Track 10: The Black Anima Closes

I've decided to stop updating http://theblackanima.blogspot.com. When I created this blog, race was heavily on my mind and determined to write about how I saw it since I encounter it practically everyday. However, I didn't follow through with it. Honestly, there just isn't enough for me to want to write on the topic and keep up with it on a somewhat regular basis. And on top of that, I found myself wanting to cross-post to http://ultramicah.blogspot.com. I will still be making posts related to race and posting them, however they will not be on The Black Anima. I don't plan to delete the blog though because who knows, I may revisit it in the future. In the meantime though, all future posts related to race will remain on http://ultramicah.blogspot.com. Please update your subscription and rss feeders accordingly.

Track 9: Pride

It's Pride weekend and I got a reminder as to why I don't support it. I went out to WeHo and of course it was decked out for Pride. With all the clones i and the "fabulousness" that's spilling onto the streets, one would think that it's a time to be happy and be, well, proud. But at the same time is so heavily segregated racially. I felt very much out of place. Granted, this isn't specific to pride but just how the gay community works on any other weekend but I think Pride amplifies it to the fifth power. It also doesn't help that on this weekend places like Here, a typical bar with overpriced drinks, was charging cover. So you mean to tell me I have to wait in line for 15 minutes and then have to pay to get inside your crummy bar that doesn't have anything new in it despite it being a big celebratory day? It's such a small venue there's not enough space to really dance. And half the bar is outside so people are smoking nonstop there.

I can't celebrate gay male whiteness. Or even a particular kind of gay male whiteness which is distributed widely and told is the ideal that we all want to have or achieve to be. It's something most of us can't be and I don't want to be that way anyway. Why do I have to suffer because my hair texture is the way it is and I have a natural tan. I want to see more people like me represented properly in the queer community, instead of being relegated to a fetish status or a backup to the white Apollo.

I'm sure one of the first thoughts someone will have reading this is "Micah, you think about race too much. Maybe you're not comfortable with being black." No, that couldn't be farther from the truth. I'm just tired of this system. And I think it's hard to know where I'm coming from unless you're a queer person of color. We all share this struggle but it's something that is so easily glanced over. And on top of this, it doesn't help that our queer white brethren tell us to let this go to fight for other parts of equality like marriage, which inherently benefits them more than us. So in the end we get the short of the stick. And I honestly am ready to let go of it.

Track 8: Getting Offended

So I've stopped really looking at Stuff White People Like these days, but I find this post particularly true. The blog itself isn't as interesting anymore as the fad has faded but I think this sums up some interesting points. Personally I've loved the typical response to being called racist "I can't be racist because my best friend is black" line. Enjoy the post!

the full story here

To be offended is usually a rather unpleasant experience, one that can expose a person to intolerance, cultural misunderstandings, and even evoke the scars of the past. This is such an unpleasant experience that many people develop a thick skin and try to only be offended in the most egregious and awful situations. In many circumstances, they can allow smaller offenses to slip by as fighting them is a waste of time and energy. But white people, blessed with both time and energy, are not these kind of people. In fact there are few things white people love more than being offended.

Naturally, white people do not get offended by statements directed at white people. In fact, they don’t even have a problem making offensive statements about other white people (ask a white person about “flyover states”). As a rule, white people strongly prefer to get offended on behalf of other people.

It is also valuable to know that white people spend a significant portion of their time preparing for the moment when they will be offended. They read magazines, books, and watch documentaries all in hopes that one day they will encounter a person who will say something offensive. When this happens, they can leap into action with quotes, statistics, and historical examples. Once they have finished lecturing another white person about how it’s wrong to use the term “black” instead of “African-American,” they can sit back and relax in the knowledge that they have made a difference.

White people also get excited at the opportunity to be offended at things that are sexist and/or homophobic. Both cases offering ample opportunities for lectures, complaints, graduate classes, lengthy discussions and workshops. All of which do an excellent job of raising awareness among white people who hope to change their status from “not racist” to “super not racist.”

Another thing worth noting is that the threshold for being offended is a very important tool for judging and ranking white people. Missing an opportunity to be outraged is like missing a reference to Derrida-it’s social death.

If you ever need to make a white person feel indebted to you, wait for them to mention a book, film, or television show that features a character who is the same race as you, then say “the representation of was offensive and if you can’t see that, well, you need to do some soul searching.” After they return from their hastily booked trip to land of your ancestors, they will be desperate to make it up to you. At this point, it is acceptable to ask them to help you paint your house.

Track 7: Obama

143 years after the end of slavery, we have a black presidential nominee for a major party. The fight's far from over, but this election has gotten people talking about race for the first time in quite a while.

Track 6: Ignant

What the hell is this? Why do we act this way? And furthermore, this is scene as a joke. The subtitles are off, probably to add to the humor. Ridiculous.

Track 5: School Row

In the small town of Camden, Australia, there's a racist fight against the building of an Islamic school.

Some of the loudest cheers of the night greeted a speech from a local man in his late 70s.

"Can I just say this without being racist or political?" he said. "In 1983, in the streets of London a parade by Muslims chanted incessantly 'If we can take London, we can take the world'. Don't let them take Camden."

Right...because every time you have the disclaimer "not to be racist but..." always mean you're not racist.

You can read the full article here courtesy of BBC.

Track 4: Blacks in a White Restaurant

So I'm currently in north Carolina, and of course it wouldn't be a trip to the South without some racist moment occurring. We went to this restaurant called Bonefish Grill on Market Street. Dinner was fine and service was great, considering we were a party of around sixteen. When we entered, we noticed we were the only blacks in the restaurant. There was a Lakers game that was about to come on while we were at dinner and earlier in the evening one of my cousins asked if they could change one of their large HD TVs to TNT to show the game. No response. When our meal ends, we ask once more. Again, the bartenders/waitresses by the tvs didn't even flinch when they were asked to change the channel. My mom called the manager over, which took close to five minutes for him to get to our table. The restaurant wasn't terribly busy, mind you. When he came my mom asked why our request wasn't completed and if it was policy to not change channels but he said that it wasn't a problem and apologized, though he kept insisting that the channel was changed, and we disagreed with him.

We were fine when we were paying, but once we made requests the staff became ignorant. And of course they don't see anything wrong with it either.

Track 3: All-American

What does it mean to be "All-American"? Am I All-American? What are the qualifications?

I ask in response to gay personal ads where men describe themselves as "All-American." It led me to ask myself "what does it mean to be "All-American?" All of these men that use this qualifier are white muscular men, generally blond and brunette. And because of the number of responses and the variety in those replies, The way its portrayed in these ads don't have a universal meaning. All-American can be for a collegiate athlete, something I'm sure most of these men are not.

It's funny that All-American is also included with the phrase "Straight acting." Why do gays still hate on themselves? First off, what does straight-acting even mean? That you drink Bud Lite, like monster truck rallies, and wear unflattering clothes? In that case I'm not straight acting at all! And proud of it too.

I think that many gay men still have a inferiority complex. They have internalized heterosexual supremacy. They think that gay is still wrong and they have to be as close to "straight" as possible, whatever that means. Which is funny, seeing as how there isn't even a real way that most straight men act. It's problematic and I don't see it going away, seeing as how a good 70% of gay men wear Abercrombie and Fitch, quite possibly the biggest label of idealized whiteness that continues to perpetuate that idea.

Track 2: Was LeBron Offered a Banana by Vogue?

I was browsing another blog, namely The Assimilated Negro and came across this image from the April issue of Vogue. Do you see racism in the recent Vogue cover featuring LeBron and Gisele?



Was LeBron offered a banana for this King Kong-looking cover? It's a shame too since he is the first black man to "grace" the cover of the magazine.

You can read more from ESPN editor Jemele Hill at her article.

Track 1: What is Anima?

Anima is the unconscious true self. For men it is defined by Jung as being feminine, the aggregate of one's mother, sisters, teachers, and other female figures. For women it is animus, a masculine figure. However, it does not have to be completely binary; in fact many believe that everyone has both an anima and an animus. It is the true essence of us and it's realization and confrontation from our dreams will take us to a new level.

It manifests itself by appearing as figures in dreams as well as by influencing a man's interactions with women and his attitudes toward them, and vice versa for females and the animus. Confronting one's shadow self is an "apprentice-piece", while confronting one's anima is the masterpiece.