An Interesting Take on BLM

[kandrathe]

Now... it's obvious you didn't read those two last links I posted. Go read them, and we can talk more.

That is because I don't particularly like being led by the nose. I've made every attempt to address your points in your other posts but I noticed the favor has not been returned. You dance and prose with a purpose... which makes me question rather my message is really getting through at all. The blind leading the blind?

In regards specifically to Robin DiAngelo, I will admit to finding his articles eloquently put and intellectual to be sure. He does hit some very sound notes about white guilt, but fails utterly to address how POC can overcome this.

She... https://robindiangelo.com/about-me/

Not guilt. Accepting that one must know both sides of this issue. That is, to have your research on the cause of inequality measured, but also accept that we are blithely ignorant of our advantages. I know I take for granted the opportunity I've been given by others. I assumed it was because they could leverage my skills to their advantage, but maybe it was also they saw me as a safer bet.

Back to "changing cultural identity". Being an amalgam of historical identity, how does one exactly do that?

Regarding us answering every point, there are too many points made in long posts. I would suggest if we want specific points addressed, we should ask questions. I do try to answer every earnest question. Otherwise, I will choose to answer the general direction of the paragraph, not each point.

Tell me, I grew up in Santa Barbara where, according to census studies, there are 75% whites, and 32% Hispanic descent, so how is it most of the hundreds of Hispanic families I'm friends with here are very successful and have no cultural troubles fitting in? I'm sure this is also not just anecdotal but something I can prove with statistics if I bother to search, however I wanted to first point out that I now live in Oxnard California where whites are the minority and Hispanics the majority and neither whites or Hispanics in Oxnard suffer from this supposed racism Robin DiAngelo claims to be pervading the unconscious minds of minorities that tells them they are less than a given race simply due to either their color or due to being surrounded by whity.

Not every place is equal. I've lived in that area too. I worked at Silicon Beach, and surfed Rincon one summer. What is amazing about the Santa Barbara area is that it is a place where the middle classes do live well off the trickle down from above. It creates a lot of opportunities for hard workers. But, still...

Educational Attainment is lower than other Californians ( 90% more likely to not complete high school).

Household Income is lower than other Californians, except the lower 40%.

Give me a break - white guilt at it's finest no doubt! Was that article written only for black people? And if so, my argument only becomes more urgent regarding cultural identity. I personally know many, many Hispanic families that came from NOTHING without a dollar in their pockets, here illegally with the entire system against them and they have not only succeeded in life, but excelled, owning mansions in Mexico. I can prove this as fact!!! And it's not just one or two families, but many, many families. Aren't Hispanics considered POC also kandrathe? What sets them aside specifically from other POC is their cultural identity of close family ties, of personal bonds, of helping one another. How can you not see this?

I know it is a fact. I've seen it in action. One of my relatives over a multi-year span paid her trusted handyman/gardener over $500K to build a multi acre garden in her back yard. He had ten kids and a very nice home in Oaxaca, Oaxaca. Yet, this is probably an exception. The trouble with anecdotal evidence is that is does give weight to the outliers. There are probably many who are not as lucky, personable, or skilled who have a meager living. To get a better understanding we'd need to get answers from a representative cross section of the population. Also, having lived in SoCal, I can tell you, yes, I have heard and seen prejudice against hispanics.

Let's say I took my skills to NYC, peddled my labor to investment bankers for 80 hour weeks for my normal consulting rate of $1000/day. And, also lived frugally in a cheap accommodations. Over ten years I might amass a small fortune if then leveraged to a place like Belize, where the buying power of a dollar is multiplicativly higher. Don't think I didn't consider "selling out". But, in hindsight I can look at the bulk of my work as constructive to humanity. What I've lost in mammon, I've gained in my peace of mind and self actualization.

Back, to rap. Don't you see that this art form was their creation, and a hopeful, not criminal way to escape poverty. One way that majority culture deals with counter culture is to subsume it, then consume it and crap it out as popular culture. Like so many whites, including Elvis, justify cultural theft as flattery. Get real. Its about the money.

My point about the arts had to do with expressionism of the culture. Try reading some of Tupac Shakur's poetry, pretty deep stuff that exposes a social divide within their own culture/community. What is happening in a community can be understood by examining their arts, but I'm sure you already know this from the cultural arts classes you've undoubtedly taken. Rap is just a form of music... it's what the story is saying that is most telling, and when a great number of people from the same subculture say the same things in music, literature, personal documentaries, etc, then I'm quite certain they have something to express about their culture. Are you listening?

Not really. I don't like rap music. I don't believe it's written for me, or in a language I understand. I can appreciate it as an art form, without "liking" it. I feel it is meant to be from Tupac to his fans, and community. I wouldn't pay $1 for a Basquiat either (let alone $110.5 million).

I thought you might like this.
Eight Rules for White People Who Like Hip-Hop

• When singing along to rap songs with the n-word, substitue "ninja"
  
• Don't assume black rappers hate or are uncomfortable around white people
  
• Like what you like
  
• When you're saying rap names like "Lil Wayne" or "Masta Killa" just say them in the traditional white person way
  
• Just don't use an accent
  
• Don't giggle or act nervous when you talk about hip-hop
  
• Don't use terms like "gat" or "hood rat" or anything with a loaded racial etymology
  
• Don't beat box

Edit: I apologize ahead of time for the brash tone... It's unbearably hot in the office today and I feel short on patience, but that is no excuse for being rude, and if I came across as such, I do apologize. I'll reread what I wrote when I get home. One final note, you mentioned to me a few posts back on how I singled out the one judge who disagreed with the report on systematic racism and I never gave you a proper answer why, but it's because I felt the writers came into their project with much biasm and were trying to make a point that fit their narrative instead of looking at all facts empirically and without judgment. I'd be interested to hear a similar report done by a completely unbiased party if there could possibly be such a thing. Anyway, switched from office PC to smart phone and hate typing on this thing so, until next time.

No worries. I have a thick skin, and I look to the meat of our discussion rather than the costume in which your arguments are dressed. I'd challenge you to look again at that study (as will I), it is sometimes hard to accept the bias reflected in the results is not put there by the researchers. I've developed a nose for seeing through bogus stats.

P.S. I relooked at that Harvard review published research paper. It is very well done, even in doing appropriate over sampling for under represented minoritys ( both ethnic/race and political leaning). I do studies like this one, so I appreciate how they did incorporate both quantitative and qualitative analyses. It is not "highly cited", however it is recent and cited in other quality research. cited x 5. Btw, for scholars, publishing research is not like writing an article for a magazine. Their career, and reputation is on the line.