Mini Rants - Part II
So, how Black does one have to be before you can be considered Black (or African-American for the politically correct)? Debra Dickerson , a writer for Salon.com thinks, in essence, that Barak Obama isn't really the next Black candidate for President of the United States because he is not descended from African slaves brought to America (his mother is English and his father is Kenyan)...and keep in mind that this woman is Black. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I didn't think that you had to be a certain kind of Black person to be "Black". She also said that because he went to a private college and had an upper-middle class upbringing, that he hasn't really participated in the "Black Experience" - being poor, discriminated against, underprivledged... This is what I think is wrong with a lot of Black people today - they are so consumed with how Black people as a race were enslaved and held down by "The Man" and all that other stuff, that they 1) hold themselves back and 2) tear down anyone else who became successful in breaking stereotypes. Seems to me Obama should be the one to identify himself as Black or not - it's his identity. If he went out there in the public and stated that he was White, people would laugh him out of town - the color of his skin and the texture of his hair gives away his heritage. But he can lay claim to either, neither, or both - his choice. Ms. Dickerson's view is divisive at best, and racist at worst.
So is anyone tired of the snow yet? Just got our Christmas lights down last weekend...
Got my PAFC swag for winning the Football Pick'em contest - SWEET!!! The Bohunk was upset though, 'cause the CD had Poison and Def Leppard on it...what does HE know!?!?!? :-)
The potholes are eating my car...
The Girl is walking all over the place (and her daddy, and her brother, and her Papa)...and taking over. But I guess that's the job of a princess...
The magnesium chloride is eating my car...
Did I say I do a lot of driving for my job? I do a lot of driving for my job - logged 880 miles last month. I SO need a new car - even just so I can get an odometer that works (mine broke at 173,379 about 8 months ago...)
The miles are eating my car...
Did this post just go from serious to just plain stupid? Thought I had more to say tonight...
posted by Nichelle @ 6:50 PM
1 comments
1 Comments:
quoted from the Salon article: "Black," in our political and social reality, means those descended from West African slaves."
Really?? Why only WEST Africa? Gosh golly darn this is news to me. Considering how big history is to me I'd never heard that slavery in Africa only occurred in the west. *snicker* Guess the school history books need more revising.
What's really sad is this whole debate over "being black enough" has been raging for farrrr too long and the idea of how much is someone of whatever decent exists in damn near all cultures. One can be ostracized for not being 100% Irish or 100% Korean.
I agree with you wholeheartedly. Such "distinctions," if we want to call it that, need to evaporate and lets start focusing on whether Obama has the skills!
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