Prometheus 6   

Got some stuff for ya

This blog, in my mind anyway, has a purpose beyond drive-by journalism. Beyond talking about the blogging tool I'm working on. Beyond the cartoons and the cutesy crap I stick in there occasionally. My original thought was to look at what we used to call issues of particular concern to Black folks. I guess a more accurate way of saying it is to talk about issues from the perspective of a Black partisan, because ultimately all issues are Black issues. As Americans, everything from the war to the economy to Broadway plays affect us. The thing is, we are in a particular position so these things affect us in particular ways. We give different weights to things than, say, a Korean or Irish or Russian person would, just as they have their particular spin on things. This is why I think the whole quest for color-blindness is wrong-headed. I see trying to fix things by sending a single message to people is useless unless everyone is in the same condition. This is why, when I talk about race, class and related issue I say different things to Black folks, white folks, Mexican folks, etc. I discuss the same information, but I have different suggestions about what to do with it, much as I give different directions to reach the same location depending on where you are when you start your journey.

I'm going into all this so that any white folks who may happen along this site won't think my intention is to leave them out (certain neocons not withstanding, be the last part of their title "servative" or "federate"). The contents of the "Dropping Knowlege" links could easily lead some to feel that way. And so can the material on the new section I just added, and nothing could be further from the truth.

On the right side of the page there's a new link, "The Attack on Civil Rights."

I write pretty well, think VERY well, and know how to do research. Given a couple of months I could put together some pretty convincing stuff on how the right has been attacking the gains minorties have made for the last 20 years. But it's been done already, by professionals with time and budgets that far exceed what I can muster for my paltry efforts. So what I've done, what I'm doing, is gathering pointers to resources you can read online or download (personally, I love PDFs because I can print a whole document to read in the bathroom).

Basically, my concerns are human rights, civil rights and judicial appointments, so that's what I've started with. It will eventually include historical items like slave narratives, and articles about the non-substantial yet compelling nature of "race". This section is going to evolve quickly, so do set any bookmarks just yet.

To minorities, and Black folks in particular, I suggest to read it and become familiar with the who's how's and why's of this assault … and the more comfortable you are in life the more strongly I suggest you read theses things.

To mainstream types, you need to understand the meanings behind the high-sounding words being bandied about, why organizations that sound like they might be my friend have the particular names they do. You need to understand there is an attack being made in the name of white supremacy, and that you in particular are open does not mean all people are. You need to understand that our perception that we are operating in a hostile environment isn't "oversensitivity" in most cases. These articles will document that the hostile envirnment is an objective fact.

This will not be my exclusive focus. But if I'm going to represent as the particular Black man that I am, I can't leave it out.

posted by Prometheus 6 at 4/25/2003 10:34:02 PM |