Kumbaya anti-racism (c. 1970- ) is where racism is fought by not talking about race, by not seeing people’s skin colour, by not saying certain words or expressing certain thoughts out loud that are politically incorrect.
People often quote Martin Luther King, Jr in support:
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
And sometimes they even quote Morgan Freeman, who informed Mike Wallace in 2005 that the way to get rid of racism is to – “Stop talking about it.”
To talk about race, like this blog does, is therefore “divisive”, it keeps racism alive, it is unenlightened, it spreads hatred.
So now most White Americans keep their children from becoming racist by not talking about racism!
It might sound good – except it does not work.
Instead of wiping out racism it has replaced one sort of racism – the open hatred of Jim Crow racism – with another – the silent, subtle contempt of colour-blind racism.
Martin Luther King said something else:
When we view the negative experiences of life, the Negro has a double share. There are twice as many unemployed. The rate of infant mortality among Negroes is double that of whites…
After 40 years of Kumbaya anti-racist thinking in America:
- the black unemployment rate stood at 2.1 times the white rate;
- black babies are 2.6 times more likely to die than white babies.
It also goes against common sense:
What if we applied the same philosophy to other forms of marginalization:
Sexism: I do not see you as a woman, I see you as a person.
Classism: Once we stop seeing people as rich or poor everyone will have the same amount of money.
Anti-Semitism: Talking about the Holocaust spreads hatred and keeps anti-Semitism alive, making another genocide more likely.
In practice the Kumbaya approach is used to silence talk about white racism. So instead of questioning white racism and helping to tear it down, it keeps that racism in place, untouched.
For whites that means they get to keep all the advantages of being white in a white racist society while at the same time sounding anti-racist. At least to themselves. It is yet another morally broken piece of white racist thinking. It is anti-racist in form not function.
For people of colour, the Kumbaya approach leaves them wide open to internalized racism – to self-hatred and self-doubt. It leads them into trying to “transcend” race, to be “American” or “Christian” or “universal” or “just me” – or even an honorary white. But trying to “transcend” race in America means, in effect, trying to become white. As if there is something wrong with being black or Asian or Chicano.
Martin Luther King:
We must stand up and say, “I’m black and I’m beautiful,” and this self-affirmation is the black man’s need, made compelling by the white man’s crimes against him.
See also:
That one line from King’s “Dream” speech is what kills me. It seems like that’s the only line they know or want to know to use to defend themselves.
My responses is “What else did King say? He said a lot of other stuff too, you know?”
No response.
They would be surprised to know that King said other things that would shock the heck outta them.
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Reblogged this on innerstanding isness.
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Once again, well said. The thing is not to pretend that there are no people who are of diffenrent color but to aknowledge it and say that, regardless of the color, we all should be equal in all meaning of that word and we are still not.
Problems do not go away by pretending they do not exists. Seeing them is the first step forward, denying them is a leap backwards.
Regarding Mr King as well as Malcom X they have been misquoted for so long that people do not understand at all what they were all about. They were both true visionaires who wanted to dismantle and wipe out racism totally. King was not loving the american system and X was not hating whites for fun. They both hated the white american system of oppression and both of them did understand that one basic element of that system, corner stone of that system, was social unequality and poverty. That is why they were both killed by that System.
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I’m glad to see you’ve managed to put to voice what I’ve been trying to convey to people for a long time, that the only way to fix racism is to acknowledge that race IS a reality in our society, and so too is racism. Denying race is the necessary first step to denying the existence of racism.
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Another insightful post, abagond! I like the term “kumbaya anti-racism.” I think of a campfire scene with smiling people singing “Kumbaya” and holding hands having unity. However, it’s all bull. Racist people don’t want unity. That’s why they trot out certain quotes by MLK.
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Why should I be proud to be black when I don’t acknowledge this social construct as truth? I wouldn’t necessarily say that I’m proud to be anything. Why should I have to think I’m superior to others because of skin color, of all things? I’m happy to be human, and like my ancestral culture. And although neither country is perfect, I’m grateful to have lived in England, and now in America. It’s a lot easier to succeed here in America than in most, if not all other places, in the world
I don’t see myself as nationalistic, because I support people from all countries, but when I’m watching the World Cup, the countries I’ve lived in, or visited, I automatically cheer for! But that doesn’t translate to me thinking that they should be able to take advantage of people in other countries, like with things more serious than a soccer match
I don’t see what’s wrong with treating everyone like the individuals they are, but at the same time, not being blind to the racism that still goes on in this country, whether social or institutional, making things unequal. Not seeing people as “black” or “white”, because such terms are scientifically antiquated, but still being aware that these scientifically antiquated terms are still active in our system. So basically, being both colorblind and not colorblind, simultaneously. If we don’t think this way, and try to view this from the POV that separate races truthfully exist, I don’t see how we’ll be able to truly come together. Nobody should feel guilty or ashamed for what their ancestors did or how their ancestors were treated. We’re only responsible for what we do in our present lives (or don’t do). But even that isn’t so black and white (pun not intended). You have to see the way people conduct their lives due to the different circumstances they were placed in, not under the false assumption that we all have had an equal chance in this world. But that is the idealistic goal, for our world to one day grant everyone equal opportunity to succeed
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I found this to be a really interesting thing: http://post-modernenlightenment.blogspot.com/2012/01/transhumanism-and-ethnic-identity.html
Your thoughts?
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Thank you Abagond for this eye opening topic. I believe in discussing issues and bringing them to light instead of keeping silent.
If I ask myself, what to be an individual really means, the words self-awareness & self-knowledge arise. I truly don’t see myself (as a young afro Cuban woman) accomplishing self-consciousness if I don’t accept, embrace and love myself first.
I can’t become an individual out of nowhere! Kumbaya approach might be good at a society, still racist but with a certain degree of honesty and sympathy, unfortunately I don’t see that happening any time soon.
Racism has to be fought (no doubt about it) but I guess it’s all a matter of how I deal with it: am I being positive? Do I understand (comprehend) differences in thinking which (in some cases) might be a result from ignorance and not necessarily hatred? or do I become polarized in negative thinking, hatred, self-destruction resentment while dealing with racism?
I’m not talking here of interpreting reality in a distorted way but seeing the world as it is and yet be able to open ppl’s eyes from a peaceful state of mind.
Finally, excuse my English…it’s not my mother tongue.
Peace.
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@ dee
Are you speaking from experience (ie. after having travelled and worked in numerous countries), or are you just taking at face value a belief which seems to be common in the USA?
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@Brothawolf, so true about MLK. . . yet he wasn’t talking about running in behind whites. . . he was saying something totally different. Like stay in your lane and out of mine.
Anyway, most black Hollywood actors are puppets. . . i wouldn’t take heed to what most of them say about racism *insert Morgan Freeman et. al here* _________________________
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@ phoebeprunelle
“Anyway, most black Hollywood actors are puppets. . . i wouldn’t take heed to what most of them say about racism *insert Morgan Freeman et. al here*”
Agreed.
I can’t stand those guys anymore. Most of them are nothing less than Neo Uncle Toms.
Despicable.
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So true Abagond,
Silence in the face of racism gets you (society) no where. Not talking about it does not make racism go away. Attention has to be brought to it and action has to be taken to get people to realize–it is Not OK.
I don’t believe in suffering ‘in silence’…if I’m miserable, then everybody involved is going to be miserable too.
Fighting does not solve everything either (just makes you feel better). A good a’s whooping takes care of the immediate problem but it doesn’t solve the overall systemic issues. Bringing attention to an issue is the only way to cause a shift in the paradigm–whether negative or positive.
The issue of majority vs minority whether it’s based on race, class, or religion is an old dance that never ends–tolerance is in the eyes of the group in control. It typically takes a serious event (like threat of civil war or a labour strike) to change the dynamics of the heirachy.
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Nothing wrong with talking about race. However, obsessing over it is a problem. My favorite post on this blog have nothing to do with race.. well… let’s just say race usually isn’t the primary subject..
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Nothing wrong with talking about race. However, obsessing over it is a problem. My favorite post on this blog have nothing to do with race.. well… let’s just say race usually isn’t the primary subject..
“”
@ The Cynic,
If Abagond, Brothawolf, Truthbetold, Satanforce, etc.
didn’t find enlightening and interesting ways to express their points of view on this subject in their blogs, there would be an even greater sparsity of mediums that deal explicitly with the race inequalities and realities of the USA. This is a subject that implicates us all on a daily basis, whether we like it or not. This is the point of the post, in my opinion.
@ Abagond,
Thanks for the brilliant post, once again. =)
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@ Abagond
Thank you for another great post.
Racism will never end. It’s in the blood. It was here before we came and will be here long after we are gone.
Owning another human, exploiting them for profit and denying that said events ever took place created a deep mental sickness that was passed on by DNA. Blacks have genetic pain from the screams of our ancestors.
Whites have genetic shame from the hatred of their ancestors.
Together we interweave a tense, palpable existence frought with animus, fear, shame and anger that shall never be resolved. Thusly, denying the problem only serves to inflame it.
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the black unemployment rate stood at 2.1 times the white rate;
black babies are 2.6 times more likely to die than white babies.
Your mistake is in assuming any discrepancy is the result of “racism”. If one compares people of similar intelligence there is very little difference in unemployment and infant mortality.
“Racist people don’t want unity. “
I couldn’t agree more. And the biggest racists like to masquerade as anti-racists, claim racism only comes in one shade and look for any discrepancy to justify their bigotry.
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@JT
That’s cool. I understand this is Abagond’s blog and he can talk about w/e he wants. Just saying I think his blog was better when there was more of a mix btwn heavy race related material and light to non-race related material.
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Please read:
http://diaryofanegress.com/2012/05/28/the-problem-with-no-name/
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Thank you for another great post.
Racism will never end. It’s in the blood. It was here before we came and will be here long after we are gone.
Owning another human, exploiting them for profit and denying that said events ever took place created a deep mental sickness that was passed on by DNA. Blacks have genetic pain from the screams of our ancestors.
Whites have genetic shame from the hatred of their ancestors.
Together we interweave a tense, palpable existence frought with animus, fear, shame and anger that shall never be resolved. Thusly, denying the problem only serves to inflame it.
“”
@ Truthbetold,
Very inspiring, lyrical writing. Thank you.
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That’s cool. I understand this is Abagond’s blog and he can talk about w/e he wants. Just saying I think his blog was better when there was more of a mix btwn heavy race related material and light to non-race related material.
“”
@ The Cynic
Yeah, obviously people come here for different reasons. One reason i come so frequently is to stir myself from the white reverence cultivated from our media. If i wanted that, i could go to any website on the web or major corporate media source.
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@JT
“If i wanted that, i could go to any website on the web or major corporate media source”
Abagond’s writing style and the set up to this blog are pretty unique. I like it and I don’t think you can find it most other places
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@ JT One reason i come so frequently is to stir myself from the white reverence cultivated from our media.
The reason you come here is to delude yourself. He provides a plausible argument for you to hide behind.
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Taking an illustrative point:
“Anti-Semitism: Talking about the Holocaust spreads hatred and keeps anti-Semitism alive.”
We talk about the holocaust. We don’t talk about the damned Germans and how they all benefit from the Holocaust, and that they should all hang their heads in shame with collective guilt. Nor do most Jews.
@ JT
“White reverence cultivated from our media” – that’s why blacks are represented in the media in numbers that far outweigh their percentage of the population.
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@ duckduckgoofs,
WTF! How were you able to read my mind so expertly? Yes that is exactly why i come here! For the illusions of white oppression. 100% exactly it! Looking at the majority of white culture and history in an unfiltered light for all of its destructiveness so happily fulfills me. Being aware of my own background’s part in hurting other people helps me sleep at night!!! *sarcasm*
There is no pleasure in looking at oneself in the mirror when you share a history of oppression with other whites. Which is why so many whites delude themselves into thinking that they are part of a superior race. It buttresses them from true introspection and their true complicit actions of doing nothing or refusing to speak out (or even worse, being an active agent of systemic racism!!!
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@ JT
WTF! How were you able to read my mind so expertly?
Because you fit a typical pattern. Plus, you’re just not that deep.
Being aware of my own background’s part in hurting other people helps me sleep at night!!! *sarcasm*
You claim to be white. But you outed yourself when you said, “Blacks have genetic pain from the screams of our ancestors.” You’re a fraud.
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I liken racism to cancer. Nobody in their right mind would argue to ignore a cancer, because it spreads and it kills. Cancer needs to be treated to be eradicated. Racism needs to be faced and talked about to be eradicated.
I notice that since 1964, since getting a black president, racism hasn’t gone anywhere. There are laws and racist are punished for acting on their attitudes, but look at how racists are disrespecting the first black president. Look at the Trayvon Martin murder, look at the lynchings that have gone on of black men minding their own damn business in Texas and Mississippi. Look at black unemployment, the resurgence of the mammy stereotypes on TV.
Talking about what’s right in front of our faces is not what is perpetuating these things, because they already existed. Not talking about it will not magically make this things go away any more than LBJ signing the civil rights act somehow magically changed the hearts and souls or racist white folk.
Kumbaya anti-racism is silly thinking for fools. Morgan Freeman is a fool and I never knew that.
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@ dee
I’m not sure where you were going with that. Being happy with yourself and accepting yourself doesn’t go hand in hand with seeing others as inferior. Especially, when for generations, people who look like you have been told that they were less than.
———————————
Frankly, who cares what Hollywood types have to say? They’re focused on keeping the people who sign their checks happy.
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@duckduckgoofs
Because you fit a typical pattern. Plus, you’re just not that deep.
What is this typical pattern?
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Well Poetess, look for the bright side, if the racists were already accepting Zimmy as white, one may hope their grandchildren will be fully colorblind…
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Years ago, when I encountered Kumbaya-anti-racism for the first time, it smelt dishonest, confusing perpetrators and victims. “Black and White against Racism”=”Children and Pedophiles against Molestation”. The same criticism can be levied against Gay-Straight Alliances.
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Years ago, when I encountered Kumbaya-anti-racism for the first time, it smelt dishonest, confusing perpetrators and victims. “Black and White against Racism”=”Children and Pedophiles against Molestation”. The same criticism can be levied against Gay-Straight Alliances.
@ Columnist
Can you elaborate on this?
@ duckduckgoofs,
First off: I didn’t state: “Blacks have genetic pain from the screams of our ancestors.” ‘
That was a quoted from Truthbetold, who i think was right in stating it.
Because i agree that it is likely the case, that ‘outs’ me? How would that even ‘out’ me? Because i have learned from people like Truthbetold and Abagond, and think they are correct in their assertions? That doesn’t require me to be Black.
Also, could you elaborate on what you meant by ‘pattern’ – it’s quite vague and ominous.
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Abagond:
None of us can change our stripes, We are what we are. This goes for black people and everybody else on the planet as well. I singled out our race on purpose, because, we are the target of colorblind racism more so than other races. Oftentimes, those outside of our race seek to control and exploit black people for their own benefit, which is why “humanness” is pushed on our people, especially those who were born in the late 1980s and early 1990s to be specific. As Abagond correctly stated, brainwashing black people to deny who they are benefit racist whites. This is how racist whites maintain power on this planet. If the vast majority of black folk ignored the insanity of white people on this planet, they would have nothing. On the surface, this issue may seem like it’s not a big deal, but it is. The racial bs that we see in Cali, Chicago, New York, Cuba, Brazil, England, and other spots around the globe is hurting the advancement and expansion of black people on this planet in a major way. Instead of us moving the bar along, we have to waste time detoxing other black people off of stupidity planted in their heads by those in power. The black population in the US should have been north of 50 million a long time ago. Instead, we’ve spent all these years apologizing for being black because others are not. A certain percentage of blackmen on this planet feel the need to walk around with guilt. They’re not comfortable being black and proud, therefore, they think they have to turn themselves into whitemen in order to be accepted by others. The wasted time and energy from kumbaya racism is what hurts us the most. All of the black lives lost because black males have been taught to not see color, thus, killing their own because blackness is not special to them. Their grandmothers and mothers lying to them about the uniqueness of who they are. Why would they respect and cherish black life if they’ve been told by their elders that being black doesn’t really matter anyway? Blackwomen have been used by racist whitemen to poison the minds of their children, and, they’ve been successful to a great extent. Our race is going backwards because the minds and hearts of blackwomen are controlled and manipulated by others. We can deny all we want, the facts don’t lie. Religion, politics, sports, and entertainment control our women, that’s a problem blackman! Don’t matter how many “good” brothas are around, if blackwomen can’t partner with sincere blackmen to raise self-loving women and men, our race is screwed…Ditto!
Tyrone
Black Eagles/Brown Eagles…The Best Of Me
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@ Tyrone
Co-signed!
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How’s this for ‘kumbaya racism’: (I didn’t know how to attach the image of the sneaker, but each shoe comes with a bright orange shackle and connecting chain.
Adidas has caused an uproar with the release of its new JS Roundhouse Mid sneaker. The reason for the uproar? The sneaker, designed by Jeremy Scott, comes with a bright orange shackle attached to each ankle by a chain.
Many people have expressed outrage over the sneaker’s connection to slavery and prison life. By targeting the sneaker to the urban market, they argue, Adidas is demonstrated blatant disrespect, disregard, and maybe even racism toward its consumer base. Others argue that critics are being too sensitive. They insist that the new sneaker has nothing to do with the legacy of slavery or prison, but is simply an attempt to make an edgy artistic statement.
Is the new sneaker racist? Does it respect urban consumer? Or are we being too sensitive?
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@ Oyan
The sneaker in question seems to have been designed with not hate in mind, but general ignorance. They probably did not have the thought of slavery or the prison rates the plague the urban community. They were trying to be ‘edgy.’ However, that ‘edginess’ came without thought of the meaning or an artistic statement of any kind.
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@Dahoman X: I personally haven’t experienced it, but my parents have, and they tell me about their experiences, as well as the experiences of other friends and family members. It’s the reason why my parents decided to move from Cameroon to England, and then from England to America. It’s a lot easier for a minority to be successful here, and climb up the corporate ladder. I can go more into detail if you’re interested.
@Gen: There’s a difference between accepting yourself for who you are and what you look like, and taking pride in your skin tone. Taking pride in something means that you think that it’s superior to something else. But I don’t agree with the notion that some skin tones are better than others. So why feel pride? It only makes sense to me to be prideful of your culture, because that it something that is actually in your control. Yes, for generations in America black people were abused in such ways, and still are, but now that we know that what’s been said to try and hurt us are lies, we don’t have to continue playing this game by their outdated, racist rules. We should instead try to take the noble approach and acknowledge that we’re all equally beautiful as humans, in different ways. Just because there’s still institutionalized racism doesn’t mean we have to try to approach that by thinking “us vs. them”.. I don’t see how that is constructive
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Oyan, you do know you are talking about a German brand? As usual, they are awfully political correct and the release has already been cancelled.
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I think the shackle sneaker was supposed to be like the briefcase so ‘valuable’ one chains to one’s wrist supposedly, but it was not well thought through… Personally it’s a dumb idea.
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@Truthbetold
Appreciate the love sista…Always! Hopefully, black folk and others will understand what i’m trying to get across. No matter what race you belong to, self-hatred is a cardinal sin in my book. If the man upstairs made you white, be white…If he made you black, be black, and so forth. No race has the right to tell another race of people whether they can or can’t love who they are…Bottomline! Black people don’t walk around telling whites, asians, and amerindians how to view their racial identity, but, they think it’s okay to tell african people whether they can be black or not, which is mind-blowing to me. Truth, keep it eye level at all times.
Tyrone
Black Eagles/Brown Eagles…Unity
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@dee
“Black Versus” is a reality on this planet. When others stop trying to hoodwink black people, that’s when the racial bs will stop. I understand your viewpoint, but, the world doesn’t spin the way you want it to spin. I don’t know if you’re a sista or brotha, but, blackmen can’t view race relations the same way blackwomen do. Blackwomen can be friends with other women because women aren’t trying to conquer anybody or anything. Men, are the opposite of women. They want to conquer other nations, destroy other men, co-opt other women not of their tribe, and so forth. As a blackman, i can’t interact with other men like that, because, i know that they don’t really care about the welfare of blackmen anyway. This is the ugly truth that a lot of us don’t wanna acknowledge. If your worldview was right, white and indian men from south-america wouldn’t import tons of drugs into this country, knowing that their actions are hurting blackmen in this country…white arab men pushing radical islam on african men, who in turn kill other black people in cold blood…white cops killing innocent blackmen because they’re black, etc. Dee, stop believing the bs you see on the idiot box, our people die young because they don’t know the true motives of others in relation to our race. I don’t want other sistas and brothas to be a statistic, which is why i will always be honest about race, whether folk get mad or not.
Tyrone
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….”Teddy
Oyan, you do know you are talking about a German brand? As usual, they are awfully political correct and the release has already been cancelled….”
So who was the ‘urban audience’ they had in mind, and, if ‘innocent’ why cancel’. I don’t believe for one minute that this was innocently produced. Please. Kumaya ignorance doesn’t cut it either.
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You haven’t seen the My Pet Monster defense? From that it follows that it was intended for folks identifying with monsters.
Why cancel? Intentions do market in court, but perceptions are everything in the market, that’s obvious. If enough people think about the product like you do, it does not matter whether they are right or wrong, but their mere opinion causes cancelation to be the right decision commercially, and THAT is what matters.
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Just wondering what the relevance of the picture is? Sorry to seem daft. I’m not American.
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@ Kimlovesjozi,
I think what Abagond might be saying with this picture is that the usa remains racially divided and to pretend that race doesnt have real impact on one’s standards of living is living in an illusion.
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JT has it right. That is a race map of Chicago.
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If the man upstairs made you white, be white…If he made you black, be black, and so forth.No matter what race you belong to, self-hatred is a cardinal sin in my book.
@ Tyrone,
I respectfully disagree.
If one is thinking, arguing, criticizing the ideas that go with being white, for example, and they are white, this means that they have stopped considering themself just as white and they have started thinking of themself as a white that reflects on what it means to be white.
Maybe they don’t like what that means (being white). Maybe they have debated over the subject within themselves and come to the conclusion that yes they are white and that will always affect how they are treat in society.
However, they can always realize that they are going to rise above that whiteness and try to be a better human then just identify as ‘white’. So at this point, hating the white part of themselves is loving the human part of themselves.
White-hatred, in my books, just means being uncomfortable with whiteness (in my case). I don’t see it as then being self-hatred because the person that is white is not hating all parts of themself. In fact they are loving the human part of themself. Which means they are taking into consideration the fact that they are a white person is dedicated to rising above it. Something that we CAN do if we want to.
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@JT
Whites have gotten everything they ever wanted, yet, it’s not enuf. This is the contradiction of whiteness. They’re supposed to be so much better than us…their skin is lighter, hair straighter, thinner nose and lips, etc. If they really believe all of this, why continue to hate on black people? Honestly, white folks don’t know what they wanna be from day to day. If a race of people don’t know what direction they want to go in, they’re scattered. Black folk know who and what they want to be, which is the crux of the issue. JT, whites may be able to turn the switch off at their own discretion, but, we can’t do that and don’t want to anyway. This is what spanish and middle-eastern whites do…party and bull with black people, but, when it’s about the paper, they turn into stereotypical white people. Think about it JT, whites calling themselves the n-word all day every day in front of black people, and have no shame in doing so. Damn, is whiteness that bad? “Race Denial” has become a part of white culture, and most of us aren’t even aware of what’s taking place. I remember reading Sister 2 Sister magazine a while back, which featured an interview with Johnny Gill and his fiance, who is a so-called latina, she’s white to be specific. Jamie Foster Brown made the mistake of saying she was white, and she quickly corrected her by saying, “I’m not white, I’m a latina” to paraphrase the quote.” My jaw dropped when i read that. I said to myself, ‘Why are whitewomen trying not to be white?” Whites have the right to love themselves, just saying.
Tyrone
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Tyrone, race as you are using it is just an invention to defend slavery and such: If you know where you belong, if you have a genuine ethnicity, being classified as a color is almost as bad as being called the C-word.
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@ JT
I responded to your comment but Abagond censored it. If you’d like to know what it was you’ll have to ask him.
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@ Duckduckgoofs,
Maybe its better that I don’t read it. It would seem to me that the mentality that you pursue is entirely divorced from others realities. Which i dont need your post to read that with — Ive already got that from you.
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@ Tyrone,
I agree with everything that you said. That is until the last sentence. How does one have the right to love themself? Via ….action…. thought….REDEEMABLE behaviors.
In all honesty loving oneself is not an easy task and thus the more whites try to deny Blacks’ inherent extremely high worth. So how are they going to love themself when trying that on other people? People who love themselves don’t do that.
Thus my conclusion … whites need to try and make good on the sins of their fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers …. and maybe even on their white friends or brothers and sisters. Because to just engage in Kumbaya anti-racism for example is not a redeemable behavior. It gives them 0 self esteem at best (in terms of considering their race as a cost or benefit).
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On the road out here, dont have much oportunity to get to a computor on a daily basis…
Im with you JT, its not about self hate, its about rejecting a frame of mind and seeing through it and not wanting to identify with some kind of whiteness concept
It would be a mistake if someone thought it was coming from guilt or self hate
Some peopel might have that, but, I dont
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Tyrone
@dee
” Men, are the opposite of women. They want to conquer other nations, destroy other men, co-opt other women not of their tribe, and so forth.”
Oh, how very ture.
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The thinking and analysis on this site is spot on. There are no solutions to the issues this site looks at, but that is no failing. There are no ‘solutions’, full stop.
What there can be is an honest assessment of reality – Abagond has the ability to make and articulate reality. He does not get deviated with fantasy thinking. And, he can stay objective and not be hateful.
His thinking is not deluded via Neo-Marxist, Frankfurt School shell games either.
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I meant to say on line 4, from post above:
Abagond has the ability (and intellectual honesty) to *accurately assess* and articulate reality.
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@jones:
“There are no solutions to the issues this site looks at, but that is no failing. There are no ‘solutions’, full stop.”
Of course there are. Racism is man made. It can be un done. It is not natural condition, it is not Gods dictation, it was made up just few hundred years ago. It is not human condition, it is not biological, it is not hard wired in our brains. It was made up to support a system in which the few reap the benefits and majority is left out. It is an ideology to conquer and divide, and it still works wonders for those who use it for the same purpose as it was used all those centuries ago.
While people hate each other just because of their skin color, those guys on top can laugh while they plunder your bank accounts and tax dollars, sell you stuff you do not need, control you trough the fear they created, and make you want more guns, more cops, more hard justice, more hangings, more wars etcetcetc.
So what is the solution? Revolution of thinking. It has been done in the past and it can be done tomorrow. Road is long and hard, but it is up to us, the present generation, to teach and show by example that racism and all it brings along can be un done. Not by joining hands and singing Kumbayah, but by recognising the problems and taking a stand against it. Perhaps the next generation will un do it. Perhaps their kids. One will never know.
But if we just say There is no solution, then we can all pull the hoods over our heads and join in burning the crosses. There is always something we all can do in our lives. It is just up to us to do it. How ever small.
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White people (and it’s ALWAYS white people) who use the term “anti-racism” live the whitest lives imaginable: shopping at Wegmans and Whole Foods, playing Dave Matthews on the ipod, driving a SMART car, wearing vintage clothes, living in the exurbs, and viewing race relations as an eternal loop of “The Help”. Black men are all like Morgan Freeman and Black women are asexual dispensers of wordly wisdom, like the Oracle in the Matrix movies.
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@ B.R.
Hope you’re having LOTS of fun out there. Stay alert, smart and safe.
Whiteness is ever on the prowl … lol
🙂
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@ Sam
Sorry, I think that thinking is naive.
There is also Marxist theory present in your theory – that being the premise that racism is somehow connected to economics.
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People can be nicer to each other, sure.
But Europeans and Africans are different people, and subtly see life differently. African people are not Europeans. Europeans are not Africans.
There is nothing wrong with Europeans, or Africans. They are both different types of people (biologically) – but people nonetheless.
Recognising and accepting our differences is a humanist position.
People are silly to compare themselves to others – whether as individuals, or as groups.
Accepting the world as it is about maturity (this is very important for people’s peace of mind). It can take a lifetime to accept the world as it is. Some never do, and become bitter old Lefties.
Also, people should aim to view everybody else as being morally equal.
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@jones:
“There is also Marxist theory present in your theory – that being the premise that racism is somehow connected to economics.”
It is connected to economics, always was and still is. I think it is extremly naive to think it is not. Immature, I’d say.
“There is nothing wrong with Europeans, or Africans. They are both different types of people (biologically) – but people nonetheless.”
Biologically there is only one human race on this planet. That is an absolute scientific fact. Saying there are different biological races is racist and that is the corner stone of racism. And saying that, believeing that, is racist.
“Recognising and accepting our differences is a humanist position.”
True, but claiming there are different races is racist, not humanistic.
“People are silly to compare themselves to others – whether as individuals, or as groups.”
Humanbeigns can not truly compare themselves to any other animal.
“Accepting the world as it is about maturity (this is very important for people’s peace of mind). It can take a lifetime to accept the world as it is. Some never do, and become bitter old Lefties.”
Accepting the world as it is is surrender. It is giving up. It is bend over. It is giving up any hope, any improvement, any development. Human progress is about NOT ACCEPTING the world as it is. Just think about the past. “Well, we just have to accept this plague, yeah, it is natural thing to do!, “We just have to accept that jewish people are being burn in ovens, thats just the way it is.” “We just have to accept slavery, after all it is just the way things are.” , “We just have to let those german and japanese guys kill and slave us all because thats the way world is” etc etc.
The System lives on because that sort of thinking, defaistic and immoral retreat, anti-intellectual stance, where the earth is flat and leaders know better. Just accept what ever comes, even if it is not your own fault. Really?
All I know that accepting the wrongs of the world leads into stagnation, oppression, unequlity etc. Never ever accept the wrongs and ills of society or the world. That is how I think and I feel just fine. I have a peace of mind because of it.
And ah, again, the Lefties! 😀
Whats with you guys and the lefties, left and all that stuff? You still live in 1980’s when USSR was around? I find it extremely funny and hilarious that you guys see pinkoes and lefties in everything that calls for progress, advancement, equality, etc. But wait? Those have always been radical ideas!! They have always been revolutionary! And wait, wasn’t the very idea of USA once revolutionary idea? Yes it was. It was born out of revolution. 😀
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[…] black man’s need, made compelling by the white man’s crimes against him. Read original story her. This piece was reprinted by Migrant Tales with permission. Share this:Tags: Finland, Finnish […]
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Hi Sam.
“Biologically there is only one human race on this planet. That is an absolute scientific fact. Saying there are different biological races is racist and that is the corner stone of racism. And saying that, believeing that, is racist.”
How is that ‘racist’? It is a comment about race. There is a medical basis to race. That doesn’t have to be a threatening reality to accept. It depends upon what thoughts then follow-on from accepting racial differences.
That point onwards is where debate about race should begin. Denying race is ‘the Left’s version of creationism’.
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“Accepting the world as it is is surrender. It is giving up. It is bend over. It is giving up any hope, any improvement, any development. Human progress is about NOT ACCEPTING the world as it is.”
That is true. Trying to improve life is positive. But…. believing that anything is possible would be a huge mental and emotional burden. The more Leftwing someone is, the more they are waking up each day thinking “Everything about the world is wrong”.
I really like this saying: “It is easier to change the way you think about the world, than to change the world”. This is Conservative philosophy.
I think that many ‘injustices’ can be solved in our mind, via our own personal philosophy & reasoning. The reverse can be true as well – people can be encouraged to believe that they are victims, when previously they felt fine.
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Matari, just caught your message…thanks….Im in Miami ( go Heat)!!!
I could almost sing Kumbaya……except Florida was part of the South, and, you know traces of that mentality are there in some of the white people…but, I am impressed with the diversity and power that people of color and the hispanic comunity have in Miami
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@jones:
“How is that ‘racist’? It is a comment about race. There is a medical basis to race. That doesn’t have to be a threatening reality to accept. It depends upon what thoughts then follow-on from accepting racial differences.
That point onwards is where debate about race should begin. Denying race is ‘the Left’s version of creationism’.”
No, it is not. Biologically there is only one human race on this planet. To believe that there is more than one is the very idea of racism. It is the whole point of racism. And making that claim is racism. And if and when you say that there are more than one human race, you are stating a racist belief, not an scientifict fact. Sorry.
There is no leftist creationism. It exists only on the religious rightwing. Sorry again.
“believing that anything is possible would be a huge mental and emotional burden.”
It depends how you take it. But isn’t that the very essence of being american? I was under the illusion that it is true blue american way of thinking that anything is possible. Perhaps conservatives have raped this one too, along the countrys economy.
“The more Leftwing someone is, the more they are waking up each day thinking “Everything about the world is wrong”.”
I peg the difference. It seems that right wing conservatives do nothing but complain all the time how the world is wrong and how commies and heathens are ruining their life style.
“I really like this saying: “It is easier to change the way you think about the world, than to change the world”. This is Conservative philosophy.”
That is a way to turn you inside and make you forget the social ills around you, so that when your life turns into s**t the only thing you can say I fked up. That is also why so many americans vote those guys who are raping them 27/7/52/12.
“I think that many ‘injustices’ can be solved in our mind, via our own personal philosophy & reasoning. The reverse can be true as well – people can be encouraged to believe that they are victims, when previously they felt fine.”
So basically all what is wriong in the world is about psychology and how you feel. No wonder that americans are doping up their kids under ten with antidepressant drugs and do other drugs in massive amounts. They just want to feel fine despite whats going on around them, instead of waking up and doing something about it. Or try at least.
I like to be sober and sharp and poltically and socially active and not accept the wrongs of this world. It makes me feel good and alive.
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I have always felt that racism is learned not genetic. Something that has always baffled me is that children/teenagers will rebel against parents teaching religion, anti drugs, and education…but I have never met anyone other than myself that rebelled against racism. I wonder why that is? I always questioned it and often made people angry. It never sat well with me. I don’t understand how people will fight for freedom of their own choices and then turn around and blame their racism on anything and everything but their own choice!
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@Michelle
…but I have never met anyone other than myself that rebelled against racism.
Did your peers never say to you ‘my dad would kill me if I went out with a black man?’ Some of mine certainly did. They echoed this continually growing up then slowly, I would see some of them in clubs and pubs that drew a majority black crowd and then they were going out with X and then the offspring came.
These individuals could be classed as ‘rebelling’ but, in order for the next generation of this type of union to thrive and accept themselves for who they are, total rejection of this is the key.
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Demerera..
I was talking about not having the beliefs they were taught and fighting it by questioning their parents and friends about their racism. I did know girls growing up that did exactly what you said but they hid it until the babies came. One girl got sent to boarding school because of it. I also knew girls that had black boyfriends but would chime in and laugh at racist jokes. But I don’t see that as fighting against racism. I didn’t date POC because I was rebelling…it was because I genuinely liked them. I did not hide it from my family or friends. I have always been against racism since I was very young. I feel that people choose to be racist because they have every opportunity to choose not to be. I am sure that growing up…my life would have been easier if I had conformed to what my parents and neighbors wanted me to. But I wasn’t looking for an easy out. I won’t work for someone who is racist and I won’t be friends with them either. I feel people are capable of taking a stand no matter how small it may seem. You just have to put what is right above personal gain. Unfortunately from my experience with others…it is the opposite.
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My opinions about things are slowly changing.
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Hi Sam,
“So basically all what is wriong in the world is about psychology and how you feel. No wonder that americans are doping up their kids under ten with antidepressant drugs and do other drugs in massive amounts. They just want to feel fine despite whats going on around them, instead of waking up and doing something about it. Or try at least.”
Yep, I agree. (I’m not American, I’m Australian. I like reading about the US and other societies because there is more happening overseas.)
I get the impression that many Americans are quite stressed out people. It doesn’t even have to be based on what they say, but on how they live. The self-medication Americans do to cope with the pressures of their society.
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“I like to be sober and sharp and poltically and socially active and not accept the wrongs of this world. It makes me feel good and alive.”
I think that is a good approach, within reason (to protect your sanity – ie, when facing societal mega-trends that no-one can turn around).
America has unique problems that working to solve would improve life for all Americans – eg, it is shocking that much of US public policy is very much influenced by big money interests, at the expense of the public.
In Australia, there is stronger provision of public funding of political parties. Political parties get money from the electoral commission after elections so they don’t have to rely on private money (and therefore influence) so much.
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Hi Sam,
“Biologically there is only one human race on this planet. To believe that there is more than one is the very idea of racism. It is the whole point of racism. And making that claim is racism. And if and when you say that there are more than one human race, you are stating a racist belief, not an scientifict fact. Sorry.”
So why do we have words like ‘Black people’, and ‘White people’, and all the rest?
If they didn’t have differences, we wouldn’t have a need for words to describe them.
Lol, I know Black people exist. I have even met real Black people, Aborigines, Asian people…lived in their societies. I know that they look and think differently (in very subtle ways), and I accept that as part of life.
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@jones:
“So why do we have words like ‘Black people’, and ‘White people’, and all the rest?
If they didn’t have differences, we wouldn’t have a need for words to describe them.
Lol, I know Black people exist. I have even met real Black people, Aborigines, Asian people…lived in their societies. I know that they look and think differently (in very subtle ways), and I accept that as part of life.”
We do have words like Fat people, skinny people, tall people, shoprt people, bigpeople, little people, blond people, pale people, athletic people, slobs, rockers, bikies, hippies etcetcetc. These are words to describe what we see. And yes, there are white people and black people. BUT it is about what kind of meaning we give these words.
If we see the color of the skin just as a feature like blue eyes or tallness, then it is just an describtion. BUT if we say “black” and give it meanings like Race, Another, Not human, then we are racist.
Aborginals a different culture and history, for sure. Asians have their cultures, religions and habits which differ from the white ones. That is normal and has nothing to do with the concept of Race. These people are different because they have different culture, not because the way they look. A chineseaustralian born in fifth generation has very little common with any chinese at all. Perhaps his family retains some beliefs and foods, but other than that, he is aussie just like any one else.
Even the whites are not the same. My friend is from Ireland and to him the biggest shocker in Finland was the casual way we treat nudity. People go swimming nude, they go to sauna nude, they walk around in their apartments nude, they sleep nude etc. In Ireland, because the catholic traditions, nudity is very big tabu. But there are differences between finns how we think about of nudity, so not even we are the same.
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@jones and sam
“We do have words like Fat people, skinny people, tall people, shoprt people, bigpeople, little people, blond people, pale people, athletic people, slobs, rockers, bikies, hippies etcetcetc. These are words to describe what we see. And yes, there are white people and black people”
If you are trying to describe someone by the logic that you just gave…I would think that simply saying white or black is wrong. If you were actually trying to describe someone in an accurate description then wouldn’t it be more appropriate to describe the actual skin tone/complexion instead of using the government designated race word? To me it is kinda like saying “all black people look the same” or “all white people look the same”. Just my opinion though.
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Social constructs exist or they don’t.
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@michelle:
Well, the word Black was not originally government designated, It was negro. That is why they said in 60’s Black is beautiful. But yes, using these racial describtions is tricky but still they are in common use, in both negative and neutral terms.
“To me it is kinda like saying “all black people look the same” or “all white people look the same”.”
Not for me. If I say F1 driver Hamilton is black, everyone knows what I mean and do not think that all blacks look like Hamilton. Or if I say Wayne Gretzky is white, that does not make people believe that I mean that all hockey players are white (which they are not, by the way!) or that all white people look like Gretzky.
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@Michelle
I am sure that growing up…my life would have been easier if I had conformed to what my parents and neighbors wanted me to. But I wasn’t looking for an easy out…
I guess some people do not have the strength or conviction to aspire to take the path that you yourself say you have chosen, more’s the pity.
I feel people are capable of taking a stand no matter how small it may seem. You just have to put what is right above personal gain. Unfortunately from my experience with others…it is the opposite.
Not many have the determination and the resolve to see it through, particularly when you talk about putting ‘what is right above personal gain’. You are right though, people could make small strides where they can in their day to day lives. I have a friend who gets ‘upset’ about things but says she goes home upset because ‘she cant stand confrontation’. I always ask her why she feels that things have to get to a confrontational stage just because she voices disapproval of something. She can’t quite articulate it but, I suspect that she is aware how easily people who make casual and inaccurate comments about PoC can get riled up and defensive when they are pulled up about it, particularly if someone takes it a stage further and dares to accuse them of racism.
I see some progress (might not be the most apt word) though and I dont know if its the same in your locality. When I was growing up, particularly in the early 80’s, people shrugged off being called racist, some even agreed and wore it with pride. Now, people can get really angry about it and will reject it at every turn, even if every word that comes out of their mouth suggests otherwise….
Anyone else notice this?
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This reminded me of a quote I’ve read recently(something like): ‘if you keep silent about your pain, they will kill you and say you enjoyed it’.
So The more you talk about it, the more it will reach people both victimized ones and opressors. So SPEAK OUT!!! If i hadn’t found this blog I’d probably think I was imagining thinks, since they(whites) have double Phd in the art of making you feel ashamed for the evil they did/do to you.
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[…] Kumbayah anti-racism […]
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