In case you missed it, the news of my Blackness has not been greatly exaggerated. It was never really a secret and I have alluded to it in a few posts. But having read a thread decrying Open Salon's absence of color (oddly enough the actual definition of black), I felt it might be remotely newsworthy.
Being black means different things to everyone blessed to experience it. At times I feel like the one person sipping his drink in the corner alone... not that I dislike solitude. However, it's nice to meet others like one's self when traveling abroad, whether in the 3D world or virtually. But even if our garden party is flooded with "we people darker than blue" tomorrow, there's no guarantee I will meet any nicer or more interesting folks than I have already.
Regarding the reasons why there aren't more (any other?!) black posters/readers here, I don't have an answer. I only know that like everyone else, we follow trails that lead to spiritual growth, pleasure, and wealth. For me the chance to rub elbows with the writers and readers behind Salon was a no brainer. It's obviously not so for others.
One other thing about being black. Call it paranoia, oversensitivity, or simply nitpicking. We're not as quick to believe in the "harmlessness" of things. The talked-to-death New Yorker cover is one example... I won't rehash my observations about that here. The teaser below currently on the front page of NPR's site is another. It's entirely to0 precious to be serendipitous.
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So all the people who haven't said otherwise or posted a picture of themselves could be anything.
I think one of the funniest examples of people not being able to tell is a Salon TableTalk poster named Sugar Magnolia. He is an older hippy-ish Jewish guy but for a decade I've watched people assume he is a woman. He never corrects them, either.
I know there can be differences in family culture, life experiences etc... depending on where you come from and what part of the world your ancestors hail from but there is something I like about the fact that on the internet you can lose all the obvious differences and see just exactly how much we all have in common regardless. Something like that.
And perhaps that's why your reaction to my post about the NYer cover was different than most others.
After that same comment about there not being more people of color among us, I did spend some time last night looking at some other blogs, e.g. Pam's House Blend, among others, to see if I really was over-reacting (even though I'm pretty white), and most of the reactions I read were pretty negative. A few of them were also white bloggers, but feminists, and the story was the same there.
Thanks for including us.
I really like what you said about "no guarantee I will meet any nicer or more interesting folks" and following "trails that lead to spiritual growth, pleasure, and wealth," both of which comments indicate a soul to whom I feel like a brother.
I have had the privilege of "meeting" people online who I would never have the opportunity to meet IRL. Or even if an opportunity would be presented, neither of us would take advantage of it.
Case in point: In about 1991 or so I was part of an online (BBS) community in the DFW metroplex. At that time I was in my early 40s. One of my dearest friends and the person with whom I had some of the more interesting conversations with was an 18 year old black man. If we had seen each other IRL, neither of us would probably have even acknowledged the other, but we are to this day important friends.
I say hooray to the anonymity of sitting behind a keyboard and typing to another human, not making judgments based on age, size, race or abilities.
Julie
J.
A lot of the thoughts on my post about Michelle Obama came from a black friend of mine (who is also here on OS, but never posts or does anything and just observes, so there is at least "one other" :)). Our conversation about the NYer cover was definitely one of "paranoia, oversensitivity, or simply nitpicking. We're not as quick to believe in the "harmlessness" of things."
I'm the same way on women's issues and sexism, it makes total sense...
I would be happy to hear your thoughts on this subject. I posted for the VERY LAST TIME I PROMISE about the cover, today with "Logical or Illogical". I invite you to comment, if you please? Thanks, in advance!
And I'm "out" about it on the internet, too. :)
I disagree with folks about how much inherent democratic anonymity there is in the internet with respect to race, gender, etc. To the extent that we attempt to assert or shield who we are as well as to the degree that we may defy the stereotypes of what a Black (or a woman, etc.) may sound like, yes, sometimes we can be judged simply based on our ideas. However, there are indeed occassional "cultural markers" in the way we communicate that can give away such identity constructs whether we mean to reveal them or not. Sometimes it's just as simple as what we choose to discuss or not.
And while it might be easier to downplay one's race or gender, it is much more difficult to do so with one's level of education, and by extension, class. Sure, no one can tell if you logging on via dialup on a 64K modem or wireless broadband, but certain things, say, vocabulary, can be a dead giveaways.
I enjoy watching for those "cultural markers". They eventually reveal much more about a person than his/her race or ethnicity.
I hit your production company website up. It's nice to see so many talented people of color in one spot... y todas las mujeres bonita :-).
With the HGUE influx of new people, there are some very interesting black people coming onboard. Olga Little is a teacher in the Chicago school system and Brandi Womack is in her twenties living in Detroit. I read everything both of them post as I enjoy their viewpoint.