The following are some cool posts I read recently:
Obama speaks out on “acting white”.
Desi Nationalism, Hanafi Purists & the Ouster of an American-Muslim Pioneer.
Lookism. (this one is so damn good. I loved it. Field-negro is a new favorite)
Enjoy! Busy with work, album and entrepreneurial stuff. While it’s physically very tiring, it’s also fun. So much to say and write, so little time. More later as soon as I’m a bit more free.
SudaneseThinker
SudaneseThinker
{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
Dude… from the above, the first one I clicked is Lookism. And this Field Negro fellow strikes me as a racist, self-victimizing bigot, at least looking at his other posts. It’s all “kill, kill, kill the white man”. Oh, and an ultra-Leftie as well. Apparently on racist grounds.
Having just read a little bit more from that person, I am utterly disgusted.
Heh? That’s strange. I didn’t really get that impression from his blog. It’s read by some white folks (mostly leftists, I’d say). I’m not sure why you’d say that dude.
What I like about it is that his style of writing is pretty straightforward and he offers a window for his readers into the things he encounters on a regular basis. He doesn’t sugar-coat. Self-victimizing? Sure, maybe he is to a certain extent, but I find the guy’s blog amusing and genuine. It’s not someone trying to put a fake smile for the world.
What exactly struck a raw nerve?
I don’t understand up until this very day why the black community did let the word negro be drawn into having an insulting meaning and with this in fact surrender to the wishes of the whites. The racist ones I mean.
What makes a word a no-no? If, from the very beginning the firm response against derogating suggestion in use by whites of this word would have been to use it proudly - would the word negro then still have such negative meaning?
Usually nobody can even tell I’m jewish, but soon as I hear someone make a derogatory remark about jews - I make damn sure they will know I’m a jew, just to show them that their trying to devaluate the word only makes me stand up taller and be proud to be one.
Is it differently for the word negro?
Drima -
It’s the whole Black Power bullshit. I like it about as much as I do the whole White Power bullshit.
It’s this weird mix… that whenever the man suspects someone of racism, the supposed racist is automatically presumed to be a white Republican. Any black Republicans are automatically “house niggers”.
Anyone who mixes race and politics is a godsdamn racist in my book. So for me, reading that blog is kind of like reading stormfront.
“Anyone who mixes race and politics is a godsdamn racist in my book.”
Exactly.
That is exactly what racism is: the belief that race means something, is important in a context other than medicine/biology.
It does not and it is not. And anybody who believes that it is, is a racist; no matter, ironically, what colour he is or whether he an opinion about whether one race is “better” than another.
Racists:
The white Republican or Democrat who joined the Ku-Klux-Klan to defend “white America”.
The black preacher who believes that whites owe blacks for crimes other people (who happened to be white) had committed against other people (who happened to be black).
The Arab nationalist who believes in Arab unity, not Muslim unity or middle-eastern unity, but _Arab_ unity.
Not racists:
The right-wing Zionist, because the definition of “Jewish” does not exclude other ethnicities. Anybody can become Jewish. (Unless the Zionist in question doesn’t believe in conversions, in which case he is not following the Jewish religion; or unless he specifically excludes Arabs. He could still be an intolerant Islamophobe, of course. I have met both negative types.)
The individuals behind the European Union, because the European Union is not a union of common blood but of common values. (Although there are supporters of the EU who see it differently.)
American patriots and neo-cons, because they believe in an America defined by American values, not by a specific people.
And, perhaps most surprising: English imperialists, who believed (as I do) in the supremacy of their culture, but not Anglo-Saxon blood. Anybody can live English culture, and many Indians and West-Indians do (that’s what Cricket is, for example).
Field is about as racist as I am, which is not very da**ed much. Either of us will call an idiot an idiot whatever flavor they happen to come in. Field has no love for fools whether they are George Bush or Al Sharpton. If that makes us “evil leftists” then so be it.
The right has done such a bang up job for the country after all.
Careful Drima, you are beginning to uncover some of the right wing fog of political spin, you may find out some harsh truths about some of the people in that camp. You might also discover not all of the “evil left” in America is quite what you’ve been led to believe.
It’s lots of fun to paint Democrats as whining cowards who can barely tie their own shoes, it’s also a dangerous assumption. Keep in mind it was Truman, a Democrat, who desegregated the US Armed forces and also Truman who dropped the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was Ronald Reagan, a Republican, who pulled us out of Lebanon immediately after the bombing of our military barracks.
Just as there is more than one camp on the Republican side (yes, there are several but they’ve mostly all been marginalized by the neo-cons and evangelical Christian right) there are also many flavors on the Democratic side.
Very sorry you felt that way Raccoon, I had thought you were smarter than that.
Tse, your questions have stirred up a lot of thoughts. I might actually write a post on that. Hmmmm…
Raccoon, I see your point now.
“Not racists:
The right-wing Zionist, because the definition of “Jewish” does not exclude other ethnicities.”
Andrew, you do realize that many many people will passionately disagree with you.
The word “Zionist” can make many people very emotional. At the end of the day most of it comes down to the definition of Zionist and that alone ought to create a wonderful heated discussion.
When it comes to cultural supremacy, I don’t think it’s that simple. It does produce racism at times. English culture is unique to the English or at least was back then. Non-English meant not being culturally English which also meant that non-English were culturally inferior. It’s condescending which can potentially lead to racism. English imperialists did afterall have very racist policies during colonization (not all of them were racists of course). Theory is something, implementation is something else.
Question though, Jewish most of the time tends to mean Jewish as in ethnicity wise, not religion (at least to me). If a Japanese converted and became Jewish, wouldn’t many Jews regard him as a lesser Jew since he’s not ethnically Jewish or at least didn’t have a Jewish mother?
Not Your Mama, I try not to get sucked into this whole Left Vs Right thing. I don’t want to put myself in one of either boxes. And yes, I know from history that the current dynamic we see today regarding Dems & Reps wasn’t always the same. But that’s then and this is now. When it comes to things like withdrawing from Iraq, I don’t support the Dem view and if that makes me a right winger then so be it. However when it comes to the methods employed in the war on terror by Reps (Guantanamo, secret CIA prisons, outsourcing of torture etc.) then I side with Dems and if that makes me a terrorist sympathizing leftist then so be it.
I can go on and on but one thing is defintely certain. I cannot stand the garbage of the far Islamophobic right and the loony conspiracy theories of the “blame America for everything” far left.
As for field, I like the guy’s blog (as controversial as it maybe to some).
I can go on and on but one thing is defintely certain. I can’ stand the garbage of the far Islamophobic right and the loony conspiracy theories of the “blame America for everything” far left.
I can get behind that 100%. There’s our problem…both camps have been hijacked by the extremists on either side. Speaking from the left side, no, America is not to blame for everything….we end up getting blamed more because we have bigger war toys and more economic clout. With that comes greater responsibility.
I’d be the first to say we are about the best on a national level on issues of equality, whether in matters of race, religion or other. As not-so-hot as we often are we still do better than even most of Europe which while they might talk a good game on these issues…do not really walk the walk in their day to day lives.
As for an Iraq pullout…in the general population that isn’t even a left-right issue and has not been for quite some time. Republican voters are calling for a pullout at nearly the same levels as Democratic voters. The only way to have salvaged that operation would have been to remove the current administration quite some time back and replaced it with more capable leaders. That obviously did not happen and at this juncture it’s too late….there is no realistic chance of re-energizing popular support for continued troop presence in Iraq, The only remaining question is how badly the withdrawal will be done and that hinges on the result of the ‘08 election.
Not even a newly elected Republican president is going to continue the current strategy. The risk is picking one from either side with a jumpy trigger-finger and no diplomatic skills. If that ends up being the case, I’d hate to be caught in the crossfire.
I fully realize it’s going to be a massive disaster regardless of how or exactly when we leave, I don’t see any way out of that scenario. It’s also inevitable regardless of that fact. It is going to happen and it just seems like the practical thing to be doing is figuring out ways to at least attempt to offset some of the damage instead of debating whether or not the sky will be blue tomorrow.
“Andrew, you do realize that many many people will passionately disagree with you.”
Oh, yes. Those people are free to make their case.
“The word “Zionist” can make many people very emotional. At the end of the day most of it comes down to the definition of Zionist and that alone ought to create a wonderful heated discussion.”
I don’t think so. There will be no discussion, there never ever is. People shout at each other, true; but whether that is a discussion…
“Question though, Jewish most of the time tends to mean Jewish as in ethnicity wise, not religion (at least to me). If a Japanese converted and became Jewish, wouldn’t many Jews regard him as a lesser Jew since he’s not ethnically Jewish or at least didn’t have a Jewish mother?”
“Jewish” is an ethnicity. But the Jewish religion commands the Jewish people to accept converts into their people. The Jews were a people before Moses defined their particular religion. That’s why there is with Hebrew a Jewish language and that’s why there was and is again a Jewish homeland.
If a Japanese converted and became Jewish, other Jews must accept him as a full Jew and must not ever remind him or anybody else that he was not born a Jew. Jewish law and tradition says as much.
There are people who believe exactly what the Jews believe but who are themselves not Jewish.
I have met black Jews from New York who were not related to other Jews, genetically. But they were just as Jewish as a Mizrahi from a family who never left Jerusalem.
Not my Mama -
Calling me stupid is an interesting way to argue your point. Did you get it from the Aristotelian school of debate?
Drima -
“If a Japanese converted and became Jewish, wouldn’t many Jews regard him as a lesser Jew since he’s not ethnically Jewish or at least didn’t have a Jewish mother?”
Nope. It wouldn’t matter to religious Jews, and he would be considered to be more of a Jew than me… because I am an ethnic Jew who does not follow the Jewish religion. We’ve discussed the complexity of Jewish identity before (comprised of tradition, ethnicity and religion - each separate from and yet closely related to every other)
Oh, and the English Empire was racist. It’s not only their culture they considered superior - it was the whole thing, culture, race, heritage, tradition, whatnot. In the same way the Greeks, say, were racist on the whole.
BTW, I still don’t get what the whole fuss over Guantanamo is about. It’s not exactly the infamous half-cellars of the KGB. As a matter of fact, the terrorists there seem to be pampered in ways I find totally unacceptable.
Calling me stupid is an interesting way to argue your point. Did you get it from the Aristotelian school of debate?
Actually I said, “I had thought you were smarter than that”. Meaning: I had thought you were smarter than to make a superficial snap judgement of racial tensions/and attitudes in the US. Most of your previous writings that I had read showed deeper thought and far more insight.
If that is “calling you stupid”, well, ok, it was stupid in my view. I live in the US, have spent my entire life here, and have spent all of it amongst friends, family and associates of enough different races and backgrounds to fill the UN.
No, it was not from the “Aristotelian school of debate”, it was not a point for debate…it was a personal opinion on your expressed personal opinion about someone I probably have a little more personal comprehension of than I suspect you or most commentors here do. Sorry that rocks the boat here but that’s life now isn’t it?
What I see here frequently is a great deal of judgement about US attitudes, beliefs, politics and policies but almost none coming from anyone not affiliated with either the Muslim or Jewish faiths and American born & bred. Would you deny that sometimes given that scenario, some nuances are missed?
“Oh, and the English Empire was racist. It’s not only their culture they considered superior - it was the whole thing, culture, race, heritage, tradition, whatnot.”
I disagree. The Empire was not racist. They were the first major power even to acknowledge that all races were of equal potential (although not all cultures were equally developed) and the first major power to abolish slavery.
They did consider their culture superior, not their (genetic) race.
Not my Mama -
Point taken. I am not an American, never been to the USA, and without a deep understanding of current racial attitudes in the said country… although I am somewhat unsure about the relevancy of this to the point. The issue of racial tensions in the US is not the one I expressed an opinion on - it was rather the apparent tendency of our friend the Field Negro to associate race with political affiliation. There was more that made me reach the conclusion that FN is a racist (such as the “us vs them” attitude towards Negroes and Caucasians)… but that was the most obvious thing.
Andrew -
“They make fine soldiers… when commanded by white officers”. Remember?
.. testing… italics off
damn it – testing again.
Yes! Success… will get back to you all in a while. Gotta run to work. I’m gonna be late today. Sigh!
“I disagree. The Empire was not racist.”
Heh? Dude, are you serious? *scratching head*
Ehm… I think we need to define what exactly racism…
Raccoon, you’ve done so much traveling but never been to the USA? Me surprised. You should go.
Not Your Mama, I’ll post something for you in a while.
The British Empire was not racist in the ideals it defined for itself, but it *was* populated by a lot of racists.
Not Your Mama-
Raccoon indeed argued on the matter of a single individual and his views, rather than US racial/political/etc dynamic.
Unless you object to Raccoon’s views with regards to negative stereotypes on white(racist) and black(house nigger) Republicans.
Regarding Jewish converts. The conversion process is considered to be one of rebirth, and one who converts to Judaism is no less a Jew than one who was born a Jew.
Physical appearance is quite irrelevant as well. We have Jews of all shapes, colors and sizes. I suspect that we’re the most diverse “ethnicity” in the world.
Oh my, race has a great deal to do with political affiliation in the US. Fewer than 10% of African-Americans are Republican. The other 90% would sooner eat nails than vote for a Republican.
That would not be apparent from viewing our media coverage because the Republican party strategists take pains to feature the few African-American pundits they have at any and every media opportunity.
George Bush got 2% of the vote in Washington D.C. because D.C. is about 98% Black.
Oh my, race has a great deal to do with political affiliation in the US. Fewer than 10% of African-Americans are Republican. The other 90% would sooner eat nails than vote for a Republican.
That would not be apparent from viewing our media coverage because the Republican party strategists take pains to feature the few African-American pundits they have at any and every media opportunity. Hence the moniker of “house”. If’n yo’ kiss up ‘n make nice to massa, yo’ gits to work in de house.
George Bush got 2% of the vote in Washington D.C. because D.C. is about 98% Black. Race and politics are not separate issues here.
Not Your Mama, I agree with how you broke it down.
Most of my ethnically diverse American friends vote Donkey anyways. Most also say they’d rather die than vote for an Elephant.
Drima -
Next year I will be in USA… well, stopping by on my way to Central and South Americas, but stopping in USA is a must
“The British Empire was not racist in the ideals it defined for itself, but it *was* populated by a lot of racists.”
Precisely. The Empire was more than the sum of its population. Its ideals were decidedly not racist, but it was populated by racists, just like all other countries at the time and today.
I think it would be safe to say that there were probably fewer racist and less extreme racists among the British than among other European nations. That’s why colour-blind laws (in theory) were even possible and that’s why the British public vehemently disagreed with the theory and practice of slavery.
“Oh my, race has a great deal to do with political affiliation in the US.”
No, it doesn’t. “Race” is an attribute of the individual that doesn’t, by itself, influence the individual’s thinking. How could it have an influece on political affiliation?
It is people’s attitudes towards race that influence politics. American blacks BELIEVE that they must be Democrats, because they are BLACK. They wrong, because “because they are black” is not a reason for anything political, but nevertheless, that’s what they think.
I am an immigrant, I must be a Democrat.
I am poor, I must be a Democrat.
I am not religious, I must be a Democrat.
I am against some of the rights in the Bill of Rights, I must be a Democrat.
These are valid reasons to be a Democrat. They might still be wrong, but they are valid in as much as they have something to do with politics.
But “I am black, I must be a Democrat” is a fallacy. One’s skin colour should influence neither other people’s politics nor one’s own.
Republicans very much ignore skin colour these days, just like many of them did in the 1800s. But the Democrats have a long history of believing that skin colour is important.
http://www.newstatesman.com/200105070041
I am myself more the Rik Mayal “New Statesman” type, but the points in the article are nevertheless valid.
Andrew, that’s a very interesting link. I may even look up the book.
I second RK. A very interesting link indeed - thanks, Andrew
Well Andrew, then in all fairness you should also proselytize this point to the ‘po white community which believes it MUST vote Republican to protect it’s “white culture”. The trailer park crowd is about 90% Republican. It’s more than a one-way street. And trust me, there is no tolerance from those quarters for anyone not in lockstep with them.
When you see the out and out hostility and rage coming from the left keep in mind that most all of us have put up with DECADES of put-downs, insults, mockery, and both subtle and overt discrimination for our race, gender, and/or religious and political beliefs. Big, fat, hairy white guys standing about mocking people and calling them “nigra’s” and “feminazi’s” and “moonbats” is not a good recruitment technique and is not an image that will be erased from minds quickly even if the entire Republican party membership cleaned up it’s act tomorrow.
Not Your Mama, so your answer is to become like the racists you speak of? All I read in your reply was self-justification.
“Well Andrew, then in all fairness you should also proselytize this point to the ‘po white community which believes it MUST vote Republican to protect it’s “white culture”. The trailer park crowd is about 90% Republican.”
I believe they probably vote Republican because a party that doesn’t believe in a difference between black and white is more likely to leave them alone than a party who believes in a difference between black and white.
Their belief in a “white culture” is wrong, of course; and if they would vote for a party that acknowledges a “difference” and would specifically support their “race”, I would say about them what I have said about the Democratic supporters. In fact, I’d say worse things about them due to the historical precedents.
“most all of us have put up with DECADES of put-downs, insults, mockery, and both subtle and overt discrimination for our race, gender, and/or religious and political beliefs.”
People draw swastikas on my synagogue in Ireland and a Lebanese militia threw rockets at my university in northern Israel to kill me and the other students because of what we are.
What put-downs have you gone through and are you still going through them now that the southern Democracts have been in decline for quite a while?
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