>...he's the greatest DJ

if only i was a DJ at all...

I think there was a little communication problem, because the way you said it at first, to me it sounded like you were pledging allegiance to your "race". I see what you mean now. Allegiance to your culture and to fairness is what pride is all about. I feel that...

>
>"people think of "black" as a
>culture, which it is... as
>a consequence of racialism and
>racism... "
>

You're right, i should rephrase that... People think of black as a culture because it is. Black is a unique culture in the US as a consequence of racialism and racism. As opposed to being blended with all the other cultures more than it has been.
And the reason that it hasn't been is because of racism. I'm not saying this as well as I'm thinking it, so bear w/

>to think that Black culture only
>exists as a consequence of
>racialism and racism is horribly
>short sighted.

True. You can say that Black as a culture has existed for thousands of years... but what I think you mean is African American culture. Black describes many different peoples with very different cultures, so I'm assuming you're talking about Afro Americans.

You're right in pointing out that the word "only" might have been implied by what I said, but you can't deny that racism has had a huge impact on what Af Am culture is.

> Black culture is
>not just that by which
>we refer to ourselves as
>Black (which is generally the
>extent of white culture) it
>also highly regards our origins
>as africans and salutes several
>of the diverse african tradition
>that carried through slave culture.
>Even the fact that we
>call ourselves "Black" is not
>something suggested by race ideology-
>it is called Kugichagulia- self
>determination.

Are you saying Blackness = Kugichagulia?

>
>Is vodoo a result of racism
>or oppression- to some extent
>yes but to say that
>it is a consequence belittles
>the fact that it existed
>before and after racist suppression
>and as it exists today
>demonstrates quite obvioulsy how it
>existed beyond and survived throughout.

right... u got me... but now you're going outside of African American culture... Voodoo is mostly Caribbean and West African... So I'm getting confused by what you mean by "Black" as a culture. African American culture is very different from those cultures... As I see it, Euro-, Asian- and Mexican-Americans are generally closer culturally to Afro Americans than Haitians or Afro Brazilians are.

>
>
>To say Black people act the
>way they do because of
>racism is a little too
>empowering on behalf of the
>ideology. To say that our
>culture is a consequence is
>inaccurate cuz several items (like
>dreadlocks and hairstyling for instance)
>exist well beyond the reach
>or imposition of racism.

That's true... Just amend my sentence and put a "partially" in front of the "as a consequence"

> Furthermore
>this idea may put forth
>the idea that due to
>racism in America we are
>not entitled to claim that
>which made us Black previous
>to racism and thats just
>not fair.

What was Black before racism?

>
>As the idea of tribe made
>us African back then- so
>to does the idea of
>crews make us Black today;
>but the ideas of crews
>is not so much a
>consequence of racism as it
>is a flourishing demonstration of
>contemporary african tribalism and heritage.
>

That's a good point. Tribes and crews have always existed with all peoples of the Earth. I don't see how that "make Black". It makes them a social human.

>
>If Black culture today was merely
>a consqeuence of racism we
>would still be in shackles.
>Black culture is not the
>consequence of racism in the
>sense that racism caused us-
>our culture today is more
>in the sense of whats
>left of african and many
>Hispanic traditions.

How did you go and bring Hispanic into this?

>
>"You're not proud of your genetic
>makeup like someone who is
>"white and proud"."
>
>yes i am proud of my
>genetic make up but i
>think the ideology of a
>person who is "white and
>proud" is ignorant of the
>fact that human genetics are
>for the most part "heterogenous"
>as my research said..."there is
>as much genetic variation among
>the members of any given
>race as there is between
>different racial groups" if your
>ideology conflicts with that then
>you have a problem- my
>philosophy does not.

OK... I personally would not use the word "proud" to describe how I feel about my genetic make-up. But I definitely feel "lucky".

>
>genetic make up IS who I
>am- and i am proud
>of who i am- as
>should anyone be.
>

Well... like I said above.


>------------------------>
>
>
>hope that clears up some of
>your disappointment.
>

It did. And thanks for laying off the flames.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
giving you true posts since 1999 - effa charter member

"I can assure you, we won't be putting money into a society which is not transparent and corrupt."
-George W Bush