After Shabbos, I got wind of the story about Rush Limbaugh getting duped by an Obama thesis hoax. Ok, so it does happen from time to time in today's fast-paced, sensationalist media that news stories are talked about before all the facts are checked. And political talk radio consists of mostly opinions, and a very warped view of facts anyway.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Yes, I think that being a Democrat is the lesser evil...
Posted by Miss S. at 8:45 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: Barack Obama, politics, simply ridiculous
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Born Racists
On several fronts, I got wind of a Newsweek article that is being touted by many as being "liberal propaganda". Well I broke down and read it. Like most other Newsweek articles, it likes to avoid going into any depth of a single scenario and instead string a bunch of situations together into one long, noncohesive article. But in spite of the campy journalism, I do not see the "big liberal conspiracy here"; just like I failed to see the giant hoopla about President Obama's speech to schoolchildren. I have no clue when or how people became so super-sensitive...and also so adverse to things outside their own comfort zone.
I found the article very interesting, and if it were a presentation, would find myself nodding my head through most of it (most...but not all). It is funny, because in spite of the title, "Even Babies Discriminate", the article mainly focuses on children...and not babies. The revelation here is that white parents by far do not explicity address the issue of race. Instead they feel it is better that their children be "colorblind"; in that skin color is irrelevant. But it is relevant; in where that lies a big part of the problem. This is what I gently (or maybe not so gently sometimes) try to tell people. You cannot sugar coat reality and present that to your children as truth. Just like you should not try to teach your children that all criminals are put in jail; you should also not try to teach your children that all _____ people are treated as equals (unless you live in some unknown utopia somewhere that is).
The article also talks about how a diverse, integrated society doesn't change jack ___ in regards to alleviating racism; in fact, it can aggrevate it. This does not mean integration is bad; but it does mean that if applied incorrectly...like affirmative action has, it can be pointless ultimately. I have seen this demonstrated...from two instances in my own life. The first is when I was in elementary school...for the early part of it, I went to a Catholic school, which was probably 90% white; then later I went on to school in Allentown, PA where the student population was probably 60% White, 20% Hispanic, 10% Black and 10% 'other'. All throughout this time, most of my very close friends were not Black. In fact, in 4th grade if you would have asked me to list my 5 best friends, 2 would have been White, 2 would have been Puerto Rican (one which was a "White" Puerto Rican, the other biracial Black & Hispanic) and the other one was biracial (1/2 Black, 1/2 Italian). When I returned to western PA for 7th grade, I did not seek out friends on the prerequisite of skin color. So I was called a "sell out" because I happened to have more White friends than Black ones. What I know now (which I did not know then) is that I never really had the social precendent set for me that I could only be close friends with another Black child because the majority of my schoolmates had not been Black up until that point. My guess is that my Black schoolmates thought I was crazy and truly believed that they had little in common with our White classmates; surely not enough to be close, close friends with them.
The second demonstration of this came when I was an adult, and I moved to Miami. In Miami the "majority" (White people) are actually the "minority" in that somewhere between 60-70% of the residents of Miami-Dade county are of Hispanic origin. When you add African-Americans to the mix, you probably have 80% "minorities" around you. So you would think it would be the most tolerant, open-minded, least racist of places, right? Wrong. Not that Miami is anything like you would find in Alabama or the like. But you do have plenty of stereotypes that are very hard to break and that create a deep divide among people....even young people. I discovered that for the first time in my life, people would meet me, and then within the first couple of sentences start asking about my ethnic background (at least in Miami...people realize that Black people are not homogenous, so they at least have that going for them). I would try to skirt around the question but they would dig, and dig. Finally I would admit, in a cursory fashion, that my father was Jamaican and my mother American. "Oh...!" they would usually say, and their face would light up with an all-knowing look. Then the comments would start, "I like how Jamaican women are...", "You looked West Indian to me" (a lie, since I look just like my American mother), "Jamaicans are so ___". It's like, didn't you hear anything I said? I was born in Pennsylvania and raised by my American family. So how do your [invalid] perceptions of Jamaicans relate to me exactly? (????). Little did I know that many people in Miami had their entire social circle determined by ethnicity. Jamaicans were leary of Haitians; Cubans looked down on Puerto Ricans; South Americans had their little quirks and quibbles amongst each other; Trinidadians would get upset if you mistook them for being from Guyana. I met several White people who wanted to play mock UN (well you can be my Jamaican friend; I already have a Cuban, a Bajan, an Indian...). It was simply mind-blowing that all of this "ethnic stuff" mattered so much as to whether or not you could be someone's friend.
I think children are born with the right instincts, and then somewhere along the line, adults mess it all up for them. We have a natural curiosity at things that are "exotic" (in that we are not used to them) and will be more comfortable around things that mirror us a bit more (maybe this is why I was always weirded out by the long-haired, blue-eyed Jesus). However a child should be taught that the surface is just that...the surface. Sometimes you walk into the library and you'll see a pile of old tattered books. Now they may have been neglected because they were not all that good to begin with, so the library is not even concerned with taking the care to organize them. However you could have a real gem in there...a true masterpiece that was always overlooked because of it's tattered ugly appearance (it may even smell funny).
The only part of the article I really disagreed with is the part about minimizing the White pride aspect for White children. This is hypocritical. But I am sure when they think of "White pride" they are thinking of the Aryan nation version. However "Black pride" as it is presented is probably of the Huey Newton version. My take on that is that there is no "Black" or "White" pride. All of us are decendents of a culture. Even as African-Americans, if we do not know our African ancestral tribe, than we have 400 years of history here in America. Again, we should be presenting reality to children, and not a fairy tale presented as reality. There is no reason whatsoever that a White child cannot be proud of the accomplishments of their ancestors. Listen to Celtic music, dance to flamenco, learn to speak French. Everyone came from a culture that had moments of glory and moments of disgrace. This is nothing to be ashamed of. It is not nearly as shameful as deceiving little children and not properly preparing them to live in the world as it really exists.
Posted by Miss S. at 1:00 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: African-American, children, Miami, Newsweek, Pennsylvania, racism
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Graduate Education; In The Most Unlikely Of Locations...
Posted by Miss S. at 11:39 PM 2 comments Links to this post
Labels: FL, Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers, graduate school
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Do You Miss Miami?
Posted by Miss S. at 6:14 AM 5 comments Links to this post
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Who Wrote These/Did This Website?
I really had to laugh at loud at some of the community descriptions of various Mon Valley towns. Who is responsible for this? Also the main page is one of the worst Joomla! based sites that I have seen in a while...
Posted by Miss S. at 6:53 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: communities, Joomla, Regional Chamber Alliance, simply ridiculous
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
The Irrelevancy of "Black Culture"
I got into a heated debate yesterday (surprise, surprise) with a man on a list-serve for Black Jews who put it out there that Black Jews should not focus on gaining acceptance from the Ashkenazi Jewish community, but rather rally together and build a new sub-group within Judaism. A group that would formulate minhagim, customs and the like from our "shared Black culture". Well I asked him to define this "shared culture" because in my opinion, there is no "Black culture"; at least not one that is substantial or concrete enough to build a new sub-group within Judaism. Not that Judaism even needs any more subgroups. But that is a whole different discussion.
My feelings on this topic stem purely from personal experience and my own worldview. I am not trying to say that I am right; and others are wrong. However I have what I feel is a valid opinion on a very subjective term ("culture"). Yet I was insulted and called names (surprise, surprise...I have a knack for this you know) for my views. So in this medium, where I won't be subject to so much of the back and forth (and misinterpretations that come along with that), I decided to clarify my points here, on my own blog.
1) My first issue with Black culture is it's definition. What is it exactly? Black American history is a part of it...but not the main part in my opinion. The history of any group does not necessarily yield any kind of power over the same group in the present (take the unfortunate case of the Native Americans, whose illustrious history does little to help them now). Also a common history is not enough to bond people together. Historically, Jews and Muslims had good relationships. But that is not the case now. But anyway, back to the definition of culture. Let's see what Merriam-Webster says:
the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group ; also : the characteristic features of everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life} shared by people in a place or time
Ok, so looking at the definition above, you see that "culture" is basically referring to a set of norms that mold how a person lives. For example, in urban culture (New York city and the like), you have a society which is fast-paced, lives in an environment where space is a premium, eats out a lot, and has public activity going on 24-7 (this is just a gross generic example, I don't see such a broad group as a legitimate culture either). I agree that there was a point in time where Black Americans did largely share a stronger common culture; especially before the 1960s. However, in the generations that have followed, the Black American population has become increasingly diverse; socially, economically, regionally, and by nationality. Just how much does a low income Black woman in the Bronx have with a Nigerian computer engineer in Silicon Valley? Probably just their brown skin color (but wait...East Indians are also brown...)
2) My second issue with Black culture is that of ownership. Being a Black American does not automatically endow you with the gift of Black culture...whatever that may be. Even in my case, where I was raised by a Black family and within the Black community; here in my adult life, Black culture has very little influence over my lifestyle. Instead, my daily life is far more tempered by the laws and regulations of Judaism. My preferences in hobbys and entertainment come from my friends and acquientances who are mostly White. The food I eat is pretty standard American fare with occasional things from West Indian and Asian cuisine thrown in. Now, if Black culture were reflexive, and I could take the things that I do, and the life that I lead, and add that to the "Black culture pot", then that would be great. But I do not think it works that way. So if that is the case, than Black culture is pretty much irrelevant to me. Again, this does not mean I am glossing over Black history or the origins of my people. What I am saying is the unique norms and societal ways of those ancestors has had little bearing on my life today. This is not disrespect to those ancestors. In fact I think it is the utmost respect for them.
3) My third issue with Black culture is the double-standard it presents. If there is a "Black culture"; then there should be a "White culture" and a "Hispanic culture"....even a "Jewish culture". And many people may stand up and say that these cultures do in fact exist. But I would curious to see what exactly they present as examples of these "cultures". Yes, let's stop and think about this for a minute. Actually, it is a very scary thought; because most of what will be presented will be gross stereotypes...not true cultural markers. The reality is within these larger "cultures" you have much more accurate/valid cultures such as Italian-American culture, Cuban-American culture, Syrian-Jewish culture, Black-Jamaican culture, etc. Yet even with these subgroups, most people will have no problem accepting the fact that Maria Capecci (ficticious name), 4th generation Italian-American holds on to very few remenants of her Italian heritage. She is a Buddhist, her husband is a Black man, and her job has her working 4 months out of the year in Brazil. Should she still be forced to claim things and affiliate on the basis of her Italian-American culture?
I understand that my stance on this issue has the very real potential of being offensive. Hopefully those who really know me realize that I am not the type of person who minimizes the accomplishments of Black people worldwide and the rich traditions and various things that have emerged from our people. The issue here is not that I am not proud to be a member of the Black community; but rather what that membership requires from us. I feel that being a member of the Black community, at the present time, is purely genetic. It would make more sense to have the Black community drawn along cultural and societal lines...but it is not (and has not been, ever). In the United States, it is not like Africa where differing tribes see each other (and are seen, to a certain extent by outsiders) as different people. No. If you have African ancestory in America, than you are a Black American. This classification totally invalidates the notion of there being a "Black American culture" then, because you are glossing over all of the great, unique differences between many different types of people.
Posted by Miss S. at 7:39 AM 1 comments Links to this post
Labels: African-American, Black Americans, black culture, culture, Judaism
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Oh I Guess I Do Have A Pittsburgh Accent After All
For some reason I have always maintained some sense of pride that I somehow turned out to be a bit more "cosmopolitan" than the majority of my Southwestern Pennsylvanian counterparts. This does not mean that I look down on them, but I just have a different set of life experiences that makes me the person that I am. With that being said, I am proud to be from this area. But I always figured that it was my little secret; that I could blend into the larger world seemlessly.
Posted by Miss S. at 4:45 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: accent, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Pittsburghese




