Ooops!
I don't bray!
When I overheard the news flash in my travels about the city the other day, I laughed out loud.
Another controversy raged in a week that (at a minimum) had been rife with bad behaviour from white and black trailer-trash alike.
Maybe the alignment of the planets was all screwed up.
Or, the soaring heat was making folks testy.
According to a tweet that zapped at lightning speed around the internet (and beyond into the frenzied mainstream media realms) Barack Obama allegedly jumped into the Kanye West fray - and in an off-the-cuff moment - hissed to a few within earshot (off-camera) that the musician was (quite simply) a Jacka**.
How refreshing!
To a handful who once belly-ached that Obama was "uppity" - and occasionally was prone to act "Holier than thou" - it was a Godsend, really.
In sum, the Prez was no different than any common "Joe" prone to dish at whim when the occasion arose.
Personally, it was the word Jacka** that titillated me.
In choosing that "label", Obama demonstrated a little imagination, in my estimation.
When you call a person an "a**hole", for instance, it simply conjures of a glaring demeaning image of all that is negative about sentient beings (and the inconsiderate and/or inappropriate selfish actions of an individual that often lead them astray from humanity).
For many, the label smarts.
Jacka**, on the other hand, is a much bigger rub.
Stings more, dudes!
After all, the "tag" gets to the very core of the personality - and in the final analysis - makes a broader, deeper, more insightful statement about the individual in a lasting humorous way.
The dictionary definition defines it best:
jackass
noun
1. a male donkey.
2. a contemptibly foolish or stupid person; dolt; blockhead; ass
Barack hit the nail on the head, in a nutshell!
But, the controversy goes beyond the alleged name-calling.
Apparently, when the President uttered the off-the-cuff slight, he was off-camera in-between-takes.
But, worse than that, informed sources verified later that the powers-that-be at the Network in question agreed to respect the President's wishes that the remark remain "off-the-record".
Unfortunately, another overzealous Jacka** (they're running rampant around the political landscape these days) seized the golden opportunity to tweet his way to fame before the strong arm of his employer was able to silence him.
Uh-huh!
Within hours, the President's comment was zig-zagging around the country - and overseas, too - causing a heapload of mayhem in its wake.
Part of the blame rests with the President, in my estimation.
Obviously, he's a bit balmy if he thought his wishes would be respected, in this tattle-tale back-stabbing media-befuddled age.
As to the press, well, they blew it too.
Now that the President's trust has been broken, it is doubtful they'll ever be welcomed into the inner sanctum again.
Doris Duke's father said it best when he cautioned her on his deathbed:
"Trust no one."
And not even your instinct, on occasion, Barack!
