zentronix: dubwise & hiphopcentric

Wednesday, February 06, 2008
2G2K Circus :: Anti-Black Racism and My Alleged Cynicism

For the many of you who are coming to my blog for the first time, welcome! The HuffPost version of my last post has drawn lots of you in to our little neck of the interweb. Stick around if you like.

Normally I don't feel a great need to respond to objections to most stuff I say--OK, I know, it doesn't stop me--but there are two themes that are developing that I wanted to comment on.

The first emerges from the piece I did on Clinton, Obama, and Latino and Asian American voters. Many are criticizing me for downplaying or ignoring anti-Black racism amongst Latinos and Asian Americans. Um, let me just say, mercifully: you can spare your bytes trying to lecture me. You might instead use your bandwith searching through this blog for any of the zillion posts and discussions that we've had here over the last 4 years on the topic of interracial relations, or as the MSM likes to call it, Black-Brown-Yellow tensions. Shoot, pick up almost anything I've written over the past 20 years. (I seem to recall a whole chapter in a book I did once that talked about the issue.)

My post was a reaction to the knee-jerk MSM question asked of Latino and Asian American politicos beginning on NPR this morning--some version of "Well, gee, doesn't this show that you all are just as racist as whites are?" I think that's ridiculous. It's a self-serving question, and much less revealing than it is presumed to be.

I doubt Michelle Obama and the Secret Service worry about Latino or Asian American extremists. I haven't seen a Latino or Asian American leader or activist pull the race card during this campaign season. Happy to be proven wrong, but I haven't seen it. Clearly, though, some parts of the press have had no problem pulling the race card. And look how easily we can get caught up in it. It's the American way.

Let's turn the question around: did Obama voters vote against Hillary because they're all misogynists? And has this question been asked by any pundit of any male? Who are these questions serving, hmmm?

I don't live in hippie la-la land. (Well OK I live in Berkeley but I'm saying you know metaphorically and shit.) There's more than enough racism, sexism, and discrimination to fight on the daily. So ease up and just let me hold up a simple standard, the kind of standard that one might hope could raise discussions, instead of lowering them: bring on the evidence and then let's talk. In turn, I'll remain fully accountable for what I write.

I wrote a piece that offered a theory based on what I can report, what I can show, and what I can prove. Now I'm no diehard empiricist. I realize the blogosphere is a wonderful place for wild speculation, and I'm guilty of it (ex. South Carolina), and I'm staying in the blogosphere. But I'd like to think I can draw the line at becoming a tool for people who get a kick out of seeing folks fight over non-issues. I mean there's plenty of real issues we're already fighting about, no?

My point is not and has never been to deny the existence of anti-Black racism, or just as important, to deny the need to fight anti-Black racism in my community or any other. I think I have been consistent and honest and open on this issue. My point is: let's call it where we actually see it, and let's fight it on our own terms and our own turf.

The other theme that's come up here some are angry/sad/disheartened at the thought that after writing a glowing piece about Obama in Vibe, I've turned "buzzkill" and "killjoy". All I can say is that I don't think this is a game, or mere entertainment. Candidates recognize they turn into used cars when they declare a run for office. Voters are gonna come in and kick the tires. So if I'm a bit moody or excessively sober or allegedly cynical, well, someone's gotta be. And, uh, I guess I'm the one I'm waiting for.

Thanks for stopping by.

Labels: african american voters, asian american voters, ease up you've got it wrong, latino voters

posted by Zentronix @ 8:02 PM 10 comments

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