For those of you who were disappointed with CNN’s Black in America, there is an alternative. For whatever reason *cough*Barack*cough*, television seems to be focusing a lot on the lives of African Americans in this country. HBO recently aired part one of a documentary titled The Black List – perspectives from 22 prominent black people ranging from Serena Williams to Al Sharpton. As imperfect as Black in America was, this special is not really any better at depicting life for the average black American (if that person exists). The Black List is better, though, because it doesn’t claim to do that. If you have HBO, or like me are staying in a hotel where it’s free, you should definitely watch part two next Monday.
Some of the folks in part one didn’t say anything really significant, but I did enjoy Chris Rock and Colin Powell’s segments. Always funny, Chris Rock said “True equality is the equality to suck - like the white man. That was Martin Luther King’s dream.” When discussing Jackie Robinson, Rock said that baseball wasn’t really integrated until there were bad black professional players. I felt like this was an excellent way to show how tokenism can create illusions of equality. Outstanding individuals who achieve highly do little to indicate progress in general for a minority group.
Colin Powell (viewed by many as a “token,” but that’s another discussion) said some interesting things, but the one that stood out to me was that “A lot of white people still have not crossed over [i.e. acceptance of minorities], and it is an obligation to us as black people to help them progress.” I wasn’t sure how to view this statement; I don’t think it’s fair that we should have to work to be accepted by people who have shown that they don’t want to accept us. I wonder how others feel about this “obligation” to fight ignorance among people who have chosen to remain ignorant.
here's a link to a clip from Chris Rock's segment
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6hj0p_the-black-list-vol-1-chris-rock-hbo_shortfilms"
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
In response...
I would like to quote a bit of Ellisonia back at you.
"What I am suggesting is that when you go back you do not find a pure stream; after all, Louis Armstrong, growing up in New Orleans, was taught to play a rather strict type of military music before he found his jazz and blues voice. Talk about cultural pluralism! It's the air we breathe; it's the ground we stand on. It's what we have to come to grips with as we discover who we are and what we want to add to the ongoing definition of the American experience. ...It is very difficult in this country to find a pure situation." -RE on Alain Locke in The Collected Essays of R.E.
I think Mr. Ellison might respond to your post with something like this in his own blog. He might remind us that while we are all human, there seems to be a certain significance in the cultures through which we are borne and that for Americans, and especially Black Americans, this is a cause for celebration. It should go without saying that we are all fundamentally human, and while this has not always been the case, we should consider it our job to elevate this discourse and claim the complexity and difference between us. Mr. Ellison might even playfully ask why we insist on speaking on the, ahem, "lower frequencies," when we could bring to light the richness of this cultural pluralism. (10 points for the lower frequencies joke)
My sense is that while there is certainly something unifying about Americanness, and Humanity in the broadest sense, some would resist throwing Race out with the bath water.
Here's one more for the road:
"Speaking of language, whenever anyone tells you that you're outside the framework of American culture, and when they deflect you into something called 'black English,' remember that the American version of the English language was born in rebellion against proper English usage, and that the music of the African voice and the imagery coming from the people who lived close to the soil and under the conditions of slavery added greatly to that language."
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
"What's up with the title???"
“But you were concerned with that old couple,” he said with narrowed eyes. “Are they relatives of yours?”
“Sure, we’re both black,” I said, beginning to laugh.
He smiled, his eyes intense upon my face.
“Seriously, are they your relatives?”
“Sure, we were burned in the same oven,” I said.
The effect was electric. “Why do you fellows always talk in terms of race!” he snapped, his eyes blazing.
“What other terms do you know?” I said, puzzled. “You think I would have been around there if they had been white?”
This is a conversation from Ralph Ellison’s novel Invisible Man - and the source of this blog’s title. The narrator has just delivered a speech that prompted a mini-riot between black people and three men attempting to evict an older black couple. He is now in a coffee shop with a mysterious Jewish man, who attempts to recruit the narrator to work as an activist.
The conversation interests me as an example of the powers of racial identity in our lives. Over the past year, I’ve had a ton of conversations about race and racism, many focusing on the nature of the concept. What is race? What is “blackness”? How significant is a person’s race in determining various aspects of their life?
I’ve been reading this book off and on for a while, and I have not finished it. I must say, though, that I agree with the Jewish man. I understand that black people, specifically black Americans, often share aspects of culture and experience. I also recognize the power of unity and the idea of strength in numbers as a means of affecting change. At the same time, I feel that it is key to recognize the unity- and diversity- of ALL people, regardless of skin color – not to sound too much like Dr. King.
We have to understand that many ideas related to race are pretty dumb. We’re all humans, point blank. A few weeks ago, I was exposed to the idea of the word “race” as a verb, meaning to categorize or identify a person as belonging to a specific racial group. Historically, race has existed in large part as a tool of oppression, using physical characteristics to easily identify who does and does not deserve certain rights and privileges. Unity within a race is thus effective as a tool to combat this oppression, but it is equally if not more important to build bridges across racial boundaries to combat oppression based on other categorizations of people (class, age, education, etc.).
The idea that “we were burned in the same oven” is awesome to me. It would be even better had the narrator considered the fact that the oven is indicative not only of a black experience, but a human experience. In large part, that idea is why this blog exists – to allow us to discuss our diverse human experiences, thoughts, feelings, etc. Lots of us get burned; some just a little blackened (no pun intended); others escape perfectly golden-brown (again, no pun. Maybe I should have used a different metaphor.) I believe that the recognition of this is one of the first and most important steps in the eradication of racism.
I just wish I weren’t so pessimistic about it actually happening.*
* While I watched MTV for a second this morning, I saw rapper The Game discussing his new video. At the end, he said something along the lines of “I’ve decided to accept responsibility for the actions of my people. And by my people, I don’t mean black people. I mean the human race.” Even though I feel like Game is an idiot who chases controversy for record sales to make up for his mediocre talent, he appears insightful with this statement. Maybe this is a good sign.
**For whatever reason, I couldn't figure out how to indent on this post. Sorry.
“Sure, we’re both black,” I said, beginning to laugh.
He smiled, his eyes intense upon my face.
“Seriously, are they your relatives?”
“Sure, we were burned in the same oven,” I said.
The effect was electric. “Why do you fellows always talk in terms of race!” he snapped, his eyes blazing.
“What other terms do you know?” I said, puzzled. “You think I would have been around there if they had been white?”
This is a conversation from Ralph Ellison’s novel Invisible Man - and the source of this blog’s title. The narrator has just delivered a speech that prompted a mini-riot between black people and three men attempting to evict an older black couple. He is now in a coffee shop with a mysterious Jewish man, who attempts to recruit the narrator to work as an activist.
The conversation interests me as an example of the powers of racial identity in our lives. Over the past year, I’ve had a ton of conversations about race and racism, many focusing on the nature of the concept. What is race? What is “blackness”? How significant is a person’s race in determining various aspects of their life?
I’ve been reading this book off and on for a while, and I have not finished it. I must say, though, that I agree with the Jewish man. I understand that black people, specifically black Americans, often share aspects of culture and experience. I also recognize the power of unity and the idea of strength in numbers as a means of affecting change. At the same time, I feel that it is key to recognize the unity- and diversity- of ALL people, regardless of skin color – not to sound too much like Dr. King.
We have to understand that many ideas related to race are pretty dumb. We’re all humans, point blank. A few weeks ago, I was exposed to the idea of the word “race” as a verb, meaning to categorize or identify a person as belonging to a specific racial group. Historically, race has existed in large part as a tool of oppression, using physical characteristics to easily identify who does and does not deserve certain rights and privileges. Unity within a race is thus effective as a tool to combat this oppression, but it is equally if not more important to build bridges across racial boundaries to combat oppression based on other categorizations of people (class, age, education, etc.).
The idea that “we were burned in the same oven” is awesome to me. It would be even better had the narrator considered the fact that the oven is indicative not only of a black experience, but a human experience. In large part, that idea is why this blog exists – to allow us to discuss our diverse human experiences, thoughts, feelings, etc. Lots of us get burned; some just a little blackened (no pun intended); others escape perfectly golden-brown (again, no pun. Maybe I should have used a different metaphor.) I believe that the recognition of this is one of the first and most important steps in the eradication of racism.
I just wish I weren’t so pessimistic about it actually happening.*
* While I watched MTV for a second this morning, I saw rapper The Game discussing his new video. At the end, he said something along the lines of “I’ve decided to accept responsibility for the actions of my people. And by my people, I don’t mean black people. I mean the human race.” Even though I feel like Game is an idiot who chases controversy for record sales to make up for his mediocre talent, he appears insightful with this statement. Maybe this is a good sign.
**For whatever reason, I couldn't figure out how to indent on this post. Sorry.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Welcome
Hello there! Welcome to our blog. Did he say our? Yes… I think he did.
First a few words about why we're here. This website was recommended by a handful of individuals with whom I spent the past 8 weeks (shouts to S.H.I.!). I think the recommendation was at least partially humorous, but at some point it developed into a really good idea. Those of you reading this probably know that I’ll be starting a Ph.D. program at a certain university in the Fall. The blog was first suggested as a documentation of my experiences with everyday bullshit and an effective place for me to vent.
Saturday night, while I was eating chicken in the Atlanta Airport (no, I didn’t wait until I got home), I realized that I didn’t just want to do that. First of all, I have no idea how much time I’ll be able to dedicate to a blog. Secondly, I don’t know if I can keep anyone’s interest- including my own- with something that simple. Life would suck pretty bad if I went through enough everyday bullshit to consistently write about it.
Most importantly, though, I realized that I’m not the only person I know whose life will be changing significantly within the next few weeks. Most of you all graduated in May, or before, and have since been figuring out where you’ll let life take you (or you’ll take life) in the future. Regardless of your age, occupation, location, etc., interesting stuff is happening to you. I want to read about all of the wonderful, terrifying, exciting, and frustrating things that we will experience. That’s why this is our blog. I’m encouraging everyone who’s read this far (hopefully all of you… it’s only like 300 words) to contribute whatever you feel is relevant – whether it’s humorous, thought-provoking, controversial, or just a post about something you like or don’t like about the world around you. (Right now, I don’t know how to have multiple contributors to a blog, but I’ll find out soon.) My hope is that this will be a place where we can come together, share ideas, and stay connected.
I don’t know… just some thoughts I had. Let me know how you feel about it.
-genius/BOSS/smart brother
First a few words about why we're here. This website was recommended by a handful of individuals with whom I spent the past 8 weeks (shouts to S.H.I.!). I think the recommendation was at least partially humorous, but at some point it developed into a really good idea. Those of you reading this probably know that I’ll be starting a Ph.D. program at a certain university in the Fall. The blog was first suggested as a documentation of my experiences with everyday bullshit and an effective place for me to vent.
Saturday night, while I was eating chicken in the Atlanta Airport (no, I didn’t wait until I got home), I realized that I didn’t just want to do that. First of all, I have no idea how much time I’ll be able to dedicate to a blog. Secondly, I don’t know if I can keep anyone’s interest- including my own- with something that simple. Life would suck pretty bad if I went through enough everyday bullshit to consistently write about it.
Most importantly, though, I realized that I’m not the only person I know whose life will be changing significantly within the next few weeks. Most of you all graduated in May, or before, and have since been figuring out where you’ll let life take you (or you’ll take life) in the future. Regardless of your age, occupation, location, etc., interesting stuff is happening to you. I want to read about all of the wonderful, terrifying, exciting, and frustrating things that we will experience. That’s why this is our blog. I’m encouraging everyone who’s read this far (hopefully all of you… it’s only like 300 words) to contribute whatever you feel is relevant – whether it’s humorous, thought-provoking, controversial, or just a post about something you like or don’t like about the world around you. (Right now, I don’t know how to have multiple contributors to a blog, but I’ll find out soon.) My hope is that this will be a place where we can come together, share ideas, and stay connected.
I don’t know… just some thoughts I had. Let me know how you feel about it.
-genius/BOSS/smart brother
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