Arizona is at it again...

Governor Jan Bewer is turning her guns ethnic study programs 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 ... public school students 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."

The best way I can express my reaction to yet another Arizona failure

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: any gain of minorities is an affront to European-Americans. 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.

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 Dolores Huerta, a Hispanic civil right's activist, tell students 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 Prosperity Gospel: We've been suckered

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.

If you or someone you know believes in prosperity teaching, I would recommend reading Charismatic Chaos (John F. MacArthur) or A Different Gospel: Biblical and Historical Insights into the Word of Faith Movement (Dan R. Mcconnell).

Light, Day, and Night: Stars Not Included

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.

Note:
Dr. Lorne L. Dawson summarized this tendency of religions to deny the obvious in the study "When Prophecy Fails, Faith Persist"

Ready for more African-American woman bashing: America can't get enough

It'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.

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 author)


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."


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 boy

Assimilate or Face the Consequences

Two stories irritated me today. The first was about a woman who was denied a job because locks. 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.

This derision of our features is in the same class as black face and is not acceptable.

The second unfortunate story I found today is regard's France's promotion of a bill the banning wearing a wearing a full Islamic veil in public. 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

"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."

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.

African-American Women and Dating Desperation

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.

Why do African-Americans Celebrate Mediocrity?

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.