Aug

31

More Flowers

Filed Under Blogs Blogging Blogthropology, Random Thoughts | 5 Comments

I used to have an artistic side, and I need to get back into it.? I’ve been messing around with my camera trying to take pictures that acutally look good.? Here are a few more flower pictures.? The last two pictures are of the same flower, but they have two differnt backgrounds.? It’s neat to see how the? change in background affects the flower.

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Aug

30

New York Times Sets the Record Straight On the Arabic School Principal

Filed Under Education and Academia, Race and Racism | 16 Comments

Here’s the article.? This is an extended quote, but please go check out the entire article.

Thus commenced the smear campaign against the Khalil Gibran International Academy and, specifically, Debbie Almontaser. For the next six months, from blogs to talk shows to cable networks to the right-wing press, the hysteria and hatred never ceased. Regrettably, it worked.

Ms. Almontaser resigned as principal earlier this month. Nominally, she quit to quell the controversy about her remarks to The New York Post insufficiently denouncing the term intifada on a T-shirt made by a local Arab-American organization. That episode, however, merely provided the pretext for her ouster, for the triumph of a concerted exercise in character assassination.

After initially consenting to an interview for this column, Ms. Almontaser backed out, saying she did not want to do anything that would jeopardize the school, which is still set to open next month in the Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn. One of her longtime colleagues, however, spoke candidly about her emotions.

She feels that shes been violated, personally and professionally, said Louis Cristillo, a research professor at Teachers College at Columbia University who has studied the experiences of Muslim children in the New York public schools. To be painted as somebody whos un-American, questioning her patriotism, is extremely hurtful for her. Shes really shocked at how devastatingly effective the defamation was.

For anyone who bothered to look for it, Ms. Almontaser left a clear, public record of interfaith activism and outreach across the boundaries of race, ethnicity and religion. Her efforts, especially after the Sept. 11 attacks, earned her honors, grants and fellowships. She has collaborated so often with Jewish organizations that an Arab-American newspaper, Aramica, castigated her earlier this summer for being too close to a Zionist organization, meaning the Anti-Defamation League.

Ms. Almontaser has twice been profiled on Voice of America as an accomplished Muslim American. Her son, Yousif, spent several months on rescue efforts at ground zero as a member of the Army National Guard. Four of her nephews and cousins have served in the United States military in Iraq.

None of these details were exactly hidden under a rock. But her critics ignored them. In syndicated columns by Daniel Pipes, in articles and editorials in The New York Post and The New York Sun, on such Web sites as PipeLineNews and Militant Islam Monitor, both concerned with radical Islam, the Gibran school was repeatedly characterized as a madrassa, an Arabic term plainly meant to evoke images of indoctrination into terrorism and holy war.

Aug

29

Serious Question…About Hip Hop

Filed Under Black/African American Issues, Gender and Sexism, Hip Hop, Pop Culture, Serious Questions, Uncategorized | 18 Comments

In the Male Chauvinist Pig Thread, Dianne asked the following question:

Im a late 30sish person who doesnt like all that many rap songs. Not because I dont like the style or the lyrics but simply because I havent heard all that many. I somehow managed to miss the whole phenomenon in the 1980sanyone got any recommendations for non-misogynistic hip hop artists to start on?

So what would you recommend for non-misogynist songs.? I gave her some songs and artists that I thought had feminist and pro-women sensibilities:

Queen Latifah had some good stuff back in the day that is very pro-women. Lauryn Hills 5 time Grammy winning album has some great feminist inspired songs.

Tupac has a few good songs that have pro-women themes Dear Mama Brendas Got A Baby and Keep Ya Head Up. He also has some really sexist songs like I Get Around, but those ones I named are pretty good. He also has a song much less popular called White Mans World which not about sexism but is about racism.

There are tons of songs and artists that are not feminists but are not misogynist.? I like Tribe Called Quest and Common, but let me not take up all the space with my recommendations.

What would you recommend?

(Below in the comments section, I put lyrics and a link to the video for Tupac’s? “Keep Ya Head Up”)

Aug

28

Male Chauvinist Pig Comment of the Week from the “King of the White Girls”

Filed Under Black/African American Issues, Gender and Sexism, Hip Hop, Interracial Relationships, Media Praises and Critiques, Pop Culture, Race and Racism | 55 Comments

? All Hip Hop has an interview with some producer called Polow Da Don, who apparently calls himself “King of the White Girls.”? Here’s what the idiot had to say:

AllHipHop.com: Now, you call yourself the “King of All White Girls.”? Elaborate on that for me.?

Polow Da Don:? Just the King of the White Girls. I ain’t self proclaimed but I run with it. [Laughs] There was a stage in my life where I went crazy with dating white women. I have nothing against black women, but theyre raised differently. White women are raised to respect and serve their men.? Black women are taught to question [their men]. Black women look at submission as being weak. White women look at submission as being a woman. And anyone who has a problem with this statement is ignorant.? Just look at the divine order: it goes God, man, woman, child.

Here’s what’s sad.? This is not the first time I have heard an African American man make assertion that white women are submissive and black women “don’t know their place.”? The notion that white women are weak and subservient goes way back as does the idea that black women unfeminine and aggressive.? In fact, this dude is repeating the same ideology as slave masters from a couple hundred years ago.

What makes it even worse is how he asserts that it is the will of God that men should dominate women (So I guess he thinks these black women that he hates are sinners?).? This is typical Christian fundamentalist nonsense, and I don’t even have the time to address that.

While he’s already being criticized for the quote above,? it is interesting that this response was immediately followed by a discussion of women in Hip Hop production and the music business.

AllHipHop.com: Umm, okay.? Im going to leave that one alone. So whats your view on women in production, or the lack of?

Polow: I think they have to work twice as hard, but there is a market for them, and they should be working to break that ground.? Because the person who does will open a lot of doors and make a lot of money. I get beat CDs from women a lot, actually.? Really, my sister does beats. She was the first person to teach me to use a beat machine.

AllHipHop.com:? Thats dope.

Polow: Yeah, Rasheeda, out of Atlanta, she produced some records for her.? She actually wrote and produced her biggest record Do It.? So nah, I think women can do it.? Just gotta put in work cause its a male dominated field.

AllHipHop.com: I agree. Now, there was a little controversy over a beat you gave Fergie for “Glamorous” and a beat you had done for Gwen Stefani for her remix to “Luxurious.”? This isnt the first time a producer has been in this predicament where his creativity is being questioned.? What can you say about that?

Polow Da Don: Gwen said she didnt like the remix, which was the dumbest thing Ive ever heard of.? And the remix was one of the best things I had done at the time.? When I finished that I felt like, Im gonna be the s**t when this hits.? I called her and let her know it was the biggest mistake she made in her career.? I was a fan of hers, and I wanted to help her out. And now you see Fergie blowing her out the water in sales, even though Gwen is the bigger star.? Will.I.Am has just really looked out. Maybe somebody will call and try to help me out like that when Im wack.?

Well, buddy the reason women have to work twice as hard is because of jerks like you.? ? At least he acknowledges that women have? to work harder, but he doesn’t directly connect it to sexism,? and he precedes this discussion with some of the most bigoted anti-women rhetoric I’ve heard in a long time.? This guys hates women so much he has to get a dig in on Gwen Stefani for not liking his beats.? Isn’t it bad business to insult your clients?

So next time you hear somebody ask why there aren’t very many women in Hip Hop; remember it’s guys like this who run the show.

Aug

28

16th Erase Racism Carnival is Up at Alas

Filed Under Race and Racism, Racism Round-Up | Leave a Comment

Amp, has a great collection of links.? Go over and check it out!

Aug

28

From the Department of Hypocrites–More Republican Bathroom Sex

Filed Under Politics, Sexuality and Heterosexism | 11 Comments

Idaho Senator Larry Craig was arrested and pled guilty to disorderly conduct after he was caught propositioning an undercover police officer for sex in an airport bathroom. ? Pam has the run down on his votes on key gay/lesbian policy issues:

* Voted YES on constitutional ban of same-sex marriage. (Jun 2006)
* Voted NO on adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes. (Jun 2002)
* Voted NO on expanding hate crimes to include sexual orientation. (Jun 2000)
* Voted YES on prohibiting same-sex marriage. (Sep 1996)
* Voted NO on prohibiting job discrimination by sexual orientation. (Sep 1996)

This would be funny is this guy didn’t wield so much power, but at least he didn’t say a black man scared him into offering a blowjob? like the last Republican who was caught doing this.

Is anyone keeping count of how many Republican politicians have been caught in gay sex scandals this year?

Aug

27

2nd Birthday!

Filed Under Blogs Blogging Blogthropology | 13 Comments

Hey I missed it; this site is two years old.? I put up my first blog post on August 22nd of 2005.? It was something about liberal cities.? The site used to look like this.

Aug

27

Why There is a BET and There isn’t a WET

Filed Under Black/African American Issues, Education and Academia, Original Essays and Analysis, Pop Culture, Race and Racism, Sociology, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Editor’s Note:? I’m posting this over at Allywork where comments will be open.? I also need to do a second proofreading since it’s really late, and I had to retype this three times.

Nearly every semester, I get this comment, “Professor, why is there a Black Entertainment Television when there is no White Entertainment Television?? They would say it is racist if we had WET, so why can they have BET?”? There are other variants of this question, such as:? “Why are there historically black colleges and not historically white colleges?”? “Why is there an NAACP and no NAAWP?”? “Why is there a minority scholarship, but no white scholarship?”? “Why is there an Asian/Black/Latino student’s center and no White student’s center?”? I’m sure most of my readers have heard one or more of these questions, but for some reason, the BET question is the most common way this sentiment is expressed.? The? comment comes up so? often that I have a set of canned answers ready for when it comes up.? ? It is significant because it is indicative of many of the elements of contemporary racism–colorblindness, the normativity of whiteness,? and the invisiblility of power inequalities in social institutions.? 1? When I answer this question, I attempt to challenge students to think outside of the confines of contemporary racial ideology and whiteness.

My first reaction to the BET question is to reject the premise of the question.? I tell students that there are many channels that are White Entertainment Television–they are called NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, the Home and Garden Channel, TLC, etc.? At this point, many of the students of color laugh (as do a few white students), but most of the white students have a look of puzzlement.? Then someone usually says, but those channels have black people on them too.? I respond by telling them that there are white people on BET.? At this point, I also take the time to explain how most shows on the white oriented channels have predominantly white casts.? It usually helps to give examples of shows like Friends, The Hills, and Everybody Loves Raymond, where all of the main characters are white.? I also explain that there are very few predominantly black (Asian, Latino, or American Indian) shows.? I often have students of color who explain how or why certain shows or networks don’t appeal to them, which helps drive home the point.

Many whites don’t notice whiteness, so this is a good opportunity to talk about how whiteness is often unmarked and invisible.? Schools, neighborhoods, churches, fraternities, and other groups and organizations that are create for whites are not marked as such.? ? Part of the reason we don’t call our groups white is that we don’t even realize that these groups are catering to us.? Part of being white means not having to think about whiteness and the opportunities it grants.? In fact, even thinking about? whiteness? makes many of? whites uncomfortable, which is why the reaction to BET is so strong.? There is? a knee jerk reaction that says “calling something white is wrong so calling something black is wrong.”? But what my white students don’t realize is that what is more offense than calling something white is excluding people of color? (whether it is intentional or not).? They are oblivious to how the groups they are part of operate to exclude people of color.? On the other hand,? they? don’t realize that most groups that are labeled black don’t exclude whites; they? incorrectly think that whites? can’t join? black fraternities or sororities or go to historically black colleges, which just isn’t the case.?2? At the same time, they don’t realize that the groups they are part of are not doing much if anything to appeal to? people of color.?

The BET question also? gives us the opportunity to talk about the psychology of being in the minority? or the majority.? It is difficult for many whites to imagine? how being outnumbered and ignored? affects people? of color, so I try to make students think about how predominantly white? programs dominate.? This makes it difficult for people of color to find role models and realistic reflections of their lives.? I tell them that the? feeling that they have of being left out? when they? wonder why there is a BET, is something that people? of color in this country deal with every day.? I? ask them to imagine how they would feel if they were the only white person or one of a few white people in our class.? I explain that since the dominant culture’s views are everywhere? people of color have to learn the norms and rules of whites in order to get by, but? whites don’t have to understand what it means to be black (Asian, Latino, American Indian, Middle Eastern) to function in this society.? 3

This question allows us to discuss the historical dimensions of discrimination.? Many black groups and organizations have been formed because blacks were not allowed to be part of white organizations.? So we have historically black colleges and universities? because white schools did not? allows blacks to enroll.? ? When I note this, some students will say that black organizations should have been disbanded with the end of legal segregation.? The problem with that view is that discrimination didn’t end with the change in laws; moreover, using that same logic white segregated schools should also have disbanded.? If we never had racism, I suppose there wouldn’t be any BET.? We would not even refer to people by their skin color, but there was and is racial discrimination, so we can pretend color doesn’t matter.

By this point, I’ll still have a few people that don’t understand, and really feel that there shouldn’t be any BET at all.? Then, I tell them that BET is currently owned by whites.? This seems to delight some of the more prejudiced students, but it throws others off because they don’t realize how many whites are profiting off BET, and damn near every other black oriented form of entertainment.

So next time someone asks, why is there a BET and no WET, you can give a long treatise explaining why.

  1. The normativity of whiteness refers to the idea that whiteness is viewed normal, unremarkable, and often invisible.? Moreover,? this concept? reflects the idea that whiteness is both the standard of comparison for other racial groups and the category to which people should aspire. [back]
  2. There are indeed some organizations that cater to people of color, which exclude whites, but? they are quite rare, and obviously BET doesn’t not have any no whites rule. [back]
  3. I often make a joke about a stereotype that many blacks have of whites–white people’s hair smells like a dog when it is wet.? I ask how many of my students have heard of this.? Usually, the only students who have heard it are black.? Many students? laugh because? this stereotype? seems absurd.? Then, I say, “How many of you have heard the stereotype that blacks are violent and crime prone?”? Almost all the students raise their hands, and nobody laughs.? I make the case that the first one is humorous to them because it really doesn’t have an impact on the day to day lives of whites, but the crime stereotype isn’t funny because it has a profound impact on blacks. [back]

Aug

25

A Few Random Comments About the God’s Warriors Series

Filed Under International Racism, Politics, Sociology | 17 Comments

I’m going to organize this as bullet points for each episode.?

Gods Jewish Warriors

  • I thought this was the best one of the series.?
  • It was balanced in showing both the extremist settlers, and the more mainstream Jews who were opposed to the extremists.
  • They gave ultra-orthodox Jews a free pass on the sexism issue, which was unfair.? They noted the treatment of women? by Muslim and Christian fundamentalists, but mentioned nothing that I recollect.
  • I was also impressed with how they discussed the international dimensions of the settler movement, and the fundamentalist Christians and right wing Jews who provided money and support to the settler movement.
  • They also discussed the changes throughout history and covering the various peace agreements between Israel and its neighbors.? One of the most disturbing parts of the special was the discussion of the killing of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.? If you don’t know the story, you can click on the link.

God’s Muslim Warriors

  • I felt like this one was a little more predictable because we are quite accustomed to critiques of Muslim fundamentalists–people promoting violence, Jihad, etc.? I do wish they would have highlighted more of the moderate leaders, and more people opposed to Islamic fundamentalism.? They did interview a few people who left extremist groups, which was interesting, but I wish they would have talked with people who were fighting these extremists all along.
  • I thought the scenes of the Iranian women protesting were the most moving.? Heart has several postings on the women’s movement in Iran; you can find them here.? Many of the Muslim countries in the Middle East have draconian anti-women policies, and these policies are often justified in the name of religion.? By far one of the most consistent trends with Muslim, Christian, and Jewish extremists is their disdain for the rights of women.
  • They did very good at focusing on the international dimensions of the movement; in particular the growing movement in Europe.? What I also found interesting was how both the Christian and Muslim fundamentalists were obsessed with the “cultural decay” in the West, focusing mostly on the decline in traditional definitions of family, materialism, and hedonistic popular culture.?

God’s Christian Warriors

  • This was by far the worst of the three.? First, they didn’t show any of the Christian fundamentalists who advocate murder and violence.? There was a brief mention of bombing abortion clinics, but I wish they would have had an in-depth interview with someone like American terrorist Eric Rudolph? or any of these people who have engaged in violence at abortion clinics. What about the Christian Identity movement?? What about Fred “God Hates Fags” Phelps and his family?? They did talk with Christian fundamentalists, but they didn’t talk to the ones who engage in or promote violence like they did in the first two parts of the series.
  • I was happy to see them discuss gender, and the treatment of women, especially when Christiane Amanpour told the one minister that the Taliban said the same thing as him. That was classic.? But they didnt get into the depth that they could have– discussing churches who barred women from being ministers.
  • There were not enough interviews with people? opposing Christian fundamentalism.? They had two ministers who stepped away from some parts of the movement.? I liked the Minnesota minister, who couldn’t figure out why these groups were so obsessed with homosexuality as a sin, but not materialism, greed, or gluttony.
  • There was no coverage of the international nature of Christian fundamentalism.? You would think it is only in the US, but there are places like.? Several of the countries in the pink on this map prohibit abortion even in the cases of rape and incest, and Christian fundamentalists are responsible for promoting this in many countrries.? This list also includes some of the various Christian based terrorist groups around the world.

What do you think?

(Note to Jidhadwatch posters:? If you want to make specific comments about the show, I will let your comments through, but if you are here to act like bigots, don’t evn bother. The thread is for comments about the series.)

Aug

23

Serious Question for Everyone….About End of Summer Traditions

Filed Under Family Issues, Serious Questions, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

purple-gladiolus-close-up2.png

Last week I bought gladiolas (the flowers above) from my local farmer’s market.? They were two dollars a stem, which is a? steep, but since the flowers bloom well after they are cut I was willing to pay the price.? (They look like this in the garden.)? However, there was another more sentimental reason.? These flowers remind me of my grandparents.? In the few years, I lived near my paternal grandparents, they raised these flowers in their garden.? ? Around this time of year, my grandmother and grandfather? would send me home after our Wednesday dinner with bouquets of gladiolas, zinnas, and various vegetables.?1?

I always get sentimental this time of year.? When harvest time comes and the change of the seasons begin, I think about the passage of time.? I reflect on traditions and rituals.? The tradition I have been thinking of lately is growing flowers.? Unfortunately, New York is preventing me from growing a garden like I used to do, but at least I was able to find some gladiolas to put in a vase.

This leads to my question, what are some of your end of the summer traditions?

  1. Apparently there are a few different spellings for zinnia, zenia, or xenia. [back]

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