**This is from my AfroAmerican Pie blog**
Plausible Separation
The Art of Causing Racism by Attempting to Defeat It
Last night, after a long day at the office, I picked up my son from the sitter, fed him and let him play, cooked spaghetti with meat sauce and waited for my wife to come home from work. Once she arrived and settled herself we turned on the television to entertain us as we ate. Soon, time came around to put the baby down for the night. After that, my wife turned to me and asked “What time is it?”
“Nine o’clock” I replied and she went on to tell me that Black in America was coming on CNN and she wanted to watch it. I looked at her like she was crazy but I turned the channel anyway.
Fifteen minutes into the program I was livid…well, actually I was livid when she asked me to tune in but I decided to give it a chance anyway. Bad move. As we viewed this “enlightening” program, I realized something. Why do we need an after school special to highlight just exactly what is WRONG in our community. Do these producers realize that when you say “Sally Mae went to college, as did her whole family,” A lot of us hear either “Ooh, blacks CAN go to college…” or a sarcastic “The amount of successful blacks can be counted on one proverbial hand”…
And if in the same segment, not less than one scene later you show the exact opposite. When you show a young black man, obviously disinterested in school, at home in mid day with his chest exposed and underwear over the top of his jeans with a cheering squad to get him to go to class in the background… we know not to expect great things. The sad part is, the producers of this farce were more interested in highlighting the educational disparities of the communities, i.e. 70% of all students’ graduate high school and only 50% of black students graduate.
Um… excuse me ladies and gentlemen, but I think we all know that. I think all members of the Black community know that, as we are constantly reminded of the inequalities. Here’s my issue (one of several) why are we still segregated? Why are we still “Black IN America as opposed to being Black Americans? Why do we still have a month to celebrate our history instead of a true integration of African history into American history in schools from grammar to university level institutions? Our history is more than a few paragraphs on Dr. Martin Luther King and wearing kinte cloth.
Also, why are we being spotlighted on the eve of Presidential history? Could it be an attempt to reaffirm certain stereotypes others have about us and that we have about ourselves? Could it be viewed as unfair propaganda? Possibly.
There are those who will say I am wrong for seeing this the way I do. Others would say it makes sense to highlight the achievements and accomplishments of our people. To that I don’t disagree but to view graduating high school as a major accomplishment is an insult. To show us going to college tells me our college-educated members are unicorns.
The Black experience is the American experience, period. Until that day is won, we will always be outcasts in our own country.
When The Filipinos In America, The Asians In America, The Hispanics In America, The Jews In America, Italians In America, Arabs In America etc shows come on CNN I may not be as cynical, but as of today, I’m calling a spade a spade and Anderson Cooper, you are on notice.
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~ by fahthablessed on July 25, 2008.
Posted in Daily Log, Lifestyles, News, Politics, Social Commentary
Tags: Anderson Cooper, Black History, Blacks, CNN, education, racial sensitivity, racism, Stereotypes
fahthablessed
Plausible Separation
**This is from my AfroAmerican Pie blog**
Plausible Separation
The Art of Causing Racism by Attempting to Defeat It
Last night, after a long day at the office, I picked up my son from the sitter, fed him and let him play, cooked spaghetti with meat sauce and waited for my wife to come home from work. Once she arrived and settled herself we turned on the television to entertain us as we ate. Soon, time came around to put the baby down for the night. After that, my wife turned to me and asked “What time is it?”
“Nine o’clock” I replied and she went on to tell me that Black in America was coming on CNN and she wanted to watch it. I looked at her like she was crazy but I turned the channel anyway.
Fifteen minutes into the program I was livid…well, actually I was livid when she asked me to tune in but I decided to give it a chance anyway. Bad move. As we viewed this “enlightening” program, I realized something. Why do we need an after school special to highlight just exactly what is WRONG in our community. Do these producers realize that when you say “Sally Mae went to college, as did her whole family,” A lot of us hear either “Ooh, blacks CAN go to college…” or a sarcastic “The amount of successful blacks can be counted on one proverbial hand”…
And if in the same segment, not less than one scene later you show the exact opposite. When you show a young black man, obviously disinterested in school, at home in mid day with his chest exposed and underwear over the top of his jeans with a cheering squad to get him to go to class in the background… we know not to expect great things. The sad part is, the producers of this farce were more interested in highlighting the educational disparities of the communities, i.e. 70% of all students’ graduate high school and only 50% of black students graduate.
Um… excuse me ladies and gentlemen, but I think we all know that. I think all members of the Black community know that, as we are constantly reminded of the inequalities. Here’s my issue (one of several) why are we still segregated? Why are we still “Black IN America as opposed to being Black Americans? Why do we still have a month to celebrate our history instead of a true integration of African history into American history in schools from grammar to university level institutions? Our history is more than a few paragraphs on Dr. Martin Luther King and wearing kinte cloth.
Also, why are we being spotlighted on the eve of Presidential history? Could it be an attempt to reaffirm certain stereotypes others have about us and that we have about ourselves? Could it be viewed as unfair propaganda? Possibly.
There are those who will say I am wrong for seeing this the way I do. Others would say it makes sense to highlight the achievements and accomplishments of our people. To that I don’t disagree but to view graduating high school as a major accomplishment is an insult. To show us going to college tells me our college-educated members are unicorns.
The Black experience is the American experience, period. Until that day is won, we will always be outcasts in our own country.
When The Filipinos In America, The Asians In America, The Hispanics In America, The Jews In America, Italians In America, Arabs In America etc shows come on CNN I may not be as cynical, but as of today, I’m calling a spade a spade and Anderson Cooper, you are on notice.
Like this:
~ by fahthablessed on July 25, 2008.
Posted in Daily Log, Lifestyles, News, Politics, Social Commentary
Tags: Anderson Cooper, Black History, Blacks, CNN, education, racial sensitivity, racism, Stereotypes