i can't trust you, you're an arab
ah yes, i knew it was just a matter a time before the bashing would begin. how much does the attack on obama have to do with the fact that he's black- and are people using the term 'arab' instead because anti-arab racism is better accepted here than say, anti-black racism?one second obama is arab, the next he's muslim. these words are thrown around and serve as an insult. (so basically, instead of telling someone their mama is a whore,telling them that their mama is an arab will now suffice). 'Arab' is also now a poltiical weapon:' i don't trust obama, he's an arab':
so in light of this type of arab-bashing poltical climate who in their right mind is going to come out and say: i'm an arab.
i will.
no worries- when i meet you and reveal my identity, i'll try to make the experience extra terror-fying for you by barking like a dog and jumping on one foot.
alternatively, i could keep quiet about who i am and wait till the day when some white person raises their hand and says; "hey, so what if obama was arab" (which by the way, he clearly is not- nor is he is a muslim, so get over yourselves) - but we all know thats not going to happen during my lifetime. welcome to america folks, where we serve you a steaming hot side dish of racism and expect you to swallow it whole. and its not just about being arab- its about being black, latino, asian, etc.
don't get me wrong, i'm not defending obama. i personally will not be voting for him (and i will not be voting for McCain either). i don't think i'm even defending myself here, because i refuse to be put on the defensive. i 'm not going to apologize for who i am.
and to quote the late June Jordan:
I am not wrong: Wrong is not my name
My name is my own my own my own
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And what about those of us white folks that DO ask that question and have our voices quashed faster than the lady in the McCain town hall?
I don't think it's helpful to assume that there aren't white activists out there who give a shit. I think it just further adds to the problem.
well, i was referring to when your 'joe 6 pack' raises his hand and says something. yes, there are activists, and they do great work, but its a relatively small community. i don't undervalue their contributions, and i appreciate the work they do.
It's a really sad state of affairs that we got to. The way we are portrayed in the world makes you want to scream. I am sick and tired of explaining that we are normal people.
Oh well, I guess this is the struggle of our generation. I just hope we care enough to fight it!
The problem is that regardless of whether they do speak or not, a lot of people, including activists will be waiting around for a white person's word on the issue because an arab opinion alone doesn't hold any weight. It's not whether their voices are there or not, it's that there's an expectation to hold out for them.
Hello, I am commenting specifically on your statement: "welcome to america folks, where we serve you a steaming hot side dish of racism and expect you to swallow it whole."
It almost infuriates me when I hear people say how racist America is. Have you ever traveled around the world? I have. America is the LEAST RACIST of all the countries in the world. Go to any country in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and even South America. The racism will astonish you!
America does have work to do, it is true. However, we have come a long way...further than any other nation in the world.
nadia; well said.
anon;
well i don't know how you would go about measuring racism in such a way that you could rate countries (on a scientific basis) on how racist they are. i have traveled abroad and yes i have witnessed racism in other societies, its quite disgusting. racism is brazil is horrendous.
but i'm not talking about that. my point is that racism is still alive here in the states, a country which claims to be a beacon of democracy. no other country (perhaps with the exception of israel, maybe a few others) makes such a claim with such fervor. so if you look at it, we are among the few countries which a) claim to be democratic, developed, etc and b) suffer from racism. that is problematic.
oh and one more thing.
prop8. yes, we ve still got work to do.
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