The Brian Lehrer Show

why do people equate black culture to hiphop culture.

Has James McBride read Octavia Butler's Kindred which also describes the slavery culture on the Eastern Shore of Maryland? Her story takes a modern African-American woman who finds herself there during slavery. If not, please read.

hip hop culture --- what exactly is that?

misogynistic black men in gold chains rapping about bitches and hos and money

you bet that isn't black culture -- but all to often it's the gangsta rap that dominates

My lord. What has the African American given to society vs what has the Negro given? How is this a question? What distinction is he making? I am very glad you quickly moved on from this question, but it is worrisome that even within the liberal bubble of New York's public radio, people still think that this is a valid question.

Many of our ancestors from many different cultures have suffered horribly in the past. We all have to get beyond our past suffering in order to be a healthy society. We don't have to forget or even forgive (I think) but we can't continue to let that anger motivate our behavior or become an excuse for not making progress.

I'm surprised and disappointed that the producers even put these callers through. Their questions bordered on insulting. A noted author asked to explain a psychotherapists' patient's anger? As if her one or two or three patients reflect African Americans? And a juxtaposition of African American vs. Negro contibutions? Are you kidding? I never hear such inane questions being asked of other guests. Are there any African Americans working on this show? It's really a disservice to James McBride, an eloquent writer and thoughtful person who graciously responded to calls that must have been infuriating. They certainly were for me.

wayne - no need to censor or muzzle callers

the psychotherapist discussion about anger was interesting and legit....and right on topic re: book about slavery and future of america

don't throw out the babyt with bathwater

megan - you're right, to a point. callers are screened for all kinds of things - redundancy, relevance, the specific point the caller wants to make, etc.

it's not so much a matter of the question being legit, but that it seemed so far afield from what they were discussing. i don't think his book addresses the contemporary anger/frustrations of black americans (like ellis cose, for example), thus his answer about things that happened in the past 25 years being more directly related to someone's anger. then he had to move on with no link made to his book or the characters and ideas therein.

the other question makes more point even more so.

having said that, you're right about not throwing the baby out with the bath water. i just i have rarely heard questions that were so off point.