Friday, February 23, 2007

reaction




'Man, this version of Just Callin' It Like You See It is boggling my mind.

There are moments when i find your insights pretty interesting (most of us are not unaware that pdx is is the Great White Populace and it's instructive to hear another voice or voices). There're other moments when it's obvious that your own personal insecurities cloud the quality of thought, but it's your blog (hell yeah it is) so go for it on the merely-32-inch-tv and the afraid-to-meet-the-woman-on-the-phone threads. But something about this post is just so out there, so cynical and ill-toned, that I had to wonder if you ever read your own blog.

Lady, half of your posts revolve around perception and presumption and how puzzling and cruel they can be. Yet here you are dissing a room fulla whites because they had the wherewithall to attend a Black History Mo. screening. These people were interested enough to get their asses up to PCC for a screening and you're instantly dismissing them as granola-eating, White Guilt laden black history dilettantes who're watching whatever movie as a collective act of...condescension? This particular musing is generalizing in exactly the style that you accuse or document various whites of doing, and it's no prettier from your pen than it is when you journal the behaviors of others.

You imply that white people everywhere only allow themselves to think positively about blacks once a year (do you really truly think this?); you state that the scholastic portrait of blacks is limited to poverty and ignorance (i can only attest to the california public school system on this, but i sure as hell didn't wander around the elementary school yard thinking blacks were stupid and poor); you sarcastically chide the attendees of this event for coming to an African film during Black History Month, because you apparently can tell that they're not interested in the black community beyond this 90 minute reel; then you wag your blogging finger in the face of this nameless, generalized audience in Portland because Africa's been historically exploited by whites um, not in Portland?

I think you can see that this line of thought doesn't make a helluva lot of sense. Perhaps you're resentful of the whites in that room at PCC for whatever reason. Okay, that's cool, if that's where you're at and you're honest about it. But weaving a poorly-constructed and mean-spirited narrative around people that did nothing but show up to a movie is a cheap, cheap shot, no matter the cheerleading that occurs in the comments section.'



i think people forget that this blog started out as a personal, almost-confessional type place for me to write about my thoughts, experiences and feelings. period.

( i'm not writing for the Oregonian here)

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Clearly that person doesn't understand the meaning of a personal BLOG!

Anonymous said...

So the implication seems to be that if you make blatantly hypocritical statements on your "Personal Blog" (the common theme of which includes calling out others for their unfounded presumptions --as they very well should be) that you get immunity?

It's very likely that no one who's come across this blog expects impartial journalism-- most blogs are the antithesis of impartiality, which is exactly what makes them interesting. (Most of us know that the Oregonian is not at all impartial anyway, but weighted with heavily conservative views.) However, i don't think that it's unreasonable to expect that someone who logs encounters with others who are blatantly or veiled racists, presumptuous, and in some cases just superb assholes, to not display the same tendencies as those she's condemning.

Whether you do this in the privacy of your own home, in the public forum of your Personal Blog or at the coffee house on Killingsworth, it's still pretty lame, lame lame.

As mentioned, I read your blog because it's interesting. And while this is your Personal Blog, the previous comment was not a personal attack. Instead, it's a questioning of the cynical presumptions of your post in the context of what you yourself frequently complain of.

Anonymous said...

Eh, so what? Write what you want to write, say what you want to say. A blog doesn't have to be a finely constructed logical piece of journalism.

Most people who read your blog read it because they find your voice and your perspective valuable. If you're constantly reviewing everything to make sure it's all PC and totally not offensive or whatever, then the authenticity of your voice is lost.

So again, eh, so what? Just say what you want to say.

Unknown said...

To a certain degree, even a private blog is public. But somebody feels the urge to be the spoilsport, always, everywhere... So don't let yourself being dragged down or influenced by it.

Anonymous said...

"sh" makes an excellent point. Excellent.

And I too am just saying what I want to say because I want to say what I want to say. Otherwise, shut down your comment section.

Aly Cat 121 said...

Seems to me you must have hit some grain of truth in that earlier post. Why? Cuz whenever a sore spot is touched (whether folks want to admit it or not) they automatically get offended. Typical.

Anonymous said...

Seems to me that offensive people always think that the negative reaction they are getting must be evidence that what they are saying is true. Wrong.

"sh" makes an excellent point. Read it again. Slowly, if you must.

Aly Cat 121 said...

Seems to me that most folks can say a whole lot of things under the guise of "annoymous" but never like to reveal themselves to the light. Typical. So very typical. *shakin head*

Anonymous said...

Aly Cat, actually people post anonymously because there are freaky people browsing the internet. That's why we are not stupid enough to reveal our identities. If you are so eager to expose your picture to them, by all means, post away.

The commenter named "sh" made an excellent point, having a personal blog doesn't exempt The Black Girl from making racist remarks, because they can be very painful. Right, nappy-headed ho's?