“But I won’t stop now…..”

So today Colin Powell is a nigger…at least if you look around the internets. The same people who touted him for president and loved him are now saying he’s endorsing Obama cause he’s black and yada, yada. Oh how opinion changes. Well you know the saying about opinions.

“Male and female represent the two sides of the great radical dualism. But in fact they are perpetually passing into one another. Fluid hardens to solid, solid rushes to fluid. There is no wholly masculine man, no purely feminine woman.”
Margaret Fuller (1810 - 1850)

So I was led to this article the other day and I gotta say…I actually hate it. For various reasons, but first let me get into some specifics. The author says this in reference to why he wrote it.

“The items represented on the Black Male Privileges Checklist reflect aspects of Black men’s lives that we take for granted, which appear to be “double standards,” but in fact are male privileges that come at the expense of women in general and African American women in particular.”

This dude, to me, becomes that guy in the poetry spot again. The one that points out the flaws of black men and elevates the black woman…but never really adds anything to the conversation. I refer to this as “cursing the darkness, but not shining light.”

My main dispute is that whatever this dude labels as a privilege of black men can be turned in another direction…here are a few examples:

Leadership & Politics

I don’t have to choose my race over my sex in political matters.

C’mon man, politics is about issues not picking a woman, a man or either of a certain race.

When I learn about the Civil Rights Movement & the Black Power Movements, most of the leaders that I will learn about will be black men.

No. When we learn about this most of the time we’ll learn about “safe” people. No school I went to brought up The Black Panthers and they just barely brought up Malcolm X. We learn about those leaders that white America can actually be comfortable with. Further more…I learned about a lot of women: Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Madame C.J. Walker, Mae Jemison, Shirley Chisolm, Billie Holiday, Rosa Parks…even for Martin Luther King Jr. we knew who his wife was…I can’t say that for the husbands/wives of many other black leaders.

I will be taken more seriously as a political leader than black women.

Sorry son, I live in Baltimore…our town is run by black women, I’m not sure how it is where you’re from. Hell even our city council has one more male then female…and out of the blacks represented there are two black men and 5 black women…including the President sed council.

Sex & Sexuality

My looks will not be the central standard by which my worth is valued by members of the opposite sex.

No, my bank account will be…then my looks.

I can purchase pornography that typically shows men defile women by the common practice of the “money shot.”

You can’t even use porn as a measure…Rule 34 whatever you can think of there is a porn version…if you want to see women beating men’s asses…you can.

When it comes to sex if I say “No”, chances are that it will not be mistaken for “Yes”.

I have a real problem with this…while I know this is true, if you are a man and you turn down sex you end up facing a whole different animal. “Are you gay? A punk? Can’t get it up? Impotent? I’m pretty sure there’s a brother reading this who has had this experience.

Popular Culture

I come from a tradition of humor that is based largely on insulting and disrespecting women; especially mothers.

Perhaps because fewer of us have fathers, however, to say it’s largely based on insulting and disrespecting women is not true. You also forgot the fact that alot of black men (and italians) will beat the snot out of you for insulting their mother.

In general, the more sexual partners that I have the more stature I receive among my peers.

I feel a way about this. While this is true most women want an experienced man. As a man if you don’t perform well sexually you are liable to get no second chances and all of her friends will know you were crap. My question is…how are men to become experienced before they get to you? That one’s a damned if you do, damned if you don’t in my book.

I have the privilege of not having black women, dress up and play funny characters- often overweight- that are supposed to look like me for the entire nation to laugh.

I also get to watch a multitude of sit-coms with the following formula: Sexy intelligent woman is married to overweight, idiotic man…hilarity ensues.

Attitudes/Ideology

I have the privilege of believing that the failure of the black family is due to the black matriarchy.

Who you been talking to dude? I have heard that…but moreso I hear that it’s because men aren’t doing there jobs, that men aren’t in the household or that men aren’t supporting their children.

I have the privilege of believing that black women are different sexually than other women and judging them negatively based on this belief.

How so? He never heard the “white girls love to give head” line?

Sports

I can talk about sports or spend large portions of the day playing video games while women are most likely involved with household or childcare duties.

In what world is this? I could attempt this…but no woman worth her salt is going to accept it.

I can touch, hug, or be emotionally expressive with other men while watching sports without observers perceiving this behavior as sexual.

No…no, no, no. You can do this if you’re on the team, but I don’t know dudes that hug while watching football games. Even more ridiculous is that women can hug all the time…how many men you see hugging each other in the streets?

I know that most sports analysts are male.

When you watch male sports yes…watch women’s sports and that changes.

I am able to play sports outside without my shirt on and it not be considered a problem.

Ladies…if you can play a sport without your shirt (or sports bra) on…feel free.

Diaspora/Global

I have the privilege of not having rape be used as a primary tactic or tool to terrorize my sex during war and times of conflict.

Dude…it’s war. The men aren’t being given Spa treatments…women may be raped, but usually after the men have been killed. I’m not sure anyone “wins” in this situation.

I have the privilege of not being able to name one female leader in Africa or Asia, past or present, that I pay homage to the way I do male leaders in Africa and/or Asia.

Get the fuck out…alot more people know about Cleopatra then Hannibal…and in films both of them were played by white actors. We all lose…again.

Relationships

I have the privilege of marrying outside of the race at a much higher rate than black women marry.

Why is that considered a privilege?

Physical Safety

I do not have to worry about being considered a traitor to my race if I call the police on a member of the opposite sex.

Yo…if a man calls the police on a woman, more then likely he’ll be considered a punk and treated as such.

I can be courteous to a person of the opposite sex that I do not know and say “Hello” or “Hi” and not fear that it will be taken as a come-on or fear being stalked because of it.

I can agree on the stalking part…but c’mon…dude obviously doesn’t try to randomly say hi to women. Nor did he notice how many women may treat you as a potential threat to their safety because you’re a black man…that’s a gut wrenching feeling.

I can touch and physically grope women’s bodies in public- often without their consent- with male complicity.

Um…I’ve never seen a woman do this and be treated as a pariah…matter of fact see what happens if a man reports a woman for sexual abuse/harrassment, etc.

Summary:

My issue isn’t that dude is just totally false and wrong (though on some things I think so). My real issue is that he has taken issues that have effects on both genders of our race and instead of doing something that could bring us together he points a finger at black men. What he doesn’t do…say in the instance of black female leaders is actually name any. He doesn’t actually lift black women up in his writing save to pull black men down a notch. He sets up a situation that causes a dispute not one that heals or improves anything. I’m not really for the “this one has it worse game” but when I read things like this I find myself drawn into it. I know black women have issues to face, just as black men do. As a black man I really don’t see many people championing my cause. I don’t see magazines directed at supporting me. I don’t see groups that are directed at supporting me. I do see groups that want me to “assume my role” and “take responsibility”. It’s like the CNN Black in America special. I didn’t like how black men and black women and families were seperate episodes. What really bothered me, however, was that the black women and families episode revolved alot around black men not being there. Yet, in that very episode there was a black man featured who was raising his children on his own and no one said, “Where is their mother? Where is his wife?” Yet the rest of the episode basically went on to say, “Where are the black men for these women?” I’m tired of cursing the darkness. On the behalf of one or the other. Where are those who want to shine light for both? Had I written this I would have focused on the perspectives from both sides of this issue in order to bridge an understanding. By looking at one you either generate animosity or have one side acknowledge the trials of the other while no attention is called to the trials that they face. Does either of us have it easy? I don’t think so. This writer and many others like him need to come alot stronger.

“Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882 - 1945), radio address, October 26, 1939

So I’ve had no choice but to pay some type of attention to politics as of late. It’s everywhere and kind of hard to avoid. Anyway, I’ve come to the conclusion that Obama will most likely win. That’s not the point of this post though. I’ve have found the cake and it is a lie. I’ve long been of the understanding that the truth is somewhere between both sides. One of the things that republicans say about democrats most often is tax and spend…that democrats will create a welfare state. Democrats will spend our money on wasteful things and bankrupt the country. As we’ve discovered over the last 8 years just because someone claims to be conservative does not mean they won’t spend money. This is not the point of my writing. What I have realized is a blatant republican lie. Not the normal type, not something that I’ve disproven myself. This is something that they have proven to be false yet continue to tout it as a point in thier debate. This is what I have realized. What often gets a democrat into office, and is currently working in Obama’s favor, when the country is in financial trouble people elect a democrat. Considering that fact, if democrats are the poor spenders and the ones who overspend…why would we seem to always elect a democrat when the economy is going down? Not to mention that fact that the economy would seem to go down under republicans. The cake is a lie. It points out something about alot of republicans that I hate. Towing the line. P.J. O’rourke is one that will state an opinion and acknowledge a fact. I see alot, however, try to make connections that aren’t there and wiggle around to find an exit. They often strain to tow the line. I can’t respect that. I’ve been trying to point out a similar trait among democrats, but so far I haven’t been able to. I do know that democrats need to be more forceful. I understand intellectualizing but, even a strong punch can be a smart thing. You don’t have to try an be Ghandi…hell Bruce Lee didn’t advocate needless fighting…but he knew when to strike.

“Inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that’s where you renew your springs that never dry up.”
Pearl Buck (1892 - 1973)

So as it goes we all spend some time alone. Frankly I enjoy this. I’m the type of person that could spend an hour talking to myself and have a satisfying conversation. That said I also do things when I’m alone and here are some of my favorites currently.

Books:

I’ve been hooked on Richard Matheson, Phillip Dick and now Orson Scott Card. I’m going to run out and pick up the rest of the Ender series this weekend. Curse my ability to read quickly. It’s a terrible thing to be able to read and comprehend quickly while loving books. I keep going through them so quick when I run out of a particular author I’m left hanging til I find something I can dig again.

TV:

I am not one of those people who doesn’t watch TV, I am one of the people who thinks those people should get cable and at least have the History, Discovery and Bio channels. Good shit. However I do get healthy doses of Cartoon Network and movie channels.

Venture Bros. - Remember Johnny Quest? Add about 30 years, family dysfunction sexual innuendo, a million pop culture references and you get the Venture Bros. Not to mention Johnny Quest and Race Bannon are actually in an episode each. They also have the best use of David Bowies Space Oddity.

Entourage - For some reason I slept on this show for a while, but my roommate put me on and I fricking dig it. Ari Gold is the shit.

Robot Chicken - If you are within 3 - 5 years my age you should be watching Robot Chicken…it’s only 15 minutes but it’s well worth it. I highly recommend the Star Wars special.

Look I get it…some of you out there feel better having someone from a small town go to the white house. You’ve obviously never read a Stephen King book cause small towns have some of the most horrible secrets…I think Palin may a ghost her whole town having been wiped out by zombie moose and she’s going to lead us to the slaughter…but that’s just me. Anyhow I’ve worked out a compromise. You want someone from a small town, someone with an accent, someone who has taken charge?

I give you Marge Gunderson.

She’s proven under fire. She’s had people under her command. She knows how to use a gun. I know that some of you Palin supporters are feeling conflicted now. Marge has a child too. Her husband knows wildlife and enjoys ice fishing.

On the Issues:
3 A.M. phone call, Marge responds:
“Oh my. Where? Yeah? Aw geez. Okay, there in a jif. Real good, then.”

Marge on deregulation:
“For a little bit of money. There’s more to life than a little money, you know. Don’t you know that? And here ya are, and it’s a beautiful day.”

Marge on the Press:
“Oh, for pete’s sake. He’s fleein’ the interview. He’s fleein’ the interview!”

Marge on Sex ED:
“So, you were having sex with the little fella, then?”

Marge on red tape:
“Okey-dokey, thanks a bunch. I’ll let you get back to your paperwork, then.”

Marge on Hostile Negotiations:
“Sir, you have no call to get snippy with me, I’m just doing my job here. “

Marge on Family:
“That’s terrific. I’m so proud of ya, Norm. Heck, Norm, you know we’re doin’ pretty good.”

This Message has been paid for and approved by Mike Yanagita.

“She’s such a super lady!”