Shakin My Head.........

bravery in the face of ignorance

i really can't imagine being barack obama. i can't imagine campaigning across the country. i can't imagine kissing babies and shaking hands. i can't imagine orating speech after speech in front of huge crowds. and i can't even begin to imagine having to defend my patriotism because of my name. or the color of my skin. or who my friends are. i can't imagine having the cover of a national magazine parody the appearance and beliefs of my wife and myself. i can't imagine the united states election system "mistakenly" confusing my name with that of the mastermind of the largest terrorist attack in the history of my country. and i can't imagine doing all of that with a singular though in my head - today might be the day i die.

you all do realize this, right? barack obama is the first black presidential nominee of a major party. jesse jackson he is not. in less than one month this man may just be the president of these united states. and as much hope and optimism as this may bring for so many us, it also stimulates an equal amount of hate and fear in a great number of our fellow americans. and this is why i am almost positive that, despite the overpowering dedication and passion that it takes for any person to run for the most powerful seat in the land, barack obama is contantly haunted by that thought - today might be the day i die. and it could be. hate and fear are strong emotions, especially when mixed with ignorance and stupidity. there are people in this country who do not want to see barack obama in the white house for one reason and one reason only. why? let's just say they want to keep it a 'white' house. and many of those people feel they have an obligation to keep this from happening. and for some, that obligation goes beyond the voting booth. i am relatively certain that there are people in this country who will do whatever it takes to prevent obama from taking office in washington. they believe he will taint, dishonor, and even destroy our nation. and i am utterly fearful of the lengths they will go to to prevent this.

so the next time you see barack obama smiling for the cameras, giving a speech, spending quality time with his wife and daughters, or just being - try to comprehend how much courage that takes. just to be him. i can't imagine...

racism or stupidity?

..." I won't forget my camera. Me forgetting my camera is like a nigga forgetting her weave. Nevaa happenin!!"

yea.

go back and read that again.

yea.

this was part of facebook status update that an acquaintance of mine posted. the person thought that this particular statement made by a friend was hilarious. both people in question are of the caucasian persuasion. but that doesn't even matter. this statement, made by aaaanyone, is completely inane and inappropriate. i seriously did a triple take and had to convince myself i wasn't bugging. i even went so far as to try to convince myself that there was nothing wrong with that statement. but there is.

let's examine this a bit and break down exactly what is was wrong with this "joke". i'm going to start off with the stereotype that was used. the person compared never forgetting a camera to a black female never forgetting her weave. *news flash* not all black women wear weaves. and not all who do wear a weave feel they "can't leave home without it". furthermore, many women of other races wear weaves with much greater frequency than black women. 2008 and some people still pigeonhole black women into the shanaynay stereotype.

secondly, the word "nigga" can be an extremely incendiary word regardless of what context it is used in. it has generally come to be accepted as a term of endearment amongst many members of the black community, and to a lesser degree other male minorities, white men, and even members of the lesbian community. but it is not used (well at least not since, like, the civil war) by anyone other than slave owners, racists, and other equally ignorant individuals, as an acceptable term with which to casually describe or categorize a black person. that is absolutely not ok. ever.

thirdly, you are part of the problem. you are why black people cringe when other people use the "n-word". because they now that eventually, you're going to fuck up. you're going to use a word with such a destructive and painful history as a joke. and then all hell is going to break loose. and i know you don't mean to sound racist and i know you think it's ok. but it's not. trust me.

it is a very widely debated question as to whether or not the word nigger in any of its' form is acceptable in any setting or context. i'm not going to attempt to weigh in on that now. i use the word. sometimes in serious conversation, other times in jest. i also try not to use it. overuse of any given word can make an individual seem static and ignorant, and that my friends, is not me. so use the word or don't use it, i'm not one to judge. but at the very least use your brain when you do. or you might end up sounding like a nigger.