Recently I served on a panel at the Woodlands Community Temple in NY in which I discussed memory and forgiveness in times of injustice. It was an event that bought scholars and Rabbis together to talk about memory in the African American and Jewish traditions.
I recently gave an invited talk at the University of Michigan on “The Curious Case of Black Rage and the Forgiving Heart.” It was an awesome audience. I really enjoyed thinking about these issues with them.
The following was published at the Daily Nous for their “Philosophers On” Series (Aug. 18, 2015).
The Conscious Gospel and its Shortcomings
In the black community of the 1980’s and 1990’s, we had a term to refer to folks who understood the social structure, were in touch with black history, and who knew the truth and were not blinded by the lies of white supremacy. We called them “conscious.” We had our conscious rappers (i.e. Sista Soulja, KRS-One, and Public Enemy), our conscious artists (usually spoken word poets), and the conscious religious folks (i.e. The Nation of Islam and Five Percenters). Whenever these conscious folks rapped, spoke, or taught, you heard “da truth” as well as their love for creating awareness and for imparting knowledge to the people they loved.
That conscious spirit is still alive today in 2015 through the music of artists like Kendrick Lamar and through the phrase “stay woke” — which means to stay informed and aware despite the B.S. that may attempt to convince you otherwise. That conscious spirit is also present in Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me.Coates’ text is heavy in consciousness. It is something he inherited. In Section I, he describes how his parents were always encouraging him to be politically conscious; something he describes as “much as a series of actions as a state of being, a constant questioning, questioning as ritual, questioning as exploration rather than the search for certainty.” His conscious spirit during college was clear by his own recognition that “I was made for the library, not the classroom.” In Between the World and Me, Coates attempts to impart this consciousness to his son and to us, the reader. He achieves in speaking the truth.
In section II, Coates breaks down the Civil War and slavery with the aptitude of a historian and the social relevance of a sociologist noting, “This lie of the Civil War is the lie of innocence.” With words like “‘Good Intentions’ is a hall pass through history, a sleeping pill that ensures the Dream,” and “Black life is cheap, but in America black bodies are a natural resource of incomparable value,” Coates is like a conscious spoken word artist whose words make you want to shake your head and snap your fingers in agreement.
Coates makes a conscious call to us. He urges, “You must struggle to remember this past in all its nuance, error and humanity”, “Do not accept the lie. Do not drink the Poison” and “What I wanted for you was to grow into consciousness. I resolved to hide nothing from you.” This consciousness was important to his survival and perhaps it will aid in our own. He notes, “I did not perish in the agony of not knowing.” In describing the joy of study and struggle, Coates writes:
“The changes have awarded me a rapture that comes only when you can no longer be lied to, when you have rejected the Dream… the changes have taught me how to best exploit that singular gift of study, to question what I see, then to question what I see after that, because the questions matter as much, perhaps more than, the answers.”
Here Coates is following the Socratic tradition of self-examination and critical interrogation of the world. When we live the philosophical life, we become concerned with the questions as much as we are with the answers. I think the consciousness Coates preaches throughout the text is important, but I wonder if it’s enough.
Between the World and Me is a message of consciousness directed to his son as he approaches adolescence and to us as we rise to moral and civic maturity. This consciousness is the answer to surviving the struggle and a design for how to live in a black body. As a philosopher and critical citizen, I love interrogation and awareness but I find something insufficient in Coates’ overall message. I blame Malcolm X.
Although Malcolm X preached about how important consciousness was, that consciousness ushered in economic development, moral perfection, and physical health. Knowledge has both intrinsic and extrinsic value. Knowledge is not a library of facts that only makes us smile at night and makes the oppressor terrified. No! It doesn’t work that way. Consciousness is the foundation to a radical liberation, not the beginning and the end of it.
Fear is a recurring word used throughout the text. Coates admits he has it and may have imparted it to his son. But what is consciousness if what we know only makes us afraid and powerless?
Just when I think Coates will take us beyond the intrinsic value of consciousness and into the realm of black power, he describes power as a “deep knowledge of how fragile everything… really is.” For Coates, black power is “more gorgeous than any voting rights bill… it’s a kind of understanding that illuminates all the galaxies.” Black power is beautiful but it cannot be restricted to only consciousness nor can this consciousness replace the action and other ingredients that we need for true liberation. Awareness of our fear, vulnerability, and fragility is important but it alone is not preventing black people from getting shot by the police, disproportionately incarcerated, or from being caught up in a constant cycle of poverty.
Between the World and Me is an enlightening analysis that leaves us knowing and understanding more than we knew before, but it is an insufficient guide for how we can navigate a world that has become a police state, where the killing of black bodies is excusable, and where fear is commonplace.
Consciousness makes us aware of the fact that we need more than itself to help us survive and thrive in the struggle.
I am very grateful for the opportunity to have been selected to work at PIKSI Penn State this summer. PIKSI stands for Philosophy in an Inclusive Key Summer Institute. The Institutes are designed to encourage undergraduates from underrepresented groups to consider future study of philosophy. It was a pleasure supporting Dr. Serene Khader as she directed the Penn State program, meeting, challenging, and mentoring students, and connecting with some new awesome colleagues.
We had some great speakers this summer. They included Kristie Dotson, Luvell Anderson, Talia Bettcher, Sarah Clark Miller, Lisa Guenther, and Nancy Tuana. We also read over 25 articles and book chapters during the 10 day institute. I learned so much about oppression, feminism, prisons, Trans issues, and more. I also learned how to improve my course preparation and how to write more effectively. I am grateful to the University of Illinois at Chicago for sponsoring me and for a great supporting cast at Penn State.
If you are an undergraduate or a philosophy graduate student, I recommend you apply for 2016. You will not regret it.
In the latest UnMute podcast I interview philosopher, Amir Jaima. We talk philosophy and literature.
In this talk, Philosopher Myisha Cherry argues that contrary to what psychologists and the powers that be may say, anger is not a bad word. Instead, anger is motivational, productive, and necessary in the pursuit of justice. Instead of suggesting we get rid of anger, Myisha recommends that we express it and refuse to allow it be policed.
Click To Get Presentation Slides From My Talk
So go out and explore the world. Create New Things. Enjoy the people you love. Learn something new. This is what boredom is calling you to. Heed the Call!
In this episode, I chat with philosopher Douglas Ficek. We talk about Franz Fanon, Existentialism, #BlackLivesMatter, and present-day activism. I also have a fun time in the end asking him to rename popular TV shows into philosophy books. This is a great interview and Im sure you will enjoy it.
I remember the first time I got up to speak in front of a big crowd. I almost peed my pants.
Getting up to speak in front of people was at first very scary for me. The second, third, and fourth time my palms became sweaty. The fifth, sixth, and seventh time my body started doing other things that I cannot mention here.
Decades later my body still communicates with me to let me know when it’s terrified. Sometimes it’s bodily, other times it’s verbal. The first day I taught my first college course, I walked through the halls of the university and screamed to myself in my mind, “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?”
But you know what? I always gave myself a second and third time. Although my hands were sweaty, I gave myself a sixth and seventh time. I never allowed fear to stop me from doing what I knew deep inside I wanted to do.
You must not allow fear to stop you from pursing what you desire. Do what scares you!
What Does Fear Do?
Fear is an interesting emotion. From an evolutionary perspective, it has aided in our survival. When we saw something threatening, it communicated to us to run for our lives. Fear only detects danger. This danger is sometimes an illusion and other times it is not.
But fear wasn’t built to handle success. It interprets success as death and destruction. And we know that is not true.
I always remind myself of this when fear attempts to convince me not to apply for this grant, to submit this article, pitch to this magazine, or accept this speaking invitation. Fear interprets bold moves and opportunities as something bad for us instead of something good for us.
Most of the great things that have happened in my life have always been preceded by fear. When I am fearful, I usually tell myself that this thing that is making my palms sweat so profusely is worth pursing.
Saddle Up!
If I gave into fear all the time, I will not be where I am today. I will not be writing this article. I will not have accomplished the stuff I have accomplished.
John Wayne once said “Courage is being scared to death…and saddling up anyway.”
During my first Live TV appearance, I was nervous. I sat in that dressing room hoping I would do well. When I came out in front of the audience a part of me was still nervous, but another part was like “Let’s Do This!” I could of refused the invitation. Stayed home and remained scared to death. But I saddled up anyway.
I still get scared when I’m about to start a new venture, speak in front of a new crowd, or share my writing. I’ve learned that fear will always remain with me because it’s a sign that I value the moment and the task enough to care about the results.
But my bold side, the ‘Lets Do This!” part, always rises up to help me keep it moving.
Butterflies, sweaty palms, weak bladders, and rapid heartbeats can be difficult to deal with. But refuse to allow fear to stand in your way. The results from not doing your passion or contributing to your dream are scarier than those flying butterflies.
Don’t let fear block you from the door of opportunity. Saddle up!
Be bold and courageous. Although fear may never go away 100%, it’s always worth going for what you want no matter how afraid you are.
##
Writing. Speaking. Teaching. Hustling. What do these things all have in common? They all require one important thing. Yes, technically ‘people’ is one of them but lets get more creative here. All of these activities require self-confidence.
Without self-confidence, you won’t have the guts to do what you need to do and do it with excellence. Moreover, people won’t believe you when you do.
Sadly, there are confidence killers lurking around where creative types live and breathe. These confidence killers are waiting to suck your blood and your execution. You’ve heard of them before. They are that infamous gang of hoodlums made up of the typical characters: ‘inadequacy’, ‘doubt’, ‘fear’ and ‘procrastination.’
What Are Confidence Killers?
Inadequacy is when the writer doesn’t feel like they have anything important to contribute. The speaker feels they don’t have any powerful information to convey. The teacher feels like he is not a master teacher and hasn’t mastered anything. The hustler doesn’t feel like she has good enough ideas to offer to the world.
People who feel inadequate ask the question, “What do I have to give?” Their response to this question is always, “Nothing!”
Doubt will make you feel that you are not good enough. The speaker doubts that they are really a good communicator. The writer doubts that they are a good writer. They even think deep inside that they will never be a good writer or until they are a perfect writer, it’s fine for them to sit on the sidelines.
Doubters ask the question “Am I good enough?” Their response to this question is always, “No!”
Fear is being worried about what will happen as a result of producing or communicating ideas. When a speaker is full of fear they are afraid that the audience will think they are dumb or that they will not buy into what they are saying. The fearful writer will think that everyone hates her work and that everyone will criticize it.
As a result, they are afraid to release it into the public domain for fear of a negative response. A fearful entrepreneur will be afraid to take the steps necessary to take their product to launch. Fearful folks ask the question, “Will they like it?” Their response to this question is always, “No!”
Lastly, there is procrastination. How is procrastination a confidence killer? Well procrastination makes you think “I can’t do it, so I won’t even start.” When procrastination creeps up on you, you will not willingly admit the first part. You will just give excuses for why you cannot or will not start today.
But behind that refusal to execute are those confidence killing hoodlums destroying your mind and your confidence. The teacher procrastinates about creating his own e-course. He promises to do it next year. But he is only saying this because he is afraid to admit that he doesn’t think he can really do it at all.
Procrastinators ask the question, “When will I be ready?” Their response to this question is always, “Never!”
Four Ways To Defeat Confidence Killers
So how can we defeat these confidence killers and finally execute as teachers, writers, speakers, and entrepreneurs?
Firstly, recognize that you are not inadequate. The fact that everyone has a different set of fingerprints and DNA is evidence that we are all different. And since no one has walked in your shoes, then that also shows that you are so different that you have something unique to say. So tell inadequacy to beat it!
Secondly, no one will ever be perfect. Novelist Toni Morrison thinks that her Pulitzer Prize winning novel will benefit from a re-write. That’s crazy to me. We are human. Mistakes will be made. We have lots to improve on but that doesn’t mean we are not good enough.
Thirdly, develop thick skin. I know this may sound insensitive but haters are going to hate. Those who do not hate your work may not tell you what you want to hear but they may give you constructive criticism that will help you get better. Never take this as a negative response.
Plus, remember that there are usually more people who like your work who are silent than those who hate your work but are loud. Recognize the difference between trolls and supporters. Only one of them is your true audience.
Lastly, you get better by doing. As long as you procrastinate you will continue to be filled with doubt, fear, and inadequacy. Speakers speak. Writers write. The more you do it, the more you feel like you are and the more self-confident you become.
Get to work! There will be no Muhammad Ali (who was the greatest) without self-confidence. The man we know as Michael Jordan will not be a champion and hall-of-famer without self-confidence. Self-confidence makes us all winners even when we fail.
Answering yourself with “No”, “Never”, and “Nothing” will have you sitting on the sidelines for the rest of your life. Victory is near. Impacts are waiting to be made. But you got to believe in yourself first before your audience ever will.
##
I’ve been presenting in front of groups my whole life. I grew up in a religious household so church performances were a part of our lives. I then went on to perform spoken word poetry for over 10 years in front of large groups. I must say, those experiences were easier than the presentations I do today.
As an academic, my job is to present ideas to people. My audience usually consists of people who are brilliant in their own right (i.e. professors, authors, experts, etc.). I use to get intense butterflies in my stomach when I had to present in front of people I thought were “smarter than me.”
Thoughts such as “I hope they think I’m smart,” “I hope I’m right about this,” “I hope I’m able to answer their questions,” use to clutter my mind. At my first philosophy conference, I presented a paper with Josh Knobe in the audience. As a person who does moral psychology that was very intimidating.
I’ve come very far from those feelings but I think having those feelings makes us human. There are things I tell myself today that help me get over the anxiety. Presenting is already a challenging task. We should not work hard at trying to create and convey our ideas and add to that the burden of “impressing” someone we think is smarter than us. I credit that worry to professions that value a “I’m smarter than you” culture over a knowledge production and civil think tank space.
The fact is there are people who may know more about a particular subject or know different things than you. They may have a huge reputation. But we should not allow this to distract us from being awesome. We are all smart in different ways, so technically no one is really smarter than you.
When it comes to presenting, we have something better to do than to worry. We have been blessed with the opportunity to present our brilliant ideas (yes, they are brilliant) and give value to the audience. We should focus on doing our best and have confidence that we have something to offer even to those who are smarter know “different things” that we do.
I want to share with you 10 Tips for presenting in front of people you ‘think’ are smarter than you. I hope these tips will remind you of how smart and awesome you are and how you have no need to be intimidated or worried about anyone in your audience.
Tips
#1 You are Smart Too. If you weren’t, you would not be in the room
#2 Preparation makes you feel smart. Get ready now.
#3 Your audience may know things, but you are the expert today.
Check out the slideshare below, to see 7 more tips.
##
One of the most brilliant young philosophers I know is Kristie Dotson. If you don’t believe me google her, make sure you read the ground breaking paper she wrote “How Is this Paper Philosophy?”, or check her out in the Cool Q&A section of this site. She is an epistemologist who is purposed driven and fierce. She gave a talk at Yale yesterday where she outlined the kinds of epistemic oppression that can be found in even the most seemingly “reasonable” rejection of Black rage in this moment.
I traveled to Yale from New York to check out the talk and to hang out with Kristie and Yale philosopher, Jason Stanley. It was a super 12 hours chatting with these epistemologists. The rumor that all philosophers are boring is just a rumor. The revolution continues!
In this article I examine the role masculinity plays in police brutality and in civilian deaths at the hands of police.
It is easy to confuse asserting your humanity and defending your life with asserting and defending your manhood. But it’s necessary to figure out the difference. It’s a matter of life and death. Asserting your manhood is never worth a life. When you kill a man in order to become ‘the man’, you are not a man. You are a killer.
Black lives matter. All lives matter but masculinity… not so much.
You can check out the article HERE
I have been invited to write a paper for Oxford University Press Handbook of Philosophy and Race. My paper will be on the new racism that lurks within the criminal justice system. I’m looking forward to contributing and also reading other articles from my brilliant colleagues. The book is being edited by Naomi Zack. She was recently in the New York Times talking about white privilege with George Yancy. Check out the interview here and look out for the book soon.
Recently I had the opportunity to present a paper at the American Society for Aesthetics. The panel I sat on was on Slavery and Cinema. My paper was entitled “Man Up, Man Down: Django Unchained and Black Masculinity.” In the paper, I explore hegemonic masculinity in the Old South and explained how Django, in comparison with the character Stephen, rejected it and carved out a more virtuous character. I also gave some lessons as well as warnings from the film.
The pictures below are courtesy of Luvell Anderson who also gave a talk on rap at another session. Lets just say, he should stick with philosophy of language and not photography.
Check out my latest piece where I argue that God should not be praised at the expense of denying praise for Human good. Here’s an excerpt:
Humans should also be praised because positive reinforcement and validation teaches and encourages people to be better. Moral and character education has proven that the more we praise people for their good actions, the more they are prone to continue to do good acts. Mark Alfano argues that if we ascribe moral traits to persons they will take on that trait. This ascribing becomes prophetic fulfillment. Taken together, if we provide praise by thanking people or specifically articulating to them their praiseworthy trait (honest, kind, charitable), humans will become just that. Don’t worry! Praising people will not make them gods, it will make them good.
Some comrades and I (Liam Bright, Tina Botts, and & Quayshawn Spencer ) co-wrote an article called “What is the State of Blacks in Philosophy?”. It has been just published in Penn State’s “Critical Philosophy of Race” journal. It’s a piece that gives an empirical look into blacks in the US doing philosophy. This is the empirical part of a two part analysis of blacks in the profession.
This is also my first published journal article!!!! Also, Chris Lebron has a brilliant piece in the journal on “Equality From A Human Point of View”, showing the awesomeness of blacks in philosophy.
If you have university access, click here for the piece.
Non-University Access Read it here
For almost twenty years, Howard McGary and the Rutger’s Summer Institute for Diversity in Philosophy have been doing their part to make the profession more diverse. This summer at the Institute, I served as a panelist as well as a mentor to undergraduate students for seven awesome days. I was inspired by them, amazed by their brilliance, and I look forward to the contribution they will make in philosophy.
Thanks Bianka For the Pics!!!!
For two weeks this summer, I served as a debate & political philosophy teacher to some amazing students at Liberty Leads in Harlem. They were very smart, whitty, charismatic, and overall great kids.
We covered three ethical issues: legalization of drugs, undocumented children, and censorship. Their critical thinking skills shined through on each issue.
You can check out our syllabus here and course website here. The course website has detailed resources for each negative and affirmative position the kids could take.
Please borrow some teaching ideas and let me know how it went. If you need a sample of slides, check out the slideshare clip below.
##
Check out my latest for HuffPost: Minorities, State Violence, and the Price of Self-Respect. Here is an excerpt.
When phrases like “I am Sean Bell” is articulated, it is said in hopes that people will realize that we are all vulnerable to ill treatment by the state and one should have a right to assert their self-respect by not having to run or alter one’s path on their way home. Or by not having to beg for mercy or blindly and silently be obedient to those in authority who out rightly show you through their worse behavior, that they “never loved us.”
Violence is not the most effective way to respond to injustice, but self-respecting individuals taking a stand together against injustice is. This is a price we all can afford. The question is do we respect each other enough to believe that others and ourselves are worth it?
If you are available, stop by.
My Latest Piece at HuffPost Examines what’s so bad about “acting like a man” and “acting like a Lady” from an Aristotelean and feminist perspective.
You can check out the article Here. Excerpt is below. Please share with others.
Gendered virtues also perpetuate patriarchy. To have “feminine virtues” like chastity, modesty and obedience is what it means to act like a lady. A woman who is not modest is said to be asking for attention or “asking” to be raped. A woman who is not obedient is believed to be a b*tch. A woman who is not chaste is considered not a lady at all. To be good in our society, a woman must possess these virtues. If she doesn’t she will be victim-blamed, told she will not get married or accused of hating men. These feminine virtues can be described as what Lisa Tessman calls the “burdened virtues,” because although these virtues may create some good in the end they morally damage the lives of the agent in the process….
End virtue segregation! Let’s all work on being the best people we can be not the best feminine or masculine cultural productions we feel we must become in order to fit into masculine or feminine categories. Trying to make morality fit gender categories is like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Morality should not be risked for the sake of this twisted gender game.
I joined an important discussion about violence against Black Queer Women on HuffPost Live today. The episode was hosted by Marc Lamont Hill and guests included myself, Darnell Morre, Eboni Rafus, and Irene Monroe.
Come Join Me!
This past weekend, I attended and presented a paper at the 41st meeting of the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy in Denver, Colorado. My paper was “Acting Mean: Queering Hegemonic Masculinity through the Cultivation of Virtues.” It’s a shorter version of a larger project I am working on. The audience was gracious and offered up helpful suggestions and insight. It was also great presenting with my comrades, Amir Jaima and Alfred Prettyman of SSAP.
I will be presenting a more in depth version of the paper at the Brooklyn Library Tuesday, March 18th, 2014. For more info about the paper and the Upcoming Brooklyn Event, Visit Here.
I am grateful for having had the opportunity to present at SXSWedu in Austin, Texas. My presentation was called “TEXTnology in the Classroom.” The 2 hour workshop-based on my texting experience in my philosophy classes–consisted of sharing best practices on how to use texting in the classroom. I had a blast and the audience was amazing, thoughtful, and creative. If you were not at SXSW, I have provided the presentation and slides below to help you incorporate texting into your classroom.
Thanks to Dave Basulto for recording the session!!! The video is the intro and creative ideas from audience members. For copyright reasons the full presentation is not available. However, I have the slideshare presentation after the video. Enjoy.
PICTURES
##
This pass Sunday, Jason Collins, became the first actively openly gay athlete in the four major sports in the United States when he played for the Brooklyn Nets against the Lakers. However, our limited view of history may have us all wrong about what the historical moment we thought was occurring. In 1976, a black major league baseball player, Glenn Burke, made history. The thing is, the media was too scared to talk about it. Allen Barra talked about this fact in The Nation last year, but it seems not everyone has heard the truth. This doesn’t take away from anything that Jason Collins has done. It takes guts to do what he has and is doing. Its just nice to get a good history lesson and to also learn from the mistakes of the past.
“The Hip-Hop Fellow” is a look into Producer 9th Wonder time as educator of Hip Hop at Harvard University.
The Hip-Hop Fellow gives the 7 billion people who have not attended that prestigious institution a chance to bear witness to this historical moment, where the integration of hip-hop as an academic endeavor is finally accepted as a viable discipline. You can catchDr. Henry Louis Gates, Young Guru, Kendrick Lamar, Pete Rock, DJ Premier, Ab- Soul, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and so many more vouch for the weight of 9th and this project in the trailer for The Hip-Hop Fellow below. Be sure to make your way to your nearest cineplex to see the doc when it drops in April.–OKayPlayer.com
Does Masculinities studies sound strange to you? As a feminist I think it’s important that I see not only women as victims of patriarchy but men as well. Masculinities studies aim to examine the latter and so much more.
There is a new journal covering work in Masculinity studies. You can visit the PDF version of the Journal of Masculinities Studies HERE
Here is some info below.
From the very onset of its establishment, critical studies of men and masculinities aimed to investigate “men” and “masculinities” as primary agents and beneficiaries of patriarchy, criticising the roles of men and masculinities that construct socially and culturally disadvantaged positions for women and LGBTQs, and focus on a vast array of issues, including (but not limited to) identities, experiences, subjectivities, discourses, representations, sexualities, bodies, power, emotions, politics, cultures, social relations, intimacies, socializations, childhood, youth, fatherhood, elderliness, families, violences, literature, films, media, and so on and so forth.
Welcome to the first issue of Masculinities Journal, the very first offspring of our humble efforts. Masculinities Journal is a peer-reviewed academic journal and it aims to become an essential source for scholars, researchers, activists and anyone who wish to follow contemporary debates in critical studies on men and masculinities. We are planning to provide a critical platform to bring together critical discussions on men and masculinities from a wide range of disciplines in social sciences and humanities. We hope that the journal may establish and maintain an academic standard and it will be recognized as one of the leading journals on men and masculinities in the shortest time possible.
You can visit the PDF version of the Journal HERE
Barnard College has a new podcast series called “Dare To Use The F-Word.” Of course F-Word stands for “Feminism”.
Podcast titles such as “Perfection”, “Image and Media”, and “Street Harassment” is available for your listening pleasure.
More from their website:
Dare to Use the F-Word tells the stories of today’s feminists through the art, the ideas, the community, and the activism that define them. These monthly podcasts, co-produced by the Barnard Center for Research on Women and Barnard College Communications, will bring you interviews, conversations, and voices making change to create a more just world. And there’s no better place to do this than at Barnard. For nearly 125 years, this College, in the vibrant City of New York, with the first center for research on women in the US, has been a hub of young feminist activity—a place where theory and practice, scholarship and action, converge. We dare to use the F-Word. We hope you’ll join us.
We would like to think that we are not like our once cold war enemy, Russia. “They” are intolerant and oppressive. And “they” are presently doing an injustice to gay people. But before we start throwing stones from our red, white, and blue glass house, we need to take a look at our own intolerance. What better way to do this than through satire.
The Onion is pretty on point in the video below with pointing out that Putin is not the only one intolerant of gays during this winter’s Olympics. America’s sports leagues and sports athletes seem to be in agreement with him all year round (Chris Culliver, Tank Carder, and Jonathan Vilma have said some anti-gay things, other athletes like Kobe Bryant and Amare Stoudemire have been called out for using the word “fag”, and Jason Collins is unemployed).
This just goes to show that there is no hierarchy to intolerance. We cant condemn Russia and ignore that there still are sodomy laws on the books in certain states, you can be fired for being gay in states like Mississippi, same sex couples cant get married in over 20 states, and hate crimes against members of the LGBTQ community is real. Intolerance is Intolerance. America, we must get ours in check. Remaining on high horses is not an Olympic event. Its time to get off.
Russia Applauds America’s Efforts To Exclude Gay Athletes From Professional Sports
Michael Sam is a NFL prospect who just came out as gay to the public. If he is drafted, and he will be, this will make him the first openly gay man in the NFL. Questions have been raised, “Is the NFL ready for an openly gay player.” We’ve heard some strange answers to that question this week and even seen Sam’s draft rankings go down. But Dale Hansen, local Florida sportscaster, has something to say about the matter, and he says it well!! He even quotes Audre Lorde for gods sake!
Here is my latest piece at Huffington Post, “Drug Abuse and our Biased Compassion.” Visit here to take a read and please join the conversation on the site. Below is an excerpt.
I am not arguing that we should treat rich white men and their drug problems like we inhumanely treat the poor and people of color. I think it should be reverse. What we need is an unbiased compassion for all individuals. The same compassion, humane attitude, and value of life we as a society lend to rich white men on drugs, is the same we should extend to all addicts. Philosopher Schopenhauer argued that compassion is the real basis of morality. This fellow feeling is what defines our actions and lives as moral. But if compassion only extends to certain individuals and not to others, then what does that say about our own morality?
