Election 08
嗯，最近被一个非常nasty 的病毒打倒了。公司部门里从上到下一半人都病倒。
另外在看花样滑冰世锦赛，正好帮我忘记选举的事儿。
引一个今天偶然瞄到的Washington Post文章，颇有几处让我同意的地方。
另外在看花样滑冰世锦赛，正好帮我忘记选举的事儿。
引一个今天偶然瞄到的Washington Post文章，颇有几处让我同意的地方。
在看John Adams 的时候，狠狠地感慨了几下。
Okay, Barack. Now Show 'Em Your White Side.
By Bomani Armah
Sunday, March 23, 2008; B01
So it's official. Sen. Barack Obama is black enough. Now it's time for him to switch gears. Okay, maybe not Obama himself -- he does a good job of appearing to be above the political and racial fray, as his speech last week proved again -- but his supporters. They need to start pushing the idea of how white he is.
Yes, that's right: Barack Obama is as white as he is black. The one-drop rule is not a genetic law or a social fact; it is a construct of this country's racist imagination. For Pete's sake, he's a distant cousin of Dick Cheney's. We need to start stressing the idea that his universal appeal is partly due to his being white, like all the presidents before him.
I know, I know. For a while the big issue was Obama's blackness. But the King (Jesse Jackson) and the Prime Minister (Al Sharpton) of black people announced he'd passed the test. Of course, it took a gang of white people in Iowa voting for him before they felt comfortable anointing him, but it happened. All of a sudden, Bill Clinton looked less like a gumbo of James Brown, John Coltrane and Magic Johnson and more like a potluck dinner of Tom Jones, Kenny G and Larry Bird.
Black people all over the country felt liberated: Finally they could support an African American who wasn't guaranteed to lose. In fact, I personally take credit for helping Obama solidify the black vote, because every time someone asked me that asinine "Is he black enough?" question, I would quip, "What do you expect the first black president to be? A dashiki-wearing, Afro-with-a-pick, fist-waving ex-Black Panther?" Little did anyone know that Obama's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., is a dashiki-wearing, fist-waving, might-as-well-have-been-an-ex-Black Panther (not sure, I'll call the FBI to check).
Before you knew it, the world had been introduced to the astonishing idea that some black people (okay, all black people except Armstrong Williams) believe that this country was founded on some nefarious principles and might still be involved in activities aimed at undermining the black community. Cable news pundits and radio talking heads were stunned to find out that large segments of the community think that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were merely propaganda -- grand talk that the country didn't intend to live up to but has been forced to conform to over the past few centuries because of blacks, women, the poor, non-Christians and numerous other minority groups calling them out on the promise of "all men being created equal."
Blacks do believe that this country is the greatest on Earth, but we sleep with one eye open because of the nightmares of our past.
So, now that the uncomfortable secret of Obama's blackness has finally been uncovered, it's time for him to promote his other half. Okay, I know what you're thinking:
But Bomani, we need to appeal to the historic significance of his being black, or try to make him non-racial!
Not so. In all honesty, the more I watch Obama talk and interact with people, the more I'm convinced he's a "soul brother." He walks with a rhythm, slaps skin when he shakes hands with even the most white-bread politician and speaks in a cadence that would make Rudy Ray Moore proud. Even though these attributes are part of the reason he has garnered support among important blocs of voters -- African Americans, young people, liberals, antiwar activists and the highly educated -- they will also serve to galvanize a voting bloc that hasn't had to come together before in the history of our country. That is the all-important "Aw Hell No!" voting bloc.
That's right. The "Aw Hell No!" political bloc has lain dormant for 200 years, waiting for a moment to flex its political muscle. Don't forget that this country is more than 60 percent white and that less than half the population votes. This means that a lot of white people could care less about the political process. They believe that national politics are really out of their reach and that it's not worth taking time off from work to participate. As long as the federal government stays within some superficial norms, they aren't worried about who does what in November. That is, until a black man (and to be honest, a woman) got a real chance to become president.
This attack on the laws of the universe is destined to cause a spike in participation by these once-apathetic voters. This is a group that includes young and old and has members in both rural areas and urban communities. "AHN" members are comfortable with their lives and just aren't ready for such a dramatic change in the White House. I wouldn't even be surprised if some members of this bloc have spoken glowingly of Obama -- maybe even attended his rallies. They may not realize that they're members of this group until the curtain is closed behind them in the voting booth.
This is why I say, play up Obama's white heritage as much as possible. He needs to start posing with his mother's family a lot more, not the United Nations crew of brothers and cousins he's normally seen running with. Staffers need to start snapping as many pictures as possible of him putting mayonnaise on his sandwiches and shaking hands straight up and down (no more low-fives that evolve into a shake with that pat on the back). He should also be banned from speaking at any kind of Baptist church (not just the United Church of Christ) and should just stick to churches that only use a pipe organ and where folks sing their songs solemnly and straight from a hymnal.
He should be given diction lessons so he stops cutting off his y's (no more "li-ber-teh" and "e-kwa-li-teh"). And for heaven's sake, when he's campaigning this summer, no rallies on the "south side" of any city. (Is there some cute, Anglo-sounding nickname that we can use as short for Barack? I'm open to suggestions. Hey, I've got it -- Barry!)
Okay, I hear you again:
But Bomani, playing into racial stereotypes has to be counterproductive! And having him fake anything takes away from the realness that gives him such broad appeal!
Look, Obama's amazing background and upbringing allow him to play any role in our tragicomedy of black vs. white thoroughly and authentically. After he wins the presidential election, I will personally show up on Pennsylvania Avenue during his inaugural procession, wearing the African flag colors of red, black and green, with the rap group Public Enemy (pre-Flavor Flav's "Flavor of Love"), screaming at the top of my lungs like a teenager running behind Muhammad Ali in Zaire: "Barack, bomaye! Barack, bomaye!"
Until then, I am not taking any more chances acknowledging him as a black man.
info@notarapper.com
Bomani Armah is a Washington poet, hip-hop artist, satirist and educator.
此喵已死，有事烧纸
No idea, but there must be a lot of connections. Mainstream America has pretty much been blind to what's going on in black communities for the past three decades. I haven't studied on this much either.
Many of the civil rights leaders from the 60s have carried on the cause as well as the internal conflicts in that period. They have formed an "older" generation of black movement that were increasingly marginalized since the Reagan era. Jesse Jackson was the heir apparent to MLK for a while, and he had inherited a more conciliatory posture toward whites. Others have been alligned with more radical origins. Farrakhan has been on the extreme end but has also become irrelevant since the late 90s. Al Sharpton, etc. are all part of this older generation of civil rights leadership that looks more and more outdated.
The newer generation of black leaders seem to have broken away from the trend and taken a rather sharp turn in recent decade. They seem to be less agitators and more politicians working within the system. A lot of people probably don't remember by now, but early in Hillary Clinton's campaign Bill Clinton got a lot of his black pals to come out and endorse her --- most of whom are indeed from the older generation of civil rights movement. It backfired so her campaigned dropped them and began to focus on white voters instead.
I saw this story on NPR's Web site. Haven't listened to it yet, but may be informative.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... d=89051115
Many of the civil rights leaders from the 60s have carried on the cause as well as the internal conflicts in that period. They have formed an "older" generation of black movement that were increasingly marginalized since the Reagan era. Jesse Jackson was the heir apparent to MLK for a while, and he had inherited a more conciliatory posture toward whites. Others have been alligned with more radical origins. Farrakhan has been on the extreme end but has also become irrelevant since the late 90s. Al Sharpton, etc. are all part of this older generation of civil rights leadership that looks more and more outdated.
The newer generation of black leaders seem to have broken away from the trend and taken a rather sharp turn in recent decade. They seem to be less agitators and more politicians working within the system. A lot of people probably don't remember by now, but early in Hillary Clinton's campaign Bill Clinton got a lot of his black pals to come out and endorse her --- most of whom are indeed from the older generation of civil rights movement. It backfired so her campaigned dropped them and began to focus on white voters instead.
I saw this story on NPR's Web site. Haven't listened to it yet, but may be informative.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... d=89051115
此喵已死，有事烧纸
受到笑嘻嘻的煽动，我把Malcolm X DVD 租来看了。感觉有点失望。不知道是材料太多安排不开，还是因为编导原意就是拍给熟悉历史的黑人观众看的，很多地方尤其是大环境和背景没讲清楚，只是通过很少一些记录片的片段意思意思就完了。对民权运动的来龙去脉和当时社会状况和激烈矛盾不知道的人看了肯定很迷糊，我虽然有少少了解，但是对Nation of Islam 的内部政治斗争和几派黑人运动领袖的矛盾---从MLK 的主和派到Black Panthers 的主战派，风起云涌各说各的，而且有白人左派知识分子和右派保守和官方势力的掺和，很复杂的。Spike Lee 基本上可以说是没讲清楚。我是没看明白为什么他们要刺杀 Malcolm X。Law and Order 早期有一集，不，两集，明显地影射过Nation of Islam里面的派系斗争。
不过CIA和FBI背后有一定的参与是毫无疑问的，那是J. Edgar Hoover 的时代，他把所有的人都窃听监视了。Spike Lee 没有走Oliver Stone 的道路，沉湎在阴谋理论中，倒是明智的选择。自从拍了这部片子以后，Spike Lee 就被大多数主流观点归为捣乱分子之类。其实我倒觉得他采取的是不加置评的手法，而未必是赞同Malcolm X 的所有的立场，尤其是早期的立场。每个生长在美国的黑人都能至少理解 Malcolm X 说的话，包括一些非常不好听的话---即使偏激仍然事出有因。但是如果你把同样的话那给白人听，尤其是60年代以后的白人，他们几乎全会认为这些是极端反白人的种族主义的言论。
片子拍得非常美，摄影是Spike Lee 的老盆友Ernie Dickerson 一贯的精致和鲜艳，就不用说了（可惜他跑去做导演就没再跟Spike Lee 合作了）。音乐也是Spike Lee 一贯的棒，不逊于Tarantino。
我觉得Spike Lee 写剧本擅长小人物街坊邻里的日常生活，以小见大，微妙的感慨，普通人的心情，不适合这么庞大的历史题材，有点力不从心。最前面讲 Malcolm Little 在波士顿街坊里当小混混的部分就特别生动，后面特严肃的部分就比较刻板，人物缺少了活力和psychological insight， 主角配角的心理刻画都很囫囵平板。最精彩的只剩下照抄历史书的Malcolm X 自己的演讲稿子。Denzel Washington 是很厉害的，能把原先 Malcolm X 那么强烈煽动性的演讲模仿到这个程度很不容易了。
不过，看了DVD 上关于Malcolm X 的纪录片，actual footage，感觉他本人的气质跟Washington 很不同，影片里表现的还是不够。叹口气。
（暗杀MLK 的历史公案其实也很暧昧，即使是严肃的历史学家也不能完全排除政府背后安排的阴谋论。）
不过CIA和FBI背后有一定的参与是毫无疑问的，那是J. Edgar Hoover 的时代，他把所有的人都窃听监视了。Spike Lee 没有走Oliver Stone 的道路，沉湎在阴谋理论中，倒是明智的选择。自从拍了这部片子以后，Spike Lee 就被大多数主流观点归为捣乱分子之类。其实我倒觉得他采取的是不加置评的手法，而未必是赞同Malcolm X 的所有的立场，尤其是早期的立场。每个生长在美国的黑人都能至少理解 Malcolm X 说的话，包括一些非常不好听的话---即使偏激仍然事出有因。但是如果你把同样的话那给白人听，尤其是60年代以后的白人，他们几乎全会认为这些是极端反白人的种族主义的言论。
片子拍得非常美，摄影是Spike Lee 的老盆友Ernie Dickerson 一贯的精致和鲜艳，就不用说了（可惜他跑去做导演就没再跟Spike Lee 合作了）。音乐也是Spike Lee 一贯的棒，不逊于Tarantino。
我觉得Spike Lee 写剧本擅长小人物街坊邻里的日常生活，以小见大，微妙的感慨，普通人的心情，不适合这么庞大的历史题材，有点力不从心。最前面讲 Malcolm Little 在波士顿街坊里当小混混的部分就特别生动，后面特严肃的部分就比较刻板，人物缺少了活力和psychological insight， 主角配角的心理刻画都很囫囵平板。最精彩的只剩下照抄历史书的Malcolm X 自己的演讲稿子。Denzel Washington 是很厉害的，能把原先 Malcolm X 那么强烈煽动性的演讲模仿到这个程度很不容易了。
不过，看了DVD 上关于Malcolm X 的纪录片，actual footage，感觉他本人的气质跟Washington 很不同，影片里表现的还是不够。叹口气。
（暗杀MLK 的历史公案其实也很暧昧，即使是严肃的历史学家也不能完全排除政府背后安排的阴谋论。）
此喵已死，有事烧纸
