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Jan 27 2010 4:42 PM EST
[h1]Lupe Fiasco 'Somewhat' Agrees With Controversial Bill O'Reilly Comment[/h1][h2]Chicago MC says talk-show host had 'credible argument' when he compared Chicago to Haiti.[/h2]
By Shaheem Reid
Controversial comments by TV talk-show host Bill O'Reilly hit theInternet on Wednesday (January 27), causing plenty of talk on the chatboards. Audio from an O'Reilly appearance in Westbury, New York, wasposted on MediaMatters.org, featuring O'Reilly comparing Chicago to Haiti.
"I'm seeing a guy [President Obama] who's very, very committedto the government," O'Reilly said. "The government's going to solve theproblems, and I'm going, I don't know, how's that possible? If you'veever been to the South Side of Chicago, I mean, it's a disaster, allright? It's like Haiti, it's like — I've been to Haiti a couple oftimes. I support some charities there, but Haiti just never getsbetter, no matter how much money you put in there because they don'thave a system. And I said the government can't do it, but Obama reallybelieves the government can do it."
One of Chicago's favorite sons, Lupe Fiasco, says that although he does not support O'Reilly, he does see the need to improve communities in Chicago.
"There's a certain level of concurrence," Lupe said. "Not now.There's no toppled buildings, unless you want to count the projects.But pre-earthquake Haiti ... When I went to Africa, when I was inTanzania, it was weird because there was this extreme poverty andextreme corruption and it looked so much like the West Side of Chicago.In [the documentary I shot over there] you'll see me say that. There'sno grass, there's a barbershop, there's a sneaker store, there's aliquor store and a bunch of Coca-Cola everywhere."
Fiasco, who recently climbed all the way to the summit of Mount Kilimanjarowith a group of activists and celebrities including Jessica Biel andKenna, says that ghettos across the world can sometimes resemble eachother.
"I don't want to be pointed out as supporting Bill O'Reilly inany way because he can be on the garbage sometimes. When you'recomparing certain areas in the U.S. that are predominantlyAfrican-American or Latino, it's very easy to compare it to the ThirdWorld," Lupe said. "Just in the amount of violence that's there, thecorruption that's there, the gang activity that's there. It's prevalentand dominant in Haiti. The corruption of the local politicians, theabject, corporate exploitation that takes place there, loan sharking,all that stuff. I think you can make the comparison to a lot of placesin the U.S. Oakland [California], Detroit. Detroit's got abandonedbuildings. On that note, he's definitely not out of the ballpark.There's a credible argument there. I agree with that in some aspects."
I've got to applaud Lupe for actually listening to someone like Bill O'Reilly (who i personally cannot stand) and speaking up for a cause...