Playa Hatin' on Madonna

Huffington Post

Earl Ofari Hutchinson
Political Analyst and Social Issues Commentator
Posted April 4, 2009 | 01:23 PM (EST)

Let's cut the bull. The issue is not Mercy James. That's the four year old Malawian orphan girl who Madonna wants to adopt. The issue is Madonna. Whether their motive is revulsion, disgust, secret wish fulfillment, sexism, or just plain, garden variety envy, legions just flat out loathe Madonna. Or in the street vernacular, there's a thriving growth industry in playa hatin' on Madonna.

This writer became painfully aware of that after my piece "Madonna Deserves Cheers not Jeers for casting the ugly glare on Africa's adoption misery" hit the web. The calls, letters, emails, and shots from Madonna's sex book, and her onstage at times sado-masochistic antics poured in. The idea was to remind me that Madonna is an ego maniacal, crotch grabbing, whacked out onstage porno and fast buck exhibitionist who no one with a shred of decency could possibly think could be a fit mother, especially a fit mother to a black kid.

The rants were against me, Madonna, and those Malawians who cheered Madonna; which by the way as every poll and survey has shown is just about everyone in Malawi from top officials down to the beggar on the street to Mercy's grandparents, relatives and caregivers. They all applaud Madonna for taking a personal and humanitarian interest in Malawi's one million orphans.

The Madonna playa haters are absolutely unfazed by the millions of dollars that she has raised for her Raise Malawi organization. They pooh pooh the international attention that she's brought to a country that ranks near dead last on nearly every social and economic measure for developing countries. This is a country which nearly all the Madonna loathers thought was another way of saying Malarky, hadn't heard of and couldn't find on a map before Madonna tossed the spotlight on the dire poverty in the country. The haters air brush off Madonna's plans to bankroll a school for orphan girls in the country.

They wave away the reminder that Madonna, outside of President Obama, is the most over-exposed celebrity on the planet and hardly needs to snatch away an African orphan to get some cheap pub. They turn the tinniest ear to this rejoinder; OK, so other than yap that Madonna has turned Africa into what the hater's brand a rich closet bigotted white woman's plaything, have you contributed money, written letters to elected officials, volunteered to work with relief agencies, or tried to sponsor an African orphan?

Madonna's brash, sassy, and high energy in your face style and persona has long sent the clear message that she was her own woman. She turned sensuality into a badge of fierce independence and pride, the trademark of defiance.This has always sent the pack of Madonna haters spinning into orbit. The issue is not and never has been Madonna and Malawi's orphans. The issue is and always will be Madonna. It's a playa hater's delight.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His weekly radio show, "The Hutchinson Report" can be heard on weekly in Los Angeles on KTYM Radio 1460 AM and nationally on blogtalkradio.com