Serial Link Dispatch: Translating Blackness, Ventriloquizing the Dead, Blindspots, and Racism in Surround Sound
on July 11, 2007
Category: Black America, Africa Politics, Pan-African
Also, find me at kameelahwrites
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via RaceWire: “Culture of Disrespect,” Ebony Magazine takes on bad words
RaceWire asks: “So 32 pages on the n-word and its cousins, ho and bitch. Is it time to move on?” Maybe so…I wonder if Ebony would ever spend 32 pages on the Prison-Industrial-Complex or Hurricane Katrina. And, why is Ebony taking the Don Imus bait? I wonder how much time was spent on the origins of these terms, because it certainly isn’t rap music.
via Field Negro: “So Easy a Black Man Could Do it”
Field Negro vents some frustration over Black folks,TV adverts and tokenism:
I guess “Charlie” is in a tough spot with this one. I don’t know, I just think they (The advertisers) go over board with the; we gotta stick a black person in here shtick. Two yuppie couples out on the town with no other black people in the sight. But of course one of the couples is a black one…High class wedding reception in the Hamptons, look around a little…. there they are, the token black couple, sipping champagne in the back ground.
Took the words right out of my mouth.
via Blackademics: The United States of Africa? The Jury is Still Out
Museveni argues that there are too many African languages, cultures and identities to smother into one group. Clearly he is unaware that the USA, UK and the EU were all able to unify, despite their cultural, historical and linguistic differences. We Africans are more than capable of accomplishing the same goals!
Really?! The USA, UK and the EU were all able to unify, despite cultural, historical and linguistic differences? Damn, I must have missed this unification in between race riots, anti-immigrant laws, language policy battles and the genocide and subjugation that created the aforementioned “unified” nations/conglomerates. The days of melting pot are over. As Immortal Technique says “There is no diversity because we’re burning in the melting pot.” Take it for what you will.
I am pretty sure that Africa should try and “accomplish the same goals” and replicate nation-building–well no in this case continental-building (new term?) using the West as a model of success. And how much are we ventriloquizing the dead–Garvey?
‘Racist’ Lima restaurant closed
“A popular restaurant in Lima has been temporarily closed down after several complaints that people with darker skin were refused entry.” Please be sure to check sokari as well. It is about time that Latin America comes to terms with that fact that America and Europe do not have the monopoly on anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism.
Michael Savage is a Savage…and of Don Imus’ likeness?
On the July 5 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show Michael Savage discussed a recent hunger strike organized by five students in the San Francisco area to show their support for The DREAM Act, which would provide a pathway to citizenship and other benefits for certain illegal immigrants who entered the United States before the age of 16 if they graduate from high school and enroll in either college or the military.
Savage stated: “I would say, let them fast until they starve to death then that solves the problem. Because then we won’t have a problem about giving them green cards because they’re illegal aliens, they don’t belong here to begin with.” and to top it off: “We don’t need you as engineers, go back to where you came from. … Go be an engineer there. You stole the education from us; now give it back to your home country. Go make a bomb where you came from.”
Hot damn. What’s next? When are we going to address this issue of immigration and “illegal bodies” in a productive way? And, what gives Savage the license to be…a savage?
According to Giuliani’s Co-Chair, Black Folks are Retarded
Giuliani selected Arthur Ravenel Jr., a former U.S. congressma as the new co-chair of his campaign in South Carolina. Never invested any hope in Giuliani, but Ravenel is the same man who called referred to the NAACP as the National Association for Retard People at a flag rally in 2000. Come on Giuliani…
BET Expands it Schedule…
With the introduction of 16 shows through 2008, the biggest lineup of debuts in the networks 27-years of existence, let’s hope that at least some of them do not involve “Pop, Lock and Drop[pin’] It” and have some time of educational value. But, who am I kidding? Its Black ENTERTAINMENT television, not Black EMPOWERMENT Television. And, who wants to see productive Black folks on TV anyway?
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3 Comments so far
1. sondjata
July 11th, 2007 at 2:07 am
And how much are we ventriloquizing the dead–Garvey?
Ummmmm..seeking clarification on that statement.
Also, I don’t believe that the commment that
“. Clearly he is unaware that the USA, UK and the EU were all able to unify, despite their cultural, historical and linguistic differences.”
was even refering to non-whites. It is a true statement if taken to mean that white America has been able to unify culturally. While you are correct in observing that non-whites have been largely removed from that “unity”, it doesn’t really compare to a Pan-African vision being discussed.
2. kameelah
July 11th, 2007 at 2:46 am
I am not sure what clarification I can offer…my issue is that in talking about Pan-Africanism and bringing in icons of Pan-Africanism, we are getting caught up in the vision of of a US of Africa without thinking about it logistically. As far as ventriloquizing, it is a question of how much are we applying Pan-Africanist discourse shaped by a particular historical period to contemporary times without taking into account the specificity of the current context.
Hope that helps.
In that comment I was speaking about USA, UK and EU as nations/conglomerates and did not make a differentiation between whites and blacks because I assumed that the argument being advanced was that ‘look, these nations are unified.’ Black folks in the Americas are far from being unified even within our own communities. I don’t get the last part of your final sentence…please clarify.
3. mamabones
July 12th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
US of Africa, that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of.
Since so many people like to think that Africa is one big country - we might as well indulge them, right?
Lets just start with all the power hungry, money-grabbing politicians all over Africa - who decides which one should be president of the US of Af? I think most countries have enough issues on their own, than to compound them with the issues of the rest of Africa. I hink each of the countries should clean up their back yards first before wanting to have one mess heap. I’m personally not interested in being an African. I’m a South African and that’s that.