Undermining Past and Ongoing Efforts

One of my biggest pet peeves is the use of the following phrases: the "whitest/blackest white/black guy I know", and "why you acting white/black?". I hate them. 

I use to argue that those phrases belittle black people and show a blatant disregard for the national efforts made by people of color to been seen and treated like their white counterparts. Here's why: 

It is obvious when a person says "[insert person] is the whitest black person I know" that they clearly are not talking about the melanin in someone's skin. In fact, they aren't talking about their skin color at all. The focus is on white people and seeing how close that black person comes to being like a white person. Based off the use of that phrase, people automatically think of a light-skinned, "fresh-looking", preppy black guy. He most likely enunciates all his word, has an advanced vocabulary for a black person, and does not act like the stereotypical black person. Basically, he's is doing well and not acting or appearing as a thug to society. The word "whiteness" carries a positive connotation to it, which cannot said for the word "blackness".

From our reading of  "The Monster of the Mind" with Jefferson's arbitrary definition of blackness to " Race in the American Dream", we have grappled with the the word "blackness". As we saw and discussed in class, there is not a single definition for the word. The definition changes based off who you're asking and when you ask them. The word is affected by ongoing racial tensions, strides toward equality and equity, and any recent racial hate crime. The fact is blackness is not absolute. The Civil Rights Movement ushered in black people embracing their culture and gave blackness a positive connotation. Examples of this being songs like "I'm Black and I'm Proud", the historic image of black athletes raising a fist at the Olympic games in support of Black Power, and the formation and operation of the Black Panthers. These examples show how black people took back their blackness and, like many other things, made it their own. 

However, when someone says"[insert person] is the blackest person I know", the mental image is not what I described. Instead of any positive images, we think of a stereotypical black person. Someone who is sagging their pants, looks like a predator of some sort, and appears to lack the success and intellect of their white peers. Blackness, in this sense, is the the complete opposite of what the Civil Rights Movement transformed it into.

Our society as a whole is implicitly allowing for small regressions like these to occur, yet still wonders why racial tensions remain an issue in our country. 

We've Been Here Before

In class we talked about what ways we have been here before, in regard to the current situation of today's society. Firstly, we see the similar use of language as we did during the time of slavery. Words such as 'lazy' are being used to describe black people, just as words such as 'childish' were being used to describe blacks during the time of enslavement. Another similarity is the use of music. Slaves would sing in order to make it through the days, and in order to create their own culture/society so they could separate themselves from their white counterparts. Today, we see many artists expressing themselves in their art of rap, hip-hop, and just music overall. For example, Kendrick Lamar's song 'Alright' speaks to all the madness that is going on in today's world, but he says we're going to be alright because he is going to bring us joy and comfort through his words and message.

Music is speaking to the movement and providing hope. It can also be used to counter mainstream images. The aspect of non-violence is also prevalent. However, when individuals begin a violent protest it gives a bad image to the cause, when in reality the cause does not support violent protest, but it seems to be producing just that. The cause was not made to say that all lives do not matter, it was meant to address a social issue of this time. These similarities through history allow us to draw a clearer picture as to what might be the solution, or more likely, what we should try to avoid.

Tomi Lahren and the Political Protest

Tomi Lahren is a conservative commentator who recently went on “The Daily Show” with Trevor Noah. She has gotten a lot of attention for her extreme right-wing views as she comments on political happenings and current events, especially related to race.

In the 30-minute interview, Noah called Lahren out specifically for comments she made comparing the KKK to the Black Lives Matter movement. She says, “When there are people in the streets saying, ‘If you see a white person, beat their ass,’ does that not sound reminiscent of the KK or their motives to you?” Noah responds by arguing that there’s a difference between a movement and the people within the movement. I think he’s spot on with this. It’s not a secret that there are individuals who get more aggressive or violent than the collective majority, but it seems irresponsible to associate these individual actions or transgressions with the movement as a whole. The movement is about justice and equity, not the downfall of whites. There may be individuals calling for this, but it is not in conjunction with the purpose of the movement.

Later they move on to discussing Colin Kaepernick and the notion of political protests. Lahren says, “Why would you take your perceived oppression of black people out on the national anthem and our flag? A country that you live in, a country that you benefit from, a country that people of all races have died for.” To which Noah responds, “Maybe you realize that a lot of those people of “every color” who died for this country didn’t have the rights that their fellow servicemen had when they come back to the country after fighting for it.”

Unfortunately, I think a lot of people feel the same way that Lahren does. When it comes to political protests, there is such a lack of understanding or compassion for why it’s occurring in the first place. Her use of the word “perceived” is ridiculous. She speaks as if there is no basis for any kind of unrest when lived experiences and facts of inequity tell us otherwise. She speaks of the flag as if what it represents has done an equal and fair job at representing and fighting for everybody, but again we know this isn’t true.

With her, as well as many others, disgust for people like Colin Kaepernick and his silent, non-violent protest, I wonder what these people propose in terms of a political protest. Should there be none at all? But then how do we call attention to injustices? If violence is not the answer, why is silence not accepted? I truly just don’t see the harm in standing up (or rather sitting down) for justice, especially when it comes at no cost to others. 

Racism in the Obama Presidency

A major characteristic of the presidency is always approval ratings and popular opinion. Especially with the incorporation of mass media into presidential elections, voters and viewers of televised debates and stories form personal opinions about candidates’ character. What is really unfortunate about this is that media bias plays into these personal opinions, feeding the hatred and anger of many voters with negative information about candidates with views opposing those of the networks themselves. One of the most memorable manipulations of this fear and hatred has been in our current president’s term. While he was elected twice and has indeed not driven the country into the ground like many thought, President Obama has faced backlash and hatred from many Americans throughout the past eight years.

This hatred is frightening for several reasons. For one, President Obama was young and somewhat experienced upon entering the office, bearing some resemblance to the description of President Kennedy. Interestingly, Kennedy was much better received at his inauguration and through his presidency than Obama was. While this can be attributed to the political climate of the time and Obama’s entrance into an office dominated by the Republican Party for eight years prior, there is also an element of racial bias. For another point, Obama’s presidency has been riddled with conspiracy theories in the media about his citizenship and religious affiliation, which is also somewhat similar to the backlash Kennedy received for being the first Roman Catholic president. However, the conspiracies with Obama’s connection with Islam are not at all founded in his actual religious affiliation, and only showcase American racism in both anti-black and anti-Muslim settings. Obama has faced challenges that no other candidate has ever had to face, stemming directly from an uninformed hatred that can only be attributed to widespread racism perpetuated by media bias.

This racism isn’t surprising, especially being from the South. What is surprising is how willing people were to accept the widely disproven rumors about President Obama because of internal racist beliefs. I vividly remember someone at my sixth grade lunch table saying that President Obama was going to make everyone “speak Muslim,” and later my tenth grade math teacher preaching about the impending fiscal cliff and the dark times ahead. I even heard people actually call him the antichrist. It is so important that we refer to factual evidence and experience for our personal opinions of presidential candidates rather than any stereotypes, because following stereotypes and incorrect information proposed by media leads to unnecessary difficulties and the perpetuation of racism across the country.

The power of Rap

In class a week or two ago, we were discussing the NWA song “fuck the police.” Professor McKinney said that the song had an important message, but because of the “fuck” part of the verse it instead changed the conversation from a problem with police brutality into a conversation of language. I do not agree with this viewpoint because of what rap was constructed to be. I will never claim to be a historian on rap but I am a fan and as such have noticed some of the trends of power that flows from rap causing it to be problematic for white institutions. 

Just like Black Power and the BBLM, rap is constantly being depicted as thugs whose only function is to create fear. With some people claiming that it promotes sex and violence this however, is not the fear that comes out of rap for white institutions. What rap has given the black community a way of creating its own self-sustaining institution. This is problematic because what blacks have done up to this point, is change existing systems. Now they have shown they can create institutions that not only bring money into their communities but also give them influence on the scale of the white elite. 

This is impactful because when an institution dependent on whites failed, rap was there. For example in black schools we depended on whites in power to give blacks the necessity to teach the children. When this was not reached, there were  countless protests and legal battles to alleviate this problem. This was just black poetry; a platform where blacks could speak their mind and relate to one another going through the same struggle. This is why whites tried so hard to discredit them and take their power away. This, however, became even more difficult when a young white crowd started to like and support their music. 

The fact that these black rappers now have money and influence to give back to their communities has created a powerful voice capable of change. When NWA said “fuck the police” they didn’t care about trying to coddle the whites into understanding how the police brutality problem was for blacks, they were making a statement.  That says if the police or anyone is treating you as less than a person “fuck” them. If you mind your own business and yet you can not get a break “fuck” it. This is a powerful message that blacks needed at the time to keep moving forward. 

Language in sports

Language that revolves around blacks is something that has bothered me for some time now. People with power have crafted language that dehumanizes blacks, thus generating feelings of inferiority. These feelings have seeped into all facets of black life. Sports are no exception, and this community makes it “normal” to describe athletes with different rhetoric based on their race. When watching a basketball game, the black athletes are described as being animated, aggressive, or a natural born talent while their white counterparts are intelligent, hard workers, and deserve everything they receive. 

This, however, was brought into the open when Lebron James, arguably one of the best basketball players of all time, and his business partners were described as a posse. Phil Jackson answered a question in an interview about Lebron and how he felt about him leaving the Miami Heat. Jackson’s response was "You are on the plane, you are with this team. You can’t hold up the whole team because you and your mom and your posse want to spend an extra night in Cleveland." This posse that Pat Riley discussed consisted of four of LeBron's close high school friends with whom he started an agency. When Phil Jackson got an interview after orchestrating a one billion dollar deal with Nike, and the public associated him as someone who only out to get women and cars; for this, he has every reason to feel infuriated and angry. Lebron was able to do something for blacks that most people in his position do not do. He was able to give people a chance, and for some they had never had this opportunity. To the public who witnessed them take advantage of this opportunity to better themselves, and then trivialize their accomplishments and call them a posse this way of thinking is not only hypocritical but hateful. In today's time you do not hear as much outright racial attacks for the most part, but what you do here is backhanded remarks that have double meanings that are aimed at discrediting, marginalizing, and attacking blacks and other marginalized groups. 

The 13th

Professor McKinney began the class by asking us to reflect on the question “is the Constitution was a proslavery document?” My answer to that question changed after having viewed the 13th, and it was then that I realized that the Constitution is not a proslavery document. In this documentary, the audience was shown how the government abolished slavery while simultaneously allowing the institution to stay hidden within the law. The 13th Amendment to the Constitution, states that "neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." As a result of this, racism and injustice shifted into a more hidden fight. My argument at the beginning of class was in alignment with what the writers of the 13th amendment wanted to achieve. This want included the desire for blacks to be enslaved, without the title of slavery by creating the illusion that systematic oppressive obstacles placed against blacks were a byproduct of their over imagination. 

Immediately after slavery was abolished, there was a movement where whites started to enslave blacks by convincing other whites that blacks are animals and criminals. So, the whites would try to make blacks appear more dangerous than whites, something this still occurs today. When a group of black kids are seen hanging around, it is automatically assumed they are a gang, while a group of whites is a fraternity. This is how the whites with power who benefit from the systems of slavery like Alex benefit from perpetuating this reality. 

When politicians would say “we need to crack down on crime” or “the war on crime” these phrases represent the strategic plans to imprison more blacks than whites; once they became prisoners they were forced to complete labor without pay while their slave owners or companies collected the profit. In addition, when a person is deemed a criminal, in the eyes of society they are viewed as dangerous which makes them unable to find jobs and in most cases results in stealing or selling drugs to make ends meet. American prisons are sold to the populous as a place where we punish our criminals and rehabilitate them. If this is the case, then why is it that after going to jail once, the system is built to force you to return? Why is it that when you are found with crack you are placed in jail for years, but when one are found with cocaine you get a slap on your wrist? So what I truly now believe is that the Constitution is a pro-slavery document aimed to try and preserve slavery under the radar. With all that being said I will leave you with one of the most troubling parts of the 13th, you get to hear Lee Atwater talk about the Southern strategy in an interview in 1981. "You start out in 1954 by saying, 'Nigger, nigger, nigger.' By 1968 you can't say 'nigger' -- that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states' rights, and all that stuff. You're getting so abstract now [that] you're talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you're talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites."