Written in a fit of malaise
I'm feeling angsty, angry and annoyed. So I'm blogging. Yeah, I'm one of those people.
Random thoughts at the moment
I need iTunes to hurry up and upload Amber Riley's version of "Bust Your Windows" from tonight's episode of Glee. I actually liked her cover better than Jazmin Sullivan's original.
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As I mentioned to angelskuuipo below, I "celebrated" my one-year anniversary on Tuesday. It officially marked the last time I held full-time employment. Could this be the cause of my angst? Possibly, but there's plenty more to contribute to that feeling today. Stay tuned.
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I've gone back and reviewed a few more pages of my friendslist to catch up on everyone's comings and goings. Sadly, this inevitably included reading ongoing discussions regarding Kanyegate. As I mentioned before, I think West was wrong and deserved to be called on his behavior, but the public's reaction was 80x worse and delved happily into the grab bag of racism, sexism and celebrity obsessed self-flagellation.
I wish I could say I expected blackfolk to offer some clear and rational perspective on this whole kerfuffle, but no. I actually saw someone compare Kanye West to Chris Brown. Um, okay. The latter viciously beat a woman with his bare hands in a fit of rage; the former embarrassed a white woman by stating that she didn't deserve the award for Best Female Video. ... Yeah, re-read that sentence. Now, tell me I've awaken in an alternate reality where the hoi polloi and our celebrity overlords have not lost their freaking minds.
I suppose I can just be happy that I wasn't the only one who immediately recognized the racist vitriol for what it was as it spewed forth from the masses (and celebrities, let's not forget the celebs who took part in the lynching). Harry Allen wrote a piece that captured Tweet after Tweet of Kanye hateration that truly turned my stomach, and I'm from Indiana, people. To give you some perspective on that, the Indiana state government was overtly controlled by the KKK for over 40 years in the 20th century. And goodness knows for how long they were/have been in control behind the scenes since. Yes. That's my home state. I love it, but it is what it is.
Oh, how I wish I didn't just see comment after comment by African-Americans on blackfolk co-sign the demonization of this man over a fucking incident that involved stealing a pretty, young white woman's limelight for 10 seconds. Nope. That's the source of my angst. Right there.
Comment #11 on Allen's post illustrates my anger and frustration perfectly:
devans00 on 09.14.09 at 9:31 pm
Know what’s funny. Kanye got more punished for dissing a pop singer than Congressman Joe Wilson got for dissing the POTUS.
And after CK himself joined in on this dogpile (not surprisingly cheered on by ignorant fans who have no problem perpetuating this behavior), I'm not entirely certain I want to spend the time, money and energy trying to catch his show in Ohio next month. Truthfully, I expect nothing less from a man who's close friends with Toby Keith, and I firmly believe that everyone has a right to their opinions, but his comment only added the threat of violence and reinforced the idea that an innocent, "vulnerable" young white woman had been violated and therefore needed protection. And I can't pretend that that doesn't bother me.
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I have to work tomorrow (well, tonight), but I'm feeling particularly out of sorts. It's not just the usual sense of hating the gig, but something more. I could sit here trying to figure out what's what, but I think I'll go back to my House DVDs now.
Random thoughts at the moment
I need iTunes to hurry up and upload Amber Riley's version of "Bust Your Windows" from tonight's episode of Glee. I actually liked her cover better than Jazmin Sullivan's original.
____________________________________________________________________________
As I mentioned to angelskuuipo below, I "celebrated" my one-year anniversary on Tuesday. It officially marked the last time I held full-time employment. Could this be the cause of my angst? Possibly, but there's plenty more to contribute to that feeling today. Stay tuned.
____________________________________________________________________________
I've gone back and reviewed a few more pages of my friendslist to catch up on everyone's comings and goings. Sadly, this inevitably included reading ongoing discussions regarding Kanyegate. As I mentioned before, I think West was wrong and deserved to be called on his behavior, but the public's reaction was 80x worse and delved happily into the grab bag of racism, sexism and celebrity obsessed self-flagellation.
I wish I could say I expected blackfolk to offer some clear and rational perspective on this whole kerfuffle, but no. I actually saw someone compare Kanye West to Chris Brown. Um, okay. The latter viciously beat a woman with his bare hands in a fit of rage; the former embarrassed a white woman by stating that she didn't deserve the award for Best Female Video. ... Yeah, re-read that sentence. Now, tell me I've awaken in an alternate reality where the hoi polloi and our celebrity overlords have not lost their freaking minds.
I suppose I can just be happy that I wasn't the only one who immediately recognized the racist vitriol for what it was as it spewed forth from the masses (and celebrities, let's not forget the celebs who took part in the lynching). Harry Allen wrote a piece that captured Tweet after Tweet of Kanye hateration that truly turned my stomach, and I'm from Indiana, people. To give you some perspective on that, the Indiana state government was overtly controlled by the KKK for over 40 years in the 20th century. And goodness knows for how long they were/have been in control behind the scenes since. Yes. That's my home state. I love it, but it is what it is.
Oh, how I wish I didn't just see comment after comment by African-Americans on blackfolk co-sign the demonization of this man over a fucking incident that involved stealing a pretty, young white woman's limelight for 10 seconds. Nope. That's the source of my angst. Right there.
Comment #11 on Allen's post illustrates my anger and frustration perfectly:
devans00 on 09.14.09 at 9:31 pm
Know what’s funny. Kanye got more punished for dissing a pop singer than Congressman Joe Wilson got for dissing the POTUS.
And after CK himself joined in on this dogpile (not surprisingly cheered on by ignorant fans who have no problem perpetuating this behavior), I'm not entirely certain I want to spend the time, money and energy trying to catch his show in Ohio next month. Truthfully, I expect nothing less from a man who's close friends with Toby Keith, and I firmly believe that everyone has a right to their opinions, but his comment only added the threat of violence and reinforced the idea that an innocent, "vulnerable" young white woman had been violated and therefore needed protection. And I can't pretend that that doesn't bother me.
____________________________________________________________________________
I have to work tomorrow (well, tonight), but I'm feeling particularly out of sorts. It's not just the usual sense of hating the gig, but something more. I could sit here trying to figure out what's what, but I think I'll go back to my House DVDs now.