Don't use your race as an excuse!!!

[phee]

I have experienced racism.

I said that racism is more or less a boogeyman- I guess I should pick my words better around people who tend to latch onto them.

What I meant is that people think there is a whole lot more racism than there really is. What happens when you start to believe that racism exists where it doesn't is that it does start to exist. It's like fairies, where they don't exist if you don't believe in them, that sort of thing...

My point, summed up, in caps because I'm obnoxious.

IF YOU DO NOT BELIEVE THAT RACISM IS HAPPENING AROUND YOU UNLESS YOU HAVE IRREFUTABLE EVIDENCE, IT WILL AFFECT YOUR LIFE EXPONENTIALLY LESS.

Hell. The only time I've gotten pissed off at my students and actually stern with them was when one girl was making fun of a boy for being "yellow." That's the sort of shit that has to stop immediately in my classroom. But that's the only time it's ever happened. The more astute kids notice I'm the only white person in the room, but they don't mean it pejoratively...

Pretending something is not there doesn't make it dissappear....

[BrassFusion]

Pretending something is not there doesn't make it dissappear....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

*black cloud of frustrated obscenities*

NOT PRETENDING IT ISN'T THERE.

ASSUMING IT ISN'T UNTIL YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY SURE IT IS.

GODDAMN.

[phee]

*black cloud of frustrated obscenities*

NOT PRETENDING IT ISN'T THERE.

ASSUMING IT ISN'T UNTIL YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY SURE IT IS.

GODDAMN.

If people thought that way.... then there would be people who still thought the holocaust didn't happen...

And their are for that reason

[Paper Hearts]

Yeah, well the opinion that "racism will always be around and whitey is to blame, so he needs to fix it" is wrong.

I bet the people following this topic saw one or two things that made them uneasy about my opinion and discarded it as a whole. That ever happen to you, PH?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You've already admitted that you do not care enough about racism to even try to look at facts.

You're general condition is just to say everything's fine no matter if you're feelings are actually validated or not.

This in itself is lazy.

Personally, I do not care if your role-model is Roseane Arnold or not, but if you carry yourself like you have been you'll have to expect to meet some opposition.

[BrassFusion]

Phirst, to Phee... I believe the holocaust happened because there is solid evidence that it happened. What a concept.

You've already admitted that you do not care enough racism to even try to look at facts.

You're general condition is just to say even thing fine no matter if you're feelings are actually validated or not.

This in itself is lazy.

Personally, I do not care if your role-model is Roseane Arnold or not, if you carry yourself like you have been you'll have to expect to meet some opposition.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

PH...

My general condition is to be optimistic about a situation that's been improving for decades.

My opinion on the topic is that it's time to start discrediting race as a factor in judging people. That's not lazy; that's progressive.

Gosh, where could I have gotten that from... something I'm remembering about a speech someone gave, about his children, "not by the color of their skin," but by something else, hmm...

[torn asunder]

Phirst, to Phee... I believe the holocaust happened because there is solid evidence that it happened. What a concept.

are you seriously saying there's no proof racism happens/exists!? :blink

you can't be that naive... :erm

[BrassFusion]

GOD DAMNIT

[BrassFusion]

I have experienced racism.

I said that racism is more or less a boogeyman- I guess I should pick my words better around people who tend to latch onto them.

What I meant is that people think there is a whole lot more racism than there really is. What happens when you start to believe that racism exists where it doesn't is that it does start to exist. It's like fairies, where they don't exist if you don't believe in them, that sort of thing...

My point, summed up, in caps because I'm obnoxious.

IF YOU DO NOT BELIEVE THAT RACISM IS HAPPENING AROUND YOU UNLESS YOU HAVE IRREFUTABLE EVIDENCE, IT WILL AFFECT YOUR LIFE EXPONENTIALLY LESS.

Hell. The only time I've gotten pissed off at my students and actually stern with them was when one girl was making fun of a boy for being "yellow." That's the sort of shit that has to stop immediately in my classroom. But that's the only time it's ever happened. The more astute kids notice I'm the only white person in the room, but they don't mean it pejoratively...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[torn asunder]

Phirst, to Phee... I believe the holocaust happened because there is solid evidence that it happened. What a concept.

listen, your stating this gives an obvious implication thatthere is no solid evidence that racism happens. you may wish to better check your posts to see whether or not you appear to be contradicting yourself.

and don't get mad at me for your choice of wording...

[BrassFusion]

listen, your stating this gives an obvious implication thatthere is no solid evidence that racism happens. you may wish to better check your posts to see whether or not you appear to be contradicting yourself.

and don't get mad at me for your choice of wording...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I can understand why you might infer that TA, but that inference assumes I was drawing a comparison between the holocaust and racism in general. Since I wasn't the one who first brought up the topic of holocaust disbelief, you can assume that comparing the two as equals wasn't my intent.

If I had been the one to introduce the holocaust into discussion, you would be absolutely correct in assuming what you did.

The way it unfolded in that post alone could have been ambiguous, but not in the context of some of my previous statements- most specifically, the ones in the post I quoted and re-posted.

Questions?

[torn asunder]

actually, no, i have no interest in pursuing any of this anymore... :erm

[sinmantyx]

This is an interesting topic.

It really has a simple answer I think.

Every human being is a sample space of one. Reguardless of what bell curve you happen to be on, there is a probability that you will wind up on any part of it. Reguardless of what factors may compell you one way or another, there is always a posibility that you will not fall within some sort of stardard deviantion of the norm.

So, I am not dumb because I'm blonde. I'm just me.

However, when you are actually penning policy, many times you need to pay attention to the big picture. Anyone who thinks that racism (in an institutional sense) can virtually disappear in a generation or two, is, in my opinion, not a realist.

The government has been part of the solution. For example, a generation or so ago it was illegal for anyone who was not white to own the house I live in now. Currently, it is illegal for cities to have those types of zoning laws. It is now illegal for Frankenmuth to keep out non-Lutherans and non-Germans (although some still try and succeed).

We can't pretend the past didn't happen or that it has nothing to do with us. We are products of the past and of our society. There is no denying that. However, we are not destined to act on our socialization in prescribed ways. It is our responsibility to socialize our children and young people in such a way that the future will become what our ideals say it should be. There are reasonable proactive ways of doing this, including Affirmative Action Programs.

I hear way too much rhetoric that seems to completely dismiss ALL Affirmative Action as racist and unfair, without reguard to specific programs. Usually people mention hiring quotas, even though they have been illegal for many years. I think the perception of what Affirmative Action is and what types of programs exists and what the law actually says and how it is applied, is MUCH different that reality.

If I believed everything I hear on the street and from people around me, I would think that any black family with a female single parent and several children would live in the lap of luxury and every one of their needs would be fullfilled. One person will say, "If only I was irresponsible and become an unwed single mother, all my schooling would be paid for." My friend who is an unwed single mother says, "If only I was black, they would give me more assistance and I would have more opportunities." Frankly, I just don't buy it.

You have employers scared to death of discrimination suits to the point of allowing non-whites more leeway than whites, while another employer routinely discriminates against non-whites without reprocussion. So, what is the truth? Legal action is costly, takes a personal and financial toll, and it's not enough for the truth to be known it must be PROVEN.

There are policies and there are laws that do no real good and only prove to spread the idea of bias and breed government dependance. However, to completely blind yourself to race is also to blind yourself to racism. It is a fact of our lives.

The U of M policy is not a patronizing policy. It's not in place to ensure that non-white and non-Asian students are admitted just for being non-white and non-Asian. You don't get into U of M Ann Arbor without certain qualifications (or perhaps a very very large donation). The point is to increase the quality of the educational experience by supporting an integrated campus community where students bring their experiences and perspectives for the good of all.

The 3M company in Minnesota had similiar policies which were also controversial. What they found however, was that maintaining an integrated and diverse work force actually significantly increased productivity due to an increase in the collective experience, ways of thinking, and perspectives of the employees.

I personally am sick of the WHITE BURDEN mentality and am also sick of the WHITE WHINE. The reason for hiring and admissions policies that help to maintain an integrated population is NOT to patronize minority communities by giving them something for nothing, it is because an integrated population is better.

It's better than ALL WHITE, it's better than ALL BLACK...it's just better. I know for myself that part of the learning experience of going to college was meeting people who were from different places, who had different experiences, but also to help me better relate to people that LOOKED different than I. This experience enriched me...you know the white blonde girl with blue eyes, who had a difficult time socially in school, and who grew up poor. I'm not about to bitch about it.

[Blackmail]

I hear way too much rhetoric that seems to completely dismiss ALL Affirmative Action as racist and unfair, without reguard to specific programs.  Usually people mention hiring quotas, even though they have been illegal for many years.  I think the perception of what Affirmative Action is and what types of programs exists and what the law actually says and how it is applied, is MUCH different that reality.

You are correct. AA is not what people think it is, especially in terms of hiring practices. University AA is different though and there are quotas, so to speak.

The U of M policy is not a patronizing policy.  It's not in place to ensure that non-white and non-Asian students are admitted just for being non-white and non-Asian.

That's your opinion but the Supreme Court found part of their admissions program illegal, and yeah, I'd say giving people 20 points extra because of their skin color to be patronizing.

You don't get into U of M Ann Arbor without certain qualifications (or perhaps a very very large donation).

Yes but you can have the qualifications and NOT get in because your skin color is white. Ask Barbara Grutter about that. How does not allowing qualified white students benefit the Campus experience?

It's better than ALL WHITE, it's better than ALL BLACK...it's just better.  I know for myself that part of the learning experience of going to college was meeting people who were from different places, who had different experiences, but also to help me better relate to people that LOOKED different than I. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So then I take it you oppose historically black colleges?

[sinmantyx]

So then I take it you oppose historically black colleges?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes.

The University I went to for my undergraduate degree had a relationship with an historically black college. My university was predominantly white as was the community it was in. Students from either college could take a semester at the sister college which would be transferrable. This was a benefit to the students of both institutions.

I am glad that AA's policy was revised, however I'm really not that sympathetic to students (of whatever race) who were not accepted to a college because of admissions practices that try to maintain an integrated and diverse population. Chances are that one of the reasons the institution has a good reputation is because of that diverse population.

Then again, I didn't have to worry about that. I've never been denied from any college degree program. The only problems I've encountered is being patronized, treated as a token, and dismissed once I got there.

[Blackmail]

That's fair.

I just don't place alot of importance on a 'diverse' campus. You'd probably gain something from a diverse university but I personally don't care whether my class is 99% African American or 99% cracker, er, I mean white.

I get your point too, I think you are saying AA needs to exist to replace past wrongs and that if we don't integrate in college, many people will never be exposed to diffirent types of people. I get that. I just think there are better ways to go about it. One way is to fix the education system for poor minorities in bad neighborhoods.

By the way, black colleges have affirmitive action in a way as well, they do try to get a certain amount of whites and non blacks in their schools. One black college football team had a honkey, er - white quarterback a few years ago.

[sinmantyx]

That's fair. 

I just don't place alot of importance on a 'diverse' campus.  You'd probably gain something from a diverse university but I personally don't care whether my class is 99% African American or 99% cracker, er, I mean white. 

I get your point too, I think you are saying AA needs to exist to replace past wrongs and that if we don't integrate in college, many people will never be exposed to diffirent types of people.  I get that.  I just think there are better ways to go about it.  One way is to fix the education system for poor minorities in bad neighborhoods. 

By the way, black colleges have affirmitive action in a way as well, they do try to get a certain amount of whites and non blacks in their schools.  One black college football team had a honkey, er - white quarterback a few years ago.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I wouldn't say "replace" past wrongs...just to push it forward a bit. It also depends on the specific program. I think some AA programs are not well thought out and only put a band-aid on deeper problems and sometimes even perpetuate the problems.

I think HOW public schools are funded is a large problem in general. There are also so many cooks-in-the-kitchen in education that the end result is unpalatable at times. Everyone wants to do SOMETHING, so policies change every year or so, good teachers get burnt out, the rhetoric gets all the attention and the children get none.

However, at some point personal responsibility has to reign in that reguard. My highschool was really awful in a lot of ways. We didn't have much money, our books were from the 60's, etc. However, some of us simply decided to learn anyway. Money doesn't make a good school. Money and a solid community helps, but a stable and supportive home life will allow a student to excell despite many annoying conditions at the school itself. (Raising minimum wage may actually help a bit in that respect.)

Flint is not known for exceptional schools, but sometimes I think that if Flint is dying of anything, it's simple hopelessness. There are so many new opportunities here, but feeling all depressed about the past seems to swallow up the enthusiasm that those opportunities should bring.

[Blackmail]

I wouldn't say "replace" past wrongs...just to push it forward a bit.  It also depends on the specific program.  I think some AA programs are not well thought out and only put a band-aid on deeper problems and sometimes even perpetuate the problems.

I think HOW public schools are funded is a large problem in general.  There are also so many cooks-in-the-kitchen in education that the end result is unpalatable at times.  Everyone wants to do SOMETHING, so policies change every year or so, good teachers get burnt out, the rhetoric gets all the attention and the children get none.

However, at some point personal responsibility has to reign in that reguard.  My highschool was really awful in a lot of ways.  We didn't have much money, our books were from the 60's, etc.  However, some of us simply decided to learn anyway.  Money doesn't make a good school.  Money and a solid community helps, but a stable and supportive home life will allow a student to excell despite many annoying conditions at the school itself.  (Raising minimum wage may actually help a bit in that respect.)

Flint is not known for exceptional schools, but sometimes I think that if Flint is dying of anything, it's simple hopelessness.  There are so many new opportunities here, but feeling all depressed about the past seems to swallow up the enthusiasm that those opportunities should bring.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

We are getting into a bunch of different areas here. I will say I agree with alot of what you said. Funding public schools helps but might not even be the most important factor in education. I don't know anything about Flint but my friend teaches in Detroit and he doesn't blame funding for the problems in the schools - he blames the students themselves. He says they don't want to learn, he says being a 'thug' is more important. Of course, this comes from lack of familial leadership at home. This might be because some parents have to work 2 jobs to make ends meet and can't be at home as much as they could. It's a vicious circle. But this is probably an economic thing as much as a racial issue, I mean the African American families that were on my upper middle class block were just like everyone else. They played basketball in the driveway with their kids just like the white and asian families in my hood did. They picked their kids up from school at the same time as everyone else. I know there are white 'thugs' in Detroit too who look like Eminem and drop out of school like 40% of Detroit kids do. Perhaps economic integration would have positive effects aside from the obvious. Affirmitive Action might help level the playng field in some cases. I still oppose it though as I think there are better alternatives.

[sinmantyx]

Yep.

I think there are definite cultural issues at work. My area was poor, out in the middle of nowhere, with few opportunities. However, acting like a thug wasn't really tolerated. The biggest problems we seemed to have were drugs and drinking...mostly drinking. However, reguardless of the many faults of my religious upbringing, the churches in the area did succeed much of the time to create a stable community centered environment.

One of the largest issues that I forsee in the future is a result of how incredibly mobile people are these days. There is good that comes from that, but also bad. When I was growing up I had no idea how people who had money and means actually GOT money and means. I would see a nice house and wonder, "Who did they kill?" My parents worked incredibly hard, but didn't make a lot of money. They were farmers in the 80's and lost a lot of money trying to navigate the economy of the time.

If all you see around you is people not being able to make it, despite how hard they work, what kind of motivation do you have to work hard yourself?

I think the thug-mentallity comes from believing that "living on the street" is somehow rebellion when working at a shit job is somehow giving in to inequality. The average street-level drug dealer makes less than minimum wage, is living off the misery of their community, and is making someone higher up in the "food chain" very very rich. I wish someone would write more songs about it. Yet, doing an honest day's work at an entry level job is considered a job for the "suckers" of the world. When, in actuality, the street level drug dealers, theives and sex workers are being exploited a hell of a lot more than your average fast-food worker, day laborer, or temp.

I think everyone has to quit looking down on the working people and romanticizing the "thug". I wince every time someone uses the word "pimp" to mean "good" or "cool looking".....a pimp is someone who maintains and operates a prostitution bussiness where the sex workers are treated as property......pimp is just another word for slave owner. Why the fuck would anyone want to romanticize that?

I hate to say, but sometimes local black students that come into the university don't feel welcome, are on guard, and sometimes do not understand how to be at the university. Usually, they are pleasently surprised and other times they never really adapt.

My extended family has always been involved in academics. There was no question that I would go to college and most likely become an academic. I have plenty of relatives who are professors and research scientists even if my parents didn't go that route. It didn't seem strange that I was going to college.

When generations of your family have been denied access and have been made unwelcome, it must color your comfort level and your sense of ease and ownership of various institutions. Years of exclusion don't just get erased with a law or a policy.

UM-Flint has a predominately white population and lives in the downtown of a predominately black town. I'm in the thick of this debate quite a bit.

I do think integration is good policy, not just racially and culturally, but also economically. If young people are exposed to the posibilities and to different outlooks, this will help them make good decisions. And just as the economically poor can learn from the economically rich, I believe that the economically rich students (who are sometimes very sheltered) can learn a thing or two from those who have lived a different life than they have.

Some AA policies are good, some are bad. I agree with you on many points. It's better that a student know in his or her heart that what they accomplish, they have accomplished because of who they are not because of "what" they are. They need to know that the people around them view them as an equal and expect just as much from them as from anyone else.

[Blackmail]

I think everyone has to quit looking down on the working people and romanticizing the "thug".  I wince every time someone uses the word "pimp" to mean "good" or "cool looking".....a pimp is someone who maintains and operates a prostitution bussiness where the sex workers are treated as property......pimp is just another word for slave owner.  Why the fuck would anyone want to romanticize that?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is a complicated issue worthy of it's own thread. I do wonder how hip hop went from black pride and self awareness of the late 80's (i.e. Public Enemy, KRS One, Eric B and Rakim, Stetsasonic, Kool Moe Dee, and hundreds of others) to what it is now, which is 'fuck everything, money and bitches are all that matters". Some rappers oppose that style of rap, KRS One is still out there complaining about it as is Jeru the Damaja, but the overwhelming majority of hip hop fans (black and white) listen to the 'fuck everything' style. How did it get cool to be a thug? How did it get cool to talk bad about women?

[sinmantyx]

This is a complicated issue worthy of it's own thread.  I do wonder how hip hop went from black pride and self awareness of the late 80's (i.e. Public Enemy, KRS One, Eric B and Rakim, Stetsasonic, Kool Moe Dee, and hundreds of others) to what it is now, which is 'fuck everything, money and bitches are all that matters".  Some rappers oppose that style of rap, KRS One is still out there complaining about it as is Jeru the Damaja, but the overwhelming majority of hip hop fans (black and white) listen to the 'fuck everything' style.    How did it get cool to be a thug?  How did it get cool to talk bad about women?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think that type of rap is already becoming a joke. We all laugh about it, "Bitches and Ho's....blah blah blah." At some point it will collapse under it's own bloated, materialistic, minstral-show-like weight. That's really what I see it as. It's a damn minstral show, selling Black Stereotypes to people who have never actually lived a life anything like what is described and romanticized.

I remember this kid, Marky, who was really pretty messed up frankly. I was the manager of an apartment complex that he used to vandalize and hang-out in front of. He was sitting around swearing up a storm and talking about whatever. A mother and her young child walked by and he didn't skip a beat. I told him, "You should really be more polite around children." He said, "Who cares? This is the ghetto." I replied, "This isn't the ghetto Marky. You're the ghetto." I don't think he got my meaning.

[Blackmail]

You havn't stated whether you were black or not but have hinted at it. So let me get your view on this.

In another thread I sort of said I could see why Malcolm X hated white people before his pilgrimage to mecca. I don't agree with him obviously, I am not a devil - at least in my opinion - but I could see why he thought that in the 1960's. Obviously he later admitted he was wrong (and he was wrong) but I tend to get grief from people when I semi-justify his stance. Do you think it is ever ok for people to dislike others because of their race? Or let me rephrase that, It's never OK, but do you think it is understandable in some cases?

[sinmantyx]

You havn't stated whether you were black or not but have hinted at it.  So let me get your view on this.

In another thread I sort of said I could see why Malcolm X hated white people before his pilgrimage to mecca.  I don't agree with him obviously, I am not a devil - at least in my opinion - but I could see why he thought that in the 1960's.    Obviously he later admitted he was wrong (and he was wrong) but I tend to get grief from people when I semi-justify his stance.    Do you think it is ever ok for people to dislike others because of their race?  Or let me rephrase that, It's never OK, but do you think it is understandable in some cases?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm a white woman. I'm a bit of a "token" because I studied physics which is a traditionally male-dominated field.

To the question: of course it's understandable. There are always reasons. These reasons usually have to do with culture or history or geo-politics or psychology, but there are always reasons.

Sometimes I'm surprised that there is as much forgiveness considering how bad it has been. It's more understandable to me in some ways, to remain angry and resentful, than to force yourself to see others as individuals even though your gut tells you that they are the enemy, and to swallow your pride and participate knowing that you're going to have to be better than your peers to get the same respect and knowing that you'll always be considered something you're not reguardless of what you say or do. It's human nature to identify with groups and to use visual cues to formulate first impressions. It's difficult to take on the responsibility and the stress of proving the ignorant wrong.

A generation or so ago, Germany occupied Norway. My family was in the states by this time, but even now we keep some ties to Norway and Sweden. One of my best friends is a German-American man who grew up near Frankenmuth. Sometimes depite myself, beyond joking about it, I recognize in him certain qualities that I identify as German qualities that I think are negative. Even though, in an idealistic world this would not be acceptable, it simply is the way it is. We can either acknowledge and be honest about the way we think and deal with the consequences, or pretend that it doesn't exist and put it underground where it will never truely be dealt with.

I knew a vetran that could not stand to be around Asian people. He knew it was wrong. He knew that they were not the enemy. However, despite himself that is how he saw them. It's not right, but it is certainly understandable.

The first time I saw a group of Latino men hanging out by a burger place, I was scared. It was down in my gut and I couldn't help it. That was the first time I had ever seen a group of Latinos except for television shows and in television shows they were always some sort of gang that would probably harass a white girl out by herself. Was it right? Of course not. I went up and got some food despite the irrational fear.

OK? Of course not. Understandable? You betcha.

[Liberal Larry]

About ten years ago, I noticed a homeless African-American man panhandling on the street corner outside my apartment building. Realizing that as a white man I was somehow responsible for his sorry state of affairs, I felt obligated to make amends. So I gave the poor man a crisp ten dollar bill, and he thanked me profusely.

The next day, I passed the same guy begging for change again. I gave him another ten bucks as I walked by. “Blesh you shir,” he slurred. “Gah Blesh you!” I shook my head and reminded him that the money was his by rights. In an anglo-centric system of White Privilege built through the exploitation of African slaves, every dollar a white person earns is essentially stolen from a black person - or from any other minority (except for those damn Asians who are practically house Negroes because they work hard and don't complain).

On third day, the poor guy was still out there on the corner but he didn’t even bother to thank me when I gave him another ten dollars. He just nodded as if he had expected it. Nevertheless, I gave him ten dollars every single day for the next two or three weeks. By the end of the month, rent was due and I was a little short on cash, so I had to skip my reparations payments for a while. Then one afternoon as I was knitting macrame bong sweaters for Hempfest '96, there came a loud pounding on my door.

“YO, WHERE’S MY MONEY, BITCH?” A familiar voice shouted from the hall. “I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! OPEN UP!"

"I'm broke!" I cried. "I don't have any money to give you!"

“LIAR!" he growled back at me. "YOU TOOK ME FROM AFRICA AND BROUGHT ME OVER HERE IN CHAINS! NOW I WANT MY FORTY ACRES AND A MULE!!!”

As a progressive American sensitive to the plight of the oppressed hyphenated peoples, and aware that as a White American I am to totally blame for it, how could I possibly argue with him? I quickly slipped my credit card under the door, and listened as his footsteps dwindled away down the hall.

That was the last I heard from him until a couple weeks ago, when he knocked on my door as I was knitting bong sweaters for Hempfest '06. I looked through the peephole and saw a transformed man. Clean cut, shaven, and wearing a nice suit, he was almost completely indistinguishable from the downtrodden street bum I had met ten years before.

“I want to shake your hand,” he said when I opened the door and greeted him. “Before I met you, I was a broken man, and convinced that I was totally to blame for my condition. But your stup...err, generosity opened my eyes. Thanks to you, I was able to rise up out of the gutter and begin a rewarding and lucrative career transforming white guilt into cold hard cash. Now I'm running for Congress in the State of Maryland, and I'm counting on your support.”

“Of course, Mr. Mfume!" I agreed, beaming with pride. "I'll be more than happy to help in any way I can! I'll campaign, I'll pass out flyers, whatever you want!"

“Actually," he replied, clearing his throat, "they cancelled your credit card. I ‘ll need a new one.”

Later that evening, as I crawled onto the mountain of delinquent credit card bills and “pay or vacate notices” I've been sleeping on since I pawned my flotation tank, I congratulated myself on a job well done. In a small way, I had fulfilled my duty as the descendent of people with the same color skin as slave owners to enrich the lives of people with the same color skin as slaves 150 years in the grave.

No longer can the racist great, great, great, great grandchildren of plantation owners use the fact that they weren't even alive during the era of slavery to escape their responsibility for the plight of African-Americans. Hurricane Katrina will make sure of that. Like Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, it will forever serve as an annual booster shot of white guilt.

[Steven]

About ten years ago, I noticed a homeless African-American man panhandling on the street corner outside my apartment building. Realizing that as a white man I was somehow responsible for his sorry state of affairs, I felt obligated to make amends. So I gave the poor man a crisp ten dollar bill, and he thanked me profusely.

The next day, I passed the same guy begging for change again. I gave him another ten bucks as I walked by. “Blesh you shir,” he slurred. “Gah Blesh you!” I shook my head and reminded him that the money was his by rights. In an anglo-centric system of White Privilege built through the exploitation of African slaves, every dollar a white person earns is essentially stolen from a black person - or from any other minority (except for those damn Asians who are practically house Negroes because they work hard and don't complain).

On third day, the poor guy was still out there on the corner but he didn’t even bother to thank me when I gave him another ten dollars. He just nodded as if he had expected it. Nevertheless, I gave him ten dollars every single day for the next two or three weeks. By the end of the month, rent was due and I was a little short on cash, so I had to skip my reparations payments for a while. Then one afternoon as I was knitting macrame bong sweaters for Hempfest '96, there came a loud pounding on my door.

“YO, WHERE’S MY MONEY, BITCH?” A familiar voice shouted from the hall. “I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! OPEN UP!"

"I'm broke!" I cried. "I don't have any money to give you!"

“LIAR!" he growled back at me. "YOU TOOK ME FROM AFRICA AND BROUGHT ME OVER HERE IN CHAINS! NOW I WANT MY FORTY ACRES AND A MULE!!!”

As a progressive American sensitive to the plight of the oppressed hyphenated peoples, and aware that as a White American I am to totally blame for it, how could I possibly argue with him? I quickly slipped my credit card under the door, and listened as his footsteps dwindled away down the hall.

That was the last I heard from him until a couple weeks ago, when he knocked on my door as I was knitting bong sweaters for Hempfest '06. I looked through the peephole and saw a transformed man. Clean cut, shaven, and wearing a nice suit, he was almost completely indistinguishable from the downtrodden street bum I had met ten years before.

“I want to shake your hand,” he said when I opened the door and greeted him. “Before I met you, I was a broken man, and convinced that I was totally to blame for my condition. But your stup...err, generosity opened my eyes. Thanks to you, I was able to rise up out of the gutter and begin a rewarding and lucrative career transforming white guilt into cold hard cash. Now I'm running for Congress in the State of Maryland, and I'm counting on your support.”

“Of course, Mr. Mfume!" I agreed, beaming with pride. "I'll be more than happy to help in any way I can! I'll campaign, I'll pass out flyers, whatever you want!"

“Actually," he replied, clearing his throat, "they cancelled your credit card. I ‘ll need a new one.”

Later that evening, as I crawled onto the mountain of delinquent credit card bills and “pay or vacate notices” I've been sleeping on since I pawned my flotation tank, I congratulated myself on a job well done. In a small way, I had fulfilled my duty as the descendent of people with the same color skin as slave owners to enrich the lives of people with the same color skin as slaves 150 years in the grave.

No longer can the racist great, great, great, great grandchildren of plantation owners use the fact that they weren't even alive during the era of slavery to escape their responsibility for the plight of African-Americans. Hurricane Katrina will make sure of that. Like Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, it will forever serve as an annual booster shot of white guilt.

my how you've changed my entire perspective with this post......

[phee]

Zounds