Ignorance Personified: Gabrielle Union Thinks Black Bloggers Need to be More Like Perez Hilton
Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 7:48AM The Blogmother It has been a rough year for the members of the Black Elite Establishment. All of a sudden they've discovered these pesky little things called blogs GASP and their whole world has been turned upside down.
First we had DL Hughley wonder about “that lady and her email page.” (that would be moi-he is so “special”). Then we had Michael “Baby Oil” Baisden slander all the “folks online” who were working tirelessly to help out the ungrateful 6. Then Stephen A Smith ranted that bloggers aren't entitled to their audiences and shouldn't have the right to speak to people. Yes he did!
Now our latest member of the Black Elite Establishment to go ballistic over the fact that Black folks have access to computers and the internet is actress Gabrielle Union and she's launched a repeated broad based attack on “Black bloggers.” She does not bother to differentiate between one Black blog versus another, but she lumps all Black blogs together, savages them and then to add insult to injury, she holds up PEREZ HILTON, the man who routinely draws penises and semen on photographs of celebrities and called Serena Williams a man, as an example of how we should be blogging.
If you look at what Perez [Hilton] does - and I don't advocate for Perez, you know, he can write hurtful things about a lot of people - but what he does as a man of color, as a Latino, is he never dogs Latinos, ever. He actually breaks artists on his website. They can go from "Who the hell is that?" to Number One on iTunes in a day, just from what he says. So he's trying to uplift his own people. I mean, he dogs everybody else, but as a man of color, I applaud you. I can't dog you for not dogging your own people. He never says anything negative about Latinos, ever, and I just wish that we had more of that kind of "raise up" mentality and pulled each other up instead of dragging each other down. Especially like... If I got arrested, say whatever you want to say. If I had kids and left them in the car while I partied, or I got out of cabs showing all my private parts, you have every right to dog me. If I came out and dogged my own people, kill me in your blogs. But don't make things up! I do enough, and if you really got spies everywhere you'd know what I was doing, you wouldn't have to make things up. And if you don't know your facts, then just don't print them. Urban Hoopla.Com
You see folks, members of the BEE are not necessarily the most intellectually curious people on the planet earth so I can forgive Gabrielle's original complaint in ESSENCE's December issue, but this latest VIBE interview is ridiculous and somebody needs to grab ya' girl by the collar.
You see there are well over 7 million blogs on technorati alone. The Black Weblog Awards got over 6,000 entries last year so when you attack “Black bloggers” or try to chastise ALL BLACK BLOGS by holding up Perez Hilton as some type of standard its ridiculous. Are some Black entertainment blogs vicious and hateful, yes. Guess what, I don't go to those. Are some unreliable and untrustworthy, yes. Guess what, people start to notice and they lose credibility, but there are some really creative Black entertainment blogs out there as well.
What was happening is that Gabrielle wants Perez to cover her more on his blog because the last time Gabrielle was on Perez Hilton was???? Exactly, but these Black entertainment blogs have promoted Gabrielle's projects over and over again. Not only that, but some of the biggest Black blogs are run by very young entrepreneurial African American woman. So I am trying to figure out what Gabbi is trying to say.
Now I have about 6 Black entertainment blogs that I skim everyday because A) some of them are hysterical and B) I have gotten tons of material from them. I want to say I first saw the DL Hughley YouTube clip on one of the Black entertainment blogs. Most of my YouTube clips from from black entertainment blogs. Anyway, I have seen some of the things they have written in the past about Gabrielle Union and other than speculating that she is dating every man she's in a picture with, they've been relatively kind, even laudatory to Gabrielle Union. Now if she was Karrine Stepphens, Remi Ma, Lil' Kim, Ashford and Simpson, Usher and Tameka Raymond or Norwood Young, I could understand her whining and complaining, but saying she is dating X,Y,Z? Come on.
Needless to say, the Black entertainment blogs are not happy and she is about to get it! Or worse, she will get nothing at all. These blogs can stand toe to toe with Perez Hilton when it comes to page views. Imagine if they decide to not mention her at all?
Here is a heads up to the BEE, Black bloggers ain't going anywhere. If anything, they are growing at an exponential pace. I don't even watch TV anymore. I just read my news online. Get used to it and please if you are going to whine about BLOGGERS, be more specific. The Black blogosphere is not a monolith.
To those who say I shouldn't criticize Gabrielle Union. My response is that she should stop using her megaphone to defame all Bloggers. What is the point? What's her agenda? Perez Hilton morally superior to Black bloggers? Are you serious? These magazines which keep asking her about Black bloggers are no better, they are terrified that Black entertainment blogs are going to over take them... too late, they already have. The advertisers just haven't figure it out yet.
BEE's agenda is to try to staunch the growth of the Black blogosphere-She's trying to sweep up sand at the beach. - Futile.
So I am guessing Gabrielle won't be attending the Blogging While Brown Conference in Atlanta next year? Maybe we should invite Perez.
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Reader Comments (24)
I have to agree with Gabrielle on this one. The Black entertainment blogs are more viscious and spiteful than some the white ones. They play up to the idea that light skin girls are prettier than blacks girls. They make up some of the most outrageous lies. They post private pictures of blacks stars children, not the ones of them on the street, but you can tell were private photos. They just seem to want to humiliate black entertainers or just jealous because they aren't famous themselves. I had to stop going to Mediatakeout because they said some disparaging things about the Venus and Serena, even compared them to monkeys.
Hi all,
My problem is that Gabby paints ALL Black bloggers with the same broad brush.
She needs to be specific and talk about the gossip blogs. Some of which I might add, are only masquerading as Black blogs. (Bossip comes to mind).
And to hold up Perez Hilton as a standard for anything is just delusional.
How about this..Gabby should keep her trap shut because Blogging is the new frontier and it ain't going nowhere because it puts some of what's left of democratic power back in regular Joe Shmo hands.
She needs to focus on the positivity of her career and stop being so sensitive about trash talking black people because black people been dogging each other before blogging.
So, Gabby doesn't have a right to speak her mind when she is being called a homewrecker and a slut. Again, a lot of these black bloggers are in it to become celebrity themselves. A lot of them post outrageous stuff just to get a bunch of stupid comments for the readers. They doing it as a power trip. I know for a fact many black people take some these black gossips sites as the truth. I don't mind them, but I just wish they could be a little more responsible in the negativity they put out.
Ummm... Is it just me or is Gabby having some form of entertainment amnesia? TMZ, Enquire.com, Starmag.com, all publish erroneous and disparaging remarks about both black and white celebs.
Gay white bloggers do the same things to celebs the believe are in the closet. Clearly, Gabby is just repeating what she's either heard or read someplace. It's seldom that a movie star, especially one who regularly stars in movies of the chitterling eating variety, are smart enough to have a thought of their own.
Sidebar - Ain't Britney and Jamie Lynn's PWT momma writing a book on parenting? I think it's actually ready to be published. I believe the title has something to do with the Memoirs of being PWT from a trailer park perspective.
It's interesting that Gabrielle Union continues to paint black blogs with one broad brush - as if every blog run by a black person is a gossip blog.
Many black folks online choose not to blog about or read gossip - why not focus on them?
Last month (when her initial comments from the Essence cover interview ran), http://55secretstreet.typepad.com/55secretstreet/2007/11/my-little-bro-1.html" REL="nofollow"> I took issue with it and so did many other black beauty/fashion bloggers.
There are ALL KINDS of black blogs out there and 9 times out of 10, black (non-gossip) bloggers are fawning over a Gabrielle Union or a Nia Long or a Sanaa Lathan. The fact that she has named Perez Hilton twice and seems to have no idea about or interest in the non-gossip black bloggers that promote her ad nauseum speaks volumes. Perhaps her publicist should do a blog search and not just run to Bossip or some of these other sites that are clearly negative to ALL celebrities.
I am pitched by publicists for all kinds of stars and products ALL THE TIME for my blog and I am stunned that more black stars - who are continually underexposed in the mainstream media - don't work with blogs more - and NOT just the gossip blogs. The only time I see that happen is on music-oriented sites.
Many black folks online choose not to blog about or read gossip - why not focus on them?.
THANK you, nichelle. I don't read bossip or any celebrity blogs because frankly, I don't give a RAT'S HINDQUARTERS about any those people.
I will never understand how actors are afforded so much adulation and attention... they all bore me stiff (including Gabrielle Union).
It's seldom that a movie star, especially one who regularly stars in movies of the chitterling eating variety, are smart enough to have a thought of their own.
OUCH! (I do agree about the chittlin' circuit tone of some of these movies though. Where are the good flicks!)
If she's so concerned about the negativity on the blogosphere, maybe she should start her own blog so she can debunk the bad press and spread the news about the good work she is doing. She wouldn't be the first celebrity to run a blog... Better yet, she and Nia and Sanaa can get together and start a blog. Why not?
Look, these folks are in the entertainment business! Gossip, good or bad, goes with the gig. The MINUTE folks stop talking about you in Hollywood, you're over! Please don't believe Ms. Union's hype.
Actors including Ms. Union attend parties and functions KNOWING that they will be seen and snapped! On many occassions, they alert the media including black bloggers that they will be at a certain location. This is a publicity stunt on Ms. Union's part to promote her lastest weak movie entry.
I think Ms. Union should spend a bit more time on her movie career and leave the blogging to other folks. One more angry black woman or lonely black woman part for her and she is typecast forever. And isn't it black folk, i.e. black bloggers the ONLY ones really going to see the WACK-ASS movies she makes?
I do want to thank Ms. Union for proving she is not particularly bright - it's okay for Perez Hilton to be racist and sexist to other races as long as he does not bash his own? She's sounds completely nutty. And clearly she does not read very well either, because Hilton bashes Latino entertainers that HE decides are not being latino enough.
Hilton and TMZ get over a million hits a day - that is why both blogs have become TV shows! They both bash anybody and everybody! Ms. Union is just not a big enough name to get a mention. She should count her lucky stars she is being mentioned at all.
I understand what she is saying a lot of the entertainment blogs are just no good low down haters. It seems there only purpose is to tear people down, unfortunately that is the price for celebrity.
It is no different from the gossip mags or gossip section of the news paper.
Hell she should be happy she is a topic of disscusion.
No news is the only bad news. When people stop talking about you means your career is basically done.
BTW if this Hilton does what he you and she says he does F him.
Last time I checked gossip blogs came in a lot of different colors. Have you guys read some of the “mainstream” blogs out there like Perez Hilton? They rip celebrities to shreds. Not only does Perez draw bodily secretions on peoples faces, but even draws it on the faces of celebrity children (yes, I’ve seen it with my own eyes). If you have a problem w/ gossip, than just say you have a problem w/ gossip, but to single out black bloggers as if they OWE you something is ridiculous. If she actually had a mainstream movie career and was featured on blogs like Perez Hilton regularly I highly doubt she would feel as comfortable saying the same things. Better yet, I’m sure her publicist is pitching Gabby’s photo’s and stories to Perez and sites like his all the time. (with no success of course)
For some reason black celebrities think that we work for them. And the “we” I’m talking about is not just black bloggers, but the black community as a whole. If we don’t line up to see their movies and by their music or have something bad to say about them, we’re lacking a “raise up” mentality as Gabrielle puts it. However, when we call them out on their foolishness and try to hold them accountable to the black community they make it very clear that they are INDIVIDUALS and don’t owe us anything. Celebrities are some the most narcissistic people in the world and black celebrities are no different. Anyone who measures black unity by how much black celebrity a** they lick is off their rocker!
Instead of dissing black bloggers, maybe she should be asking them to help promote that latest flop of a movie of hers. Once I saw Kat Williams was in it I didn’t evn have the strength to entertain the rest of the preview.
she needs the press so that's why she's bad mouthing black bloggers. her last movie was a flop and if people do mention her, it's a blind item. and all those say is that she bounces from one failed relationship to another. blah. boycott her and she'll be quiet.
perez hilton?! i am done.
Wait? What? What did D.L. Hughley say about "the lady with her e-mail site?" This has got to be good!
Re: Gabrielle Union. Gossip media can be absolutely hateful and trashy, but black gossip media no more so than any other. More and more, I have no taste for any of it.
Surely any entertainer has to know the deal. If you're in the public eye, you are bound to become fodder for the gossip rags. Whining about it does you no favors. Disparaging all online media for the sins of a few REALLY does you no favors, and could be something you come to regret.
Not only does Perez draw bodily secretions on peoples faces, but even draws it on the faces of celebrity children (yes, I’ve seen it with my own eyes). If you have a problem w/ gossip, than just say you have a problem w/ gossip, but to single out black bloggers as if they OWE you something is ridiculous.
I agree. She must not actually read blogs - just hears about it from other people. No one that actually reads blogs has such a casual opinion of Perez Hilton. And they certainly don't believe he has a "raise up" mentality for ANYBODY!
If she actually had a mainstream movie career and was featured on blogs like Perez Hilton regularly I highly doubt she would feel as comfortable saying the same things. Better yet, I’m sure her publicist is pitching Gabby’s photo’s and stories to Perez and sites like his all the time. (with no success of course)
You're right about that. I worked in magazine publishing for years and some (not all) but definitely some black stars ONLY want to be pitched to "mainstream" outlets. Many black outlets (even the biggies like Essence and Ebony) are taken for granted.
For some reason black celebrities think that we work for them. And the “we” I’m talking about is not just black bloggers, but the black community as a whole. If we don’t line up to see their movies and by their music or have something bad to say about them, we’re lacking a “raise up” mentality as Gabrielle puts it.
Personally, I plan on exercising my "raise up" mentality on December 25 when "The Great Debaters" is released. :)
nichelle,
Here, Here... May I add you to my blog roll or things that are relevant to me lists?
@Blkseagoat:
Sure, thanks!
http://www.55secretstreet.com
and/or
http://www.anovelista.com
I will check out your blog tonight after I get off of job #2 :)
Other hand, Julia Roberts and George Clooney and a host of other white celebrities are starting to speak out against gossip blogs and magazines. A lot of this stuff is going too far. As an freelance entertainment journalist, I have to agree with a lot of celebrities on this one. People like Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, Sean Combs, Beyonce and host of others are indeed publicity whores. But we don't have the right to tear people down. I don't just blame the bloggers, I blame us as fans who seem to relish in tearing down celebrities. We are too blame for the Supaheads, Kim Porters, and Tameka Fosters of the world. Black bloggers are the ones who started the whole 'Maneka' thing. We make these people stars when they have no talent to back it up. We have become a tabloid nation. Let's face it some of this stuff is slander.
Sometimes, I just read the comments and find it amazing how harsh we have become as a society.
It's one thing to post a picture of celebrities at a party. It's another thing to write nasty unsubstantiated rumors about them.
*gulp* maybe Gabrielle can learn from Perez Hilton too.
@ miss issues, your right. We’re obsessed w/ celebrity culture. It’s not just an American phenomenon either…have you read the British gossip rags?
This of course doesn’t justify Gabrielle’s singling out of black bloggers, and like I said b4, I think the “slander” would be better received by miss Union if it was coming from “mainstream” outlets, instead of a few black bloggers. In a twisted way, I think our obsession with celebrity is fuels their success. There are some artists who stay out of the gossip scene, but there are some who invite it and encourage it. Would Usher have been on the cover of Essence if Tameka and his marriage wasn’t fodder for celebrity gossip sites? I doubt it. And may I add, that long b4 Usher was Tameka’s fiancé, she went on a NY radio show to gossip about and bash him for attention, so I don’t think she minds her new found celebrity status, even if it came at such a price.
I do think it’s ridiculous to be unnecessarily mean and attack people just because they’re famous. I think it’s less of a reflection of the way we approach celebrities and more of a reflection of just the general lack of civility we have towards each other in our society. When you read those celebrity gossip blogs, the first 20 attacks in the comments section are about the celebrity, but the next 100 attacks are from people attacking each other.
This is why I adamantly reject the "Black Blog" label. Once you are tagged as such, you are placed in a box...the kind of ignorant box that Gabrielle Union tries to lump you into.
Over the last few months I have been trying to change some things on my blog...behind the scenes..regarding race and diversity. I even regret putting my race in my blogger profile. I'm still in the process of slowly changing things. Although my blog has never been a "Black Blog", I often get slapped with the label simply for being a blogger who happens to be Black. The label assumes that you blog about the "ghetto"...Black culture, racism, rap music, mindless bull---- about the Black celeb culture, gossip, sex, rap stars, more sex, rap videos, sex, strippers, sex, Black Hollywood, racism, Jena, sex, sex, sex, NBA, NFL, Michael Vick, sex, strippers, video vixens, Hell Date, Sex, Sex, etc...and that you are relegated to these topics and these topics ONLY. The fact is... most of these topics are not top interests for me, have NEVER BEEN & NEVER WILL BE. In fact, I have zero interest in any of them....with the exception of SOME interest in racism & intraracial social issues..and how so-called "Black culture" is degenerating. My interests are too vast to allow myself to accept that label and accept some sort of box that people try to assign me to. My blog deals mostly with politics/social commentary, current events, world events/foreign affairs, and music.
I notice that if you are a "Black blogger" or your blog has been labeled a "Black Blog" that your readership is extremely limited in terms of diversity...and white bloggers/readers tend to take you much less seriously. In other words...you don't get much respect as a blogger....if you're black. Unless you happen to be famous, or you are an established author or journalist working for a major paper, or you hold certain credentials.
I have come to hate blogging Black. I would have put my blog together in a completely different way had I known 2 years ago what the consequences of including race as a descriptor and as a blog subject would be. (in fact I will be removing "race" as a point of interest from my blog). Although race is still a valid issue... I actually hate blogging on the subject or devoting too much space to it.
I have even diversified my co-bloggers....but that has not had the desired impact... Most of the white bloggers turned down offers to participate because....you guessed it... they assumed that I had a "Black Blog" and that "my readers" would not be interested in what they had to write.
So right now I am actually considering deleting the entire blog and starting again from scratch. Have you ever tried to cook something for the first time from a recipe/cook book, and it just didn't turn out quite right? That's what my blog feels like... and "race" is one of the ingredients that seems to be wrong about it.
And as for Gabrielle Union...she represents urban garbage to me- Everything that I hate in a woman....regardless of how attractive she is. That goes for most of her Black peers in Hollywood too.
In fact...that will be the subject of discussion on the blog soon.
"Black Women and (The or Their) Race to The Bottom": Why So Many Women Want the "thug" Hip Hop Cultured Black Male. This would be a Part II.
I have been trying to figure out how to write part II in a way that won't lead folks to accuse me of being a hater of Black women.
I have been trying to figure out how to write part II in a way that won't lead folks to accuse me of being a hater of Black women.
Dude, go ahead and write whatever you want, however you want. Controversy is fun sometimes. We can handle it.
May I ask why you would delete your blog, instead of simply adding a new one? Couldn't you retire the old one, but keep it available for newcomers to see and possibly learn from it in the future?
Finally, I think 'black' blogs make sense if the intended constituents are supposed to be black. Not every blog by a black person has to be a 'black blog'.
I was overjoyed to find What About our Daughters and a few other non-gossip black blogs (I despise gossip blogs!).
The fact that scores of white people AREN'T up in this conversation, giving their uninformed 2 cents about black women, is a plus for me.
*Sighs* Gabby needs to have a seat.
When she made her 1st comments about blogs in Essence, I didn't mind it much cuz I can understand how pregnancy rumors can hinder gigs. I too would be highly pissed.
As far as being rumored to be a smut, she's gonna have to get over it. Some things have to be charged to the celeb game. She does do good things (rape crisis center advocacy) though but gossip blogs don't care.
lol, the mainstream wants to lock down WHO can have an opinion and share it, hilarious.
I think she's unreasonable for expecting some sort of special treatment, simply because she's famous AND Black. NOT happening. And I worked in PR. Darn near any news is good news in that industry. The "White" publications barely write about her and the Black publications do, but they're not so kind with their words. SO WHAT?? WELCOME TO HOLLYWOOD! Comes with the territory, hon...
And I'd like to know what she's doing for Black folks to give them incentive to reciprocate by being so forgiving??
I have huge amounts of respect for Gabriel Union, regardless. After what happened with her (she was raped by a bastard) and her courage to testify and to appear at his parole hearing to make sure his ass stayed in prison...I havee tons of respect for her...regardless of how unreasonable she can sound.
I'm still confused about the American use of "person of color". Perez Hilton is Hispanic and my ass is Black. He's not a Black hispanic, either. We are not the same thing. And the last time I checked, the term "colored" was unwelcome in our household.
Ah, the US...