Get It Straight by Michael Davis – Straight No Chaser #322 | @MDWorld

September 6, 2013 Michael Davis 1 Comment

Recently, I mentioned on Facebook an event I had spoken at some time ago.

A friend of mine, both on and off Facebook, suggested in a followup post that I had my information wrong, and had in fact not been the keynote speaker at the event.

In my world, when someone says you got your facts wrong, it means you said the war of 1812 started in 1966. THAT’S getting your facts wrong. When someone says you did not do what you said you did, they are calling you a lair.

I’m sure my dear friend really did just mean I got my facts wrong and was not calling me a liar, but as they say, you can take the man out of the hood, but you can’t take the hood out of the man.

To me, it would appear to all that read his post that I was lying, so I responded with a good-natured, yet extremely detailed reply that left no room for doubt as to which of us had gotten our “facts” wrong, and as the song says — it wasn’t me.

That, as they say, would have been that if not for an email I received taking me to task for being “nothing but a loud braggart looking to show everyone just how much better you are than everyone else. You are horrible example for our black children.”

Why they did not post that on the thread is pretty clear — he or she would have had to defend what they said.

I posted my response, which was a pretty loud “fuck you and your family” in the guise of a slew of other accomplishments, and yes I posted that on Facebook.

A dear friend told me to just ignore the haters. In fact, I’ve been told that by quite a few people. “Responding,” to quote another dear friend, “gives them power.”

Everyone who has said to ignore the haters is absolutely right.

For them.

I don’t roll that way.

Back when we launched Milestone Media, a black comic book company named Ania was constantly calling us “House Niggers” every chance they got. You name the media outlet — TV, radio, print mainstream or industry — these guys never missed a chance to define Milestone as happy house niggers working the DC Comics plantation.

The company line was not to respond. That was the company line, not mine. That year at Comic Con at the Milestone panel, we were asked why we didn’t respond to Ania’s attack. The answer was “There’s room for everybody.”

The followup response was, “They are making no room for you, and in fact are trying their best to destroy you.”

I had had enough. I promised the partners I would bite my tongue, but enough was enough. I said “Look, here’s the deal — Ania’s books SUCK and the creators are pussies.”

Standing ovation.

That was also the end of that “house nigger” shit, as Ania clearly did not want to discuss the quality of their books against Milestone. They pretty much shut the fuck up after that.

My response wasn’t just some bravado hood shit. A great many people were mistaking the Ania books for Milestone books because Ania had managed to insert themselves into our massive press with their bullshit “feud.” “Ania’s books suck” is a crystal clear sound bite, if you were wondering who’s who.

I’m of the mind that you protect your brand, reputation, and name like Disney, especially when haters call into question what you may or may not have done.

I seldom respond to people that just hate me because I’m me.

But ANYTIME someone puts information out there that is just BULLSHIT, I’m on it. The Ania LIE was that Milestone was owned and created by DC Comics and Time Warner and to this DAY, there are haters that spread that lie, and when I see it I correct it.

Nothing good, and I mean NOTHING good, comes from letting others define you with misinformation, and letting it stand is not for me.

Talk as much shit as you want about me, but get it straight.  If not, then prepare to be corrected — and I mean hard and loud.