30,000 Hits and still Undefeated!

Music: Jean Luc Ponty ‘Cosmic Messenger’ & ‘A Taste for Passion’

Beverage: Orange Juice & La Croix Seltzer

          What a year it’s been. I don’t know where to begin because so much has happened (and NOT happened). I guess a good place to start would be with 30,000 Hits. www.whitemencanthump.com has surpassed 30,000 Hits in 12 months. That’s about 85 new Hits everyday for a solid year. For a first-time, non-celebrity author, that’s not too bad. Has that translated into 30,000 sales? Hell No! But I’ve always been about Message, not Money. Part of the reason the Hits have not translated into sales is my fault, because I offer a ton of info about White Men Can’t Hump on the web-site. I’ve posted extensive chapter excerpts, interactive games, terms and definitions, and blogs that contain entire paragraphs from the book. Even though I’ve offered a ton of info, all of this info only amounts to about 5% of a 500 page, 2 Volume book. This has obviously been enough info to turn people off (which is fine with me), or lead people to believe they’ve actually read the book. I’ve actually had friends tell me “Great book,” and then when I offer to sign it for them, they reply “I didn’t actually buy it; I just read the chapter excerpts on your web-site.” I’ve given close friends and family members copies of my book and they’ve ended up on Ebay. Initially I took all of this as a slap in the face, but anymore, I don’t even discuss this book with my friends. I decided to view this book as a business, and when it comes to business, the less friends you have, the better. Along the way I’ve had friends laugh in my face, and ridicule me behind my back. I’ve had family members ridicule me behind my back, and then cut ties with me. I’ve also received hate mail from co-workers, and I’ve waited patiently while my job secretly looked into firing me (When they realized they’d make me a millionaire, they thought otherwise, SHIT!). All of this good stuff came from people that I know, so just imagine what I’ve heard from people that I don’t know.    

            Obviously every obstacle and every shred of interest in this book has emanated from the title and the cover. I chose a provocative title because I wanted to create a discussion on Race. I wanted people to cry foul and then challenge me. I wanted people to be initially offended, initially humored or initially interested, and hoped that after they read it, they would be eternally informed. I truly thought that I would create a firestorm with this book title, and more importantly, with its contents. There has never been a book that covers the turf that this book covers, PERIOD. But what’s boggled my mind is the public silence. Trust me, there’s a lot of people in high places who know about this book or have a copy of this book, and they’re flat-out-scared of it. Initially I wondered “Maybe the book sucks?” or “Maybe no one gets it?” But that’s not the case, because the reviews for White Men Can’t Hump have been stellar. Even though it was initially released in the fall of 2006, it was immediately voted one of the 10 Best Black Non-Fiction books of the year. This has obviously created more questions for me than answers. But after a year of ups and downs and much reflection, I’ve found the answer for the silence (I’ll share it with you later). First, as David Byrne from the Talking Heads would say “How did I get here?” Here’s how………….

           Money may drive most Americans, but its Race and Sex that shapes our attitudes towards each other as a species. Race and Sex shape our attitudes towards each other even more than Religion does. Actually, Religion has often been used as a tool to attack certain aspects of Race and Sex within our society. After all, it’s scriptures from the Bible that justified the institution of Slavery, and its scriptures from the Bible that serve as the present foundation for Homophobia. Religion may shape what many believe, but Race and Sex is what we see on a daily basis. What you see with your own eyes plays a greater role in shaping what you believe than most people would like to admit. So let’s take a quick look at the role Sex plays in our society, shall we.

                Sex is used to sell everything from chewing gum to automobiles. Our society has made Paris Hilton a household name, and it was a Sex tape that put her on the map (certainly NOT talent). We rush to the Internet every time there’s a new picture of a panty-less Britney Spears (come on now, I know I’m not the only one). Hey, if that makes me a low-life, then what are these guys:

Reverend Ted Haggard- The millionaire televangelist and family values advocate, who was busted frequenting a gay male prostitute (but he threw the crystal meth away).

Congressman Mark Foley- The anti-Internet pedophile crusader who was busted hitting on teenage Congressional Pages.

Senator David Vitter- The family values advocate who was busted for hooking up with female prostitutes (and was applauded by his colleagues).

Senator Larry Craig- The family values advocate who was busted for trying to solicit sex from an undercover police officer in an airport men’s room (and was booted by his colleagues).

All of this was just in the last year, and you better believe the Republicans will still bring up Monica Lewinsky (which is code for oral sex in the White House) if Hillary Clinton gets the Democratic nomination.

You can’t watch a movie without seeing some T & A, you can’t watch a sitcom on regular network television without a ton of sexual innuendo, you can’t watch a sporting event without an erectile dysfunction commercial, you can’t watch a daytime soap opera without seeing some soft core porn, and the # 1 night time soap opera is a show entitled ‘Desperate Housewives,’ which is # 1 solely because of Sex (i.e., more soft core porn). Speaking of porn, here’s some mind-blowing statistics from an episode of Oprah Winfrey on “Porn Addiction” which aired in November of 2005:

• Pornography generates 57 BILLION DOLLAR$ annually worldwide.

• Pornography generates 10 BILLION DOLLAR$ annually in the U.S.

• 11,000 new movies are made annually.

• Those 11,000 new movie titles generate 20 BILLION DOLLAR$ annually.

• DVD rentals generate 800 Million DOLLAR$ annually.

• Porn is the # 1 business on the Internet.

• There are more than 4 Million Pornographic Websites.

• ¼ of all Internet search engine requests are porn related (68 Million per day).

• 70 % of all Internet porn traffic occurs during the 9 am to 5 pm workday.

         With that societal backdrop, I’ve actually been told by a number of media outlets “We’d like to have you on, but the title of your book is too racy.” Needless to say, after some head-scratching, I usually find myself laughing my ass off. Most of the major cable news shows have received copies of White Men Can’t Hump. Major shows on HBO and Comedy Central have requested and received copies of White Men Can’t Hump. Most of the nationally known radio figures have received numerous Press Releases and emails about White Men Can’t Hump, and other than Martha Zoeller, no one has stepped up to the plate (even the great Howard Stern is scared). White Men Can’t Hump has stood before them all, begging to be scrutinized and begging to be challenged. All it would take is one public thrashing, and then White Men Can’t Hump would be permanently relegated to dumpster-status (like most books). One good public thrashing and White Men Can’t Hump would no longer exist. Instead, White Men Can’t Hump continues to linger in limbo like an aborted fetus in the eyes of the Catholic Church (woops, I forgot, they changed their mind on that one). Actually, White Men Can’t Hump is like Tiger Woods with the lead on Sunday in a major; it’s still undefeated. In a society consumed with Sex, there are still no challengers, and no challengers equals victory in my eyes. 

          Let’s take a quick look at Race shall we. We don’t have to go back to the 1860’s (i.e., Slavery) or even the 1960’s (i.e., the Civil Rights Movement), let’s take a look at America P.O. (i.e., Post-O.J. Simpson trial). Who could forget the footage from coast to coast of Black Folks cheering and White Folks appalled? That footage exposed the Racial divide that many of us always knew existed, and none of us can no longer deny. The Racial divide is most often felt economically, but its most often played out on television. Race has become big entertainment in America since the O.J. trial. Black mug shots dominate the news, and Black activists lead protests and yell for justice, or expose any perceived injustice. Blacks and Whites can look at the same event, but see it completely different each other. Whether it be Hurricane Katrina, the Duke Rape Case, Barry Bonds, Michael Vick, or the Jena 6, Blacks see things one way and Whites see it another. The mainstream media knows this tune and plays it like a fiddle. Why do you think they trot out Reverends Jesse and Al? Because they know it pushes White Folks - “Stop whining and get over it”- Button. Nothing has ever illustrated this as clearly as the Don Imus affair. A 60 second comedic exchange that included terms such as: wannabees vs. jiggaboos, Memphis Grizzlies, and Toronto Raptors, was reduced to an eight-second sound-bite featuring one term: “nappy-headed ho’s.” This made Mr. Imus look like the victim because he merely uttered a term that Black Rappers use regularly, and the victimization of Don Imus was further enhanced by the constant face time given to Reverends Jesse and Al.

            So with that societal backdrop you’d think White Men Can’t Hump would be an easy target, an easy lightning rod, and would be ripe for attack. WROOONG!

             I’ve done over 50 radio interviews and except for two (WVON Chicago and WAOK Atlanta), all have been on White Conservative Talk Radio. Though I’ve been thankful and grateful for the opportunity, they’ve still refused to address my book. Usually after a brief explanation about the title, they immediately change the topic to my blogs on Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Barack Obama, Don Imus, or Michael Vick. As a matter of fact, I’ve done several shows where the host actually refused to say the title of the book on the air and actually warned me not to say the title. One particular host even had an advanced copy of the book, but still failed to challenge me on one single statement, quote, point, fact, or figure in the book. Come to think of it, after 30,000 Hits, there’s only been 5 negative comments posted on www.whitemencanthump.com, and of those 5, none were from anyone who’d actually read the book (or even the chapter excerpts). So those comments were based solely on speculation (i.e., they judged the book by its cover). I then politely signed on using an alias and politely spanked their asses and sent them to bed (never to be seen again). I do occasionally receive emails that accuse me of being a Racist. I always refer the sender to my blog “White Men Have a 3^rd Eye (In the Middle of their Forehead).” Needless to say, I never hear from them again.

             In case you’re wondering, my relationship with the Black Media has been even rockier, but with the Black Media, it’s a different kind of fear. You see, the Black Media is not too fond of books, especially books that don’t have pictures (that’s right, I said it). I don’t want to say the Black Media has subscribed to the hip hop attitude that “Reading, writing, and speaking in complete sentences is acting White,” but I will say the people who deliver that particular message to the masses, i.e., hip hop performers, are the only people who have access to the Black Media. If you’ve got corn rows, gold teeth, saggy pants, a tilted baseball cap, and a hip hop CD, the Black Media will kick your fucking door down. They publicly decry offensive hip hop lyrics, and then give hip hop performers unlimited access and continual publicity. Woops, sorry, I didn’t mean to be a snitch (i.e., the latest hip hop message to the masses: “Don’t Snitch!”).      

So the bottom line is, how can a book whose main title exudes Race and Sex, subtitle says Race and Sex, and contents focus on Race and Sex, be dismissed by a media that makes its living on Race and Sex?

Who knows?

Better yet, how can a book that discusses Slavery, Racism, Religion, Immigration, Hurricane Katrina, China, Hollywood, hip hop, Sexual Irresponsibility, Abortion, Hate, Indifference, Ignorance, Emmett Till, Lynching and Castration, Racial Profiling, Penis Size, Racial Stereotypes, Sexual Stereotypes, Pedophilia, O.J. Simpson, Uncle Toms, and Gay Republicans, not ruffle one feather, and not piss one person off?

Who knows?

All I know is that after 30,000 Hits, we’re still Undefeated.

P.S. Actually I do know. White Men Can’t Hump is that good ya’ll, it’s that good (I told you I’d share the answer with you later).

Always remember my Humpers and Humpettes: “Life is too short to Hate.”  

Tags: White Men Can’t Hump

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 16th, 2007 at 10:28 am and is filed under WMCH Blogs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.