AP Racism

fire_fly

03:50 am - New comm: South Asian Women

Hi everyone, you might remember I posted last month about wanting to start a community for South Asian feminism and women's issues.

It's called southasianwomen, and it's open for business!

I actually need to find someone to help or take over moderation of the community because I absolutely do not have the time to dedicate to moderating an online comm. If you're interested, please don't hesitate to ask (by PM, in the comm, or in comments here). I'm especially interested in sharing moderation with women who live in South Asia, or know about feminisms from parts of South Asia other than India.

Membership is moderated at the moment, but I'm letting pretty much everyone who seems legit in. If I've seen you around any of these comms before, you'll almost definitely be approved!

So join up and start posting, ladies!

i_dreamed_i_was

01:19 pm - Illdoctrine on the conversation you want to have

I admit I was wary at first because I was afraid (although I don't know why) that he might say "saying racist thing X doesn't make person Y a racist," but no.

Thoughts and/or fangirl/boying are welcome.

i_dreamed_i_was

09:43 pm - AGHJGDET#TY#^D*DGD#&*(#YSDUH

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/07/new-ironic-new.html

Obama Camp Hammers New 'Ironic' New Yorker Cover Depicting Conspiracists' Nightmare of Real Obamas

July 13, 2008 5:46 PM

The sophisticates at The New Yorker have come up with a cover that is sure to get the magazine a lot of attention. Negative attention. From their friends.

An illustration by Barry Blitt depicts Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and his wife Michelle in the Oval Office, revealing their "true" selves: Michelle is in full revolutionary garb, an enormous afro making her look like a millennial Angela Davis, holding an automatic weapon and wearing military pants.

In the cartoon Michelle is giving dap, or fist-bumping, with her husband who is wearing a turban and is dressed in garb perhaps more appropriate for a madrassa in Lahore than the Oval Office.

A painting of Osama bin Laden hangs above the fireplace, where the American flag is being burned.

ABC News' Sunlen Miller reports that when he was asked about the controversial cover during a press avail today, Obama shrugged and then said, "I have no response to that."

His campaign had a response later in the day on Sunday.

Said Obama spox Bill Burton: "The New Yorker may think, as one of their staff explained to us, that their cover is a satirical lampoon of the caricature Senator Obama's right-wing critics have tried to create. But most readers will see it as tasteless and offensive. And we agree."

Knowing the liberal politics of the magazine, I believe the magazine's staff when they say the illustration is meant ironically, as a parody of the caricature some conservatives (and some supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.) are painting of the Obamas.

But it's still fairly incendiary, at least as these things go. I wonder what the reaction would be were it the Weekly Standard or the National Review putting such an illustration on their covers.

Intent factors into these matters, of course, but no Upper East Side liberal -- no matter how superior they feel their intellect is -- should assume that just because they're mocking such ridiculousness, the illustration won't feed into the same beast in emails and other media. It's a recruitment poster for the right-wing.

"This is as offensive a caricature as any magazine could publish," says a high-profile Obama supporter, "and I suspect that other Obama supporters like me are also thinking about not subscribing to or buying a magazine that trafficks in such trash."

But I would assume over at the Conde Nast building, they think it's droll.

I cannot imagine there aren't some angry, angry people in Chicago right now wondering if they should ever even talk to the New Yorker again.

---------

Okay, can we have a little discussion about irony, here? And, as someone in this comm so eloquently put it, exactly what is so "ironic" about white people being racist?

i_dreamed_i_was

10:33 am - Black and Native North America

With a hattip to digital_femme...



Mexican Comic Book Sold at Wal-Mart Called 'Racist' by Some

I have been thinking a bit about black vs. Native positionality in the US vs. Mexico, and I wanted to open the floor up to those who surely have more education on the subject. For all the implication that Mexicans are somehow "more racist" for the kinds of things displayed above*, I am wondering if a lot of the "difference" is attributable to the fact that to some extent black folk and Native folk occupy different/complementary positions in the society across the border. That is, due to history, political power and population size, among other things, it would seem that attitudes toward black folk in Mexico are roughly comparable (in some respects only, of course**) to those displayed toward Native folk in the US. And vice versa.

Does this hold any water in your opinion or experience? How so? Resources? Links? Ideas?

From those with whom I've discussed the subject, Native people in Mexico seem to occupy some of the same marginalized/criminalized space as black Americans, and black folk seen as more exotic or "expendable"/erasable, a tiny minority, etc. In the US, certainly racism acts somewhat differently WRT each group, with the origins based largely in whether is more beneficial for the group to be dead so you can take their land, or living so that you can exploit their labor. I'm wondering if any of this is at all analogous to the origins of racist attitudes in Mexico.



*More likely it is more attractive to pawn off "the worst racism" on perceived POC for reasons of... racism.

**Obviously Native folks are still the original occupants/owners of the land in any case.

i_dreamed_i_was

12:18 pm - Mixed Baybees

Here's something I've been wanting to talk about/ask about for a while, and I figured this was a choice group for the asking.

What do you do when your child, other relative, self, charge, et al. is complimented for being bi/multiracial? Particularly (as it seems most common) for being beautiful?

When I was growing up (white, no siblings until I was 10), my cousins, my primary peers, were all biracial. Their looks (especially those of my female cousin) were, not surprisingly, constantly remarked upon. While I think my (white) aunts were decent about addressing issues of racism, assumptions that they were adopted, etc., I have to say that they didn't particularly discourage the belief that the kids were attractive because they were "mixed."

My (Filipino American) husband and I are planning on having kids in the next couple of years, so this has been weighing on my mind. Of course our kids will be gorgeous, just being our kids. :P For that and reasons of exotification, there is no doubt in my mind that they will be on the receiving end of "compliments" for their looks, unsolicited musings on "hybrid vigor," etc.

I don't want to make the child feel as if he or (especially) she is *not* attractive. Of course, I'm not interested in emphasizing the importance of looks in general to my children, especially any girls. But I don't want that assumption-- that he/she is attractive because of his/her "mixedness"-- to remain unchallenged. The only responses I can think of are contradictory... Either, "Yes, she takes after her father" or "You are beautiful because of who you are, not who your parents are."

The second sounds a bit colorblind, but I know I am going to have to start early and need age-appropriate responses for toddlerhood on. The first is more to the point of Fil-Am pride, but I don't know if it cuts to the heart of it, or what... In case it's not clear, my problem with this exotification lies primarily in the idea that being "part-white" is considered a step up, and if a child is not "part-white" at all, then the compliment is often for being "less-black" or at least less threatening as a "full-blooded" [insert ethnicity]. That's not something I'm trying to teach my children to celebrate, theoretical though they may be at this point. I am also not interested in overly emphasizing the idea that they are "better" or even just "special" for being some sort of "bridge between cultures." I have witnessed (and in a small way, been a part of*) the fact that while this can confer some "advantages," being "mixed" has many of its own drawbacks as well. (I think there is an interesting discussion to be had about how marrying Michelle Obama gave Barack Obama a greater sense of rootedness in black communities, etc.)

Thoughts? Suggestions? Personal experiences?



*My father is Jewish and my mother comes from a very different Southern, mostly Anglo background, and I was often held up by her family (among others) as some sort of "chosen one" because of my connection to "God's people," served as a kind of translator, etc., but was never as connected as I could be to my Jewishness blah blah blah tragic.

daysofthegun

12:38 am - Reason #53 Why I <3 TED.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get the video to embed, so here's the link:

Ernest Madu: Bringing world-class health care to the poorest

Add Ernest Madu to the chorus of voices saying that the West needs to quit it with the patronizing charity, Live 8 concerts and footage of starving kids.

yellowmix

02:44 pm - Study: Minorities' faces cut, pasted on brochures

From The Daily Texan:

A study based on random samples of brochures and advertisements from hundreds of colleges found that some had cut and pasted faces of minority students onto the bodies of white students to depict a higher level of diversity.

The study, conducted by Minnesota sociology professor Timothy Pippert, shows what he describes as a misrepresentation of campus diversity.

Pippert's study, based on a random sampling of material from 371 U.S. colleges and universities, shows the accuracy of racial representation based on actual average percentage break-downs of the schools.

"We're not saying that the colleges are doing this with malicious intent. There is value in campuses saying that people with different backgrounds are welcome here," Pippert said.

i_dreamed_i_was

05:11 pm - Mm Hm.

bigbadbutch88

03:35 pm - It’s All About the Rank

New research shows that minorities and women have the highest job satisfaction ratings among those serving in the military.


Female Marine recruits practice drill at Parris Island, S.C.


By Sarah Kliff | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Jun 12, 2008 | Updated: 2:03 p.m. ET Jun 12, 2008

For 25 years Lory Manning lived in an alternate universe. She watched as most of her classmates in 1969 headed to further education, became teachers or homemakers. Manning did something a little different: participated in international negotiations and managed $3 million budgets. "At that time there weren't as many options for women," says Manning. "I wanted to travel, I wanted an adventure, and I wanted to do something where I could get paid just like the men."

Manning saw one place where she could do all of that: the military. She joined the Navy as an officer straight out of college and continued to serve up until the mid-'90s, making tours through Iceland and Panama. "I had opportunities there that I wouldn't have had anywhere else," says Manning, who now directs the Women in the Military Project at the Women's Research and Education Institute. "I liked the sense that based on my own merits [I was] given more responsibility."

Any list of the best places to work is sure to include cool favorites like Google. The U.S. military? The sacrifices and risks required of its members seem to make it an unlikely pick. But new research suggests that it may well belong on such a list, particularly for minorities and women. The members of those two demographics in the military consistently rate their jobs as more satisfying than white males do, according to new research in this month's American Sociological Review. Much like Manning's military experience, the study of over 30,000 active duty personnel suggests that the armed forces' social hierarchy—explicitly based on rank—overrides many of the racial or gender biases in civil society, which tend to act as barriers for women and minorities in career advancement.
( Read more... )

buria_q

11:55 am - more stuff on Obama

Overseas, Excitement Over Obama
washington post article by kevin sullivan
- quotes reactions around the world, mentions his "everyman" appeal, which contrasts with white american perceptions (at least in the media) of "elitism" (i.e. as someone who has risen above his "proper station" as a poc) and "exoticism".

found this more sinister article on the way:

Goodbye to All That: Why Obama Matters
article in The Atlantic by Andrew Sullivan\
- This article seems to me to be about why obama would be the best face for american imperialism...because apparently poc around the world will be too entranced by a brown face to notice foreign policy decisions that harm their country or region via the continuation of the "war on terror". The assumption seems to be that Anti-American sentiment in the Middle East is purely a product of religious fundamentalism/knee-jerk dislike of white first-world people. 


x-posted at obama_blackfolks.

i_dreamed_i_was

03:12 pm - More US-election-centric noodling

I may be either A) way off or B) way late, but it occurs to me that Obama is being/has been painted as an out-of-touch "elitist" with something like the following logic:

1) He is an "articulate," educated black man
2) This is some kind of extreme rarity and, in fact, puts him in something like the top 0.0000001% of black men*
3) Therefore, he is an elitist who is out-of-touch with The Black Community^TM, black people probably don't even accept him as black because he "talks good English," etc.
4) Anyway, he's somehow more out-of-touch with poor and even middle-class Americans than the average white male politician, even though he came from a lower-than-average class background, because [insert convoluted reasoning that amounts to "he is brown"]

Yes? No? Am I on the right track?


*But if he were white, he'd only be in the top 30%. Or something.

kits_meow

08:37 am - 97 years later, apology at last

( On behalf of all Canadians, Prime Minister will 'say sorry' to residential school victims )

i_dreamed_i_was

08:51 am - Young voters: Obama's race as an asset, non-issue

(US-Election-Centric)


By MARTHA IRVINE, AP National Writer 1 hour, 43 minutes ago

CHICAGO - For young voters, Rosa Parks' refusal to sit at the back of a bus in Montgomery, Ala., in 1955 is schoolbook history. Even the racially charged 1992 riots in Los Angeles are a distant memory.

The United States is far from a blueprint for racial harmony, but for today's young adults — all born after segregation was outlawed in the mid-1960s — race is not the issue it once was.

They have grown up with Oprah Winfrey and Michael Jordan among their highest-profile and wealthiest role models. And in their everyday lives, they are much more likely than their elders to have friends of another race, studies show.

Is it any wonder, then, that young adults have been the most willing age group to support a black man for president?
( Read more... )

Thoughts?

What say our journalists?

highyella

10:25 pm - An anti-racist call for self-healing

Taken from http://www.racialicious.com/ by by Carmen Van Kerckhove

A couple of weeks ago I found myself feeling really angry and rundown, but I couldn’t put my finger on what exactly was causing these emotions.

It was unusual for me because despite my Type A tendencies, I’m actually pretty laid-back. I’ve always been good at processing negative feelings (anger, sadness, resentment) quickly and getting them out of my system in order to move onto more productive pursuits.

I’ve written before about the importance of focusing on the human cost of racism instead of dealing only in abstractions, but an email I received from my friend Pamela Slim made me realize that I seem to have underestimated the impact of racism on my own psyche. Here’s what she wrote:

I believe very much that the work you are doing has an underlying role of healer. The history and related emotional energy that created race tensions today (slavery, genocide, rape, subjugation) is extremely deep and powerful. There is no way to do the work you do and not feel some of that energy. It is not for the faint of heart. And many, many people are afraid of it, whether they want to admit it or not.

Healers in my husband’s tradition do a lot to protect themselves and stay grounded in what they are doing. So make sure you always are kind to yourself, connected to your greater purpose and clear that what you are doing is facilitating this interaction, not controlling it. This may take the sting out of taking things personally.

Many, many people from different backgrounds are thankful that you are doing this work on their behalf. Visualize their faces and hands on your back when you feel down. Trust me, they are there.

Inspiring

bigbadbutch88

02:43 pm - Mass. sues H&R Block over mortgages to minorities

http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSN0337368520080603?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews&pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0

By Svea Herbst-Bayliss

BOSTON (Reuters) - Massachusetts authorities sued H&R Block Inc on Tuesday, charging that its mortgage unit discriminated against black and Latino borrowers and escalated a crisis over property foreclosures in the state.

The lawsuit is the first by a U.S. state to accuse a subprime-mortgage lender of civil rights violations following the recent, nationwide wave of foreclosures of homes in poor, often black, neighborhoods.
( Read more... )

daysofthegun

12:32 pm - Reverse white flight and $8 a gallon gas.

So, I think it's very important to start a dialog about the fact that, given the gas crisis (which shows no sign of retread, and will only get worse), we're seeing a move back to the cities. This has major implications, given that for forty years, the cities have been starved of capital and a tax base.

On the one hand, gentrification is obviously a problem. On the other hand, what we're going to see is not necessarily middle or upper-middle class young hipsters moving to the cities temporarily and then abandoning them to settle down in the suburbs. The suburbs are dying, and we're going to see a move back to the cities by a lot of people.

I think the left has been centered on stopping gentrification for so long, but I don't know how much those methods and perspectives apply to the social situation we're seeing unfold. From an ecological standpoint, this is a very good progression, because suburban sprawl and car culture is absolutely detrimental to the environemnt, but we absolutely have to start a dialog about the social and economic result of a reverse white flight back into the cities.

bigbadbutch88

03:29 pm - Hillary: Fight for Michigan and Florida comparable to the Civil Rights Movement

BOCA RATON, Fla. - Hillary Clinton compared her effort to seat Florida and Michigan delegates to epic American struggles, including those to free the slaves and win the right to vote for blacks and women.
( Read more... )

polymexina

03:24 pm - radical pedagogy

Okay! So I'm making a blog focusing on radical pedagogy to act as a resource to teachers who are committed to bringing social justice into the classroom. HOWEVER, I don't know a lot of online resources dealing with that... suggestions? 

http://exploringradicalpedagogy.blogspot.com/  is the blog I mean, in case anyone cares. :)

xposted like whoa

daysofthegun

09:55 am - From Russia With Hate

captain_brad

11:07 am - This should clear up any confusion...

Do you regret referring to Bill Clinton as the first black President? —Justin Dews, Cambridge, Mass.

"People misunderstood that phrase. I was deploring the way in which President Clinton was being treated, vis-à-vis the sex scandal that was surrounding him. I said he was being treated like a black on the street, already guilty, already a perp. I have no idea what his real instincts are, in terms of race."

The amazing Toni Morrison, from a Q & A posted here

x-posted to debunkingwhite