Blog is a Mix Tape

speakeasy: the one where hillary gets it right

nobody@vox.com(Jason) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:35:55 -0700

Perhaps it is fitting that, having absolved American racists of all manner of crimes against others, Obama also holds them blameless for their assaults on himself. That's his prerogative, as long as he's the only one being assaulted. But Obama was also dogged over the long weekend by the ghost of Sean Bell, whose death in a 50-shot New York City police fusillade was held blameless by a white judge. Many African Americans anxiously awaited Obama's reaction to the three police officers' acquittals on all charges. "We're a nation of laws, so we respect the verdict that came down," said Obama, when asked about the case by reporters in Indiana. "Resorting to violence to express displeasure over a verdict is something that is completely unacceptable and is counterproductive." That was it.
Hillary Clinton, aware that the Sean Bell verdict was an outrage to Black America, issued a prepared statement:
"This tragedy has deeply saddened New Yorkers - and all Americans. My thoughts are with Nicole and her children and the rest of Sean's family during this difficult time. The court has given its verdict, and now we await the conclusion of a Department of Justice civil rights investigation. We must also embrace this opportunity to take steps - in our communities, in our law enforcement agencies, and in our government - to make sure this does not happen again."
It is difficult not to conclude that Obama distanced himself from the facts of the acquittal - except to counsel against violence and urge folks to "respect" the verdict, whatever that means - while Clinton had the sense to prepare a statement that sounded sensitive to Black anger and on top of developments in the story. The Sean Bell police and judicial atrocity revealed with horrific clarity that Black life continues to be systematically devalued by police in the United States, even when the officers involved are of African descent, as were two of the three shooters in the Bell case. The New York verdict shows that Black lives are devalued by all actors in American society, including Black actors: the essence of institutional racism.

- Obama's "race-neutral" Strategy Unravels of its own Contradictions, black agenda report, 04.30.08

via negrophile.

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beyond the 140: all the pieces matter

nobody@vox.com(Jason) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:04:58 -0700

Ever since I jumped aboard the Obama bandwagon in February, I've been itching to write about this concept of "post-racial." Reverend Jeremiah Wright's weekend has given me the context I've needed. I've spent the last 2 days vomiting up every thought about race and the Presidential race that has popped into my head on twitter. 140 character bursts, obvs, were not enough...

First, some common trains of thought the last two days...

misterjt "Wright's 'I'm Grown and I Say What the Hell I Want To Say' victory lap". I heart the black snob - http://twurl.nl/lorfq0 11:30 AM April 28, 2008 from twhirl

misterjt @arsepoetica For extra credit - Crab, meet barrel - http://twurl.nl/6lnbkv 12:02 PM April 28, 2008 from twhirl in reply to arsepoetica

misterjt I'm also supremely bothered by the idea that people would equate Wright's media tour as a HRC dirty trick. He is not Willie Horton. about 5 hours ago from twhirl

I'm going to dig into this more but, here's the whole thing about this entire situation in two wonderful bites by some very smart folks I like. On the one hand, it is so cool to see Rev. Wright on a National stage. For Black communities, he's familiar. He's fiery and passionate about the state of the African-American community. He's intelligent and witty. Like most pastors, he's a showman. He's direct and contradictory and complicated and fascinating.

He's no Willie Horton. He's no dirty trick. He's an American voice. Regardless of whether or not I agree with his statements, to suggest that he's anything other than a incredibly smart guy who does not want 24 hour news channels and a presidential candidate to define him belittles him and you.

That said, he's also a person most Black folks would be strained to explain to mixed company. As The Black Snob notes, "He was practically basking in the glow of making the white folk uncomfortable."

After that moment of glee in recognizing this, there's the immediate recognition, "Oh shit. Who effed up and let this Negro speak?"

Why would this be the immediate next thought? Well...

misterjt @arsepoetica I don't think Obama was calculating in choosing a pastor. I do think, however, that mainstream America is not quite ready... 12:16 PM April 28, 2008 from twhirl in reply to arsepoetica

misterjt to really see what goes on behind closed racial doors. Rev. Wright makes Barack more George Jefferson than Heathcliff Huxtable. 12:17 PM April 28, 2008 from twhirl

misterjt @RPM I'm right, though, ain't i? Everybody loves George Jefferson but middle america would be scared to death of him as a president. 12:28 PM April 28, 2008 from twhirl in reply to RPM

I really mean this. For Barack Obama to win, he's gotta be Cliff Huxtable. Maybe Sydney Poitier. That's it. If he's Cliff, he's your kids pediatrician, he taught you about jazz, he invites you over for the bbq. Good ol' Cliff would never make you feel uncomfortable. But if he's George Jefferson -- if you think he occasionally says "honkey" when you're not around, if he wants to talk about slavery or reparations, if he wants to remind you of all he's overcome, if he reminds you that he, a black man, is doing better than you are, or that he doesn't think the same things about controversial issues that you do -- well, you ain't voting for that guy.

No matter how great his smile is or how hopeful his message is.

Rev. Wright makes Barack Obama very black. Uncomfortably black...

misterjt Times on Wright - wriggled. cocky. defiant. declamatory. inflammatory. mischevious. monomania. wacky. highfalutin. http://twurl.nl/2366yr about 19 hours ago from twhirl

...you can tell just by how he's described. This NY Times article uses as much language as possible to turn Rev. Wright into both a Bogey Man and a Clown. Not only is he scary, he's crazy. Wait, Barack, you're black, too. Are you scary and crazy?

misterjt I don't quite know what to make of people who think "Wright is out to destroy Obama." How, exactly? By being a charismatic speaker? about 5 hours ago from twhirl

misterjt By being not post-racial? It bugs me that rather than have the nuanced race talk, people are more comfortable with just disavowing a voice. about 5 hours ago from twhirl

Which brings me to right now. I'm thumbs down on Barack Obama today. He had the opportunity to further his speech from a month ago and continue to push the race conversation forward. This is his litmus test and, for my money, he failed. If he's going to use words like "change" and "hope" then he better have the where with all to back it up.

Instead, he did what every politician does in these situations. He caved. He disavowed. He denounced.

misterjt @blogdiva why? If Obama is presidential material, it is his responsibility to be able to do grand things in the face of adversity. about 5 hours ago from twhirl in reply to blogdiva

misterjt @blogdiva it is not Wright's responsibility, or any of us as voters, to protect Obama. He has to prove himself. about 5 hours ago from twhirl in reply to blogdiva

misterjt After the last few months of shiny, happy moments, this is his real test, my gung-ho support, if not my vote, lies in how he handles it. about 5 hours ago from twhirl

misterjt @RPM I think so. I don't think Obama has had to prove himself at all. Now he has to prove himself to me. about 5 hours ago from web in reply to RPM

Here's how he could of proved it - expanded the conversation. Talked about the difference between religious speech and political rhetoric. Talked about the many spectacular themes in Wright's talks. Talked to Wright directly. Discussed why beliefs like "The US Government had something to do with AIDS" maintain legitimacy in the Black community. I'll even give you this one for free, Obama. At my barber shop this weekend, it was said, "If a nigga can get shot 50 times, be unarmed, and the niggas who did it not get thrown under the jail, you don't think the government cain't do some shit to the black man? They already done did it, man."

If you're going to be the President of the United States of America, you better be for real. Don't go running from the race conversation, Barack. Jump right in. Just because Bush has set the bar so low doesn't mean you still shouldn't go for the highest standard possible. This goes beyond American Political Strategy and tactics and all of that. I'm saying as a voter, I want to respect you. I want to believe you're that dude.

Show me something.

misterjt we're only post-racial when we believe all of our assumptions are the same. The moment that world view is shaken, it all comes tumbling down about 5 hours ago from twhirl

misterjt @drublood I honestly don't think that's it. It's not about racism. It's about our--all of us--prickly problem with race. The 2 are different about 5 hours ago from twhirl in reply to drublood

misterjt @drublood well, it's obviously in the grand scheme about racism but "race in america" on an individual level is about comfort. about 5 hours ago from twhirl in reply to drublood

misterjt @drublood it is amazing that for the first time, a majority of americans perhaps, can envision a black president. But now is the hard part. about 5 hours ago from twhirl in reply to drublood

misterjt what does that mean for our national psyche, our national conversation about race and culture? Legitimization of voices like Wright's is 1 about 4 hours ago from twhirl

If you've read me online for any period of time, you know I just want to have honest conversations about race (and gender and class and sexuality). I don't want things to be simple. I don't want to be a part of any concept of post-racialism if that means we're ignoring the realities of our lives. If that means we don't get to acknowledge, discuss and celebrate our differences. If that doesn't mean we can look back on history honestly or look toward the future realistically.

I want to talk about my prejudices. I want to talk about yours. I want to value your voice as much as you value mine. I don't want to have to make a choice between a Rev. Wright or a Barack Obama. They are both me whether you like it or not.

If only Mr. Obama hadn't spent the day attempting to forget that.

Despite journalists suggesting that you are somehow beyond Blackness, as we can now see, it don't wash off.

Current music: Wire – "The king stay the king."

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one line: dear obama letter

nobody@vox.com(Jason) — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 12:05:17 -0800

Feeling inspired is soooo early-February.

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one line: beyond blackness

nobody@vox.com(Jason) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 09:03:16 -0800

He is both black (obviously) and beyond blackness.

I have only minor quibble with the films they selected (and those they left out) but reading the pieces, I get that really they are just using these films to talk about a person or a moment in time that they want to play out.

I have major quibble, however, with this statement and the context it is placed in. I'm growing increasingly of the opinion that we -- all of us -- don't know what the hell we're talking about anymore when we talk about race. Trying to understand what Will Smith's success means and relating that to Barack Obama's ascent this year is such an oversimplification that I can't quite deal.

What the hell does "beyond blackness" mean in this context? Transcendence? Cross-over? Neither word works. Neither man has eschewed nor, in most cases, traded on their race and, in my opinion, it is ridiculous to couch their success in terms of "because of" or "in spite of" their skin color.

I've seen this moment in time being discussed as post-racial. That's problematic as well. I do think we're differently racial these days. I also think, however, that we're quick to try to define where we are without understanding much of anything. This isn't unique to this matter, it just annoys me more than most things. We are both tentative and cavalier with issues of race in America that this kind of clunky, ham-handed attempt at writing about it only exacerbates the misconceptions.

And infuriates me.

FAIL. Try again.

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@politics: why i voted for mr. obama

nobody@vox.com(Jason) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 21:15:37 -0800

GOOD Magazine: Barack Obama

"Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people."

- Eleanor Roosevelt (via a tweet by Will Keightley), about 3 hours ago, 02.06.08

I've been cynical about politics since the mid nineties. Going to college in DC will do that to you, I think. So, while everyone around me was getting swept up in Obama fever, I sat back. I liked Kucinich and Edwards. Kucinich was down the line with me politically. I could even get down with him believing in aliens. Aliens is, in my opinion, the best action film of all time. Edwards, I trust. He's a doer. He walks the walk of his politics. He's the embodiment of the contradiction that is the soul of America that I love. Obama, the cynic in me thought, I don't know squat about that guy except that people are glad to come and hear him speak. They love it.

Key Note Speaker

Talib Kweli

But then Kucinich dropped out. And, last week, Edwards tumbled. And, in between all of that I started to really listen. Not to Obama, really, but to the people I trust, honor, respect, admire, and love, talk about Obama. They were inspired, hopeful, excited, anxious, active, engaged, involved, and joyful.

This I can get with. If Barack Obama is that kind of an agent of change, I'm down. If Barack Obama can, without question, inspire these genuine feelings of hope and unity and activism then, hell, I could honestly care less about his plan. I thank GOOD magazine for breaking it down for me (Mrs. Clinton got one, too) and I thank the Christmas elves for putting The Audacity of Hope in my stocking. I'm sure I'll read it eventually. Mostly, though, I thank Obama for dealing in big ideas. For encouraging, no, demanding change. For challenging us to be better than ourselves. For challenging us to stop waiting. What did he say last night?

"We are the ones we've been waiting for."

Yes, we are.

Let's go.

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Speakeasy: Smoking Thrills

nobody@vox.com(Jason) — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 23:12:41 -0800

There are plenty of reasons for Obama's magic voice: where he grew up, how his parents talked, how he breathes. But perhaps most important is one Obama doesn't want to talk about: cigarettes. Obama is an occasional smoker.

- Smoker's Voice by Juliet Elperin, Slate Magazine, 01.16.07

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