Dreaming of a White Christmas

Last year I had a serious question and now this year, especially in the year of our first African American president elect, I now feel the need to put it to the test. Can we please see a black santa clause? For real, its that time of year when we all go out and throw our good hard earned money away in the name of St. Nick -- well not completely but you can easily get the point, we go out spend money we really can't afford and still take our children to see Santa Clause who happens to be white. Previously I really would not have an objection but now that I am a parent, a socially conscious parent at that, I have to raise questions to the various social constructions. For years, the white house has been a place where the head white man in charge crashed for four years rent free. Now that is about to change. For years, folks who were true born again christians prayed to a "white" jesus. For eons powerful white men told incredibly small white lies which caused catastrophe. There has been a serious brain washing game with the color of white. Things that are white in this country, possibly others, are seen as being clean and innocent and pure. The institutions we have set up in this country, the ones we have blindly bought into, have set up a fractured fairy tale which plays out into the social reality we call life. The color system in this country represents a caste system on a plethora of levels and because of that, the effects can be horrific. For example, I can now understand why some parents don't want their children to see a white santa clause because of the reasons I have stated above. That said, because of how we have been conditioned as a society, if a Black, Brown, or even a Red Santa came down the chimney, before he got to the tree, he would be shot dead or seriously wounded. Marge, come quick, some [you fill in the blank] dressed in a red suit just broke in the house, I've got the gun on him. Imagine if you will the song I saw mommy kissing Santa Clause. Archie Bunker might be pretty mad. The news media might take it to the extreme. "If you see a[non model minority] man fitting this description, 6'1, 300 pounds wearing a red suit, call police immediacy." I can see the headline, Colored Clause Catches A Cap in that A$$! Lets not forget the economic hardship that might be imposed on KRS Cringel. Imagine trying to get a loan at the bank of the North Pole and his credit is jacked. Mr. Drysdale tells him he's over extended and they are giving thought to repossessing his sleigh. I love Christmas Specials, I grew up watching them, but never, not even in the Fat Albert Christmas Special-well let me check on that first, but the point I am attempting to make is that our media has put forth this image of santa being ever good and white. Now before my readers dismiss my rant as being unsupported rhetoric, allow me pause to draw attention to the serious matter of the character of Black Peter. This is curtsey of Mac Carey:
Black Peter, or Zwarte Piet in Dutch, began in Holland in the 15th century. His dark appearance is supposed to suggest a Spaniard, a reflection of Spain's occupation of the Netherlands at the time. Black Peter was also associated with pirates, a common threat to naughty Dutch children was that he would take them to a pirate's hide out and beat them. He was often represented holding a large stick for this purpose. The large bag that he held was rumored to be used for stuffing children in for the trip back to Spain. At the time "Black Peter" was a euphemism for the devil, and it was thought that St. Nicholas, being a representative of God, had beaten the devil and made him his servant. Thus it fell to Black Peter to hand out the punishments, while St. Nicholas dealt with the more pleasant sides of Christmas.
For more information you can visit this link: http://mymerrychristmas.com/2006/blackpeter.shtml
Ain't sad? All I want for Christmas, of course with the usual, God in my heart, my family in my life, and of course the cool million in the bank tax free, is some equity in myth making process. White doesn't always signify purity: see our outgoing president George Bush. That said if Christmas is for the kids, young and old, then why not make it for all the kids so Santa Clause is accessible by all kids

Whitewashed: Dead at 21

I had my second "quasi professional" speaking gig last week. I call it quasi professional because I am still somewhat new to this public intellectual thing. I was given the honor of presiding on a panel discussion regarding the new president elect Barack Obama. If I am lucky I will see if I can put a video post of it here on MLTW2F. It felt good to be able to actually speak with some authority on the topic considering that I was slated to give a talk about the possibility of an Obama win last year. Unfortunately, my back went out at the last minuet and I was forced to withdraw at the last minuet. In the discussion which had roughly 200 people in attendance, my game was on, I had my facts straight and then we got a person with a crazy question which really boiled down to a sneak attack on the President of the University where I teach. OK-- the pretext is simple. When Obama won the election some two weeks ago, the students caught the Obama fever. Hell I admit I caught a bit of it myself almost waking our baby. Well leave it to 19 year olds who felt they shook up the world the take on the University administration. Change, we want change had to have been going through their minds. Not really a bad thing provided it's done constructively. The key word here is constructively. The students had a list of concerns ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous. For real now.. Yes, to have the residence halls flood and not have students promptly and adequately relocated is worth a little fall out. But to complain about the cafeteria food, come on now. Institutional food is institutional food. Prior to the pannel discussion, the students (rougly 100 freshmen) decided to have an uprising. Now i thought I did the right thing by attempting to put down this particular mutiny, they put their swords away to fight another day. It just so happens the day they chose happened to be mine. Great.. In listening to the laundry list of complaints, my ears became a bit dulled and my patience ran thin. It was as if my grandfather was on the stage with me when I heard one of his famous quotes, I think I will now call them "whit-isims." A classic whit-isim from 1991 revolved around my constant laments to ask for a new car considering the one he bought for me was falling apart. --"You are always asking for a new car but you have never asked me for a wrench to fix the one I bought you." Just like in 91, good sense went over like a lead balloon. When you are 20, you want things instantly. Its like we (black folk) think like 20 something white folk. Instant deposit equals instant return. Some 18 years later, I now know that is not the case. But we have been white washed to think like that. Our students don't realize that the HBCU was born out of struggle. (Now I know it's hard for me to say that considering I have called it the plantation with a black master) But it is true. Unfortunately, when one is 20something they just (myself included) just don't know ant piss. In particular, the next generation of Black Folk, the ones right under me, as they attempt to discuss the politics of oppression and blackness, they really believe that progress comes without struggle. One can rest on their potential. Noting could be further than the truth. The one thing I can remember saying from the first day of the Obama win to the next was that the excesses for underachievement have officially been put on notice. It's now time for a re-definition of afrocentricity. A new definition of self affirmation is upon the horizon and if we are not ready, we (as a people) will be swept in the undertow.

New Years Eve, November 4th 2008

New Years Eve November 4th 2008
I never thought that I would be using the words from the Bush presidency to comment on the tremendous outstanding election results from November 4th. It was funny because my Godbrother asked, where is your blog, I know you have got something to say now!!!. It’s going to sound funny but I had to wait for a day for the reality to set in. Do we really have a Black president elect? When we first saw the declaration (Dr. Wife and I) we saw it on Fox news. Immediately I challenged it because I know how Fox news got us in this crap w-Bush screwing up the calling back in 2000. I don’t believe them, turn to CNN because they can’t be trusted. Hell, Fox news are a bunch of neocons anyway with an agenda. Now when Anderson Cooper came forth with the truth, well needless to say, I was shocked. I mean yesterday was like new years eve in November. I was high all day until I heard some of the racist fall out from the election. One of my fellow gymrats shared a story with me about how he had to keep his head down because some whitefolks felt the country was going to hell on a motorcycle. At NC State, the term Black House was sprayed on the free expression wall. The worst however came when I heard some moron say that this election was as tragic as September 11th 2001. Like I said before, white folks—not white people—but white folks are going to be in a serious state of psychosis while black intellectualism will be in demand. See, white folks who have really governed from a position of “race superiority” now have to go to sleep knowing that the man who is keeping the “football” also know as the Nuclear Launch Codes, doesn’t look like them and certainly may not think like them . That’s going to take some getting use to and it’s not going to be easy. The state of and the face what is “American” is going to change and my projection is that the status quo is really going to be shaken up. In the words of John McCain, “the people have spoken.”