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Posted By:
theoriginal MissZ at 08/22/2008 2:30:38 PM
Comment:
To soley focus on ones skin color or cultural heritage is very self limiting. I agree with the daughter who said where did all these black people suddenly come from. Blacks are represented all the time in the media, the majority of the sports personalities are black, the music industry is dominated by black artists, who buys most of the tickets and CD's? Black Folk? I mean, politically correctly - African Americans.
White people don't consider themselves first by where their ancestors came from. If they did we would be confused on what to call them - Irish Americans, Germans Americans, Italian Americans, Swedish Americans, Jewish Americans - just guessing could get a sista into alot of trouble. What about the mixed race people? What should we call them? Labels are just that, limited in description.
Regulate your speaking to elimated all racial segration and consider what it is to be human first. The MAN does not hold me back, I chose where I want to live, because I have the means to do so. I have friends from childhood that have never tried to lift themselves out of poverty and continue to blame others for their continued problems. They call me names of affection behind my back because I am successful in a so called "white world". I am only successful because I never was allowed to limit myself with labels growing up, my parents would never accept anything less than 100%. They pushed me toward goals and force me to do activities to create a well rounded person. I took ballet and violin lessons for years, but I am not a ballerina or a concert violinist today.
Once black people force themselves outside the racially drawn boundrys and embrace other culturals instead of self segration will they come to terms with their self limiting blackness and really immerse themselves into American culture. -
Posted By:
Soldier's Mom at 08/22/2008 12:17:04 AM
Comment:
You should let yourself read the New Yorker if the article is by Henry Louis Gates Jr. or Malcolm Gladwell. Or Jamaica Kincaid. -
Posted By:
carvell at 02/17/2008 11:22:12 AM
Comment:
Being a black person around a majority of white people and things is difficult. I'm not complaining about it or claiming oppression, it's just one of those things in life that's difficult. I can see why a person would feel like it's some kind of relief to go "back to black." (Even though,. when her poet friend suggested that she might go insane, I didn't think it'd be from the effort, but from all the stupid, insipid, juvenile, and ridiculous Black stuff she'd eventually have to read, watch and listen to.)
This whole thing about "can't we all just be Americans" is interesting. Having black skin doesn't make you black. Navigating the world with black skin makes you black. It has an impact on who you are, what you value and how you live. Much in the same way, perhaps, that being a woman for 30 or 40 or 50 years would form your world view and outlook. It's beyond genetics or chemistry. It's an experience. Of course we're Americans, but we clearly don't feel like when people say "America" they're talking about our experience. So we feel the need to be clear about it, even if it's with the perpetually goofy and much-maligned "African-American" moniker.
This is one of the main things that make Blackness different from Hispanicness or Irishness, or Cherokeeness. You can see Black people from a mile away (and not just cause we're loud as f*ck, but there's that too). We're always visually identifiable as non-white. All the time, every time. This has had a significant impact on our lived experience and treatment in ways and contexts that are vast and varied. That is why we can't just up and blend in after a few generations. It's the skin and the hair and the lips and the nose and the booty that create the experience.And it's that experience that makes us Black.
To the whole "replace black with white and you'll see how racist it is" argument. Please. When you replace black with white, other things change as well. For evidence of this, think of every white person you know in your life and neighborhood. Now replace them with black people and see if it don't feel a little different.
It's true that this piece doesn't really offer much beyond a compelling question: "What would happen if I immersed myself in Black only media for x amount of time?" Unfortunately we never find out what happens because Ms. Mclarin forgets to answer it. She instead takes the opportunity to navel gaze about being black in general and then foray briefly into self-aggrandizing.
But what's not true is that it's "myopic" or "racist" simply because it wants to calls some things black and other things white. Frankly, that's how it is. Race is not everything. But it's definitely something. -
Posted By:
Conservationist at 02/16/2008 10:17:17 AM
Comment:
Hi, I'm a pan-nationalist, which means that I support national autonomy for all ethnicities. I think what you're doing is a great idea. I've been doing the same for my own ethnic group. However, most of the others in my ethnic group are confused and delusional. I wrote this for them:
http://www.corrupt.org/articles/african_superman/ -
Posted By:
ash at 02/15/2008 4:51:55 AM
Comment:
Hello :) I'm a black guy (Jamaican descent) that has grown up in Australia of all places. I found this article to be really interesting because I it reminded me again how screwed up America is (and the rest of the world of course don't worry) over this black vs white thing. Can't we move on from this and just all be people? I mean, it's 2008 for god's sake! :) I feel like laughing in exasperation sometimes when I think of the situation people are still in today just because of the colour of their skin. I hope you guys managed to work yourselves out someday because it doesn't really sound like anything has changed even after all these years... :( -
Posted By:
Phocion at 02/15/2008 4:21:21 AM
Comment:
I found this article to be quite engaging but I would have liked to have read more about that which is contemporary rather than finding an appreciation for past contribution. Interesting though those insights may have been I think there would have been much to be gained, from a reader???s perspective, if we were told of how reading only black magazines and watching only black news affected your opinion of America and the world today. (And was that restricted to American media or did you read news papers from Africa or the Caribbean as well?)
As for Jimmy Walker and Huggy Bear???I???m not sure that image has changed much. Martin Lawrence and Chris Tucker seem content to play the fool for a paycheck. Sure, there are Denzel Washington???s out there but they get over shadowed by the loud and brash. There are TV icons too, but many a black produced, themed and targeted program continues to promote that same ???Dy-no-mite??? image that was required to break into the industry??????House of Payne??? being the latest. It just comes down to money???don???t pay for you or your children to support those negative images and they???ll fade. -
Posted By:
Phocion at 02/15/2008 4:18:19 AM
Comment:
I found this article to be quite engaging but I would have liked to have read more about that which is contemporary rather than finding an appreciation for past contribution. Interesting though those insights may have been I think there would have been much to be gained, from a reader???s perspective, if we were told of how reading only black magazines and watching only black news affected your opinion of America and the world today. (And was that restricted to American media or did you read news papers from Africa or the Caribbean as well?)
As for Jimmy Walker and Huggy Bear???I???m not sure that image has changed much. Martin Lawrence and Chris Tucker sure seems content to play the fool for a paycheck. Sure, there are Denzel Washington???s out there but they get over shadowed by the loud and brash. There are TV icons too, but many a black produced, themed and targeted program has promoted that same ???Dy-no-mite??? image that had to be adhered to if they wanted a role??????House of Payne??? being the latest. It just comes down to money???don???t pay for you or your children to support those negative images and they???ll fade. -
Posted By:
conryf at 02/15/2008 3:23:29 AM
Comment:
"American culture is black culture, of course. The music, the language, the food, the literature, the very definition of what it means to be American ??? all of it is shot straight through with us. Try to remove the African presence from the house that is America and the whole thing collapses upon itself."
How ironic that Ms. McLarin recognizes this an proceeds to try to live american culture without whiteness, and is suprised when it collapses upon itself. Perhaps she should realize that embracing her blackness does not require an explcit rejection of whiteness and that she is, wheather or not she can admit it to herself, more American than black. -
Posted By:
conryf at 02/15/2008 3:18:18 AM
Comment:
"American culture is black culture, of course. The music, the language, the food, the literature, the very definition of what it means to be American ??? all of it is shot straight through with us. Try to remove the African presence from the house that is America and the whole thing collapses upon itself."
How ironic that Ms. McLarin recognizes this and then tries to take the whiteness out of American culture and laments it's 'collaps[ing] upon itself.' Perhaps she should realize that she's more American then black, and embracing that blackness doesn't require and explicit rejection of everything white. -
Posted By:
Black Bob at 02/15/2008 12:01:40 AM
Comment:
I didn't get the point of this whining article. It seems the writer longs for some kind of black only distopia. Her attempts at humor at the expense of her white students is not kind. The article is not well written as evidenced by the disjointed last paragraph, the last sentence of which is, in fact, not a complete sentence. I am a black man. Go Barack! -
Posted By:
deva at 02/14/2008 11:50:42 PM
Comment:
Just curious why a comment I submitted fourteen hours ago hasn't appeared... Does The Root only publish comments that praise its content unreservedly? -
Posted By:
fechinlover at 02/14/2008 10:10:14 PM
Comment:
Nice article, but wasy too much emphasis on those dreaded soul-deadening words "black" and "white". I know this is annoying ot hear, but you really need to move off it.
And your contention that "American Culture IS Black Culture" is wayyyy off. Its as wrong as saying American Culture is Jewish culture. Or WASP culture.
We are all of us. Any other viewpoint is racist. -
Posted By:
fechinlover at 02/14/2008 10:08:14 PM
Comment:
This was a nice idea. But boy hearing the words "white" and "black" is just so soul-deadening. Get off it. Live! And don't tell me you can't.
Also, the idea that American culture IS black culture... That's just untenable. That's like saying American culture is Jewish culture. Or WASP culture. Or a Norman Rockwell painting. Or a Diego Rivera mural.
We are all of us! Let's move on together, shall we? -
Posted By:
Alanae at 02/14/2008 8:06:06 PM
Comment:
so what you did in your article is make it seem like all "white" people are racist bastards and "black" people are just the victim. what about other cultures? what about irish culture or japanase culture? why focus so much on the color of someones skin, instead of who they are? why dont we have a multi cultural month instead of just a month about black culture? im tired of other cultures being forgotten because apparently black culture is more important. also, this country wouldnt be what it is without the englishman riding the backs of the irish. irish were dirt. a business man would rather send an irish man in to do a potentially fatal job than a black man because the irish man was worth less than the black man.
the area i grew up in is mostly white and asian people with some other diversity spotted in. i was told by mexican kids that i have no culture in elementary school and that they are superior to me because they (apparently) do have culture. at work i have been told by someone of another culture (seriously only hispanics or blacks have told me this) that they cant go to the rich "white" areas of town without being glared at by the evil white man. you know what i tell them? i cant go to a mexican, korean, even japanese market without getting glared at. koreans wont even speak to me. and at the mexican market i get almost ushered out with no customer service. theres more than one side of the coin to everything. everyone experiences racism. you dont have to be a certain special race to only experience it. oh and have you noticed when you fill out some certain forms that everything is politcally correct except when you get to the option that just says "white". thats racism also. it doesnt say "white or caucasian" like how it says "black or african american". apparently racism towards caucasians is acceptable now these days and is an okay thing to do because somehow we deserve it.
just seems to me you want all american (which is multi-cultural by the way) culture to be taken over by one culture. -
Posted By:
Alanae at 02/14/2008 7:56:47 PM
Comment:
so what you did in your article is make it seem like all "white" people are racist bastards and "black" people are just the victim. what about other cultures? what about irish culture or japanase culture? why focus so much on the color of someones skin, instead of who they are? why dont we have a multi cultural month instead of just a month about black culture? im tired of other cultures being forgotten because apparently black culture is more important. also, this country wouldnt be what it is without the englishman riding the backs of the irish. irish were dirt. a business man would rather send an irish man in to do a potentially fatal job than a black man because the irish man was worth less than the black man.
the area i grew up in is mostly white and asian people with some other diversity spotted in. i was told by mexican kids that i have no culture in elementary school and that they are superior to me because they (apparently) do have culture. at work i have been told by someone of another culture (seriously only hispanics or blacks have told me this) that they cant go to the rich "white" areas of town without being glared at by the evil white man. you know what i tell them? i cant go to a mexican, korean, even japanese market without getting glared at. koreans wont even speak to me. and at the mexican market i get almost ushered out with no customer service. theres more than one side of the coin to everything. everyone experiences racism. you dont have to be a certain special race to only experience it. oh and have you noticed when you fill out some certain forms that everything is politcally correct except when you get to the option that just says "white". thats racism also. it doesnt say "white or caucasian" like how it says "black or african american". apparently racism towards caucasians is acceptable now these days and is an okay thing to do because somehow we deserve it.
just seems to me you want all american (which is multi-cultural by the way) culture to be taken over by one culture. -
Posted By:
sthiowa at 02/14/2008 7:29:52 PM
Comment:
I understand wanting to know more about your culture and history, I just don't see why you have to put down white people while you look. As you said, american culture is black culture, and these cultures have developed together and influenced each other. Black media devoid of white influence does not represent black culture, as much as american culture devoid of black influence does not represent white culture. -
Posted By:
icarusfalling at 02/14/2008 7:23:45 PM
Comment:
Why can't people just focus on being people? Why is everything always black and white. Do you know how racist this sounds? If you were to re-write this article and switch the words black for white and vice-versa people would be outraged. Al Sharpton would be beating down your door demanding you be fired from your job. However, since the article is written by a minority it is supposed to be uplifting...give me a break. I appreciate great music, movies, television, and books reguardless of weather they were written by someone Black, White, Hispanic, or Asian. The moment we as a human race all stop focusing on color and accept one another as individuals and accept the fact that we are all one unified people will finally be the moment we reach enlightenment and peace. Focusing on one culture and race and segregating yourself from the rest of society via the media is completely rediculous. I'm tired of being fed the idea that this type of focus on race is positive when anyone can see it is completely counter productive. -
Posted By:
Cobb at 02/14/2008 7:23:42 PM
Comment:
Your story reminds me of one of my mother's friends named Ridianna who was one of those women who loved Jesus more than life itself. You know, the woman who loses her keys and then finds them in her purse and offers up an audible 'Thank You Jesus'. As you might imagine, an afternoon with Ridianna could become very tedious very quickly. I mean, I loved gospel music as much as kid who sings harmony, but did we have to turn off the radio in the car and sing on the way to KFC?-
Posted By:
jeanv999 at 02/15/2008 3:22:42 PM
Comment:
*hahaha* You said it just right. Love it.
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Posted By:
icarusfalling at 02/14/2008 7:15:47 PM
Comment:
I have to agree with Tom. Why can't people just focus on being people? Why is everything always black and white. Do you know how racist this sounds? If you were to re-write this article and switch the words black for white and vice versa people would be outraged, Al Sharpton would be beating down your door demanding you be fired from your job. However, since the article is written by a minority it is supposed to be uplifting...give me a break. I appreciate great music, movies, news, television, and books reguardless of weather they were written or performed by someone Black, White, Hispanic, or Asian. The moment we as a human race all stop focusing on color and accept one another as individuals and accept the fact that we are all one unified people will finally be the moment we reach enlightenment and peace. Focusing on one culture and race and singling yourself out from the rest of society is rediculous. I'm tired of being fed the idea that this type of focus on race is positive when anyone can see it is completely counter productive. -
Posted By:
notoriouslyme at 02/14/2008 6:52:44 PM
Comment:
What is it with everyone about race. If I an anglo/ cherokee mix ( aka.. a white girl) were to right a column about living white, I would be called a rascist. We live in such times that here in the Seattle area, the native americans do not even call themselves by their rightful heritagefor fear of being called out. Being called racist. My heritage is Cherokee, not Indian. I am proud of my heritage. However I am not calling for anyone to pay undue respect or attention to me because of it. My Great- great grandmother walked the trail of tears and her mother was a slave. ( This IS documented by the way) And yet I do not call for someone to right the wrongs of the past through me. I was never enslaved. No wrong has everbeen done to me. Or to you, for that mtter. If I wanted to proclaim the month of July " White history month" to celebrate the pilgrims ans spaniards first colonizing here, or to teach children who dont even know what country their great grandparents originated from some type of heritage, I would be called a racist, a bad person. For tht matter if I wanted to celebrate straight pride, that means that I teach hate and not openness.
Dont get me wrong, I do not care what color your skin is, or your sexual preferences. I dont care if you are repulican or democrat, how many piercings you have, or how long your hair is. Listen to the music you please, make love to whom you wish. Just show respect to me and I will do the same for you.
It's just that honestly, why do so many people think that it's the color of their skin that makes them who they are? Your heritage is nothing more or less than where your ancestors came from. Key word... Ancestors. They not you come from Africa. You were probably born in Baltimore or somewhere equally america. You probably grew up in the suburbs, or maybe even a small town. Even if you grew up streetwise, it was not an "African" life. You do make a good point what is african and what is American? Why does it matter. You are an american. By all means do your research to better understand what your family has gone through so you could be an american, but dont make race an issue of who you are, because it is the color of your heart that determines who you are and what you are like. Not the color of your skin.-
Posted By:
carvell at 02/17/2008 9:35:02 AM
Comment:
growing with black skin in america makes you black.
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Posted By:
starryeyedhippie@yahoo.com at 02/14/2008 6:52:37 PM
Comment:
How wonderfully insightful. Very entertaining and thought-provoking. I have very much enjoyed reading this piece and also look forward to hearing further explorations on the subject.
Personally, i just don't see how it could really be possible to be completely immersed in being black or whatever other race. We are too much of a melting pot, with too many stories that interlink with each other. I'm not sure if thats a good or a bad thing. It's nice to have a defined identity of culture, something that makes you feel inherently close to others of similar background, but at the same I suppose it would be boring if it was like that all time. Is it possible to surround yourself with other cultures and genuinely enjoy it, while holding true to that which is your own? -
Posted By:
BethieR1978 at 02/14/2008 6:42:26 PM
Comment:
My biggest complaint after reading this article comes very shortly into it. The author states that to remove African-American influence on American culture is to send it tumbling to the ground, yet does not make mention of the opposite. To take American influence (i.e., "white," according to the author's implications) from Afican-American culture is equally as damaging. What then, is the problem with choosing GOOD authors/poets/musicians/etc...that are red, yellow, black, white, bi-racial, etc...
Society would not accept an article written on "immersion therapy in whiteness" because it would be considered racist, which would be fairly correct. Any attention paid to it by the media would be quickly shunned by the Reverends Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, the NAACP and the ACLU. They would scorn those that brought it to public view, and demand an apology by the author.
To me, this article deserves nothing less. Articles such as this are nothing more than proof that racism is alive and well in America today. -
Posted By:
Ibseeker at 02/14/2008 6:12:09 PM
Comment:
American culture is black culture? That's ludicrous and thankfully untrue. Everyone who feels the need to hyphenate their Americanism with Black, Hispanic or any other reference should pack their bags and go back to their ancestral homeland. You are either an American or you're not. Should I call myself a Welsh-American and apply for minority status? Never, I'd be ashamed that I needed to hide behind this phony status. The quality minorities that I work with all share one conviction, they are AMERICANS! They also have the same values, work ethic and morals that I have....imagine that! I'm sick to death of minorities who refuse to integrate, demand respect and hate "White" Americans because of the oppression they and their ancestors suffered. Everyone suffers oppression in one form or another, regardless of your skin color. Get over it and become a productive member of "our" culture.....or leave! -
Posted By:
Jess30 at 02/14/2008 5:56:57 PM
Comment:
What a great experiment! I agree that it is vital to understand your roots and identify with your particular culture. And wouldn't it be interesting if we also could do this with each different ethnic, religious, and cultural group that comprises the U.S.?
In High School, I was lucky enough to take a literature class that focused entirely on the literature of African American writers. Not only were they excellent books, but they helped me to better understand a culture that is misunderstood or ignored by the white culture. It is time to add more of these writers to the literary canon.
I'm not sure it is racism that keeps these books out of the classroom. It is a white culture that we are living in- just like it is a Christian culture. If you belong to one or both of these, you take it all for granted, like the fact that Sunday is a holiday or that we use a Gregorian calendar. These people might not notice what is missing from our curriculum or media- and they need to be told. Ms. McClarin should discuss a change of curriculum with the Board of Education. I think that it is racism etc. once the gatekeepers knowingly keep out the other voices. -
Posted By:
nosy8 at 02/14/2008 5:42:44 PM
Comment:
Why are we describing white culture as a "giant loaf of wonderbread"? i enjoy embracing all cultures in my life, which include both white culture and black culture. why is it necessary for whites to see black culture as a sidebar, and for blacks to describe white culture as something as demeaning and processed as "a giant loaf of wonderbread"? Let's try being respectful of everybody's contributions to our society. A good start would be to not consciously shun any author, producer, director, scientest, etc. who is not black from your family's home and paint this as a good thing. I wonder how it would come across if I publicly wrote that I was going to tell my children they were no longer allowed to watch Love and Basketball because it was a black movie, and since we were white, only white movies are allowed now? -
Posted By:
nosy8 at 02/14/2008 5:37:48 PM
Comment:
This was a very interesting article, and I'm sure it was a wonderfully enlightening experience for the author. The only part that made me uncomfortable was her last sentance... "I think I'll try it again next year", to imply that banning all white influence in her home was a good thing for her and her children. For someone who seems saddened by racial divide, segregation, and labeling library books as "African-American", she sure seems eager to willingly denounce all contributions to her life by white americans. I wonder how it would sound if a white american wrote that she was going to consciously ban all black influence from her home, let her family watch only programs that are produced, directed, and mainly acted by whites, and tell her children that studying famous white people was more important than studying famous black people. That sounds to me like she is segregating herself on purpose. Why would someone who seems so saddened by segretated cultures want to promote that? -
Posted By:
Gonzodex at 02/14/2008 5:37:22 PM
Comment:
Too bad you passed on the The Lost Boys. I Netflixed it a couple of months ago because it was recommended by a friend, but he didn't say anything about it. Incredibly fascinating and ultimately redemptive. Also enjoyed "When we were Kings" about the Ali-Foreman fight, seen as one of the best documentaries on Ali. I used to listen to heavyweight fights on the radio as a kid in the 60s - didn't have TV - and had almost forgotten that bit about my childhood until I saw the documentary.
As a white boy in Oregon it wasn't until I went to college that I actually met and talked to a black person and he lived up to (or down) to may of the stereotypes that I'd see in the media. My parents (Dad a minister) were accepting of everybody in a casual way and I could never understand what drove the hatred of discrimination against any one for any reason: color, economic status, religion...still don't. Although I find it hard to put up with incompetence, petulance, arrogance and a lot of other '..ances' regardless of color...
Tim at TimGonzoGordon.com -
Posted By:
sandycat at 02/14/2008 5:35:17 PM
Comment:
I loved your therapy. As soon as I finish grad school I am going to try it but I may whimp out and go for a month.
And as far as a course on novels by African-Americn authors, I would love to take such a class and would be thrilled if my children had the chance. For me the key is that they be examples of good literature.
Your article really made me think of my childhood growing up in Hawaii as a caucasion. While we were "exposed" to music and dancing of the various ethnic and race groups that make up the isles our literature scope was very narrow-nope all our books were the American or British classics. They were good and of course helped unite us with the rest of the states culturally but I have to wonder how much richer it would have been to have read local authors. This might have even meant encouraging local authors but hey that would be a good thing.
And tomismyname . . . I don't think the problem lies with African-Americans not seeing themselves as people . . . "no more no less." Give me a break, I don't know where you live but in the places I've lived the problem has been with the "white" people. -
Posted By:
razeeb at 02/14/2008 5:33:46 PM
Comment:
Hey -- what about The Wire for television? It's certainly inspired by a certain urban black experience. Of course your piece was more than just listing various pieces of pop culture and literature...iIn any case, wonderful article. -
Posted By:
SuzyQueue at 02/14/2008 4:58:28 PM
Comment:
I was surprised to hear that Grey's Anatomy was off the list. Although I've never watched it, I had read that the main producer is an African-American woman. However, if Ms McLarin hadn't heard of Percy Julian before she saw the PBS special, I would suggest that she head into her local public library, of which Boston's is famous. There is a wealth of books by and about African-American inventors. Percy Julian was one of my doctor-uncle's inspirations. Peace be with you! -
Posted By:
ted23 at 02/14/2008 4:48:38 PM
Comment:
I am white and I enjoyed the perspective of the article. However, I hope African Americans in the geographic areas where the differences in the opportunities and choices people of different races face are smallest will increasingly reach out (as Bill Cosby, Oprah, Condelezza Rice, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Colon Powell and Barack Obama have) to their fellow Americans and to the less fortunate citizens of Africa to promote personal responsibility, self-motivation, education and respect for rule of law as a common good rather than forced assimilation.
It is obvious outside forces (i.e. white people) have a lot to do with the current situation. However, the more black scientists, politicians, writers, and intellectuals we are able to produce worldwide the greater the probability the world will become a place where life opportunities and choices will be the same for everybody.
Black Americans are equals or superior to white Americans in the areas of entertainment and athletics (the areas focused on in the article). It is time to make as significant impact to the professional world and expand the considerable influence of your culture; this probably cannot be done from the outside. Encouraging personal responsibility, self-motivation, education and respect for rule of law into the fabric of Black culture might help ??? it would have been nice if your article contained the line ???I could read Scientific American and watch the Discovery Channel because they are race-neutral.??? -
Posted By:
ted23 at 02/14/2008 4:47:17 PM
Comment:
I am white and I enjoyed the perspective of the article. However, I hope African Americans in the geographic areas where the differences in the opportunities and choices people of different races face are smallest will increasingly reach out (as Bill Cosby, Oprah, Condelezza Rice, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Colon Powell and Barack Obama have) to their fellow Americans and to the less fortunate citizens of Africa to promote personal responsibility, self-motivation, education and respect for rule of law as a common good rather than forced assimilation.
It is obvious outside forces (i.e. white people) have a lot to do with the current situation. However, the more black scientists, politicians, writers, and intellectuals we are able to produce worldwide the greater the probability the world will become a place where life opportunities and choices will be the same for everybody.
Black Americans are equals or superior to white Americans in the areas of entertainment and athletics (the areas focused on in the article). It is time to make as significant impact to the professional world and expand the considerable influence of your culture; this probably cannot be done from the outside. Encouraging personal responsibility, self-motivation, education and respect for rule of law into the fabric of Black culture might help ??? it would have been nice if your article contained the line ???I could read Scientific American and watch the Discovery Channel because they are race-neutral.??? -
Posted By:
jeanv999 at 02/14/2008 4:45:33 PM
Comment:
I'm white. But why care? Why do I have to say that? I enjoyed the article, but it seems to me as though it would be best to simply let go of these divisions. Watch Nip/Tuck AND Girlfriends, without feeling guilt. I love James Baldwin but I really really hope that one day he won't be in the African-American Lit Class- and just BE there in the AMERICAN Lit class where he deserves to be, alongside Hemingway. Putting fences up is the essence of racism. I wish I didn't have to know whether Ralph Ellison was black or white when I picked up his book- all I would like to know is that he's a great writer. -
Posted By:
mikepanula at 02/14/2008 4:44:33 PM
Comment:
Enough. ENOUGH.
When do you begin to look at people as people rather than some bizarre racial cipher? When is it time to realise you belong to a country, not a skin colour? If I said that I viewed the world through the prism of my skin colour, and the number of dead people in my family who shared my skin colour, rather than what I do today, and could do tomorrow, what would you think of me? Obsessed with white supremacy? Reluctant to embrace my fellow man? Clinging desperately to the past, unhappy with a future that meant change?
Please. Open the door. Breathe some air. GET OVER YOURSELF. -
Posted By:
mikepanula at 02/14/2008 4:39:46 PM
Comment:
Enough. Enough. ENOUGH.
This bizarre self-segregation has to stop. For God's sake, you owe it to your children to see that you live in a COUNTRY, not a skin. You live with other people, not other representatives of some hermetically-insulated otherness that float past each other with some vague recognition of each others' existence.
If I said my cultural experience was limited to people of my own colour, of my own ethnic heritage, irrespective of any other feature of their lives or their formation, people would accuse me of extraordinary solipsism and, yes, likely racism.
Please. Open the door. Breathe some air. Get over yourself. -
Posted By:
wantingtomoveforward at 02/14/2008 4:37:17 PM
Comment:
I would be interested to know whether the way you talk about race changed during your immersion. Living as a white person in a predominantly black neighborhood, I find it more difficult now than ever before to discuss issues confronting our common neighborhood without people dismissing what I say with as simple "I just don't understand what its like to be black." I know. I don't, because I'm not.
But I'm pretty sure that my neighbor doesn't either, though, and he is black because no one has ever really explained, or helped me understand what it is to be black, and he was no help. I'd find it easier to discuss race and culture if there weren't so many pitfalls that make me look racist, something I studiously try to avoid.
I hope that someday, we can start talking about positive change and stop seeking to emphasize differences. Sadly, I was even uncomfortable just reading the way you described black and white people. Very provocative. Too bad I'm not allowed to talk that way. -
Posted By:
Alaska Jack at 02/14/2008 4:30:38 PM
Comment:
I'm curious: Does this passage -
"Weeks before, when visiting an unfamiliar branch, I'd asked the white librarian at the desk for directions to the fiction stacks. She kindly pointed them out, then added, unprompted, "All the African-American books are marked with a little red sticker."
Ring true for a single person reading this? Speaking as an editor, this is one of those little details that is just too perfect to be true. I mean, in hyper-PC Boston of all places? I'd have asked for specifics. What branch of the library was this? What was the librarian's name? Can't remember? What did she look like? Did you file a complaint? No? Did you tell *anybody* about the incident? Excuse me for a moment while I make a few calls ...
- Alaska Jack-
Posted By:
jeanv999 at 02/15/2008 3:16:14 PM
Comment:
Yeah, I also was like: "That sounds weird."-
Posted By:
TRUBLUBU2 at 02/17/2008 5:43:17 PM
Comment:
yes, these things do happen WITH REGULARITY. the incident described rings VERY true for me, as i've experienced it many times in various venues???regional location in this country had NOTHING to do with it.
i learned to choose my battles and continue onto the more important destination instead of giving attention to constant, wearying slights???that???s on good days. on bad days, however, my reaction can range from outright rage to entering into light depression. that???s what being thought of as a thing and not an individual can do to a person.
what???s the point of filing a complaint? who???s going to care? what???s going to be done with the complaint? if that???s the case, perhaps i should file a complaint against the whole western hemisphere, being that these slights can come from anyone, at any time, anywhere???right?
-
-
-
Posted By:
Creirwy at 02/14/2008 4:26:52 PM
Comment:
I must say, I was disappointed in the conclusion of this article. The premise is excellent: what happens to your psyche when immersed in only black culture? It's a great question, and a good experiment, but there doesn't seem to be any result.
The teaser on this article was "I absorbed only but black culture for three months. Here's what happened." The conclusion? Apparently, not much.
The mindset of the author doesn't appear to change at all, even a little, from her original viewpoint. Now, I have no problem with that being the case, but there doesn't seem to have been any reflection, whatsoever, on why that might be. The most profound conclusion McClarin seems to draw is that there is more variety of black culture available now than when she was a kid - well and good, but what does that mean? Does it mean that blacks are viewing themselves differently, does it change her perception of what it is to be black, does it limit blacks at all? What does it mean?
And if that WAS the point of the article, then why didn't she use it as the premise? Black culture then v. black culture now? Even then, it would need a conclusion. Better, worse, a bit of both, but SOME conclusion, please. That the author missed her New Yorker commentary is boring to me unless I can see how it refers back to her original premise.
This article tells me what she did, but it doesn't tell me anything about what it meant. -
Posted By:
djc at 02/14/2008 4:23:56 PM
Comment:
I saw the title of this article and thought - what a great idea. I'm white, and I would love to spend three months immersed in black culture. Then Latino culture, then Asian culture. Not only because I need to learn something, but also because I've spent 33 years immersed in our typical mixture of mostly white, but also heavily Jewish and Black, culture.
But then I read the article, and unfortunately it seems that for Ms. McLarin the point of the exercise is therapy, and that it leads to confusion, frustration, and self-doubt.
I'm in no position to criticize Ms. McLarin's need for such therapy, and her reaction to the experience seems to be honest. But it would be great if someone (maybe Ms. McLarin) could re-write this article in a way that describes such an immersion more objectively, with more insight and humor, and with a lot less solipsism. -
Posted By:
SammyC at 02/14/2008 4:20:23 PM
Comment:
I thought this was an interesting post, but not exactly what I expected. You say that February has ended--did you do this whole thing last year?
I thought it was most interesting that you had very little mainstream cultural out-put to consume. Most of the things you mentioned seemed like they would only be familiar to academics or black people. What do you make of this? Has it always been this way or did there used to be more mainstream black culture, and it has been crowded out by hip-hop and BET (which you seem to not be a fan of). What are your thoughts on this type of black culture? Is it great that it has broken through to the general consciousness, or are they twisted versions of black culture that have been co-opted for commercial profit? -
Posted By:
Jess30 at 02/14/2008 3:43:14 PM
Comment:
What a great experiment! I agree that it is vital to understand your roots and identify with your particular culture. And wouldn't it be interesting if we also could do this with each different ethnic, religious, and cultural group that comprises the U.S.?
In High School, I was lucky enough to take a literature class that focused entirely on the literature of African American writers. Not only were they excellent books, but they helped me to better understand a culture that is misunderstood or ignored by the white culture. It is time to add more of these writers to the literary canon.
I'm not sure it is racism that keeps these books out of the classroom. It is a white culture that we are living in- just like it is a Christian culture. If you belong to one or both of these, you take it all for granted, like the fact that Sunday is a holiday or that we use a Gregorian calendar. These people might not notice what is missing from our curriculum or media- and they need to be told. Ms. McClarin should discuss a change of curriculum with the Board of Education. I think that it is racism etc. once the gatekeepers knowingly keep out the other voices. -
Posted By:
293fjsdv at 02/14/2008 3:41:04 PM
Comment:
If you want to see people who've succeeded at your quest, take a trip to Brookline and check out the Hasidic Jews. It is, indeed, possible to live in America and stay true to your roots. The women wear wigs to cover their naked hair. The men take the majority of their culture and entertainment from the torah. They kids don't talk about ipods or internets because they've never used them. I have a friend who teaches eighth grade english and her curriculum doesn't include books that feature a romantic relationship or christian themes.
So, I guess what I'm saying is, be careful. American culture is notoriously difficult to seperate into black and white and if you throw away too many things that are tainted, you might end up only The Invisible Man for the rest of your life.
Roman -
Posted By:
gunmetal86 at 02/14/2008 3:22:09 PM
Comment:
I can't help but agree with tomismyname. As a people we decry racism and bemoan being subject to a white culture, curriculum, media, justice system, etc. but nowhere have I heard any plausible solutions to these problems. Just a broken record of what the problem is. Niether side seems to want true integration becuase this would mean either both cultures would have to try that much harder to enjoy, understand, and embrace another cultures values and view points or lose a large part of what makes them proud of their individual racial heritage. If integration is off the table then what's left? One side over the other? Too many times I've heard my friends and family make the same remarks as the author of this piece concerning a lack of readily accessible means of personal entertainment that are black inspired, produced, directed, or written but that's all they do. The problem inspires them to melanchly and not much else. In the same breath that they complain about the fact that there are no black movies to go watch they suggest buying tickets to go see Norbit. It boggles the mind. -
Posted By:
Alaska Jack at 02/14/2008 3:19:14 PM
Comment:
I'm curious: Does this passage -
"Weeks before, when visiting an unfamiliar branch, I'd asked the white librarian at the desk for directions to the fiction stacks. She kindly pointed them out, then added, unprompted, "All the African-American books are marked with a little red sticker."
Ring true for a single person reading this? Speaking as an editor, this is one of those little details that is just too perfect to be true. I mean, in hyper-PC Boston of all places? I'd have asked for specifics. What branch of the library was this? What was the librarian's name? Can't remember? What did she look like? Did you file a complaint? No? Did you tell *anybody* about the incident? Excuse me for a moment while I make a few calls ...
- Alaska Jack -
Posted By:
ARH at 02/14/2008 2:44:46 PM
Comment:
Ms. McLarin: I understand, at least on an interprative level, what you mean by 'black culture,' and why some things are 'black' while others are not. I'm not the sort of middle-class whiteboy who would tell you that you should be embracing a colorblind society or somesuch nonsense, eliding the painful history of racism in America with one cheap turn of phrase. In light of the vast historical and theoretical problems with the utopic notion of colorblindness, I fully understand (a la Spivak) the political value of strategically essentializing 'blackness,' or codifying 'black identity.' I am aware of trends toward solidarity in ethnic studies as backlash against postmodernism, and the negritude movements of postcolonial Africa. All of that notwithstanding, I take issue with the degree to which you (albeit begrudgingly) reify black culture in this essay. How much political ground is really gained by defining blackness against whiteness in separatist terms? How would your white students engage productively with 'black literature' while they can (surely) sense your lack of faith in them? And if the issue with these unenthusiastic students is that they're not black enough to read The Invisible Man--or they're too empathically challenged--to what extent does reinforcing through these assumptions the oppositional nature of blackness/whiteness invoke the old 'not quite white/not quite right' mentality? To be more concise: how far are you willing to go with identity politics? -
Posted By:
flubber at 02/14/2008 2:44:21 PM
Comment:
You seem to be faring better than when Huey Freeman did it in the Boondocks. Perhaps that's because you didn't rely on BET that much. -
Posted By:
Jane at 02/14/2008 2:34:57 PM
Comment:
Beautifully written and poignant article. I really enjoyed reading about your experience. Thank you. -
Posted By:
mfs1390034 at 02/14/2008 2:23:09 PM
Comment:
Nice article, but it seems a little thin. Where's the conclusion? Was your take away simply that black media doesn't make you crazy? That since there's more than just Good Times, things have improved? I don't know, I just wanted a little more opinion I guess. And why do you hate the New Yorker, and the TImes? What's up with that?
BTW, I'm white. -
Posted By:
ARH at 02/14/2008 2:22:28 PM
Comment:
Ms. McLarin: I understand, at least on an interprative level, what you mean by 'black culture,' and why some things are 'black' while others are not. I'm not the sort of middle-class whiteboy who would tell you that you should be embracing a colorblind society or somesuch nonsense, eliding the painful history of racism in America with one cheap turn of phrase. In light of the vast historical and theoretical problems with the utopic notion of colorblindness, I fully understand (a la Spivak) the political value of strategically essentializing 'blackness,' or codifying 'black identity.' I am aware of trends toward solidarity in ethnic studies as backlash against postmodernism, and the negritude movements of postcolonial Africa. All of that notwithstanding, I take issue with the degree to which you (albeit begrudgingly) reify black culture in this essay. How much political ground is really gained by defining blackness against whiteness in separatist terms? How would your white students engage productively with 'black literature' while they can (surely) sense your lack of faith in them? And if the issue with these unenthusiastic students is that they're not black enough to read The Invisible Man--or they're too emathically challenged--to what extent does reinforcing through these assumptions the oppositional nature of blackness/whiteness invoke the old 'not quite white/not quite right' mentality? To be more concise: how far are you willing to go with identity politics? -
Posted By:
mfs1390034 at 02/14/2008 2:16:53 PM
Comment:
Seems like the article is missing an ending. Not much of a conclusion, unless the whole point was that black media isn't as bad as it used to be? Of course, I'm white, and could have missed the point entirely. -
Posted By:
Regina at 02/14/2008 1:50:54 PM
Comment:
If all you get out of the New Yorker is "white boy navel gazing", it wouldn't help to explain what you're missing.. You wouldn't get it anyway. BTW, can you offer some examples of "black boy navel gazing"? -
Posted By:
Heinz57mutt at 02/14/2008 1:50:43 PM
Comment:
Why not call what you describe as therapy by its real name...self segregation with a huge dose of black navel adoration with a dolop of eleteism. Why shouldn't I devote myself to a total emersion in, let's say Polish heritageism for a year, or Confederate resurectionism or Japanese enternment camp studies or an ever favorite dish of Irish Nationalism for a whole year? That would be like the woman who ate nothing but spam her entire life. It may be filling, you may like the taste, it may be comforting to go back to the same thing again and again, but it doesn't expand the mind only the waist. I am truely sorry that your intellectual diet doesn't contain enough fiber to do a good job cleansing your brain's colon. -
Posted By:
astevens-OH at 02/14/2008 1:49:58 PM
Comment:
I stumbled on to your article only to be totally disappointed that you feel the need to be immersed into a therapy of black culture. The problem with all hyphenated Americans is that hyphen keeps them from being truly American. More importantly, you perpetuate an alienation that you could ameliorate personally by reaching out with your writing. You are not forced to teach whites. If you feel you are, it's time to get out. Look elsewhere for your calling. I just hope that in your quest to maintain your culture you do not drift toward a racism that seeks to usurp the common vision for America - one where color is transparent and people are people. Regardless of the past, it is the future that you can shape. I hope that that future is a melting pot of ideas that are not hyphenated. -
Posted By:
Regina at 02/14/2008 1:49:16 PM
Comment:
If all you get out of the New Yorker is "white boy navel gazing", it wouldn't do any good to explain what you're missing. You'd be incapable of understanding.
By the way, is there such a thing as "black boy navel gazing"? Discuss. -
Posted By:
Mike in MN at 02/14/2008 1:40:22 PM
Comment:
I read through your article several times and the question that kept coming to mind was "What would be the reaction if the word black was replaced with white and vice versa?" You are correct in your comment that american culture is black culture but it also includes hispanic, asian, white and so on. Your students would be right to protest you selecting only black first novels for the class as this ignores all the novels written by people from other "cultures" and that is not what they signed up for.
Perhaps instead of worrying about "white-boy naval-gazing" you should spend some time thinking about the naval-gazing you are doing. -
Posted By:
roots4all at 02/14/2008 1:14:50 PM
Comment:
Dear McLarin,
yeah for segregation! let's make black-opnly libraries where the books do not need to me marked. black-only video stores where they only have spike lee movies. huh? does that mean i have to turn off the classical public radio when they play William Still and only listen to white music? dissapointing. -
Posted By:
roots4all at 02/14/2008 1:13:26 PM
Comment:
Dear Ms McLarin,
yeah for segregation! let's make black-opnly libraries where the books do not need to me marked and black-only video stores where they only have spike lee movies. huh? does that mean i have to turn off the classical public radio when they play William Still and only listen to white music? dissapointing. -
Posted By:
jeffdo at 02/14/2008 1:11:15 PM
Comment:
uh, you mention nothing about listening to Black music? Hello? What kind of freak are you? - Jeff the Not-So-Humble Asian American -
Posted By:
mcdonald928 at 02/14/2008 1:06:41 PM
Comment:
Repulsion from mainstream culture (if it can be called that) and a preference for naval-gazing into one's own niche is the common theme in every literary sect going these days. I wonder if an assimilating, homogenizing style that is not crass or compromising is possible. I think the vacuum for this accounts in part for the popularity of Barack Obama: he has assimilated white and black heritage without seeming himself a compromised, lesser person for it, in fact the opposite. -
Posted By:
CascadX at 02/14/2008 12:49:26 PM
Comment:
This was a great idea for an article and my main wish is that the piece had just been longer--the "Magic Negro" bit in itself kept me thinking for a while. I was depressed by the casual, dismissive contempt for white people, though. The New Yorker is unreadable because it's all "white-boy navel-gazing"? Not last time I checked. And why is "white boy" an insult in itself? I wondered if teaching a really good author to a class full of white grad students was "dispiriting" because their professor's resentment came through. I teach somewhere with a bunch of racist white people--Mississippi--and even here, white grad students would ordinarily be happy to read and discuss Gayl Jones. -
Posted By:
theBrian at 02/14/2008 12:45:40 PM
Comment:
Wow, that was ironic. The author admits that American culture is suffused with black culture, and then decides to make arbitrary decisions about what is "black enough." I think the most telling part of the essay was the quote from the white women complaining that diversity isn't so important in her life. I guess the author didn't realize the irony of quoting this woman while at the same time completely misunderstanding Hairspray; obviously, camp, women's rights (including body-image issues), and obliquely gay rights aren't all that personally relevant to the author. A hint: the black students were perpetually in detention 1) because the movie addresses stereotypes using hyperbole, and 2) the movie was pointing out that the privileged "white" world that everyone was trying to get into was no more interesting, exciting, or valid than the segregated world. Certainly, the struggle of an overweight woman doesn't compare with discrimination faced by blacks (though the gay subtext of the movie just might), but *I* as a white person got the sense that Hairspray was trying as best as it could to form a universal club for the "uncool kids," society's arbitrary outcasts.
In the end, this experiment is exactly the *wrong* kind of thing to be doing, if you want to improve race relations (or any relations between minorities and the majority). From my own personal experience, I really left my white-bread suburban culture to read Iceberg Slim's "Pimp: The Story Of My Life." If I had decided, however, "hmm I'm only going to focus on gay culture, because gay culture has contributed so much to America [and it has], and no one gives it its due." If I had had that attitude, I would have never read Iceberg Slim, would never have discovered "Mama Black Widow," and thus would have never realized that one of the "founding fathers" of modern African American "gangsta" and post-gangster culture considered gender and sexuality equally worthy of his authorial attention, creating a masterwork about a transvestite gay black man trying to make his way in the world. So, while the author of this article may not understand the connection between camp, Hairspray, one of the cannon authors of African American culture, Iceberg Slim, certainly does. Is the author assimilated? Yes. She can't be satisfied searching for black culture within the mainstream; she expects it to be segregated out and handed to her. -
Posted By:
theBrian at 02/14/2008 12:45:28 PM
Comment:
Wow, that was ironic. The author admits that American culture is suffused with black culture, and then decides to make arbitrary decisions about what is "black enough." I think the most telling part of the essay was the quote from the white women complaining that diversity isn't so important in her life. I guess the author didn't realize the irony of quoting this woman while at the same time completely misunderstanding Hairspray; obviously, camp, women's rights (including body-image issues), and obliquely gay rights aren't all that personally relevant to the author. A hint: the black students were perpetually in detention 1) because the movie addresses stereotypes using hyperbole, and 2) the movie was pointing out that the privileged "white" world that everyone was trying to get into was no more interesting, exciting, or valid than the segregated world. Certainly, the struggle of an overweight woman doesn't compare with discrimination faced by blacks (though the gay subtext of the movie just might), but *I* as a white person got the sense that Hairspray was trying as best as it could to form a universal club for the "uncool kids," society's arbitrary outcasts.
In the end, this experiment is exactly the *wrong* kind of thing to be doing, if you want to improve race relations (or any relations between minorities and the majority). From my own personal experience, I really left my white-bread suburban culture to read Iceberg Slim's "Pimp: The Story Of My Life." If I had decided, however, "hmm I'm only going to focus on gay culture, because gay culture has contributed so much to America [and it has], and no one gives it its due." If I had had that attitude, I would have never read Iceberg Slim, would never have discovered "Mama Black Widow," and thus would have never realized that one of the "founding fathers" of modern African American "gangsta" and post-gangster culture considered gender and sexuality equally worthy of his authorial attention, creating a masterwork about a transvestite gay black man trying to make his way in the world. So, while the author of this article may not understand the connection between camp, Hairspray, one of the cannon authors of African American culture, Iceberg Slim, certainly does. Is the author assimilated? Yes. She can't be satisfied searching for black culture within the mainstream; she expects it to be segregated out and handed to her. -
Posted By:
benjo123 at 02/14/2008 12:39:04 PM
Comment:
Ms. McLarin:
I'm a white graduate (undergrad, not grad) of the college where you teach. I Read Gayl Jones' Corregidora in Prof. Wendy Walters' Neo-Slave Narrative course and loved it. Perhaps a better teacher might lead your 'white' students to the same conclusion. -
Posted By:
truthbetold at 02/14/2008 12:37:54 PM
Comment:
Ms McClarin, I found your artical interesting. I don't see why your students would be against reading some of the books that you mentioned. But I wouldn't point out that they are "black" books. American is made up of all cultures that is why it is a great country. Sure people from all cultures at one time or another had a hard time. ie Irish, Italian, Chinese, Mexican, Germans, African. I do know that the "black of America" did not come of their own free will. I am not saying what has been done to the black American is right (by far). But freedoms to blacks of America has come along way, and it is about time. You people have been her for along time and help build America into the country it is. But all of this sepertism I feel is wrong. I think people (if they want to) embrace their culture but always remember we are Americans FIRST, not African, German,Italian,Mexican,Irish,Chinese, and so on Americans, we are Americans. America is where people come to be free. Freedom to express their option, free to worship how they want, free to be who they want to be. To many of the people before you and me have fought hard to lead the way. And I think we should embrace all cultures. To many time I hear people of African decent say and of other cultures say black and white (I am guilty too) but without all of the cultures that we have, America would not be the great country that we are. If you look around the world we get along better then other country who are made up of the same people. Sure we have our problem but that is being human. And if you set America over the top of all of these other country we are hugh. So I say embrace your culture and teach your culture but also learn about other cultures. You know there is a reason that God made us sooo different but also so much alike. Wouldn't the world be a BORING place to live without difference. I am of German decent, and what I know about it, not to proud of the things that they did, but that is not who I am. I thank God my ancestors came to AMERICA. PROUD TO BE A AMERICAN. GOD DIED FOR OUR SINS, AMERICAN SOILDERS DIE FOR OUR FREEDOM. of every race. -
Posted By:
deduction at 02/14/2008 12:29:12 PM
Comment:
really what was the point of your "experiment" and/or of this article? you lost me at "See only movies which refl