This week alone... (As in Monday and Tuesday)....
1. Two unwelcomed individuals approached me... One while I made my lunch... the other while I filled my water bottle... Both individuals made the EXACT same statement... "Obama winning is awesome. This just proves that racism doesn't exist."*
2. Today a vendor stated, " This means that Black people are no longer minorities. Its a beautiful thing." *
3. Jcrew now loves the image of a black woman and has suddenly found a new commitment to being culturally diverse in the ad campaigns...
My internal questions/thoughts in response to these statements....
1. DO I HAVE SOMETHING WRITTEN ON MY FOREHEAD THAT SAYS COME TALK TO ME ABOUT RACISM NOT EXISTING? Cause last I checked... when I want to talk about how racism "no longer exists" I doubt its going to be with the stranger who still cant figure out which to say first... black or AA...
2. Oh how sweet..... Cough...
3. Funny how that works... With all the data I receive I thought Black people only bought Rocawear and Baby Phat..... too bad Tommy Hilfiger didn't realize that people of color wearing your clothes can be a good thing... I guess this means jcrew may have to change its brand positioning statement....
*Please note that all quotes are exact. Upon hearing each of these statements I wrote them down... IN FRONT of the person... stating that I wanted to make sure that I never forgot those inspiring words....
The Closet House
3 years ago
14 comments:
"*Please note that all quotes are exact. Upon hearing each of these statements I wrote them down... IN FRONT of the person... stating that I wanted to make sure that I never forgot those inspiring words.... "
Laughing My A$$ Off. Because I believe you. You would pause and pull a pen and paper to make sure to document the magical racelessness of those moments.
Because I am sure that is the first thing they talk about with their white friends. Just like they bring up to their white friends all the rash of hate crimes that have been reported the last week or so. The election isn't even fully decided (2 Senate seats to go!!!!) can we at least wait until December for the death threats to pour in?
And this ish is just as bad to me as the ones from black people/poc on how white guilt is a powerful thing and what are we going to do without it now that it no longer exists because white people feel vindicated by voting for Obama?
Right. White guilt did us sooooooo well through the crack epidemic, the AIDS epidemic, the put-black-men-in-jail epidemic, the (more current) put-black-women-in-jail epidemic, the white flight from the so-called inner city and the white gentrification back TO so-called revitalized neighborhoods, the queer black people being KILLED for gender nonconformity (Duanna Johnson anyone?), and the young black women getting silenced by certain powerful lacross players daddies....
::stops the enjoy the sound of the crickets::
Yeah. I'm going to miss white guilt a whole hell of a lot...about as much as I'm going to miss Racism.
We should have a funeral for Racism. Just like the NAACP did for the N-word.
*sigh. let me stop....
LOL @ stopping to write quotes down. I do that too, but I typically just text message quotes to myself.
The whole racism is dead notion is is hilarious to me. The fact that they didn't have any black friends to tell that too and instead felt the need to share that though with a random black person who they thought would agree with them proves that racism is indeed, alive and well.
Dummies.
What is sad to me is that I was watching CNN during the election and they were interviewing Black Republicans and one them, I forgot his name, stated that because Barack won the primary that it proves racism does not exsist anymore and I was like are you serious?? A lot of people will attempt to make this argument, but just because one Black man made it to the top it does not erase all the other injustices in society.
On the random people talking about racism...I think some people feel that they have to voice that they are down for the cause. The statements that they made have not factual basis and the statement by the vendor...just makes no sense, so if we ever elect someone have Chinese heritage then Chinese people are no longer a minority in the US???
I'm not surprised by this at all. What kills me is when black folks are on tv encouraging this kinda talk - saying stuff like "now brothers have no excuses." Did they really have them to begin with? Does having a black President automatically make things better for black folks? Are schools any better, neighborhoods any safer, families more stable? The President Elect didn't have the easiest time but he is also not your typical "brother." (I could say a lot more about this but I'm still living the moment.) I'm not saying that "excuses" are acceptable but let's not allow this victory to overshadow the real issues. SOME of us can be anything we want to be others may never even learn to read.
1. Two unwelcomed individuals approached me... One while I made my lunch... the other while I filled my water bottle... Both individuals made the EXACT same statement... "Obama winning is awesome. This just proves that racism doesn't exist."*
I'm reading this again. And I must confess. I am getting a white woman vibe from it. Tell me I'm wrong!
::puts her arms around her white girl allies to soothe the blow. i love u ladies, but some of y'all have a lot of work to do::
@ kis..
i caught that the moment i read it "Two unwelcomed individuals approached me... One while I made my lunch..."
YOU KNOW this was a white girl. again, we apologize, but c'mon...
and she LIVES with BL (while she was MAKING her lunch)...you's a good one, BL. that chic woulda been on her way ooouuuut!
oooh, interesting kis. i saw white man all over this (maybe even a man of color). now i wanna know. what race/gender were these folks?
good detective work. i couldn't really imagine BL making her lunch at work.
@ identity...
i agree with kis on the most basic level. i think a white male would have approached it differently. i think the quote would have started with her being addressed like, "yo, ndidi..."
second, there would have been more political talk. they would have tied it in with some major political shift or agenda...i dunno, just me.
black male/latino/asian male?
i dunno. upon re-reading it, i can see it coming from a woman. and your comments about what a man would say make sense to me. but only men are willing to even talk about this stuff around me or at least directly to me.
i could actually picture a man of color saying this - not one who identifies as such - but one who only has white friends. he would need a reason to talk to the black girl and what better way than to say he doesn't acknowledge her race any more than he does his own.
hmm. what do i think of white women and what must they think of me?
good identity...
"he would need a reason to talk to the black girl and what better way than to say he doesn't acknowledge her race any more than he does his own."
also, i can't imagine BL making her lunch. AT ALL.
LMAO. I can't imagine BL making her lunch. It is a recession man, it is a recession. But Dude, I missed the context clue there completely. BL, tell the roommate I said hello and let her know I totally agree her and ask her please--because I am concerned for her well-being--what WILL she do without her white privilege?
I'm going to have work that into a comeback line for the next time someone dares to tell me racism doesn't exist. "Oh you are so right. [gets a concerned face] What will you do without your white privilege?"
I wonder how they will reacct.
(ps. This is DEFINITELY Gregg common room....)
I thought I was late on this because I've been MIA since this thing started but i see the last post was...yesterday...so im good. when i read this post, I laughed b/c soon after the election, I was catching up on news at home on NOLA.com, and was smacked in the face by an article that proved to me why Louisiana is still a red state. Even though I grew up there and went to predominantly white schools, I never really felt the racism that supposedly is so prevalent..Anyhow, I stumbled upon this article about how a woman who went to be 'initiated' into the KKK, was killed b/c she tried to back out. LADY!! why the HELL did you fly down to the red state of LA to join the KKK and then try to back out? are you serious? what did you THINK the KKK was about? was the brochure misleading? i don't get it..anyhow.. there's proof that racism CLEARLY still exists..lol. please forward that article to your unidentified and unwelcomed approachers B. Lily.
ALL OF YOU ARE FOOLISH! lol...
and L.BELLE... THAT WAS A SAD STORY!! lol! but so true.. the kkk is NOT the babysitters club!
BOTH WERE WW. HOWEVER.. A WM DID COME UP TO ME THE NIGHT OF THE ELECTION... SIT DOWN AT MY TABLE AT 2AM AND SAY TO ME... "ITS OVER... ITS DONE... BLACK ... WHITE... STRAIGHT... GAY... WE CAN DO ANYTHING... ANYTHING..." LJ ALMOST GOT UP FROM THE TABLE AND WALKED AWAY... I SMILED AND SAID "I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT BEFORE..." I GUESS I NEED TO TELL THE GUYS IN STL WITH THE GOLDS THAT THEY TOO CAN BE PRESIDENT...
KISMET... LOVE THE NAACP N- WORD BIT... I HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT THAT!!!!
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