Oh yes, it IS Black History Month...Whatever
I ceased being excited about Black History Month a long time ago. Why? Because no one ever seems to learn anything from it. From Harry Reid's "negro dialect" comment (WTF is a negro dialect anyway? Do black people from Europe or the Caribbean have one? I certainly don't have one; on several occasions I've been mistaken for Caucasian over the phone--but that's a post for another time) to Pat "Jackboots" Buchanan insisting that only white men fought in every war since the American Revolution (so not true, check out the all-black Rhode Island Regiment), I have come to the inescapable conclusion that some people just want to be forever stupid and twenty-eight days out of the year (twenty-nine if it's a leap year) isn't going to rectify that.
Frankly, I hate being pandered to by cynical networks and magazines that tend to be pretty much lily-white most of the year round (check out this month's Vanity Fair cover on 'Young Hollywood' to see my point), but suddenly find themselves wanting diversity when Black History Month occurs. Suddenly Lifetime, better known as 'The Chick In Jeopardy Because Someone Stole Her Baby While They Slept With Her Husband Who Is Actually A Psychotic Serial Killer Channel" manages to dredge up every "black-themed" movie they've ever made or owned. Suddenly fashion rags plaster Naomi Campbell (but not Alek Wek), Beyonce (but not India Arie.), or Halle on their covers in the name of diversity.
Whatever..,
Even the Minstrelsy Channel (oops my bad, I mean BET) takes time out from it's 24-hour 'cooning' programs to get a little serious about all the great things black people have done, but somehow managing to pop in a Young Jeezy video and reruns of that wretched 'The Game' series somewhere just to 'keep it real'.
Pardon me while I hurl...
I understand the entire idea behind Black History Month and give thanks to Dr. Carter G. Woodson (look him up boys and girls) for being instrumental in the creation of such a holiday and for his work as a gifted historian. However, it's just sad that he even had to undertake such a task because of a racist society that feared and rejected any notion of intellectual equality between blacks and whites, It's sadder still that there is a nation full of Faux News-imbibing ignoramouses who can cite the latest NBA/NFL/MLB wrongdoing by a black athlete, but don't know jack shit about Ira Aldridge (look him up boys and girls).
And that's something I've always wondered? Why the need to prove superiority anyway? If you are superior, you just know that right? Why the need to lie about one's accomplishments or belittle those of another? Can it be (gasp) that what we're really dealing with is an inferiority complex???
Ah, a point to ponder...
It's an affront to me that black history has to be some separate entity for people to get some kind of clue about who we are and what we accomplished. Why isn't black history taught as AMERICAN or WORLD history where it rightfully belongs? What are people afraid of? That blacks weren't a bunch of happy-go-lucky Uncle Remuses and Aunt Jemimas in spite of what Gone With the Wind depicted? That in spite of the degradation and the privation blacks suffered that they still managed not only to survive, but THRIVE? Uh hello, there's a man with an Irish ancestor and a woman who was a descendant of a slave in the White House (that's Barack and Michelle Obama for those who weren't paying attention in class).
Now, there are people who truly want to broaden their horizons and not be led around by the nose. These people want to know all they can about EVERYONE'S history, but realize the task is great. Of course it is--history is being made all the time.
Ironically the same idiots who complain about black history month being "racist" are the very people who know nothing about black history. Or for that matter latino/hispanic history, native american history, asian history. Hell, a lot of these fools don't even know about their own history. How many of them know about the famous Winged Hussars of Poland? Not a lot, but they know a bunch of "dumb Polock" jokes. How many of them know who Bjarni Herjolfsson was? I've worked both Nothern and Southern California Renaissance Faires and the number of OMFG moments I've had from people who are looking for King Arthur are far too many to count, and these moments would be priceless if they didn't prove how STUPID some people are.
Mayhaps the real issue here is that some people are threated by smart black folks. An intelligent black person flies directly in the face of all the ignorant sterotypes so beloved by many. From my vantage point, the gangbanging thug is a lot easier to accept than say, a Dr. Henry Louis Gates. A thug can be controlled (no matter how many of them like to pretend otherwise). An intelligent man is uncontrollable. For some, learning about intelligent and resourceful black people is like taking away their pacifier of ignorance. We could have Black History YEAR and these losers would still think that the Confederacy won because they killed more Yankees (I'm not kidding about this either).
Oh well, I think I'm going to go read some Octavia Butler.
Frankly, I hate being pandered to by cynical networks and magazines that tend to be pretty much lily-white most of the year round (check out this month's Vanity Fair cover on 'Young Hollywood' to see my point), but suddenly find themselves wanting diversity when Black History Month occurs. Suddenly Lifetime, better known as 'The Chick In Jeopardy Because Someone Stole Her Baby While They Slept With Her Husband Who Is Actually A Psychotic Serial Killer Channel" manages to dredge up every "black-themed" movie they've ever made or owned. Suddenly fashion rags plaster Naomi Campbell (but not Alek Wek), Beyonce (but not India Arie.), or Halle on their covers in the name of diversity.
Whatever..,
Even the Minstrelsy Channel (oops my bad, I mean BET) takes time out from it's 24-hour 'cooning' programs to get a little serious about all the great things black people have done, but somehow managing to pop in a Young Jeezy video and reruns of that wretched 'The Game' series somewhere just to 'keep it real'.
Pardon me while I hurl...
I understand the entire idea behind Black History Month and give thanks to Dr. Carter G. Woodson (look him up boys and girls) for being instrumental in the creation of such a holiday and for his work as a gifted historian. However, it's just sad that he even had to undertake such a task because of a racist society that feared and rejected any notion of intellectual equality between blacks and whites, It's sadder still that there is a nation full of Faux News-imbibing ignoramouses who can cite the latest NBA/NFL/MLB wrongdoing by a black athlete, but don't know jack shit about Ira Aldridge (look him up boys and girls).
And that's something I've always wondered? Why the need to prove superiority anyway? If you are superior, you just know that right? Why the need to lie about one's accomplishments or belittle those of another? Can it be (gasp) that what we're really dealing with is an inferiority complex???
Ah, a point to ponder...
It's an affront to me that black history has to be some separate entity for people to get some kind of clue about who we are and what we accomplished. Why isn't black history taught as AMERICAN or WORLD history where it rightfully belongs? What are people afraid of? That blacks weren't a bunch of happy-go-lucky Uncle Remuses and Aunt Jemimas in spite of what Gone With the Wind depicted? That in spite of the degradation and the privation blacks suffered that they still managed not only to survive, but THRIVE? Uh hello, there's a man with an Irish ancestor and a woman who was a descendant of a slave in the White House (that's Barack and Michelle Obama for those who weren't paying attention in class).
Now, there are people who truly want to broaden their horizons and not be led around by the nose. These people want to know all they can about EVERYONE'S history, but realize the task is great. Of course it is--history is being made all the time.
Ironically the same idiots who complain about black history month being "racist" are the very people who know nothing about black history. Or for that matter latino/hispanic history, native american history, asian history. Hell, a lot of these fools don't even know about their own history. How many of them know about the famous Winged Hussars of Poland? Not a lot, but they know a bunch of "dumb Polock" jokes. How many of them know who Bjarni Herjolfsson was? I've worked both Nothern and Southern California Renaissance Faires and the number of OMFG moments I've had from people who are looking for King Arthur are far too many to count, and these moments would be priceless if they didn't prove how STUPID some people are.
Mayhaps the real issue here is that some people are threated by smart black folks. An intelligent black person flies directly in the face of all the ignorant sterotypes so beloved by many. From my vantage point, the gangbanging thug is a lot easier to accept than say, a Dr. Henry Louis Gates. A thug can be controlled (no matter how many of them like to pretend otherwise). An intelligent man is uncontrollable. For some, learning about intelligent and resourceful black people is like taking away their pacifier of ignorance. We could have Black History YEAR and these losers would still think that the Confederacy won because they killed more Yankees (I'm not kidding about this either).
Oh well, I think I'm going to go read some Octavia Butler.