The Race Card

Hip-hop as produced by the people of whom you speak is not "black" -- it's a corporate commodity. The primary market for hip-hop is not people of color; it's suburban teenagers -- and they are mostly white. Oprah's primary market is those teens' parents. The people who are complaining about Oprah aren't trying to advance racial justice -- they are trying to line their pockets by getting exposure on a program that reaches a key demographic.

As for "black" music -- you can find music composed and performed by people of African descent in any genre.

Professor Kim ( http://professorkim.blogspot.com )
BlogHer Contributing Editor, Law and Journalism/Media ( http://www.blogher.com/blog/kim-pearson )

Forgive me for not reading the articles--maybe this was addressed there. But why did the city not work towards making the festival safer?

This kind of thing happens all the time, all over the country. All participants (be they Black, young, whatever) are implicated as problem-makers or potential problem makers by virtue pf sharing some similar feature with the problem makers (race, age, etc). Instead of fixing the sources of the problem, it is easier apparently for governing bodies to remove the offending "element" entirely. Is it any wonder this creates resentment in the communities?

Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast ( http://blog.lib.umn.edu/perry032/impossible/ )

I do not get why so many White (and other) folk often talk of avoiding these kinds of conversations because of feeling "uneasy." To me, this is the epitome of privilege, when you expect to be able to move through the world of racial discourse without the burden of ever feeling discomfort, embarassment, even outright hurt. We need to get over this: These conversations will often be difficult and we will often err. That does not mean we should avoid the conversations.

I originally had written a lot more on this, but I'll just point folks to a couple of posts I blogged awhile back about this very topic (here ( http://blog.lib.umn.edu/perry032/impossible/racial... ) and here ( http://blog.lib.umn.edu/perry032/impossible/the_ca... )).

Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast ( http://blog.lib.umn.edu/perry032/impossible/ )

I don't think that talking about racism and talking about my dislike of rap music is telling at all. What I do think is telling is that the last sentence of my first post talked about how just participating in the discussion is worriesome because of not wanting to say something "wrong." Lo and behold, the very next post proves my point.

Honestly, I know what's in my heart and knew when I posted that perhaps people would misunderstand my point. I don't live in an all-white neighborhood. I would say that my neighborhood is probably 30% white, 30% Hispanic, and 30% Black. It's probably what you would call blue-collar/lower middle class.

The point is that when you want to talk about uniting communities and having understanding between races that it is not as simple as holding a rally and declaring "End Racism Now!" The nitty gritty of everyday race relations comes out in the details of life. It requires honest, tough conversations and feeling uncomfortable sometimes on the part of white people and minorites. Any relationship between two people, or between large segments of society requires a lot of work and compromise to succeed.

I'm just thiking out loud about the internal thoughts that I, and I am sure other people, have sometimes. You can't have true discussion about anything if people don't feel as if they can really share what they think about and struggle with. If we try to gloss over questions or concerns that we have, how can we be united? If I can't say,"what is the impact of this view I have," then how can things progress?

Conversation should never be discouraged if it truly comes from a place of wanting to understand and integrate the feelings of others. Wouldn't you rather have me asking me myself,"Is this racist?" than have me say that I never even pondered the question?

Terri

I don't agree that the concept of the 'race card' as a whole is illegitimate. I think there are unfortunate occasions where a person will misguidedly try to use race as a distraction from another more central issue. Any person of any color may do this.

That said, I agree that accusations that people of color "play the race card" are made too readily, too often. I agree that often, people making such accusations are taking advantage of a convenient alternative to actually engaging in a balanced conversation about racism, discrimination, etc., often venting their frustration about not knowing how to approach the topic without feeling defensive.

Anyone who denies the presence of discrimination outright is suspect in my eyes, because prejucide and racism are so deeply ingrained in us that they are bound to manifest in some way - it's unfortunate, but true - it's just a matter of time. And things will stay that way until people stop being afraid to ask questions, to admit their vulnerabilities, and to learn from each other. 'The race card' derives its power from fear of the unknown, the uncomfortable. From the fear of being called (oh dear God!) a racist. Just about every time I go to some kind of public anti-racism open forum discussion, some white person stands up and goes on and on, further away from the topic of discussion, and I realize that their main reason for talking is to assure the audience that they aren't a racist. It's great if you've minimized your racist behaviors, but actions speak louder than words - an announcement is not necessary. I'd much rather hear a white person asking questions about ways to ally with people of color, instead of sharing the details of why and how they are not a racist). Seriously - forgetting about being called a racist, and worry about whether or not your behaviors are racist.

I don't mean to sound too snarky - I just find this frustrating... What I really mean to say that we all have to act in good faith. If every conversation has to begin with reassurances that the white people didn't mean to do anything wrong, then we'll never get anything done. Racism exists across races and cultures - we ALL exhibit it at some point or another. Instead of fighting that and wasting time, we would do well to accept it and learn to do better. Then issues like 'the race card' will become moot, because it will have stripped of its power when we're not afraid to talk about it, not afraid to make mistakes and not afraid to look like an asshole every now and then.

Let's hear it for progress!

Atena

Mother/Fucker/Lover ( http://mofolover.blogspot.com )

Double Agents: Blogging Mamalife, Creativy & the Human Experience ( http://www.blogher.com/doubleagents.wordpress.com )

I can't speak to the Toronto situation, but I can speak to one closer to home for me. The city of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, announced this year that they will no longer host their spring festival "Apple Chill" after yet another round of shootings during the festival. The folks involved with the shootings both this year and last year were members of what the media called "black biker gangs" and Chapel Hill is a predominately white college town. So when the town council decided, with very little debate, to end the festival both the gangs and several other community members accused the council of racism.

I do feel that the council overreacted by canceling the festival, but why did they overreact: was it the violence in a small community not used to such things or was it the race of the people involved? To say that it was racism alone means that if the gangs were white the festival would still be on, and I don't buy that. I can't say that race didn't matter at all, although there may be a way to say definitely later this year. The town council has also threatened to close the annual unofficial Halloween costume party in the city if there are any violent incidents. Since the majority of the participants are white for that festival, I suppose the council could prove that it was truly color blind by also stopping it should there be shootings. But how sad that "equality" in this case should mean "equal overreaction to all."

If you're interested in articles about Apple Chill or race relations in North Carolina, here are two article I found in a very rushed search:

http://www.newsobserver.com/135/story/432795.html
( http://www.newsobserver.com/135/story/432795.html )
http://www.newsobserver.com/264/story/432485.html
( http://www.newsobserver.com/264/story/432485.html )

-CL

The Caffeinated Librarian [Blogger] ( http://caffeinatedlibrarian.blogspot.com/ )

The Caffeinated Librarian [MSN] ( http://caffeinatedlibrarian.spaces.live.com/ )

Well, first, talking about racism and immediately jumping in to why you hate Rap music is... uh... telling. Second, Oprah doesn't speak for all people of color like Regis doesn't speak for all 'white folks.' To truly discuss race requires looking beyond stereotypes that are reinforced by the almighty dollar in U.S. sports and entertainment--rap music included. Get away from the TV and meet your neighbors. If they're all white, go someplace that isn't.

I don't know, is that off base?

I'm sick of the notion of "tolerance." Tolerance is bullshit. I tolerate an annoying dog in my neighbor's yard. Tolerance necessitates that there is one who is unworthy of complete acceptance, and gets tolerance as a door prize. The goal has to be understanding, love.

Forget the race card. I want the love card.

Jeneane Sessum ( http://allied.blogspot.com )
Contributing Editor

For more writing from Jeneane ( http://www.jsessum.com ), see Allied ( http://allied.blogspot.com ) and Blog Sisters ( http://www.blogsisters.com )

Sometimes it's hard to know what's racist and what isn't.. What I mean is this: I HATE most rap music...not because of style, the beat, the way it sounds, but because so often the messages in the lyrics are horrible for anyone of any color. Does that mean I'm racist? You may say NO! It's just music. You like the music of other black artists. But then, we have the whole Oprah fiasco where rappers turned against her and accused her of basically betraying the black community by saying some negative things about rap music and the use of the "N"-word.

If they accuse Oprah of being that way, what would they say about me?...would they think that my dislike of their music was ingrained in me because I am white?..

I am in no way saying that racism does not exist. Of course it does. Sometimes the people perpetrating it are unaware of it. Sometimes others blatantly practice it. For the average white person we walk a tight rope of uneasiness because we truly don't want to offend minorities, but we don't always know the right way to participate in these discussions without inadvertantly saying something "wrong."

Terr
Earthen Vessel Designs ( http://www.earthenvesseldesigns.com )