Tinky made the point I would have made, had I not resolved to stay off this post. But now...

>But I have to wonder... isn't
>the power they assumed illusionary
>power? The abuse they have
>learned and internalized? Of course,
>I ain't gone think of
>it like that, but after
>I curse 'em out and
>get on with my bad
>self, I might think about
>it with a calmer mind
>and realize that they are
>acting out what the oppressor
>has acted out against them.

And that leaves you...where?

This summer I worked for a public sector union, organizing hospital workers at UCSF Medical Center. It's San Francisco, so we had latino, filipino, asian, white, black, and polish (plus some extras).

There was enough prejudice and racism between Mexicans and Filipinos alone to ground you for a week. Yes, it makes some sense that people who struggled in the past might resent newer immigrants into their job market, but nevertheless, this organizing has to be done for everyone's good.

Same with the asian grocer. Everyone in our community, not just whoever you've defined as the "oppressor," has to confront racial issues...and everyone is responsible for acting on them.

>There are Black people who do
>this same thing against other
>Black people, for that matter.
>I don't think of it
>as racism as much as
>being lost and acting out
>of something that doesn't belong
>to them.

Well, I have trouble imagining that you'd afford the same leniency to a white person's personal prejudice...despite the fact that it's the SAME SYSTEM innoculating both.

Alek
______________________________________
LEFT side of the bedroom, fool!
What?! What?!