We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.

Abraham Lincoln

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsyE2rCW71o

Between recent coverage of Majora Carter, [...]]]>

Did I catch the long tail of anti-black woman gendered racism from non-blacks reaching its peak? Or is there an increased awareness due to the extended social justice efforts of BWE that the lifestyle changes have spurred an even bigger cultural shift than we’ve realized?

Between recent coverage of Majora Carter, Dr. Dambisa Moyo oh and the pushback against the ongoing everyday assault on black women within the dead black community aka Blackistan, we’re witnessing an unprecedented number of attacks…but are they more likely to be recognized with more countermeasures in place?

The aggression may still occur, but it is not business as usual! The discrepancy between those demanding back women do this, cater to that, respond with “x” and serve their purposes without respect or reciprocity are over.

‘Shelly O’ Did Not Pull Out A Can Of Whoop-A**…Nor Did She Bend Over

Michelle Obama spoke at a private fundraiser a few nights ago. She was rudely interrupted by a hostile attendee with an axe to grind. Who demanded she tell her husband, the President to promote a specific gay agenda. You gotta love the gays. Pretty much every organization is run by a (n oppressed) white male and the last time I checked the interracial conflicts about whose needs were still being marginalized hasn’t abated.

So, it was a white woman activist, Ellen Sturtz of the gay-rights group GetEqual (nope, never heard of them either) this time. If you’re unfamiliar with my history of supporting LGBT issues pull the archives from 2008-09. My criticism as follows is about the behavior of the Gay Rights Industrial Complex (GRIC), not homo-or-trans phobia.  If you’ve got the funds to pay for an expensive dinner to hear FLOTUS speak, surely you can pick up a copy of Dale Carnegie and approach her properly!

Mrs. O stated:

“One of the things that I don’t do well is this,” she said to applause from most of the guests, according to a White House transcript.

“Do you understand? Listen to me or you can take the mic, but I’m leaving. You all decide. You have one choice.”

I was surprised FLOTUS turned the tables on her. That woman did not get a stereotypical neck-rolling, finger-waving, loud response. Nor did she get a pushover.  Mrs. Obama gave the women in that room a choice. They were getting ONE speech. Either the rest of her prepared speech OR the rantings from a disgruntled person. There would be no debate. It was bold and it flipped the script. That’s why Ms. Sturtz was asked to leave! She was wrong and her attitude in retelling the incident trying to make it appear that  Mrs. Obama was the aggressor shows her racism and misogyny.

How quickly that became this ‘Michelle Obama is a bully’ narrative – and moreso ‘Michelle Obama is a black *&%#’ is of course very telling of the prevailing gendered racism levied at black women that denies, dismisses and denigrates them  (us) all at once. I’m not here to debate whether Mrs. Obama was justified in her actions. Regardless of her powerful position as the current First Lady, the question people should be asking is whether those who’ve paid for private access with expectations of decorum have the right to ambush and attempt to publicly shame a public figure?

Based on a variety of responses from many white progressives and feminists, the answer is apparently – yes. CODEPINK, which defines themselves as a “women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement” sent a message on Twitter siding with the heckler and was put on blast by many women. They’ve since issued a ‘clarification’.

“By tweeting about how Michelle Obama “should have” responded to Ellen Sturtz’s interruption, we behaved in such a way that reflected a long history of white women dictating how Black women should behave.

Our actions were not in keeping with our own values as an organization. While yesterday’s interruption was not a CODEPINK action, it is exemplary of CODEPINK tactics, and the way we responded to it was insensitive and thoughtless”.

All you need to do is observe and take notes. True allies support. Opportunists take, demand and reveal themselves when you don’t follow their script. There will be crying and gnashing of teeth — ok let me quit, lol! You get the point. It’s a new day and more people find themselves hitting brick walls where they used to have open fields to run roughshod over black women. More and more have quietly set appropriate boundaries. Aaand….some folks don’t like it.  Too bad, so sad. Some of you will have to take your lumps as you figure it out.

The First Lady may be pressured to do the buck dancing her husband has employed his entire Presidency to appease a few malcontents. We’ve witnessed the disrespect and the ineffectiveness at combating racism, the political gridlock, the backpedaling and how little was accomplished.

Policymic writer Lena Rankin stated in: White Lady Heckles Michelle Obama — What Happens Next is Something Black Women Know All Too Well

The First Lady is a person, like any of us, and she has the right to determine the way she is treated. She has the right to speak in her own defense, just as you have the right to speak in yours. And she should not be caricatured, lectured, and demonized as hyper-aggressive or overly sensitive, phrases that we are so quick to call out when directed at white women, for defending herself and setting boundaries.

Take note, these are individual white women acknowledging their collective privilege and admitting to error.  Throughout the history of this forum we’ve discussed how other people’s agendas are not the first rule of order for the post-Black Women Empowerment era. It’s something I’ve struggled with. Not the Mammy role of saving the black community. The all-inclusive “cause” activism. We relate to the struggles and oppression of other folks and have given an unprecedented amount of time, energy and resources into fighting other people’s battles for them. Black women have been completely taken for granted. I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve had interlopers come to this forum to tell me I “should be” discussing and supporting their issues – but they’ve never approached me as an equal or offered to help with black women elevation.

Glamour Magazine’s Profile On Ending Rape (Culture) Is A Joke…But I’m Not Laughing

I’m witnessing the ongoing acceptance of anti-BW racio-misogynist Zerlina Maxwell by a lot of white feminists (and some equally foolish/spiteful black women) as a credible anti-rape activist that is unprecedented and disturbing. One, because so many claim to not know about her very public support of convicted rapist Genarlow Wilson as they’ve only focused on her Steubenville commentary. They weren’t paying attention to black-against-black women crimes because it doesn’t fit their narrative.  You cannot support the rapist in one case and the survivor in another when the only difference is the race of the teen girl victimized.

Two, because we already have several credible black women advocates who’ve extensively covered “rape culture” in the black community. What About Our Daughters has covered this since first discussing the atrocities at Dunbar Village back in 2007-8. The BWE pioneers have urged black women to flee from harmful people, places and practices as a matter of course, because the “rape culture” and lack of protection of black women and children continues to go unabated. If these media entities were serious about providing legit, complete discourse they would be contacting us. Instead, they pick a woman who is clearly compromised and insincere.

Of course black women must continue addressing intra-black aggression — but from a safe distance and with the support of allies. As we see ignoring the mass denigration by black males left the door open to outsiders to join in. White women will need to continually prove themselves as allies collectively if they want to be viewed as such. Since the days of Sojourner Truth asking, “Ain’t I A Woman“, there has been a concerted effort to “include” black and white women in a common space. There shouldn’t be this forced obligation and ‘guilt-trippin’. It hasn’t worked.

Zora Neale Hurston correctly identified the status of African-American women as Mule, so future generations would change it. Audre Lorde already told y’all, you can’t use the Master’s tools to dismantle the Master’s House. She also coined “The Personal As The Political”, which has been co-opted by nearly every white “progressive/feminist/LGBT group or discourse in some fashion.  Everything black women contribute of value is used by and attributed to outsiders because we’ve allowed this mass theft. So don’t go to the daughters or grand-daughter’s of the Masters expecting anything. Kimberle Crenshaw has clearly laid out “Intersectionality” so everyone would understand why black women occupy a certain position – so we could improve upon it!!.

There is no competition, no need to split one pie, with the first piece and biggest slices going to one group, not the other. And don’t make the mistake in assuming so-called ‘women of color’ circles will net better results.

Black women must have their own entities and focus and put themselves first from a position of strength before considering the value of  external relationships. Ultimately, THIS IS ABOUT PRINCIPLES — NOT PEOPLE!

If YOU were actively engaged in real support of your black women ‘allies’ you would know about Maxwell’s history of public statements against the teens in the Wilson case just as easily as her supportive ones for the Steubenville teen. Ah..but you wear shades of Marie Antoinette. And your friends gave her their stamp of approval, so you’re not going to question why the Emperor Has No Clothes. Tunnel vision and privilege.

Some of them are paid “Activists” and “Women’s Issues Thought Leaders”, writing about topics from Fat Acceptance to Rape Culture, ambulance-chasing popular trends and have nary a clue! But they ought to know better (because navel-gazing about selective oppression must get boring) and do better once ignorance of key facts has been revealed. Will they? Highly unlikely to rock the boat. Besides, the only person who really deserves credit for breaking Steubenville coverage when she posted in obscurity and got hate messages for it is Alexandria Goddard.

I understand why someone non-black intentionally chose a Trojan Horse like Zerlina Maxwell. Everybody hops on board hoping nobody asks any questions. Ignorance is bliss, I guess. Integrity doesn’t pay the bills when popularity is at stake. Do you think others care that despite proof to the contrary black women are thrown under the bus? Go read my Twitter timeline from the past two days (specifically my exchange with Kate Harding)! Maxwell supports a white woman victim, which ‘proves’ she cares about other people’s interests…just like a good Negro Pet. That’s all that matters to some folks. Well…these are your allies!

If you think Glamour has failed in their efforts at supporting women contact the magazine! Cynthia Leive, Editor-in-Chief, The Condé Nast Building, 4 Times Square, New York, NY 10036-6593 or Call 212-286-2860, Fax: 212-286-6922 or email letters@glamour.com. Ms. Lieve is also on Twiitter under her name and @glamourmag is their account.

Pay attention to the white “feminists” piling on the criticism and other self-declared friendlies who don’t offer anything. Let people reveal themselves. Say goodbye to Gone With the Wind, Driving Miss Daisy and The Help. That era is over!! Your continued support must be constantly evaluated.

Remember the GLAAD and Perez Hilton situation that I addressed here?

If These Gay Rights Groups Don’t Come Down On Perez Hilton They’re Done!

V for Victory: The Policing Continues As Perez Says He’s Sorry!

I was surprised it got such a prompt response. Heck, I was kinda impressed it was ever addressed at all. When you raise the bar on how you allow others to treat you there will be a positive or negative response, but everyone will know where you stand.

Even after the post on Majora Carter and Dr. Dambisa Moyo, I’ve been getting nonsensical messages from some disgruntled persons who have nothing of substance to offer in their arguments. Banned!! I don’t have time for such foolishness. When you can’t elevate a conversation past a 3rd grade level of discourse you need to go play in the sandbox!

****

To make sure we’re focusing on solutions after conducting a lay of the land so to speak, this is just a friendly reminder to take responsibility where you can, vet your allies and issue Day passes instead of Lifetime Memberships, don’t stay focused on the trials and tribulations involving Blackistan, and continue positioning yourselves to make patriarchy work to your advantage. Marry and form strong professional ties only with the functional, thriving men in the global village.

Be sure to read the latest extensive post over at Muslim Bushido as well. Don’t forget why YOU need to FLEE Blackistan (physically, emotionally and mentally) if you haven’t yet:

http://muslimbushido.blogspot.com/2013/06/ladies-keep-heading-for-exits-out-of.html

I thoroughly enjoyed writing the cultural assessment and contributions of  blacks in music. I’ve also pointed out how empowering the disco era [...]]]>

It’s always nice when people mention your online work fondly. I recently saw  a comment where someone mentioned my music criticism series from 2009, Deploying A Little Negro Spirit.

I thoroughly enjoyed writing the cultural assessment and contributions of  blacks in music. I’ve also pointed out how empowering the disco era was for women (and gays), which is why the “establishment” sought to reorder any progress that resulted in higher consciousness and freedom of expression.

If you’re reading them for the first time enjoy.

Deploying A Little Negro Spirit: When Black Female Artists of Substance Are Ignored

Deploying A Little Negro Spirit: Gotta Have Soul

Deploying A Little Negro Spirit: When White Artists Go Black

Deploying A Little Negro Spirit: When Black Artists Flip the Script

*********

The continuation with artists like Emeli Sande.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7wIvh1LjOk

I  had to link because the addition of  N’Dea Davenport elevated this Tortured Soul track to another level!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8d8riGyp88

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PjLkB7BlpA

You’d think the geniuses at the Times would’ve come up with something more original than Derailing For Dummies lite in their attack against Eco-Strategist Majora Carter, but no, they were too lazy to offer anything beyond paint-it-by-numbers innuendo and the written equivalent of throwing rocks and hiding. It’s 2013. [...]]]>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PjLkB7BlpA

You’d think the geniuses at the Times would’ve come up with something more original than Derailing For Dummies lite in their attack against Eco-Strategist Majora Carter, but no, they were too lazy to offer anything beyond paint-it-by-numbers innuendo and the written equivalent of throwing rocks and hiding. It’s 2013. I’ve read more engaging arguments in the comment section of tv show recaps! L-a-Z-y.

I actually laughed as I read their tabloid fodder. First of all, is this what’s representative of journalism today? They’re never going to see the revenue stream behind their paywall when they have a white woman editor and Asian writer pull Mean Girl high school antics to derail the work of an effective black woman activist. Three cheers for “feminism” as the gender-based racism train continues.

Hero of the Bronx Is Now Accused of Betraying It

*(Note “hero” is the male adjective)

Ms. Carter’s meteoric rise also made her a polarizing figure. Many former allies and neighbors say that Ms. Carter trades on the credibility she built in the Bronx, while no longer representing its interests….In a phone interview, Ms. Carter insisted that she had never stopped working to support the South Bronx. She said she would have supported FreshDirect even if she was not paid, saying that she had never been anti-business and that the company would create jobs, provide access to healthy foods, and promote local food-based businesses. “I thought that ultimately they would be able to provide a net benefit to the community,” Ms. Carter said.

She addressed the criticism by ticking off some of her many honors and noting her status as a “thought leader.” Her husband, James Chase — who tends to Ms. Carter’s public image as a vice president of her consulting firm — called charges that she was financially motivated “revolting.”

The criticisms even extended personally to Ms. Carter. Neighbors had long gossiped that she spent more time at her husband’s 1,500-square-foot, rent-stabilized loft in TriBeCa than at her own home in Hunts Point. That only changed, they said, shortly before she was hired by FreshDirect.

We’ve briefly discussed Ms. Carter’s work way back in 2009, when a certain self-aggrandizing member of the Obama administration left in a cloud of controversy. At the time I wondered why Ms. Carter hadn’t originally been tapped for the position while simultaneously concluding it was probably better that she had not.

Indeed, you could be putting in your 10,000 hours only to find others who had not worked as long or with equal dedication receive accolades, “Leaned In” by hijacking, while you are passed over with the expectation that just being there toiling away is good enough.

There’s A Reason Why I Focus So Much On Inspiring & Aspirational Messaging

We’re surrounded by %$#@ everyday. All day. I don’t want to talk about it. The black dead zones. The increase in poverty. The war on women. I also don’t want to pretend that positive thinking alone will net us a paradise. It doesn’t! I do want to survey more important trends, discuss their impact and explore opportunities while keeping an eye on solutions.

A quick background on Ms. Carter. She grew up one of ten in the South Bronx. Insert every negative social statistic and see what she avoided or survived to become a force to reckoned with. Excellence is inspirational. Deciding you are special when circumstances and people surrounding you appear to dictate otherwise is a heavy shackle to get rid of. If you do it successfully, you are FREE FREE FREE!

So imagine the horror of your “peers” as your work has been quietly noted by people of influence, who are prepared to not only acknowledge your contributions but reward it in a high profile way. They take you seriously and respect you beyond riding popularity waves.

It doesn’t take long for the Bitter Bettys (male and female, professional and personal), fueled by their underlying hostility to gripe, misinform and attempt to sabotage your reputation and work. Of course they only do this if you also have integrity and influence. They themselves can’t claim to be your equal let alone your better. Their watered down activities, lack of credibility beyond a few moments and bandwagon-jumping failed to give them the upper hand in being the next “go-to” representative. To them their only response is destruction, not coalitions.

People like that were always competitors and saboteurs, even if they pretended otherwise. They would never be true allies if it meant letting you shine. Typical crabs in a barrel.

The list of her “offenses” would be laughable, except their twisted opposition is very real:

How dare Majora Carter be good at what she does.
How dare she charge for her services.
How dare she live with her husband. In TriBeCa..eww white affluent people live there. So does Beyonce and her husband, who brags about his proximity to Robert DeNiro in a song…but somehow it’s just so wrong for some black woman to live well.
How dare she be fit and attractive and articulate and happily married!

THE OTHER SLANT: Eco-Strategist Majora Carter Calls Her New York Times Profile Racist and Sexist

I don’t think that I’d be getting any of these criticisms if I weren’t a black woman who was born poor. Those are my cardinal sins. But because I am successful, I must be inauthentic. I find that to be so racist. It’s like, How dare I rise above my rank and actually do the things that I’ve done? How dare I stand next to the big boys of all colors with a smile on my face and get paid? I don’t think that being fairly attractive works in my favor here either, which is really kind of pathetic, but life goes on. I thought the mega-watt smile or whatever the Times called my smile was just hilarious. Yeah, I was born with good teeth. Sorry…

Do I have to be a single mom on welfare who looks like she lives in a food desert to be considered “authentic”? What does that say to young people in our community? I’m working to create the infrastructure that’s going to make you understand that this could become a better place for you to be. I’m saying, “You know, you don’t have to move out of your neighborhood to live in a better one.”  Right now, we are taught that anybody with any wherewithal is gonna get the hell out of Dodge.

While I don’t agree masses of black women should remain in deteriorated areas or hold onto save alla our people mentalities, there’s nothing wrong with individuals with resources being rewarded for being the exception.  I’m surprised this piece of yellow journalism (oops) resisted the urge to mention that Ms. Carter (not to be confused with Mrs. Carter) has a white husband. They talked about her demeanor, her appearance, her confidence and everything else. Why not go all in, jealous Bettys?

To them women like Majora Carter are a threat. She doesn’t occupy the “black woman’s” place. How many examples of backhanded compliments and outright lying stories about successful black women who don’t play the Mammy/Mule role have we discussed — and debunked here over the years?

Her detractors won’t gain prominence by diminishing hers. Very few companies offer to work in blighted areas despite tax breaks. I say if you can find a grocery delivery service that accepts SNAP/TANF/Food Stamps, don’t fight them. The sourpusses at the NYT aren’t fooling anyone either. Not even the denial of their obvious denigration is original.

More from Slant:

The Times quoted Eddie Bautista, the executive director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, talking about the “breathtaking ironies” between you accusing activists of accepting money from companies who’ve harmfully impacted the community and you receiving a consulting fee from FreshDirect.

I thought his accusation was simplistic. Look, he’s an environmental justice activist. The bulk of their work is about protesting stuff. So in that regard, I guess I was never a very good environmental justice activist because I always focused on developing solutions to problems.  It seemed really silly to separate the environment from the economics of the situation, and I wanted to find ways that meaningfully brought the two of those things together in the service of our community. And when I kicked the tires of FreshDirect what I saw was a company’s willingness to engage with the community. And I thought with the right folks on the ground, they could develop the kind of public-private partnerships with FreshDirect that would ultimately support our community. That’s what I looked at. Look, we live in a capitalist society and I don’t think that we are going to change things with only the power of the people. I’m sorry, but the non-profit industrial complex that supports the groups that have been attacking me is not going to be there to support the economic well-being of the people on the ground. It’s not entirely their job, so I looked for ways to create the partnerships that will support people on the ground. That’s what I’m concerned about.

Ms. Carter is focused on long-term results, not rhetoric.If her critics had any evidence of wrongdoing, trust me they’d use it. And if this seems like an isolated incident or not a big deal to you, last week Bill Gates decidedly attacked economist Dr. Dambisa Moyo because her position on how “aid” to Africa hasn’t helped goes against his assessment of a “superior” solution. Poverty pimping, rescue missions for profit and keeping welfare nations on deathwatch (Zimbabwe has a $200 bank account) helps Western countries and corporate interests alike stay in control you know.

Update: I wanted to make sure readers understood the seriousness of how attaching any labels related to women’s empowerment in using a Trojan Horse compromised representative will cause far-reaching damage to the black women in particular who embrace it. Other women in protected groups can afford to toy with concepts [...]]]>

Update: I wanted to make sure readers understood the seriousness of how attaching any labels related to women’s empowerment in using a Trojan Horse compromised representative will cause far-reaching damage to the black women in particular who embrace it. Other women in protected groups can afford to toy with concepts because they have a safety net in place..

Delegitimization is the process which undermines or marginalizes an entity by presenting value judgments as facts which are construed to devalue legitimacy. It is a self-justifying mechanism. (Wiki)

Delegitimization Theory describes a “categorization of groups into extreme social categories which are ultimately excluded from society“. (Wiki)

Who is more likely to be excluded? I contend this is yet another form of post-BWE undermining meant to derail progress.

*************

This won’t take long. The editors of  Ms. Magazine just sacrificed any shred of credibility they had left on the altar of short-term financial gain in using Bouncy as the embodiment of their ‘movement’ (see their tag line). They used a stock photo and didn’t actually interview her, so it exposes such folly as a desperate attempt at promoting fake Girl Power for profit.

It’s good to know where people stand on certain issues. I’ve cancelled subscriptions for less heinous offenses, so lucky me my wariness at buying into a ‘movement’ that I’ve long questioned yielded good results since I won’t have to. I suppose Rihanna don’t hold Chris Brown accountable for nearly beating me to death will be next?

Temporary ‘Cause-Jumping’ To Get Ahead

Some might argue stars like Beyonce are examples of feminism, but that’s a rabbit-hole of shifting loose definitions weakening its foundation. They’re examples of how to focus on self-serving endeavors, nothing more. Due to these discrepancies, I don’t claim a feminism based on ideology, but whatever’s left after the debts are paid. If that! I’ve pretty much covered this in several previous essays, so I hope all of you who claim to be advocates of “women” recognize how privilege and position colors everything.

Popularity doesn’t equal substance. When black women are touted as placeholders I check agendas. Anyone who supports empowerment while ignoring intersectionality, black-on-black racio-misogyny and hypocrisy in selecting wholly compromised individuals as wholesome role models isn’t serious about it.

Someone might be asking why hailing Beyonce as a feminist model of excellence is a problem. Several factors come into play:

Skin color racism fuels a lot of her popularity amongst blacks. If she had been born with the beauty and browner hue of Kelly Rowland, she would have been ignored. This includes all references to her being “light-skinned”, i.e. acceptably within range of the paper bag test, when on the spectrum of our coloring she’s squarely in the middle. Or just to give you a comparison, Tisha Campbell is light-skinned, Beyonce not so much. Rumors of skin brightening may have legs.

Beyonce plays the “other” race card. In publicly referencing herself as Creole, French, Native-American, etc., her anything but black identification should have had her branded a self-hating Negro and subsequently banned, but black people lack the self-respect to do so. BW have bought into the diseased thinking of DBR BMs in renouncing healthy attitudes.

Confusing being provocative with cheap displays of non-nuanced stereotypical sexuality (Sapphire, Jezebel tropes). Tina Turner was sexy but never tawdry. Josephine Baker performed topless but still kept her dignity. Beyonce will always be Bouncy to me because there’s a missing element of sophistication in her numerous variations of the Booty Pop. Think about it, neither Madonna nor Janet Jackson went that route (minus Jackson’s SuperBowl overexposure that she paid a price for).

Mrs. Carter’s guilt by association to a certain BW-bashing, rapper who’s greatly profited from trashing us. Then there’s that whole glorification of criminality, thuggery and all things hip-hop. We’re supposed to cheer when the dregs of society mingle with others who are smart enough to understand the distinction between class and wealth  — and who they make wealthy by association. But he didn’t marry a Mei-Ling, Lupe or Becky so we’re supposed to cheer?

Recap: Ms. Magazine put Beyonce on their cover, proving selling magazines trumps legit feminism, how racist or naive black and white women co-signing such nonsense can pat themselves on the back for being ‘inclusive’ and why ignoring her contributions to the negative imagery of black women only helps reinforce an anti-BW message.

For those offenses alone Beyonce is nobody’s feminist. Personally, I don’t care for her wind machine weave/wig-flapping antics because Diana Ross does it so much better. I didn’t even mention her exaggerated claims of writing songs solo or pro-female anthems penned by male songwriters, but fake progressives want to shift definitions of “feminism” to suit their advancement, not yours. Don’t believe the hype.

Oprah Just Honored Gloria Steinem: Why Am I So Mad?

Does Ashley Judd Think She’s The Rosa Parks Of Patriarchy?

Why I’m Not A “Feminist”: An Economics Lesson

The “F” Word: Femininity v. Feminism Battle For Dominance In Women’s Lives