1-800-Ask-A-Brother (Part 2)

***CONTINUATION FROM THE PREVIOUS POST***

Example #4:

When Rush Limbaugh speaks, a certain demographic listens and picks up on what he’s saying.

When Rep. Michelle Bachman (R-MN) told Chairman Michael Steele at CPAC that “You Da Man”, it sounded very disingenuous to me because it doesn’t fit, plus it’s how she said it. It’s not because of race, because I’ve heard guys who use more slang than the hardest, thuggish guy ‘in the hood’.

The New York Post publishes a controversial cartoon and some don’t understand why many Blacks were offended by it. I can guarantee that there wasn’t one Black or Latino on the editorial board. That wouldn’t have gotten out if there was.

The Complaint

The complaint from many Whites and a few conservative Blacks who says that everything isn’t racial is a fair complaint, but not exactly true.

Some things said are not meant to be racial, but have serious racial implications to it that the person speaking may not understand due to their lack of socialization or cultural awareness. Some people are hyper-sensitive and are unwilling to take the time to understand the context or even explain to the person why what they have said or written is offensive. You shouldn’t just immediately blame there person for their ignorance if they do not have a history of it.

Example, Don Imas knew what he was doing and saying when he commented on the Rutgers Women’s Basketball team. There are some who have a history of saying and doing offensive things and they know exactly what they’re doing and deserve the criticism.

Of course I’m being a little silly with the whole “1-800-Ask A Brother Translation Service” thing, because I’m using humor to help explain something that divides us.

The Symptoms

We are seeing many people come out of the woodworks saying some very ignorant and mostly racially tinged things. Many of them do not understand the harm in what they’re saying, because they are culturally unaware or it’s socially accepted where they’re from. Many people suffer from what I call “My Best Friend is Black” syndrome. This spans beyond the Black & White communities and goes into other communities. I can’t say that something bad about Jews and then say, “I didn’t mean it, I’m not racist. One of my best friends is a Jew.” That would be stupid and would mean that I would need to not only apologize to the Jewish Community, but to my friend for offending him. Saying something racially ignorant doesn’t always mean that you’re a racist. It does signal a deficiency in your understanding and awareness towards the offended race or group.

Example #5:

We often hear Christians say some very cruel things about our fellow neighbors who are gay or lesbian. It goes directly against “Love Thy Neighbor”, but I’ll get into that another day. Many see no problem with bashing and often demonstrating hate, which if you didn’t already know this is the opposite of Love, the greatest commandment. How is being racially unaware or discourteous any different from using coded language towards homosexuality? But it’s accepted and preached in pulpits every week. BUT let me pull up on that one, because I don’t want to give away an upcoming post.

Example #6:

Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. says on FOX News to another guest who is Black that “he wishes he could cut Obama’s balls off” all because he believed he was talking publicly down on Black people when he gave his Fatherhood speech. Now that outrage was deserved, because he clearly understood what he was saying and the history behind that threat towards Black men. But many people outside of the Black community thought it was shameful, but didn’t understand why some people were so upset with Rev. Jackson for those comments.

It’s not just White men that say crazy things, because I can point out recently a Black man by the name of Michael Steele saying to the only Indian American Governor that he was giving his “Slum Love” to him. That was offensive, but the media says little about it because they don’t know how to approach it. Black Man, Indian-American, two Republicans, both firsts and pioneers in their own right, how to you criticize that. I guarantee that there wasn’t one person of color making the decision in the news rooms to go with that story or not. So they played it safe and let it die.

Final Example:

A New York City bakery store owner that made the “Drunken Negro Face” cookies said that he didn’t see the problem with selling the cookie because his brother-in-law was Cuban. He’s clueless and suffers from the “My Best Friend is Black” syndrome. If he just ‘asks a brother’ perhaps he could have saved himself some heartache.

The Solution

If you do not know how something would be interpreted, just ask. Ask someone who you know has some cultural sensibilities to them and will be honest with you. Listen to them and learn from them. When I’m asked a sincere question concerning race I try to give a very fair answer. I have been offended on occasions, but I let it pass until it becomes a pattern.

That’s my best and honest advice to you. If you’re unsure just call 1-800-Ask A Brother.

References & Inspirations

Politico – 03/03/09 “Blacks, Whites Hear Obama Differently”

Defending Republicans from Themselves

What is going on within the Republican Party? I’m getting tired of defending Republicans from the attacks of other Republicans.

In my best Sinfeld impression, “What is the deal?”

P is for Party Partisans

Although he’s finally gone, but the evidence of his presence lingers like a fart after a meal at Taco Bell, not the Former President George W. Bush, but his nephew, George P. Bush. (I think the P is for Partisan, but I can think of some other descriptive P words that may adequately describe his remarks, but I rather just call him Mr. Bush for now.)

Mr. Bush was speaking to an audience in Orlando, FL on 02/21/09 and had this partisan thing to say about his fellow Republican, Governor Charlie Crist (R-FL); “There’s some in our party that want to assume that government is the answer to all of our problems. I’m not going to name any names. You know who I’m talking about.” Now when reporters quested his statements he says, “That will be on his track record and people are going to remember that.”

I guess I shouldn’t expect any less, you are a Bush. But why are you using this level of inflammatory language against your own party. It’s like the same level of language I’m using towards you now, but I’m not talking about another Democrat, I’m talking about you.

Although I’m beginning to get tired of defending Republicans from themselves, I find myself doing it again. Governor Crist is doing what you were too partisan to do; he’s concerned about his state, not the state of his next election or within the party. He’s the Governor of Florida not the Governor of Republican Florida. I think it was someone you know (Uncle George) who helped facilitate the means for the environment we all find ourselves in.

Those Republicans

“There’s a tug of war right now within the party as to where we go next,” Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina, one of the conservative Republican leaders, said in an interview. “I am in the camp that says we go back to basics. There are other folks who say something a little different. The answer will be determined in this tug of war.”

Among those tugging opposite him is Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, who only last week concluded a battle to close his state’s $42 billion budget deficit over the opposition of Republican state lawmakers who opposed tax increases in the compromise.

But it seems to be almost another kind of Southern Strategy going on within the Republican Governors. Gov. Mark Stanford (R-SC), Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA), Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS), Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) and of course Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) who is not in the south, but…

Now I just want to see how these governors explain to the people of their state the real reasons why they didn’t accept the stimulus money when they have budget shortfalls and so many other things that the state could use that money for? Was it all in the name of your own political posturing? How do you explain that Govs. Stanford, Jindal, Barbour, Perry and Palin?

Perhaps you will offer your explanation when you announce your intentions to run for the 2012 Presidential Nomination of your party.

What all the rest of your Republican Gubernatorial colleagues understand is that this is not the time for posturing or party politics. The grand ole party will not be all that grand if no one has any money. That goes for the party of the people too. Quit the politicking and get down the political business of the people you represent, not just the Republican part of them.

Perhaps Gov. Crist should consider 2012? I personally don’t won’t him to win, but he seems to be the voice of reason within the Republican Party these days. (Source)

EMPTY WORDS OF INCONSEQUENTIAL LEADERSHIP

Now you would expect this sort of comment from a Democrat, but it’s coming from the Republican Governor of Utah, Jon Huntsman. What is going on with the GOP?

“I don’t even know the congressional leadership. I have not met them. I don’t listen or read whatever it is they say because it is inconsequential – completely.” Now the Governor had criticism for what he saw as a misdirected spending in the stimulus package, but added that Republicans had no credibility on fiscal responsibility.

“Our moral soapbox was completely taken away from us because of our behavior in the last few years,” he said. “For us to now criticize analogous behavior is hypocrisy. We’ve got to come at it a different way. We’ve got to prove the point. It can’t be as the Chinese would say, ‘fei hua,’ which means ‘empty words’.”

WOW!

NO ALLOWANCE FOR YOU

When the three Hebrew boys were refused to bow to the king he sent them into the fire to burn. Hold up that’s the wrong story.

When the three Republicans Senators, Collins, Specter & Snowe refused to bow to the sentiment of the party-line and exercised reason and consideration for the constituents of their state the GOP Kings got mad at them. Now GOP Chairman Michael Steele told the FOX News robot, I mean reporter Nick Cavuto that he was open to keep what is basically keeping their allowance during the next election cycle as an act of retribution for their vote.

YOU DOWN WITH THE GOP

Now this is the same guy that just recently proposes that he was going to attract the “Hip-Hop” generation to the GOP. Before I say this one I must first apologize, but I can’t resist it.

<turn me up in the headphones, yeah that’s the beat, little bit more bass>

Chairman Steele, now I’m probably more apart of the Hip-Hop generation of the 80’s and I admire your optimism, but I think you may have more success with the Country Music crowd than the Hip Hop crowd. But I would love to see a video with a group of Republicans chanting, “You Down with the GOP”, “Yeah You Know Me”, “Who’s Down with the GOP?” But you may be on to something since there was that little hit you all made around Christmas called “Barack the Magic Negro”. Also the last administration was pretty gangsta.

DON’T EVER TOUCH A BLACK MAN’S RADIO OR HELICOPTER

My man John McCain had this to say to President Obama regarding, well I’ll let you read it.

Sen. John McCain – One area I wanted to mention that I think consumed a lot of our conversation on procurement. It was the issue of cost overruns and the Defense Department. We all know how large the defense budget is. We all know that the cost overruns, your helicopter is now going to cost as much as Air Force One. I don’t think that there’s anymore graphic demonstration of how good ideas have cost taxpayers enormous amount of money. So the — we will and I know that you’ve already made plans to try to curb some of the excesses in procurement. We really have to do that. We’re going to have to pay for Afghanistan as you well now and we’re not done in Iraq, but most importantly, we have to make some tough decisions, you, Mr. President have to make some tough decisions, not only about what we procure, but how we procure it…

President Barack Obama – This is going to be one of our highest priorities. By the way, I’ve already talked to [Defense Secretary Robert] Gates about a thorough review of the helicopter situation. The helicopter I have now seems perfectly adequate to me. Of course, I’ve never had a helicopter before. You know? Maybe — maybe I’ve been deprived and I didn’t know it. But I think it is an example of the procurement process gone amuck and we’re going to have to fix it. Our hope is that you, Senator Levin and others can take leadership on this and one of the promising things is, I think Secretary Gates shares our concern and recognizes that simply adding more and more does not necessarily mean better or safer and more secure.

First, “cost overruns and the Defense Department” wasn’t you the one who called to bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran? Bombs cost money. What about that 100 year war you were talking about? Anyway it was a good question and I’m glad someone is concerned about the vehicles of transportation of the President. Perhaps he can just catch a cab, hold on he’s Black that won’t work. Maybe he can just charter a helicopter, no that won’t work because it costs too much. What would you have done John if you had won 57% of the vote? Sen. McCain, how do I say this… Marine One comes with the whole Presidential Transportation Package. He gets to use a car, a plane and yet a helicopter. Now the Presidential motorcycle is optional.

The title of this section was a reference to the movie Rush Hour for those who may not have seen it.

CULTURALLY UNAWARE

The culturally unaware mayor of Los Alamitos, California is coming under fire for an e-mail he sent out that depicts the White House lawn planted with watermelons, under the title “No Easter egg hunt this year.” You just have to wonder where some of these people have been all of their lives. Do you know ANY Black people that could have told you not to do this?

Mr. Grose (Mayor) confirmed to the AP that he sent the e-mail to Price and said he didn’t mean to offend her. He said he was unaware of the racial stereotype that black people like watermelons. Sounds like the NY Post. Again, how unaware are you?

He said he and Price are friends and serve together on a community youth board. “Bottom line is, we laugh at things and I didn’t see this in the same light that she did.” So that makes it acceptable.

What I find astonishing about this is how some people can be so culturally sheltered that they are unaware of offensive language, gestures or even associations. The “I have a Black Friend” defense is not a defense. I have Kurdish, Jewish, Catholic, Muslim, Black, Latin & White friends, that will not excuse me from permitting or suggesting something that’s culturally insensitive towards them.

FINAL WORD

I’m sorry if I’ve offended anyone, I’m just having fun with this. There are Republicans I like; I’ve defended some of them here. These are the ones I think are demonstrating reason, but they have a hard fight ahead of them.

You have to admit that it’s silly. Personally I’m enjoying it. I’ve beat up on enough Democrats last year. Seriously I do not want to see you eat yourself into a party of one. You’ve got to get this under control, before it’s too late.

Now don’t be mad at me, I did defend some of the party. I just use a bit of bad humor to bring out a point. The party is beginning to implode.

President Obama’s Address to the Joint Session of Congress

Pres. Obama Address to Congress

Republican Response: What speech did Gov. Jindah watch?