An Eerie Epiphany

I know I should be talking about Gov. "Let's Make a Deal" in Illinois, but I don't have much to say. He appears to have been a blatantly crooked bastard who seemed oblivious to this new invention called wiretaps. The cats on The Wire were much better criminals then him, and therefore, far more interesting.

Instead, I would like to talk about an interesting conversation I had with a friend recently. Since I opened her eyes to the rampant racism in the world, this friend has been astounded at the hatred that abounds in people's hearts. She and I often send each particularly vicious comments left by readers on racially-tinted articles just to marvel at the level of vitriol and predictability.

The other day, after reading a ridiculously racist comment, my friend broached an interesting topic. She said that as she's gained more knowledge about racism and interacted with people who fight against racism, it's made her more conscious of racism's role in the world. She's also found validation for certain niggling suspicions she had in the past, simply because more people have echoed her suspicions.

She said she considered herself pretty "race-neutral" in the past, but that's changed. She wondered if white people who consider themselves "race-neutral" change that position once they encounter groups of other white people validating stereotypes about minorities and discussing various negative experiences with minorities. My friend thought since racist sentiments abound on the internet some people might feel validated in their own personal racism, which in turn would create more division in the world.

Well I just had to write a blog post about that.

Where to begin, where to begin...Honestly, it's not that far-fetched to assume that hanging around like-minded people only reinforces our existing beliefs. That's why strident racism and strident religious beliefs typically decrease with more education and more diverse life experiences.

Yet, I honestly had never considered the possibility that what I consider obviously racist anonymous comments might soothe the consciences of some people and make them less likely to root out and remove racist attitudes from their lives. Now that I have considered it, it makes perfect sense.

The truth is, just about everybody in the world believes in some stereotypes. Stereotypes are the easiest ways to classify people into benefactors or threats and most human beings like things easy. In fact, the only thing holding people back from embracing and repeating the stereotypes accepted as gospel two or three decades ago is the fact that minorities are better able to generate a backlash today.

Back in the day, there was no real penalty for saying black people did worse in school because they were genetically inferior, or saying that Asian women were more docile because they have weak blood. Everybody just nodded their heads and agreed. Today, those same comments generate a shitstorm of attention thanks to the plethora of minority groups who immediately spring into action and create the perfect media controversy. Thanks to civil rights gains, minorities have a bigger stake in America, and their complaints are given more weight.

But, in many ways, the internet is a lot like the good old days.

The anonymity and sheer size of the web makes it difficult for minority groups to combat digital racism. In addition, mainstream media types tend to marginalize the impact of web behavior because there are no easy images or named sources. That has turned the internet into the racial Wild Wild West, and it explains why the comment sections on most websites rapidly transform into Klan rallies when issues of race are discussed.

Initially, I actually viewed the racism on the web as a good thing. I figured that people were finally saying what they really felt, and I was being given a true idea of where the world stood as far as race relations. But, my friends comments made me reconsider that position.

Validation only encourages idiocy. Instead of the web becoming a place where idiotic ideas are challenged and refuted, it's becoming a place where idiotic concepts are celebrated and given more heft because more people are saying them. Before the web, a racist idiot might be isolated in their racism, and if given the right life experiences, might begin to change their views.

Now, that same racist can find a whole community of like-minded individuals who not only bolster his beliefs, but also provide him with a great recruiting tool to sway other folks. After all, most people only need to be told that they are part of the "in crowd" to adopt any imbecilic position. If a racist can show easily influenced individuals that the resentments harbored inside their hearts are normal and acceptable to hundreds of other people, it's much less likely that person will do any self evaluation.

While the internet is traditionally praised for its ability to open up the world and spread knowledge to everyone, I now wonder if that's true. How many of us use the web to learn new things, and how many of us use it prove the things we already believe?


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Early Birds

My parents never sat me down and had "the talk."

You know, the sex talk.

My pops told me that if I ever brought any babies home they were my responsibility, but we never discussed love or sex in any detail. I got a lot of reminders that God wanted me to wait until I was married to copulate, but I also got treated to stories about how my dad got his first piece of nookie at either nine or 13, he could never be sure.

I could have been described as a "sex rube" for much of my young life.

In fact, as a youth, I thought foreplay was punching little girls in the head and running. I was more likely to call a girl I was enamored with an "ugly dummy" while tripping her, then to whisper sweet nothings in her ear.

Basically, I had nothing on this little boy.

That young fella recently wrote a dating book for adults. He outlines the dos and don'ts of how to get the girl of your dreams, and he's only nine years old. Plus, as an added bonus, he'll soon by publishing a children's book about the Watergate scandal.

Ain't he precious?

Actually, he's scary. He's scary because he's not living in a child's world. No nine-year old should be getting book deals for relationship tomes. I understand that he originally wrote the book for his school's book fair, but in the end it became something that was pumped out to the masses. Now he's doing book tours, and according to the Post's story, posting up at the bar with his adoring fans.

That ain't right.

And I'm not jealous because I know some of y'all are wondering about that. What I am is disturbed with how quickly modern children are asked to assume adult roles in today's world.

When I look at my little boy, I want to teach him how to become a man, but I also want to give him space to enjoy childhood. I would not be ok with him sipping Shirley Temples at the bar and talking to women about the lame pickup lines guys use. I also don't like how so many kids today need their own Blackberrys to keep up with all their ballet lessons, piano recitals and sporting events.

I wonder if we as a society have become comfortable with seeing our children as nothing more than tiny adults. They have adult responsibilities and adult rewards. Flashy jewelry, expensive toys, all the trappings of the American dream are being thrust on children at younger ages. And that doesn't even account for the violent, sexual images streaming into our homes.

When are we going to allow kids to just be kids? Actually, when are we going to force our kids to just be kids? We need to tell them that some things just aren't for them, and that no matter how mature they may feel, they are still just children.

And they need to play their positions.


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Three Black Men

O.J., Dollar Bill Jefferson and Barack Hussein Obama.

The killer, the crook and the politician.

The Holy Trinity of blackness in today's America.

At first glance, these three men don't have much in common. They aren't friends or confidants. You don't think of one when you mention the other.

But, there is a connection there.

First, let's discuss the killer. Most people in America believe O.J. did it. They think he killed his wife and her lover in cold blood and then skated at trial because of crafty lawyer and black people's racism. That's the popular explanation of why O.J. was a free man the past 13 years instead of sitting on death row.

O.J., and his trial, became a rallying point for white people who wanted to harp on black racism as a way to disguise their own prejudices. He was the ultimate bogeyman. White people, with the help of the mainstream media, hounded this man year after year in what they felt was a fair exchange for his acquittal. They believed he didn't deserve to be free, so anything that happened to him was his own fault.

And then he decided to take his shit back. Yep, that's what his case boiled down too. He went to a hotel room to get back some stuff somebody stole from him and he brought some friends and a gun. He made a choice that many people can relate too, and he was convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping. He now faces at least 9 years in prison, and possibly 18. White people across the country must think Christmas came early.

Now, let's discuss Dollar Bill. I won't say much about his case or its merits, but I do want to talk about the mood surrounding this election. Jefferson has been in Congress for generations and was once one of the most important black people in my city. He is no angel, but he was always a well-known and respected figure.

He's just a joke now. Someone to be gawked at and disdained. There has been a concentrated effort by many white people in this community to turn him into proof that evil surely follows allowing black people to gain power. Without being convicted, he has been labeled a common criminal by the same folks that love to discuss the mishandling of the Duke lacrosse case.

So what does that have to do with Big Homie? I think his election means we'll be seeing a lot more of stuff like this.

Some might argue that none of this is connected. They would note that the only reason Jefferson survived his run-off against Helena Moreno was because people came out to vote for Obama. In truth, they would say that it's amazing that an indicted politician survived so long. And of course they'll point out that O.J. was a simpleton who stretched his luck one too many times.

But, that's not considering the big picture. Those of us who have paid attention have noticed a steady increase in the targeting of black people as bogeymen in recent years. Sure, that practice never disappeared from American culture, but it had waned a bit. Things are now heading in the opposite direction.

It's evident in the way the foibles of black athletes are covered by the mainstream media and the missteps of white athletes are glossed over. It's clear in the way the coverage of corruption changes depending on the color of the suspected politician. Black criminality has always been a money maker, but these days, people are searching high and low to make that criminality a big issue.

And, it's because of Obama.

Obama is the opposite of a black male stereotype in so many ways. Educated, soft-spoken and non-threatening, he does not easily fit into the normal little box. And, unlike many other black men who challenge black stereotypes, Obama has maintained an air of authenticity that has endeared him to black folks across this country. He really does appear to have figured out how to play the game, and not get played.

And, I'm beginning to wonder what that means for the rest of us. The tightrope Obama walks is one he is uniquely suited to balance upon and I doubt the rest of could manage his highwire act. If all black people are expected to "be Obama" that is an unfair and unjust burden, just like expecting all white people to be John Brown would be unfair to them.

Truthfully, I expected a certain segment of the population to feel discouraged and angry about an Obama victory, but I didn't believe they had the power to touch most of us. Their petty insults or pranks would be nothing. Now, I'm not so sure.

I always suspected Obama's victory would be followed by a push by certain white folks to roll back some of the advances black people have made, particularly those aided by affirmative action, but I didn't realize how far-reaching that push might be. Even "liberal" white people felt vindicated by O.J.'s conviction. You know, the white folks who have tons of black friends and don't see color. Those same folks were ok with Jefferson being treated like a criminal despite never being convicted.

They were ok with perversions of the legal system because they figured the right "black" guy got his just desserts.

I think we will continue to see black people punished much more harshly when the mob decides that they have messed up. It will be justified with the lame explanation that everyone is being treated the same, that everybody who does the crime should do the time. We will be told that Obama's election is proof that racism is nearly a thing of the past and that white people should not have their motives questioned because "they" elected a black president.

We will be told to sit down, shut up and take our medicine.

Just like O.J. and Dollar Bill.


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Always Bet on Black

Do y'all remember this movie?

It starred an up and coming Wesley Snipes as a troubled counter-terrorism instructor who had to thwart the diabolical scheme of a plane hijacker. In the film, Snipes was aided by a flight attendant, who he had met earlier during one of his training seminars on how to handle hijackers. It was a fairly entertaining movie, not great, but decent. It also introduced the line I stole for today's blog title.

"Always bet on black."

It seemed like such a cool line back then, and Snipes was a cool brother when he delivered it. He was Hollywood's favorite dark-skinned brother, the perfect combination of overly-dramatized karate moves and a completely jacked up haircut. He was a bad Negro.

Unfortunately, it seems Snipes believed the hype.

I wrote about Snipes getting convicted a while back, and I still feel like he got too much time. But, I had to stifle a little chuckle when I read that article about the recent move by his lawyers.

Snipes is using the Passenger 57 defense.

Seriously, he's saying that his time should be cut short because basically he was the real life Passenger 57. He helped America fight terror, so he should be free.

I just found that funny.

He is betting on stupid.

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