In the words of Nas: “If this offends you, then it’s supposed to.”
Five days ago, the United States elected its first Black President, and I am very proud. Unfortunately, I feel that this election has brought out the worst in some people. I’m hoping that these bigots represent an exception, after all, Obama did win by a large margin. However, based on my experiences (both first and second hand) during this past week, I’m not inclined to believe that things have changed.
On Wednesday, I was so excited especially after talking to my grandparents. I remember my grandfather telling me a story of how he had to take literacy tests when he first started voting. To hear the excitement in his voice after the election made me feel so great. I wanted to share his story with the world, but there was no outlet for me to do so. That same night, I went to class (in which I am one of two Black people), and everyone was so hesitant to talk about the election. My professor (an Obama supporter) tried to bring it up, but most of the people had nothing to say. I felt silenced by everyone else’s animosity, and I felt like that the whole week.
I am tired of being quiet. I refuse to be silenced by the hatred and ignorance of bigots. This country was built on the backs and by the hands of my BLACK ancestors, and they did not give me the freedom to speak so that you could take it away with your racist sentiments. I don’t care what you think about me voting for Barack Obama. I want you to see the smile on my face. You bigots deserve to be angry and disappointed. We’ve experienced lifetimes (yes multiple) of anger and disappointment.
So to “my friends” who are salty about the election, thank you for showing me your true colors.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
America's Victory and Our Responsibility
As I reflect upon this historical moment, I feel an overwhelming sense of pride and love for my black people, but also for my country. I have never really considered myself a patriot, but tonight I can say that I’m proud to be an American.
Barack Obama’s victory is definitely a victory for all of us – blacks and all minorities, whites, children, women, men. The fact that a black man is now President of a predominantly white country speaks to the progress that our country has made, and for that, I am particularly elated.
My emotions are great, but so is my grounding in reality. I do not mean any of this to take away from the greatness of what we have all witnessed on November 4, 2008. However, we as black people need to make sure that we do not place unrealistic expectations on our President. I am not saying that he should forget about us. But he has a lot of people to keep in mind because we are not the only ones struggling in this country.
Often times we place too much responsibility on our leaders and none on ourselves. Yes, we voted, but that’s only a part of the process of change. We cannot expect Obama to fix an eight-year mess overnight. We also cannot expect him to do it alone. I heard one media personality say that we should make sure that we hold Obama to his promises, and we should. But we should not hold him to unrealistic demands. For example, we are not getting reparations, and we need to let that go. Instead we should focus on community building and our role in helping Obama bring about change.
What worries me most about the responses of some of my peers to this election is their misinformed (or uninformed) perception that racism is over now. We do not need to become complacent. Racism is not over. We should look at our progress toward equality as marathon, not a 200 meter dash. We have come a long way in the race (no pun intended), but we still have a long way to go. The worst thing we can do is think that racism is over now because we have a black President. Instead we should use this moment as inspiration to keep running the marathon to end racism and all inequality.
No one should be expected to change the world by him/herself. I believe Obama can change the world, we have to help him. An America that is void of inequality…now that is the American Dream.
Barack Obama’s victory is definitely a victory for all of us – blacks and all minorities, whites, children, women, men. The fact that a black man is now President of a predominantly white country speaks to the progress that our country has made, and for that, I am particularly elated.
My emotions are great, but so is my grounding in reality. I do not mean any of this to take away from the greatness of what we have all witnessed on November 4, 2008. However, we as black people need to make sure that we do not place unrealistic expectations on our President. I am not saying that he should forget about us. But he has a lot of people to keep in mind because we are not the only ones struggling in this country.
Often times we place too much responsibility on our leaders and none on ourselves. Yes, we voted, but that’s only a part of the process of change. We cannot expect Obama to fix an eight-year mess overnight. We also cannot expect him to do it alone. I heard one media personality say that we should make sure that we hold Obama to his promises, and we should. But we should not hold him to unrealistic demands. For example, we are not getting reparations, and we need to let that go. Instead we should focus on community building and our role in helping Obama bring about change.
What worries me most about the responses of some of my peers to this election is their misinformed (or uninformed) perception that racism is over now. We do not need to become complacent. Racism is not over. We should look at our progress toward equality as marathon, not a 200 meter dash. We have come a long way in the race (no pun intended), but we still have a long way to go. The worst thing we can do is think that racism is over now because we have a black President. Instead we should use this moment as inspiration to keep running the marathon to end racism and all inequality.
No one should be expected to change the world by him/herself. I believe Obama can change the world, we have to help him. An America that is void of inequality…now that is the American Dream.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Comedy Central, Just Stop.
Despite my critical approach, I am very much a consumer of popular culture. I watch television, listen to the radio, and I am constantly on the Internet. Though I try to limit my intake of "stupid" media, I usually check out new shows to see what they are all about.
Comedy Central has a new show called Chocolate News, and I must say it's not funny. It seems to me that the station is trying to make Chocolate News the new Chappelle's Show, but there will never be another Chappelle's Show, so stop pushing it. Chappelle's Show was funny because of the satire and sarcasm. Even though some people would not agree with his use of "the N-word" (I hate that phrase by the way), the show was funny because it brought out the absurdity of stereotypes and allowed us to all kind of make fun of ourselves and realize how ridiculous we can be sometimes.
If used correctly, negative images can be subversive and criticize society. At the same time, negative images can also serve as representation rather than criticism. When I watched Chocolate News, I did not get a sense of stereotypes being dismissed as truth. Instead, I felt like the show was trying to pass these images as authentic elements of black culture, and black culture specifically.
I know I've only seen one episode of Chocolate News, but I doubt that I will be tuning in anymore. To some people, Chocolate News and Chappelle's Show are equivalent, and if you want to accept this Chappelle rip-off, feel free. If you think that "Chocolate News" presents an equally sarcastic and or satirical approach to culture (not just black culture), that's fine too. I, however, am not convinced. You can't kill my cat and buy me another one and think I'm not going to notice.
Comedy Central has a new show called Chocolate News, and I must say it's not funny. It seems to me that the station is trying to make Chocolate News the new Chappelle's Show, but there will never be another Chappelle's Show, so stop pushing it. Chappelle's Show was funny because of the satire and sarcasm. Even though some people would not agree with his use of "the N-word" (I hate that phrase by the way), the show was funny because it brought out the absurdity of stereotypes and allowed us to all kind of make fun of ourselves and realize how ridiculous we can be sometimes.
If used correctly, negative images can be subversive and criticize society. At the same time, negative images can also serve as representation rather than criticism. When I watched Chocolate News, I did not get a sense of stereotypes being dismissed as truth. Instead, I felt like the show was trying to pass these images as authentic elements of black culture, and black culture specifically.
I know I've only seen one episode of Chocolate News, but I doubt that I will be tuning in anymore. To some people, Chocolate News and Chappelle's Show are equivalent, and if you want to accept this Chappelle rip-off, feel free. If you think that "Chocolate News" presents an equally sarcastic and or satirical approach to culture (not just black culture), that's fine too. I, however, am not convinced. You can't kill my cat and buy me another one and think I'm not going to notice.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
The Eyes in the Back of Your Head
What does it mean to remember history – to keep history in your memory? I think the answer to this question lies in the distinction between distant memory and immediate memory. This thought came to me during class today. In this particular class, we are studying Judaism as a religion and a culture. Naturally, one cannot have a class devoted to the study of Judaism without covering the Holocaust.
I have been learning about the Holocaust since I was in the sixth grade, and every time I take a course that discusses this atrocity at any length, I learn something new or come to new conclusions. However, viewing images from the ghettos and concentration camps has the same effect on me each time. Each time I wonder how people could be so cruel. And each time, I reflect upon similar genocidal acts (i.e. Sudan) and my place in society as either implicitly supportive or explicitly critical of these acts.
So what does it mean to remember? Yes, I can tell you when the Nazis invaded Poland. I remember the dates of World War II. I remember the Axis and the Allies. But what does that memory mean?
I think it is easy to put tragedies in the back of our minds because things are easier if we put them in the past – behind us. By placing these things in our distant memory, we allow ourselves to overlook or disregard new tragedies that form right in front of us. We need to use the “eyes in the back of our heads” to properly put things in perspective. In other words, we need to not let things just sit in our distant memory. We need to keep history in our immediate memory so that it is readily accessible to deal with problems that are right in front of us.
Some will read this and try to compare genocides throughout history. And the purpose of this piece is not to diminish or acknowledge one particular act of genocide in relation to another. What I really want to point out is this: It is easy to ignore Sudan if WWII Europe is in our distant memory. I do not ignore the fact that there are other elements of our (the U.S.) turning a blind eye to certain countries and people who have darker skin. At the same time, I am suggesting that because we are not truly in touch with the history of this world and the interactions of its people, we do not have the proper tools to deal with the present and are facing a dismal future.
People always say those that do not know about the past are doomed to repeat it. We do know, and we still repeat it. Therefore, it’s not about knowing only. We must have an immediate memory that allows us to apply history to the present, critique the mistakes, and bring about peace. We must have eyes in the back of our heads. Only then will we avoid repeating the tragedies of the past.
I have been learning about the Holocaust since I was in the sixth grade, and every time I take a course that discusses this atrocity at any length, I learn something new or come to new conclusions. However, viewing images from the ghettos and concentration camps has the same effect on me each time. Each time I wonder how people could be so cruel. And each time, I reflect upon similar genocidal acts (i.e. Sudan) and my place in society as either implicitly supportive or explicitly critical of these acts.
So what does it mean to remember? Yes, I can tell you when the Nazis invaded Poland. I remember the dates of World War II. I remember the Axis and the Allies. But what does that memory mean?
I think it is easy to put tragedies in the back of our minds because things are easier if we put them in the past – behind us. By placing these things in our distant memory, we allow ourselves to overlook or disregard new tragedies that form right in front of us. We need to use the “eyes in the back of our heads” to properly put things in perspective. In other words, we need to not let things just sit in our distant memory. We need to keep history in our immediate memory so that it is readily accessible to deal with problems that are right in front of us.
Some will read this and try to compare genocides throughout history. And the purpose of this piece is not to diminish or acknowledge one particular act of genocide in relation to another. What I really want to point out is this: It is easy to ignore Sudan if WWII Europe is in our distant memory. I do not ignore the fact that there are other elements of our (the U.S.) turning a blind eye to certain countries and people who have darker skin. At the same time, I am suggesting that because we are not truly in touch with the history of this world and the interactions of its people, we do not have the proper tools to deal with the present and are facing a dismal future.
People always say those that do not know about the past are doomed to repeat it. We do know, and we still repeat it. Therefore, it’s not about knowing only. We must have an immediate memory that allows us to apply history to the present, critique the mistakes, and bring about peace. We must have eyes in the back of our heads. Only then will we avoid repeating the tragedies of the past.
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