You are currently browsing resistance's articles.
So I went to a community event the other day. Waited patiently at the refreshment table for a drink. There was only one person in front of me, but she was taking a very long time. Then right when she finished, a white woman stepped right up in front of me and helped herself.
(Yes, I do attribute this to her race.)
Anyway, so later I apparently was pointed out to this same woman as a person to know, and she came over and made some politeness noises. I was talking with a Latina woman at the time and I noted with some interest that the white woman didn’t acknowledge her. She just butted into the conversation.
Anyway, because I am so f*cking polite, I introduced them.
(Wait, it’s coming!) Read the rest of this entry »
The Ontario Human Rights Commission has concluded that racial profiling played a major role in the harassment of Asian Canadian fishermen. This inquiry was launched in November 2007 after numerous reports, including one in which a 73-year-old man was beaten unconscious and his son-in-law was thrown off a bridge.
In the United States, Du Doan’s murderer, John Haley, was charged with first degree murder in September 2007. I haven’t gotten any updates on this case, but ten bucks says he pleads to manslaughter or less. As far as I can tell, he must be out on bond.
More stuff from the floppy disks. From a much longer essay I wrote a long time ago. I noted with some interest that I use the terms “non-white” and “minority” here–which I rarely use now.
—
… Although Nancy and I … are both as culturally American as Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup and Wonder Bread, and share a common upbringing and lifestyle that is the foundation of our friendship, one crucial difference separates us: Every day of her life, she walks around as a white person. Every day of my life, I am reminded I am not white, and sometimes I am treated differently for one reason alone.
That day, as we talked, it suddenly occurred to me that Nancy saw racist incidents like these as isolated acts committed by a few bad individuals. Racism did not touch her life. She was occasionally forced to look at it, but she would never feel it. I saw racism as ingrained within our society; I see and feel its evidence every day of my life. Read the rest of this entry »
A true hero, Sendler joined the Polish Underground. She started her work by transporting food and supplies to the Jewish ghetto. Later she began smuggling children out and hiding them with sympathetic families.
Sendler was arrested in 1943, was tortured (her legs and feet were broken), but she refused to disclose any information.
“Every child saved with my help and the help of all the wonderful secret messengers, who today are no longer living, is the justification of my existence on the Earth and not a title to glory.
“Over a half-century has passed since the hell of the Holocaust, but its specter still hangs over the world and doesn’t allow us to forget the tragedy.”
We previously wrote about Sendler here.
Omowale Akintunde, Multicultural Education v. 7 no. 2 (Winter 1999)
Racism is a systemic, societal, institutional, omnipresent, and epistemologically embedded phenomenon that pervades every vestige of our reality. For most whites, however, racism is like murder: the concept exists but someone has to commit it in order for it to happen. This limited view of such a multilayered syndrome cultivates the sinister nature of racism and, in fact, perpetuates racist phenomena rather than eradicates them. Further, this view of racism disguises its true essence, thus allowing its tenets to proliferate. Read the rest of this entry »
The No Child Left Behind Act is not meeting the needs of Asian American students:
As Congress considers the reauthorization of NCLB
and other education reforms, legislators, policy makers,
and policy advocates must take into account the
needs of Asian American students, an often neglected
group. Contrary to stereotypes that cast Asian
Americans as model students of academic achievement,
many Asian American students are struggling,
failing, and dropping out of schools that ignore
their needs. Many immigrant youth are from working
class families who find themselves without adequate
resources necessary to succeed. Most school
districts do not provide sufficient services for
English Language Learners (ELL), especially those
who speak a language other than Spanish. Asian
language interpretation and translation services,
bilingual programs, or translated assessments are
hardly ever available even though they are essential.
From the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund report (pdf document).
… that the officiant at Jenna Bush’s wedding was Kirbyjon Caldwell?
From a search that brought someone to this site: “Why are white people so racist?”
Answer: White people’s racism is a classic example of how rewards for bad behavior perpetuate that same problematic behavior. So let them have a couple of slaves or two, and next thing you know the idea that brown people are born to serve has become entrenched in the white mind. Because of course it’s great to have people to order around! Who wouldn’t want a slave, given the chance? Read the rest of this entry »
“What kinda name is THAT?”
“Oh, it’s an American name,” I say.
“An American name? No, you know what I mean. That’s not an American name.”
“Sure it is,” I reply. “I’m an American, and that’s my name.”
“You know what I mean.”
“No, I’m sure I don’t. What exactly is an ‘American’ name?”
Heh, this is a lot of fun.
This article is about the difficulty college administrators have when announcing names at commencement. You know, because of all that diversity. Deans and other commencement speakers now ask students how to pronounce their names:
“Often they say something like, ‘Never mind, it doesn’t matter,’ because they’re so used to having it butchered over the years,” she says.
So … does it matter to you if people mispronounce your name? Have you ever said your name repeatedly for someone who just couldn’t get it?
I was at a commencement a few years back and noted with some annoyance that the ASL translator was spelling the names any old way. Given that he had a program and a listing, you would think he might spell the names correctly.
Yes, I know the U.S. government didn’t infect those African American men with syphilis. At least I hope it didn’t. But the freaking experiment went on for something like 40 years and involved hundreds of men.
But seriously, why wouldn’t you think that history would make people a little suspicious of people in power?
Two paths of Bayer drug in 80’s: Riskier type went overseas
A division of the pharmaceutical company Bayer sold millions of dollars of blood-clotting medicine for hemophiliacs - medicine that carried a high risk of transmitting AIDS - to Asia and Latin America in the mid-1980’s while selling a new, safer product in the West, according to documents obtained by The New York Times. Read the rest of this entry »
Laura Bush, speaking about Myanmar:
It’s troubling that many of the Burmese people learned of this impending disaster only when foreign outlets such as Radio Free Asia and Voice of America sounded the alarm. Although they were aware of the threat, Burma’s state-run media failed to issue a timely warning to citizens in the storm’s path. The response to the cyclone is just the most recent example of the junta’s failure to meet its people’s basic needs.
Not that anyone cares.
Somebody forwarded a link to John McCain’s Spanish language site. Here’s what the front page reads:
Maintain the hope. Maintain the unity. We do not fold. We will never surrender. We are united.
I’ve translated for the benefit of Americans who speak only English. As you all should, because it is anti-American to do otherwise.
From the Pacific Citizen, via Hyphen:
Today many APAs who identify as lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender (LGBT) can turn to countless support organizations like API Equality. But there was a time when APA groups did not consider same-sex marriage rights a priority, said Fong.
When others didn’t want to talk about it, JACL made history. At the 1994 Salt Lake City convention, JACL became the first non-gay organization - after the American Civil Liberties Union - to support same-sex marriage.
Commenter Melinda, who has our number, provided this link: Adoptees More Likely to be Troubled:
As the world’s most famous adoptive parents, the actors may be alarmed to hear that a new study shows being adopted approximately doubles the odds of an adolescent being diagnosed with a behavior or emotional problem. Furthermore, the findings open up the question of what’s behind that increased risk — adoptive parents or genetics?
Well, I give the writer an automatic point deduction for starting the article with Angelina Jolie. But it also seems like she uses “being adopted” as an ascribed status. Because I don’t think she’s talking about the actual act of adoption. My guess would be that it’s the separation from the first family that causes the problems.
Asking whether this is attributable to “adoptive parents or genetics” is kind of odd too: Read the rest of this entry »
I love Howard Winant. Some years back I read Racial Formation in the United States (co-authored by Michael Omi) and declared Winant and Omi the rock stars of sociology. I actually talked with Winant* briefly at some cocktail meet-and-greet thing and he is fascinating and brilliant, plus he seems genuinely nice. I don’t entirely agree with this article, but it’s an interesting read:
Obama Navigates the Home Stretch
We haven’t seen much anger from him yet, maybe a bit in his repudiation of Wright, but his chief emotion then seemed to be sadness. Obama needs to develop some serious and articulate anger at the powers that be. He’d better do it fast. Can a black man get angry in a national election? Can he channel the righteous indignation of America, not just black but also white? Can he represent BOTH class resentment AND racial tolerance? America’s future depends on the answer to that question.
*one of these days I’m going to write about my encounters with the famous.
**he also asked me if I knew Michael Omi. Heh.
Los Angeles Police Department officials announced Tuesday that they investigated more than 300 complaints of racial profiling against officers last year and found that none had merit — a conclusion that left members of the department’s oversight commission incredulous.
In addition, 850 complaints over the past 4 years were investigated and similarly found to lack merit.
Just in time to promote her book, Barbara Walters has confessed to having an affair with an African American senator.
He used to joke that “I was the oldest woman he had ever been attracted to.” (She writes she was tempted to respond, “Oh yeah? Well, you are the blackest man I have ever been with.”)
Excuse me now, I have to run out and get some more brain soap to wash that awful image out of my mind.
Like the concept of race, the term “racism” is also under critical
scrutiny regarding its overall meaning, conceptual validity, and
analytic power. It is frequently suggested that the term itself is
subject to so many varied meanings as to render the concept greatly
limited in utility. Anything from individual acts of prejudice to
systemic, institutional forms of discrimination potentially fall under
the rubric of “racism.” John [*165] Bunzel, former member of the
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and current senior research fellow at
Stanford’s Hoover Institution, argued in 1998 that the President’s
Advisory Board on Race should call for a halt to the use of terms such
as “racism” and “racist” since they are “wielded as accusations and
smear words” that breed “bitterness and polarization.” n16 Read the rest of this entry »
You heard it here first.
From Newsday.com: “Blacks who excel disprove notion America’s racist”
Blacks who succeed - who go to Ivy League colleges and law schools and excel - trouble the race men of yesteryear, because they disprove the maxim that America is racist.
This is not a new thought–the idea of the “crab mentality” (in which a crab trying to escape a pot will be yanked back in by the others) has been around for a long time. But if America is not racist, how do you explain social inequalities? Genetic inferiority? Read the rest of this entry »
Maybe the world catches up to what you’ve been saying. Maybe not.
And I come by here to say that America too is going to Hell, if we don’t use her wealth. If America does not use her vast resources of wealth to end poverty, to make it possible for all of God’s children to have the basic necessities of life, she too will go to Hell. Read the rest of this entry »
Go over to RaceWire and read this article.
(I seem to have a thing for people named Kai. Hmm …)
Unbelievable. Take a look.
Two Frontier Airlines employees made a noose and showed it to a black co-worker, asking, “Are you ready?”
A U.S. Secret Service agent tied and displayed a noose at the SS training facilities. Oh, and the Secret Service is in the midst of a discrimination lawsuit. Fifty-eight African American agents have testified in support of the plaintiff. (58! How many African American agents are there?)
Apparently burning a cross in Florida is a crime, but there’s debate over whether hanging a noose is.
A Tennessee high school student has been displaying a noose and a Confederate flag on his car.
Three Michigan restaurant workers have been fired for hanging a noose in the restaurant.
The 19-year-old who displayed a noose at the Jena Six rally pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor hate crime.
Looks like Connecticut might make the display of a noose a Class A misdemeanor.
More than a year ago, threats against students at Wilson High School began appearing on the school’s wikipedia page.
The writer, who said he was a student, hid behind an anonymous e-mail address to threaten by name Asian students at the San Gabriel Valley school, hurl racial slurs at the school’s primarily Asian badminton team and allude to possible attacks.
“I would love to see her shot right between the eyes with blood gushing out from her mouth begging for mercy as she clings onto a single shred of life,” read a message about an Asian student posted May 28, 2007. “Haha now there’s a great fantasy.”
By name. He named the people involved in his violent fantasies. Yet nothing was done until approximately two weeks ago.
Edited to add: I wondered if this kid was Asian since he referenced fob’s.
Okay, I realize you want to be an ally to people of color. Really, I try very hard to extend some empathy to some of you. And I know I talk a lot about race and racism, and I might quite possibly be the only person of color you know.
But I can’t do your work any more. I used to. You would call and ask long questions and I would help you. I would give you references, I would loan you books, I would spend lots of time writing e-mail with helpful suggestions. And then what?
YOU NEVER FUCKING BOTHERED TO TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED OR WHETHER YOU EVEN IMPLEMENTED ANY OF MY SUGGESTIONS!
Yah, I’m done.
Filed under: Famous Last Words
This story is by a white man whose white wife was brutally raped by an African American man. He wrote about his struggle not to racialize this single act:
There are large violent acts, I have written elsewhere, but no large healing acts. The work of healing is a matter of small acts of attention and care sustained over time. Is this perhaps among the things Dr. King tried to teach us by his insistence on nonviolence in theory and practice? A commitment to nonviolence constantly forces you back to the bedrock realization that structures of inequality and exclusion are enforced by particular blows to particular bodies inflicted by particular hands. And it challenges you to seize the occasions for resisting violence that are all around you. In mysterious ways, more by grace than design, it too has the power to rearrange your molecules—to make you more whole, less afraid, more alive to human possibilities.
How do we work on acts of healing? Because even for those of us who have not experienced such large violent acts, healing the damage racism has caused is hard work.
Subtitled: Are our allies blind? Or are they really allies?
First, a white “feminist” writer writes something that sure seems like appropriation. But she writes in a vacuum, because she doesn’t mention any women of color that went before her! No, seriously!
This was the preliminary book cover by this “feminist” writer. After expressions of concern from some folks about racist imagery, the cover was changed. But of course it didn’t go down easy.
Good to know what the joy-killing narrative is going to be. My money was on “pornographic”. Shows my guessing skills.
(Anti-racists! Joy-Killers!) and Read the rest of this entry »
I noticed early this morning that there was a section titled “Possibly related posts” with links to other blogs at the bottom of all our posts. Apparently this is a new wordpress feature. I disabled it since some of the links that came up were from people sucking on the haterade. (If you have a wordpress blog and want to turn it off, go into Design>Extras.)
Related to this idiot, who thought an article about suicide and those crazy furrin Asian Americans would be hilarious for April Fool’s day. He wrote yet another crappy “apology” for some campus publication called “The Bully Pulpit.” Here’s the editor’s note, which is appended to the end:
Editor’s Note: We commend D. Evan Mulvilhill for starting an important dialogue across the Cornell campus. We condemn the commenters who have called Evan a cunt, racist, and a bigot.
We appreciate Evan’s use of humor to highlight the various stereotypes facing Asian and Asian American’s today. After all, if we don’t talk about it, nothing is going to get accomplished.
Without humor and dialogue, the world would be a sad place.
So, thank you Evan. Thanks for being brave by putting yourself out there by starting an important discussion regarding stereotypes concerning the APIA community.
P.S. Everyone calling for Evan’s head, CALM DOWN. Sheesh.
Sorry, there should be no cookies given for “starting an important dialogue” by saying something really racist. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Is it possible to start an important dialogue without racism?
By the way, if you don’t want to be called a racist or a bigot, don’t say racist and bigoted things!
The editor talks about “humor” as if humor and racism are mutually exclusive. Additionally, is it possible to “highlight the various stereotypes facing Asian and Asian American’s [sic]” without the use of racist spew?
I could do without racist humor. I don’t think that would make the world a sad place. It would make the world a safer place for some of us.
And just like the other white college student linked above, I don’t think this was a particularly brave action.
Complete posting of bullshit after the cut. Translations from racismese appended in brackets. No link. Read the rest of this entry »
Former President Bill Clinton:
Clinton was asked whether his remarks comparing Obama’s strong showing in South Carolina to that of Jesse Jackson in 1988 had been a mistake given their impact on his wife Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
“No, I think that they played the race card on me,” said Clinton, “and we now know from memos from the campaign and everything that they planned to do it all along.”
And when asked about it, his response was as follows:
“You have mischaracterized it to get another cheap story to divert the American people from the real urgent issues before us, and I choose not to play your games today,” Clinton added.
What the heck is an “upscale cultural liberal” anyway?
Father Michael Pfleger, speaking about Rev. Wright:
Notice how skillfully Pfleger calls out the reporter.
Some of us thought the “Horry Kow” shirt was racist. But titling a post on a “progressive” blog “Horry Kow That’s Racist!” is pretty racist too. Because when somebody has made a lame “joke” on the stereotype that Asians cannot speak English, repeating that “joke” is replicating racism.
But it’s not the first time, is it? Kinda like being able to have your anti-racist cake and eat it too.
Please use spell check. Especially if you want to convince others of the superiority of your race. Thank you.
about this Cubs t-shirt:
which has right fielder Kosuke Fukudome’s name and number on the back.
Here’s the quote:
A Fukudome T-shirt with a racist image is the hottest-selling item at a souvenir stand that sells unlicensed Cubs-related merchandise across Addison Street from the ballpark, according to Mark Kolbusz, who’s in his fourth season operating the stand.
On the front of the shirt is the traditional Cubs cartoon bear face but with slanted eyes and wearing oversized Harry Caray-style glasses. It’s accompanied by the words ”Horry Kow,” scrawled in cartoonish ”Japanese” script. Fukudome’s name and number are on the back.
Got that? Read the rest of this entry »
there was South Carolina State College, where three African American students were killed and 28 were wounded.
Thus proving the point that people all over the world should strive not to be so CNN.
“CNN would like to clarify that it was not Mr. Cafferty’s, nor CNN’s, intent to cause offense to the Chinese people, and would apologise to anyone who has interpreted the comments in this way,” the network said in a statement.
“CNN is a network that reports the news in an objective and balanced fashion. However, as part of our coverage we also employ commentators who provide robust opinions that generate debate.
“It should be noted that over many years, Jack Cafferty has expressed critical comments on many governments, including the US government and its leaders.”
Got that?
“Not Cafferty’s nor CNN’s intent”–we are too stoopid to know better Read the rest of this entry »
But I already knew that.
The University of Chicago’s Stereotyping and Prejudice Research Laboratory has an interesting experiment in which participants are asked to shoot armed targets but not shoot unarmed targets. The men (why no women? now that would be interesting) are either black or white.
How did you do? Read the rest of this entry »
Eight months after a gunman shot and killed 32 persons and committed suicide, another Korean American lost his life.
His name was Daniel Kim.
After news of the deaths of 32 students, Korean and Korean American expressed their concerns of the potential backlash that might follow: Read the rest of this entry »
Another guest post from Overseas Chinese!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j2bvOq3fLA
A new catch phrase has appeared every where in Hong Kong and China
cyberspace overnight because of Jack Cafferty’s comment. Now the ultimate
put down of someone’s intellect in Chinese is “Don’t be so CNN.”
Lately it seems I’ve heard a lot about the “last acceptable prejudice.” That description has been used to describe any of a number of biases, but most recently I’ve noticed it with regard to fat prejudice. The explanation is usually something along the lines of “While racism is no longer publicly acceptable, it is perfectly acceptable for people to voice disparaging remarks about fat people.”
My knee-jerk response to this is I do not think that fat prejudice is the only one that is openly voiced and condoned. Read the rest of this entry »
Three reporters from Arizona, on the condition of anonymity, also let me in on another incident involving McCain’s intemperateness. In his 1992 Senate bid, McCain was joined on the campaign trail by his wife, Cindy, as well as campaign aide Doug Cole and consultant Wes Gullett. At one point, Cindy playfully twirled McCain’s hair and said, “You’re getting a little thin up there.” McCain’s face reddened, and he responded, “At least I don’t plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you cunt.” McCain’s excuse was that it had been a long day.
In the ten-year period from 1996-2006, 21 Cornell students committed suicide. Thirteen of them (approximately 62 percent) were of Asian descent. Additionally, there have been suicides at Cornell by non-students.
In at least four cases, people killed themselves by throwing themselves into the gorges.
Good fodder for comedy? Here’s one Cornell blogger’s (D. Evan Mulvihill) take:
President David Skorton announced the plans for the construction of an Asian Community Center at a midday press conference today. The building is to be located directly adjacent to Uris Library on the Clocktower Side, and will be designed by the famous architect I. M. Pei.
“I believe that this building will dramatically reduce the amount of Asian suicides at Cornell,” Skorton announced. “We also plan to fill in the gorges with those chewy bubble tea orbs so that distraught students will have to rely on other methods.”
Am I a bad person if I laughed?
Armoster, who is 6-foot-1, 300 pounds and describes himself as “kind of a big-ass man,” says that Enlow hit him across the head with the squeegee and then attempted to flee, falling down in the process. That’s when Armoster grabbed the 61-year-old Enlow and, as he puts it, began to “spank his ass like a kid.”
Armoster says that he purposely opted to spank the grown man with an open hand—as opposed to punching him with a closed fist—to teach him a lesson.
“You better make sure that you be a man the next time you meet up with me and not be a damn boy,” he recalls saying.
Kids! Kind readers! Don’t try this at home.
Via inteligenta indigena.
Guest post special: Overseas Chinese responds to this article:
President Hu calls for more role of overseas Chinese(03/07/08)
BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Hu Jintao said Friday overseas Chinese can contribute more to the country’s modernization and reunification.
It is important to pool the wisdom of overseas Chinese and their relatives in this regard, Hu said while joining a panel discussion of political advisors from China Zhi Gong Party and the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese.
The advisors, or members of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), are in Beijing to attend the top advisory body’s annual session.
Overseas Chinese can help publicize Chinese culture, and enhance the understanding and bolster friendship between the Chinese and people of other countries, the president said.
Dear President Hu:
You don’t understand what it is like for us overseas Chinese to live in foreign countries. It is very hard. First, these white people don’t really want us here. They tease us and make fun of our accented English. We are stuck in low paying jobs with no health care. Our children are being teased and bullied at schools because they have black hair and Chinese eyes. Don’t believe in what the returnees told you about America. Read the rest of this entry »
Subtitled: ‘No comment’ to the article title
A recent news article mentioned that a Kent State undergraduate received notice from the FBI that an opinion piece of hers had attracted the attention of a white nationalist internet group. In “I am not a white bitch,” senior Beth Rankin complains about being “ostracized” for being white. She claims she wants to be “united” in the “fight against prejudice.”
The problem is that the black people are being mean to her. No, really! And undoubtedly that’s what’s stopping her from being a good anti-racist. Read the rest of this entry »
And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land.
Forty years later.
From MLive.com, “Adopting the Culture.”
Oh, the advantages of international adoption!
While there are upsides to international adoptions — providing a home to a child who doesn’t have one or giving a child a better life — there are also many challenges.
And while there are challenges to adopting a child from a foreign country, experts say with the right supports and guidance there’s no reason the advantages can’t far exceed any perceived downsides.
You get to provide a home to a needy child and give him or her a better life! There are challenges, but the advantages exceed any perceived downsides. Because you know, it’s all about the perception! Make sure you teach your child this, so that they know that those perceived downsides are outweighed by advantages. They might perceive some downsides, but it’s entirely possible that their perception is just faulty. In case they don’t express this on their own, make sure to say it for them: Read the rest of this entry »
Writing in the National Law Journal, legal scholar Jerry Kang discusses the relevance of two 1920’s court cases to current viewpoints of race in the recent discussion about Barack Obama. Both cases were attempts by Asian residents (who were prohibited by law from naturalization) to gain citizenship. In the first case, Ozawa v. U.S., the petitioner argued that he was a “true American” as he had no ties with Japanese organizations, did not speak the language at home so that his children spoke only English, and married a woman who was educated in the U.S.:
This did not suffice. The Supreme Court rejected the idea that whiteness should be tested by the “mere color of the skin” since “even among Anglo-Saxons . . . [there are] swarthy brunette[s who are] . . . darker than many of the lighter hued persons of the brown or yellow races.” Ozawa’s total assimilation also did not matter. Instead, relying on “numerous scientific authorities,” the court held that “white” should be understood as “Caucasian” — and Ozawa was certainly no Caucasian. In other words, he could not belong.
America has changed radically since the 1920s on matters of race. Yet, oddly enough, in the past few weeks, Obama was being wedged into the same difficult position in which Ozawa found himself. Talking heads were demanding that Obama disown not only his pastor’s words but also his very ability to comprehend where such anger might come from — as if such righteous indignation were sheer madness. He was being forced to react as if he were white, no different from the rest of “us,” as if his race were just a happenstance of complexion. The price of acceptance was that he publicly disown his culture, his people and his past.
From the New York Times. Note that Carmen Van Kerckhove is mentioned again.
Many people still stick to a one-race label, even if they are of mixed descent, researchers say, sometimes because of strong identification with one racial group, and occasionally because of a conscious effort not to dilute the numbers of the group they most identify with.
In interviews, people of mixed race said their decision about how to identify themselves was deeply personal, not political; it is influenced by how and where they were reared, how others perceive them, what they look like and how they themselves come to embrace their identity.
People of color are supposed to be quiet and grateful for everything that has been given to them.
When I wrote this, I meant that white people have it as a subtext in their speech and actions. Not that they say it directly like you do. But hey, let’s get it out in the open:
First, America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known. Read the rest of this entry »
to add to the list.
Ethan Sueppel
Seth Sueppel
Mira Sueppel
Eleanor Sueppel
bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat by their adoptive father, Steven.
Dawn Turner Trice of the Chicago Tribune recently started an ongoing column about race. She asked readers what question they would ask a person of a different race in order to get to know him or her better.
Trice writes as follows:
In starting this exploration, I wrote that I wanted it to go beyond the white-black model to include everybody, Asian-Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans.
After reviewing her readers’ responses, she then posted the following three questions:
Read the rest of this entry »
And said it better. Go. Read.
[N.B. This is a rant and as such needs only commiseration, sympathy and agreement. Thank you for your understanding, and please don't make me whack you over the head.]
Dear neighbors,
You may not know this, but dogs are social animals and enjoy company. As such, a dog should not be locked in a house for a couple of weeks with somebody merely coming by to feed it and to let it out twice a day. Read the rest of this entry »
How are the Iraqis faring?
At the time of the Gulf War, there were 1.8 million Iraqi refugees.
Iraqis endurse worse conditions than under Saddam.
Iraqi women sell sex for survival.
Iraqi hospitals are barely alive.
Almost five years ago, this was written: Troubling questions over justification for war.
Have we all been sleeping for five years?
to Spike Lee and More Cowbell.
This is Rep. Phil Gingrey (mentioned previously), speaking to Bill Gates before the House Science and Technology Committee. But Rep. Gingrey can’t be racist because his legislative aide is Asian! She’s Chicago native Jamie Skipper. Note that Dr. Skipper doesn’t look like Gingrey, for which she is undoubtedly grateful.
MR. GINGREY: … I am a former school board, public school board chairman in Marietta, Georgia, and every year they have the start students of all of the high schools that have the best scores on the SAT and their respective teacher that they give most of the credit to.
But when you look at those names, and we’re talking about maybe 30 high schools in that area, you see a lot of Asian and Indian names. Read the rest of this entry »
I have a problem with the sound on my computer. If I use RealPlayer, everything is fine. But anything played through the internet (YouTube, etc.) or through Windows Media Player cuts in and out. It is an intermittent problem and sometimes I will have long stretches where the sound is fine.
Much gratitude for anyone who can solve this mystery.
Just passing this along.
—
$500 SCHOLARSHIPS OFFERED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF MULTIETHNIC AMERICANS (AMEA) AND THE BIRACIAL FAMILY NETWORK (BFN)
Los Angeles, CA, March 19, 2008 - The Biracial Family Network (BFN) in
collaboration with the Association of MultiEthnic Americans will provide two
five hundred dollar scholarships with 1-year AMEA student memberships for
the 2008-2009 academic school year. Students of all undergraduate levels in
4-year colleges and universities, including entering freshman will be
eligible to apply. Scholarships are open to multiracial students or
transracially adopted students from all backgrounds. These scholarships may
be used towards tuition, room and board, and any other school-related costs. Read the rest of this entry »
WTF.
Subtitled: Because you all know I’m so willing to please! Help yourself to a cup of coffee and have a seat!
Here’s the Cliff Notes version first, in numbered bullet points. Please note that if you wish to write an essay commenting on this post, you are required to read the entire thing first and apply some critical thought. Additionally, copying and pasting off other sites on the internet is not considered a valid or desirable response, and will result in a failing grade.
That said …
1. This is the internets, dudes. More specifically, this is a blog. And what is a blog? A blog is a narcissistic exercise in self-aggrandizement. (Well, at least for me–I don’t know about my co-bloggers.) It is a place in which people write whatever they feel like writing. So I might write about my dog or the television show I watched last week or about some minutiae of my life. I write because I feel like writing, because I’m procrastinating while doing something else or for some other unknown motivation that escapes even me. Read the rest of this entry »
I was reading an article about John McCain in which he talked about “the sanctity of marriage.”
Oh yes, John, because we all know that same-sex marriage is a threat and an affront to straight marriage. Unlike having multiple affairs. Maybe gay people made you do it.
Reason #423 not to live in Idaho:
Planned Parenthood of Idaho officials apologized Wednesday for what they called an employee’s “serious mistake” in encouraging a donation aimed at aborting black babies.
I read this and I thought How many black people can be in the state of Idaho anyway? I bet it’s less than one percent.
Thanks to Jasper for the tip.
This is Kenny Sweet.
He died on Thanksgiving Day 2005 because he swallowed some magnets that had fallen out of a small Mega Brands toy. The magnets caused death by intestinal blockage. When they press together inside the body, they can cause perforations leading to life-threatening infections. This danger was reported in May 2005 but no action was taken.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a “voluntary” recall in May 2006, but the item was still on the store shelves. I know because I bought one for my nephew in 2007.
Now the Product Safety Commission is issuing a recall for similar magnetic toys. Obviously the Canadian company didn’t think that the danger to children was worth affecting its bottom line. We’ve covered this topic before, but reading the recent news hammers the message home.
This isn’t about toys manufactured in China. It’s about unscrupulous companies. Here’s the Mega Brands spokesperson:
Although MEGA Brands Inc. spokesperson Harold Chizick confirmed that no serious injuries have yet been reported, the company received 44 complaints over the past two years regarding the loose magnets, which prompted the recall.
“We’re doing this because we’re a company that cares about kids and families,” Chizick said.
Tell that to Kenny Sweet’s parents.
Edited to add: Just to make this perfectly clear:
- Mega Brands knew that the magnets were a serious danger as early as 2005.
- It knew of the death in November 2005.
- It did not recall the toys voluntarily.
- It promoted another line of toys aimed at preschoolers using the same type of magnets.
- It received complaints for two years about those magnets coming loose.
- It is a company that cares about children.
Also edited to correct erroneous assumption that Mega Brands voluntarily issued the recall. Ha! Ha!
I like it when it shines down: Eugene blogger in national spotlight as a citizen journalist for MTV
PS: Happy belated birthday.
The new blog, Misplaced Baggage.
“If anybody is going to apologize, they should apologize to me for calling me a racist.” –Geraldine Ferraro, responding to criticism over her comments about Barack Obama.
It’s a common tactic for white people to claim somebody called them racist when they are losing an argument that centers around race or racism. It’s like a pre-emptive strike, one that is based on the worst possible accusation that a white person can imagine. The intent is to shut down the conversation while sympathetic white people gasp and nod along. Read the rest of this entry »
(… maybe he’d be making 30 percent more and have a higher net worth.)
The recent foot-in-mouth comments from Geraldine Ferraro have led to a number of people speculating about how things would be different if Obama were white. And it struck me that these types of questions reveal how many people (especially white people) think about race.
Because you can’t make Obama white without changing who he is as a person.
About a year ago, sinoangle was talking about starting a blog that focused on issues of race and racism. I remember the conversation going something like this:
s: It would be a place where we didn’t have to explain the same concepts over and over again. And we would be able to speak freely.
me: (whining) I don’t wanna write a blog!
How a year can change your perspective. Read the rest of this entry »
Charmayne Brown and her cameraman Ti Barnes are black. They were reporting on a story across the street from the house of the alleged perpetrator. Also at the scene were members of another news team, who are white.
The other news team filmed the attack but did not intervene. (The cameraman did say he called 911.) One of the family members had been talking to the white news team before the incident occurred.
Guess having a murder suspect in your house and being taped for television is not enraging unless the people witnessing it are black.
I’ve been reading articles about Geraldine Ferraro’s comments on Barack Obama, and I keep thinking the same thought over and over again.
That thought is simple: “Whuh?!”
Here’s the quote:
“If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position,” she continued. “And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept.”
Later she was quoted as follows:
Ferraro, a former congresswoman from New York, said she was “hurt, absolutely hurt, by how they have taken this thing and spun it to sort of imply in any way, in any way, I am a racist.” But she said she was “absolutely not” sorry she had said Obama was benefiting from his status as the first African American perceived as having the chance to win the presidency.
“I was talking about historic candidacies,” she said. “In 1984, if my name were Gerard Ferraro instead of Geraldine Ferraro, I would never have been chosen as the vice president.”
Too scary!
So reappropriate has a post up about a Rhode Island fusion restaurant that uses blatantly sexist, racist advertising. The restaurant is named “Chinese Laundry.” No, I’m not making this up.
In response to the post, a commenter wrote the following:
People should burn that place down or AT LEAST write bad reviews on the resturant online –Eric
This comment generated at least two “news” items about the “Angry Asian American Woman” blogger and th