1/18/2006

Fox: New Reality TV Show


Producers have just announced that New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin will join the cast of its new series: "The Weekly Smiting", scheduled to begin airing this spring.
"We feel that Nagin is a smiting diamond in the rough," said a network spokesperson. On the lucrative contract:"We predict that he will help with product placement on the show as well, great for ad revenues." (link below for more on Nagin)

Indeed, Nagin's controversial remarks about "chocolate" garnered him alot of publicity:

"On Monday, Nagin said God wanted New Orleans to be predominantly black and said he didn't care what the predominantly white Uptown section of the city had to say about it.

"I don't care what people are saying Uptown or wherever they are. This city will be chocolate at the end of the day," he said. "This city will be a majority African-American city. It's the way God wants it to be."

After the statement, he insisted he wasn't being divisive.

And file this under what the f**k: (or, revisionist damage control)

"How do you make chocolate? You take dark chocolate, you mix it with white milk, and it becomes a delicious drink. That is the chocolate I am talking about," he said. "New Orleans was a chocolate city before Katrina. It is going to be a chocolate city after. How is that divisive? It is white and black working together, coming together and making something special."





19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Have you lost your damned mind?

Wadena said...

I thought it was a real nice satirical piece. I also hear that Nagin is worried because too many Mexicans are coming into New Orleans......so......are they too white, or too chocolate or just too different?

He needs some sugar in his chocolate drink......anyhow, hasn't he heard of cappucino?

Lily said...

Well I think the concern that plays out in many scenarios (although not generally of this massive scale) are two things- rebuilding gentrification and detached stakeholders having disproportionate power/input.
Its amazing how many times rich people in far away offices see investment while the residents see 'community'. Now I won't go off on one of my urban planning rants, but certainly a factor in sprawl and degradation is the detachment factor of city/town expansion. I think Nagin is right to rage about the process, and he wants to make sure that when the city is rebuilt, the people who lived there will be able to afford their own community. Some will be displaced- it hangs in the balance of certainty regarding a repeat and investor confidence.
On the smiting, I just think smiting is hilarious in general. Great to see you, cat.

Lew Scannon said...

Al Gore made a helluva speech Monday Night at Constitutonal Hall (text available here:http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011606Y.shtml)about the abuses of the Constitution by the Bush administration, but unfortunately his speech was overshadow by Mr. Nagin (who used to be a Republican)because he delivered a sound bite for all the talk shows to play over and over again.
The lack of political discourse in this country was also discussed by Mr. Gore (and he never once mentioned how the election was stolen from him)and how too many politicians are selling out the Constitution for money to buy thirty seconds of television time. But the process would work if there weren't too many people shortening their attention spans by spending all evening shutting down their brain and watching television.
Apparently, everybody thinks they know what this God person wants, but if he was all powerful as they claim, he would just do it, and not use nut jobs like Ray Nagin, Pat Robertson, or Jerry Fallwell to tell people what God wants.

enigma4ever said...

Great little satirical rant....humor is a good thing when things don't make sense...Poor Nagin...mentioning God and Chocolate all in the same sentence probally confused the hell out all those rascist whitebread nascar christians....and then Hillary had to go and mention "plantations" on the same day...People need to THINK before they speak....a lost skill...with tragic consequences. I loved the post and the artwork...

Anonymous said...

Lew: Yes, many of us in blogarama discussed Gore's speech at length. Its been a topic at many places, and some blogs even had links to either the transcript or the audio. I think Fred at Making Conservatives Cringe was one. There were many others. Check out some of the links from our blogroll- I think you might find some good discussions took place the next day about Gore.. You know as well as I do that the mainstream media sucks and they are biased. They are puppets of propaganda-nothing new there. And yes, we are also ignorant by choice at times. Thats true.

We had an awareness event on ClearChannel locally some time back to highlight the censoring of musicians- it does not end with tv. This is pervasive. All media.

Sometimes I think that a point is made quickly with few words- thats all I was trying to do. Your issue is that Hill and Ray stole the spotlight? Rained on his parade? Well, so do the sex scandals and celebrities. people know more about Angelina Jolie than the state of the nation.
One thing I know: we are all imperfect and we all can point fingers about who does more or less, who is more responsible for the septic world. But thats also what THEY do. Does it help? Does it change anyone's mind? We have to show people WHY it matters. Tell the soccer mom about the draft. Tell them about conservation, connect to people with humility.

Rex Kramer, Danger Seeker said...

Oh, Ray Nagin is sooooo ripe for smiting, like a fat, ripe America-hating cocoa bean hanging from the vine of blasphemy!

Wadena said...

Perhaps God will send another hurricane and blow Nagin right off that vine.

Or, perhaps she will send something to Rex Kramer, Danger Seeker.

:D

Anonymous said...

Ray Nagin, idiot. What more can you say. Having said that though, why do we have to bludgeon people with a D behind their name when there is an overabundance of people needing bludgeoning with an R following their name. The party should just remember Nagin is an idiot and make sure to have someone competent running to take his place.
As to Hillary's "plantation" comment. I think she overplayed her hand and played to an audience that she may not want to patronize. If that is the way her comment is perceived, I certainly did, then she will pay the price come the 2008 primary season. The point she had to make is certainly valid and needed to be said. I just think she could have made it without using that word. She's the successful politian (and I am not) so who knows. I just feel her use of the terminology was crass. Oh well, I guess it it much better than the out and out lies we hear from Condi. But who ever points those out?

enigma4ever said...

welll kiss me snarky,
smite me thursday..

got a new rude post up over at watergate...
come meet my dog ...hehe

Chuck said...

HA!HA! There are so many superstars these days within one or two "degrees of separation" from the disaster monkey.

michael the tubthumper said...

there was brilliant democracy now show with some guy abusing him

listen here

Anonymous said...

The 'plantation' comment was yet another planned attempt to appear 'down with the people" when it is glaringly obvious that she is not. See, the missing piece in such strategies are overtures of sincerity and trust- minority groups have little reason to trust Hillary or feel that she 'gets it". Honestly, I think there is a perception that Slick Willy gets it. His upbringing is well known, and he does connect to people with his fallibility. He has made efforts to revitalize the city, and he has worked on the trust issue by reaching out.
Hillary just seems to pander and patronize (that was the best word) and I think it will backfire.

enigma4ever said...

Pander and Patronize- that says it all...She Chose The Word- And as I said up above on your other post- Wrong Place, Wrong Audience, Wrong Time, Wrong Word...
And yeah,she is trying to be "Hip", "In touch with the People" in her Carpet Bagger way...whelp, it ain't working....

But the thing is, the Media sure ate it all up Nagin and the Chocolate and Hillary and the Plantation- distracted them so much, such "sexy" stories they completely missed the ExVP Calling George the King a Criminal...yeah, talk about out of touch with the common people...

Anonymous said...

I swear you and Lew outta get together with your Adoration of the Gore.
Yes- the poor Gore is the story of the week in my mind.

enigma4ever said...

Tp the Blogs were on Fire about Al Gore- He Finally SAID and SAID loudly what needed to be said- know anyone else that has done that in the past FIVE years?????

and about damn time....

Tedj said...

PPPPPPraise the Lord! And pass the Amunition.

Lily said...

Enigma- I love Gore, and absolutely agree that his message was needed and refreshing. Recall he was talking about climate change etc. way back, too. He knows the deal.
I'd take him back. The censoring wife? Not so much.

Unknown said...

Yeah, I like Gore too, but I feel that if he were a candidate hopeful, would he say what he did? It seems that the people actually in office are afraid to say anything.

I gotta wonder. In any case, I wish he would run. I will cringe in horror if it's Hillary. She is indeed just as removed from "the people" as she could be. She's a centrist, and she is one of the privileged set. I too hate seeing Hillary try to be "down with" the folks. It's sort of revolting.

And she's pro-Iraq-War. WTF?

Anyway, Lili, in the present climate, you will never run shy of material to report the "weekly smiting" because Pat Robertson, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Lielly, etc., can't keep their fat yaps shut about how god favors them. Oh and because global warming is making damn sure there are more than enough natural disasters to give them all ample opportunity to pick 'n' choose who god is smiting and why.

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