Thursday, September 11, 2014

Shawn vs. The Black Women’s Book Market Extortion Racket

I’ve heard from an author friend of mine that if I spoke out against Black women they wouldn’t buy my books.

A few days ago, a commenter calling herself Sweet Lady came to the blog ranting that it was my views on single mothers that’s keeping me from selling books to Black women.

So let me get this straight…In order for me to sell books to Black women I need to look the other way on the irresponsible, reckless and dysfunctional behavior of Black women that’s destroying my community?

Basically what I’m being told by Black women is that in order for me to sell books to Black women I need to give Black women a free pass for their bad behavior.

Black Women who want to get away with being single mothers. Black Women who want to get away with being side pieces and having affairs with married men. Black Women who want me to say NOTHING about the thugs, dope dealers and gang bangers who are DESTROYING the Black community I live in.

I’m sorry I can’t make that kind of compromise. At the end of the day I have to answer to God. As His steward I am accountable to Him.

These are the kinds of strong-arm tactics that mobsters and gangs use to terrorize businesses. A protection racket. You look the other way regarding our ratchet behavior and we’ll break you off a book sale or two.

In the eyes of the law that’s Extortion plain and simple. And I won’t give into it.

Not for a bestselling book. Not for a movie deal. My integrity is worth far more than money.

It’s sad that some Black women want silence any Black writer who dares criticize and call out the irresponsible, reckless and dysfunctional behavior Black women participate in. The rest of the literary world calls this kind of behavior censorship. But in the Black community this kind of fascist behavior is called business as usual.

Even though our United States Constitution guarantees free speech and freedom of the press.

Brothers and sisters If this group of Black women are allowed to threaten to silence me, who else will they try to silence?

Extortion. Censorship. Things we read about in Nazi Germany doing to Jews in history books. These are the unofficial policies of the Black Matriarchy for the last 40 years.

What most in the Black community don’t know is that our media has been controlled by a monolithic feminist viewpoint in literature for the past 40 years. Women like Alice Walker, Sapphire, Terry McMillian and Oprah Winfrey have spent four decades perpetuating and promoting literary work that presents a misandristic man-hating view of Black men. Books like Their Eyes Were Watching God, PUSH, The Color Purple, The Women of Brewster place and Waiting To Exhale have all been promoted as the only Black literature in schools colleges and universities by black female authors.

And any Black literature not following this White feminist misandristic view are BURIED at the SUBMISSION stage with trade publishers. And when authors like myself self publish our work that does not promote this view in their work we are threatened with boycotts by Black women and called misogynists and sexist.

Even though all we’re trying to do is present a COUNTERPOINT to the monolithic views presented in Black literature.

The great irony is while these same Black feminist authors tell Black women there are no good Black men in their communities, they get brainwashed Black women to silence and destroy the the Black men of character and conscientiousness like myself trying to make a difference.

I constructively criticize the irresponsible behaviors of Black in my blog women because I CARE about my sistas. I care about my community. And I don’t want to see it fall further into the ABYSS than it already has.

Men like Steve Harvey, Tyler Perry and Michael Baisden and pimp pastors like T.D. Jakes only care about getting in Black women’s wallets. They tell Black women what they want to hear in the hopes of getting paid.

For me, what I write isn’t just about sale. It’s about changing the way Black women think. I know you can’t think like a man because God didn’t design you that way.

Black woman, the Black man who stands up to you will be the one who stands up for you. And if you knock him down, the only men left will be the White and nonblack men who will take you out.

I understand the dangers of this monolithic White feminist literary viewpoint has made on two generations of Black women. This White feminist literary viewpoint has made Black women believe they are victims of the abuses of Black men and the propaganda in these books convinces Black women that Black men are their enemies.

When the enemy is the Black feminist selling them the snake-oil in the form of a paperback and the White Liberal White men who publishes them.

Black women don’t understand is books like Their Eyes Were Watching God, Waiting to Exhale, PUSH, and The Color Purple are all used as propaganda made up by White Supremacists and Hankerchief headed Black women to divide and destroy the Black community. And it’s worked well for the past 40 years. Indoctrinating one generation of Black girls and Black women after the next into the beliefs of White Feminism and White Supremacy as these books are misinterpreted in schools across the country.

Black women believe threatening not to buy my books they are punishing me. But in actuality they are punishing themselves.

First by taking money away from a Black-owned business. Every dollar spent with me is used to build up my business. Eventually I plan on hiring other Black people. So by not participating in Group Economics all you’re doing is helping to support the White Supremacists that make every effort to keep you unemployed and poor.

Second, by not reading work that counters and refutes all of the misinformation given to them by the Trade publishers of mainstream media. What most Black women don’t know is all of my work presents Black women in a fair and balanced way. My work promotes a positive image of responsible, conscientious Black women. And by insisting that you won’t buy it or read it keeps you from seeing an image of Black womanhood that will give you insight and perspective.

Books like A Recipe For $ucce$$, All About Marilyn, The Isis series and The Thetas are written to with Black female heroines who are rich multidimensional people with heart and humanity. That’s not the face of Black womanhood being presented in most media today.

While I call you Isis, Cassandra, Marilyn and Colleen, Writers like Deja King call you a Bitch. Reds Johnson calls you a Silver Platter Hoe. And Zane doesn’t even give you a name at all. She just makes Black women into sexual objects like White racists used to in their Jezebel stereotype.

Black woman, the Black book market has been saturated with stories featuring Black women as hoodrats, baby mamas and hoes for the past 20 years. I’ve been making every effort to counterprogram that self-hating misogynistic literature with the stories I publish at SJS DIRECT. I know what’s at stake, because a culture can rise no higher than its women. If our women are wallowing in the sewer then the Black race won’t rise any higher than the gutter in the next 40 years.

Just like you are what you eat, you are what you read. And if our women are reading filth from ignorant street lit authors and perverted erotica authors then how can our women aspire to be anything greater than a side piece, a dope dealer’s woman, a whore or a baby mama?


Black woman, you may threaten me. But I will not be bullied. I will not cow to a small cabal of Black women who want to maintain a dysfunctional status quo. I will keep writing publishing and promoting truth. Again, this is not just about money for me. It’s about changing the way Black people think about themselves.



19 comments:

  1. You should never compromise your morals or beliefs to placate the masses of black women who want to silence the truth. There are black women who are adherers of truth but sadly they are a very small percentage. "What is it to gain the world and lose your soul" as stated in the Bible. Or even when the devil promised Jesus the riches and kingdoms of the world if only he would submit to him. All that is left of soulless sellouts is empty husk devoid of meaning. Stay strong.

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  2. Shawn,

    What you're speaking isn't the truth. It's the repetition of the same hate-fueled lies Whites tell about blacks in order to oppress us and make us feel hopeless. "Blacks don't read, blacks are irresponsible, the women are promiscuous weave queens, etc." How is your input elevating the dialogue and bringing enlightened consciousness if all you're doing is agreeing with our detractors?

    Folks, find where I wrote and read it. I never said anything about ignoring reckless behavior. But what you say about single moms is general, based on personal experiences, not informed facts, and 100%, COMPLETELY negative. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. You mean to tell me that no single mom anywhere is capable of having a single redeeming quality? That idea is illogical because of the faulty premise that there is an absolute that applies to all moms without rings. There is not.

    And commenters who pride themselves on coming up with little derogatory catch phrases and wear them out don't impress people who take the time to express themselves with actually putting words together (how long did it take to come up with Hair Hat, sugar? Ooh, Hercules, Hercules---and before you accuse me of being an Eddie Murphy-spaz, I'M JUST KIDDING). And yes, anytime you stereotype, name call, dog out, criticize, scapegoat and basically deem worthless ANY segment of the population, you risk offending --- and DO offend --- those people and those who care about them. I don't make the rules. That's how life worksSeems like YOU want a free pass to single out single moms for the sole reason for all the world's ills , like the phrase "ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God" just means them.

    I don't know what your level of education is, but i will end by saying this: you have the wrong focus. Women are the ones who buy novels. We are also sympathetic to the struggles of other women. You don't have to change how you talk about women if you don't want to. But women are turned off when men hypersexualize, use crass terms, or demonize women. If you want to market to women, you are going to have to stop demeaning an entire section of their population.

    Or not. See how that works for you. Maybe the two people who posted here in agreement with you (especially Hair Hat, who basks in his or her own cleverness) will buy enough of your books to make them bestsellers. The men you say you cater to damn sure aren't.

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  3. And you see who your diatribes attract. The simple minded who use clever catchphrases instead of genuine commentary, are swayed by your sensationalist, skewed lie - telling (you damn sure lied on me; I NEVER implied what you said I implied at the top of this article), and fart uneducated opinions instead of fact check. They call you truth teller because they agree with you. I call you a spin doctor who exaggerates and demonized to win. Who's right, the people that like you? How does that make them the best judges of the truth? Just asking.

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  4. Guys, I'd never compromise for anyone. I understand that my soul,integrity and personal values are worth more than money.

    Sweet Lady:
    Obvious you're here to present circular arguments that go nowhere. I have been told by an author friend of mine a few YEARS ago that if you criticize Black women that they won't buy your books.
    And on looking at the Black book market and seeing how SIMPS like Steve Harvey, Tyler Perry, T.D. Fakes and Michael Baisden compromise to pander to women she is right.

    Black women are the only women in the world who live to be told what they want to hear. Their egoes are so fragile that they can't handle any sort of constructive criticism.

    Shaharazad Ali also came to this conclusion and I have to agree with her. That's not a bash, that's a fact.

    And the Black Feminist control over the Black book market has prevented any real dialogue from being presented about Black-on-Black relationships for the past 30 years. This extortion game Black women have been running with authors at the SUBMISSION stage has kept Black men from presenting their views to readers in any open forum. We have had a monolithic view of Black/Black relations and Black women have made every effort to silence any Black author who dares speak against them.

    If you want to write man-hating books like lesbians such as Alice Walker or Sapphire, you'll find an audience with Black women. if you want to write patronizing and pandering books like Steve Harvey, you'll find an audience with Black women.

    The sad part is Sweet Lady is that you think you're so smart. ButI can clearly see from your posts how emotionally immature you are. Women are the only ones who buy novels?

    Well, I read Invisible man. and Richard Wright and countless Black female authors. I guess I'm the exception not the rule.

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  5. I read Wright, Baldwin, Haley, Moesley, Bronte, Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, Poe, Doyle, Plotinus, and many, many others. And once again, I don't know what your level of education is, but the truth is the people who support your way of thinking aren't buying your books, and the people who would buy your books don't support your way of thinking.

    It's not that I wish you would stop your mud - slinging to promote or support wrongdoing. I wish you would stop because as a man, YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT WHEN IT COMES TO HOW WOMEN ARE. Women know what our problem is. Nobody, including you is asking us. Yet you sit up on your high horse and expect us to accept your version of the truth when it comes to us without retort or question.

    Well, too bad. God isn't asking you to prey on single moms to promote your blog, but top pay for them. He's not asking you to assume, but to ask. And he's definitely not giving you license to lump into stereotypical categories.

    I wrote no circular arguments. This is an example of a circular argument: I don't like potatoes because they are bad. I know they are bad because I don't like them. Apply this fallacious tautology in analogy to anything in my post, and I'll personally buy one of your books. See, unlike most of your commentators, I actually know what circular reasoning is, and I'm conscious of not falling into it.

    But speaking of circular arguments, let's try this one on for size: I can't stand single moms because they are bad. I know because I can't stand single moms. Sound familiar?

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  6. No spell check on my phone: God wants you to pray for, not prey on, single moms.

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  7. And I have seen too many wanna-be upstarts try to write novels that appeal to men who don't buy them only to crash and burn. I'm not emotionally immature for saying the majority of fiction sales are to women. I'm a well-read, highly educated, Masters in Creative Writing major who knows it to be true. Notice how I keep asking what your level of education is? It's because the two undergrad degrees (Journalism and Education), one minor (Psychology) and the Masters I'm getting now have led me to knowledge that is universally accepted as truth, not just one jaded person's opinion. And the truth is like it or not, agree with it or not, women drive book sales. But like I said before, keep knowing it all and listening to your fellow thinkers instead of facing facts.

    You have a choice: keep spitting negativity and hate, or elevate. How about spearheading a small-scale black comic-con, with other black comic book authors and illustrators? How about posting a blog about helping blacks to believe better about themselves in order to do better? How about volunteering to teach an art or writing workshop, even once, in an inner-city Boys and Girls Club? I know they'd be glad to have you. Even if the experience isn't perfect, at least you will have made an effort to positively impact change instead of criticizing and complaining.

    I have never once seen you write anything positive about blacks, or whites, or anyone except yourself and what you are doing. That's a shame. And because you're not alone in trying to find a a new level----but don't give credit that others are doing so as well, although WE are---your words cannot be truth, only opinion.

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  8. And your friend you speak of ain't deep, pardon my use of ain't. The fact is this: antagonize or alienate ANY segment of the population and they WILL NOT BUY WHAT YOU SELL. If I wrote a book telling all my negative, ugly, insulting, critical thoughts about someone, and on top of that, what does that person look like being stupid enough to support my success by buying it, especially if he or she sees fallacy in my logic? I'm not trying to stifle you, or keep you from speaking out. Just tell me how all this negativity is helping positive change.

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  9. Sweet Lady,

    I find it no surprise that you displaying classic traits of the Hair-Hatted Hooligan. I'll prove them to you while countering your comments.

    Irrational behavior

    A mature adult should be able to put together that Shawn isn't obviously talking about ALL single moms. The fact is that there is a problem with a majority of those families and he is speaking specifically about them. From this point on, just make the educated assumption that he is not talking about ALL Black women - just the majority that are offending the race.

    Trumpeting

    I've no idea why you need to throw your alleged degrees and whatnot to everyone. It is irrelevant to the discussion as you have no real way of proving it. This is very similar to the behavior of Hair-Hatted Hooligans who put down their man during his low times - saying "I got a house, I got a car, I got MINE. Where's YOURS, nigga?" Classic Beast trait.

    Unable to see positivity

    You keep saying that he should stop spewing negativity about Black women. Have you noticed the content of his books? THEY'RE ALL ABOUT UPHOLDING A POSITIVE IMAGE OF BLACK WOMEN. Once again, the Hair-Hatted Hooligan is unable to see anything beyond an alleged attack on her. A good case in study is the reaction Black women had towards Dr Bill Cosby's infamous speech about the Black community - look it up.


    Also, stop using words like 'antagonize' and 'alienate'. Why not 'advice' and 'advocate'? For all his alleged negative remarks about Black women, he has countered them heavily with his publications. I hate repeating myself, but this is another classic trait of the Hair-Hatted Hooligan - completely ignoring everything positive a Black man has done and solely focusing on minor negative ones.

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    Replies
    1. Whewwwww. Ok, I see what I'm dealing with. It's the old "I have no formal education, so let's pretend the knowledge people get from going to college is useless, irrelevant, and purely academic" routine. And your argument has so many holes in it it would take too much time for me to write about them. But I'll try.

      1. You say Shawn isn't talking about all single moms. Yes, he is. If not, when people try to tell him that they know some who aren't that way, he tears them down or tries to discredit them. Better yet, prove me wrong. Give me a direct quote from anything he has written where he ever compliments any single mom, or at least cuts them a break.

      2. I mention my education because facts come from research and anecdotal accounts. Shawn comes from a very personal place with his strong opinions, but he states them as fact. I would like to know on what research, other than street science, he uses to draw conclusions. Shawn also wants to be a success in the writing business. If he can't defend against educated people questioning the basis of his work, he's in the wrong business.

      3. You have some nerve to complain about my word choice when you keep wearing out that tired, derogatory hair hat hooligan line. And for the record, my hair is natural, long, and beautiful.

      I don't fit any of your single mama stereotypes, or non reading black stereotypes. My reasoning is logical, and my arguments are sound. You all just can't stand it.

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    3. You say I can't prove I've been to college, but you haven't even tried to support a basis for your argument. If my language usage, debating strength, analytical ability, and knowledge base doesn't sound college educated to you, what does? Using the same cute phrase to put women down, never coming up with anything new? Making assumptions that I wear fake hair and am against Cosby and you don't even know me? If I sound like I'm not college educated to you, then I'm here to tell you that you sound completely uneducated to me. I can put people down just like you all can. You're not the only one who can throw rocks. I just try not to.

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  10. @Sweet Lady, I doubt you've read a lot of Socrates. I'm very impressed if you have.

    Vic78

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  11. Anonymous,

    Why do you doubt it? What basis do you have to doubt anything? What is your background? What level of education do you have? What philosophers have you read? Do you know what a precis is? No? Sounds like YOU haven't read a lot of Socrates.



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  12. If you are not buying his stuff why do you care?

    The man has made it CLEAR he is not trying to pander and present the same mess that Tyler Perry and others have tossed out.

    See our issue is that we do not have balance in our media. We have and folks so desperate for something that looks like them that they took whatever got tossed out.

    We need balance. Nothing is wrong with Lee Daniels, Steve Harvey, Jakes, Tyler or Kevin Hart when you have stuff to balance what they present.

    Sweet Lady-you don't like Shawn basing single mothers? Guess what I know guys that will make Shawn look tame. You have colleges that want NOTHING to do with a child from a single mother home. You have college coach that will not recruit a black male from a single mother home.

    Why is that? Too many folks have seen nonstop negative from the single black mother. That's why no one cares when a son of single black mother is killed-for many that is a mercy killing from the perceived worst mother on the planet.

    Instead of bashing Shawn, why don't you show him the single black mothers that aren't ratchet or ghetto or trashy? Where are their stories at? Oh that's right when someone like Shawn tries to tell their stories-you won't buy them. When someone is NOT calling you out your name, beating you up, spiting on you or leaving you barefoot and pregnant-you want nothing to do with him.

    Leave this man alone. If he was white and doing the same thing you wouldn't say a word.

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  13. Socrates didn't publish anything. He walked around Athens asking questions. If Socrates were interested in publishing he never got the chance. It was Plato using Socrates in his dialogues. It was out of respect and possible concern for his safety that Plato chose Socratic dialogues to promote his philosophy.

    If you were to have read Socrates' published works, you found something better than the Dead Sea Scrolls. I would be impressed if you got a hold of that. As for your other questions, I believe you used a red herring.

    Vic78

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  14. That's my point. We don't have any BALANCE in media. For 40 plus years Everything has been from a female perspective. And any attempt to challenge that monolithic

    Sweet Lady I've been to college. I have a degree. But I don't need to brag about it, because I know educated and smart are two different things.

    I also have relatives with BA's in English and Master's degrees. I read all their books in the last 20 years and I read a lot of Black women's fiction in doing my research to learn how to write fiction.

    And all I got from all that's being published in the Black book market was a slanted, monolithic view with a heavy feminist perspective.

    You say you're training for an Master's in creative writing? Well, you don't need all that to be a writer. You just write. I put in 1,000 words a day on the computer. That's how you become a writer.

    We have a saying in the writing world. What do you call the person with an MFA? The smartest person working in a coffee shop.

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  15. That's my point. We don't have any BALANCE in media. For 40 plus years Everything has been from a female perspective. And any attempt to challenge that monolithic

    Sweet Lady I've been to college. I have a degree. But I don't need to brag about it, because I know educated and smart are two different things.

    I also have relatives with BA's in English and Master's degrees. I read all their books in the last 20 years and I read a lot of Black women's fiction in doing my research to learn how to write fiction.

    And all I got from all that's being published in the Black book market was a slanted, monolithic view with a heavy feminist perspective.

    You say you're training for an Master's in creative writing? Well, you don't need all that to be a writer. You just write. I put in 1,000 words a day on the computer. That's how you become a writer.

    We have a saying in the writing world. What do you call the person with an MFA? The smartest person working in a coffee shop.

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  16. @Sweet Lady,

    Before I tear apart your 'points', I dedicate this video to you and others like you. In fact, I'm CONVINCED that the Beast who appears around the .17 sec mark closely resembles you and your silky long hair.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaDMsPTnmZk


    Let me tell you something, and you think about it long and hard - the concept of the Hair Hatted Hooligan does not only belong to lower-income, uneducated, welfare Queens. You could have all the degrees in the world, and a high-paying job - but those things do not cancel out bad attitude, aggressive nature, and negative mindset. Which is exactly what you possess.

    Yes, you are the exception when it comes to Shawn's comments about single Black mothers. I do not deny that. But even you have to admit that there it would be BETTER for a Black child to have two parents instead of one. This cannot be disputed, no matter how you dress it up with your superiority.

    And look at your bad attitude when commenting. It's all just an 'educated' way of saying "All yall niggas is wack, I'se always right!" Complete irrational thought devoid of critical things - traits that are synonymous with the plague-creature that is the Hair Hatted Hooligan.

    Now trumpet to me once again all the degrees you've allegedly earned. Beastie's back!

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