Friday, December 14, 2012

Well, Mr. White Male Senators: Happy Now?

I am sure that Senator John McCain, Senator Lindsey Graham, and the rest of their group are in their smoke-filled back rooms crowing over their triumph at scuttling Susan Rice's nomination to be the next Secretary of State.

Opps!  I forgot.  Her name had been floated, right?  She hadn't even been officially nominated, as far as I can recall.

When I heard the news this morning, I got this sick feeling in my stomach that turned into a long-held knot.  Let's see.  When have I had that feeling before?  Van Jones?  Lani Guinier?

Yes, I understand the "win one for the Gipper" cliche.  What I mean is that given all the issues the country is facing and our duly elected leader, Barack Obama, is facing as the President, the last thing he needs is another distraction.  But is there any time where a so-called "distraction" trumps the so-called "unpleasantness" it may cause?

When the claim of an undue distraction is used to keep us from addressing the REAL issues of distraction, you have an interesting paradox.  And the paradox is two-fold: one, using the excuse of this nomination being a distraction from all the other things that the president has on his plate is to relegate the importance of this nomination to a manufactured "subservient" position.  And second, you also, at the same time, relegate the subtext to a subservient position.  The subtext was so easy to see.  They just did not like this up-front black woman.  Period.  What was the word that was constantly used to describe her: BLUNT.  You just can't have a Secretary of State who is blunt. At last look, I always felt that one of the things that made me proud of being black was my cultural upbringing, and with that, being blunt.  Being upfront.  Telling it like it is.  Not couching dialogue in inferences that you feel people will just intuitively pick up the cues without hand signals. But then again, I also know personally how that "bluntness," and "upfrontness"  has continually gotten me into trouble within my white circle of friends, alternative movement politics and job interviews and advancement. It all smacks so much of racism, and by extension, sexism.  And who do we have now to nominate?  Susan Rice taking herself out of the nomination clears the way for who, did I hear?  None other than John Kerry, who would SAIL through with no problem.  Why?  Well, because "he's one of us."  "He's one of the good ones."  Subtext: a white male who knows how to swivel and articulate the language instead of using that same language to be blunt, to tell the truth; no speak loudly and carry a "blunt" stick here.

But let's just suppose the argument of distraction was true.  So where does that leave as a country?  Are we better now quantitatively, qualitatively, or both?  Quantitatively, one less distraction.  Qualitatively, without this distraction, are we now further along in coming to an agreement before we fall off the fiscal cliff?  Without this distraction, can we concentrate now on getting the unemployment rate below 6%?  Without this distraction, are all the areas in the world that are about to explode, because their people want a more democratic society going to get our full attention, in whatever way we feel is important to make that happen?

You see, the real argument here is that distraction is not the real argument because it does a poor job of covering up what the real arguments are.  You think you can move on, to take on other problems, but what you end up seeing is that all the other problems are tainted and painted with the same brush.  And what will happen is that the next "distraction" is not far behind.  The real distractions are the ones that are below the surface, the racism that is apparent around cultural expression, thought and ultimately, the qualifications of a woman because of race and gender conflict. (I just flashed on Anita Hill). Until subtext issues (distractions) are addressed, we will flail about, lost, trying to find our way, and continually use these same distractions to walk backwards into the future.

Is that what we want as a country?  I'm sure there are some in power that would be just fine with that.  I'm not one of them.  And I will continue to celebrate being "blunt," telling it like it is.







Thursday, October 25, 2012

Stolen Moments!


Finally!  It's finished!  Stolen Moments!  For those of you who aren't familiar with the song, it's a jazz tune written by Oliver Nelson years ago.  The lyrics that you hear people singing (I think they were written by Mark Murphy) are nice, but mainly talking about a failed relationship.

This is a video I produced to raise awareness around the fact that black felons, and felons of all colors for that matter, are systemically excluded from a basic American right.  But it's larger than just felons.  The subtle (and these days, not so subtle ways) that people of color, students and people without either money, prestige or political power are insidiously kept out of exercising their rights should be a concern for EVERYONE!  Stolen Moments is a traditional jazz tune with a new set of lyrics!  Pass the message on!  And DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!


http://youtu.be/ip0IPEJwHD0

Here are the lyrics:

Here's a slick way to steal an election
You just sort out the darkest hues
next, you attach the label FELON
bottom line, an unconscious cue.

If you snivel
the drivel
don't matter
these felons
whose melons
imbued
yes they're screwed
but you know
that your guilt
is a quilt
for the truth
WHEN CAN WE SEIZE THE TIME?

Here's the next way to steal an election
Do I hear Ohio now?
Flip the people's agenda backwards
Trojan horse or sacred cow?


If you snivel
the drivel
don't matter
these felons
whose melons
imbued
yes they're screwed
but you know
that your guilt
is a quilt
for the truth
WHEN CAN WE SEIZE THE TIME?

Monday, August 27, 2012

Race, Obama, Romney, Lies and the Upcoming Election!

Hey all!

I am going to be posting a series of articles on race, Romney and Obama.  Here is the first one by Earl Ofari Hutcheson.

huff.to/RTdbSe


More to come!

Matundu

Monday, March 26, 2012

Racially-Approved American Murder: They Kill Because They Can

Hey all!

Here is a recent short piece by Glen Ford.  I am reposting it on my blog because I think it is an important perspective.

A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford

Why did Staff Sgt. Robert Bales kill 16 Iraqi civilians in the deep of night and, supposedly, all by himself in the countryside of a foreign land? Why did George Zimmerman stalk and then kill 17-year-old Trayvon Martin as the 140-pound kid talked on a cell phone with his girlfriend in a gated community near Orlando, Florida? Bales and Zimmerman did it because they could, because they felt they had permission to snuff out the lives of Iraqis and Black teenagers who had never even thought to offend them. The only reason that these two instances of murder are of such deep importance in the larger scheme of things, rather than just to the families and neighbors of the victims and the killers, is because both murderers had good reason to believe that American society would approve of what they did.



Certainly, Sgt. Bales thought so. He had served three tours in Iraq, after joining the Army at the ripe old age of 27 right after 9/11. The hyper-nationalist media constantly told him and the rest of American public that the troops were “heroes” who were not only serving their own country, but also doing a great favor for the Iraqis and the Afghans. If the people of Iraq and Afghanistan didn’t appreciate the presence of Sgt. Bales and his fellow soldiers and marines, well, they were ingrates of the worst kind, unworthy of the sacrifice of even one of Sgt. Bales’ buddies. Besides, they were all Hajjis – a slur for Muslims that has the same venomous connotation as “nigger.” Sgt. Bales was not ashamed to use the term “Hajji” in letters to his wife, so I guess he had reason to believe she was a racist, too. The U.S. military preferred to descend on villages late at night, when they had the advantage of surprise and night vision goggles and could wipe out whole extended families of Taliban – or people who were pronounced to be Taliban, post-mortem – usually without suffering a single casualty. We own the night – that’s what the Americans said. And nighttime is for killing Hajjis.



George Zimmerman had every reason to believe that Florida’s Stand Your Ground law was written especially for him. And, actually, it was. The Sanford, Florida police department clearly thought the law was meant to protect Zimmerman from murder charges, which is why they claim they didn’t arrest him. When Zimmerman called the local cops from his SUV to tell them he was stalking Trayvon Martin, he confided to them that “assholes” like the unknown Black kid “always get away.” But, this one wouldn’t get away – not with his life. Florida and lots of other states in recent years have noted that too many Black people are getting away with life, and need to be stopped, so they crafted legislation that would allow white fear to trump Black rights to breath air. In such jurisdictions, evocation of white fear now provides the same justification for summary murder as claims of rape of white women did for mob lynchings, back in the day. It is as if the Florida legislature had put out a call for Black people to be summarily shot all over the state, when it passed the bill. The racial intention was clear, the results totally predictable. George Zimmerman doesn’t seem like a very bright young man, but even he knew that Florida civil society wanted some Black folks dead.

Sgt. Bales and Steve Zimmerman murdered Afghans and an African American kid because they could, and because American society told them that they should.

For Black Agenda Radio, I’m Glen Ford. On the web, go to BlackAgendaReport.com.

BAR executive editor Glen Ford can be contacted at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com