immigration: yet another example of sexist piggybacking on racism

December 31, 2010

i do not have a witty title for this.

A great introduction to and reposting of an equally-great article in Latina Magazine, embedded ironically amongst adverts featuring toothpick-skinny white models and french-sounding perfumes.

Let’s call it the intersection of racism and sexism, via immigration.  I fully and whole-heartedly support this blogger’s message to “these people condemning refugees,” amounting to a resounding

 

fuck you for every asylee you want to send home. These people need help, and you are sending them back to hell and, in many cases, certain death. I am not exaggerating to make you feel guilty — this is truth, and I hope you never have to live in the same terror these people do[...]

I will leave the story as to why there was even a copy of Latina Magazine in my house in the first place for another day…


Gas Explosions and Social Justice

September 12, 2010

The press has done a decent job of reporting that a gas explosion did, in fact, happen.  And that it did, in fact, cause damage.   According to someone I know who lives in the area [emphasis mine]:

This is about 3 miles from where I worked in San Fran, and about 8 miles from where we lived.  Scary is right.  People were reportedly “smelling natural gas for days” prior to the explosion, so it’s undeniable that the gas was perfumed.  Whether they were reporting the natural gas smells through the appropriate avenues is unclear to me at this point in time.  San Bruno is predominantly a poorer neighborhood, with more dilapidated building infrastructure (and utilities to match I presume), than the surrounding neighborhoods (San Mateo, Daly City, San Fran).  I’m curious as well how much “traction” complaints from more “gentrified” neighborhoods have had amongst utility providers, in comparison to areas such as the predominantly hispanic (and economically denuded) San Bruno.

At this point, these are my assumptions, until proven otherwise:

1. The San Bruno infrastructure was in disrepair, especially in relation to wealthier and whiter surrounding areas
2. The neighborhood population did report the smell of gas/rotten eggs to authorities/the utility company
3. The utility company’s initial response was “we’ll look into it” (in a little bit…maybe…) Read the rest of this entry »


Cee-lo to civilization: FUCK YOU

September 3, 2010

From mashable.com:

So fall’s official jam (no, really, it was even playing in a super hipster Brooklyn club last weekend), Cee-lo Green’s “F**ck You,” officially has a video.

we live in a classist and materialistic culture where product and profit is more important than health and happiness…so i like to think that Cee-lo is not only saying fuck you to the people who literally buy into the bullshit (which includes all of us to varying degrees, including me), but also that he is giving a rousing fuck you to all of civilization for providing the fucked up bullshit to buy into in the first place.

is it a stretch? maybe…then again…maybe not:


Fried Chicken, Globalization, and Good Old American Racism

June 9, 2010

So, it’s pretty easy, when you’re a Company Selling Fried Chicken (KFC) in a Racist Country (USA) to hit the racism mark when exporting that unique slice of American industrial food culture abroad.

A friend via Facebook provides some interesting context to the Aussie ad:

There’s no cultural explanation for the Korean ad, it looks pretty racist. But the Australian one requires a cultural perspective to fully understand. This is how some Aussies explained the ad to me: Read the rest of this entry »


Open Letter to Attorney General concerning the death of Aiyana Stanley-Jones

June 5, 2010

Below is the letter, based on the suggestions about how to channel your outrage over Aiyana’s death. Also, for a great analysis of the role “reality TV” and racism played, read this

Dear Attorney General Eric Holder,

I am one of the people outraged at what happened to Aiyana Stanley-Jones in Detroit. Not just because the police carelessly burned and executed a seven year old girl sleeping on a couch. That is bad enough. Despite the fact that police received warnings that there were children in the house. That is worse. But most of all because the police, and whoever heads the police, think black people are worthless enough to be used as props on the latest thin-brained reality TV show. Aiyana Stanley-Jones died that day for a few minutes of televised entertainment. Long before that, white power brokers dehumanized and alienated the members of the black community to the point where they lost their intrinsic value as people in the eyes of the police. And this is the real reason why Aiyana died, like so many before her.

Racist violence is resurging in America. Where is the leadership for justice and compassion?


Guns, Sex(ism), and Hugs

February 13, 2010

What a week.  One shooting at Fort Hood, then a second shooting in Orlando…a bit closer to home (Portland, OR), the 3rd shooting of the week…because she filed for divorce??  And a fourth shooting and a fifth shooting in the Portland-metro area.  In all five cases the perpetrators are men.

UPDATE (11/18):   A sixth shooting

UPDATE (11/30):  Seventh shooting and eighth shooting

UPDATE (12/03): Ninth shooting

UPDATE (02/11): Tenth shooting

In the last three four SIX SEVEN EIGHT local murders in a matter of weeks, it is the same old story…

  1. man believes he has a right to control women Read the rest of this entry »

Football Fans: Racism, Sexism, Masculinity

December 31, 2009

Data source: Stokley gets ejected for slapping the ref
sample size: 1622 comments (as of 01:30 12/31/09)

A keyword search of comments reveals the following:
Pussy (and variants) x 72
Sissy x 4
Bitch (and variants) x 63
Fag (and variants) x  32
Gay x 30
blowjob jokes x 18
Nigger (and variants) x 36
Coons x 2

Assuming 1 keyword per comment, ~15.5% of comments are sexist or racist

CAVEATS: Read the rest of this entry »


Cartoon: A Concise History of Black-White Relations in the United States

September 6, 2009

A Concise History of Black-White Relations in the United States

oh, you know it’s true…


HAVEN: Hip Hop Against Violence Everywhere Now

August 24, 2009

Who is Diezel P?

DiezelP is one of many talented up and coming emcees who are involved in the beginning stages of a collaborative project entitled “HAVEN:  Hip Hop Against Violence Everywhere Now”

Read the rest of this entry »


just a joke: white man gets black man to do manual labor for him

July 2, 2009

here is the video URL: http://reviews.cnet.com/mp3-players/baylis-revolution/4505-6490_7-33357756.html

Below is my letter. Don’t know if I’m over-thinking it, but I am going with my gut on this one…

Read the rest of this entry »


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