This is not a treatise on class differences from any academic viewpoint. Just thoughts on what I have observed. Last night I decided to read Wendy Willliam's book, "Wendy's Got the Heat"-- she is the female version of Michael Baisden before he made a name for himself in radio, but with a raunchy edge.
She decided to be the Queen of Radio via telling it live and raw. Originally from New Jersey, she worked in several stations including a fledgling D.C. low watt station owned by Kathy Hughes, who now is almost a billionaire, and head honcho of her own Radio One.
She is currently on WBLS- in New York, the home of RIP Frankie "the Love Man" Crocker, from the Golden years of East Coast dominance on the airwaves. I never liked her, like many others, had no opinion but I felt she definitely spoke to the "ghetto." She came up through groups such as -de la Soul--to Puff Daddy (back then) and the new Gangsta rap hit the airwaves. Hot 97.1 in New York was the station then.
Since the study of cutural anthropology touches on each and every single aspect of culture, it's not unusual folks--since I am the one that used to play Rapper's Delight for my eldest son who now thinks I have no idea who KRS-One, Naughty by Nature, Doug E. Fresh are-(-he cracks me up,) as this seems to be the attitude of the "Hip Hop generation" as they cannot connect that Clive Davis has run the gamut from Aretha to Alicia--and too many of them don't recognize who Clive Davis is. Oh well.
With this background it stands to reason that I read EVERYTHING. I finished the book this morning all 202 pages and I recommend the book highly to all mainstream folks! Wendy comes from the typical middle class, upwardly mobile black family. Two parent household, both parents educators, mom an AKA, sister an attorney, brother another educator. Summers at Martha's Vineyard--Cotillions--an insistence of "proper manners, proper speaking" and as such she was ragged by other teens for "talking white."
Her journey is one of individualism, but it is buttressed,and anchored by caring intelligent parenting. It really speaks as to why going to college is also a testament to your own desire, to challenge yourself to house a particular set of values which are aligned with the mainstream.
She herself states that anyone can become a radio jock, and make beaucoup money. She is the only person I have ever read about who put it out there on the real.We all love Black idioms and colloquial speech, but you have to know when to hold em' and when to fold em'.
The fact is that "Ghetto Fabulous Wendy Williams" is a product of solid middle class values. Her highly individual choices are singularly her own, but the clarity of the differences in the choices she has made, to be a coke addict for years, shows that she was aptly aware of these choices. What would be the difference then, if she were a sister from the Projects or the daughter of millionaires? the difference is the underpinnings. The correct values, supported by her own families achievements,that signal that we may make choices that are detrimental, but in the end we come home to the basics of good parenting. I wish for her all the best with her son,as we tend to become the parents that we rebelled against, and in this case it's all good.
The book surprised the heck out of me, but that is why I stretch and read, what I may think that won't interest me, never ceases to truly amaze me!
No doubt her addiction, personality type and the type of career she chose create stressors that can be unbearable, while I still don't and won't listen to her program--she has everything in her upbringing to take her in any positive direction she chooses as life goes on.
My question is why are mainstream Black Americans so apt to downtalk these middle class achievers?
Posted By: Marta Fernandez
Thursday, March 5th 2009 at 12:30PM
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