So, I have a friend who’s going through the similarly titled situation. Both her and the man have decided to stay friends because he’s in the middle of a divorce and both of them are under 30.
What’s your advice for her?
Archive | May, 2010
My Encounter With An Atheist, and others who suffer from the I’m The Only Enlightened One Syndrome
26 May
The other week on a certain blog, another blogger had contributed a post that spoke to the growing trend secularism within the black community. This particular blogger had taken exception to the one and only Steve Harvey (although can I blame her) concerning a statement he made about black women choosing “a good black man.” And that Harvey had made the claim that black women should “walk the other way when a black man says he’s an Atheist.”
Well, that’s probably a true sentiment and I can only imagine if that was ever said in a room full of black people that he would damn near get a standing ovation. With that being said, I’m really not surprised at a statement such as that, core Christian doctrines support the understanding that Jesus is the only way to God and that to stand outside of this belief or this covenant will result in the eternal damnation of one’s soul–a damnation to a place called hell. Aside from the numerous loopholes in this belief, people still believe it and place a lot of stock in it. Wars have been fought over Christianity in the early years and still with the evidence of Catholic versus Protestant and the plethora of denominations underneath the guise of Protestantism, we see not everyone agrees on every single jot and tittle.
So, this blogger gave the break down from fundamentalism through various levels of skepticism including agnosticism and ending with atheism, the simple belief that there is no God. I was happy to see that this blogger did put it out there that the simple non-belief in God does not correlate with a non-belief in a moral structure or that of concrete social ethics, however, I did feel that this author did take the gist of W.E.B. DuBois approach toward black religion slightly out of context and that there was this underlying tone of condescension toward black Christians in general.
This is where I get off board.
Don’t respond to Christians in the manner in which you complain about when Christians respond to you. That is to say, this author took a slight tone as if to say “I’m the only enlightened one” and that those who believe otherwise are imbeciles. Now this is very much the line of reasoning that many hardcore Christian Evangelicals and fundamentalists as well. We see this in various sectarian enclaves associated with Southern Baptist and various other fundamentalist off-shoots. The same goes for off-brand holiness churches within the Pentecostal tradition as well. So for me, it wasn’t so much a push back against atheism as it was against blatant and unwarranted arrogance.
Now, I wonder do atheists run around with a chip on their shoulder daring someone to knock it off? And look to be fair, this is an issue I have with anyone. You know there’s always one person in that Intro to Philosophy or African American Studies class who speaks as though they have the answer to everything that’s wrong with the world and the air about them says “I dare you to challenge what I just said.” And usually I just chalk this up to the “I just read a book” syndrome meaning they finally read all of Plato for the first time or they just finished reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X and they have a different world view that they think everyone should subscribe to. So no, this isn’t just geared at Atheists per se, but since we’re talking about them….
I came across an op-ed piece in USA Today from a few days ago and I believe that this sums up EXACTLY what may be my sentiment:
For the sake of argument, let us set aside questions about the truth of religion vs. the truth of science. Suppose there is no such thing as religious truth, as Richard Dawkins argued in The God Delusion. Allow that the “New Atheist Noise Machine,” as American University communications professor Matt Nisbet calls it, has a privileged grasp of the truth. Even with these concessions, it still appears that the New Atheists are behaving like a boorish bunch of intellectual bullies.
There is something profoundly un-American about demanding that people give up cherished, or even uncherished, beliefs just because they don’t comport with science. And the demand seems even more peculiar when it is applied so indiscriminately as to include religious believers with Nobel Prizes. What sort of atheist complains that a fellow citizen doing world-class science must abandon his or her religion to be a good scientist?
Our commitment to pluralism and individual freedom should motivate generosity in such matters and allow people “the right to be wrong,” especially when the beliefs in question do not interfere with us. Nothing is gained by loud, self-promoting and mean-spirited assaults on the beliefs of fellow citizens.
The New Atheists need to learn how to play in the sandbox.
And I would like to add to the line with regards to having a “privileged grasp of the truth” that this privilege allows for these atheists to make these vast assumptions about ALL Christians. One of the guys I got into the debate with took to quoting scriptures as if I truly believe in the book of Colossians. And then when I said that when making a faith claim, or faith argument which is really where most Christians begin the basis of such religious discussions that generally the two discourses will never meet up. My opponent proceeded to tell me that Hebrews 11:1 was for the “willfully ignorant” and full of “wishful thinking” meaning he had resorted to personal attacks, which is yet another reason to terminate such conversation.
Much the same way that atheists and anti-theists wouldn’t want me to make the generalization that because you don’t believe in the existence of a higher deity means that you have no grounding for morality nor a social ethic, don’t make the assumption with regards to me that I blindly agree and follow all of the church dogma associated with Christianity.
My gut feeling, and yes I’m jumping to a broad conclusion here is that probably many atheists, at least those who started out with a Christian faith, ran the gamut from mainline to skeptic to agnostic and finally rationalized the notion of God not existing. My personal belief is that somewhere along the way, these persons just decided to think critically and realized that there were some broad jumps that Christianity makes–therefore making it a belief system requiring faith. However, when these individuals raised those questions, they were met with the tried and true answer of “You’re not supposed to question God!” or any variation of that. What resulted was them being hurt by the church and hurt by organization and structure: religion. And as many of us know, hurt people, hurt people, and that’s what many of experience when engaging in dialogue with many atheists.
Studies have shown that whenever one’s religion is blatantly challenged, it does nothing more but retrench the individual in their faith system. That’s why Jehovah’s Witnesses are still selling Watch Tower door-to-door and why when Mormon teens move into a community and do their in-your-face proselytizing upwards of 90% of them eventually return to Utah their communities. Also the same goes for those in Amish communities after their rumspringa, where the vast majority of persons go back to what was familiar and comfortable to them. I interpret this to mean that no amount of bullying or brow beating in the name of rational and empirical thought is going to change the minds of those who have a faith system.
And since I’m here and this is my blog…
I’ll actually say that atheists need better PR, because for the most of us in this country at least, we dismiss them as sectarian and cultish. If, and yes I mean if, run of the mill atheists are the ones I recently encountered–the ones who troll Twitter picking fights–then atheists don’t have a hope in a holler. Honestly, I do think that there is something humanly wrong with individuals who refuse to even allow other individuals to place hope and acknowledge a life force that is ephemeral and very much intangible. Even if one wishes to dismiss it as mere imagination, I’d rather have an imagination than to be relegated to the confines of science and empirical rationale; its too much color-in-the-lines for me.
When we think of Atheism, our minds go back to Madelyn Murray O’Hair and her brand of craziness that was not just about getting prayer out of the school, but nearly ran the gamut of trying to institute a brand of non-theism in this country. This resulted in bad PR. No one gained a deeper knowledge of atheist philosophies and rationale. I dare say that when Atheists make a statement now, they come off as tinkling brass and sounding cymbals because they take the same approach as the current GOP party and Tea Partyers: they just say no to everything.
To this end, they’ve got to do better. But I’m sure some random Atheist is going to read this blog and write some long, eternal comment that totally proves my whole point about them being “the party of no.”
There is a philosophy associate with Atheism, I’m sure a basic Wikipedia search would do wonders for the average bro joe as far as really understanding it, but just the few blogs with Atheist writers, a good portion of their slant is not really an apologetic for Atheism, but spent ragging on the rest of us who choose to believe.
Look, I went through seminary and I still believe.
I believe in spite of all that I’ve been taught, I still choose to believe in God. Despite the influence of post-modernity, I still choose to believe in God. Despite deconstructionist theory, I still choose to believe in God. What I learned did not disprove the existence of God, that of gods in general, but rather just proved the fallibility of humanity to explain that which is intangible. Personally, I have problems with the sovereignty of God because that leaves us in a position that either God allows stuff to happen or God causes it to happen resulting in the eternal question: why do bad things happen to good people?
I don’t know, and don’t profess to try and know. I’m just trying to live the best I know how like the rest of us–and I don’t need any other Christians or Atheists with a “I’m more enlightened than you” complex telling me that I’m wrong.
Leave a comment below if you’re so inclined.
Keep it uppity and keep it truthfully radical, JLL
Uppity Negro News Briefs
25 MaySeriously, it’s a lot going on and to devote separate blogs to them would tire me out, so here goes:
BP Oil and the White House. It is my understanding that the White House and subsequently Congress’ hands are proverbially “tied” with regards to cleanup issues concerning this oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Because for the federal entities to declare BP incompetent to handle this spill only leaves the feds with the clean-up bill and, as Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen said so eloquently, “To push BP out of the way, it would raise a question: Replace them with what?” Governor Bobby Jindal, Rep.-La. has requested more “boom” which from what I can tell is merely styrofoam and some plastic that’s buoyant and keeps the oil slick from moving closer and closer to the coast line.
But, what’s at issue for me is that how is it that a company that netted over $10,000,000,000 in 2009 profits is acting so slowly as though they do not have the resources to handle this oil spill. Also, what’s even more scary is that the federal government allows for a $75,000,000.00 cap on liabilities owed in a case such as this.
Really? for a company that easily makes close to $100,000,000 per day in gross income prior to expenses to only be liable for 75% of a daily income seems unconscionable. Yes, Big Oil is in bed with Congress, and yes even the White House headed by our blessed President Barack Obama.
Rand Paul Needs To Go Somewhere and Saddown. So Rachel Maddow had great fun last week with the interview heard round the world. Seriously, it was classic Maddow as her facial expressions told the entire story of the train wreck of an interview Rand Paul gave.
and
Seriously, this guy is trying to run for office. Dear Lord, I’m sure Sarah Palin almost peed on herself in great joy when she heard this comments. Honestly, I’m saying nothing different than what Maddow picked up on and tons of other political bloggers, we have a guy who’s against public discrimination, but believes so whole heartedly in the private sector that he’s seemingly okay with discrimination if that is the prerogative of the private business owner. And he went so far as to classify racism as “bad business practice.”
Is this guy for real?
It’s 2010 and this debate is at the forefront of his campaign. Even Rachel was just shocked that they got rabbit-holed on this one. And for Paul to pick any hot-button issues to deal with, he picks this one as far as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. And naturally, he tries to tie all of this crap to some warped and twisted interpretation of First Amendment Rights. But I guess, in his own words, with regards to the candidacy of pure unadulterated fools, “sometimes accidents happen.”
Jody Weiss and the Chicago Police Department. Okay, granted Chicago is not even a close second to the state of emergency and martial law in Jamaica at the time, but I live in Hyde Park here in Chicago and there are no blue light police boxes mounted to light poles in my neighborhood. I would have to walk close to a mile in each direction of my house before I would find one. And when I’d find one, I’d find one almost every corner. So I’m sure to those residents, it often feels like its police-state with someone always watching you. And as a black man in America, I naturally get nervous every time I see a police car, be it local or state. The level of distrust that blacks, across the board regardless of class and income level is absolutely astonishing. However, the argument as to societal influence or personal responsibility is always a valid one.
On one hand inner city blacks often suffer unwarranted and unnecessary harassment on behalf of police departments, but when historical numbers show that black men in my age group have a high incident of illegal behavior, then what’s the counter-argument? The counter-argument is that men in general across racial boundaries have a higher incident of illegal behavior. So that last night, around 11 pm as I was coming home on 55th and Lake Park and saw a group of black teenagers, or early 20s coming from under the viaduct just being loud and enjoying the hot summer night, they had a much higher chance of getting rolled on by the police than the same bunch of rowdy white kids doing the same thing on the same street corner at the same time of night. And what scared me even more was that after I paused for 5 secs before allowing myself to jump to conclusions, I easily saw myself as being a part of that group.
This goes across the board with organized crime as well.
Street gangs are a form of organized crime, but the federal laws do not treat them as such, nor does general policing tactics allow for such a wide berth as others. So when Jody Weiss in a press conference regarding the shooting death of on-duty Chicago police officer Thoman Wortham IV last week said that the “code of silence” had been broken which lead to the arrests of two of the suspects in the case, black folks in Chicago silently shook their head because we knew that it was coded language specifically speaking to blacks in black communities. As if to say that their isn’t a “code of blue” which means officers don’t snitch on other officers, or a “code of silence” in mob families.
And by all accounts Weiss is a joke and is doing nothing more but ruining police and community relationships as if they were already strong in the first place.
The Shooting Death of Aiyana Jones. It was an accident. I don’t think anyone is denying that, but still I heard the argument from someone on Twitter that this was the result of the violent culture of the family that she was a part of, therefore not totally the officers fault. That the house in which Aiyanna was a part of was full of illicit activity with people coming in and out all times of the day and night–essentially saying that something like this was bound to happen.
The reason I can’t align with this type of logic is because of the storied history of police and black people. Police in many communities are legalized terrorist organizations and they play on the fear of residents and use their authority unfairly. We see this in many movies with art imitating life. And we know that in the Jim Crow south that police departments were inexplicably 
linked to the Ku Klux Klan and their brand of terrorism. Sure Aiyana could have been brought up in a different environment, but to make that argument makes it seem as though persons wanted a seven-year-old killed. It was an accident. And accidents happen, this one was just an unfortunate tragedy.
And we’ve got to do something about these no-knock warrants. In 2006, Atlanta police shot and killed a 92 year old woman who had fired back to what she thought was intruders because they had the wrong house.
Leave your comments and rebuttals down below.
Keep it uppity and keep it truthfully radical, JLL
Pausing: The Homo-ness of “No Homo”
21 May
I remember sometime in college hearing the phrase “No homo” and it was a friend who was at Hampton University at the time, and I just took it as an East Coast term that I was no doubt sure to hear in the near future. And I was right, the phrase “No homo” has made a lasting impact. For those who have NO idea what I’m talking about, the phrase “no homo” is attached to an action or statement that could be considered “suspect” or have homoerotic overtones. The number one entry in UrbanDictionary.com for it is
Phrase used after one inadvertently says something that sounds gay.
Seriously, I have all kinds of issues with this line of logic.
It’s interesting that in a pluralistic society, one where relativism has found its ways in many avenues (and yes, the GOP and Tea Partyers are correct, because I think society has gotten more liberal over the years–yes, we stopped burning folk at the stake and accusing them as witches, and oh, yeah, we abolished slavery as well. Yippee–the world is getting more liberal!) that we still have yet to progress on issues of sexuality. I mean abortion is legal and gay marriages are legal in certain states (and if I can park parenthetically again, how is it that when conservatives want to holler about states rights with regards to abortion and immigration and health care, they believe in a Constitutional amendment with regards to gay marriage), to drive down Peachtree and see transvestites and transsexuals–hell, you could see that in Lenox Mall!
I guess my issue is that to say “No homo” or even to do this “pause” thing does nothing more than embrace the stereotypes about the LGBT community and further stigmatize it. And blacks have an interesting relationship with the LGBT community. There has always been one in the field of the arts. We laud people from the Harlem Renaissance such as Langston Hughes (even I am thinking about naming my kid Langston) and Countee Cullen with no qualifications. If it weren’t for James Baldwin or Bayard Rustin, I’d seriously question would we as a people had survived the 1960s.
Not to mention Little Richard.
And most certainly within the Black Church. Gay men, in fact open gay men have always worked with music departments from singing, to directing, to being musicians themselves. I could go on a list of currently living gospel recording artist who everyone knows about, but something about that just seems slanderous for no reason. But, late great James Cleveland–come on now, everyone knew but let him be who he was to be.
So, to now, ramp up the homophobia seems weird to me. But when videos such as “Dick Slang” (NSFW) go viral, it’s like what?
Or
Or
…and any other time you see a bunch of teenaged boys shirtless dancing and gyrating. I had to ask my friend who I grew up with, why are all these young dudes filming themselves shirtless and grinding on couches and what not? and his answer was simple “Cuz dey gay.” Well, that may be true…seriously, something about that doesn’t sit right even for me, but I think half of this is a combination of us living in a world of readily available technology, specifically YouTube and in a society where lines are blurred.
I went to a high school in Chicago where there was only one openly gay lesbian couple. We knew who probably were others who were gay, but none of them were out. And nowadays, even just 8 years after my graduation, it’s normal and in particularly urban and suburban liberal enclaves its embraced to the point of extra-curricular clubs established. I said this to say that somehow, somewhere there’s a disconnect. Because in some instances there is a safe space for individuals to come out, but they don’t and society has progressed to a point where homosexuality has become more and more normalized into macrosociety. From Massachusetts Senator Barney Frank who’s a “left-handed, [gay] Jew” to Houston electing their second female and in turn electing the first openly gay mayor of a major US city.
The disconnect results in illogical homophobia. It has allowed for two males who are friends to have to put disclaimers on their friendship so as to not come off as “homosexual” toward other men and larger society. I mean honestly, why should have to defend my relationship between me and one of my homeboys? This disconnect allows for us, as a society, so sit idly by as men exit the penal system without being tested for HIV/AIDS and other STDs and the prison industrial complex turns a blind eye to male-to-male sex taking place and will not even pass out condoms. This disconnect in the microcosm of the black community has allowed for black women to be hypersensitive to “signs if her boyfriend is on the DL” and still delude themselves when their “man” comes back out of prison and she still sleeps with him. And it causes black men to be hyperparanoid always trying to figure out if another guy was trying to come on them. Ultimately, for me it reduces the basic human emotion of love down to a political and sociological football that must be volleyed for the sake of appeasing a few on the sidelines who are so conservative they probably would shower in the urine of Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin if possible!
Anytime we contribute to the homophobia, we’re giving fear a chance to trump hope. As long as we play into the mindset of “us vs. them” and relegating LGBT issues to being “someone else’s problem” then we’ve begun to lose the battle.
I don’t say “no homo” and don’t plan on starting. I’m a deliberate enough speaker to believe that my words speak for themselves. I will not qualify what I just said or what I just did for the sake of appeasing some ethereal societal norm that never has nor probably never will speak for me on major issues as it is. When we say “no homo” we are restricting our own spirituality as black males to that we can never show emotion or brotherly type of affection. If anything for me, it’s a step back in humanity, another sign that we are becoming less human and bowing down to the gods of technology.
Frankly, this might not even be a conversation if it wasn’t for technology. When one’s reputation can be called into question with the left click of a mouse on a send button, or the stroke of an “enter” key, then many are much more guarded about what gets out there and “what other people may think.” Seriously, I’ve heard of people getting preaching engagements revoked because he and his male friend took a picture together. Granted it was a picture of two guys’ faces bunched together, but still, if it wasn’t for Facebook, no one would have even known that picture existed, or maybe they wouldn’t have taken the picture to put on FB in the first place.
And frankly, I still don’t know what to do with the bird shots from celebrities like Lamar Odom, Will from Day 26, and alleged pictures from Jamie Foxx and Dwight Howard over the last few years.
Seriously folks, 15 years ago this wouldn’t have even come up in a conversation.
Oh well, my simple advice: stop using “no-homo” or “pause” when you’re talking or writing, it does nothing but enforce gay stereotypes and encourage homophobia. Also, to gay people–not everyone else is gay! Just because you are doesn’t mean everyone else is. I will admit, part of the homophobia would cease if certain gay persons didn’t feed into the stereotypes. Sad to say, but it goes for any other group of people and same for the LGBT community; for every 5 gay persons who don’t try and hit on heterosexuals, there’s always one and it ruins the image of the group as a whole. But being a church musician, I’m somewhat speaking from experience–some people are just reckless for no reason.
As far as adolescent and post-adolescent young black males getting a group, going shirtless wearing just basketball shorts…
…just put a shirt on. Please and thanks!
Keep it uppity and keep it truthfully radical, JLL
Why Are Black Female Bloggers Single and Giving out Relationship Advice?
20 May
Hey, it’s a hot topic so I’m still writing about it.
I know my cousin back in Chicago is probably tired of me writing about it, but hey, it’s what I do, I still love ya @ellafay!
But, it did recently dawn on me and some other friends the other day that a lot of the young black female bloggers who write about relationships and the like are probably single. One never hears about them and their boyfriend, or their fiancee and most certainly not their husbands. Most of the married black women who blog are much closer to 40 than they are to 30. And the slightly older and married black women often portray their marriages as healthy ones whether they are or not. But I’d much rather take relationship advice from a black woman who’s married with children if that is my aim. So I couldn’t help but wonder why is it that the sistahs in my age bracket of around 25 are just so miraculously single?
The way I see it is that they were taking their cue from probably someone who’s single. As I walked with my friend today in Little Five Points, she told stories about her mother being on her third husband and her aunt who’s been “dating” a married guy with kids for 25 years and the guy actually shows up at family functions and what not. What results, I believe, from my armchair assessment is black women forcing to choose between stark dichotomies: either they fall victim to some weird and illogical relationship or they fight so hard to not fall victim that they erect some impossible archetype of what a man should be.
Hmmm, what a man should be…where’s RiPPa for that question…per his Mother’s Day post.
Without going in a rabbit hole about “what is a [black] man” we’ll just stick to the topic at hand.
So what happens, particularly at this age of around 30, I still think far too many [not all] black women are focused on taking their relationship cues from their equally single girlfriends. And because of the media’s recent fixation on trotting out black women and their woes and relationships–or lack thereof–we have prime examples of a Sherri Shepherd and Jacque Reid being the poster child for black female singleness.
Aside from those two women having celebrity status in the black community, meaning that whatever their set of issues are unique to them and not the status quo on this issue, these two women are a prime example of single people giving out relationship advice. The same goes for Hill Harper as well. Just the other day my friend asked me what to do because he kissed someone else while still in a relationship and he was feeling guilty and I looked at him dead in his eyes and said “You do know I’m single right? While you asking me relationship questions?”
And of course he laughed.
The reason I singled out my black female bloggers is because this seems to be a topic in which they are losing sleep over. Young black male bloggers generally aren’t all that relationship oriented. They’re usually cut and dried about the topic if they even broach the topic in the first place. However, I will say this, I’m sure much to the disgust of my black female readers, but some of these young black female bloggers need to simply get over themselves and be happy in their singleness. It’s NOT the end of the world, life will go on. I think the biggest prohibitor to relationships, across the board; for males and females and across the races is that we fail to take a “never say never” approach.
If you approach every potential black male with a list of what he “must have” then you’re doomed from the start. Frankly, I want to know where this list of “must haves” came from and became so prevalent. I’m sure laws of attraction that the same thing subconsciously, but when we have reject-rappers who killed their careers with statements that say that black women have to “pass a swimming pool test” and that he specifically prefers light-skinned women, I think it shows that this is a problem across the board.
This is not to be considered a “blast post” and I’m going out on a limb that anyone who thinks I’m talking about them, then, I probably am and if you’re response to this post is full of emotions, then you almost prove my entire point. No, I’m not here to tell single black women what we, black males, are looking for and by in turn, I’m sick and tired of hearing single black women trot out the statistics of why black men are crap and what we need to do. There are good black men out there. As one preacher said from the pulpit, “How is that you can call all men dogs, but you the only dog catcher?”
And I simply say, what’s the name for a female dog?
Look, this post is really just to tell my black women to take a deep breath and exhale. Exhale whether you’re single; exhale if married; exhale if you’re engaged; exhale if you’re over 40 and never been married–just exhale! It will be alright. Don’t take all of your frustrations out on us, I guarantee you that we’re not the enemy.
It’s just my opinion…
…that because of our peculiar status as a collective people that we sometimes create pathologies out of our issues and we don’t properly address them and we do classic projection. So for black women, sometimes the men they meet become the “father that was never there” or become the “abusive father that was there.” And even so in more “positive” aspects where black women may expect them to be like their father or an exemplary brother. Men can do the same expecting their female counterparts to be like their mothers, sisters, aunts just for example. What results is what we see on display now: the battle of the sexes, but now thanks to a 24-hour news cycle that’s driven by big businesses and corporations and persons with a social and political agenda, we have Battle of the Sexes, 2010 style.
So to my women, stop waiting to exhale–breath already.
Keep it uppity and keep it truthfully radical, JLL
Uppity Negro News Briefs
19 May
Since I’ve been graduating and without a television a LOT of news has happened since mid-April and here goes it with me starting in back chronological order:
1. Georgia’s Attorney General Thurbert Baker blocking the health care law suit
Well, clearly GOP Georgia Gov. Sonny “Partly Cloudy” Perdue found a way to get around it, but Thurbert Baker is of the opinion that to mount a lawsuit against the federal government is a waste of taxpayer dollars on behalf of a state, like most other states, has no money. But it’s an election year for Perdue and he’s betting that the electorate, as always, will have a short term memory and this will be a positive come late summer and early fall.
I just think Thurbert Baker is trying to atone in the eyes of black populace of this state because of the fallout following the imprisonment of Genarlow Wilson, a high school who was sent to prison on rape charges because he was of age and the young girl was not–even though it was consensual sex.
Does it make a difference she was white?
2. The Gulf Coast Oil Spill
This is yet more proof that our country’s elected officials have been and always will be concerned about big business. This is something that goes across party lines. Seriously, I must ask how do these big execs sleep at night. What we saw again in congressional hearings was the same when it came to the U.S. auto execs begging for money from the government: more cover-ups and vague answers when it came to jobs and public fallout. For BP to say that they are going to reimburse fisherman in the Gulf according to need and what not is the biggest ploy out there.
The majority of these fisherman are working-class stiffs and just the exact same people that Sarah Palin was catering to, these are the “real Americans” and the “lunch pail dads” who “mams who shap at Walmart” and they still vote for GOP candidates who are screwing them with no lube–at least the Dems have enough decency to lube up before they stick it to the people. Not to mention the environmental damage to the Gulf. I mean honestly, call me a tree hugger if you want, but if anyone thinks that are utter disregard for ecosystems is perpetual, then you’re barking up the wrong tree.
No pun intended.
2. The Nashville Floods and “Obama hates white people”
In yet more news that divides the races, there is some backlash toward the flooding that took place at the beginning of May in middle Tennessee, namely Nashville. Some in the conservative blogosphere and the like have made the claim that this was Obama’s version of Katrina and that he didn’t pay it it’s proper attention and where was the outcry and that Taylor Swift didn’t pull a Kanye West and say “Obama hates white people.”
Look, I am a Katrina survivor. And I’ve actually lived in Nashville as a result of Katrina, and I can say that no one should even fix their mouth to compare the two, they’re incomparable for obvious reasons. So yet again, this is another political football that only gains traction with individuals in middle states such as Kentucky (who clearly just nominated a Tea Party candidate) and Tennessee that were never voting for Obama in the first place.
Oh yeah, real smart move there.
3. The Supreme Court nominee–why isn’t she black?
I’m sure Elena Kagan will do just fine and politically and socially I probably won’t have a problem with her, but damn, Obama, could you have nominated a black woman? I mean at this point, you could have nominated her just to say you nominated her whether she passed Senate confirmation or not. And frankly, if one of those old farts dies or retires and he passes up on Leah Ward Sears again, I’m going to have aught with the President.
I’m not taking a modern-civil rights era approach to it that we as blacks are entitled to a black liberal on the court a la someone to replace Thurgood Marshall, but with Sotomayor being nominated and selected, it would do a world of good to at least see Sears nominated by Obama. And actually I think her weird relationship with Clarence Thomas would be a plus, but who am I, I’m not the president.
4. Illegal Immigration debate in Georgia
While much of the nation is focused on Arizona and the royal SNAFU they’ve found themselves in on how to handle those classified as illegal immigrants and ethnic studies programs, here in Atlanta metro area is a young woman Jessica Colotl who has found herself in the midst of a debate. Long story short, she’s a student and she’s almost to graduate, but technically she’s not a citizen. She moved here when she was eleven and has been living here ever since.
The pure humanitarian side of me has the illegal immigration debate locked up succinctly: they’re humans just as the rest of us and they are entitled to the same rights and privileges as the rest of us, no questions asked and case closed. However, I must say I have a problem with that because from my location, Mexican immigrants and other Central American persons who find their way here still have more rights and privileges than those persons who look a bit more like me. Honestly, there are programs out there that give money to illegal aliens back in Illinois to fund their education and state funds are still restricted for those students in all black educational districts. I’m praying for basic academic scholarships or a damn athletic one.
Only because of the unfairness of society am I inclined to say simply, go through the proper channels of citizenship and call it a day. But, we’ll never have an open and honest discussion on how to deal with illegal immigration as long as our agricultural and service industries are dependent upon them–and that affects the bottom line of big corporations. When agricultural industrial complex in border states and even in Plains states are dependent upon illegal workers, we already know that that’s big business and those person are not going to vote against big business.
Sad state of affairs.
4. The ethnic education laws in Arizona
To suggest that ethnic studies programs are a) designed for one ethnicity is stupid. Classes at the college level are open enrollment to deny someone to be able to take a class based on ethnicity is illegal and any college or institution would put their accreditation in jeopardy.
To suggest that ethnic studies programs b) promote the overthrow of the government reeks of wanton xenophobia and innate white guilt. The persons who support this bill are aware that historical knowledge is political knowledge. If you control the history, then you are doing no more than inculcating your beliefs onto someone else. For anyone who believes that “history” is apolitical or objective then you’re living under a rock.
To suggest that ethnic studies classes c) promote[s] resentment toward a race or class of people is a manifestation of guilt that is revealing itself as fear: yet again a white American consciousness that is afraid that history told from the perspective of the underclass will result in rioting and looting in the streets and general uprising against the white race. Somehow, I can’t help but think at times this fear is rational, but why hasn’t the proletariat capitalized on it. [But that's for another blog].
And finally to suggest that ethnic studies classes d) advocate[s] ethnic solidarity instead of treating pupils as individual is just yet again a failure of educators attempting to educate in cookie cutter molds. Perhaps this rule would make sense if school populations were equally racially mixed, but we all know that in many school districts certain ethnic populations outweigh others. Moreover, I’m of the opinion that cultural differences make ethnic groups learn differently. I’m not making the biological argument with regards to eugenics or that of Herrnstein and Murray’s The Bell Curve, but rather saying that we indeed learn differently. So, to make the claim in classrooms with over 50% of students of one racial background, probably living in the same general sections of a township or city, need to be taught on the “individual” level and not advocating “ethnic solidarity” is absolutely preposterous.
If we took this sad and deleterious logic on a broad national scale this clearly exes out Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, the Puerto Rican Day parades in Chicago and New York and anywhere else, but does that mean we ought not have a Women’s History Month?
Or my favorite zinger to end this damn debate: I guess these people are against St. Patrick’s Day Parades as well? I mean, what does it say that our Irish mayor dyes the damn Chicago River green every year for St. Patty’s day? Isn’t that a bit too ethnic?
5. The Tea Party nominee in Kentucky
And you heard it here first folks: in the 2012 Presidential election the GOP candidate will be a result of the Tea Party Movement and give the Obama campaign hell. And if that doesn’t happen, somehow, some way a Tea Party candidate will be on the national level even if it’s a repeat of this year with a Sarah Palin-like individual that is birthed out of this same horrid mess of the Tea Partyers.
What’s even scarier is if they actually form their own political party and get a name on a ballot somewhere. But seeing as how current Massachusetts U.S. Senator Scott Brown (granted his opponent ran a HORRIBLE race), and now Rand Paul from Kentucky as the GOP candidate have now emerged as real faces of the Tea Party movement, I think we need not dismiss them completely. Of course aside from the atrocious logic with regards to governmental policies surrounding tax, health care reform, the stimulus package, bailouts and just being the general party of “NO,” this is a party that would probably think Strom Thurmond would have been a good candidate for President. The level of racism that is seen in the signs that are carried by people in these protests is appalling.
By 2012, one of the defining marks of the Obama administration will be how astutely they clap back to the Tea Party movement. The fall elections will definitely be a precursor. Seriously, let a governor or two or this Rand Paul guy from Kentucky win a seat as a result of the Tea Party Movement and they’ll be riding the coat tails and have some random fool emerge on the scene who’s going to cut through the B.S. and emerge as the shining opponent to Obama.
Prayerfully, they just won’t have an answer to Obama, a la 2008 campaign.
Watch me. I’ll take bets on this one.
Keep it uppity and keep it truthfully radical, JLL
The Graduation of an Uppity Negro
17 May
The reason it’s been so long since I published a post was because I was going into finals week, turning in last minute papers before grades were due, trying to sort out many particularities surrounding graduation, my car went out on me the week before graduation, and my car’s been in the shop ever since graduation, trying to figure out what jobs leads and other opportunities were open to me after graduation and…
…did I say graduation?
Yes, as of May 8, 2010, I am the proud graduate of my institution and am now in possession of two earned masters degrees: Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Church Music.
This graduation put me in an different space. It’s the first real graduation I’ve had since high school. My undergraduate graduation was a botched deal at Fisk University as a result of my Hurricane Katrina kid transfer status. The week before graduation they told me that I wasn’t going to be able to walk and then the day before Baccalaureate service they told me they would let me walk–so of course I had told my family not to come.
SMH.
My graduation didn’t really hit me until the night before as I was about to go to sleep. In much of the HBCU tradition, we have a Baccalaureate service which is really the church service where one is supposed to get all of the emotions out so that on the day of the graduation, the ceremony goes on in a dignified manner. That didn’t exactly happen for me namely because I was on the organ that day and I had to play for the service, so I hadn’t really let the experience become real for me. The morning of graduation, as I was walking down Beckwith St. and made the left turn on the Promenade, I ran into some random cluck and some dude with her pushing a baby stroller and there was no baby in there, just some random junk. She saw I had my cap, gown and two hoods and asked “Oooh, you graduating today?” and I turned around and said “Yes ma’am.” Of course saying in my mind, “Of course you dummy! Why else would I be carrying this?” Naturally she responded, “Oh congratulations.”
And so far so good. I was okay.
Then she said, “I’m proud of you.”
And I almost lost it right there in front of Robert Woodruff library.
I don’t know what it was about that moment, but somehow I really felt it was a genuine “I’m proud of you.” As if when she said that she was acknowledging that she knows that her life may not be some shining exemplar of what to do, but still, somehow, in the ancient African sense of community, she was happy to see another “one of us” make it to the next level.
So my final walk down the Promenade, particularly through Clark Atlanta’s campus because that was where I spent the last year being up there with the the chapel ministry and choir and praise team, was more than nostalgic and I realized finally that this was it. It was time to move on to the next phase of life.
So, this time, for these degrees., the Baccalaureate and Commencement services went on without a hitch–aside from my car being out of commission for now going on two weeks. As a result of my car not working, I’ve been stuck, and I do mean stuck, here in Atlanta more or less since last Wednesday because that was the day I initially planned on leaving. So, for the last five days I’ve been here…in Atlanta…ready to go home.
I’ve graduated, but I’m still in the same place.
It’s a very interesting place, and a very unique place to be in. Most of my friends know how much I’ve railed against Atlanta and of course they expected me to be on the first thing out of the city, but as fate would have it, here I am, still in Atlanta. My status as a student and graduate has changed, but my location has still remained the same. Yes, there is a certain level of anxiety and frustration that I’m having to deal with. I’m not going to lie and say I understand it, but I must admit that there is something at work that is bigger than me with regards to this.
So stay tuned, I’m sure I’ll be back to my regularly scheduled blogging soon enough.
Keep it uppity and keep it truthfully radical, JLL
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