I almost considered smoking again... almost.Too much information, too much Internet, too much interaction, too much intrigue, too much interest, too much ignorance, just too much...
Favorite Guy told me a week ago that I read too much, and my initial reaction was to scoff and raise my brow in disdain-this is natural reflexive action for me in many cases...okay most cases. He wasn't talking about books, but of blogs and feeds and social networking foolery. Y'know, he was right; there's just no way to come into contact with the immensity of information/ignorance on the Interwebs and not be affected by it. I think I need an intervention, so here's my note to self, and y'all.
The following topics have negatively affected me:
-Antoine Dodson: Okay, so the ignorance entailed in the whole Dodson debacle rested most uncomfortably in my craw. For one, a woman was sexually assaulted! I fail to understand the impetus for comedy in such a heinous crime. Secondly, and I don't generally get all sociopolitical, the "funny" part was how Dodson managed a stereotypical trifecta on national news: sexuality, race and class. Um, yeah, I'm still not getting the joke.
-Hair, hair everywhere: The natural hair movement is moving me to fits of frustration! Am I the only person who sees the danger here? How is natural hair in and of itself, a movement? Unless you are taking your afro clad asses out to the streets and the voting booths and the SCHOOLS you have a hairstyle, you are not a movement. Now this is not to demean or take anything away from those who wear their hair natural symbolize their stance on issues in which they actively engage-this is about the poseurs. This is about the polypeptide proselytizers who've run amok on the Interwebs. When I chemically straightened my hair, I did not trade in my self-love and cultural awareness card any more than I traded it in when I shaved it off, braided it up, chunked it, spiked it, highlighted it, twisted it, etc. On rare occasion when I put my previously perkier breasts in a bra, I'm no less a womanist than I've always been. For a people to wield the same weapons of separation and othering that were previously used against them and call it a movement? Hmm, I suppose, if moving backwards is a movement, y'all might be on to something.
-Ebonics: Funny this would come up just as I was studying sociolinguistics! When I speak, most people recognize a regional (East Coast/New York) dialect. You can tell me for yourselves within the next few weeks when I will begin vlogging occasionally. The same can be said for most people, yes? So what's the big deal about Ebonics? I made a cameo appearance in the Etsy fora yesterday and a few "community" members were discussing the subject of Ebonics. Big mistake on my part, having already been overloaded with Internet fuckery. Not only were the comments bordering on overtly racist, but the examples of Ebonics used to further arguments against accepting it as a language were clips from comedy films and television clips. Le sigh. I shared this quote from one of my textbooks and made my exit: "Ebonics is no more a lazy form of English than Italian is a lazy form of Latin." (Rickford 1997) If you were uncertain on your stance, chew on that for a bit.
Favorite Guy told me a week ago that I read too much, and my initial reaction was to scoff and raise my brow in disdain-this is natural reflexive action for me in many cases...okay most cases. He wasn't talking about books, but of blogs and feeds and social networking foolery. Y'know, he was right; there's just no way to come into contact with the immensity of information/ignorance on the Interwebs and not be affected by it. I think I need an intervention, so here's my note to self, and y'all.
The following topics have negatively affected me:
-Antoine Dodson: Okay, so the ignorance entailed in the whole Dodson debacle rested most uncomfortably in my craw. For one, a woman was sexually assaulted! I fail to understand the impetus for comedy in such a heinous crime. Secondly, and I don't generally get all sociopolitical, the "funny" part was how Dodson managed a stereotypical trifecta on national news: sexuality, race and class. Um, yeah, I'm still not getting the joke.
-Hair, hair everywhere: The natural hair movement is moving me to fits of frustration! Am I the only person who sees the danger here? How is natural hair in and of itself, a movement? Unless you are taking your afro clad asses out to the streets and the voting booths and the SCHOOLS you have a hairstyle, you are not a movement. Now this is not to demean or take anything away from those who wear their hair natural symbolize their stance on issues in which they actively engage-this is about the poseurs. This is about the polypeptide proselytizers who've run amok on the Interwebs. When I chemically straightened my hair, I did not trade in my self-love and cultural awareness card any more than I traded it in when I shaved it off, braided it up, chunked it, spiked it, highlighted it, twisted it, etc. On rare occasion when I put my previously perkier breasts in a bra, I'm no less a womanist than I've always been. For a people to wield the same weapons of separation and othering that were previously used against them and call it a movement? Hmm, I suppose, if moving backwards is a movement, y'all might be on to something.
-Ebonics: Funny this would come up just as I was studying sociolinguistics! When I speak, most people recognize a regional (East Coast/New York) dialect. You can tell me for yourselves within the next few weeks when I will begin vlogging occasionally. The same can be said for most people, yes? So what's the big deal about Ebonics? I made a cameo appearance in the Etsy fora yesterday and a few "community" members were discussing the subject of Ebonics. Big mistake on my part, having already been overloaded with Internet fuckery. Not only were the comments bordering on overtly racist, but the examples of Ebonics used to further arguments against accepting it as a language were clips from comedy films and television clips. Le sigh. I shared this quote from one of my textbooks and made my exit: "Ebonics is no more a lazy form of English than Italian is a lazy form of Latin." (Rickford 1997) If you were uncertain on your stance, chew on that for a bit.
But, look what I found: Sistah Vegan: Black Female Vegans Speak on Food, Identity, Health and Society. Adds to cart. The end justifies the means, kinda.
Peace to the people
6 comments:
going to keep it short and sweet - thank you as always for your insight... and a speedy recovery from your desire to smoke and 'read too much'... xo perhaps it is 'what' we read vs. 'how much' we read that is the crux of the problem...
kindred spirits, i tell you!
i have natural hair, and i can't tell you how caught up i got in the "movement" to the point where i obsessed over caring for it. there are so many damn blogs devoted to "natural" hair, that my head spins. i was natural when it wasn't cool, but i digress....
here's a tip: stay out of the etsy fora! you'll get sucked in like a vacuum, and you'll be tempted to open a can of whup-ass on some of those broads...
lastly-ebonics: that word makes me cringe as if i have a bad hemorrhoid. i hear the fbi or the cia is seeking "ebonics" translators: GTFOH! i'm done...drinks on me:)
Yes...I agree with mariedodd....thank you for your candid insight! but SAY NO to smoking! I have had to step away from the computer for at least a week or two in order to quit reading all the blogs, facebook postings, internet perios....etc....I felt like I fell into a vortex that I would not ever see the light of day again!
I feel ya. When EVERYONE has an opinion, and we have access to everyone's opinions, it can be pretty darn overwhelming. More specifically when said opinions get put out into cyberspace as authority. It can take the fun out of community!
Just trying to either find your own place in it all or state your place in a quest not to be overtaken. Its good to take a breather every once in a while for sanity purposes =).
I thought it was just me who logs off feeling dazed, confused, and somewhat abused. Just as I don't watch television, so too, I should reduce my digital intake -- my consciousness is too touchy I think. And BTW, don't smoke -- go hiking instead!
oooh oooh oooh! sistah vegan! my good friend janine did the art work for the cover.
gotta get me a copy.
yes, internet f*ckery can be a bit much.
i could write a book on this whole natural hair cult-ism. i mean, don't get me wrong, i have my personal firm position on the topic, but some folk are just out of their minds.
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