Black Love, According to the Washington Post

*Originally published in the "Talking Drum"
Every few years the Washington Post seems to publish an article attempting to update the world about the status of black love. On Wednesday, March 25, 1997, the Post linked both declining marriage rates and climbing divorce rates to the increasing vulnerability of black men and the economic state of the black population, along with other cultural explanations such as outlook on divorce, etc. The ratio reported then was 772 black men for every 1,000 black women.
By October 8th, 2006, not much had changed. They reported 70 black men for every 100 black women. This article chronicled single black women who were doing everything from going abroad to dating inter-racially in order to overcome the numbers game in search of love.
And now, not a year after the media dubbed Michelle and Barack Obama the new image of black love, the Post is at it again. Most recently, the Post’s December 10th, 2009 article titled “Successful, Black, and Lonely” offered a preview into Helena Andrews’ new memoir, Bitch is the new Black, while focusing in on the outlook of the marriage chances of Black women.
All in all, Society seems to have a lot to say about black love. Newspapers, news programs, Twitter, and Facebook were buzzing with this discussion after this piece was printed. As a result, Black woman are being constantly reminded about their prospects for marriage.
When and why did the marital status of 42% of black woman become news worthy? Especially in a society where other topics about them, such as reports on missing black women, are few and far between. It seems like the media is exasperating the fears many black woman already have. Is the situation becoming worse in perception than reality, and what affect does that have on black women and their relationships?
One situation I experienced hinted that perception and reality may not be in line. At a black woman’s health summit last semester, a group of undergraduate Duke women were asked what they thought the on campus male-female ratio was. Responses went as high as 8 to 1. In reality, the numbers came out to about 2 to 3. Though still outnumber, the numbers were not as nearly skewed as we all thought they were. Is it possible that this scenario is applicable elsewhere?
Making this situation into a newsworthy crisis increases the feelings of urgency that move women to be ultra-competitive towards one another as well as settle for people or behavior that we do not deserve. Though I am not seeking to minimize the issue at hand, I am arguing that articles like these in the Washington Post are bringing the numbers to the forefront for a lot of women, and making the situation look much direr than it truly may be. Predicting that only 75% of black women will find the men of their dreams is not a situation that calls for women to throw hope out of the window. If anything, it does call for us to fight even harder against the causes of this imbalance: incarceration, failed education systems, black on black violence, etc. It is not a call for the finger pointing, blaming, or bitterness that seems to arise during discussions surrounding this issue. There’s no room for this.
After all, Black women have already overcome many things. Whether we decide to fight the imbalance head on, date outside of our race more often, or re-imagine happiness as single women, hope is not lost, regardless of what the Washington Post says.

Af Am Section at Borders

So many things in our society contribute to the definition of what is black. This is my personal attack on one of them. The same way the fact that BET has black in its title pisses me off, the African American Section in Borders serves the same purpose. Right there in big letters, they make a statement about what black literature is. And it's not Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, or Toni Morrison, nope. The first thing you see are those so-called "hip hop" novels (that title is problematic as well). Not downing any one who reads these, to each his or her own, but they do not account for the majority of black literature, so why do they make up the majority of this section? I must admit that Toni Morrison had a novel or two shoved in there somewhere, but can we get equal representation? Can we stop making the statement that black culture is monolithic? I'm going to go back, look the section over one more time, then make a complaint to management, I'll let you know how that goes.

Police Brutality

Just as I am researching the movement for the abolition of prison (please look it up), I find that in march a man from my hometown was beaten to death by police after a car accident!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A car accident! Interestingly enough, the example I was given for reducing the dependency on police was from a woman who fought her instinct to call the police after a car accident. Rodney Wilson is dead, and I hadn't even heard about it. I researched it and most of the news came from a blog. This system is a mess. It's time to be done with it.
Research people research..... Critical Resistance 10, Rodney Wilson, 3 men beat by cops n Pennsylvania...
Now that our media is failing us, we have to educate ourselves. Thank god for the word of mouth. Rodney Wilson,you have made up my mind, I dedicate what I do for this movement from now on to you!!!!!

Kristin Butler's Suma Cum Loony

http://media.www.dukechronicle.com/media/storage/paper884/news/2008/05/15/Columns/Summa.Cum.Loony-3371900.shtml
I have tried to blast this article on the Chronicle's comment page, but that wasn't enough. And as a poster said, the writer is deteriorating strides made to connect the two schools. Any disdain students at NCCC and residents of Durham held for us before, has just been increased. Though I am sure that the writer and most of her supporters could care less. Here are JUST A FEW of the issues I see bursting in between the lines
1. Can you say hypocrite? As if our students hold perfect behavior everyday outside of class. With the massive consumption of alcohol by under age drinkers, the drug use, the unreported, on-campus rapes, the racism that's bubbling beneath several surfaces... The cheating!!!!!!!! Come on
2. I am still amazed at how many people gloss over the wrongs admitted to: the racial slurs, that hateful email...(Not to mention I am curious why this mostly white party ordered up two black strippers)
3. These issues mentioned are not that simplistic. I wasn't planning on going there but as one poster added in response to the semen, how likely is it that there were only team members at that party? Is it possible that she just confused who was on the team? The evidence found, the main one I remember, the broken nail (what did she break it taking her clothes off)
4. Generalizations. Not trying to separate the two individuals from the rest of the school (because I don't think they are bad people at all and do feel that they have earned their degrees), but if you feel that you must, this is a good example of a small group having to represent an entire institution- including all of the people who work there, attend there, and hold degrees. And now you have added to our generalization. Sad enough I have heard rumors that your editors only publish articles that fit their dominant opinions (I hope that isn't true). This article wouldn't make me so angry if I had at least once seen one from the other side of the fence. The views of Kristin and students who share them are ever present. Where are my views? Here on this blog I guess.

King Kong?

Had I not heard about this photo in its current context (with all this King Kong discussion, I wonder if I would have realized. Taking a class on black popular culture (a name somewhat misleading considering it seems to be about black masculinity in the media) I am struggling with deciding how consciously these decisions are made. It's obvious that it looks like the huge black beast was about to run away with the poor damsel. At least she's still smiling. Especially since there is a stereotype that black athletes move on up and date white women. I find it hard to believe that the directer of the shoot planned to fit the black male stereotype, but if I was the director I would have considered the possibility. When Lebron walked on that photo shoot that director should have been fully conscious of the black male's type cast in the media. Especially since that was the black male to ever appear on Vogue! Come on, not only is it long overdue but could you at least do it right. There is no excuse. With the damage that these images create, there is no room for "I didn't know"'s.

All they heard was nigger, Jeremiah Wright

First, here are a few highlight from Rev. Wright’s speech, to provide the context that is once again neglected:
• The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, God damn America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people. God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. “God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme."
• We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye.
• We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost.
• It just came to me within the past few weeks, y'all, why so many folks are hating on Barack Obama. He doesn't fit the model. He ain't white, he ain't rich, and he ain't privileged. Hillary fits the mold. Europeans fit the mold, Giuliani fits the mold. Rich white men fit the mold. Hillary never had a cab whiz past her and not pick her up because her skin was the wrong colour. Hillary never had to worry about being pulled over in her car as a black man driving in the wrong… I am sick of Negroes who just do not get it. Hillary was not a black boy raised in a single parent home, Barack was. Barack knows what it means to be a black man living in a country and a culture that is controlled by rich white people. Hillary can never know that. Hillary ain't never been called a nigger. Hillary has never had her people defined as non-persons.
I support what Rev.Wright said, the true problem is that people get upset when you burst the “myth of America”. How dangerous is it to be in a country when you cannot criticize what is going on around you; the conditions that affect your family, friends, and loved ones? Yet Obama is in a position where he has to bend over and kiss a few asses. If he hadn’t he would have handed over the race to Hilary. Thank God I’m not running for President, I find it hard to bite my tongue and smile as someone puts their hand up my ass. There is no alternative to Obama, though a lot of people don’t seem to see that he and Hilary have platforms that are identical twins. So what’s the difference besides race and gender, the fact that Hilary plays the race card while Obama ignores the sex cheap shot.
I can’t decide if I should ignore the fact that he’s a black man that will enter the white house and leave all my black ideals outside on the sidewalk. Is he going to take the country as it is or still be able to call it on its faults? I think we got our answer during that speech. I guess I really am choosing the less of two evils. Deciding whether or not to accept this election as an “apology” for racism and all of its lasting affects, cause it may be the closest thing we ever get. Or should I tell them to kiss my ass and continue to live without it. Whoever gets up there will shuffle a few things around, but my optimism ends at that. Part of me hopes that Obama will get in there and say “Sike!”

No More Rupert Murdoch

Hi, For those of us who don't want a few big companies deciding what we
see, hear, and read in the news, it's a bad day.
The Bush-appointed FCC just voted to loosen media ownership rules so
media titans like Rupert Murdoch can swallow up more local news outlets.
They did this despite a huge public outcry--when the FCC asked for
public comments, 99% opposed media consolidation!

The last thing our democracy needs is fewer independent media voices
and more news outlets like FOX. Congress has the power to reverse this
rule change, and I just signed this petition asking Congress to do that.
This issue is very important. Can you join me at the link below?

http://civ.moveon.org/mediaconsolidation/?r_by=11826-8497282-9q8mqm&rc=confemail

Thanks!