Tom Joyner vs. Kanye West.

I'm a radio listener, cuz my car is a 96 model and doesn't have a CD player. Normally, on my drive in to work, I listen to the local morning show, NPR, or to the Tom Joyner Morning Show. Usually, it's moderately informative, moderately funny, and pretty banal in content. Harmless BS when NPR bores me or they start playing the new Tyra single on the other station again.

However, Tom Joyner will no longer get my support.

Why?

I was startled to listen to his show on Tuesday morning, and hear him, during their discussion of news, bring up Kanye West's call for an end to homophobia in rap music. Now, first of all, that's old news, and I suspect that it was a proxy for addressing Kanye's criticism of the President, which Joyner refused to support or comment on when he appeared on CNN last week.

The exchange consisted of Joyner basically dismissing West and laughing at him; of his female co-host making ill-considered and ignorant remarks about West calling women "bitches and hoes" in his music, proof that she had really heard none of his songs; his male co-host sneering "shut up" every time West's name was said by Joyner; and finally, an uncontested statement by the male co-host that he "liked it better when rappers kept their mouths shut.'

Excuse me?

Why is it that, when a young black man -- a major media personality, to boot -- expresses some excellent viewpoints, that Joyner's instinct is not only to try to shut him down, but to attempt to ridicule, demonize, and marginalize him to his largely middle-aged, middle-class Black audience? In what way was what Joyner and his co-hosts did and said on their show constructive?

It makes me sick. Joyner may do a lot of things with his foundation with regards to education, but his political and social compass outside that narrow sphere seems to be VERY off. How can you not back another brother who is speaking the sentiments that millions of other African-Americans feel?

What is Joyner's agenda? Was he upset that "shine" was taken away from his own efforts when he was on CNN? Does he support homophobia in rap music? Does he support the federal response to the flooding of New Orleans?

It was completely inexplicable to me except as a powerful show of the disconnect between middle-aged, middle-class Black wannabe leaders and commentators, and the people on the street.

I hope that Tom Joyner clarified his comments later, but I doubt it. All I know is, I can't support someone who clearly has no respect for the ideas or commentary of my generation.