I watched the FX networks surreality show ‘Black/white’ in the hopes that there would be some substance to this program. FX boasted during their campaign of hype that this program would forever change my precepts about race in America.
Just back in December scientists at Penn State discovered the DNA mutation that causes the lighter skin complection found on most Europeans and north Asian peoples. It turns out that it was only a single letter out of the over 3 billion letter code that is the human genome. The collegiate study means that there are far more similarities among people than we already knew.
In the end I see why the producers had to borrow ICE CUBE to move this show forward. The main characters are more like racial caricatures when they describe their stereotyped notions of society. The editors found every cliche soundbite that was ever said. No new ground was unearthed. No breakthrough. The flaw in this primetime television experiment is the notion that Blackness and whiteness are representative of skin color. Or the way that someone speaks. If I annunciate when I talk is that a renunciation of my Blackness? If I wear a dashiki does that affirm my Blackness?
It boggles my mind that this issue remains such a sore spot to so many people. Let me be clear now by saying that racism is VERY necessary to maintain our American way of life. Racism keeps the lights on in this land and without it this whole thing called living that we occasionally enjoy would become quite a hell. Can you imagine for two seconds if there were no privilege to being white?
Can you imagine telling those folks that their neighborhoods would have to be used for the trafficking of narcotics? What about other vices like prostitution? How crazy would that be if you had to drive into the ‘white’ neighborhood to find a liquor store open on Sunday? As long as white folks comprise the majority of people here in America we need to keep racism and privilege in place. You don’t want a whole bunch of German-descended folks carrying their pitchforks and burning stakes through your neighborhood because all of a sudden they have to ride on the back of the bus.
You do remember TIMOTHY McVEIGH don’t you? Disaffected arabs target the financial institutions and buildings that support the military industrial complex like the Pentagon. Pissed off Americans blow up day care centers filled with other white kids. That is some hell’a way to get out of paying your child support obligations.
As a matter of fact you should hug the next white that you see, or at least hold the door for them. When the day comes that they realize that the levees are broken that is going to be one helluva flood.
So true… I work at a large bank. Matter of fact the largest most powerful bank in the world and its funny that me and my boys have a running joke / serious as hell suggestion for each other. Don’t be seen wit them white women. If you could see the sheer anger in the eyes of them Execs when you coffee’n it up or getting your deli sandwich on with a cute bubble booty lil white girl….they go crazy and then you ass moves from the investment bank to the teller line
thank you, dallas…i feel you on that one! i hate the hate that hate produces on the daliy, but we are a capitalist society and capitalist capitalize (make money) off of everything…damn shame…but so true…keep on tellin’ it like only you can! I love your blog/column/rants/musings…your’e the best!