Racism: It Ain’t Just for the Hooded Type

Resistance writes:

The reduction of racism to hate, however, both conceptually and politically limits our understanding of racism and the ways we can challenge it. Racism has been silently transformed in the popular consciousness into acts that are abnormal, unusual, and irrational – “crimes of passion.” Missing from all this are the ideologies and practices in a variety of sites in our society that reproduce racial inequality and domination.

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Race and Class

Atlasien at APA for Progress, writes:

Rachel from Rachelstavern.com asks, “Why does “Working Class” mean white in our political discourse?” Once I thought about the question some more, I realized that she was right, and “white working class” is a symbolic redundancy. Class is kept neatly separate from race. In national media, when do we ever hear about the black or Latino working class? And the Asian-American working class is perhaps the most invisible of all.

The N Word

Bambu, an emcee and activist from LA blogs about Nas’ new album “Nigger:”

…not mad ’cause eminem said nigga, ’cause he my nigga…

nah, homie. what nas just did right there is allow every little white boy who worships eminem (and nas for that matter) to get a “nigga” pass. believe that! i understand the use of the word within our communities, amongst people of color — and specifically african people in america, but i don’t see how it’s cool to just let the king of white boys get away with the use of such a word! i never thought i’d hear nas go that route. a white boy come say that shit around me, i’m checking him!

would nas let eminem get away with it if he hadn’t blown up and become one of the largest hip hop artists of our time? if eminem was marshal with a demo tape, and he called a black woman a bitch or a “nigga” (which he did) would nas still be cool with it? money makes a muthuhfuckuh switch so quick…

Language and Class

Madhat, a blogger from Bangolore, writes about a video he saw at a charity/theatre event in India in his blog My life, my words:

I noticed something interesting in the video. The founder and some other people who looked to be members of the board (they were mostly businessmen) spoke to the camera in English but the testimonials of the kids were in Kannada with English subtitles! Now why is that?

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The elite, the rich and the upper class are the ones who have access to good english education and the lower class can converse only in the local language. Balraj Sahni was right. English is the new Sanskrit.

Controversies and Social Change

In the blog Angry Black Bitch the blogger Shark-fu comments on real social change and just speaking out in reaction to the buzz issue of the day:

I don’t know Don Imus and this bitch is willing to bet he doesn’t know about me, but obviously the issue of language in the community is on the table once again.

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And I don’t give a hot damn how many marches we have, how many candidates with Harvard law degrees run for president or how many Oscars are won…social change requires regular folks like you and this bitch getting off of our asses, jumping into our SisterGirl Cabrios and driving to the ‘hood, getting out of the car and participating in the lives of others.

Shit, some of y’all live in the hood and still don’t participate!

Gingrich and the Language of the “Ghetto”

The author of the blog Richard is Retired has this to say about the Gingrich controversy:

Every immigrant group assimilates with very few exceptions and by the third generation knowledge of their grandparent’s language is in danger of disappearing entirely. Gingrich’s inflammatory language only provokes prejudice amongst those who dislike those who are dissimilar. Gingrich reaches back into American history and borrows the language of hate employed by the Nativists of the mid-19th century. He uses hate to gain political advantage.

Gingrich and the Language of the “Ghetto”

The author of the blog Richard is Retired has this to say about the Gingrich controversy:

Every immigrant group assimilates with very few exceptions and by the third generation knowledge of their grandparent’s language is in danger of disappearing entirely. Gingrich’s inflammatory language only provokes prejudice amongst those who dislike those who are dissimilar. Gingrich reaches back into American history and borrows the language of hate employed by the Nativists of the mid-19th century. He uses hate to gain political advantage.

English Only

Eddie Joe, on his myspace blog, gives us his opinion on Kansas considering a law of “English only:”

language is an integral part of ones culture. much is lost when the language is gone. you try to take the soul of a man if you take his language. maybe that is what some are after. you can subjugate a people faster if you have them thinking and speaking the way you want.