Find my latest American Idol article here.
When I saw that the bottom two contestants on the stage were the only two black contestants left in the competition, I cringed. I could hear the cries of racism in my mind. When I got up this morning I did a quick Google search, and was disappointed to see that my suspicions were well founded. I found people who thought American Idol was racist, America was racist, Simon was racist, and all of the above, due to the fact that Syesha and Chikezie were in the bottom two on last night’s Idol.
I want to say first, that I know there is racism in the US still to this day. I have seen it on occasion, and as a white person, it makes me nauseous and embarrassed. I once had a lady at a business ask me, “Do you know any women who might want a job…, you know white women?” I felt as if I had been punched in the gut. I had never been faced by this type of overt racism. It made me feel dirty, and I was offended that she thought she could include me in it. I left as quickly as I could, but I regretted not saying something to her about it.
On another occasion, I was in a Wal-Mart with my wife (I do not tell this to disparage Wal-Mart, it just is the place where the event took place. I personally love Wally World), and the lady running the fabric section was speaking to a lady customer from India (in traditional dress) as if she were a piece of trash. I listened for a moment or two, and finally said, “If you don’t stop talking to her like that, I am going to get a manager.” She stopped addressing her in the manner. The Indian lady was so meek, that she thanked my wife for what I did, instead of me. Two other customers who were standing there thanked me, and I still told the manager on the way out. I felt pretty good about myself that day. It was almost like I was part of one of those PSAs. I brought all of this up to say that I know America still battles racism, but more and more it is a dying relic of another generation, and good riddance. We’ll all be better when it’s gone.
What occurred on American Idol this week was not, however, an example of racism in America. First of all, I think the American Idol audience deserves a little credit. Many of the top contestants on Idol throughout the years have been black, and fully half of the winners have been black (Fantasia, Reuben, and Jordan).
The problems that put Syesha and Chikezie in the bottom two had to do with them not racism. As I have said before, I think that they both have two of the top voices in the competition, but their lack of success stems from elsewhere.
First, it should be noted that they both sang at the top of the show. It is just a fact that a bad performance or a bad song choice at the beginning of the show can often be the death-knell for contestants. While both sang well, they chose their songs poorly. They were both boring and forgettable songs. I stated in my last post that I do not believe the Motown love (or love-sick) song can win on Idol (look below for more information on this). These songs come-off badly on Idol. The only time they seem to work out for the contestant is when they are a Whitney or Aretha song with an incredible vocal, and then the contestants are playing with fire. When Chikezie went away from this kind of music he did well, and Syesha seems to only shine when she is singing a Whitney song (which she does well). I’ve said before that Syesha may have the best female voice in the competition, but she is also the most inconsistent person in the competition.
Personality is a big part of American Idol, and these two contestants have done little for themselves in this department. Syesha seems detached and aloof from everything that is going on. And that “baby cry” thing she has done twice may be the most irritating thing I’ve ever heard. She does not emote well in her songs either. All of these are reasons that she turns up in the bottom three from time to time, and some of the other contestants are so far ahead of her at this point in the personality department that the damage may be irreparable.
Chikezie, on the other hand, broke Idol rule number one: Do not argue with Simon, you will always look like an ass. He argued with Simon on several occasions and at times came off angry or looked as if he were pouting. These things do not go over with the Idol audience. Self-effacing is the way to go, and David Archuleta is the poster-boy for this crowd-winning trait. I will accept that there may be a cultural disconnect here. It may not be appropriate to appear all self-effacing like Archuleta where Chikezie is from, and I can understand that, but it does not mean the audience is racist if there is a disconnect because of it. Chikezie was a contestant, and it was his responsibility to win over the audience, not the audience’s responsibility to evaluate all of the cultural mores involved in the situation.
In the end these two found themselves in the bottom two because of personality, attitude and song choice. Lighten up, not everything is about race.
Filed under: American Idol, Hot Opinions, Television | Tagged: American Idol, Attitude, Chikesie, contestants, Paula Abdul, personality, racism, racist, Randy, Results, review, Ryan, Simon, song choice, Syesha | 9 Comments »
