Llanor Alleyne
Writer | Editor | Artist
photo courtesy of billmichalski
I‘ll admit that I am exhausted with the topic of race. This is not to say that I agree that we have entered into a mythical post-racial society, but the discussion is so rife with poor judgment calls, poor assessments, and bull-horn bullying that I’ve begun to openly wonder if the language we now use to talk about this thick, convoluted societal affliction is inadequate; incapable of harnessing the minutiae, the nuanced insidiousness of the industrial race complex. Because, let’s face it, race talk has always been as much a movement as it has been big business. Careers have thrived and died on dissecting this living organism.
In recent weeks, I’ve been scolded and condescended to because I haven’t readily raised my hand to agree with some approach or overly broad statement concerning “blackness.” As a consequence my own “blackness”, my race consciousness and my commitment to challenging racism has been brought into question by other Black people, who having found me wanting, often dismiss me with, “you clearly don’t know who you are.” I refuse to be angry about this because I know where I’ve been and what I’ve done. If I let other people define me I will certainly cease to exist as myself.
But I am angry about what Ta-Nehisi Coates recently succinctly called “the parlor games” of race. With the election of President Barack Obama every pseudo-intellectual now feels qualified to tell other people how they should feel not only about themselves but about every single incident that involves people of diverse racial backgrounds. The NBC lunchroom incident is a classic example of this kind of race bullying, where the simple act of putting fried chicken and collard greens on a Black History Month menu is enough to rant and write 2,000 words about racism in corporate America. Meanwhile, real incidents of racism in the workplace are left unchallenged, perhaps because the subtlety there is too great for most racism flag wavers to comfortably etch a narrative on.
I am an advocate of calling racism out, both in its overt and nuanced forms, but I will not clog up the discussion with petty claims that do little to advance the broader issues and challenges, one of which is to get all of us–black, white, yellow, brown–away from these constant attempts to pigeonhole each other with the very scaffolding that we are trying to dismantle. That is to say, if we want to have an honest talk about race we have to remove the language (and its emotional underpinnings), the very words and actions, that have kept it alive for so long. Therefore, when a black chef–paying homage to the Southern roots that generations of Black people have helped to create–decides to place fried chicken and collard greens on a menu during Black History Month, we need to put the cameras, pens and flags down and dig in.
Here! Here! Strong piece and I like where your head is at on this race debate. A debate that seems never ending because as you say, people are focusing on collard greens instead of employment, health care, high prison and death rates, etc…
If it was Fox and not NBC who busted out the collards I might look into it a bit more, either way it’s simply not an issue. Some other food choices may be. See, it’s tricky, sometimes. But the menu choice is a handed down staple for many of us brown people across these United States. I’m certainly one who enjoys well made collards.
Regardless of menu items and The Parlor Games rant, race remains a hot, heated, burning topic because racism is so prevalent. However, now it’s to the point many non brown folk don’t “see” it since the visuals have gotten
more subtle and buried in the background.
A black(I prefer brown) person judges you in such a ridiculous manner simply because you don’t agree over what to be angry about, they’ve crossed a line.
A line easily erased, but that shouldn’t be crossed. If we want to be taken as individuals, and who doesn’t, we all treat each other as one. Tell them fools to stop being condescending and judgmental. Being that is a job for the people who keep us all down.
You know, I always thought it was “college” greens. How bizarre.
You’ll forgive me if this turns into a rambling, wayward-type ranting, incomprehensible comment: I am writing from my sick bed, where I have returned after suffering a relapse of a heavy cold.
Anyway… what am I here to say? First, I suppose I couldn’t agree more. Whining about fried chicken is just about the best level of analysis we can get from some people. (Incidentally, I actually unfollowed Questlove – sending him a “fuck you dipshit” type tweet – about a year ago because basically, the guy is a fucking idiot. His analysis is that of a 15 year old school child. He has no theory, just rhetoric and junk-mail, self-help-book, GCSE-cultural studies moronic hyperbole…).
I suppose I come at all this from a slightly different angle. Over the last 3 or 4 years I’ve grown increasingly bored and frustrated with identity politics. As a black, British, lesbian with African parents, my experience of identity politics will be very different from that of the average African American. Also, when I refer to “identity politics” I am not just talking about race, but the plethora of political issues that have become bound with “identity”.
The same withering disdain I have for this fried chicken nonsense is also freely available to those from the LGBTQI (add as many stupid fucking letters as you like) movement across the West. Plenty of feminists and post-feminists can access a free verbal slap too. And a special kick in the nuts to those from the “men and masculinities” brigade too. This is not to say that identity politics does not have its place. Rather, I just think a vast number of individuals talking about and mobilising around identity do not have the foggiest idea about what that place is.
The primary reason that movements around race, gender, sexuality, disability etc have arisen is to work towards a goal of equity and equality. We use identity to mobilise for a variety of reasons, but the fundamental reason for identity politics is, and always has been, to eliminate inequality and inequity among all people. This is a intrinsically, anti-capitalist, Marxist goal and without firm understanding of that and without basing our approaches to understanding the world in historical materialism, what we are left with is what we have: a bunch of morons whining about fried chicken.
The fact is, while some people like to believe racism, homophobia etc is about ignorance and fear, it isn’t. In the main it is about ensuring there is an underclass of disenfranchised people who can be exploited for the personal gain of the few. This is not to say that an end to capitalism will bring about a de facto end to racism, rather that without the end to capitalism as our goal racism will never go away. If we insist that some people have to be on the bottom, then in all likelihood it will always be us.
Peace Queen!
We’ve had this discussion multiple times over callaloo & saltfish so you know I will not waste a lot of keystrokes. The reality is you are 100% correct in your assessment of these Negroes in both the assimilationist and so-called “conscious” movement (the only thing moving, and slowly from their Western European diet, are their bowels).
The only effective counter to “white” (European) supremacy is “black” (Afrikan) POWER or EMPOWERMENT. What I’ve found is a great deal of Negroes want to intellectually debate, verse or battle Europeans on this system. What I’ve always asked those who choose to go that route is this one simple question; what is your end game?
At the end of this intellectual beatdown these Negroes want to give Europeans, will the European say, “You know what? You are 100% correct. Before you just said what you said I never really got the White Supremacist system and how it affected Afrikan people and people of color. I listened to Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X , John Henrick Clark and Amos Wilson but not until you, oh great and conscious Black person, did I fully comprehend the error of my people. Here, take the power I’ve obtained and I apologize profusely for any inconvenience holding said power might have done to your people(?)”
I know what the problem is. When “the talk” turns to practical solutions and establishing the creation of a socio-economic and political infrastructure in our so-called communities, it never transforms into “the walk.” Sorry, Negroes…the race card game is OVER. In the immortal words of Ben Parker from Amazing Spiderman Issue # 1;
“With great power comes great responsibility.”
@DryerBuzz mine uses it. http://bit.ly/bLNHbL
nice RT @llapen: @DryerBuzz mine uses it. http://bit.ly/bLNHbL