Optimism (eBook)

Success in the Media Against All Odds - A Memoir

Batt Johnson (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2023 | 1. Auflage
456 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3509-2195-3 (ISBN)

Infos

Delve into the captivating journey of Batt Johnson, a trailblazer in American broadcasting history, as he shares his unique and compelling life story in 'Optimism.' From groundbreaking performances and interviews to international adventures, this memoir embodies resilience, success, and the art of thriving against all odds.

---

"e;Prepare to be enthralled by 'Optimism,' the remarkable memoir that unfolds the extraordinary life of Batt Johnson, a true pioneer in American broadcasting history. His journey, punctuated by groundbreaking achievements and daring exploits, serves as a testament to the power of resilience, determination, and the unwavering pursuit of one's dreams. At the heart of Batt Johnson's narrative lies a performance that etched his name into the annals of television history-a portrayal as the husband with "e;ring around the collar"e; in a national network Wisk television commercial. The commercial's staggering success, deemed the highest-rated in the 135-year history of Lever Brothers, marked a pivotal moment in his career. However, Batt's accomplishments extend far beyond a single role. His path, illuminated by unwavering determination, traverses the murky and exclusionary waters of the media landscape, where he emerged as a trailblazer in multiple broadcasting formats, including Rock 'n Roll, Jazz, Smooth Jazz, Country, Urban, and Big Band. A feat that Radio & Records Magazine recognized by ranking him at number 9-a remarkable accolade for the only African American on that top-10 list nationwide. Batt's diverse talents shine through various mediums-he has graced television commercials, news broadcasts, hosted TV home shopping shows, performed in plays, films, videos, modeled, lent his voice to cartoons, and even excelled as a hand model. Yet, his impact reaches far beyond entertainment, as he has also donned the role of a professor and media trainer, imparting his knowledge to a spectrum that includes doctors, lawyers, business executives, politicians, and luminaries of the NBA, among others. The tapestry of 'Optimism' weaves through over 20 countries, encompassing adventures in distant lands like Norway, Italy, Germany, and France, where he performed on radio. His life's journey took him to South Korea and exposed him to diverse cultures, each chapter reflecting the spirit of exploration and discovery. 'Batt Johnson's captivating stories aren't confined to professional accomplishments alone; they extend to deeply personal feats. Locked in a Texas desert tear gas chamber without a mask during Army basic training, his resilience shone through. Furthermore, he embraced the vibrant world of Argentine tango dancing, becoming a proficient dancer, instructor, and even dancing until the early hours in Buenos Aires. As you immerse yourself in 'Optimism,' you'll be carried along on a journey that resonates with tenacity, triumph over adversity, and the sheer joy of pursuing a life fully lived."e;

Textauszug

Chapter 3

Black Crime! Black on Black Crime!

Here we go again! I woke up this morning, turned on the television and saw, yet another news story about a young black man shooting another young black man in the streets. Why does this keep happening? Do these young people have no hope and see no light in their future? Many have become gang members, drug dealers, thieves, robbers, pushing themselves further and further to a bottom. Why not? If the president of the “United States” is a criminal and has, thus far, gotten away with all of his criminality, this must be the way to go. Heck, if he can do it and get away with it, it must be Ok. No? NO!

No one likes hearing negative things about their group of people. If you don’t like hearing negative things, don’t commit negative acts. It is simple…or is it? No. If one is lucky enough to have come from a good family, that is the best start. But I think it takes a certain mentality to brush off and cast aside all of the negativity you hear about your group of people every day, over years. When one hears it for so long, it is not difficult to understand why many believe what they hear…and see.

The African American community has to step it up. We HAVE to stop defending criminals, reprobates, lawbreakers and miscreants simply because they are black. If you are a thug and are bringing the quality of our skin down, you must go.

You cannot ask, politely ask, or even demand that the police stop killing individuals of African descent until individuals of African descent stop killing individuals of African descent.

American psychiatrist and author, Dr. Frances Cress Welsing once said, “We’re the only people on this entire planet who have been taught to sing and praise our demeanment.

‘I’m a bitch. I’m a hoe. I’m a gangster. I’m a thug. I’m a dog.’ If you can train people to demean and degrade themselves, you can oppress them forever. You can even program them to kill themselves and they won’t even understand what happened.”

There is an old proverb that says, “There is nothing like the love and enveloping arms of a mother.” There is another that says, “A young boy’s best guide is the wit, wisdom, and teaching hand of his father, the person he will most likely grow to emulate.” Author James Baldwin once said, “Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.”

One of the books I wrote is called, The Wit and Wisdom of African American Men. It is an easy to read, compilation and handy reference guide to insightful, spiritually, and intellectually developed, and inspired thought from some of our most admired African American male thinkers, leaders, heroes, and humorists.

Musician Stevie Wonder displayed his Wit when he said, “Before I ride with a drunk, I’ll drive myself.” Boxing Champion and entrepreneur George Foreman said, “My kid’s idea of a hard life is to live in a house with only one phone.” Actor-comedian Damon Wayans said, “I grew up so poor that plenty of nights I had sleep for dinner.”

You will read the Wisdom of some of the brightest and most insightful African American men of the Twentieth Century.

Harvard University Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. said, “Black males have long intrigued the Western imagination, whether as gods and kings in much of classical antiquity, or devils and sambos since the high Middle Ages.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.”

Activist Dick Gregory said, “When it comes to food for thought, some of us are on a hunger strike.” Educator Booker T. Washington, “Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way.” Colin Powell said, “Let racism be a problem to someone else...Let it drag them down. Don’t use it as an excuse for your own shortcomings.”

Actor Denzel Washington adds, “A person completely wrapped up in himself makes a small package.” Malcolm X, said, “Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.”

Once while I was interviewing actor and filmmaker, Spike Lee, he said, “You know, the first thing we have to do is keep these young brothers from killing each other.”

How do we do that? By inspiring, feeding their minds a message of hope and by celebrating our positive role models. I believe that we are what we think. What we do is the direct result of what we have been thinking and feeding our subconscious mind.

South African Activist and Anglican Archbishop, Desmond Tutu said, “When your dreams turn to dust, vacuum.” I say, “If you’re going to dream, dream big, in very explicit detail and in color.” Richard Pryor once said, “Try to make the world laugh, it already has enough to cry about.”

While I was filming a Kodak national network television commercial with Bill Cosby (Before he got into trouble), he said to me, “The problem with some of these young black men and boys today is that they would rather be hip and cool instead of smart.”

Shooting a Kodak television commercial with Bill Cosby before he got into trouble.

If some of the great African American minds of our past wanted to be hip and cool instead of smart . . .

• Daniel Hale Williams (1856–1931) would have never been in a position to perform the world’s first open-heart surgery.
• Garrett A. Morgan (1877–1963) could not have invented the traffic light.
• Dr. Charles R. Drew (1904–1950) would have never founded the world’s first blood bank.

These are significant achievements that had an impact on the world for generations.

In spite of the fact that Reverend Jesse Jackson ran for President of the United States in 1984 and 1988, and Colin Powell was considering it, and Barak Obama did it in 2008 and 2012, the image of the African American male is more tainted than ever before. Fortunately for our entire society, and the world, there are forces at work to remedy that blighted image.

We have to stop behaving in anti-social ways, ways that do not reflect the fact that it is we who are superior, superior in many ways. We have to stop committing crimes that cause us to be the largest population in most jails and prisons across North America. I realize that these may be considered controversial words to some but there is power in our pigment, “Pigmentational Power” that many who possess it, are not using it.

You may not completely understand or agree with my position. But, if no crime is committed, no penalty is due. That is…unless you happen to run into a bigot with a gun, or a badge, or both. I hope your redneck radar engages before it is too late.

Granted, there are many factors working against us and not all are able to rise above their given situation. We all channel our Africanity through various conduits.

Some academic research has shown that the lack of quality education opportunities, poverty, exposure to harmful chemicals like lead paint, bad neighborhoods, government-controlled redlining of neighborhoods, and other factors, all contribute to the high crime rates in many African American communities. There are far too many guns on American streets and too many with the wrong mentality to use them.

Celebrated comedian Richard Pryor once said, “They call me angry, an angry black man, angry. But since I got me some money, I ain’t angry no more.” I ask, is that the answer?

We call each other “brother” but we sometimes treat each other like “the other” or like an enemy. Why? Why do we constantly hurt each other? When we do that, we are saying to the greater society, “Yep, you’re right. We are not worthy, we are savages, we are not together, we are not ready.”

Once, while hanging out in the dressing room of a jazz club in New York, a very famous African American bass player, Percy Heath, who has been famous since the 1950s, whom I knew fairly well, approached me and said the following. Oh, one last point. He said this because he saw me come into the club with two Caucasian men and a Caucasian woman.

He said, “Batt, you need to be re-born. I like you a lot but you need to be ‘re-niggahfied!’ You hang out with too many white people.” I said, “But white people are people too.” He said, “naaww they ain’t, Batt. Naaww they ain’t.”

A dear friend, who is not African American, once said to me, “Batt, if a Greek, an Italian, an African, a Swede, and a Jew are walking down the street together, where do you think your eye will go first? Who sticks out? Only the dark-skinned African sticks out. Why? Because he or she is the one who looks the most different.

This is something we were taught in first grade. We used to get mimeographed sheets of paper that smelled like a chemical with light purple text and drawings on them. For instance, they would have a drawing of a taxi, taxi, taxi, apple, taxi. Circle the one that is different? Cow, cow, cow, house, cow. Circle the one that is different? Is that part of our education or indoctrination?

So, my take on this is, as possessors of a dark...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 15.11.2023
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Biografien / Erfahrungsberichte
• ISBN-13: 979-8-3509-2195-3 / 9798350921953