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Wednesday, March 31, 2010
White Men Can't Jump - Clip of the Week
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Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Pay more!
The Huffington Post has decided that my alma mater, Skidmore College, is one of the most expensive school in America. It is estimated to cost 51,196 a year to attend. ( I think that number might be a little low) Thank God for scholarships! That is all...
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Without children, what will become of the future?
In times of great chaos,there are always people lurching amidst the ruins looking to reep the spoils amidst the rubble. For the displaced nation of Haiti, it is the children who are the most vulnerable. Although many people were outraged at the fact that 8 Americans were jailed for trying to help Haitian children to an orphanage in the Dominican Republic, I released a sigh of relief that some sort of provisions are being taken to protect these children and their rights.
With so many lost, abandoned, and orphaned children, there is a great risk of losing a lot of the culture of Haiti. If a significant percentage of these children are taken away from Haiti there is a possibility that they will be presented with opportunities that would not be available to them in Haiti; however, there is also the possibility that they will be exploited as slaves. With each child that is taken out of Haiti to pursue “safer and more fruitful lives,” you are taking a piece of their history, their culture, and creating a generational rift in their history. This absence of a generation has the potential to greatly effect traditions that should be passed down, population, politics, family dynamics, and countless other parts of culture.
I strongly believe that it is necessary to protect these children by preserving their families as well as their culture. It is not up to us as Americans to decide what is best and impose our cultural values upon these people but to aid these people in rebuilding a nation that they are proud of. Long after the cameras have left and Haiti begins the arduous process of rebuilding their country, the decisions that are made will begin to show the effects on this country. We are not just changing the lives of children, but we are changing the course of a nation.
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Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Happy St. Patty's Day
One of my co-workers excitedly said “Happy St Patty's Weekend” to me. Then she was unsure of whether or not I celebrated Saint Patrick's Day, because “I don't look Irish.” I chuckled, and I told her that she was right. I wasn't Irish but it has nothing to do with my looks, my niece is Black and she is Irish. In fact, my co-worker was Jewish, and she had come from a fun filled weekend of St. Patrick's Day events. Although this holiday has moved away from its original Catholic roots of celebrating St. Patrick to more secular festivities, I support any opportunity to learn more about other cultures.
The Irish played a strong part in building the foundation of America, and they have a deep history that often stays out of our history books. The Irish were in a very similar situation to Blacks when they first arrived in America, and they were made to do many of the menial jobs that others did not want to do and could not trust enslaved Blacks to do. Anyone who is interested in a good read regarding the struggle of the Irish to be accepted as equals in America should check out Joel Ignatiev's How the Irish became White. This book details the ways in which Blacks and Irish were often pitted against one another as a means to keep the lower classes from banding together against the upper class. So, have fun, be safe, read a book (or at east an article), and Happy St Patrick's Day!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Precious Skin
With all of the hype surrounding the movie Precious, it is easy to overlook many of the inferences and smaller messages that are being presented. Many times it is the things that go without saying but remain understood that have great effects on our social norms in society. These casted examples of reality are registered by our subconscious, which in my opinion can be more detrimental to our cultural interactions because they often remain unaddressed. Throughout the film, every person who cared about the character Precious was a person of color with light skin. I hate to separate people of color by skin-tone, but it is still a reality that light skin is associated with whiteness and therefore beauty, power, and education. Historically many of the saviors of young Black misguided children represented in film have been White. So I was wondering, is having all light saviors a step forward from all White saviors, or is having only light heroes further enforcing the cultural divide of skin tone on a subconscious level?
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Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Illegal use of the "girl card'
After coming back from vacation and seeing Dan Le Batard on Pardon The Interruption for the second day in a row, I was horrified to find out that Tony Kornheiser had been suspended. I mean frankly the show isn't the same when there needs to be a member of the B team present. I assumed he must have said some pretty grave stuff to be suspended, but all he did was make a few comments about Hannah Storms outfit on SportsCenter.
"Hannah Storm in a horrifying, horrifying outfit today. She's got on red go-go boots and a catholic school plaid skirt ... way too short for somebody in her 40s or maybe early 50s by now...She's got on her typically very, very tight shirt. She looks like she has sausage casing wrapping around her upper body ... I know she's very good, and I'm not supposed to be critical of ESPN people, so I won't ... but Hannah Storm ... come on now! Stop! What are you doing? ... She's what I would call a Holden Caulfield fantasy at this point."
If this is ESPNS's attempt to to be PC, I think they've failed horribly. ESPN Executive VP released this statement: “Tony Kornheiser's comments about Hannah Storm were entirely inappropriate. Hurtful and personal comments such as these are not acceptable and have significant consequences.” Anyone who works in a sports environment knows the sports world to be raunchy, competitive, trash talking, and souped up on adrenaline. I've heard some pretty nasty things said in good fun or taunting in my days, and sometimes women's mouths are dirtier than the guys.
This call by ESPN is an absolute mockery of women who say they would like to be treated as equals in their work place. This suspension will also hinder more women from being hired in sports environments. He did not sexually harass her, and he did not say anything that he wouldn't have said about another ESPN employee. Kornheiser was hired to make these sorts of comments. If she were in my locker room she would have razzed him back and kept on trucking, or maybe even added a sly comment about why she wore these kinds of outfits in the first place. At this point no matter what sort of statement she could ever release the damage has already been done. Tread lightly with the ladies. Two steps backwards for women in sports.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Nothing like College Venting
One of the people who I follow on twitter stated that Black women seem to be forgotten in both Black History Month and Women's History Month. A long time ago, I wrote a paper for a class in which i was venting my frustrations about trying to find the balance in being a Black woman. At this stage in life I do not agree with everything that was said, but I'll share my long winded ramblings anyway!
"I hear the word feminist and I shudder. It’s not that I don’t believe the things that feminists stand for, but I haven’t had the best experiences with women who call themselves “feminists.” I’m told anyone can be a feminist; but, for some reason, I always seem to encounter the same kind. They are usually White, middle class women of average build with a short boy cuts yelping at me that I’m oppressed by “the man.” When I do stand up for myself, I’m told I’ve been brainwashed by “the man.” I know not all feminists are the same, however these super raging feminists have kept many women (including myself) far enough away and scared to call ourselves feminists.
Growing up, you would have thought that I was a feminist in training. It was probably due to the fact that I grew up with all boys, and I was determined to do anything that they could do but better. My mistake was that I thought I had to be like a man to be accepted by men. It didn’t take long before I learned that being a man isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. This realization taught me to embrace my femininity and use it to my advantage.
Blacks and women have been struggling to obtain equal rights for years. While their fights are very similar, they do not go hand and hand. Any feminist can be a racist, and any civil rights advocate may not believe in women’s rights. Although these statements seem obvious, it is the crux of Black women.
There is a distinct duality in being a black woman. Both pieces are apart of your identity while simultaneously using one another in negative and positive ways to achieve a goal of equality. When Black men received the right to vote, a lot of Whites were enraged. I mean, a good upstanding White woman surely deserved the right to vote before a Black man did. Whether it was because White women had already wanted the right to vote or not, these sorts of tactics create historical and social wounds.
It would be foolish of the Black woman to believe that her fight is the same as any other woman’s fight. Gender rights are extremely important, but if women are seen in society’s eyes as equal to men, she will not receive the benefits of those rights because of her skin. It is important to keep perspective that her struggle is a difficult one that needs to be addressed from both sides to be successful. Unfortunately, there are many people who try to put the Black women in a situation of us vs. them: Blacks vs. Whites or men vs. women. Some people have chosen to choose a side, which only hurts both sides. The side that hurts most is our race, because there is an increased breakdown in the Black familial unit.
An important aspect of feminism is having equal rights to men. Although Black men have equal rights to White men their skin color prevents them from always receiving them. Social attitudes takes a lot longer to change than most people believe. A fault of Black women is equating the Black man with “the man.” It is unnecessary to be upset that he is not taking advantages of his rights as a man if he is already beaten down for his skin color. These naggings put a divide between the race that is not spoken about in mixed company.
I will do something as blasphemous as to say that there is nothing more difficult than being a Black man (in America). I know a lot of people may disagree with me, and I expect them to disagree or else everyone would think as I do. I never realized it myself until I had an unexpected visit from “the man.” My brother was a brilliant child, always a quick learner, amazing athlete, and handsome. It seemed the older he got the more he became broken down to the point where I didn’t recognize his spirit. I never felt sympathetic toward him, because we grew up in the same household, were given the same opportunities, except he was smarter than me, and even worse he was a man. I thought I was the one burdened. I was the youngest, I was the only girl, and I was a woman. I was wrong. Being a woman protected me from the grievances that I could never imagine at the time. My intention is not to you with stories of racial hardships but see what it took for me to see what my brother was going through.
One night driving home from upstate NY to NYC, we got pulled over by the police. I was awakened by a flashlight in my face, my brother’s hands on the steering wheel, and a cop with his hand firmly on his gun holster screaming at the car and calling for backup. They screamed at him to get out of the car, and he looked at me just as scared as I was yet tried to assure me that everything would be ok. I don’t remember what was said, but at that moment I understood his contempt. They frisked him, ran his plates, checked his license for warrants, and we were free to go. When we started driving he told me he was happy I was in the car or it might have been a longer night, and he couldn’t wait for me to get my license so I could drive. That fact became more evident when I did get my license. I have never been pulled over alone, pulled over when a Black male is on the car with little harassment, and pulled over more often when a Black male is driving. My brothers and male friends are always pulled over.
Simple inconveniences such as these do more than just hold up your day. Besides the fact that they can be degrading it is an outline for life. The Black man is beaten down because he has been forgotten. There are plenty of Black men who have made it past their obstacles, my father happened to be one of those so fortunate to rise up from his difficult situations. In our quest to uplift our gender we seem to have forgotten about race in its entirety. There is a reason more Black men are in jail than in college. Without the success of more Black men the future seems dim for all of us. Until we have made it as a people we are only further separating ourselves from one another to our doom. Francis Harper (a Black abolitionist during the late 1800’s) once said that “[White feminists] speak of rights but I speak of wrongs.” The laws are changing, we appear to be slowly advancing, but the people’s mindsets are changing slower than expected. The “change” has come but not as we expected. My rights will never matter as long as my skin color is wrong."
After reading this, I have a lot to think about I'll post somemore modern views later.
"I hear the word feminist and I shudder. It’s not that I don’t believe the things that feminists stand for, but I haven’t had the best experiences with women who call themselves “feminists.” I’m told anyone can be a feminist; but, for some reason, I always seem to encounter the same kind. They are usually White, middle class women of average build with a short boy cuts yelping at me that I’m oppressed by “the man.” When I do stand up for myself, I’m told I’ve been brainwashed by “the man.” I know not all feminists are the same, however these super raging feminists have kept many women (including myself) far enough away and scared to call ourselves feminists.
Growing up, you would have thought that I was a feminist in training. It was probably due to the fact that I grew up with all boys, and I was determined to do anything that they could do but better. My mistake was that I thought I had to be like a man to be accepted by men. It didn’t take long before I learned that being a man isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. This realization taught me to embrace my femininity and use it to my advantage.
Blacks and women have been struggling to obtain equal rights for years. While their fights are very similar, they do not go hand and hand. Any feminist can be a racist, and any civil rights advocate may not believe in women’s rights. Although these statements seem obvious, it is the crux of Black women.
There is a distinct duality in being a black woman. Both pieces are apart of your identity while simultaneously using one another in negative and positive ways to achieve a goal of equality. When Black men received the right to vote, a lot of Whites were enraged. I mean, a good upstanding White woman surely deserved the right to vote before a Black man did. Whether it was because White women had already wanted the right to vote or not, these sorts of tactics create historical and social wounds.
It would be foolish of the Black woman to believe that her fight is the same as any other woman’s fight. Gender rights are extremely important, but if women are seen in society’s eyes as equal to men, she will not receive the benefits of those rights because of her skin. It is important to keep perspective that her struggle is a difficult one that needs to be addressed from both sides to be successful. Unfortunately, there are many people who try to put the Black women in a situation of us vs. them: Blacks vs. Whites or men vs. women. Some people have chosen to choose a side, which only hurts both sides. The side that hurts most is our race, because there is an increased breakdown in the Black familial unit.
An important aspect of feminism is having equal rights to men. Although Black men have equal rights to White men their skin color prevents them from always receiving them. Social attitudes takes a lot longer to change than most people believe. A fault of Black women is equating the Black man with “the man.” It is unnecessary to be upset that he is not taking advantages of his rights as a man if he is already beaten down for his skin color. These naggings put a divide between the race that is not spoken about in mixed company.
I will do something as blasphemous as to say that there is nothing more difficult than being a Black man (in America). I know a lot of people may disagree with me, and I expect them to disagree or else everyone would think as I do. I never realized it myself until I had an unexpected visit from “the man.” My brother was a brilliant child, always a quick learner, amazing athlete, and handsome. It seemed the older he got the more he became broken down to the point where I didn’t recognize his spirit. I never felt sympathetic toward him, because we grew up in the same household, were given the same opportunities, except he was smarter than me, and even worse he was a man. I thought I was the one burdened. I was the youngest, I was the only girl, and I was a woman. I was wrong. Being a woman protected me from the grievances that I could never imagine at the time. My intention is not to you with stories of racial hardships but see what it took for me to see what my brother was going through.
One night driving home from upstate NY to NYC, we got pulled over by the police. I was awakened by a flashlight in my face, my brother’s hands on the steering wheel, and a cop with his hand firmly on his gun holster screaming at the car and calling for backup. They screamed at him to get out of the car, and he looked at me just as scared as I was yet tried to assure me that everything would be ok. I don’t remember what was said, but at that moment I understood his contempt. They frisked him, ran his plates, checked his license for warrants, and we were free to go. When we started driving he told me he was happy I was in the car or it might have been a longer night, and he couldn’t wait for me to get my license so I could drive. That fact became more evident when I did get my license. I have never been pulled over alone, pulled over when a Black male is on the car with little harassment, and pulled over more often when a Black male is driving. My brothers and male friends are always pulled over.
Simple inconveniences such as these do more than just hold up your day. Besides the fact that they can be degrading it is an outline for life. The Black man is beaten down because he has been forgotten. There are plenty of Black men who have made it past their obstacles, my father happened to be one of those so fortunate to rise up from his difficult situations. In our quest to uplift our gender we seem to have forgotten about race in its entirety. There is a reason more Black men are in jail than in college. Without the success of more Black men the future seems dim for all of us. Until we have made it as a people we are only further separating ourselves from one another to our doom. Francis Harper (a Black abolitionist during the late 1800’s) once said that “[White feminists] speak of rights but I speak of wrongs.” The laws are changing, we appear to be slowly advancing, but the people’s mindsets are changing slower than expected. The “change” has come but not as we expected. My rights will never matter as long as my skin color is wrong."
After reading this, I have a lot to think about I'll post somemore modern views later.
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