Tres Chic Politics

We all know Herman Cain has made quite a few incendiary comments in his recent rise to the top of the GOP pack. Personally, I feel as though one of the most outrageous ones that he did make was sharing his feelings on how racism doesn’t “hold anybody back in a big way.” 

“I don’t believe racism in this country today holds anybody back in a big way,” said Cain, former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, during an interview on CNN. “Are there some elements of racism? Yes, it gets back to if we don’t grow this economy, that is a ripple effect for every economic level, and because blacks are more disproportionately unemployed, they get hit the worst when economic policies don’t work. That’s where it starts.

When it comes to African Americans struggling economically he said, “They weren’t held back because of racism.” He added, “People sometimes hold themselves back because they want to use racism as an excuse for them not being able to achieve what they want to achieve.”

-via Huffingtonpost

Reading this last month definitely made me raise an eyebrow. While many on the left, including prominent black activists and scholars, have questioned aloud whether Herman Cain could be cast into an “Uncle Tom” category, I never wanted to place him in that category…until recently.

Regardless of my politics, I support African-Americans and other blacks educating themselves on the issues and choosing the ideology that fits best with their interests. I believe that in order for African-Americans and blacks to play a more major in politics, and to continue on the path of normalizing ourselves in American society, we need to allow our community to have diversity in though. I have no problems with Conservative black people. We know that most black people tend to be a bit more Conservative on social issues. One word that bothers me in particular is the word “Oreo”, meaning someone who is black on the outside but white on the inside. I think it’s ignorant to assign certain characteristics or beliefs to a race. I’ve been called an oreo before because of my vocabulary, music tastes, and other reasons, and I find it offensive. Is Mr. Cain an oreo? No. Should he be called that? No. Is there some sort of justification for calling him an Uncle Tom? I’d say so….

There are a few different definitions of what an Uncle Tom is, but for me, an Uncle Tom isn’t simply a Republican or one who breaks from what could be called the “mainstream” of black thought/consciousness (or the plantation, as Cain so quaintly put it). An Uncle Tom is one who goes actively out of his way to cater to the thoughts and opinions of the white majority for the purpose of advancing his social standing, regardless of what consequences these actions may hold for others in the black community. When Cain made the comment that I quoted above, he did so to further his favorability amongst White Conservatives who have been singing the same song for years. The notion that race and ethnicity do not play a part in affecting one’s life is the narrative that the Right has been fostering since Reagan’s Great Mischaracterization of “The Welfare Queen.” A man can do whatever he wants when he puts his heart, soul, and drive into it, right? The Right now had a black man, who is undoubtedly the second most visible black man in this country behind President Obama, who indulged and supported their stance. They’re not racists, because a black man says it!

There are many prominent Black Conservative figures in American politics that have applauded the principle of hard work reaping beneficial outcomes, but never have we seen one make a comment like Cain has. We see Black Conservatives such as Michael Steele and Colin Powell acknowledge that, while they are proud to be Conservative, they realize that the Republican party does have a problem with race, and this problems needs to be addressed if the party is going to grow and encompass more minorities in the future. This isn’t music to the ears of the White Conservative pundits, such as Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh. Ann Coulter recently made the statement “Our blacks are better than their blacks.” Her explanation was that Black Conservatives have more diversity in thought and are less brainwashed….and of course, they don’t call out the racist and bigoted sentiments that exist within the Republican Party. 

So, fast-forward to this week and the allegations of sexual harassment made by now three women against Mr. Cain. What response does Mr. Cain have for the media and the public? He blames the Perry party and says that they are racially motivated! Really, Mr. Cain? Now you wish to acknowledge that their can be racially motivated attacks made by political parties or the media? Did you not just say that racism cannot affect somebody in a big way? If this scandal leads to your downfall, these “racial attacks” that you claim will affect your life in a big way. Hypocrisy? Irony? Poetic Justice? We’ll see.

My anger and frustration stems from the recent development of Miss Bachmann signing the “Marriage Pledge” that all other GOP contenders have skillfully avoided (perhaps realizing the controversy that would stem from co-signing such a hateful and deluded document). I was angered last night when I found out the hateful rhetoric that is used about homosexuality in America, and laughed a disgusted laugh when I saw mention of Sharia law thrown in there. Of course, it all has to do with Sharia Law and the 12th Imam and such. This afternoon, I was furthermore outraged when I saw an article that referenced this tiny piece in the pledge

“Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet sadly a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African-American baby born after the election of the USA‟s first African-American President.”

What? What does that have to do with anything? Why was that included in this pledge? The actual statement could prove accurate if study was done on it, but let’s look at the context. It stems from the high rate of unwed/single mothers in the black community. I’m offended at the assumption that a child born into slavery with… two parents (who may or may not have been forced into marriage, or whose family could have been torn apart and sold to different masters) is better off than a child being born with a single parent, or with two gay parents. I don’t know how one could defend that argument. It’s a cheap shot. Here’s another quote from the piece.

“ LBJ‟s 1965 War on Poverty was triggered in part by the famous “Moynihan Report” finding that the black out-of-wedlock birthrate had hit 26%; today, the white rate exceeds that, the overall rate is 41%, and over 70% of African-American babie…s are born to single parents4 – a prime sociological indicator for poverty, pathology and prison regardless of race or ethnicity. 5”

That was the following point of the part of the pledge the article pointed out. My problem with this is that absolutely, personal responsibility is needed, and this is what it’s going after; however, placing such a great emphasis on personal responsibiltiy and not enough emphasis on societal factors that ALSO lead to this don’t sit well with me.

This is the article that mentioned this tidbit found within the text of the pledge. http://jezebel.com/5819322/bachmann-signs-anti+porn-pledge-saying-blacks-were-better-off-during-slavery

The article didn’t have “better off” in quotes because those specific words weren’t used, but if you read the entire context of the document, it believes that the lack of “virtue” in our society and the breakdown of the nuclear family is wh…at will lead to our downfall. Based on that, the point they made about the nuclear family they believe more African-American babies had access to during slavery was better for society as a whole, as was all society when children were born in wedlock. It goes on to make the point that children born out of wedlock are more susceptible to crime, poverty, etc, Therefore, if a child is born in wedlock, they are automatically born in a better position then one born without. Therefore, an African-American child born into wedlock during slavery was in a better position than one born out of wedlock now. That is where the author of this article, and many other sites that have picked it up, get the point.

Now what bothers me about it is that they are attributing things like crime, poverty, lack of educational opportunities, etc to our lack of virtue as a society, the breakdown of the nuclear family and such (aka personal responsibility). Doing so ignores history, the shift of inequaltiy seen within our society after the shackles literally came off of African-Americans and how this contributed to things like crime, poverty and other negative aspects that now plague the African-American community. To say that the breakdown of the nuclear family in our society is what plagues us with so many issues is not only wrong, but it takes responsibility from other factors that have led to these problems. Considering if I was born back in the days of slavery, I could possibly be subject to rape, being separated from my family, not having the opportunity to even speak without fear of abuse, not having the ability to be literate, not having the ability to be with my current bf (who is white), being separated from my family and alienated from my African culture. Having two parents would not make any of that more bearable for me. Stop contorting history to fit to your ridiculous viewpoints please.

I’m an intern with the SEIU 32BJ and I had to write a letter for a rally we’re having. Here’s my letter. 

________________________________________-

Dear Big Business:

We, the workers and residents in the City of Philadelphia, have had enough. We now find ourselves trying to navigate through the worst recession to hit our country since the Great Depression of 1929. The recession has led our state government to create a budget that includes massive cuts as a way to remedy the situation. Governor Corbett has proposed cutting more than $1 billion in funding for public schools. This includes cuts to necessary programs within our city, including our school district. The School District of Philadelphia could be at a loss for more than $600 million. If enacted, a negative result of this legislation will not only lead to a loss of necessary programs for students in our district, but could lead to layoffs for district workers.

This is where you come in. You see, Governor Corbett claims that these cuts are necessary evils we must accept so that our state can make up for lost revenue. He and his administration claims that we are broke. If this is true, then why is the Governor ignoring the actions undertaken by big corporations like you to purposefully avoid paying taxes? Actions like the exploitation of the Delaware Loophole, in which companies incorporate their subsidiaries in Delaware and other states to avoid paying Pennsylvania taxes. Actions that deprive our state of much needed revenue, and lead to proposals to cut full-day kindergarten, art, music and other elective courses and after school activities, including sports programs for middle and high school students. If you were paying your fair share, our community wouldn’t be faced with tragic decisions as such.

You are a part of our community. You have workers that reside here, as well as consumers. In these tough times, all members of the community are expected to do their fair share to make sure our community has access to the resources we desperately need, as well as programs that foster growth for community members. As staples in our community, we expect you to contribute in exchange for the business we give you. Do not continue to do our community a disservice. We demand that your corporations use your bountiful resources to provide good jobs for our neighborhoods, pay your fair share in taxes, and do all that you can to contribute to a good public education system within our city. Doing these things is not just good stewardship; it’s good business.

Sincerely,

The City of Philadelphia