Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Looks like our favorite dangler has finally broekn his silence about all the media attention he's received in the wake of his split from his beard, I mean wife the saggy Star Jones. But instead of issuing a press release, Al took to his MySpace page to blog one long veiny rant:
"Dear Friends: If you think you are having a tough day, may I propose you walk in my shoes for a few hours. In my mind, it feels like “Dump on Al Month.” And I’m not having fun yet. I have been called a gigolo, a freeloader, unemployed, a sham and many other things that don’t bear repeating. People on television, radio and the internet have spoken disparagingly of my life, my sexuality, my career and my integrity. The media has barraged me (at my home), my friends, my family(including my 79 year old mother), my college classmates, my students and my professional colleagues. Yet, despite this intense level of provocation, I have said nothing. My Publicist has put out a one sentence statement: “We’re taking the high road.” And we have and will continue on that path. As much as I want to defend myself, it seems like a silly and futile exercise. It’s clear that the media doesn’t want to let the truth get in the way of a good story. I hate to ruin their fun. I take great comfort in the fact that my loved ones and those people who really know me continue to love and respect me. Thank you “all” for the endless emails, phone calls and words of encouragement. I know in my heart that I entered my marriage with love and the best of intentions and leave it with great sadness that it didn’t work. What the world doesn’t know about me would fill a book, but I know who I am and what I have achieved in my life. Before I met Star Jones I was a successful Wall Street banker and since then I have become an entrepreneur, an educator and soon, an author. I grew up in a working class home, a mobile home in fact. I understand the struggles of the working class. My mother was a teacher and my father was in the military. I was given values, integrity and a strong moral upbringing (thanks mom and dad). In these hard economic times, I am working to take my knowledge and experience of the business world and use it to empower and enlighten working class Americans who are often ‘left behind’ by traditional financial advice. I educate inspiring young men and women at Florida Memorial University, a historically black liberal arts university in Miami, Florida. I continue to follow my entrepreneurial spirit in the world of business and investment while completing my doctorate in Organizational Leadership. So I indeed work very hard as a professor, business owner, doctoral student and author. I play hard too. I make no apologies for that. A guy is entitled to a little fun, after all. What I want people to know is that I am not the caricature portrayed by the media. I am complex, contradictory and capable of great intelligence but also remarkable stupidity. In other words, I am a human being. To me, labels are for clothes, not people. So…..Please don’t try to define me; don’t try to categorize me; and most of all, don’t label me. Instead, JUST GET TO KNOW ME. And if you see me, just call me Al."
"Dear Friends: If you think you are having a tough day, may I propose you walk in my shoes for a few hours. In my mind, it feels like “Dump on Al Month.” And I’m not having fun yet. I have been called a gigolo, a freeloader, unemployed, a sham and many other things that don’t bear repeating. People on television, radio and the internet have spoken disparagingly of my life, my sexuality, my career and my integrity. The media has barraged me (at my home), my friends, my family(including my 79 year old mother), my college classmates, my students and my professional colleagues. Yet, despite this intense level of provocation, I have said nothing. My Publicist has put out a one sentence statement: “We’re taking the high road.” And we have and will continue on that path. As much as I want to defend myself, it seems like a silly and futile exercise. It’s clear that the media doesn’t want to let the truth get in the way of a good story. I hate to ruin their fun. I take great comfort in the fact that my loved ones and those people who really know me continue to love and respect me. Thank you “all” for the endless emails, phone calls and words of encouragement. I know in my heart that I entered my marriage with love and the best of intentions and leave it with great sadness that it didn’t work. What the world doesn’t know about me would fill a book, but I know who I am and what I have achieved in my life. Before I met Star Jones I was a successful Wall Street banker and since then I have become an entrepreneur, an educator and soon, an author. I grew up in a working class home, a mobile home in fact. I understand the struggles of the working class. My mother was a teacher and my father was in the military. I was given values, integrity and a strong moral upbringing (thanks mom and dad). In these hard economic times, I am working to take my knowledge and experience of the business world and use it to empower and enlighten working class Americans who are often ‘left behind’ by traditional financial advice. I educate inspiring young men and women at Florida Memorial University, a historically black liberal arts university in Miami, Florida. I continue to follow my entrepreneurial spirit in the world of business and investment while completing my doctorate in Organizational Leadership. So I indeed work very hard as a professor, business owner, doctoral student and author. I play hard too. I make no apologies for that. A guy is entitled to a little fun, after all. What I want people to know is that I am not the caricature portrayed by the media. I am complex, contradictory and capable of great intelligence but also remarkable stupidity. In other words, I am a human being. To me, labels are for clothes, not people. So…..Please don’t try to define me; don’t try to categorize me; and most of all, don’t label me. Instead, JUST GET TO KNOW ME. And if you see me, just call me Al."
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