Pot Calls Kettle Black, Goes to Prison
There was a funny little nugget in Jonathan Miller’s NY Times story about shooting the final Sopranos scenes on location in Jersey. This tidbit was buried in parenthesis and had the misfortune of falling smack in the middle of a jump from page 1 of the Metro section to page 5. So I’ll give it the spotlight it deserves:
But since it first went on the air in 1999, “The Sopranos” has had a complicated relationship with the Garden State. While many residents feel a sense of pride in the series, others, especially politicians, have complained that it plays to ugly stereotypes about Italians as thuggish criminals.
In 2000, James W. Treffinger, who was then the Essex County executive, banned the series from shooting there, saying it “stereotypes an ethnic group.” (Mr. Treffinger was later sentenced to 13 months in prison after being convicted of corruption.)
Speaking of The Sopranos, it seems there's been precious little buzz about the final season, which starts in just 16 days (though I suspect that will change in a matter of days). Minus an ad in the new Sports Illustrated yesterday, the only marketing I've seen for the show has been old posters from its A&E debut.
By Michael Malone
Charles commented:
Re:Black Men in America's Jails and Prisons
Too many young black men continue to waste their precious lives in a state of neo bondage. As a correctional educator for the past several years, I can tell you that the prisons and jails in this great country are overflowing with young African-Americans (You already know). All of my students are young black men - one exception. As a teacher, it saddens me to see the talent that is wasted on a daily basis.
We all need to start doing more to address this escalating dilemma. The youth of this country don't need to rot in jail, while we (Americans) ignore the problem. Something is causing this horrible trend to continue. You may ask yourself â€What can I do?â€. There is no easy answer, but you need to do something. A few suggestions would be:
organize sports functions (basketball leagues, football leagues, etc.)
talk to kids at school
write books
contact government officials
do volunteer work
tutor kids
take kids fishing, camping, etc.
The point here is to start doing something. If we simply ignore the problem, where do you think we will be in 10 years pertaining to this issue?
For my part, I have written a book aimed at helping young black men who are already incarcerated.
The book is called:
Black Choices, A young black man's guide to prison survival
ISBN: 1-60813-727-9, 83 pages, 6 x 9,
The book can be ordered through
PublishAmerica.com or by calling 301/695-1707
This book can make a real difference to the young man who is incarcerated. It can help him to negotiate prison life more successfully and also start planning for what life brings after prison is over. If you have a loved one or friend in jail, consider sending him this most important book. I believe it will help his life to start getting back on the road to a more successful future. Any help getting the word out about this book will be greatly appreciated. I truly care about my students and the overall plight of too many young black men in America's correctional centers.
CCW