Whats The Most Racist Thing About Today's United States?

[afrocentric]

(shaking, scratching and nodding my head saying yeah, mm mm,....) i'm getting there. it's going to take me time to understand this thread. but i'll get it.

[MadameX]

Originally Posted by MadameX

Elegantly Stately Sista Samoon. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Some Black Folks need to wake up.

Enough Said.

[Baba Ahmed]

Originally Posted by Goodrain

I want to see our current views on major racism now and is it collectively different from Whites. For instance are the following major examples of racism?

Not enough Blacks playing proffessional hockey.

Not enough democrats in the government.

The history taught in schools.

Difference in unemployment.

I havent said any of these are in my opinion but am asking for any thoughts on the subject.

Wouldn't it helped if a definition is posted...by you? I've been called a racist for stating I don't like nor trust white folks.

[Istlota]

Originally Posted by sonflour_2001

Have you ever read anything by Edward Said...? You and him would have a lot to talk about, seeing as you both assert the hegemony of othering in various societies. One of his more famous works is called Orientalism. It's a post-colonial study about how invaders and Europeans have to create the myth of the other to justify all of the stupid bullshit they do to these races...

It was an illuminating piece and it hit home for him directly because he's a palestinian who was living in the whole Israel/Palestine conflict...
Need I say more?
Nice post though...othering has played a key role in desensitizing many whites to the damage they've done to other nations.

Sonflour

I don't recall reading any of his stuff, but will put it on my list of books to read. My concept of the Other is most influenced by Marimba Ani's "Yurugu". A couple of quotes from her book:

One of the strongest supportive mechanisms in and influences on the development of the European image of others -- certainly in the early stages -- has been Christian thought. This is a facet that sharply brings home the hypocrisy of the identification of Christianity with the ideals of universal "brotherhood". The Christian view of the "non-European" is generally as "savage" in need of "the word", abandoned to the sins and evils of an ungodly existence, ignorant of the true principles of morality.

The nature of the European utamaroho both defines others as competitors and enemies, and, at the same time, compels Europeans to leave "home" (where they are surrounded by those who look and act like them) and to move into alien lands in which they are the "strangers". Colonial situations and slave plantations are cases in point. The European's sense of power is exhilarated by the fact that they are among a very few whites who control many dark-skinned "natives". Yet imagine, as well, the deep underlying fear -- the recurring nightmare -- that some day these "natural underlings" will "get together" and overcome them by sheer numbers, or kill them in their sleep.

Note that Ani's discussion has nothing to do with any sort of instinctual aversion to big lips, wide noses, and dark skin. This is something much, much, more sinister -- a cultural "seed" that is implanted within the being of Europeans upon birth into this realm. That "Seed" [asili] is then carefully cultivated and fertilized for the remainder of their lives.

Note, also, how Ani points out that the European understands perfectly well [better than we do] that we, the Other, if for no other reason than our sheer numbers alone, have _always_ had the power to wake up, stand up together and shake the Beast off of my back. This is their worst fear, and feeds their psychotic paranoia towards the Other. It explains why they, all too often accompanied by their brainwashed non-white sycophants, can put on a badge and empty their guns into an unarmed young black man after his bachelor party, or break into an old black woman's home and empty their guns into her, or leap upon an old black man and beat him within an inch of his life, or rape a 15 year old Iraqi girl and then, afterwards, to add insult to injury, murder her and her entire family -- or, grinning and smiling in glee through out the entire experience, force male Muslim prisoners of war to sodomize each other.

These bestial acts go far beyond mere criminality. These are the deeply depraved acts of a spirit of evil [Satan/Set] that has taken possession of children of god and literally turned them into demons. This is not a state of wickedness from which they can not escape. But, it is a state of being in which they currently _choose_ to remain. And, so, they remain in their sins.

TEXE MARRS The Blind & The Dead (alex jones occult illuminati skull bones icke)

Instead of turning from their sins, they spend monumental amounts of time, money, and effort, to keep the rest of us -- the Other -- asleep:

Naw, y'all can't practice your ignorant, polytheistic, original faith anymore [the one from which we stole and corrupted many of the root concepts of Christianity]. No, from now on, y'all got to be good Christians. If we catch you reading anything except the Christian bible, we will kill you, and your wife, and your kids and your mama, and your daddy.

Okay, you boys be good patriotic citizens and fight in Massa's military, help him kill, steal from, and rape other folks just like he did your mama, your daddy, your wife, your kids, etc.

Alright, you boys make sure you vote for a Democratic cause we ain't like those republicans. We are good white folks. We just looooove you.

Wake up, Children of Zion.

[Baba Ahmed]

Originally Posted by pink_panther

The netherlands never had slavery cause it was inhumane so they dont got getthos.

I'm gonna pick on this, because u can't prove this. I've met a username online who tries to separate The Netherlands from Holland. U and I, its asssumed, know that either directly or indirectly the so called Netherlands were/are ruled by Holland. And it was one of the European nations who met in 1884 & 1885 at the Berlin Conference. I also assume u're familiar with what went down at those mtgs and others that followed.

Besides enslavements itself doesn't equate with racism. Bfore Arabs and others, European nations were enslaving other white people. AND Afrikans were enslaving both other Afrikans and some Europeans.

Its America that is the fault not parts of it, All of it from the beginning.

Amerikkka is blamedworthy for racism in America and other nations under their brutal rule. HOWEVER, all European nations have shared in Black peoples' enslavements, even if we begin in the 15th Century, C.E.

And put this in your thinking cap, even those who did or have not directly owned Black enslaved peoples, have enjoyed the "fruits" of its operations. Besides, I suggest u look a lil deeper into definitions of both slavery and racism from other than European sociologists, anthropologists and the like.

[Baba Ahmed]

Originally Posted by pink_panther

Well yes it would always be something there. People have the need to divide themselves.

WHY?

To make it short, tensions will always bee there cause people need to have groups, its our animal instinct.

Is English your 1st or 2nd language? Spoken and written? Anyway u've expressed two definite conclusions, above that if not looked at critically one has no choice but to see them as universally correct.

But me not like dat. We have a say'n, from the wild city streets: SHOW AND PROVE!

Or be cool. Something is showing anyway.

[Gorilla]

Socioeconomic Polarization, Foreign Policy and The Media in no particular order.

[Baba Ahmed]

Originally Posted by Istlota

Keep in mind that race is an imaginary construct that is impossible to accurately define -- unless you take the approach of Du Bois and Ani and define it, not by physical characteristics, but commonly held, and defended, cultural values.

I do not want to further steer this thread into the outer spaces of intellectual debatings when Goodrain asked very simple questions of a comparative form, that assumes a common understanding of racism. He appears to be asking for opinions regardless of documented supports.

HOWEVER, when I asked Ena Marimba Ani's permission to quote directly from and cite her Afrikan Masterpiece YURUGU, her only condition was to give proper credit and to not take her words out of context.

So I ask: where does she define race as u allude to above? Besides, its really stretching to join her thoughts with W.E.B. DuBois.

Istlota, it appears u have an opinion about race and racism similar to that of many of today's Black writers. Which leads to a conclusion that we are all the same, or as is heard often we're all "human," to prepare a listener for every horrible and murderous act done by one people as liable to be done by another; i.e., its an universal occurence! If u've read and understood sista Marimba's Classic that's one of the European Cultural Thought consistent usages. Aren't they the chosen leaders of humanity?

This drift of argument reminds me of what Dr. Ben said ina talk: we are afraid of color, of using Black to identify ourselves. And I think Dr. Clarke said it best to put to rest those who claim that race is a "political construct" and even worse in my opinion those who like u say its imaginery:

It, race, impacts our entire lives!

So please direct me to race and or racism as defined by Marimba Ani in YURUGU - not paraphrased. Direct quotes. Or cite page numbers.

Accept it or not both race and racism are realities. On this planet bfore any so called European existed as political entities. But I really don't want to corrupt this thread any further. If u'd care to reply do so via email. Or just walk on by my questions and remarks. For they are a lil off this thread's topic. Doncha think so?



Med ase

[Istlota]

Originally Posted by Baba Ahmed

...
So I ask: where does she define race as u allude to above? Besides, its really stretching to join her thoughts with W.E.B. DuBois.

Ani includes a few quotes from Dubois in her book, "Yurugu". And, each time she does, it is to add credence to a point she is making.

I pick up Yurugu. I do not open it yet, I just look at the front cover, at the title, "Yurugu, An African-Centered Critique of European Cultural Thought and Behavior". Next, I read it. And, as I do so, I realize that the entire book, from page 1 to 636, is about European culture. But, and this is an important point, when she is talking about European "culture", she is also talking about European "racism". The two are inextricable. As she goes to great lengths to explain, the inclination to separate from, and oppress, the Other is an integral part of the asili of European culture. Separating from, and oppressing, the Other is racism.

In the following quote from page 192, she is clearly using European culture as a synonym for racism, and also tying it into a point I have made frequently here on AfroChat regarding how Christianity, as commonly practiced, is racist:

"Christianity" is a configuration of values, attitudes and behavior that are inseparable from the history of Europe. Unhappily for non-European people, "real" European Christians do exist and have existed in large enough numbers to have successfully imposed their own brand of European cultural nationalism wherever that have ventured, inevitably backed with the armed might of the West.

And, another example, on page 406, again, she writes of the synergy between Christianity, racism, and European culture:

There was no Nazi atrocity -- concentration camps, wholesale maiming and murder, defilement of women or ghastly blasphemy of childhood -- which the Christian civilization of Europe had not long been practicing against colored folk in all parts of the world in the name of and for the defense of a Superior Race born to rule the world."

Now, think about Dubois' definition of race. There is no disconnect between this and Yurugu:

What, then, is a race? It is a vast family of human beings, generally of common blood and language, always of common history, traditions and impulses, who are both voluntarily and involuntarily striving together for the accomplishment of certain more or less vividly conceived ideals of life.

This quote is from his "The Conservation of Races", which can be read in its entirety here:

The Conservation of Races by W.E.B. DuBois

Istlota, it appears u have an opinion about race and racism similar to that of many of today's Black writers. Which leads to a conclusion that we are all the same, or as is heard often we're all "human," to prepare a listener for every horrible and murderous act done by one people as liable to be done by another; i.e., its an universal occurence! If u've read and understood sista Marimba's Classic that's one of the European Cultural Thought consistent usages. Aren't they the chosen leaders of humanity?

Yes, but only because they chose themselves to be so and only because we, even to this day, continue to allow them to be so.

And, yes, I do hold the opinion that, if it had been you and I who got stuck in Europe during the Wurm for a few thousand years -- away from the civilizing influence of adequate sunlight soaked up via skin melanin into our physical being and, then, carried via neuromelanin into our psychic being -- yes, it would have been we who were now the racists and they who were the oppressed.

Many of us are seriously pissed off at white folks, and not without good reasons. We WANT them to be inferior. We want them to be something else, some lower form of life, some Other that we can look down upon and despise.

Okay. Well, consider this. They and you and I are children of the same African Eve. Our younger brother, Caucasian, is a brute, but he is still our brother. If he is genetically flawed, then that means you and I and our African mother are as well.

This drift of argument reminds me of what Dr. Ben said ina talk: we are afraid of color, of using Black to identify ourselves. And I think Dr. Clarke said it best to put to rest those who claim that race is a "political construct" and even worse in my opinion those who like u say its imaginery:

It, race, impacts our entire lives!/

I have never ever said, nor ever would say, or even suggest, that race, or racism, is imaginary.

Race is a _mental_ reality, not a physical reality. This does not mean race is not real. All is Mental. Only the physical is illusion.

"White" is a state of mind. And, this "white" state of mind is primarily, if not totally, determined by environment. And, when I say environment, I am using a synonym for culture.

[MadameX]

Originally Posted by Baba Ahmed

I do not want to further steer this thread into the outer spaces of intellectual debatings when Goodrain asked very simple questions of a comparative form, that assumes a common understanding of racism. He appears to be asking for opinions regardless of documented supports.

HOWEVER, when I asked Ena Marimba Ani's permission to quote directly from and cite her Afrikan Masterpiece YURUGU, her only condition was to give proper credit and to not take her words out of context.

So I ask: where does she define race as u allude to above? Besides, its really stretching to join her thoughts with W.E.B. DuBois.

Istlota, it appears u have an opinion about race and racism similar to that of many of today's Black writers. Which leads to a conclusion that we are all the same, or as is heard often we're all "human," to prepare a listener for every horrible and murderous act done by one people as liable to be done by another; i.e., its an universal occurence! If u've read and understood sista Marimba's Classic that's one of the European Cultural Thought consistent usages. Aren't they the chosen leaders of humanity?

This drift of argument reminds me of what Dr. Ben said ina talk: we are afraid of color, of using Black to identify ourselves. And I think Dr. Clarke said it best to put to rest those who claim that race is a "political construct" and even worse in my opinion those who like u say its imaginery:

It, race, impacts our entire lives!

So please direct me to race and or racism as defined by Marimba Ani in YURUGU - not paraphrased. Direct quotes. Or cite page numbers.

Accept it or not both race and racism are realities. On this planet bfore any so called European existed as political entities. But I really don't want to corrupt this thread any further. If u'd care to reply do so via email. Or just walk on by my questions and remarks. For they are a lil off this thread's topic. Doncha think so?



Med ase

'Nuff Said.