Be Yourself

How do people get their own talk shows when they can barely speak?
Magic Johnson had the star power but lacked the ability to communicate with his guests or his audience.
Magic suffered from the Marble Mouth (Sounds as though he is trying to speak with a mouth full of marbles.) malady that seems to plague most Black entertainers.
It's works for rappers and athletes - but when one is seeking to reach a broader audience, the Ebonic accent fails.

Fortunately, this doesn't seem to be the case with George Lopez.
Think about it, there hasn't been a successful ethnic late night talk show host since Arsenio.
Kimmel, O'Brien, Leno, Letterman, Fallon and Ferguson - one is just like the rest.
Lopez seems comfortable being George Lopez.
D.A.G., D.L., and (to a lesser extent) Brian McNight all seemed to try too hard to affect a persona that they view(ed) as being mainstream.
All forgot to bring their own flavor.
All seemed to forget who they were - instead, each tried to be what they thought their studio heads wanted them to be - but it was obvious that they were all fakin' da funk.
George seems comfortable being a Mexican - most Black talk show hosts seem to be embarrassed about being Black.

But being embarrassed of being Black (or ethnic) isn't limited to entertainers who seek to crossover.
Politicians often affect their concept of "White" whenever they appear on the news.
You've seen them - the guys who know they're from the hood but who try to sound and act as though they are members of the elite within society.
It's usually easy to spot the poseurs - they're the one's who over articulate every syllable of every word they speak with the haughty accent of Mrs. Howell.
They are the ones who compensate for their lack of sophistication by putting others down.
They are the ones who try to distance themselves from "Those Black People".
These are the ones who imagine themselves as being a step-up from the lesser masses, while in reality they are are just a step next to the lesser masses they so desperately try to avoid.

So, whats the lesson from George Lopez?
Just stop trying to be what you're not.
Instead, just be a better you.