Sorry, I disagree...It goes back to the theory that people are OWED something..and thats not what award shows are about....unfortunately...I saw Training Day and that was NOT Denzels best work, but he was owed the Oscar....and it received the backlash it did....many felt Halle won it because they felt blacks were owed the Oscar...

You dont give Gold medals in the Olympics to the man who has run the fastest all year, whos had the longest career, who carries himself like a true athlete, who gives most to charity...its for the person who runs the fastest. If they run ONE race their entire life, and its the fastest at the Olympics, they win....

Ashanti ran the fastest...

I like that analogy very much.

True, but the name of the award is Aretha Franklin Entertainer of the Year award, which means, Ashanti should have had her shoe laces tied tight and perspiration on her brow from running, All Year. Maybe the award should be Soul Train New Entertainer on the Scene.

Why are people acting like this is some sort of public award where the average person's opinion matters or dictates who gets nominated or who wins the award - if they nominated her, then she fits their criteria and so be it, regardless of who it is named after - let that person pitch a fit and have their name removed from the award - but to go on and on about the merit or lack thereof for someone that had a phenomenal year - COMMERCIALLY - and Soul Train is a commercial endeavor - is ridiculous!!

I'm number 20185

Because the average person's money and the average person's support got her and Soul Train to the point they are today.

That'll really hit Soul Train bad!!!!
 

that's where you'll really hit them!!! I said I wouldn't be watching it last month sometime.....

I agree with you. The peition is good.. but if you think about it this is publicity for soul train. Beacuse now here is a controversy and people are going to tune in to see, if she gets it, shows up, and audience reaction..

ditto

On MSNBC
 

My Husband thought the petition was a joke unitl he saw it on MSNBC

http://www.msnbc.com/news/797140.asp?0dm=C22bL

The newspaper said that Ashanti would not comment...:o

Playing Devil's Advocate...
 

I was just thinking...

If this petition wasn't about a Soul Train award... if it was something else geared toward African-Americans - a political, educational, or civil rights issue - how many signatures would there be on the petition?

How many folks who "voted" on the petition actually vote in real life? The article on MSNBC said that this is the biggest on-line petition response ever. When's the last time we (as African-Americans) received press coverage for being 20,000+ strong behind a real issue?

I think that's a pretty sad commentary...

What the.....
 

"Soul Train officials posted an unsigned reaction on the show’s Web site that expressed outrage “over the fact that a people, whose ancestry suffered 400 years of slavery, can be herded so easily into a virtually bottomless mud hole and be taught to sling such mud therein.”


Explain to me what a music petition has to do with 400 years of slavery, I know Soul Train might be pissed off but am I the only one who thinks this reaction is a little too far... I mean they used the phrase "a people". They're calling us as a race stupid (herded so easily), but wait they're black too...this it too much.

What I Would Have Done A Long Time Ago
 

Man, at this point if I was Ashanti, I would release the following comment: "Thank you, Soul Train for attempting to bestow upon me this prestigious award...yada yada yada...but I gracefully choose not to accept it...yada yada yada...b/c I feel I do not deserve it....blah blah blah....etc" and state that she feels that such-and-such female singers, who (whom?--I always get these two confused; at least my grammar's better than the writers' employed by Soul Train) she considers her role models and inspiration, are deserving and well-earned candidates for this award...

That would be the mature (and she's the same age as me--21 so if I can think of this so can she) and honorable thing to do...

However, I don't think she has the guts to actually do it...