“I’ve seen this movie before. How is it that there are people of color who are CEOs of companies, that are presidents of universities, but there is no reflection of that on the networks? It is arrogance and it is narcissism. Even the commercials have more black people than the programs.”
“Some people have made the assertion that the only reason I’m doing so well is because conservatives are trying to send a message, ‘We’re not racist,’ ” he said. “Come to some of our rallies and you will come to the conclusion that I have come to. . . . This many white people can’t pretend that they like me.”
So I’m watching this documentary about the White family in West Virginia, & it’s mosty focused on the trials and travails of members of this one infamous family. Its interesting, & kind of sad. There’s this “look at the strange ways of poor white people” tone to it. And then there’s the comments from local officials on the family dynamic (words like entitlement culture come up a lot), as well as one official admitting that West Virginia and its citizens are routinely exploited by outsiders who own most of the state and exploit its resources. He drew a comparison to the exploitation of people and resources to Africa & America’s history of slavery that was almost genius, but then he either backed off, or they cut away because it didn’t go far enough. Watching this it is very clear (again) that the real underpinnings of fostering racism in America isn’t about any real belief in white superiority.
It’s really about making sure each group is fighting for a very tiny slice of the pie & having to do so much just to survive is blamed on easy pre-made targets. Keeping up race as a barrier to communication means that the conversation is eternally about fighting each other instead of the people who poison whole populations, enslave them in deed if not word (paying miners in scrip, forcing sharecroppers to use credit in a way that leaves them eternally in debt, importing labor & taxing their pay only to blast them for wanting to be treated as citizens in the country where they work etc.), and use their money as a club to stay in power. Again, I wonder if we ever do get to be post racial what kind of world will we live in? What kind of economic system would be implemented?
“The test of how racist you are is not how many people of color you can count as friends,” I recall someone telling me—I can’t remember who now. “It’s how many white people you’re willing to talk to about racism.”
Deeply Embarrassed White People Talk Awkwardly About Race
(via so-treu)
THIS!!!!!!! If you are not actively calling out your white friends on their racism, you are not an ally. Plain and simple. If you are not policing your own whiteness, you are not an ally.
(via sourcedumal)
(via bluntlyblue)
“A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of more than 1,300 Americans nationwide finds that about nine of 10, black and white, say civil rights for African Americans have improved during their lifetimes.
(…)
On the question of whether race relations between blacks and whites will always be a problem, there has been virtually no change at all among whites since 1963: 44% of whites said then that relations between blacks and whites would “always be a problem in the United States.” In the new poll, almost precisely the same number, 45%, of whites hold that view.
In contrast, the days of soaring optimism among blacks has ended.
In 1963, seven in 10 blacks predicted relations between blacks and whites “will eventually be worked out”; 26% said they would always be a problem. Now, 55% of blacks see it is as a conflict that won’t end.”
Poll respondents chart racial progress since MLK
More —> USATODAY
Interesting analysis from Nate Silver of the New York Times on why the Democrats shouldn’t be too disheartened with the debt ceiling plan:
This ought to be a big deal for Democrats, since many of them are favorably disposed toward cuts in the defense budget. The table below reflects the views of Democratic and Republican adults toward cuts in 18 areas of federal spending as derived from the 2010 General Social Survey. The scale runs from 0 (meaning that voters would like to see increased spending in that area) to 100 (meaning that voters would like to see spending cuts).
What I find interesting in this table is that there’s an actual category: “Improving conditions of blacks.” One would think that if you need to have a category of improving a large group of people, then you really need that category.
10 Most Segregated Cities in the US
1. Detroit, Michigan
2. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
3. New York, New York
4. Newark, New Jersey
5. Chicago, Illinois
6. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
7. Miami, Florida
8. Cleveland, Ohio
9. St. Louis, Missouri
10. Nassau-Suffolk, New York
Nope, you can’t make this stuff up.
Bernie Goldberg, just now on Fox News’ O’Reilly Factor, as contradictory footage from Wisconsin rolled said the following:
“You remember during the Tea Party demonstrations there were lots of references to the crowds being overwhelming white. I was never quite sure what the relevance of that was but the NY Times, for example, thought it was relevant because they would write stuff like that. These crowds are beyond overwhelming white. These crowds are almost 100% white. And there is no reference to race.”
HELLOOOOOOOOO Look To The Bellybutton
Scientists have found the reason why blacks dominate on the running track and whites in the swimming pool: it’s in their belly-buttons, a study published Monday shows.
…The navel is the center of gravity of the body, and given two runners or swimmers of the same height, one black and one white, “what matters is not total height but the position of the belly-button, or center of gravity,” Duke University professor Andre Bejan, the lead author of the study, told AFP.
“It so happens that in the architecture of the human body of West African-origin runners, the center of gravity is significantly higher than in runners of European origin,” which puts them at an advantage in sprints on the track, he said.
continue reading… yahoo - science
“Michael Steele makes a number of old-time Republicans very nervous,” Gingrich said. “He comes out of a different background. He went to seminary … he’s African-American … But I think he’s pretty close to what we need. He’s different, he’s gutsy and he’s going to make a number of Republicans mad.”
Gingrich: Steele’s Race Makes Some Republicans Uncomfortable
poll - race relations
this week
