(ThyBlackMan.com) By now we all know Gayle King disrespected the memory of Kobe Bryant, his family, and Lisa Leslie when she pressed questions, after her initial question, during a CBS interview with Lisa Leslie. There was an outcry of anger towards Gayle King for her gross mishandling of that situation. Snoop Dogg commented in anger and he basically used profane language towards Gayle King. Because of his colorful language it seems there as more focus on the choice of words than the message.
Woman from high places such as Susan Rice found time to address Snoop Dogg, but I can only wonder where was Susan Rice’s voice when black men and boys were being gunned down in the street. That’s a conversation for another day. As women descended on Snoop’s comments, and some black men agreed he wasn’t wrong in what he had to say but the disrespect wasn’t necessary the conversation that needed to he had is being buried. Snoop Dogg says he’s spoken to his mother, and he wasn’t raised to be disrespectful, so he apologized to Gayle King for his choice of words but not his message.
Are we satisfied now that Snoop has apologized, and Gayle King accepted such? Are we going to hold her accountable to apologize to the 
Bryant family for those questions? Are we going to allow her to route us to CBS as the source of the mistake? Now that Snoop has owned his disrespectful language are we ready to hold all using said language to account. The attack of black men in the media is not a myth…this is real, and it seems that some of our women have a hand in it. If we want to talk about the disrespect of men in music towards women we can have that discussion. However, be prepared to also have the discussion of women that use the same language towards women. The double standard has to stop, and it needs to stop before you speak up because it’s your son or male loved one.
Holding Gayle King to account is not a hatred of black women. There are black women just as angry as black men with this situation. It is not chauvinist to speak out against the dragging of black men by the media. That is not the time to say “but”, because black women are quick to get up in arms when black men bring up another matter as sistas are trying to speak on what harms them. What Gayle King did was wrong, and there is no way around it. If we are going to have the discussion of rape, status, consent, black men, black women, white women, and the justice system we can have the discussion as it is long overdue. However, that will be a severely painful discussion.
We will have to acknowledge all of the abuse that takes place, ever space whereby consent is not present, what it means to be seen guilty no matter what you do…and even if you’ve done nothing. That conversation is loaded with triggers, and no one is clean. If we are not ready to go there we can at least hold the media accountable. Snoop Dogg has apologized…so can Gayle King do the same? She and others in the media will have to understand that we can’t overlook the harm you do in your profession for the checks you are willing to cut on the back end. We just can’t do that anymore.
Staff Writer; Chelle’ St James
May also connect with this sister via Twitter; ChelleStJames.
