Talk:Harry Belafonte

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[edit] Paul Robeson

A large reason that Paul Robeson was so vocal and was perceived as a threat due to his work to END colonialism in Africa by Europe not simply because he wanted peace and friendship with the USSR. Do not come on to this article until you've done research about Robeson. His son as well as many CPA officials have stated he was never a party member. Robeson worked tirelessly to stop lynching, colonialism, racism and classism, he was about a hell of a lot more than just supporting socialism. I am a Robeson scholar so choose your battles wisely! Catherine Huebscher 4:15, Feb 4 2007 (UTC)

Please, not so hostile! I think you would have to agree that Paul Robeson was at least percieved or perhaps branded by many to be a communist, even if he did not state that he was a party member. All this article initially said was that this man was controversial in his time for supporting the Soviet Union, which may have been incomplete, but certainly not wrong. I added the remark about Robeson being a source of inspiration to Belafonte, because I thought it was relevant. Somebody else later added the communist remark. This is not an article about Robeson. Consequently, this is not the place to eleborate on everything that Robeson was all about. -- Menno Dreischor, Feb 11 2007

[edit] Left-wing vs. civil rights/humanitarian causes

This sentence from the opening paragraph changes almost daily:

Throughout his career he has been an advocate for left-wing causes.

--or--

Throughout his career he has been an advocate for civil rights and humanitarian causes.

Please resolve this before it turns into a full-blown edit war. For my part, I would argue that the latter is the more accurate statement, and not because I'm a left-wing nutcase or whatever, but simply because Belefonte does not campaign for all left-wing causes. His activism has been strongly tied to the civil rights movement. Only in the past few years has he voiced his heavy criticism of American foreign policy (and not "throughout his career"). How do the rest of you feel? --buck 03:25, 13 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Muppets

Is the photo of Belafonte on the Muppet Show really necessary? The article already has a publicity photo that illustates his career as an entertainer, as well as the picture of him participating in the civil rights movement. Is singing with the muppets really a milestone for the man's career? --buck 07:25, 18 December 2005 (UTC)

no, plus, the other images are free of copyright so are 1000% more desirable. Arniep 18:26, 18 December 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Expand this Article

This article discusses in detail Belafonte's activism during the civil rights movement and his criticism of the Bush administration, but makes very little reference to his contributions to the Arts, namely his highly successful and influential music career. I also think more information on his acting is necessary, since the article includes a rather comprehensive filmography. While I'm a fan of Belafonte's music, I don't think I know enough about him to contribute much to this article, otherwise I'd gladly take on this project myself. --buck 17:14, 10 October 2005 (UTC)

To the contributor of the recent expansions, well done! --buck 18:35, 25 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Moron

If he actually said this, he is a moron.-"In 2005, he referred to Black Republicans "tyrants" and compared those serving in the Bush administration to nazis. He also compared the Bush administration to the Third Reich, and said "Hitler had a lot of Jews" in his regime." Achilles 17:35 25 Oct 2005

  • Thank you for your gracious contribution. However, calling Belefonte a "moron" hardly qualifies as encyclopedic material. --buck 16:15, 26 October 2005 (UTC)
    • Maybe not, but considering that this is a talkback page he is well within his right to comment. I'd rather he do it here than decide to add commentary to the entry itself. As for whether or not Belafonte is a moron...well, the quotations speak for themselves. If he's a deep thinker, it's only skin deep. --cdjaco 22:45, 8 January 2006 (UTC)
      • This page is for discussion with the aim of improving the article. Calling him a moron is not useful. Nor do I think that's unambiguously true from his quotes: obviously he's trying to be deliberately inflammatory, but I can think of a lot of intelligent people who would agree (for example) that Bush is a terrorist and tyrant. --Saforrest 00:44, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

If so called intelligent people think that Bush is a tyrant then they are not so intelligent. Oh and on this discussion page we are allowed to call Belfonte a moron which is what he is.

I have only once heard Mr. Belafonte speak, and that was on television during an interview. He was addressing questions regarding human rights and the way in which the U.S. (specifically the current administration) chooses to overlook egregiously bad policies in some nations while using the same policies in other nations to justify strong action. I found him to be surprisingly eloquent and well spoken. I suspect that his more controversial statements that several viewers are responding to need to be considered in context.

[edit] Relationship with Chavez

In light of the most recent statements from Belafonte, perhaps one thing to expound on would be his relationship with Hugo Chavez. --216.75.93.106 14:05, 9 January 2006 (UTC)


[edit] moving Nazi quote to Talk page

I'm moving this quote to the talk page, because it doesn't have a reference:

In 2005, he referred to Black Republicans as "tyrants" and compared those serving in the Bush administration to Nazis. He also compared the Bush administration to the Third Reich, and stated (falsely) that "Hitler had a lot of Jews" in his regime.

It's not that I really doubt he said something like this, it's that I think editors need to be able to read the full quote so they can decide whether "compared those serving in the Bush administration to Nazis" is an NPOV characterization of the quote.

--Allen 01:58, 11 January 2006 (UTC)

Here's a source link. Harry Belafonte Calls Black Republicans 'Tyrants' Guest458 05:49, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Pot Calling the Kettle Black

According to Mr. Belafonte's biography posted with the "William Morris Talent Agency - [1]

  • In 1960, President Kennedy named him as Cultural Advisor to the Peace Corps.
  • New York Governer Mario Cuomo appointed him as Chairperson of the New York State Dr. Martin Luther King Commission.
  • He received the 'National Medal of Arts' from President Clinton.
  • He was "revered" friends with Eleanor Roosevelt.

Perhaps if President Bush gave him a "feelgood" title to go along with his other ones and his "honorary" degrees, he'd buzz off... just a thought.

Speaking of "honorary" degrees: I'd be interested in seeing a head to head match-up of credentials between Mr. Belafonte and Mr. Powell / Ms. Rice respectively. OK, I'll quit before this turns into a rant...

R.E. Saab Missouri

[edit] Category:socialist

Does anyone know if he's an actual socialist? Has he declared it publicly? And if he hasn't, should the category stay? 207.6.31.119 11:15, 9 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Prostate Cancer

Please allow a link to the patient and doctor authored prostate cancer website, www.malecare.com , the information website of the eight year old nonprofit, Malecare . The only external reference for prostate cancer that the Harry Belafonte page currently has is to the phoenix5 website, which has not been updated for over three years, since the death of its owner. Its current datestamp and some of the patient information is dangerously outdated and might cause harm to new patients reading it. The Malecare website is updated weekly and is a trusted source of information for new patients, worldwide. Certainly in keeping with Harry Belafonte's spirit of access to healthcare for all underserved people.

[edit] Balance of third-party commentary

Currently there is only one external link to comments on Belafonte's politics, a very negative one:

"The Bigotry of Belafonte - by Andrew Sullivan"

I suggest either this link be removed or it be balanced by one or more links to positive comments. Anything else looks very strange in a biographical article like this.

Wikislick 11:41, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] African-American?

Does one need to be an American citizen to be African-American? Was he a U.S. citizen? CuteGargoyle 10:52, 24 February 2007 (UTC)

As a boy he spent a few years living in Jamaica, but was born in New York. Unless he has somehow lost his citizenship (unlikely), this makes Belafonte a US citizen. Since his ethnicity includes African descent, popular usage would label him as "African-American". However, critics of the term argue that "African-American" should technically refer to a person native to Africa that has emigrated to the United States (or North America). Here is how wikipedia addresses the issue. --buck 19:16, 25 February 2007 (UTC)
I think it should just say American, not African-American. His ancestry is Jamaican, not African. --Leethal

[edit] Section re: Belafonte's opinions of Bush Administration

I think that this is necessary and important, but there are several changes I think are due. (1) Quotes from Belafonte are somewhat copious and might be reduced or summarized. (2) Some sources are lacking; for instance, the "Hitler employed Jews" quote is followed by the (supposedly impartial) "Wikipedia narrator" saying that Belafonte's statements are "demonstrably false". While the antisemitism of the NSDAP is well known I think that directly calling someone's quotes "false" is too biased; instead the sentence should cite critics of the quote and be specific, and quote any opinions. I've made some conservative (not in the political sense, I mean "safe") changes, please review them. Thanks Pablosecca 17:09, 13 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Fair use rationale for Image:Belafonte.jpg

Image:Belafonte.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot 11:18, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Fair use rationale for Image:Belafonte.jpg

Image:Belafonte.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot 01:20, 8 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] RV edit with uncited information 24 Aug 2007

I have reverted this edit to the previous version because the added information, while potentially beneficial to this article, was lifted directly from this website. See WP:Citing sources. Thanks. --buck 21:00, 24 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Citations & References

See Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags Nhl4hamilton (talk) 04:21, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] white/black stuff

re the '68 pet clark tv special: Clark's gesture marked the first time in which two people of different races made friendly bodily contact on U.S. television.[citation needed]

sorry, but definitely not. when anne bancroft presented sidney poitier w/the oscar for best actor for 'lillies of the field' (1963), they embraced and she kissed him on his left check. this would have been early '64.

[edit] Belafonte was born Belafonte, not "Belafonete"

There are many pages on the Internet with the misspelling "Belafonete". Many are copies of this Wikipedia page. They are incorrect. The correct birth name is Belafonte. Please check any credible biography or music history guide (book, not internet). Calypso Is Like So (talk) 20:26, 15 April 2008 (UTC)

If you think it's wrong, show some source for your statement. The Internet entries you cite PREDATE my first change of name spelling herein - also, Shari has used this spelling in her photography credits. The "credible" sources you suggest tend to use stage names rather than birth names even when indicating "original" names, especially if they differ by only one letter. I believe the name change occurred AFTER his birth, around 1930 (one of the several references I provided apparently shows, almost illegibly, a census entry of 1930 for his father with that spelling, as mentioned in the blog in which it is shown). [2] Please check it and reinsert it if you now agree. Meanwhile I'll search for more proof - if needed, I'll try to talk to the man himself (I knew him personally for a few days almost 55 years ago through my contact with the theatre manager where he was playing, and I met him briefly again in 1963 following a performance)