Wednesday, April 4, 2012
My Greatest Fear Made Real: Piers Morgan's Ownage of Toure on CNN
Doesn't Toure sound like the WWE's Chris Jericho cutting a promo?
Last week, I had a chance to appear on national television and discuss my views on the murder of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman. I was so very tempted to break kayfabe, drop my anonymity and make my debut on a friendly show, with a partial interviewer, of whom I am a fan. While flattered by the invitation I demurred (once more). On one hand I know that these invitations do not come all the time; on the other hand I have to be disciplined and make sure that my one shot is as perfect as I can make it.
I also turned down the invite because of a nagging fear that in my TV debut I will crash and burn. Of course, this will not happen. I cultivate the fear in order to make sure that my game is sharp. But, and I do believe this analogy holds perfectly, a person can abuse themselves with onanistic fervor and hump the bed Ghostface style for years on end, and yet still be relatively unprepared for the confused awkward bliss of losing one's virginity. Simulation is not a perfect representation of reality.
Toure's ownage by Piers Morgan is a reminder of what happens when a neophyte steps into the ring with a master. While I possess no great love for Toure given his shameless copying of my meme which framed Herman Cain as a new age race minstrel, I do feel a bit of pity for him. Toure is akin to the horses charging Maxim machines guns during the first world war. He is hopeless and obsolete relative to Morgan's enfilade, yet the former persists, casualties and attrition be damned.
I have watched Piers Morgan's vivisection of Toure several times as this interview is an object lesson in what not to do during a TV spot. What lessons would you gleam from their exchange? What could Toure have done better during this appearance?
In all, I am glad Toure failed so that hopefully I can succeed when the time comes. Call me selfish. I am just being honest.
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15 comments:
i think one of the most revealing ways we can show that a supporter of a cause is serious is when they are willing to admit that members of their 'side' are wrong.
as a believer of toure's statement that zimmerman MURDERED martin, i must say: toure is an absolute ass. he envisions himself as a freedom fighter who will be enshrined in history for questioning and pushing. but his self-serving motives shine through here. morgan's interview was spot-on. toure's argument about being british was vague, vapid, and absolutely devoid of any substance.
i agree with toure that martin was murdered, but toure is simply hurting the cause. he needs to get a grip.
also, does he just go by the one name? he is a journalist, not an MTV host. sheesh.
Then make your move and stop hiding behind a mask . I fear went you come out of the closet ' a yawn moment' could unfold ..,,
@Free. That is good criteria. Funny, how many don't follow that rule.
@Anon. Told you it will be anticlimactic. That is a given. But, it will be memorable...one way or another.
Toure' was over the top but Piers was just as arrogant without the rhythm of a Black man the best exchange was when Toure correctly noted Piers did not have a fucking clue about being on the end of white racism .. Despite Toure shortcomings that fact along was powerful
Toure exemplified the hysterical and ultimately hollow appeal to emotion characteristic of all contemporary racism-chasing.
Just another know-nothing jiggaboo peddling an expired bill of goods...,
CD,
Toure’s problem was that he drunk the kool-aid over a MSNBC.
Apparently, they blew his head up and made him think he was ready for prime time.
He must have been inspired by Charles Blow’s assault on Joe Oliver and thought he could catch some of that energy.
Toure is definitely a problematic figure. He is obviously a master of self promotion but he has problems assessing how far he can take things. He is not a scholar.
I read his first book of stories and I was shocked by his posturing and black stereotypes. His whole thing is marketing a certain kind of blackness.
I read his fake post blackness book at a bookstore. I refused to buy it. This guy literally had a chapter on how to make yourself more acceptable to white people; sort of a Dale Carnegie type of section for black men.
On the other hand, Toure does not have your command of facts and sociological data. And because you have a healthy respect/fear of the television medium you won’t get derailed by hubris like he did.
In fact, he accused Piers Morgan of not understanding “America”. Actually, Toure does not understand what it takes to be a ruthless Murdoch apparatchik. He was not prepared for such a foe.
In conclusion, remember the samurai when you go into battle, my brutha. Mushin no shin
@Anon. I don't know. Toure's rhythm was quite off and he couldn't dance to the beat being played by the drummer in that session.
@Cnu. I think you may be on to something. He kept hitting some emotional talking points and couldn't keep up with the facts and rebuttals.
@Ray. I respect his hustle and success. I do not consider him a "serious" thinker for what my opinion is worth. I am going to work with some folks I know in TV production and start to practice, practice, practice. That is no substitute, but hopefully if I get a shot I will have a little footing. We shall see.
Like a Sumurai you go into battle dead and fight for life.
Wow, what is going on here (finally a down to Earth post)? Of all the countless articles and blogs I have read tonight, yours is actually the most well-rounded and articulated, even with the comments in response to date.
I agree that Toure lost his cool and wanted to win a debate for the sole purpose of saying he won. This is where a lot of commentators get in trouble, especially when they don't have a well-formed response. They always make sure they say something and would never admit wrong doing on the air (I believe Toure admitted to masculine BS in a follow-up tweet though).
I do agree with Ray on the self promotion aspect of this. It's easy on MSNBC (or your own network for anyone) when your co-workers will ignore you or try to keep it under the table if you do slip up.
Thank you! I read Toure's tweets bragging about how he put Piers in his place. I watched the video a few days ago and felt sorry for Toure because he made no real points and looked foolish. At least I'm not the only one who thought so.
Never been a fan of Toure, and I've taken issue that this guy has been elevated to some sort of journalistic voice of Black America.
Toure should have known he was about to be owned when he was introduced as a "Pop-Culture Commentator". At best he hopes to be the high yalla Keith Olbermann.
I saw the interview and felt Toure was over the top. He could have argued his point more effectively and not lost his cool. I think he was trying to make up for comments he's made in the past like the one about Black slave women. Trying to show the segment of Black America that really dislikes him that he's "down". He went overboard.
You stated "I am glad Toure failed so that hopefully I can succeed when the time comes." You're glad he failed? You can succeed without other folks (esp. Black) failing. Thoughts?
dg
@DTWO. I should have qualified that more. I am no fan of Toure as I noted here for both personal and other reasons. I can also be a bit mercenary. If I have to watch someone else go down in flames so that I don't make the same mistakes so be it. I am not going to run into the fire with him. Just my cold calculus.
Indeed Chauncey is right. It’s obvious that Toure did not prepare for his dual with Piers Morgan. That was a fatal error in today’s so called punditry class. All Toure had to do was look at Piers Morgan’s testimony before the Leveson Inquiry. This is the committee that is investigating the Telephone Hacking Scandal at Rupert Murdoch’s News International. That testimony revealed that Piers is a very smart, calculating, shrewd, dishonest man. He is very much a protégé of Rupert Murdoch. He was once the editor of News Of The World and the Sun. He was the boss of the arrested Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson, two high profile employees of the Murdoch Empire.
Piers is no stranger to controversy. He left England after escaping prosecution for insider trading. He was fired shortly before that at the Daily Mirror. Apparently, Piers published fake pictures of British soldiers torturing Iraqis. I must say it was rather funny his schooling of Toure on journalism. The only kind of journalism Piers has ever known is yellow.
As far as Toure goes, I’ve tried to appreciate him. But I just can’t forget how he emerged on the scene. It was that nasty hatchet job he did on Michael Jackson years ago. It was unusually cruel. I don’t know; his shtick seems to be more about his ego and his ability to pander in a shocking way. I think I would describe him as shallow. During the media blitz on Whitney Houston’s death, he made a profoundly stupid remark. He insinuated, and I am paraphrasing, that "Houston was lucky…she could have ended up like Melba Moore". No kidding!
Unlike Piers Morgan, Toure is not ruthless. He’s not smart enough to be. He is however, a tiny bit of scoundrel.
Toure is trying to condemn Zimmerman, whereas the brit is simply defending his journalistic cred. Toure glosses this point, and looks foolish.
It isn't Toure's interview so it makes him look childish to address an issue which is never introduced by Piers. Piers invited him on the show to discuss his accusations, and Toure just doesn't seem to get it.
Not to mention the irony of his nativism, "You obviously don't understand America", while condemning zimmerman for his nativist actions.
Finally, if I was trying to build rep as a commentator, I would never disagree with a guy with a British accent on television. Numerous studies have been done on what is the most trust worthy sounding voice to Americans, and that is the voice of a Brit. Toure was doomed from the start.
Piers could not over come Toure dagger about his inability as a white foreigner to understand Blackness it stung Piers and is the reason Piers is still upset
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