nick Cannon, Citing Anti-Semitic Podcast Remarks”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. .Retrieved July 15, 2020.
““I feel ashamed”: Nick Cannon apologizes for “anti-Semitic” comments”. http://www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
Moreau, Jordan (July 15, 2020). “Nick Cannon Dropped by ViacomCBS After Making Anti-Semitic Comments”. Variety. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
“Nick Cannon slams ViacomCBS for firing him over anti-Semitic comments”. Los Angeles Times. July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
Henderson, Cydney. “Nick Cannon apologizes for his ‘hurtful and divisive words’ toward the Jewish community”. USA TODAY. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
Carras, Christi. “Nick Cannon apologizes to Jewish community, keeps ‘Masked Singer’ hosting gig”. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
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