Gay Is NOT the New Black!

First of all it equates gayness with being something other than Black in order to replace it, thereby ignoring Black people who are gay. Second it places Blackness as the 'other' as something inherently wrong and marginalized. Third, it then trumps that marginalization as if Blackness is something that needs to be or can be 'overcome' and replaced with something more oppressive. None of which is true.

This strategy being used by the Gay Rights Industrial Complex (GRIC) needs to end pronto!!! Especially in light of the immediate reaction by some who were disappointed by the failure of the No on 8 campaign and used racial epithets against Black people. I've been watching the news coverage of the 'outrage' against Yes on 8. I'd be hard pressed to find any media discussion exclusive of white people and the only time any PoC are mentioned it's to scapegoat straight Blacks while ignoring Black LGBT completely. 

People are going as far as to call for boycotting businesses whose employees may have supported it. Funny, that's the same thing the opposition was doing before the election. Do you think it's wise to fight fire with fire? Outrage with a further escalation of outrage? I call your pissed and I'll raise you a bitter? There are many aspects to this argument that need a more thorough and nuanced examination. 

Homophobia needs to be addressed. It should be something confronted and worked on by individual people, straight and gay (and everything in between) within their own communities. Of all ethnic/cultural groups. Perhaps if more Black LGBT for example were more open or willing to make themselves more available....I know I'm gonna get grief over this, but if you take off for the closest white neighborhood and/or are in an interracial relationship and don't even want to 'deal' with Black people how are we going to find common ground? Am I really supposed to believe that Black people are somehow inherently more homophobic than everybody else? I just don't buy it. 

Racism within the GRIC needs to be confronted. Again, when all the gay people are white (that you see in the media) it's a problem. When all the gay people you see running national organizations are again - white - claiming a 'minority' status it's a real slap in the face. Like the Republican party, somebody needs to do real 'soul searching' and decide if it's going to be a movement for those that think like them and who they deem appropriate and feel comfortable with or a movement for all. 

I want equal rights for everyone. I want people to be able to earn a good living that covers all necessities and some wants doing what they love. Women should be paid the same salary as men when doing the same work with equal qualifications. I want people to live up to their full potential. People should be able marry other people of legal age who consent whatever their gender. We need an efficient gov't and to be active participants in the role it plays in our lives and how we impact people around the world. There needs to be a separation of church and state. 

Today there are rallies being held across the country in support of same-sex marriage. As many as 25K people have already attended other protest marches since the election. It's great when people feel motivated to take action. I hope this effort will be extended beyond that into a sustained campaign at working on issues that negatively impact people on a daily basis. That campaign should not be exclusive of and limited to the GRIC. 

Of all people it's Bill O'Reilly (well his producers anyway) who took the time to bring in some color commentary with writer/activist Jasmynne Cannick. Before you view the video read her interview with Oakland, CA filmmaker Debra Wilson (not the MAD TV performer) who said:

"Look—I even applied for a job with the No on 8 campaign office in San Francisco’s Castro District. I specifically wanted to help outreach to Blacks on the issue but it was clear that wasn’t the agenda of the campaign."

So let's recap again: the failure of their campaign is still being pinned on Black people as the sole cause and not the Latino, Asian and whites who voted against it in higher numbers. "Black" is all-encompassing term and ignores Black LGBT and yet the movement is on par with the church based-social movement of equal rights for Blacks. But church-based Blacks voted Yes on 8 overwhelmingly. NO on 8 TURNED DOWN HELP FROM BLACKS. Except Mary J. Blige doing a Beverly Hills fundraiser which is....preaching to the choir. 

I haven't seen any plans to address this or correct it except hearing about protest rallies - and having more white people, usually men speak for the GRIC and still insist on appropriating the struggle of my elders. Does that cover it?

Republicans Ask: So Now What?

Why is it that so many Black male Republicans who offer themselves up to the news media as the "voice of the party" are such tools? I know I could write something a little more nuanced with a social dissertation of how achievement and politics collide. But let's get down to the nitty gritty shall we? This isn't to say all Republicans of either gender are lacking in humanity. Or that those in the Democratic Party are so divine. It's just I always get that whiff of opportunistic sycophant when I have to listen to them. 

You know it's a flip side of the same coin. Black people trying to position themselves on the receiving end of political favor, but still not getting they need the power and a seat at the table. I think the Republicans are more delusional in that respect. They think by separating themselves and making themselves the "special pet Negro" to the Republican hierarchy they'll be considered equals. Can they really part of the club when they're working the pole as race dancers, blaming real systematic obstacles on the stated deficiency of the working class/lower class Black person to get ahead? 

Ward Connerly tries to do the dirty work (and get rich) for every child or follower of the Southern strategy creators by working on amendments repealing Affirmative Action laws that have merit. He gets the Slave Catcher title for the real acts of betrayal a few did to many to have a perceived gain of favor in the eyes of their Master. 

Former Lt. Gov. Michael Steele wants to be (Head Negro in Charge) Chair of the Republican National Convention. Interesting. Allow me to roll my eyes heavenward. He gets to move from permanent Lawn Jockey status to the Big House, or so he hopes. After all, Condi Rice is still there and now that Colin Powell was put out on the porch for misbehaving, there's a empty spot available! In his current role as Chairman of GoPac, the training and recruiting arm of  the party (and creator of especially vicious attack ads against Obama during the General Election) it would seem a natural fit. 

It's just the Republican Party is being run by racists and religious zealots! They were decimated this election season and with good reason. What is that saying about the road to hell being paved with good intentions? The party has dominated for nearly 30 years since Reagan with an increasingly dogmatic approach to governance. They wrested away the keys to the kingdom, got bloated on power and self-destructed. Look at the economy and a host of other problems. They did everything they said they stood against. 

So now they might be willing to add a color commentary. Desperate times call for desperate measures, huh? Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's name is being floated around as a potential Presidential challenger to Obama in 2012. I have no idea if he'd be a formidable candidate or what qualifications he has (or doesn't). I'm inclined to think he should get everything he wants in order to run, though. I just wonder how well another brown-skinned man would perform in the red (historically slave-holding) states if they had such a problem with the one coming to the Oval Office. But he's not a bi-racial Kenyan so maybe they'd make him their exception.

It will be very interesting to see how the Republicans regroup and whether they learn anything. You can't just slap some paint on a pig and call it - wait - didn't they try that already? Perhaps the least tolerant amongst their shot-callers will have to recede in the background and let more sensible people emerge. That might bring back so many who ran away in disgust. Vengeance and intolerance isn't power. There is a class fight as well as one of ideology. 

I see more opportunities where more PoC can position themselves for parity and reciprocity, hopefully neutralizing these race hustlers. I am diametrically opposed to much of the Republican rhetoric, but this will keep the Democrats on their toes as well. 

No more taking voters for granted! A little upward mobility is a great thing. I know I read on certain blogs the opinion that Obama is a compromised politician who will (continue) to capitulate to white interests and I may have my questions to what extent, but with Republicans like these I already know it to be true! Right now we don't belong to them and they don't belong to us. Perhaps things will change in the immediate future.

This isn't Monopoly the game, it's real life.  

P.S. I'm adding this segment from last night's Hardball disagreement between Pat Buchanan and Strategist Mike Paul, who's trying to tell members of his party to get a clue. 

We Could All Use A Little "Culture" Now & Again

So with the election season winding down, the holidays approaching and what feels like an uncertain future, many of us could use a brief respite from the stress, no? I know money is tight for a lot of us but sometimes we need a renewal of our spirit and of our mind. What better way than seeing art?

The de Young Museum is part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Memberships are fully tax deductible so it's a nice way to reduce your liability (wink). Student memberships are $45; Family $90; and Teachers $55 for example. I'm going to the YSL exhibition which is exclusive to San Francisco. How'd that happen?

Yves St. Laurent was always one of my favorite designers. He seemed to embody French cool, kinda like bebop jazz to me. He also consistently hired gorgeous Black amazons to grace his catwalks and use in print ads. This was the time I really loved fashion magazines. The models truly embodied the word fierce. The clothes were gorgeous. We didn't know so much about their personal lives or the brutality of the business. No Project Runway, no other reality tv to cheapen it for the masses - nothing again PR. It was just something special. I used to dream about escaping my small city with inhabitants that held views to narrow to hold me. I wanted to live in New York City and be a Fashion Editor by day and a Broadway star performing Sophocles at night.  

San Francisco has great museums by the way. I hadn't mentioned the gloriousness it was to see the Frida Kahlo exhibit at SF MOMA. I'm also a huge fan of Picasso and Dali. I took a psychology class where we dissected his work. Dali is one of the reasons why I want to live in Barcelona (yeah, yeah I like Gaudi, Paul Williams and a host of other architects, too).  Dali lived in Cadaques, a beautiful seaside town about 2 hours north of Barcelona in the Costa Brava region. Once I saw photos I knew I had to go - but I haven't yet! It's on my list, trust me. 

 

I once flew back to New York City for Thelma Golden's exhibit presented at the Whitney before she left for the Studio Museum of Harlem. At the time I had no idea the curator was a Black woman I was just so intrigued by the subject matter. It was 1994's "Black Male: Representations of Masculinity in Contemporary Art" and it was spectacular. Trust me I budgeted for this. I flew coach and stayed in a budget hotel/hostel combo, owned by an artist with original Warhol in the lobby. I am a huge fan of Kara Walker's work as well as Romare Beardon. I mispronounced his name for years. There's just too many influences to list here. I see how fashion, art, as well as fine wine and gourmet food can be a thing of great beauty. 

I'm at Starbucks because the internet is out in my building for the twelve-thousandth time the past two months and I need a no obstruction area to use my cell as a modem so it won't disconnect on me! They have the freakin' air conditioning on at 8pm at night. I'm trying to keep a strict budget so I only bought a tea (cheapo I know). But they're playing Sarah, Ella and now Nina and I'm thinking how appropro that I'm writing about great fashion and art and travel and food (yum) and now I have beautiful music to listen to as well. I almost feel like crying because Nina always haunts me and I have to take her in small doses. Was she always so melancholy? "Mississippi Goddamn" is definitely not a dance pop number. 

Now I'm thinking about how crappy music is today for the most part. Then irony kicks me in the butt though because I really like Rhianna - for her spunk and tenaciousness which had she not possessed in huge amounts her career would have long been over. Her brand of cute pop-i-ness is ok once in a while but never for her (non) singing - yikes! Sometimes a quick meal is all you can get but we have to live on nourishment. You couldn't tell me Phoebe Snow wasn't Black! 

And I don't want to leave out the sinewy strength of dancers. Alvin Ailey is must every year. I will never get tired of seeing Revelations. Never. It is a classic piece for a reason. "Raise the Red Lantern" is one of my favorite movies of all time even though I can't understand a word of it. I've watched it so many times I sometimes prefer to do so without the sound just to see the expressions on Gong Li's face. 

I haven't mentioned books yet. I was shocked, shocked I tell you when Angela Nissel's book, "The Broke Diaries" was released. I'd lived it so I didn't know I could've pitched the idea for publication. Sigh. I don't want this post to be impossibly long, so I'm gonna end it here. I do have an idea for a series of things to discuss beyond politics though. OMG - Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long" is on. Swoon! 

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Kamala Harris Wants to be D.A. of California

San Franciso District Attorney Kamala Harris announced her plans to run for Attorney General for the State in 2010. That is if the current AG Jerry Brown runs for Governor (again). If Sen. Dianne Feinstein doesn't run. If this sounds like musical chairs it is. These politicians don't ever want to leave office do they? Poor Gavin, he doesn't stand a chance especially after the fiasco of Proposition 8. He'll still be pretty though. Very pretty. 

Oh yeah, this was supposed to be about Ms. Harris. Her approach to law enforcement and prosecution has been very nuanced instead of being a "lock them up" sheriff. She also the first Black woman to serve as D.A. in San Francisco. We have a lady D.A., Fire Chief and Police Chief. We're kinda weird here, huh? Actually Kamala is half Indian and I'm not sure how she identifies herself, though it's usually reported as 'just' Black, but we like to embrace all parts of our heritages here on this blog. Either way she is an interesting woman and I look forward to seeing how she charts her political course. She was also a National Chair on the Obama campaign. I really like the fact that he is not at all intimidated by smart and powerful women. Whatever office she seeks after her current term ends I am certain she will play an effective role of leadership while holding it.

photo credit Kamala Harris

Who Knew That Blogger Could Be Used As A Slur?

I tried to give Sarah Palin the benefit of the doubt. You know all those leaks of her ever growing list of foolishness came from her friends in the McCain camp. Yet time and time again the hockey mom from the tundra keeps showing us her ever growing sense of entitlement, lack of humility and foot in mouth disease. If the rumors prove to be true that she's getting a talk show she can kiss her political career goodbye. If I want a daily dose of dysfunction I can watch Jerry Springer. She really needs to get the hook right now or a tap on the shoulder that her 15 minutes are up! 

So now she says we bloggers live in our mom's basement and make stuff up. Oh really, Sarah? Why is it that some women cannot manage leadership positions and overcompensate by being completely unbearable? Let me tell you, I wish my mother owned a house in San Francisco. She raised six children. We probably would've lived between the Fillmore and Upper Haight. It would have appreciated in value by about 400% and I'd happily renovate a basement for that! Anyway......here's the cable news pundit who's quickly becoming my fave displaying a wicked sense of humor in tribute to all us....bloggers! 

h/t Think Progress 

Side note: I know she's on CNN with Wolf Blitzer today but I'm on West Coast time. Also she said some really obnoxious things about our President-Elect's parenting skills. You would be highly unlikely to see Sasha or Malia as unmarried pregnant teens. This woman will say anything to stay in the spotlight and I will not give her any more press.

Michelle's Moved Up. What About the Rest of Us?

Now that another barrier has been removed by the ascension of Michelle Obama how will that serve as an impetus to the rest of us? Or should it matter? Depending on your upbringing the rise of the Obama family is the greatest thing since sliced bread or just one of many achievements you've witnessed. 

This working class family that did great does not come from wealth or multiple generations of double degreed professionals. They didn't have a cushy lifestyle growing up or legacy preferences at universities but they had love, determination and made good choices. They created as many opportunities as they could.  And they had a grand vision: to go to the White House. I am certain they have other plans yet to unfold that will make us sit back and go, whoa! 

Michelle began her official life as First Lady yesterday with the visit to the White House. You don't wear power red for nothing. She doesn't need to adorn herself in diamonds or wear couture to make an impressive statement, but I for one can't wait to see her in both, as befitting her new social/political standing. I would even say it's necessary to move in certain circles and to ascend the world stage. Personally, I would really like to see photos of Michelle with Princess Angela of Lichtenstein.

So what about the rest of us? The working class and many others had to see it to be believe it. Isn't faith the hope of what is unseen accompanied by action? Some of us were taught to think of ourselves as inferior just because those that promote white supremacy wish it were so. It is not, nor has it ever been. At some point many of us began to believe it.

Like many of us who follow a religious dogma but miss the point of having a spiritual connection, we tend to fall back on the racism argument as our mortal enemy. Make no mistake there are real obstacles but at some point we must have decided to aid our attackers in beating ourselves up. 

Those who were enslaved didn't all wait until someone decided to be benevolent and 'free' them. They decided to take charge and seize it for themselves, but not everyone. 

Harriet Tubman famously said, "I would've freed more of them, if they'd only known they were slaves."

We have to recognize it is our choice to place our entire self worth on having designer gear, giving all our money to a church without question, thinking our dating prospects are few and so many choices we make without realizing it as a choice. Annoying isn't it? It's almost impossible to find out who we are when we're always trying to adhere to someone else's rules.

We must be prepared for the pending backlash that is sure to bear down on some of us with the rise of the First Family. There's always some entity that works through weak people to wreak havoc. Jim Crow laws were enacted as a reaction to Emancipation. One step forward with a potential two steps back. It doesn't have to be that way now, however. That's why we as Black women particularly must be prepared. It's been exactly one week since Barack won the election. We need to be ready to walk across the wide path that has been cleared for us and meet our destiny. 

Can I Get An Economist's Assessment?

Somebody please explain to me why all of these businesses and multinational corporations are failing? They're either getting gov't cheddar once, twice and sometimes three times even. Or they're filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection. You know thanks to our lawmakers working against our interests we can't even file for personal bankruptcy except in the rarest of circumstances. I figure if AIG can get $150B why can't we get to write off credit card bills, medical expenses and student loans and wipe the slate clean? Fair is fair right?

Shall we run down the list - and know this is hardly definitive:

1.  Banks (what is it, 5 and counting?)

2.  AIG

3.  GM with Chrysler soon to follow?

4.  DHL

5.  Mervyn's

6.  Circuit City

7.  Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Countrywide

8. - 100.  There's many smaller companies and I could spend the next 3 hours adding those!

Remember when Tower Records went under? That seems like such a long time ago and was a sign of things to come. Since banks are the permanent pet project for the gov't - even so far as getting a whopping tax break on top of the "loan", er gift, I'd really like to know what we're gonna get? An extension of unemployment benefits? Confederate bills? Wow, how frackin' generous! 

How is it that these companies were allowed to operate with impunity and then go to the gov't using taxpayer money (minus most wealthy people and corporations since they get to wiggle out of paying the bulk of their fair percentage) to bail them out when they prove they don't know jack s*it!? I mean let's take the automobile industry for example. They were building giant gas-guzzling tank size cars because their immediate profits went into overdrive despite all indication they should've been focusing on smaller fuel-efficient ones. Now they're almost bankrupt and they deserve to be bailed out with loans they'll never pay back? We're supposed to trust their judgement? WHY!?

Of course when "Main Street" is hurting MLK Blvd. is suffering the aftermath of a tsunami - not that anyone seems to notice except those that have to 'live' and barely survive there. It's 70 days until the Obama Inauguration but we can't wait until then for a viable and equitable economic plan. We of course have no guarantee of one even after that and really have to be informed citizens with a coordinated effort to slap some sense into these 'experts'. 

Do I need a PhD in economics to understand this or are we citizenry being forced to endure the biggest snow job in recent history? Why not let it all fall apart and pull a Darwin? Whoever survives gets to go on and we bring back or start new companies that are run in the USofA and hire USofA? Where are the penalties to those that circumvent laws by exploiting dirt cheap foreign labor? We know the wine and meat manufacturers are gross violators amongst many. Yes, I know about Sarbanes-Oxley which is thought to help businesses here set up shop abroad but I'll raise you a Gramm-Leach-Bliley which effectively gave the banks carte blanche to do whatever the hell they wanted. 

So, I don't want to put my sourpuss face on after my last post about seeing the silver lining, but these things are pretty serious. Any progress the next President wants to kick start is going to be that much more difficult with Shrub handing out pieces of the gov't like party favors to all those on his 'friends and family' plan. Remember Bush threatened Congress and the Senate with martial law if they didn't sign their names in blood and agree to the bailout and rename it a "Rescue" package. 

Here's Paul Krugman discussing the initial plan with Rachel Maddow. 

Last night's show on the latest developments.

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