Don’t be misled by Playboy story
The presentation of the 5,000-word column I wrote for Playboy was more offensive, misleading and unfair than I had been warned.
Not only did Chris Napolitano, editorial director at Playboy, headline a story detailing the ills of America’s astronomical incarceration rate “The Black KKK,” he somehow managed to drag several professional athletes into his racist production.
I have to tip my hat to Napolitano. The man is clever. He had some things he wanted to say about Black America, and he used me as the shield to say them.
I first complained about the headline of my piece in the June issue of Playboy here. At that time, I’d only been told over the phone of Napolitano’s plot to sell magazines by using what I written about Sean Taylor as an excuse to get a few things off his chest.
Well, now I’ve seen the magazine. It hit newsstands on May 9.
I was prepared for my name to appear on the cover with the words “The Black KKK.” I was ready for the screaming “Black KKK” headline on top of my story. And I’d even accepted the fact that a sub headline would boast: “Thuglife is killing Black America. It’s time to do something about it.” (Although I thought I was told that Napolitano planned to say that “hip hop is killing …”)
Those lies outraged me. The words “Black KKK” do not appear in the story, and the piece passionately argues with sound reporting that America’s love affair with incarceration is creating the violent lawlessness that is pervasive throughout our entire society.
foxsports.com
5/15/08
Magnolia Tribune
