Go down Moses, way down in Egypt land

[cyrano]

So Debra Dickerson is on the Colbert Report saying that since Barack Obama (blessed be his name, and also the name of his mother) is not descended from West African slaves brought to the United States, then he's not really Black. He's not really African-American, he's an African African-American.
From my position of White Privelege, I say this sounds like complete bullshit. But I'm also tired and cranky.

Comments

[jholloway.livejournal.com]

It's an interesting position. Much the same thing was said about Colin Powell, whose parents were Jamaican. I think what it reveals is that American society has tended to lump together everyone who looks like their ancestors came from sub-Saharan Africa, which tends to paper over the actual diversity of African-Americans. We distinguish pretty clearly between people whose ancestors came over from Poland in the 19th century and people who are actually from Poland, don't we? Although we do lump them all together in the greater category of "white."

The terminology she uses sounds ridiculous, but I suspect this is because the word we tend to use for "American-born, English-speaking people whose ancestors were brought over as slaves from West Africa" is "Black," which of course Obama is, or "African-American," which of course he also is.

Of course, I suspect that since prejudice based on skin color is so common, African immigrants take a lot of the same shit that American-born Black people do, which is one commonality. Hooray.

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

Of course, I suspect that since prejudice based on skin color is so common, African immigrants take a lot of the same shit that American-born Black people do, which is one commonality.

I think this was one of those things that I was tripping up on. Dickerson was never a slave. She doesn't possess some sort of racial subconscious hive memory of being subjugated. To my knowledge. I don't think that a well off middle class woman whose parents came from Kenya twenty years ago is going to have a significantly less-Black experience than a well off middle class woman whose parents came from Detroit twenty years ago.

Also, it still amuses me to realize that if PW Botha were to move to Birmingham, he would be an African American.

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

But I thought Limbaugh had already declared him a "Half-rican"? They really need to stay on message over there, their Borg-like persona is starting to break down. Soon all will be chaos with random wingnuts just spouting the first crazy thing that comes to their minds...ok, so maybe not so different after all.

[tnalpgge.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't know about complete bullshit, but it's at most 49% bullshit-free.

Not knowing anything about Ms Dickerson, I am inclined to think that she subscribes to the language-manipulation theory of winning debates. If you're not winning, and reasoned refutation of your opponent's points isn't working, then distort meanings and invent new terms until your opponent grows disgusted with your linguistic shenanigans, and then beat them over the head with your new talking points until they quit out of frustration. And remember to smile while you're doing it.

I tend to see it more from the non-left end of the spectrum, but I imagine there are some practicioners on the non-right as well.

[hamgallon84.livejournal.com]

Question day!

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

Oh fuck. You're right!

[evilmagnus]

"Being from Africa" is not the same as being "African-American". ;p Ask the white guy at Brown who tried to join Africa House (he was born in Zimbabwe, lived in Africa for most of his life) but was refused because of his skin color. And because he wasn't descended from slaves.

Anyway. Moral of the story: what's with the racial cliques?

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

I'm just hoping I don't have to own a pub or be a policeman or a priest in order to be Irish-American.

[evilmagnus]

You're a drunk, right? I think that's all you need. :-)