The Obvious Police: Money Wasted on Studies to Confirm What We've Always Known: Whites and Blacks Disagree on Prejudice and Racism

I've always wondered how useful these types of studies/polls can be. So yahoo, AP, Stanford University, and a for-profit Polling company, Knowledge Works, published the findings of a study conducted during the political conventions of each party. 2200 people were interviewed, a combination of blacks and whites, and the news media is acting as if something prolific or cathartic has happened. The conclusion of this novel study on race in America? That Barack Obama won't be president because white folks will not elect a black man... period.

I could just imagine being some white person reading this story and gasping to myself, " Me, a racist? Never! Why, I have black friends and that makes me okay!" That probably is true. I do not believe that all white people are racists. I simply believe that all white people benefit from racism, whether they acknowledge it or not. Conversely, I believe that all black people are not victims of racism. However blacks have to deal with the effects of racism as a collective, whether directly affected or not.

The study also highlights something that both blacks and whites, as well as other people of color have known since this country's inception; Whites see progress and Blacks see much of the same discrimination despite attempts made to level the playing field. It's also interesting to note that in the study, Whites seemed to hold more negative views about blacks than the opposite. In neither group was there a majority that held negative views about the other, but the numbers are right about where I believe they should be.

I guess my annoyance with this stuff is that while it documents the sentiments held by both groups, it does not move us any place toward reconciliation or a better understanding of WHY things are the way they are. White people have their heads in the sand and truly believe that there is no cause for concern. Blacks are still lamenting about the struggle and often wonder how is it that no one else, outside of black people, and some other groups of color, can see this? I have to admit, when I discuss race with my white friends (Yes, I have them too), I am amazed by their ignorance and almost nonchalance as if nothing outside of their own world exists. It's like anything that has very little or nothing to do with them is filtered out of their world view.

For example, in 2006 Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. celebrated their Centennial Anniversary in Washington, DC. One of my white girlfriends who lived near the hotel where the convention was held had to scavenge the internet looking for information on what this group was and why they were celebrating. To her credit, she was thoroughly impressed with the organization and asked me if I knew who they were and proceeded to explain the history of fraternity to me. I laughed to myself and allowed her to continue about the organization as if she had discovered some facet of blackness unbeknownst to me. I thought to myself, APA is a significant organization founded on the campus of an Ivy League Institution; How could she not know that? With regard to race as a differential problem for blacks and whites, it was clear to me that she wasn't being racist, but the fact that a historic black institution was something she considered esoteric was offensive.

The same problem rears its complex head when I attempt to hail a cab with a white friend of mine and I'm IGNORED completely, by black African and white drivers alike, until my white friend begins to hail a cab. It used to bother me when I was younger, but sadly, I've gotten used to it and I adapted to the differential treatment. No it doesn't happen every time, but it happens enough that it's worth mentioning. I digressed though.

I think the real question that needs to be asked is, How do we take all of this information about racism and prejudice and make it a tool to have a meaningful discussion that births an understanding between opposing views? I am aware that while people exist on this planet that there will always be differences of opinion. That's what makes life wonderfully complex and interesting. When studies simply state (and in this case re-state) OBVIOUS INFORMATION, how does it help us at all? The only purpose it serves is to reinforce Whites' negative views of blacks, accompanied by a complete denial and dismissal of the impact that racial discrimination has played in the lives of Black people. Equally important is the fact blacks remain despondent and practically hopeless that the issues surrounding race will ever be resolved. Part of that problem is from conditioning rooted in reality, part is from the pimping of past racial hurt by a few famous Reverends, and part of it is caused by that white denial I previously mentioned.

I am not asking for an apology from current whites about the harm their forefathers and contemporaries inflicted upon my people. I am more interested in the acknowledgment by white folks that race is as much their problem as it is everyone else's. Simply trying to deodorize the past by a cavalier sauntering away from it, coupled with vehement denial, and a casual ignorance doesn't make the problem go away. It feeds it. Whites should stop acting so surprised that blacks perceive that racism still exists because that perception, for many blacks is stark and jarring reality.

Poor, Little Uber-Rich, Elitist, White Trash, Lynne Forrester De Rothschild Endorses John McCain/ Undermines her B.F.F. Hillary!

Am I supposed to be surprised that Lynne was going to take this route? White people, White Women in particular have a HUGE sense of entitlement. Lynne's actions were predictable and expected... at least by me. She was a huge HC surrogate and bought her Super-delegate status at the DNC by raising at least $100K for Clinton during her failed presidential bid.

She and a few other sour grape HC supporters are still lamenting over the fact the Geraldine Ferraro got it wrong and that their racism would definitely influence their "enlightened minds" in November. With all of that money, you'd think she'd pour herself a glass of that delicious red wine produced in limited quantities by her family's estate, pop a few pain-killers like Cindy McCain would do, and call up her 500.00-an-hour-therapist so she could have a good white woman cry and get in touch with her inner rich white bitch.

Instead, she's decided to be as petty an spiteful as I knew she could be. I am so proud of you Lynne for being the true unaplogetic, black folk hating, "I wish slavery and segregation were alive and well because the coloreds have gotten out of control", self! I'd raise my glass to you, but I actually prefer Chateneuf du PAPE by Vieux Lazeret over your Chateau Margaux. Call me a wine snob or better yet, another black elitist.

Hillary, what you gon' do about your girl? Ya'll need to do a Russian Tea Room style luncheon ASAP and follow it up with some mani's and pedi's, then a little trip to Bergdorf.

Okay, so thank you all for indulging me a little bit. Seriously though, how can a die hard Democrat, a Super-delegate even, endorse a candidate with ideological views that oppose everything you're supposed to believe in? Even worse, how does a a descendant of French nobility, a member of one of the most famous wine producing family owned vineyards in the world, call anyone an elitist? Bottles of Baron de Rothschild wines sell for upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Is Lynne really serious when she expects us to believe that the reason she can't support Obama is because he and Michelle are elitists?

I'm telling ya'll if Obama loses the race it won't be because his campaign floundered. Although he could make some marked improvements in refining and packaging his message to the voters, his loss will be directly related to one thing and one thing only... disaffected white people angry at the fact that blacks don't have to be subservient, anonymous, and inferior to them.

So Lynne, go ahead and act like a petulant child who didn't get picked to be on your favorite team. Let your fury rage at the fact that the white monopoly on American Politics, while no where in sight of ending, has begun to show its vulnerability to the new and soon-to-be, minority majority electorate. Keep using your money, connections, and status as a Democratic National Committee Platform spokeswoman to become a pariah. You are an irrational, spoiled, elitist white woman; let me hear you ROAR!

It wasn't enough that you and a few other rich whites tried to strong arm the DNC into pushing Obama out the race. It wasn't enough that some of your rich white gay comrades attempted to bitch slap Nancy Pelosi into persuading Obama to quit. Now, you think that you've dealt the cuop de grace to Obama by joining McCain and Palin. Good riddance to you and your rich white trash ass. You aren't worth the flesh that your sorry ass is printed on and the Obama Camp can definitely do without you.

ANOTHER CHITLIN' EATIN NEGRO BITES THE DUST: KK Da pimp Goin' to Jail, Gotta pay 1 Million Dollars, AND Will RESIGN AS MAYOR

This just in KK "Da' Pimp" is going to Jail and NOT passing go without paying $1,000,000.00. More on this later.

Day-Twat, You are free!!! For now anyway. With the high concentration of Chitlin' Eatin' Negroes in the area I am not too optimistic that the city will recover at any time soon.

White Folks' Family Values: A Bastard by any Other Name Just Ain't Quite the Same

It's been a minute since my last post and because I was slightly impressed by the DNC last week AND McCain's selection of Palin as his VP, I wanted to take time and digest all of that news. I am not going to regurgitate the coverage from last week and I elected to keep this blog free from from all of the News ticker headlines last week. However, I have reached my limit and because of this latest headline, I feel compelled to respond or at least write my take on this.

My blog sister, Professor Tracey from Aunt Jemima's Revenge has put out an A.P.B alerting us to the hypocrisy of white folks. I am inclined to agree because white people always have a knack for trying to justify their extreme lack of moral fiber. They abrogate themselves from the incredibly high standards they expect everyone lse to live up to and their arrogance makes them a bit smug and just downright contemptuous. Professor Tracey also offers a wonderful analysis of White folks and their Family Values here.

17 year old Bristol Palin is pregnant and entering her 2nd trimester. She was sixteen when she decided to give up her coochie to some boy without a condom. I mean, really, this is to be expected because her mother, Sarah Palin and her running mate, John MCain have vigourously fought against funding sexual education programs. What I did not expect was the non-chalant response of both candidates , coupled with some of the worst spin doctoring I have ever seen.

Another white teenage girl is pregnant (Hey Jamie Lynne! Although you got fired for beeing a teen slut.) and white folks everywhere are heralding this as "An American family" and as "life happens". Not the fact that some teenagers were doing the nasty and that they probably have some STI that won't be treated because everyone is so focused on the fact that they didn't have abortions. Let me be the first to say that they, and the boys they allowed to ejaculate inside of them make them just as slutty, whorish, and irresponsible, as any Jerry Springer or Maury Povich guest. There is nothing NORMAL or American about a teenager in this day and age giving birth to bastard children - no matter what support network they can lean on.

Family values, my behind! This is what happens when parents have too many children that they can't possibly effectively rear. Had Sarah and Todd been doing a better job of rearing their children instead of trying to be anti-abortion poster folks, Bristol would probably still have her hymen intact. Instead they've chosen to become instant pro-life celebrities, exploiting the fact that they decided to carry to full term a child they conceived who now suffers from Down Syndrome. Equally repugnant is that this genetically deformed child is being used as a trophy to signify that the Palins believe in choosing life as an existence, rather than choosing life as a quality of condition. Don't get me wrong here, I'm not saying that people with DS can't live full lives; I remember Corky from that ABC show, Life Goes On, but that isn't typical of people living with DS.

This kind of behavior isn't limited to Republicans. The common tie that binds is more related to white people and their perception that they are the standard by which all should be judged with regard to social, moral, and familial standards. For those of you who will be quick to be dismissive of this argument based on race, your position doesn't negate the truth. Had these two girls been black, and especially black and poor, the flood gates of criticism would have opened and white folks everywhere would have been co-signing with each other while breaking into choruses of "you KNOW how THOSE people are".

Why are more people outraged at the fact that this came out so publicly and abruptly, than at the fact that NIETHER John McCain or Sarah Palin possess the moral fortitude and American Family VALUES that their party elevated to a core platform issue? If Bristol Palin was poor would her teenage pregnancy be more palatable? Would it still be considered a normal American Family Value? People have chided (myself included) John Edwards, for cheating on his wife and possibly fathering a bastard child by Rielle Hunter. What's the difference here? It's just two older people who knew better doing the same thing that two young people did, both of whom should have known better. These were supposed to be personal family matters, but the fallout became too public and too embarrassing. Their families weren't personal or private when THEY POSED for centerfold spreads in some of the nation's most wideley circulated publications. Such a deluded view of oneself is dangerous and impedes one's ability to lead, particularly when one's party platform make integrity and morality central to the qualification to lead (among other things of course).

John Edwards chiding was still met with the same apologetic, excuse-making, what's-good-for the-goose-isn't-good-for-the-gander, diatribe: This is a private issue, He's done so much good, He's not perfect, We're not perfect, Things happen. Yes, things do happen, but for an American wanting a career in politics things can't and shouldn't happen that undermine one's platform.

Attempting to pander to a socially conservative segment of the electorate is disgusting, but white folks do it all the time. When they get caught with their hand in the cookie jar, doing things that are morally despicaple and contrary to their professed beliefs, they still manage to spin it in such a way where their subjective and skewed value system rewards them for reprehensible behavior.

There is absolutely no way that John McCain or Sarah Palin should be able to excite the evangelical base of the Republican party by being a womanizing, adultering, philanderer or an out-of-touch, unqualified, hockey-mom, with a daughter who has a hot coochie that won't quit. However, they have and if they were to judge these two paragons of virtue by their own standards they would find that they have very little, if anything at all, to cheer about.