Today though, your attention is directed to a Cornel West interview, and to a Jelani Cobb New Yorker essay, both of which also cover the recent President Obama remarks on the larger subjects: namely guns, fear of the Black man, and self-defense. The latter topic, self-defense, is going to continue to be a touchstone, because it transcends racial and socioeconomic groupings, and is on the mind of everyone living in gun mad America, and indeed, anyone living on our violent planet. I'll give you a while to review the links...
... Still here, take your time...
Okay. Anxious to read your comments, but here are mine. (1) The myth of the scary Black man must be addressed. I mean, there is something to be said for having a persona that people don't readily want to eff with, but when it's hurting you in wholesale ways, it's time for broadening and humanizing action. Sometimes the Black guy is the one in the black hat, but statistics and anecdotes say that, more likely, he's the guy deserving of the medal, or at least a white hat owner (real life is seldom black-and-white). (2) We love gangsta rap--so? It's cartoon-like, as are Funkadelic, Kiss, LaBelle and countless other musicmakers and their works of pop art. Nothing wrong with art that's only loosely based on reality. Real reality is the fact that #IceCube Incorporated is a fabulously diverse and efficient, American-made money machine. One time nominal cop-blaster is now a beer spokesman! Talk about rehabilitation. Where is the corporate love for the Yasin Beys, EVITANs, Erykah Badus, Dead Prez??? (Oh, we know why they scareda 'Prez.) Conscious Artists move just as many units when similarly marketed. (3) Don't be afraid to talk about legally arming yourself in these #StandYourGround States. Now, I betcha THAT will excite this conversation for sure!
No comments:
Post a Comment