Maya Angelou on Censorship in Wake of the Imus Affair

In the wake of the Imus affair, MSNBC is airing an all-day discussion on the theme "What's OK to say?" Poet Maya Angelou appeared at 11:05 AM EDT, and in the course of her interview with MSNBC's Peter Alexander, had this exchange:

ALEXANDER: Dr. Angelou, you're an author and an artist. I guess the question is, is there a need for more censorship of our media and of our arts, are you comfortable with that? And if that happens, when does it end? What is OK to say?

ANGELOU: Exactly. I agree with that. I think the society decides upon the censorship. Each person censors himself or herself. Do you think, if any of these hip-hoppers, if they said about Mrs. Bush what they say about black women, do you think they would be given a microphone? Do you really think so? So we have to censor ourselves. And then, the society makes that decision.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Maya
• Angelou
• censorship
• race
• issues
• double
• standard

[170flyguy]

I think that this video has so many racist remarks is because its pains to see a black well educated woman.

[MrLarrylegend]

Black women are disrespected mostly by blacks!! Lets face it, niggers don't act respectfully!! Neither does Maya!! She's an angry bitch even tho she has been spoiled by american society for doing nothing!! Most people don't know that she was a sorry, single mom who went around fucking in the hood like they still do nowadays! She's a welfare mom at her core!!

[LiiCKABLE]

You've commented numerous times, is youtube your only outlet to rant? You seem very disturbed emotionally and mentally. You don't get what she's saying. No, Laura Bush isn't dancing around in thongs just like the majority of black women aren't. Yet, they're still disrespected as a whole group. So why aren't white women being labeled and disrespected? Like Maya said blacks especially women are at the bottom of the totem pole.

[Nanger2008]

The black community destroyed itself, no matter how much we've tried to blame the white man, we made it ok for a 10 or 12 year old to disrespect women or become a thug or a gangsta, and now we call that our culture.. the long lived black culture is long gone and now we're faced with garbage...this so called "hip hop culture" is destroying this new generation... What happened to Martin Luther King's message?..

[Sempuukyaku]

The funny thing is that most of these insidiously racist remarks here...are all probably coming from Ron Paul supporters. Sad really.

[bloody]

By the way, black women are equally as guilty of destroying their image. All you have to do is search "booty" in the searchbar, and you'll find plenty of 15 year old black girls making a mockery of themselves, and they are TAUGHT to do that by their own culture.

[bloody]

The black community destroyed itself, and now they are getting paid to destroy it. These money hungry bastards really think that they will be safe with their checks from the corporations. After they are gone, there will be even less wealthy african americans because of the nature they endorse.

[gracebelieverz]

The censorship I am reffering to is Black womens (and women in general in America) being able to call men all kinds of names anytime on tv and networks not allowing men to say what THEY really think and feel, that doesn't work on youtube Black womens aids

gets the attention it deserves. A WHORE is called a whore, like it or not!

[cuntysasha]

WOW! After reading ur post i really feel sorry for u! DO u really believe what u wrote? THis is why we as human will never get past the issues of race and sexism!

[gracebelieverz]

Black women have disproportionate std's among all women showing they are promiscuous, lowdown and dirty,

but want to hide behind gov't censorship preventing

decent men from calling a WHORE A WHORE!!!!!!!!!

If Black women would invest time in loving and raising their sons, males would respect them dont u think? U go Gurl aint workin chile