tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56111573166159926242024-03-13T17:25:19.615-04:00The Black BotThe Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-8032634426859245232011-12-24T00:11:00.000-05:002011-12-24T00:11:52.129-05:00The cycle of internalized racism continues<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WuRUZo50jL8/TvVRq_Dr5kI/AAAAAAAAAPg/VeP5B8FVL9w/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WuRUZo50jL8/TvVRq_Dr5kI/AAAAAAAAAPg/VeP5B8FVL9w/s200/1.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Each time I hear someone complain, "Well, black people say the N-word. Why can't I say the N-word too?" It always sounds to me like, "You engage in self-harm. Why can't I cut you too?" Unfortunately not enough of my fellow AAs hear this as well. Instead, too many of us view the N-word as some sort of privileged that we can say simply because we are black. In any case, what caused me to think about this today was a quite shocking episode of America's Supernanny, <a href="http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/americas-supernanny/video" target="_blank">which you can watch in full here</a>. The subjects of the episode are an family of 10 kids (with two more on the way), the Carzells. Needless to say, they are out of control, which is rather remarkable in itself. However, their behavior does not compare to the racism that quickly spews from the children's mouth toward their 9 year-old sister Nevada. (This conversation starts at 7:30)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GhE2dhSsz98/TvVbdHwTw8I/AAAAAAAAAP4/8ZeA5tBoY6U/s1600/2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GhE2dhSsz98/TvVbdHwTw8I/AAAAAAAAAP4/8ZeA5tBoY6U/s320/2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">"That girl got something going on with her skin," Desja says, "She is dark!" All Nevada's sisters all begin to laugh at her. "You're the darkest person [in the room], so get out!"<br />
Her brother shouts, "She took a shower yesterday, and she's still dark!"<br />
"That's why no one ever knows where you are," Desja continues, "and every time we're at the store, you always get lost, because you're so dark."<br />
"<b>You is burt! You look like a gorilla</b>."</blockquote><br />
Later Deborah Tillman (the Supernanny) confronts Desja about why she attacks her sister for being dark.<br />
"Nevada was talking about everyone else," she says. "My mom was like, 'Nevada stop talking 'cause you're the darkest in this family."<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SOzZJJRt-ss/TvVYs8TMncI/AAAAAAAAAPs/dEw3ycei0IE/s1600/darkskin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SOzZJJRt-ss/TvVYs8TMncI/AAAAAAAAAPs/dEw3ycei0IE/s320/darkskin.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="208" /></a>This attitude is perpetuated throughout our community. Often, I see AAs highlighting racism coming from the outside. However, the outrage that comes when racism comes from someone who is not black is absent when a fellow AA is racist, which is why we have this absurd notion that it is okay for a fellow AA to say the n-word. "Oh, a Caucasian can't cut us, but we can hurt ourselves." As long as this attitude persists, with or without systematic racism, we will always keep ourselves down. It will only be changed when we start holding a AA who is racist accountable, just as we would if a Caucasian were to us. I don't care if you're black, you do not have a pass to be racist.The Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-18096975365726600082011-05-31T12:08:00.002-04:002011-05-31T12:27:57.414-04:00What African-Americans should be "taking back" instead of the N-word<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Why do some African-Americans believe that we have to “take back” the n-word? You can only reclaim what was yours to begin with. The n-word was never ours. It has only been used to subjugate us and strip us of our humanity. What self-respecting person would want to claim that poison?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Instead of claiming what was intended to demean us, why don’t we take back what was ours, namely our hair? African-Americans have let go of our hair, to the point that most of us don’t even know what our own natural hair looks like. We, and the rest of America for that matter, think that straight hair is normal for everyone, and view our own natural curls as strange and unusual. More critically, not only have we abandoned our own hair, we readily express contempt for it, calling it dirty and “nappy.” Why don’t African-Americans take back our hair?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Why don’t we reclaim our skin? Instead of using terms like “redbones” and delivering backhanded compliments to each other such as “You’re pretty for a dark skinned girl,” why don’t we celebrate our dark hues? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">If we only strived to take these things back, rather than racial slurs, we would make more progress.</span></div>The Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-81126263722916539772011-04-27T22:31:00.002-04:002011-04-27T22:34:18.570-04:00Christian bigotry toward Muslims<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hx8AVh426MI" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe>It always interests me when I hear Christians talk about Muslims and their practices. They can always give detailed explanations of their motives and intentions, which is fascinating considering that most don't know even know any Muslims or have studied Islam themselves.<br />
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Jerry Boykin, here, has an idea that Muslims have nefarious objectives behind their actions. This is something that I hear a lot. In fact, his statement that Muslims claim all places of worship as "holy grail for Allah" particularly stuck out to me because last week a heard a Christian teaching that Muslims build mosques, not to worship, but to claim it for the land for themselves. Apparently, it is all part of an elaborate plot to take over America.<br />
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It's also amusing how Boykin condemns tolerant Christians because they "know absolutely nothing about Islam" when he further goes on to say that Muslims get kicks out of "cursing Jesus Christ." Indeed, Muslims hate Jesus so much that their Quran derides him by calling him a "servant of God," a "prophet," and "blessed." <a href="http://quran.com/19/30-35">19:30-31</a><br />
I've noticed that many Christians seem to be under the impression that Muslims all hate Jesus, as <a href="http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1043/1043_01.asp">in this comic by Jack Chick</a>, for example. (Yes, I read chick tracks. They're amusing.)<br />
<img alt="Page 19" src="http://media.chick.com/tractimages3073/1043/1043_19.gif" /><img alt="Page 20" src="http://media.chick.com/tractimages3073/1043/1043_20.gif" /><img alt="Page 21" src="http://media.chick.com/tractimages3073/1043/1043_21.gif" />Of course, there are several things wrong with this comic, but what I'm getting at is how Muslims are portrayed as angry, violent, Jesus-haters.<br />
It worries me when I hear Christians who have a large platform saying things like this, especially in churches, because most Christians have no way of correcting this misinformation. They are mostly surrounded by like minded people, who shape their perspective, and one of their biggest influences on virtually every issue are the self-proclaimed experts who claims to speak on the behalf of God, such as a pastors and people like Chick and Boykin. Because of them, their image of Muslims will remain bigoted and one-sided.The Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-69620677140364250792011-01-14T11:11:00.002-05:002011-01-14T11:29:25.397-05:00African-American women are invisibleA study from <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-social-thinker/201012/are-black-women-invisible">Psychology Toda</a>y stated that AA women are "invisible." Not only are we not noticed, and people have difficulty remembering our faces; but they also do not pay attention to what we say. They think that we are interchangeable with other AA women. Of course, we already knew that. The television tells us everyday, "We won't acknowledge you unless you look white." While we see male AA characters who actually look as if they are of African descent, virtually all female AA characters are subject to a paper bag test. Women who look Hispanic, mixed, or white with a perm are cast in our roles.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lcx4jcLZMZ1qzzf66o1_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lcx4jcLZMZ1qzzf66o1_400.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Black" Daphne from Queer as Folk is a typical example</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Television on the other hand typically uses male AA actors who actually appear to be Black, so it is no surprise to me that the study showed that they were listened to and noticed by the participants in the study. The phenomena of AA women being represented on TV by women who do not look like they're of African descent is related to why society does not acknowledge us, and I wish that another study would further explore this topic.<br />
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In addition, I can also see that AA women <i>feel </i>ignored as well, which is why many seem rather obsessive on topics concerning Interracial and Black-love relationships and dating. Perceiving that they are regarded as irrelevant, they feel a stronger need to get validation from men. When some women don't love themselves, they try to compensate by relying on men for attention.<br />
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A day or two ago, I came across a <a href="http://www.margaretbowland.com/paintings-all.html">series of paintings</a> by Margret Bowland that express the invisibility that AA women experience because we do not fit into the white standard. Besides their perceptiveness, what makes her paintings even more remarkable is the fact that she is European-American. She has such keen insight into what it is like to be an "other," to not be respected because you are not someone else.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.margaretbowland.com/artwork-painting_images/23flowergirl2-250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Flower Girl #2 (2009) " border="0" src="http://www.margaretbowland.com/artwork-painting_images/23flowergirl2-250.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.margaretbowland.com/artwork-painting_images/26_the_artist-s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="AnotherThe Artist, 2010" border="0" src="http://www.margaretbowland.com/artwork-painting_images/26_the_artist-s.jpg" /></a></div>The following is a portion of a statement by Bowland on this issue. You can read it in its entirety <a href="http://www.margaretbowland.com/statement.html">here</a>.<br />
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<blockquote>We inhabit a purely relative world, in terms of belief structures, yet each of us knows and in a sense, believes in, the need to be beautiful. My work is about beauty—what it means to be beautiful and what significance the idea has in the twenty-first century in the world of art. We all know that being beautiful is as important as being rich, that being beautiful is itself a form of wealth. One must be tall, thin and white. One’s features must be diminutive and regular. We recognize deviations from this norm, but recognize that these deviations, even if appealing, are far from ideal. The need to be beautiful fuels one of the largest and most ruthless industries in our world. </blockquote><blockquote>Beauty makes sense to me, has weight for me, only when it falls from grace. It starts to matter when it carries damage. Sorrow allows it to cast a shadow. It becomes three-dimensional. It enters our world.</blockquote><blockquote>Looking at <a href="http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/manet/olympia/olympia.jpg">Manet’s Olympia</a>, I wondered about the two women depicted—the young, naked prostitute and the black maid servant—about the relationship between them and to the man observing them. His implied presence began to unite them to me, not as lovers, but as the prey sharing a foxhole. In my imagination, the women of my paintings entered that room. What my century brings to the ideas of race and beauty and sexual allure began to overlay Manet’s.</blockquote>The Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-76485375041855812252011-01-11T09:12:00.000-05:002011-01-11T09:12:18.553-05:00The Myth of Traditional Marriage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wedding52.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/Wedding-Rings2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://www.wedding52.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/Wedding-Rings2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>So, I was reading in my sociology book today, and was struck by a passage that talked about love and marriage. Apparently, the two were, and remain in many areas around the world, separate from each other for most of history. Romance only began to be coupled with marriage in modern times, and the whole experience of falling in love emerged during the Middle Ages with aristocrats' extramarital love affairs. While they had romances with others, the relationships they had with their spouses were cold and distant.<br />
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I found this amusing because it reminded me of Conservatives "First comes love, then comes marriage..." idealistic view of relationships. They like to delude themselves into thinking that God has ordained one man and woman to fall in love and marry when really it hasn't been that way for most of our history. They don't realize that our perspectives on marriage are the results of centuries of social evolution, and that our perception of them will keep changing. God has not etched on a stone tablet how relationships are supposed to look, and we have not only recently deviated from some social norm. On the contrary, what Conservatives consider to be God's will for marriage is a recent development that the world hasn't seen before.<br />
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On a side note, it amuses me how Christians call one man-one woman "traditional marriage" when one can clearly see that polygamy is more traditional, at least in the Bible in any case.The Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-49449483520648588642011-01-10T17:05:00.002-05:002011-01-10T17:09:14.988-05:00African-Americans supporting racism and ignorance<img src="http://cdn1.newsone.com/files/2011/01/Picture-114.png" /><br />
I just read this <a href="http://newsone.com/entertainment/newsonestaff2/fansboycott-lil-wayne-dark-skin-black-women/">article </a>about Lil Wayne’s hatred of dark skinned women. Now, I don’t care about Lil Wayne nor his statements (as I’ve never listened to his music or that of any other rappers, for that matter), and I won’t discuss the irony of his disgust for dark women, considering that he is dark himself. Also, I’m not surprised by his comments as I’ve heard rappers say similar things. However, I am disappointed that when they make such statements, AAs not only do not bat an eye but continue to lap their music up. If anyone of European descent said that we were ugly or inferior in anyway because of our skin color, AAs would be appalled, yet they throw millions of dollars toward rappers who only demean our worth and refer to us as "bitches" and "hoes". How oblivious are we that we actually pay someone to insult us--especially AA women who idolize singers and other celebrities who have a paper bag test for the women they associate with and allow in their videos? I will not expect the conditions of African-Americans to change in this country while we continue to oppress ourselves. As long as we, and the people that we esteem, associate our worth to the color of our skin and the texture of our hair, the problems that plague our community will continue to persist.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Another reaction to Lil Wayne's statements that I find quite irritating are some people’s dismal of them as just a preference, as if our “preferences” just arise from nowhere and are therefore trivial. We are all aware of the racial hierarchy in this country from when we are just children. These “preferences” of men are merely the racism they learned during childhood manifesting itself when they are adults. We can’t remedy problems when we will not even acknowledge that they exist. The more that we have discussions about colorism, the more likely it is that people will confront the self-hatred and internalized racism that fuels their biases toward skin color. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/i20d11fGz-0?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/i20d11fGz-0?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>The Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-77663274526524280602010-11-28T16:06:00.000-05:002010-11-28T16:06:09.105-05:00The Atheist that Stole Christmas (The Christian Perception of Victimization)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jWq0P_BqQf0/SVEOImU2mII/AAAAAAAAAFY/nAIX3Vm9SbE/s1600/grinch_santa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
<img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jWq0P_BqQf0/SVEOImU2mII/AAAAAAAAAFY/nAIX3Vm9SbE/s200/grinch_santa.jpg" width="181" /></a></div><blockquote>They're trying to take "Christ" out of "Christmas." </blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>It's not even December, but I'm already hearing that familiar cry of victimization. The phrase bothers me, to a lesser extent, because it assumes that just because one is not a Christian that he or she is automatically anti-Christian. To hear many Christians talk, one would presume that it is every non-Christian's aim to stamp out all references of Christ, or that we quail at the mere sight of a cross. But just because we left the religion doesn't mean that we hate everything that is connected with it. Heck, I still listen to Richard Smallwood and Kirk Franklin. So, yeah, I find it rather insulting that the church keeps sending the message that just because I'm an atheist, that I have nothing better to do with my time than to obsess about removing baby Jesus from their nativity scenes.<br />
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However, what annoys me the most about this phrase are the privileged connotations that go along with it. I can't tell you how many times I've heard the phrase "Happy Holidays" condemned as an evil plot against Christianity just because it doesn't recognize Christianity as being supreme. Christians have such a sense of entitlement in America that they feel that every thing that does not acknowledge them is a direct attack. Do you celebrate Chanuka or Kwanzaa? Too bad. Jesus is the reason for the season, so your holidays cannot be recognized at all. Tell me, if Christianity is not a religion but instead is a <i>personal </i>relationship, why is it necessary to force it on everyone else? If Christmas is all about Jesus for you, fine, as it is your "personal relationship" after all, but stop trying to make others join it. I mean really, you don't see Jews protesting when business put up signs that say "Merry Christmas," but Christians protest holiday trees because it does not mention them. A lack of privilege over other religions is a sign of a oppression apparently.<br />
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This reminds me of how a couple of times I have heard Christians say that they are oppressed because they are not allowed to proselytize in public schools. It is as if they just cannot understand why someone would not want them to teach children about their religion, when they know that they would raise hell if a Muslim, Mormon, JW, etc. came on school grounds and did the exact same thing. However, because they are Christians, they feel as if they should get a pass.<br />
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Have you heard of the Christian movie "Christmas with a Capital C." It pretty much sums up the sentiment I described in this post.<br />
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<object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xayDw2gS7-0?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xayDw2gS7-0?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>The Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-74332196669704054312010-09-23T11:16:00.007-04:002010-10-22T13:31:08.280-04:00Slavery and Religion<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><div style="border: medium none; padding: 0in 0in 2pt;"><div class="underline"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I don’t want to be one of those people—the anti-religious who think there are absolutely no redeeming qualities in religion, but reading things like this only help to alienate me from faith in general.</span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To make my position clear, I’ll first start by saying that I don’t believe that any religions are inspired. People create religions for primarily three reasons:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></div><ol><li><span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To get answers about things they do not understand, such as why the world works the way it does and were people go after they die</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To promote their own agenda and to control the masses</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To gain inner peace and tranquility</span></span></li>
</ol><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Reasons one and two are the ones with which I have a problem; however, I will be focusing on two today. But, I probably should just start by saying what motivated this topic before post loses any sense of order. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What caused me to think about this topic today was Phillis Wheatley (1754?-1784), a talented Senegalese woman who was kidnapped and sold to John Wheatley when she was seven. He taught her to read and write. She used her knowledge to create poems that astonished Americans at the time. They didn’t believe that an African girl could be brilliant. She published </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Poems on Various Subjects; Religious and Moral </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">in 1773, which was praised in both Europe and North America. With her prominence, it would be marvelous if she used her talents and influence to move others to understand the barbarism of slavery, helping to liberate her brothers and sisters, as Olaudah Equiano did for example. Instead, she created poetry like this. (I highlighted the most notable parts.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">‘</span></span><b><span style="color: #e36c0a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">,<br />
Taught my benighted soul to understand<br />
That there's a God, that there's a Saviour too:<br />
Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.<br />
Some view our sable race with scornful eye,<br />
"Their colour is a diabolic die." </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></span><b><span style="color: #e36c0a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain,<br />
May be refin'd and join the' angelic train</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Two things are notable about this poem. The first is Wheatley’s praising slavery as an act of divine providence. The fact that anyone, especially someone whose race is a victim of it, could think that such cruelty and brutality is a gift from God is astonished me. Being someone’s slave is worth it in the end because you will die and spend eternity worshiping a God who put you in that position to begin with?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The second piece of this poem that I found disturbing is the apologetic way that she refers to our race. If we are cleaned up and civilized, we can too can be permitted into heaven behind the Europeans. Oh, joy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.truthdig.com/images/eartothegrounduploads/Cicatrices_de_flagellation_sur_un_esclave-300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.truthdig.com/images/eartothegrounduploads/Cicatrices_de_flagellation_sur_un_esclave-300.jpg" width="120" /></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
In addition, her reference to Cain is also interesting. Christians have long used the myth that Cain was cursed with black skin by God to advocate racism against Africans. She actually believes this lie, and thinks that we should be tolerated in spite of this fault. But, before I go on, I want to clarify I’m not blaming Wheatley personally for this. She was a victim of a society that has used religion as a medium of control. It disgusts me that not only did Americans use this reasoning to justify slavery, but also they were able to integrate it so much in our psyche that we even accepted inferiority—even to the point where we were </span></span><span style="color: #e36c0a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">grateful</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> for slavery. However, what is important is that this thinking still motivates our actions to this day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How much does myth and superstition control African-Americans? Do you know someone who routinely wastes her money by throwing it away to preachers or and churches expecting God to “multiply her seed” so that she can “reap her harvest?” What about someone who continues to make foolish mistakes because “God will make a way” or will provide? Have you heard songs like this?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“Faithful Is Our God”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I'm reaping the harvest God promised me<br />
Take back what the devil stole from me<br />
And I rejoice today, for I shall recover it all</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“The Blessing of Abraham”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You are the seed by faith receive <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The blessing of Abraham <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Wherever you are, where er' you go <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Whatever you touch is anointed to grow</span></span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p><br />
</o:p></span></span></i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p>"God Will Make a Way"</o:p></span></span><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">God will make a way</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Where there seems to be no way</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">He works in ways we cannot see<br />
He will make a way for me</span></div><div style="position: fixed;"><div id="new_selection_block0.2231587443352787" style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">From: <a href="http://www.musicbabylon.com/" target="_blank" title="Lyrics Music Video">http://www.musicbabylon.com</a></div></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It’s about time that we learned that </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">neither God nor prayer nor magic beans</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> will grant prosperity. There is no force that trails you, allows good things to happen to you, or that mops up your messes up when things go wrong. Your life is entirely in your hands. If you seek opulence, then it will have to be through your hard work, determination, and education—not because you gave a seed of a hundred bucks to your preacher. This is just one example, but I look forward to when religion stops holding us back.</span></span><o:p></o:p></div></span></span>The Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-60713557890555825952010-07-19T11:25:00.004-04:002010-07-19T12:33:08.172-04:00Minorities are the Borg<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/Chemistry/lsms/hugh%20borg.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 237px; height: 327px;" src="http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/Chemistry/lsms/hugh%20borg.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />A great disadvantage of being a member of a minority is constantly being seen as only a part of a collective. For example, European-Americans are regarded as individuals, while a minority is just seen as a member of the racial or religious group to which he or she belongs. If John is EA, his actions are only seen as a representation of himself, and he is not expected to conform to any racial standard. However, as a minority, his every action would be evaluated on how closely he fit into a stereotypical mold, and if he did not, he would just be deemed an exception. I call this perception of minorities the "Borg Effect." We aren't expected to have our own voice, and the actions of a few are seen as the responsibility of all. <div><br /></div><div>I saw the Borg Effect at work today after reading Sarah Palin's objections to a mosque being built two blocks away from Ground Zero. She <a href="http://twitter.com/SarahPalinUSA/status/18858128918">tweets</a>:</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; font-family:arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Peace-seeking Muslims, pls understand, Ground Zero mosque is UNNECESSARY provocation; it stabs hearts. Pls reject it in interest of healing</span></blockquote></span></div><div>First, it's interesting that she addresses them as "peace-seeking," as if they by nature they are uncharacteristic. She must distinguish good Muslims from the supposed normal, violent Muslims. Secondly, she, and apparently many Americans, expect all Muslims to take responsibility for the attacks of 9/11. As one narrator <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/39899;_ylt=Ane7hKMR2q6TgcdY2ZpgCSys0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNmdXEyN3Q5BGFzc2V0A3BvbGl0aWNvLzIwMTAwNzE5LzM5ODk5BGNjb2RlA21vc3Rwb3B1bGFyBGNwb3MDNARwb3MDMQRwdANob21lX2Nva2UEc2VjA3luX2hlYWRsaW5lX2xpc3QEc2xrA3BhbGluc3BhcmtzdA--">said</a>:<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; font-family:arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"></span><blockquote style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">On Sept. 11, they declared war against us. And to celebrate that murder of 3,000 Americans [as if Muslims aren't Americans too and <a href="http://crosswordbebop.blogspot.com/2007/11/how-many-muslims-died-in-911-attacks.html">none </a>were victims of 9/11], they want to build a monstrous 13-story mosque at ground zero.</span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; font-family:arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"></span></div><div>So, the responsibility of 9/11 does not rest on the suicide boomers head, or on the terrorist organizations, but on every single one of the one billion Muslims of the world. By this logic, should we forbid any European-Americans from operating near the location where the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was bombed? Lovely.</div>The Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-20389875944006828442010-07-06T14:12:00.002-04:002010-07-06T14:32:22.078-04:00The Colour of Beauty<embed src="http://media1.nfb.ca/medias/flash/ONFflvplayer-gama.swf" width="516" height="337" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="mID=IDOBJ17193&bufferTime=10&width=516&height=337&image=http://media1.nfb.ca/medias/nfb_tube/thumbs_large/2010/Colour-of-Beauty_BIG.jpg&showWarningMessages=false&streamNotFoundDelay=15&lang=en&getPlaylistOnEnd=true&playlist_id=REL179&embeddedMode=true"></embed><br /><br />I can't say that I was surprised by anything in this documentary, but there are interesting things that I would like to note.<div><br /></div><div><b>"We want white girls dipped in chocolate"</b></div><div>I appreciate that they were honest and frank about that matter. There was no need to hide such an obvious truth. However, what got me was how the man described African features compared to European ones. To him ours are harsh, while Europeans' are "elegant." It was if the discrimination against African decent models was understandable because we are not naturally as lovely as European decent models. <i>It is the discrimination against African decent models with European features that is the shame!</i> Throughout the media, we have seen that AA women are accepted on the condition that we show our African ancestry to only a limited degree. If you don't pass the paper bag test, you aren't let through the door. This conditional permitted isn't true acceptance at all, and is designed to maintain the facade of diversity. We should not mistaken it as such. We also should not embrace tokenism. As one woman said, you see the same minority women over and over in the fashion industry. This is not progress, although the media attempts to use it to delude us into thinking that it is such.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>We have to give 110% </b></div><div>My mother always told me that I have two strikes against me. 1. I am African-American. 2. I am a woman. Therefore, I have to do better than everyone else. This video pointed this principle out once again. As the models said, Euro women can make due with a few flaws, but Afro women have to be absolutely flawless to get a job. I think this is an important lesson that our community must keep in mind. Since we face greater opposition, working half-heartedly isn't acceptable. We can't simply be good or adequate. We must strive to be better.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>How to end the discrimination?<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">The objective of any documentary is to bring attention to a problem so we can find a solution. The best way, I believe, that we can open doors for our sisters in the fashion industry is to be the leaders of it ourselves. We have to be the producers, directors, and the casting agents--the one's making decisions. If we were, we wouldn't have to beg the European-Americans to give us a chance.</span></b></div>The Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-22928640646262798582010-07-06T13:22:00.003-04:002010-07-06T13:59:01.512-04:00Woman Sues Church For Performing Gay Unions<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z557ze2cUig&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z557ze2cUig&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><div>It is not enough that she draws her morality from a book that contradicts itself a 1,000 times on basic moral concepts (<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(85, 34, 0); font-weight: bold; line-height: 33px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://bible.cc/matthew/26-52.htm">Matthew 26:52</a>; </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(85, 34, 0); font-weight: bold; line-height: 33px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://bible.cc/1_samuel/15-3.htm">1 Samuel 15:3</a></span>) and over half of which some how doesn't count anymore, she feels as if she has the duty to force everyone else to share these beliefs as well. Why must Christians incessantly impose their personal beliefs on others? If you fell that it is wrong to be a homosexual, fine, but what gives you the right to dictate to others what their lives should be? People think that by just claiming that God mandates that something wrong, they are justified in denying people the right to make own choices. However, a nation cannot be run on people's opinions on what is the word of God.</div><div><br /></div><div>What if the United States was suddenly a country made predominately of Jews and Muslims? What if Christians were the minority? Both of the previous religions believe that God commanded that they do not eat pork; however, Christians still do eat pork readily. Would the Jewish and Muslim majorities have the right to make the sale and consumption of pork illegal in the United States on the basis that "God said so?" </div><div><br /></div><div>There are almost 40,000 denominations and countless of independent religions all serving as emissaries, telling us different messages of what God says. However, until God actually comes and gives an order himself, God's word remains man's opinion, and therefore cannot be forced upon rothers.</div><div></div><div></div>The Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-88289370241416680522010-07-02T14:50:00.010-04:002010-07-02T15:33:07.319-04:00Should We Celebrate African-Americans' Independence Day?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.haberarts.com/images/hammons.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 280px; height: 322px;" src="http://www.haberarts.com/images/hammons.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Growing up, Independence Day was never a holiday that I was really able to get into. In the back of my mind, I always felt a bit foolish commemorating a holiday that celebrated my supposed freedom when I would have been enslaved and not even recognized as human at the time. The Fourth of July always left me feeling a bit left out.<br /><br />Today, I am rather disappointed that the freedom of African-Americans is not celebrated. It's unfortunate that America still does not recognize the day when all Americans were officially declared free on December 6th, and I know that many people would censure the holiday as merely an attempt to placate African-Americans. However, the thirteenth amendment was a major civil rights victory that helped to end many atrocities in our country and brought us a major step forward to the dream where liberty and justice are available to all citizens, the dream that nation claimed to stand for. In short, because the thirteenth amendment was a triumph for human rights, I hope it would be seen as a holiday for all Americans as the 4th is now. Of course, considering the climate of our country right now, I think we are a bit away for that happening, but I wish that at least that we would recognize the day, if no one else does.The Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-88186651182456148292010-06-28T12:06:00.003-04:002010-06-28T12:37:35.017-04:00How you can support other African-Americans with cancerOur community has a terrible shortage of bone marrow donors. Seven million people in total have registered as donors, but we make up only approximately 500,000 of that number. Because of the lack of minority donors, we have <a href="http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/doctors-orders/the-story-continues-bone-marro/">less than a 30 percent </a>chance of finding someone who is a suitable match. If you would like to help a brother or sister with leukemia or another illness, please visit <a href="http://www.icla.org/en/donors/join-the-registry">icla.org</a> or <a href="http://www.marrow.org/JOIN/index.html?src=tabjoin">marrow.org</a> and join the bone marrow registry.The Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-70133518824771765282010-06-03T08:23:00.006-04:002010-06-03T09:46:57.933-04:00American Evangelicals Promote Hate in UgandaI saw this documentary a couple of days ago, and decided to post it here. It concerns American Evangelicals encouraging an anti-gay sentiment among Ugandans and the effects if their actions.<br /><object width="512" height="288"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/idIulukxsR-eskLmeF0Atg"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/idIulukxsR-eskLmeF0Atg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="512" height="288"></embed></object><br />There are <span style="font-style: italic;">so many</span> disappointing things about this video. First, the Americans should have taken some responsibility for the flaring of hatred against in Uganda. I can understand why they would feel betrayed. As usual, the Evangelicals portrayed homosexuality as one of the worst possible sins ever, and then they backpedal when they try to implement a crackdown in response. Interestingly, from many American Evangelicals' view point, their actions seem extreme; however, it is light in comparison to the Bible they follow (Leviticus 20:13; <span class="redheading"> </span><span class="crossverse"><a href="http://bible.cc/leviticus/18-22.htm" target="_top">Leviticus 18:22</a></span>; <span class="redheading">1 Corinthians 6:9). In their hearts, I believe that most American evangelicals know that most biblical practices are antiquated and do not coexist well with modern values. Unfortunately, regions outside the West continue to take these ancient beliefs and practices seriously because they are repeatedly told that that these spiritual text are the direct word of God. (But I am unfairly implying that this is just an Eastern problem. Americans are just as guilty of trying to govern from an obsolete perspective, but fortunately, we have a greater tendency to just ignore the nasty parts of our holy book.) In addition, another problem lies in that the Ugandans don't see hate and intolerance against homosexuals as a problem. In fact, they are proud of it, so the abhorrence with which Bible views homosexuals wouldn't bother them. In the US, we are expected to be more tolerant and homophobia is relatively looked down upon, so these, in addition to the other verses in which God calls for the <a href="http://www.evilbible.com/Murder.htm">stoning of people for minor infractions</a>, have served to embarrass evangelicals here. As a result, the anti-gay message in the Bible would do more harm in Uganda, which is why evangelicals should have been more cautious with caustic message.<br /><br />Another thing that stuck out to me was an Ugandan preacher's claim that if you had a problem with what he said, you were disagreeing with God, which brings up an interesting observation.<br /><br /><span class="redheading"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://exchristian.net/exchristian/uploaded_images/Word-of-God-762999.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 450px;" src="http://exchristian.net/exchristian/uploaded_images/Word-of-God-762999.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></span>So far, I've only heard preacher's talking, people from the Middle East thousands of years ago talking, but no God talking. I'm sure if God had something to say, he would say it himself, in a more efficient manner no less. That way, we wouldn't have almost 40,000 denominations of Christianity and innumerable other religions all telling us what "God says." He himself would certainly clarify all of this confusion. However, as he has not, the world runs guessing the will of "<a href="http://logofveritas.blogspot.com/2009/11/tng-episode-review-who-watches-watchers.html">the Picard</a>. " (Reference to an episode of TNG where a race of people, assuming Picard was a god, were willing to do anything an desperate attempt to fulfill his will.) In any case, it is always dangerous when people believe that they must hate because a god told them to, and the Bible certainly can justify this. It can only be stopped when people understand that they cannot turn to their religious leaders or even their holy books to hear what God says. Religion may provide a useful moral guide, but when it is dogmatic, rigid, and absolute, it is dangerous. I hope Uganda does not allow their attempt to decipher the will of God to erode the rights of their citizens<br /></span>The Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-43016449447204475962010-05-20T08:22:00.005-04:002010-05-20T16:01:05.133-04:00Draw Muhummad DaySo today is "Draw Muhammad Day," and I'm saddened that this trend has taken off with such fervor. More importantly, it is disappointing how few people can see through this. This is not an exercise of speech but one of hatred. Those who deny that this is meant to disrespect Muslims are simply naive. If Muslims in turn burned the US flag to demonstrate their power of free speech, we can be certain that the people who are participating in this would feel threatened and would clearly see it as a proclamation of abhorrence to Americans. Likewise, by drawing their prophet in humiliating ways, Americans are announcing their animosity for Muslims and Islam. Americans are demonstrating their lack of tolerance for those who do not adhere to its definition of what is normal and acceptable. It is another declaration of the message "<a href="http://blackbot.blogspot.com/2010/04/assimalate-or-face-consequences.html">assimilate or else</a>."<br /><br />An example of this sentiment comes from Mark Steyn who expresses his fear of a West taken over by Muslims. Of course, a predominately Muslim country could have only the worst possible outcome.<br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FcpZ467RDVw&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FcpZ467RDVw&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />Religion has many detrimental effects on societies period, but I do not see the growth of Islam in the West as an affront to my freedom. Steyn seems to forget that religion isn't stagnant but grows and evolves. Culture does not conform to religion, but religion to the culture. It is like water that takes the form of the glass it is in. In addition, Islamic countries around the world are being influenced by the West, and Islam most certainly will change as it enters Western nations.The Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-11309253778586905902010-05-12T10:19:00.008-04:002011-04-06T11:00:17.201-04:00Arizona is at it again...<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img height="133" src="http://www.hotindienews.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Gov_JanBrewerR-Arizona1.jpg" width="200" /></div><br />
Governor Jan Bewer is turning her guns <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100512/ap_on_re_us/us_arizona_ethnic_studies">ethnic study programs </a>this time. According to Arizon's school chief Tom Horne, programs that teach Mexican-American students about their history "teaches Latino students that they are oppressed by white people." Bewer's spokesperson expressed similar sentiment, "The governor believes ... <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1273659850_12" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat; cursor: pointer;">public school students</span> should be taught to treat and value each other as individuals and not be taught to resent or hate other races or classes of people."<br />
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i594.photobucket.com/albums/tt24/Nyota20/picard-face-palm.gif" /><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">The best way I can express my reaction to yet another Arizona failure</span></div><br />
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But you know, what I really despise about this (besides the obvious bigotry that spawned this of course) is faulty reasoning behind it. The statements of these officials reflect a common sentiment among Americans: <span style="font-weight: bold;">any gain of minorities is an affront to European-Americans</span>. The looming prospect of an equal playing field makes many feel victimized. European-American students can enjoy an entire school system that revolves around them, but as we begin to extend this privilege to students of all races, they cry that they are under attack. I wish America would learn that when minorities advance in this system and work to make a better life for ourselves, it is not to the detriment of European-Americans. On the contrary, equality may eliminate white privilege, but ultimately everyone benefits. As Sean Arce noted in the article, "students perform better in school if they see in the curriculum people who look like them." If ethnic studies encourage minority students do work harder in school, which in turn results in a more educated population, then we should promote the programs rather than restricting on them; however, they cannot see that all of America will profit from furthering the interest of minorities.<br />
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There was a portion of this article that did make me laugh. A Republican running for attorney general has been attacking ethnic studies since he heard <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1273659850_8" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat; cursor: pointer;">Dolores Huerta, a Hispanic civil right's activist, tell students </span>in 2006 "Republicans hate Latinos." Way to prove her right! Republicans have always struggled with the racist connotations that are attached to their party, but in recent days it seems that they are really trying to fuel that fire. If they keep it up, they will alienate their rational supporters and will be identified with extremist.The Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-80031840336892173332010-05-02T17:07:00.005-04:002010-05-13T12:02:27.377-04:00The Prosperity Gospel: We've been suckered<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bibleblog.typepad.com/bible_blog/images/prosperity0909.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 167px;" src="http://bibleblog.typepad.com/bible_blog/images/prosperity0909.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />It's distressing how many African-Americans have become the victim of the "Prosperity Gospel." Far too many of the naive and the poor believe that if they throw their money to some self-proclaimed prophet of God, they will get 10 to a 100 fold more. If they just plant a seed, God will open the windows of heaven and throw cash their way. How these people got this from Jesus who told the rich-young-ruler to give up his riches and follow him, store your riches in heaven, and praised the poor widow who gave everything away, I am not sure. Jesus, Paul, and any of his disciples lived the life of vagabonds, yet God's greatest concern is to lavish us with riches. These prosperity teachers do not even remotely resemble the founders of Christianity. However, African-Americans fail to see this and continue to chant the mantra that If they sow their financial seed, they will reap their harvest, as songs like "Faithful is Our God" and "Blessing of Abraham" show. I wish these people could understand that when they give their income to these "preachers," they aren't sowing their seed, they are buying a these people's jets. Why can't they open their eyes and see that their harvest has never come? You've given $500 bucks away, and not only have you not gotten $5,000, but you're still in the same debt as you used to be. African-American Christians need to understand there are no easy solutions or short cuts in this life. God is not a genie, nor is he your good-luck charm. Yet so many people delude themselves thinking that they can make bad decisions, listen to these prosperity sermons, and magically "God will provide." Your mess or success has nothing to do with God, but your own hard work (or lack of it) and decisions. It's time for many African-Americans to take that responsibility and stop looking into the clouds.<br /><br />If you or someone you know believes in prosperity teaching, I would recommend reading <span style="font-style: italic;">Charismatic Chaos</span> (John F. MacArthur) or <em>A Different Gospel</em>: <em>Biblical and Historical Insights into the Word of Faith Movement (</em><em style="font-style: italic;">Dan R</em><span style="font-style: italic;">. </span><em style="font-style: italic;">Mcconnell</em><span style="font-style: italic;">)</span>.The Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-83054146079636169912010-05-02T16:44:00.009-04:002010-05-13T12:02:48.297-04:00Light, Day, and Night: Stars Not Included<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://loveatheism.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/jesus_holding_earth_world21.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 253px; height: 287px;" src="http://loveatheism.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/jesus_holding_earth_world21.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />A Christian was talking about Genesis 1. To shorten his overall point, he was saying that if humanity didn't believe Genesis we would be doomed. (His thesis basically was, if man was not made in the image of God, man would have no value. You could just kill someone like a bug because he would be the product of random chance instead of design. Christians freak me out with sort of thinking, but I digress.) In any case, I asked him if he could explain why God creates light, night, and day all before he creates any stars. After rambling on, he could not, and told me I could research this answer myself as it has been debated for a long time. However, I find it curious that Christians think that there is an answer at all. Even when faced with a problem that is as illogical as this, they still believe that there must be some, any explanation, just because it says so in the Bible. They ignore the fact that you can make up an explanation for anything! If the Bible had the following verse: "And God created the world as flat as unleavened bread," I could defend it by saying that the Bible didn't really mean the earth itself was flat. It was referring to the illusion made by the horizon line. Christians would accept this as true because it's the word of God, therefore, any and everything is justifiable. Genocide is justifiable. Slavery is justifiable. Talking donkeys and snakes are completely realistic. Likewise, it makes just as much since to believe that the day and the night are completley logical concepts without the sun. With the Bible, there is an answer to everything, we just haven't created it yet.<br /><br />Note:<br /><span> Dr. Lorne L. Dawson summarized this </span>tendency of religions to deny the obvious in the study "<a href="http://caliber.ucpress.net/doi/pdf/10.1525/nr.1999.3.1.60">When Prophecy Fails, Faith Persist</a>"The Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-91948144127842453642010-04-22T08:54:00.003-04:002010-04-22T09:43:53.768-04:00Ready for more African-American woman bashing: America can't get enoughIt's no secret that African-American women have been the subject of much scrutiny and criticism in recent days. Study's have been released reporting how we all have herpes and only have a media wealth of $5. Films like Precious encourage our image of having broken, pathological lives. Chris Rock does his part by teaching the world that we have illogical, obsessive relationship with our hair. A plethora of news outlets report on how African-American women cannot find a man and are doomed to remain desperate and lonely. Fortunately for us, dozens of AA men have stepped up to highlight all of our flaws and teach us how if we could just get our act together all of our problems would just disappear. Apparently to America, the African-American woman is a wide eyed lost babe in the wood in need of direction, and everyone has the answers to what our "problems" are and is ready to show us the light.<br /><br />Naturally, we are sick of this degradation, but it won't stop any time soon. African-American women's aggravation bubbled over last night when NightLine once again broadcast that we can't have successful relationships. I have to say, this didn't bother me too much as I do not watch it because I won't focus on things that are this ridiculously trite. However, this morning on Amazon I a book that was provoking. (The man is the <a href="http://twitter.com/hpettiford">author</a>)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/417F0tLg9vL._SS500_.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 358px; height: 358px;" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/417F0tLg9vL._SS500_.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/50/71/1ee0b4f87a160ad8986cd9.L._V202656265_SL290_.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 264px; height: 290px;" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/50/71/1ee0b4f87a160ad8986cd9.L._V202656265_SL290_.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />According to Amazon, it was published in February this year. Pettiford said, "Topics will range from: 1) The Media Stereotypes of Black Women, 2) Why Black Men Don’t Want Black Women, 3) The Dark History of Black Women in America, 4) The Weakness of The Strong Black Woman, 5) Why So Many Black Women Are Single, and so much more."<br /><br /><br />I am so tired of society's constant inspection of us, of all of us being reduced to a stereotypes, and of America self-righteous attitude, acting as if all problems reside within AA women. I'm ready for them to put down their stones and to stop this constant condemnation of us. African-American women need to move on from the position of being America's whipping boyThe Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-77364752709967082982010-04-21T16:22:00.008-04:002011-04-06T11:02:07.515-04:00Assimilate or Face the Consequences<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/4039/PreviewComp/SuperStock_4039-13231.jpg" /></div><br />
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<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">Two stories irritated me today. The first was about a woman who was <a href="http://www.bvblackspin.com/2010/04/21/six-flags-hair-discrimination-dreadlocks/">denied a job because locks</a>. Her supervisor considered locks to be an "extreme hairstyle." People who consider natural hair styles to be "extreme" our delusional. I wear an afro because that hair texture is what is dictated by my genetic code. There's nothing, odd, unusual or extreme about it. If our natural hair is extreme, so is our chocolate skin. However, it is our fault as African-Americans that this problem persist. We went through so much effort to forget about our afro hair in an attempt to assimilate that no one respects it as a racial trait. If we did not drop the ball in this area, deny someone of a job because her hair texture was not European enough would be seen as racist as telling someone that she was not light skinned enough to get a job. That's why I am so glad when I see other naturals. We must support natural hair to make America understand that our it is our genetic feature so that the discrimination and mockery of our hair will stop.<a href="http://www.racheshop.de/product_images/images/big/112368_afroXXL_big.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.buycostumes.com/mgen/merchandiser/27264.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://images.buycostumes.com/mgen/merchandiser/27264.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 298px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 298px;" /></a><br />
This derision of our features is in the same class as black face and is not acceptable.<br />
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<a href="http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/www.nationalpost.com/news/2933166.bin?size=404x272" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/www.nationalpost.com/news/2933166.bin?size=404x272" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 272px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 404px;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">The second unfortunate story I found today is regard's France's promotion of a bill the <a href="http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2933161">banning wearing a wearing a full Islamic veil in public</a>. As I have said before, I believe that organized religion is detrimental and I would like to see it lose it's prominence, but this makes me sick. France has no right to deny people the ability to express themselves the way that they choose. These women are not hurting anyone, nor are they affecting anyone else by their choice of clothes. There is no excuse for this, and I hope it gets struck down. This is nothing but an out lash of hatred, but this is evident. The spokesperson for the president, Luc Chatel, said<br />
<blockquote><br />
"We're legislating for the future. Wearing a full veil is a sign of a community closing in on itself and a rejection of our values."</blockquote><br />
In other words, assimilate or face the consequences. Both of these stories are examples of people being threatened simply because others are different from them. Society must learn that just because someone does not conform doesn't mean they are automatically dangerous.</div></div>The Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-61907322958407059082010-04-16T08:01:00.003-04:002010-04-20T15:21:10.076-04:00African-American Women and Dating Desperation<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">I cannot stand when African-American act so desperate on the internet. I feel so embarrassed. One can go online now to a plethora of blogs or YouTube videos can see countless AA women making slide shows and blog post expressing their devotion to men of other races. Do these women realize how they are degrading us. It is as if AA women are begging or pleading for any one love us, and it saddens me that we feel that we have to work so hard to get men to show us some attention. Furthermore, why don't AA women see that no one else is obsessing over us online at the volume that we do to others? If other men were so eager to start IR relationships with us, you wouldn't have to beg. This sort of behavior is nothing short of pathetic, and it needs to stop. It's only contributing to the destruction of our image.</div>The Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-84930728689746982782010-04-13T12:06:00.004-04:002010-04-16T08:07:41.930-04:00Why do African-Americans Celebrate Mediocrity?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.greatblackspeakers.com/pictures/graduation_picture_female.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 255px;" src="http://www.greatblackspeakers.com/pictures/graduation_picture_female.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Yesterday, my college had an event that was supposed to commemorate the "Black high achievers" of the school. At first, I was elated. Society shines more light on AAs who do bad things rather than on those who work hard, so I was happy that the college took the time to praise those who did. So when I arrived at the school, I was immediately surprised by how many people are there. (Over 200 people showed up!) Since the name of the program was called "Black High Achievers," I expected the people on the President's list or, at the very least, the Dean's list to be invited. However, it seemed that every man and his brother showed up. Then later in the ceremony, the organizer of the event said that the ceremony was meant to recognize people with a GPA of 2.9 and higher. The rest of speakers went on and on about how hard we worked and so forth, but for the entire evening I was really ticked off. Here were AAs who were saying that for their own people, having a GPA of 2.9 is a high achievement! Instead of telling the students to get their act together and work harder, they praised them how they had arrived. How can we set the bar so for ourselves?! I have a problem with anyone who acts as if being mediocre is an achievement for AAs. You cannot praise someone for staying out of jail, taking care of their kids, etc., because that is what they are supposed to do. This only reinforces the mentality that it is our place to be subpar.The Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-8733644399471304262010-03-31T21:14:00.011-04:002010-04-02T08:32:15.986-04:00True Blood's Portrayal of African-American WomenFor a moment, I was considering checking out the "True Blood" series, but gave up the idea after hearing about the African-American female character, Tara. I hated that she was simply an epitome of the trite AA woman stereotype: loud and rude, with no depth. Furthermore, I disliked how she was so readily and easily available for sex with the Caucasian male's character without any level of commitment, as if she wasn't worth having a real relationship with him. To compound matters even further the colorism in the casting of this woman was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. Every American knows that a light skinned, mixed, or Latina woman will be the first to be cast for an African-American woman role. However, this rule reverses if the character is stereotypical or otherwise obnoxious. True Blood stayed true to that rule. Apparently, the first woman wasn't Black enough to be "ghetto."<br /><br />Here's the first woman cast:<br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KsnG8743oxU&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KsnG8743oxU&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />Here's the second and final:<br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2RVQd3cQym4&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2RVQd3cQym4&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>The Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-58517797550611670902010-03-20T01:07:00.017-04:002010-03-20T01:59:04.306-04:00African-Americans embrace all that is negative and destructive<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://z.about.com/d/weirdnews/1/0/O/K/-/-/saggy-pants-big.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 394px; height: 259px;" src="http://z.about.com/d/weirdnews/1/0/O/K/-/-/saggy-pants-big.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">They walk down the path of self-destruction...obliviously?</span><br /></div><br />I was reading Clutch Magazine and was struck by an <a href="http://clutchmagonline.com/newsgossipinfo/gettin-%E2%80%98racialistic%E2%80%99-at-fashion-week/">article </a>talking about a writer at Grazia Daily UK describing afros as "ghetto fabulous." I hate hate hate when the word "ghetto" is used as a synonym for African-Americans, and even though I felt motivated to lash out at Caucasian ignorance, I realized that we share a significant part of the blame. It has become part of our culture to embrace and internalize negativity. It is as if we have a campaign to "claim" everything that is bad. We were called "nigger,"so instead of stomping our foot down and proclaiming, "No, I am too a man" we feel the need to "take back" the word. American's dehumanization of us caused us to be in poverty, but instead of saying "I am going to fight out of this quagmire," we <span style="font-style: italic;">accept </span>the ghetto as our home and see it as something to be celebrated. I searched "ghetto" under song title at EndlessLyrics.com and found 108 songs glorifying life in the ghetto! Dang, it's like James and Florida fighting their whole life to get out of the projects just for J.J., Themla, and Michael wanting to stay in. How African-Americans have become so content with being third class citizens is beyond unsettling. How can we get ahead when we glamorize poverty and crime--when we don't even see that we are in trouble in the first place? That is what separated the African-Americans in the 60s and earlier from us today. They recognized they were drowning and were desperate to know how to swim. People to day have their head underwater but are too ignorant to fight to keep their head above. It is as if we look at others, such as our president and the prominent figures in African-American History Month, and use them to delude ourselves that we have equal status. Is it that our eyes are so focus on the past that we cannot see where are today? Has the illusion of a post-racial America made us believe that we are at dead end-- that there is no more to achieve? And most importantly, how can we slap ourselves out of this fantasy?The Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611157316615992624.post-78346977259888708662010-02-23T10:17:00.008-05:002010-02-23T21:23:31.677-05:00Using Interracial Dating as a WeaponAs people don't seem to read my post, but are making assumptions, here's a note so I don't have to say this over and over. This post is about African-Americans, not just AA women (2) this is not an anti-IR post. (3) This is directed at those who IR date <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">because </span>they have problems with AA (wo)men. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41JxIue%2BfmL._SL500_AA240_.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 308px; height: 308px;" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41JxIue%2BfmL._SL500_AA240_.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">A picture says a thousand words</span><br /></div><br /><br />I just heard of this book by <a href="http://blackwomendeservebetter.com/">CW </a>today. The cover pretty much sums up the depths of self-hated to which we have sunken. It's no secret that there is a gender war of sorts in the African-American community. Scores of us are verbally destroying our Brothers and Sisters in order to justify why we want to date anyone who isn't of our race. However, people who do this fail to realize that no matter how much they deride African-American (wo)men, they are pretty much shooting blanks as far as their argument is concerned. Here's why:<br /><br />1. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Let's just be honest. You just see European as better.</span><br />What all of these arguments come down to is a denial of racial bias. Rather acknowledging that they simply have a bias to Europeans, they put the blame on all of those of the opposite sex, saying that their in inadequacies forced them to find a mate outside their race. But anyone who is not in denial can see straight through this. We were all raised in this Euro-centric culture, so we know how you think. We were all trained to judged things by how white they are and only stop doing this when we recognize our behavior and work to correct it. But until we do, we chase after what closely matches the standard. I mean really, why choose an African-American, who doesn't come close to meeting the European Standard, when you can get the genuine item? Those who do this do not want to recognize their behavior, so in order to cover up their biases, they say that the other gender is responsible for their malicious feelings.<br /><br />2. <span style="font-weight: bold;">We come from the same origin</span>.<br />I never understood how someone could rant about how terrible all African-American (wo)men were when we are raised in the same environments. It is not as if African-American women and men were born and raised on different planets. We grew up together in the same communities and cultures, so the bad soil that turned one of us rotten must have done the same to the other. Therefore, you can't act like the other gender is evil but yours is an innocent angel from heaven.<br /><br />3. <span style="font-weight: bold;">What Makes You Think the EA's Want You?</span><br />When you have so many problems with African-Americans, what makes you think that European-Americans wouldn't as well? If you don't respect African Americans, don't expect European-Americans to either.<br /><br />4. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Who made European-Americans demigods?</span><br />How can one find so many faults with African-Americans, but none with European-Americans at all? These African-American (wo)men bashers act as if choosing a EA for a mate will give them a flawless relationship straight out of a Disney movie and make their life complete. Their elevation of EA's to god-like perfection just illustrates their poor view of AA's. Secondly, since they love to talk about how superior EAs are a choice for mates, one must wonder what they do when talks about racism roll around. After all, it appears that EA's have more interest in AA's welfare than we do ourselves. They really have nothing to complain about.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's truly ironic about this picture</span><br />Each time I hear someone insinuate that European-American men are better, such as in the cover of this book, the irony just sickens me. The author of this book says, "Black men are continuously being taught to disrespect, dishonor, and disregard the Black woman. The ugly, heartbreaking results manifest themselves with the 'baby mama' epidemic, video vixen mentality, enabling, denial, and other self-defeating behaviors." I agree with that statement, but what makes her think that EA men don't do the same? If your own people don't value you, why would you think that others do? In addition, who do does she think taught AA men to treat us this way? Who does she think taught us that EA women were valuable and worth protecting and reduced AA women to worthless objects? Who perpetuated, and continues to do so, this unbalanced image of EA and AA women in the media:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://afrocityblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/gone-with-wind.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 345px;" src="http://afrocityblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/gone-with-wind.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Choose your loyalties wisely.<br /><br />As far as AA women bashing goes, it is shameful that men would turn their back on the only ones who stuck by them after 400 years of going through pure hell. How can anyone say such nasty things about AA women when their own sister and even their own mother is one. It reminded of a passage from the Adi Granth that criticizes this behavior well if you put it into the context of AA women:<br /><br />We are born of woman,<br />we are conceived in the womb of woman,<br />we are engaged and married to woman.<br />We make friendship with woman<br />and the linage continued because of woman...<br />we are bound with the world though woman.<br />We grow up stronger and wiser having drunk milk from the breast of woman.<br />Why should we talk ill of her,<br />who gives birth to Kings?<br />The woman is born from woman;<br />there is none without her.<br />Only the One True Lord is without woman.The Black Bothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796434594568237098noreply@blogger.com13