Where were the "moderators"?

Waiting2exhale
Sat, 19 Mar 2016 05:26:24 +0000

First comment, and I’m still watching the vid: He does not speak as though he has a PhD. He does not “seem” to present with the air of one who has attained higher education, neither in his speech nor his dress.

Black kids certainly respond positively to the visual and aural signs of “having made it.” Most people do.

I have no idea what the rest of you see in the video, but I do not see anything other than kids (and one adult) sitting in a rapt manner, paying close attention to this man. They are moved to respond to him by a showing of hands when he asks them to consider points about the state of their lives, and their mothers’ working status, and he then further implores them to show him greater love/greater respect (?) by saying something I could not really hear, something like, “I’m asking you to act in faith.”

It is at that point, where he seems to want a wave of attention, that HE becomes more focused and stops his pacing and begins to take note of a little activity that is taking place among those in attendance. It certainly was not made plain in the video that the kids were being disruptive to any degree.

He sought to impress upon them that his time was valuable (i.e., worth money), and thought they would be impressed at the start.

I do not sense that he had planned the admonishment, though as someone up-thread said, he may have been brooding and stewing over this type of interaction, and let his frustrations and disappointment erupt at this moment.

At this point, (4:36), he is doing too much yelling, and sounding nearly emphysemic, for me to continue watching and listening.

As for the OP’s question, do you think the moderators/administrators would have allowed the speaker to continue on a powered-on mic were the audience not those of an inner-city Black school?