Ahhhh, Thursday night. After a tough week it's nice to kick back and watch Mr. Vick make his debut with my iggles. A cold Red Stripe, the big screen TV, and my favorite chair in my favorite room in the house. Life is good.
But then, my BlackBerry goes off. It's my girl Anita with an e-mail for the field. Let me see what it's about........oh hell no! Racism can't you leave me alone for just one night? Honestly, I am not in the mood to chase you right now.
"GREENSBORO, N.C. - A baby doll found at a local Costco store has been pulled from store shelves after customers complained it was offensive. The doll, which depicts a black, baby girl, is named "Lil' Monkey."According to Costco representatives, a Greensboro customer filed complaints about the offensive doll and the company pulled the product from stores.The product is a doll called the "Cuddle with Me" baby doll manufactured by a company called BrassKey Keepsakes. The controversy stemmed from the black version of the doll which is surrounded by monkeys and wears a hat labeled "Lil' Monkey," while the white version is surrounded by pandas and wears a hat labeled "Pretty Panda."Costco's corporate office says when they received complaints from John Taylor and other shoppers about the doll, store employees pulled the product from store shelves immediately.According to a Costco corporate employee, a chain letter demanding the stores remove product number 404860 also prompted the company to take action. Costco's Vice President of General Administration, Arthur Jackson, told FOX8 "We offer our sincere apology to anyone who was offended by the product. That was surely never our intent."In a conversation with FOX8's Nicole Ferguson, Mary Gustaff, CEO of BrassKey Keepsakes, said the company offers a sincere apology to customers."It's so unfortunate because now it's being portrayed as a purposeful act to be disrespectful and that's not true. We really apologize," said Gustaff..."
We accept your apologies Mr. Jackson and Ms. Gustaff. We are quite aware that we are living in a post racial A-merry-ca, and that these little things are just an aberration. Rare unwonted occurrences that tend to make us lose focus of the real important issues of the day.
Now may I go back to the football game now?
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ReplyDeleteMR.R said...
ReplyDeleteField you is lates on dis story.I wrote about this on your blog weeks ago.
You should be focusing on what be going on down south in the ATL.It be lookin' like those Democrat negros are strugglin' to keep the mayors office out of the hands of whitey.
http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim-galloway/2009/08/27/the-memo-about-to-shake-the-atlanta-mayors-race/
It be lookin like whitey is move on up into the ATL.Fo long the ATL won't be chocolate city no mo.
I guess mo black children will start disappearin'You know how those white folks is.I guess they gonna try to blame dat shit on brutha Wanye Williams to.
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ReplyDeleteMR.R said...
ReplyDeleteOff Topic--
Vick looked pretty good fields.
McNabb was lookin kinda tired and out of breath towards the end there.
Am i sensing some black on black crime in the air??
Field, I don't like it when racism walks up to and smacks you in the face. It keeps you fit and healthy when you have to chase it instead.
ReplyDeleteI heard about this couple weeks ago, but I never saw the actual doll. Now what could have gone wrong with the marketing team in that room? These people had to have known this shit is offensive. Makes me wonder if there were any black people on the marketing team. Then again, they usually hire smily house negros like CF and WCS (who choose not to see racism just to get along), their jigging presence would be pointless either way.
I tell you, they don't even care to be "PC" when comes to race relations anymore. Sigh.
field, I swear you never cease to drop some shit that just blows my mind. This white girl is more savvy than some, but still, what I don't know about the realities of racism would fill a hundred libraries.
ReplyDeleteshm
LI and Field: This is the first I have heard of the doll. I could only shake my head when I saw what was in that box. Ignorant people before Obama...ignorant folk after Obama. Sad but expected.
ReplyDeleteIt still amazes me when people try to pull stuff like this off...then apologize with eyes bigger than those of deer caught in head lights. If only they could be honest enough to own how they feel. I guess that's asking a little too much of some.
Sort of off-topic: FN I read that the NAACP was planning a counter-protest should anyone protest Michael Vick at the Eaggles game tonight. Have you heard about that?
ReplyDeleteIf it's true I must say I am once again disgusted by the NAACP. It's not that I don't think that some of the protests against Vick were racially motivated, I do. But aren't there people out there who don't have millions of dollars and PR teams to help them that might benefit from the NAACP's help?
Let's see; how about the 6 women that have been killed around Rocky Mount, N.C. Or how about the Black woman pastor in Oklahoma who was stabbed to death in her church. Or how about Hassani Campbell in Oakland?
Ben Jealous needs to pack it in a close the doors on the NAACP.
And like someone mentioned above it's really obvious they don't have anyone Black vetting their products before they go to market.
But even if there was no Black person on the team how lost must a White person in America be to not know that referring to a Black doll as Lil' Monkey would be offensive?
I think someone at BrassKey Keepsakes was having a laugh at our expense.
I heard about this a few weeks ago but when it was first reported they said that their was a white version of the same doll. That made sense to me as they usually do both colors for each version of any given doll but now they're saying that there is only a black version of the "Lil Monkey"? Does anyone know if this new version is correct? Because if it's only the black doll then that changes things completely imo...
ReplyDelete--j
Iggles win! The end of that game looked like the Cal Stanford game a few years back.
ReplyDeleteYes mr.r, it happened a couple of weeks ago. But this is corporate racism week here in the fields.
Monie, I am feeling you on this one. But you have to understand, the head of our NAACP here has never seen a camera he doesn't like. No cameras for those women in NC. Or tha little boy in Oakland.
BTW, how are those Nancy Grace updates coming?
"Field, I don't like it when racism walks up to and smacks you in the face. It keeps you fit and healthy when you have to chase it instead."
I know, but you know how it is La~Incognita, the sob has no fear anymore. :)
j, I could be wrong, but I think the white version is called "Pretty Panda".
ReplyDeleteI will be waiting to read the comment's, some will find every excuse possible to defend the Monkey Doll's!
ReplyDeleteThis has been going on since the campaign's, they made a cartoon movie about a Monkey Family from out of space last year! and I waited to see who would complain about this, but, no one did, as a matter of fact, African American's took their kid's to see the movie!! Unbelievable!!! and who do you think that Monkey family represented?
I could not believe African American's could not see the Obvious Code!
When Barack won the election, Fox Movie Channel began to show the Planet of the Ape's movie back to back, do you think that was a accident?
I am hurt, but not surprised, these people went out and spent money to get those Doll's made, and it was to offend African American's! I guess we are being Punished!
Isn't this the company that makes dolls with/for Disney or something like that...? So much for all that "diversity" they claim to have in the company? If so, I wonder how Disney feels about the negative publicity...
ReplyDeleteAnon@10:50: Yes, there probably will be some who see nothing wrong with it at all. And they will turn that around to say that those who do see wrongs are the ones actually comparing themselves to monkeys (argument of self-deprecation to blame the victim).
We've seen this argument before...and since that is often a part of the psyche surrounding race relations in America, we will most likely see it again.
Well, if this new version is true I don't see how an American company could've missed it.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I do see how there are individuals who could miss it because they've never heard of it before. The reason I say that is because I was raised in an environment where the only slurs I ever heard were either against black folks or white folks and as a result I didn't know hardly any slurs against latin@s, Catholics, Jews, Puerto Ricans, etc. until I was much older. I probably still remain ignorant of some of the less common slurs against non-black or non-white protestant groups. That said, companies are supposed to research this kind of thing and most people are at least aware of black/white slurs. If a white person was raised in an all white place then they might not know this one from just growing up but I'd think finding a white person in even that environment who is still not aware of it as an adult through pop culture and especially given how much this issue has been raised lately would be rare. Not impossible but rare.
Here's the thing though, even if you're honestly ignorant of the term once you are informed you should apologize for any harm and not try to make excuses, or like Angie points out, try to say that the problem is those who are aware of it.
If a group tells you it's offensive then it's offensive. The right thing to do once you know your actions hurt some people even if you don't mean them to be hurtful is to simply stop those actions. You can't argue that your ignorance means that everyone else should just get over a lifetime of having insults hurled their way. I've never understood why people don't understand that aspect of these things. Ignorance may make you innocent of the first offense but it doesn't make it ok for you to keep on doing what others have told you hurts them.
--j
Field,
ReplyDeleteSince the company BrassKey has been in business for awhile, I'm guessing they have always had the dolls manufactured in Asia (that also would explain the Pretty Panda version of the doll) and now they have even had the designers in Asia get involved with product design. I've always heard that in Asia they have this particular racist idea i.e. monkeys, associated with Black people.
I don't believe A-merry-can designers would have made the same foolish mistake. Where is the quality control?? This is another reason why manufacturing should come back to A-merry-ca but will it ever??
Enquiring minds want to know.
Aloha from Makaii
Oh No! Not the Babies...
ReplyDeleteOk I found this version which says there were white versions of the doll:
ReplyDelete=================================
What other versions were available?
Jackson said there were also Caucasian and Hispanic versions of the doll packaged with the monkey. All three wore hats that read, "Lil' Monkey."
All three versions have been pulled from shelves.
"There are sensitivities that perhaps should have been understood," Jackson said.
"We did not intend to offend," he said.
The designer of the toy, The Brass Key, also makes a similar doll that includes a panda in the package instead of a monkey.
The panda products remain on the shelves. The panda is sold with Caucasian and African-American dolls, Stafford said. The doll wears clothing that reads, "Pretty Panda."
======================
And the company says:
===========================
What is reaction from the doll's maker?
"Somewhere along the production line of this doll, whether it was in the store, at the manufacturer, or somewhere, someone should have noticed that this was potentially going to be a problem," Bookman said.
"Whoever came up with the concept of the idea, obviously hasn't been paying attention to current day politics," Carter said.
Mary Gustaff, CEO of The Brass Key, said her company did not intend to offend anyone.
"It's not within our realm of thinking," she said. "We just don't think like that."
She apologized that the doll offended some people.
Her company is a family business in its third generation, Gustaff said.
The Seattle-based company employs young, diverse people, she said.
"We're good people," Gustaff said.
She called their products, "Sweet, pure items."
The company found out about the complaint more than a week ago. She said the product had not been for sale at Costco long.
"We certainly won't do this again," Gustaff said, referring to the controversial design.
================================
Could a small company be this dense?
Here's the link:
to the story.
--j
"I've always heard that in Asia they have this particular racist idea i.e. monkeys, associated with Black people."
ReplyDeleteYes it is true. I am sure Angie-in-Japan knows this, given that Japan is probably the leader in racism against Blacks in the far East.
I have to wonder, are Mr R & Frank D doing the marketing for this company?
ReplyDeleteI don't care if this story is "weeks old", this is the first I've heard of it. File under Corporate Carelessness.
Are Blacks always going to be on high alert about monkeys? Why? Do they secretly believe they look like monkeys?
ReplyDeleteQuite frankly, I am sick of my folks whining that the word monkey is meant to offend them all of time. The dolls were manufactured and marketed to make money....it wasn't to offend Blacks.
Stop being so self-centered and self-absorbed and grow up. If Blacks actually knew how little time and thought was spent about them then Blacks wouldn't be on hyper-alert all of the time.
Field, "Some" of you are every bit as paranoid and emotionally sick as Glen Beck. If you were to step back and look at your 'constant' petty responses to all "monkey business" you would see how pathetic and childish you look.
MOLAR
MrR, "You should be focusing on what be going on down south in the ATL.It be lookin' like those Democrat negros are strugglin' to keep the mayors office out of the hands of whitey."
ReplyDeleteFor once, I agree with you. Blacks have bigger fish to fry than this bs doll biz.
This right here is part of the problem (Note: Carter is just a "man on the street" opinion and isn't speaking for the company):
ReplyDelete=======================
"When I look at this, I don't personally find it offensive. But, again, with today's climate and politically-charged issues, I can see how other folks could take offense to it," said Doug Carter.
He and his wife, Caroline, said they call their own children "monkeys."
"It's one of our many little cute pet names for them. And, that's probably part of the reason why we don't see anything necessarily wrong with it just on its face," he said.
=================
Now the article doesn't identify the Carters or say why their opinions are being offered which I think is a pretty poor job by the author but I'm assuming they're white folks of some affluence but it could be any person on the street. Note that there are two things he says of importance (1) he points to today's "politically charged" environment and (2) they refer to their own children as monkeys. On that latter point, I've heard non-black people refer to their children as monkeys and I don't think it's all that uncommon among whites. But the more striking thing to me is that Carter attributes the offense being taken to today's environment as though it's just a matter of either over-reaction to high tensions or a result political correctness. That tells me that Carter has no real awareness of why the comparison is offensive to black people. I have to say I've met a lot of non-black people who seem oblivious to the history of black people being compared to monkeys and/or apes and I don't know if that's progress that the comparison isn't being used racially by many whites anymore to declare black subhuman or what it might mean.
However, it's bothersome that Carter assumes the offense comes not from the history of race relations in this country but from the present day. That contains a lot of assumptions about what's going on and underlying his statement is a current that suggests not only that "no one should take offense" but also that people who do take offense are only doing so because of the present day. It's wholly dismissive of those taking offense. While I can understand Mr. Carter's ignorance I can't understand why he thinks that the offense must be born of today's political climate. Why does he assume that it's a reaction to today rather than a reaction to past or present racism even if it's a racist term and/or comparison he's never heard of?
The problem I see with this and the Carter's of the world is that if (a) they presume the offense is based on today's environment and (b) they call their own kids' monkeys you're never going to convince them that this is anything other than a silly over-reaction even if they do say that they "guess they understand."
At least, Mr. Carter acknowledges that some could be offended. A lot of others would say they're not offended and therefore no one else should be offended. And that cuts to the heart of the matter which is people who are not a part of the group who is offended presuming that they get to say whether or not ANYONE should be offended. Sorry, but if you're not a member of the group being hurt you don't get tell them how they should or shouldn't feel. The presumption that everyone else should bow to the judgment of the person or group who isn't being offended and who clearly isn't the target by a racist or sexist etc. attack, remark, or joke is probably the single biggest problem when it comes to white male privilege and everyone else. They've got to understand that they no longer get to decide for everyone else how to feel.
--j
I would think that if people could take this a little further, Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben would be pulled from the shelves. Honestly, I see those brands as more racist and disgusting then the Lil Monkey dolls, particularly if the dolls are made by a group of people so diverse that it doesn't even FLASH in their brains that it could be considered a gaffe.
ReplyDeletethis was stupid and thoughtless, but they way they apologize just makes it worse:
ReplyDeletewe are sorry IF we offended anyone.
no--say we're sorry we sold this OFFENSIVE, thoughtless product.
i hate non-apology apologies!
@FN
ReplyDelete"...BTW, how are those Nancy Grace updates coming?..."
Are you asking me that? Because if you are, as you may recall, I don't have cable. So all I know about Nancy Grace is that she's (probably) still crazy.
@Anonymous - 1:46 AM
ReplyDeleteIt astounds me that there are Black people who buy Uncle Ben's and Aunt Jemima products.
I'd rather eat my pancakes with motor oil than put Aunt Jemima's syrup on them.
j "They've got to understand that they no longer get to decide for everyone else how to feel."
ReplyDeleteNeither do Blacks get to decide how everyone else should feel. j, you are all wet because you don't speak for all Blacks and you certainly don't speak for all Whites based on one person's thoughts and opinions.
"I'd rather eat my pancakes with motor oil than put Aunt Jemima's syrup on them."
ReplyDeleteWhat brand of syrup do you use? BTW, you sound extreme when it comes to syrup.
I wrote earlier but must have not posted. Yes, I'm extreme when it comes to my syrup. To me, Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben are prime examples of ignorant thoughtless racism - and I suggest that some time when you talk to your white friends, ask them how they think *you* must feel about those brands, and watch the lightbulb go on. I just believe that people don't think. And again, these things are all over the shelves. Although I guess they took Auntie J's doo-rag off. Joy.
ReplyDeletePeople of absent color need to hear from people of color as to what irritates because some of this stuff has been around so long and is so entrenched some of us just don't see it, until it is pointed out. Keep pointing! Brass key needs to stroll through the fields.
ReplyDeleteClueless, I never associated Lil Black Sambo with a real person, he was just someone fantastical like the leprecauns. Clueless, Aunt Jemima? Duh! Uncle Ben? Sigh.
Would Jemima's Syrup be okay? Ben's rice? Is it the relationship word that makes it stink? Can you have a black face on a product that "white" people would use?
Even though my son occasionally refers to his children as monkey's and we are evolutionists, I can see the shame of the Lil Monkey Doll and saw the story a couple of weeks and caught the added slur in the comments.
@Anon 2.03 -- I'm not claiming to speak for anyone but myself. My statement was in context to and in reference to those who are not a part of any given group under attack or that has otherwise taken offense to something claiming that because they (the individual who isn't even being targeted) are not offended no one else should be offended or that those feelings of offense are somehow "silly" or illegitimate feelings. In America, those arbiters of when something is or isn't offensive, have historically, and all too often presently, been white males exerting their white male privilege as arbiters of all things. This is no longer an acceptable practice--period. In simpler terms, white men don't get final say on whether or not someone else should feel a certain way. The power to say that this is "genuinely offense to blacks, women, latin@s, gays, Jews etc." but this is "over-reaction" is no longer the privilege or purview of white males who hold exclusive power to set the rules of societal declarations of "offensive" or "not offensive." The feelings and reactions of another group and whether or not those feelings and reactions are "legitimate" or "illegitimate" isn't up to how they as outsiders feel about it.
ReplyDeleteThe process is no longer owned by their right to set the final say on things but rather is one that encompasses the feelings and reactions of everyone involved.
--j
How about writing "Band-Aid" brand about their flesh colored band-aids. I guess they have clear now, but still. Oh well. I'm done.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDelete"How about writing "Band-Aid" brand about their flesh colored band-aids. I guess they have clear now, but still. Oh well. I'm done."
Come out of your hole, anonymouse. I did write them. That's why they came out with their colorless one.
White dolls.
Combs that break.
Facial powder too white.
A dab will do you, hair cream.
When we could, we created our own black products.
When we couldn't, we relied on whites, who gave us what whites wanted, and whites needed.
Now, if you're white, give your daughters black dolls only.
Now if you're white, use the earth-tone powders that black women use.
Now if you're white, use our pomades, and our Afro-combs.
If you're in the majority, you can be arrogant, and dismiss the needs of the minority.
Nonai said "If you're in the majority, you can be arrogant, and dismiss the needs of the minority."
ReplyDeleteNonai, it is the unconscious, built-in arrogance and attitudes that are the killers, like "flesh" colored Bandaids. It just never occurs to people that someone else might need/want different until it is pointed out them.
It should not be "Do unto others as you would have done unto you." It should be something like do unto others as they would want, and hope that they would give you what you want.
If you have grown up and never seen people of color outside of magazines and TV at home or the movies, it just isn't that real. That is no excuse for mental laziness, but I think it would describe most of us.
Flesh colored band-aid. Hmmmmm.
ReplyDelete"I'd rather eat my pancakes with motor oil than put Aunt Jemima's syrup on them."
Now that's quote worthy.
"For once, I agree with you. Blacks have bigger fish to fry than this bs doll biz."
Give me an example of a "bigger fish".
ANON@aloha said: "I've always heard that in Asia they have this particular racist idea i.e. monkeys, associated with Black people."
ReplyDeleteANON@12:50 replied: "Yes it is true. I am sure Angie-in-Japan knows this, given that Japan is probably the leader in racism against Blacks in the far East."
--------------------------
Dear ANONs: I can't really speak for Asia, so I'm not even going to try. To date, I have been to South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. The only time I felt mistreated was during one of my three trips to South Korea...but that was probably because I was traveling with a Japanese national (still BAD blood over war crimes, etc between the two countries). There may have been people who resented my presence simply because I am Black... but they did not openly or even indirectly show it. As a tourist, I equal $$$$$ in Asia....so people usually treat me with respect so that I will happily unleash my well-earned money in their stores. LOL...
ANON@12:50...You specifically mentioned Japan, so I'll try to address it...with my experiences coming in a second email after I receive feedback from those of you who wish to respond to my questions at the end of this post. Now, from what I have seen to date of the use of monkeys here, Japanese commercials or ads don't just target Black folk...anybody is game, including Japanese people. There was even a Japanese group named "the Yellow Monkeys." http://www.tawawa.org/en/archives/000190.html
A sony game APE ESCAPE features the 5 freaky monkeys as major villains: the colors are blue, pink (a girl monkey!!), red, yellow and...WHITE (the most intelligent of the monkeys, mind you. Japan still has some silly complex regarding White Americans since losing the war). Yeap, no Black monkey. Bet y'all were shocked!! (See...even Sony knows better!! Just kidding. LOL)
Now after you watch this, please read the article below.
http://observers.france24.com/en/content/20080620-racist-barack-obama-monkey-japan-commercial
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUST26531120080627
Is it REALLY as racist as it seems? Should it matter that monkeys are revered in Asia, and especially here in Japan? Did it make your blood BOIL? Please tell me what YOU think...
Look, you people need to get a grip and realize that we ARE a post-racial society. I mean Dora The Explorer runs around with a monkey named "Boots" and you don't see Hispanic Americans upset about it. But no, not Black folks. Youse people is all ready to riot and march 'cuz of that cute 'lil monkey in that pic above.
ReplyDeleteListen, I just wish youse people get it together. I don't know if you've heard, but a Black kid was arrested along with 3 white kids for vandalizing their local high school with racist epithets and Swastikas. Yeah, a Black kid was in on it. Uh huh, to me, that's progress and speaks volumes as to how far we have come.
So yeah Field, you keep on chasing ghosts of old that you call racism. Me? I'm just glad that we're not "Niggers" anymore here in post-racial America. Being called a Nazi or Socialist is so much better and gives me warm fuzzy feelings.
Good concept,very accurate toy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for those links and the 411 Angie.
ReplyDeleteStop it Rippa,it's too early for me to get my laugh on.I have to get my game face for the plantation.
I think black people "allow" more shit to go on than we are willing to admit to. This DOES NOT surprise me at ALL.
ReplyDeleteI have a blonde blue eyed niece that I call little monkey. That does not mean that I think she is a black person. I try to be sensitive to other cultures and races but sometimes I think people go out of their way to find fault.
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing the other dolls and how each edition has 3 versions (white, brown, black), this story just didn't resonate. Of course, the notations of black=monkey never really sold either, so maybe I just wasn't affected by the so-called controversy.
ReplyDeleteOff-topic, but I'm sure most of you have heard about that woman who showed up 18 years after being abducted...wtf?!
"Ben Jealous needs to pack it in a close the doors on the NAACP."
ReplyDeleteWHY??????????
I don't understand this thinking at all.
The NAACP doesn't always pick the right fights (and the Vick demonstration is certainly an example) but it is a private organization which functions as a watchdog group against racism.
It is not a law enforcement organization.
Why do you want to see it terminated?
Because it annoys rightwing white folks?
"When Barack won the election, Fox Movie Channel began to show the Planet of the Ape's movie back to back, do you think that was a accident?"
ReplyDeleteI remember that and white colleagues told me that I was being paranoid for suggesting there was a connection.
Go figure.
fn:
ReplyDeleteditto!
classic
here are more racist toys:
http://www.thetoyzone.com/2008/blog/10-of-the-most-racist-toys-ever-made/
also see “chooks” toys:
ReplyDeletehttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080802031839AAbZtPL
http://www.angryasianman.com/images/angry/chopsockychooks.jpg
"Look, you people need to get a grip and realize that we ARE a post-racial society."
ReplyDeleteUntil the next black man is railroaded by the courts, gunned down by police or dragged behind a pickup truck.
Gotta love our "post-racial" society.
Mack Lyons,
ReplyDeleteOr denied a deserved promotion, or had the home he contracted on burned down by racists (Clinton, MD), or arrested trying to enter his own house..etc...
"Post-racial" my ass.
Post racial to conservatives essentially means "Just shut up and stop complaining niggas. The President is black. Satisfied?"
I have been in Marketing for over twenty years, I have met very few Black brand managers at a senior level. When I worked for a multi billion dollar international company as a VP for my division, I was the only black person in marketing.
ReplyDeleteIf people of color are not developing or promoting the product this mistake just like the one at Micorsoft will continue to happen.
Every time I think I've heard the absolute dumbest, totally clueless mind-dead thing a corporation can do, something comes along that tops it.
ReplyDelete"When Barack won the election, Fox Movie Channel began to show the Planet of the Ape's movie back to back, do you think that was a accident?"
ReplyDeleteYour paranoia is profound and every bit as great as Glen Beck's anxiety. Quit driving yourself crazy over imagined thoughts of victimization in your head. That only leads to worrisome thoughts that put you on hyper-alert that all Whites are out to get you--when in fact, it is your OWN thoughts that's out to get you.
Again, Whites don't spend as much time trying to eff Blacks as much as you think they do. Grow up, become an adult and STOP giving Whites power over you that they don't have or don't want. They are not Gods- they are human beings like you- but you keep making them bigger and better than you.
Stop whining over petty crap that you cannot ever prove was intentional or real. Doing so will only feed your own paranoia.
For your own sake, get a life!
"I'm just glad that we're not "Niggers" anymore here in post-racial America..."
ReplyDeleteYeah, tell that to your outstanding black rap and hip hop artists.
Remember Howard Cossell? "Lookadat lil monkey RUN!" Cost him big time.
ReplyDeleteThe most interesting thing to me--apart from the invidious stupidity of the Costco folks--is how the discussion illuminates and illustrates duBois's concept of 'double consciousness.' White folks, mostly, see only ignorance at worst, accident at best.
But they/we don't have to awaken every morning to the knowledge that whosoever we are, we will ALWAYS be 'other' to the dominant culture, will always be defined, a priori, by the accident of pigmentation, as always already LESS than...
i usta have the dangedest time trying to 'teach' privileged white kids to understand that...
"That only leads to worrisome thoughts that put you on hyper-alert that all Whites are out to get you--when in fact, it is your OWN thoughts that's out to get you."
ReplyDeleteNobody said that you fraud.
But racism and the racists who practice are just like pornography and pornographers.
We know 'em when we see 'em.
I'm beginning to wonder if there any black people at these companies. Maybe Microsoft is right that there are only Whites and a couple Asians running things. I mean, for real, none of them knew? I don't buy the excuse thta the people there may not have known it could be a slur because I live in the South and know about how White folks even crack on each other in the North. Maybe I need to make a toy that looks like Hulk hands so I can backhand these people anytime they make an apology...
ReplyDeleteUts-"We know 'em when we see 'em."
ReplyDeleteYou are an ignoramus, you know nothing.
"...I mean, for real, none of them knew?"
ReplyDeletefor real, they did not know. when you are not black you don't spend a lot of time thinking what offends blacks or what doesn't.
do you blacks spend a lot of time learning what offends native american indians or asians? i doubt it.
so why can't you understand why whites don't know what offends you?
the difference between blacks and other minorities is that they consider whites ignorant and consequently ignore them. but you folks complain, cry, and scream like a bunch of .......
don't you have better things to do?
It astounds me that there are Black people who buy Uncle Ben's and Aunt Jemima products.
ReplyDeleteI'd rather eat my pancakes with motor oil than put Aunt Jemima's syrup on them.<<<
I don't know about motor oil, but I would prefer pure maple syrup over Aunt Jemima (and other brands that pass for pancake syrup) on my pancakes, so my option is more for culinary reasons than anything else. I've seen the print ads for Aunt Jemima from the 40s and 50s in old Life and Look Magazines and they are revolting.
But to give credit where it's due, Quaker Oats cleaned up its act considerably. AJ is not the woman she was in the 30's and 40's.
"the difference between blacks and other minorities is that they consider whites ignorant and consequently ignore them. but you folks complain, cry, and scream like a bunch of ......."
ReplyDeleteLOL!!!
Oh I get it now.
You're just plain stupid.
I'm 49 and I can remember during my childhood in the late sixties there was a Kool Aid like product called the "Funny Face Drinks" that would advertise during the cartoons and kid shows.
ReplyDeleteThey originally had flavors like "Loud Mouth Lime", "Rootin-Tootin Raspberry" as well as "Chinese Cherry" (with a picture of a smiling bowl haircut Chinese boy on the label) and "Injun Orange" (the obligatory Redskin profile Native American holding an orange).
Within a year however Chinese Cherry became "Choo-Choo Cherry" and Injun Orange became "Jolly Olly Orange" directly because of protests from said groups.
So stop trying to single black folks out for hypersensitivity, okay.
You let somebody name a sports team the "Pittsburgh Polacks" or the "Kansas City Kikes" and watch how much screaming and wailing you'll hear from white ethnics.
So stop trying to single black folks out for hypersensitivity, okay.<<
ReplyDeleteThe treatment of Asians--from the stereotyped images to hiring whites to play Asians, a la Charlie Chan--in Hollywood has been a major bone of contention with Asian Americans, and they have said as much.
I remember when Disney's Aladdin was released, there was a hue and cry from Arab Americans over the depiction of the villians in the movie.
My co-workers were discussing this and I wondered, well, Alladin (hadn't seen the movie) is a an Arab boy, so why wouldn't he have an Arab accent?
But they noted that the controversy was over the fact that Aladdin had an English while the Arab villians had heavy, Middle Eastern accents.
Then there is the perennial depiction of the Arab as a terrorist. It's almost a stock image to use when you need a villian in a movie, and it has been pissing off Arab Americans for some time now.
And let's take a look at the Frito Bandito or the Taco Bell chihuahua--not something Mexican Americans hold in high regard.
So it's not just black folks who get upset over "little monkey" dolls and other such immages.
Sharon,
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in high school, I had Puerto Rican and Dominican friends who hated the TV show "Chico and the Man."
Thought Freddy Prinze was a total sellout and a "coconut".
Sharon,
ReplyDeleteAll those things you described are accurate. Yet, all those groups perpetrate them and then complain when they are done to them.
Asians mock blacks in innumerable ways, especially in Asia (Darkie Toothpaste anyone?) Mexicans put grossly racist negro caricatures on stamps and make them their most popular comic character. Arabs still have black slaves and treat Africans as vile, second class citizens etc.
Uptown Steve,
ReplyDeleteI loved Chico and the Man, but thinking back on Prinze's routine, I can see how it could tick off Puerto Ricans and Dominicans.
History Dude, to be fair, we are talking about fellow Americans, not Asians, Arabs and Mexicans.
While there are Arabs in Saudia Arabia, say, who may own black slaves, Arab-Americans certainly are not practicing slavery in this country.
They can keep their fake apologies far as I'm concerned. Every time they make their little so-called derogatory stereotype jokes, which are not funny, and any of their racist art, it's done on purpose and they know it. Therefore, I don't even want their empty apologies. Just the other day a GOP Representative said that he would buy a hunting license to hunt President Obama. He claims he was just joking.
ReplyDeleteWell, I have a great sense of humor and can be a regular comedian when the mood hits me. I grew up in a family that cracked jokes and had laughter in our house on a regular basis, which has passed down from generation after generation. My grandchildren will have you in stitches and tears from laughing so hard.
However, I'm sorry, I missed the punch lines in the GOP brand of jokes. I'm not laughing. There is not even a half smile on my face, no teeth are showing, not one dimple, and my eyes are not laughing either. Nope! When the rightwing tells what they call a joke, my eyes narrow down to two slits, no teeth are showing, the muscles in my jaws are clenched, and my hands ball up in a fist from reflex.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete"Yet, all those groups perpetrate them and then complain when they are done to them.
ReplyDeleteAsians mock blacks in innumerable ways... Mexicans put grossly racist negro caricatures on stamps.... Arabs still have black slaves and treat Africans as vile, second class citizens etc""
Thank you. You must have taken that right out of my head. Stop it.
@Lady-Cracker --
ReplyDelete"It just never occurs to people that someone else might need/want different until it is pointed out them."
I agree. But it should have occurred to them. And that's where the arrogance comes in, and the racial indifference.
Why bother with the needs of others if they're in the minority. They will either use what we have for the majority (our folks), or do without.
"It should not be "Do unto others as you would have done unto you." It should be something like do unto others as they would want, and hope that they would give you what you want."
I agree. That's a good beginning.
In the Southern states, blacks were ubiquitous, and still merchants made no attempt to give them what was needed, and, with blacks having no other place to turn, merchants knew blacks would give them what they wanted, or do without, or go without.
Merchants still benefited without having to cater to blacks, or change their products to meet their specific needs.
"We apologize IF we offended anyone..."
ReplyDeleteEverytime I see that comment, I start thinking, "You KNOW DAMNED WELL your actions were offensive, otherwise you would not feel the need to apologize for them..."
You apologize when you're acknowledging you did something wrong. Microsoft heard dollars from Black people leaving their coiffers.
So does CostCo.
They're not stupid.
And this is where the NAACP pisses me off - Color of Change is actually managing to hurt Fox Noise where it matters most: IN THEIR BANK ACCOUNTS. Threatening boycotts will ALWAYS get the attention of capitalists who still want to make money.
Making money is purely equal opportunity for corporations. They want our money while insulting our asses at the same time.
NAACP was effective when THEY BOYCOTTED AND WITHHELD THEIR MONEY.
MONEY Talks. Bullshyt WALKS.
Withhold your money like we stayed off the busses in Montgomery back in 1955. That bus company is STILL trying to recover and that boycott happened over 50 years ago. I bet no one BUT Black Folk are driving those busses NOW.
Keep your money in your pocket until these companies go broke. They will treat you like Queen Elizabeth afterward, CAUSE THEY WANT YOUR MONEY. They depend on YOUR MONEY.
Use this to our advantage.
Granny, when your hand's Ball up doe's that mean(You wish you could get your Hand's on them) LOL LOL LOL!
ReplyDeleteThese people can come up with the most Crazy Stuff!! they work overtime, and God only know's what they have for us next!
Someone said I was (Paranoid for observing what is right in front of my Eye's! a lot of time's people say those thing's, to throw you off, they don't want you to know too much, they would like to keep you blind!
The people who came up with the idea to make those Doll's were aiming at Black's, and they knew this would offend us!
This is how a RACIST has chose to define black's, and they are not keeping it hid, they want to be in our face, if they can't tell us what they truly think about us verbally, they will make a Black Doll with monkey's surrounding it to tell us, they are sending us a Message!
ISEEISEE
Angie, i read your links, thanks, the monkey is considered like a deity Asia, the Monkey King is a huge charactor in Beijing Opera, as well as Chinese New Years, they said it was a cultural gap, and they pulled the ad.
ReplyDeleteSharon, thank you.
La, did you know that the Olmecs were originally from Africa? They are one of the most ancient people in Mexico, are revered, their sculptures and artwork are a huge display in the Anthropolgy Museum in Mexico City.
The doll is too obvious to not have been somebody's little evil plan, I don't believe nobody knew at Costco, not one little bit.
@CPL,
ReplyDeleteKeep your money in your pocket until these companies go broke. They will treat you like Queen Elizabeth afterward, CAUSE THEY WANT YOUR MONEY. They depend on YOUR MONEY
___________________________________
great response, thanks for that!
"I agree. But it should have occurred to them. And that's where the arrogance comes in, and the racial indifference."
ReplyDeleteWell, "should" is a pain in the ass word when it comes to being fallible human beings. Whites do make mistakes and it is a fact that many things that might offend Blacks just doesn't occur to most Whites-whether Blacks think so or not.
Also, why "should" they be so sensitive when Blacks are the primary offenders of themselves? Blacks call each other nigger, bitch, ho, ignorant, stupid, nappy headed ho, uncle tom, and a host of other degrading names. Everyone around the world knows this from their rap music. So why are they act so sensitive when they are the leaders in self-hate?
Anonymous said...
ReplyDelete"I have a blonde blue eyed niece that I call little monkey. That does not mean that I think she is a black person. I try to be sensitive to other cultures and races but sometimes I think people go out of their way to find fault."
Why should that bother you Anon? If we raise holy hell over it, why should you give a damn if we go out our way to "find fault."
Aren't you taking it a little too personal?
And why shouldn't you be "sensitive to other cultures and races."
Do you think that you're alone in that, somehow set apart, and more deserving of praise that you do?
Shouldn't it come naturally?
I'm black, but I've never used that lined, stated those words: "I try to be sensitive to other cultures and races...."
The other anon: "do you blacks spend a lot of time learning what offends native american indians or asians? i doubt it.
"so why can't you understand why whites don't know what offends you?"
Do you whites every stop with the stupid questions?
I know what offends whites, and I'm not even marketing to them.
We don't have to "spend a lot of time learning what offends native american indians or asians," because we aren't marketing to them.
But if we were, we'd take the time, just as you should, if you were.
And my question to you, why make excuses for white ignorance, and imply that blacks should accept it, when they don't take the time to know what insults us when marketing to us?
Either they want to sell their over-priced crap, or they don't. If they don't, then they shouldn't give a damn.
The answer to your question is implied in your question, don't you think?
And the term, "native american indians," is redundant. Not only is it redundant, but it's insulting.
"USAGE NOTE Many Americans [but obviously not you] have come to prefer Native American over Indian both as a term of respect and as a corrective to the famous misnomer bestowed on the peoples of the Americas by a geographically befuddled Columbus. There are solid arguments for this preference. Native American eliminates any confusion between indigenous American peoples and the inhabitants of India, making it the clear choice in many official contexts."
You see, I know more about what's insulting to Native Americans than you. Now I wonder why?
Breaking news: HASSANI CAMPBELL's parents have been arrested. The police haven't released any more details beyond that.
ReplyDelete@The Christian Progressive Liberal
ReplyDeleteThe NAACP does not like to boycott because a lot of its money comes from corporate donations. That's another reason the NAACP is so ineffective.
"Blacks call each other nigger, bitch, ho, ignorant, stupid, nappy headed ho, uncle tom, and a host of other degrading names. Everyone around the world knows this from their rap music. So why are they act so sensitive when they are the leaders in self-hate?"
ReplyDeleteWhites called each other cracker, dago, wop, kike, redneck, trailer trash, dickheads, dickwads, dumb blondes, cunts, and a slew of other invectives. Everyone around the world knows this from their movies. So why are they act so sensitive when they are the leaders in self-hate.
Hey, anon 1:35, if all those other groups just got over it, why do the Indians have casinos right now? Why did the Japanese get an apology for the internment camp ran during WWII? Why is it a lot of Hispanics march down the street when the government was talking about what they should do with all of them? They didn't shut up, so don't expect us to. Maybe you want to be a Tom from your respective race or you want blacks to just be quiet, but when the Jews stop getting onto everyone because of the Holocaust, I'll think about it.
ReplyDelete"They didn't shut up, so don't expect us to. Maybe you want to be a Tom from your respective race or you want blacks to just be quiet, but when the Jews stop getting onto everyone because of the Holocaust, I'll think about it."
ReplyDeleteDon't expect you to ever shut up, Eddie. Just try to be smart and pick your battles wisely instead of whining about evey petty ass thing that comes down the pike.
The Indians, Japanese, Hispanics are a lot smarter, more united, more educated, have their own businesses, and chose their battles carefully. They don't spend their lives crying an ocean like you and " some" Blacks like you. You just cry and cry and cry over bullshit....you are sickening.
anymous 841 you write:
ReplyDeleteThe Indians, Japanese, Hispanics are a lot smarter, more united, more educated, have their own businesses, and chose their battles carefully. They don't spend their lives crying an ocean like you and " some" Blacks like you. You just cry and cry and cry over bullshit....you are sickening.
8:41 PM
No, you are sickening, you like to use other ethnicities to further your stromfront ideas, you hate everybody, you don't like any of the ethnic groups that you mention, this aint' about whining, or choosing a battle carefully, you just a stupid asshole!
"They don't spend their lives crying an ocean like you and " some" Blacks like you. You just cry and cry and cry over bullshit....you are sickening.'
ReplyDeleteWell people like you don't throw them the same amount of 'bullshit' that you're always throwing at black people.
Why would they cry? So people like you can take your attention off blacks, and turn it on them so they can't dilly dally around the flag to send American money back home? Yeah, they are smart. Don't think they like you either. They sit down, shut up, smile in your face and wait to ride the 'civil rights' coat tails of black people. You are the sickening one.
And I don't care who calls me a xenophobe, go to hell.
i bet Irma Marquez was wishing that they didn't throw no shit at her. Vincent Chin probably happy to hear that too.
ReplyDeleteKathy, you are aware that for every one Irma Marquez, there are about 20 or more black females who do get beaten/brutalized by white cops and don't any justice either? Right?
ReplyDeleteOh. and for every one Vincent Chin, there are about 100 or more black males that get... etc etc etc
ReplyDeletestill don't make it right, getting beat to death with a baseball bat, or body slam still not right.
ReplyDeleteVincent Chin still had his body held while he got beat on his head with a baseball bat, they thought he was Japanese, he still died a horrible death, and nothing you say can make him alive today, or make what happen to him less.
don't diminish his death by making a comparison. he didn't get beat on the head with a baseball bat to death for nothing.
La,
ReplyDeleteFrank Wu and Grace Lee Boggs been around for a long time, they been active in justice and civil rights, they devote their lives to justice, you want diminish a man getting beat on the head with a baseball bat for the auto industry, that your decison, I never diminish the death of anyone, no matter what.
Ohhhhh...I am DIGGING this blog!! LOL....!
ReplyDeleteANON@8:41 said: "The Indians, Japanese, Hispanics are a lot smarter, more united, more educated, have their own businesses, and chose their battles carefully. They don't spend their lives crying an ocean like you and " some" Blacks like you. "
Dear one: I am smart, united on issues that affect Black people (as well as America, in general), more educated than most Japanese in my area (as most don't go on to graduate school; no need because of traditional Japanese life-time employment system (system slowly changing though), an owner of a successful business in Japan, very strategic when it comes to battles...and BLACK at that. So, you were saying? (and PLEASE don't make me an exception to that comment you just made. I am every bit as Black as any other Black person in America and in this forum.
When the Japanese lost the war, no they didn't spend time "crying an ocean" like you stated some Blacks do. They...Sony, Nintendo, Matsuda (Mazda), Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, etc, etc, etc... made a pact to destroy the United States after losing on the battle field. Yes, destroy us ECONOMICALLY (lose the battle; win the war, if you will!). So I wouldn't pat these other seemingly "quiet" cultures on the back just yet if I were you. In fact, just because you don't SEE them whining doesn't mean that all is dandy between them and you.
Though I am a loyal American, I'm just gonna go ahead and throw this on out there: OUR America, that has been led and governed (for the most part) by White Americans for centuries, is despised in many places around the world..and pretty much because of that SAME arrogance/indifference you and "some" of your friends are showing off in here. (NOTE: You do know that we, no...change that to White Americans, are often portrayed as the "ugly Americans" when abroad [arrogant, inconsiderate of other cultures, condescending, rude, insensitive, loud, etc...].
I truly believe that being privileged carries a very burdensome price tag. Call me crazy, but there should have been WARNING BELLS going off in the minds of White Americans when news station after news station showed most countries around the world (both friend and foe) openly celebrating the fact that a Black man was finally sworn in to lead our country. Even those "racist" Japanese located in Obama City were jumping all over his bandwagon!! Blasphemous!!! And even though some think that there will be major racial problems between Obama and China, the chineseamericansforobama.com site was trying to find room on that wagon, as well. Not to bust your bubble, but many other groups that supposedly despise us "whining" Blacks supported Obama as well. Swallow all that gently, sweetie...but google it first if you don't believe me. Yes, they may hate us, but it seems as though they may hate some other group...uhh hmmmm...a little bit more.
And speaking of battles, before you even open your mouth to make excuses for whatever, whenever, whomever...let me just add this: we Black folks may currently represent the biggest challenge to you in the States (as the second largest ethnic group)...but we are, in my opinion, the least of your "problems." Can you say CHINA!! Yes, right next to Japan, South Korea and not too far from India...those other booming countries sending their kids off one after another to our States for access to the superior education so often denied us (Black Americans), then calling them home to give us a run for our money. Funny, huh...
I guess it is karma though...that most of the world thinks our unique superpower status is as much a bully to them as it is to us Black folk (as well as any other ethnic group mainstream America sees as its minority). What goes around finds its way right back around. And Booooyyy do I smell it coming! Black Americans aren't the only ones with bigger fish to fry, ANON@1:00am. LOL...
Yes, there really is a city (well, village) in Japan named "Obama." Stay blessed everybody...(regardless of your "color"). LOL...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/28/obama-japan-goes-crazy-ov_n_138646.html
PS...Yes, Alicia Banks...I'm gonna keep my eyes on him, just like I would any other president! :-)
Nonai-"We don't have to "spend a lot of time learning what offends native american indians or asians," because we aren't marketing to them."
ReplyDeleteWell, that black doll was being marketed to Whites not Blacks so why should Whites care what offends you?
"Breaking news: HASSANI CAMPBELL's parents have been arrested. The police haven't released any more details beyond that."
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think of "togetherness" among blacks now, Miss Angie-in-Japan? BTW, if you love Blacks so much, why are you hanging out with the Japanese? Why haven't you started a badly needed business in the BC? Let me answer that for you: Because you can't count on Blacks! LOL. Angie, when I get to Japan I will look you up...let's have sushi together.
Just know that I believe you are not being totally honest about black unity. Everyone knows Blacks are a splintered race and will abandon each other with a drop of a hat.
I will give it to you that you are authentic-the real deal. You are educated, smart and classier than most Blacks such as UTs, and Eddie who are usually mouthing off like they have their shit together. Every time a brutha like UTS is talkin like he has his shit together, he is usually standing in it. Isn't that why you are in Japan? to get away from the bs of black folks? I don't blame you.
Angie-in-Japan, "Ohhhhh...I am DIGGING this blog!! LOL....!"
ReplyDeleteI am glad you do. Have you ever thought of dating a white guy in Japan?
FN blog has provided interracial dating for years! Of course, I am sure it was not Field's intention to have an interracial dating blog, but hey, plans rarely work out, right? Anyway, if UTS and AB can get together stateside, then surely you and I can get together in Japan?
aij:
ReplyDeletei know you will
as all your fellow warriors do
you rock!
have a great weekend in japan!
@Anon, 1:35: "Well, that black doll was being marketed to Whites not Blacks so why should Whites care what offends you?"
ReplyDeleteIf you expect to score a dialectic coup, you've got to do better than that remark.
C'mon, you can do better than the aforementioned silly comment you so boldly made.
If you're going to engage me here on this blog, at least come with something more substantive, more challenging, or avoid the fray.
For your information: Most whites don't care what offends me, or other blacks.
But, didn't you notice how fast they removed the offensive black doll from the shelves?
Whites do care about my money, and they're not going to allow the small profit they stand to make from the doll stand in the way of the big bucks they're hoping to make from me over time.
I know: Costco's willingness to pander to me must be killing you.
I'm glad....
Angie-in-Japan-"Is it REALLY as racist as it seems? Should it matter that monkeys are revered in Asia, and especially here in Japan? Did it make your blood BOIL? Please tell me what YOU think..."
ReplyDeleteNo, it did not make my blood boil because it the east monkeys are revered as holy. In Hinduism there is Hanuman the monkey who is all powerful and a servant of God. Of course, if you are a black American, you are carrying so much baggage you can't see the forest for the trees. so Blacks are going to scream and whine and cry even though the monkey is revered in Japan. Blacks are offended at every monkey on the planet. Blacks are a real pain in the ass...they are too needy.
There was nothing racist about the video. What do you think?
"I know: Costco's willingness to pander to me must be killing you."
ReplyDeleteYes, it is killing me...over a doll? It is such bullshit. And as far as your money is concerned, you would have bought the doll anyway. Blacks don't really care. They just like to whine and get attention over any little thing. It's a bad case of low self-esteem, and you know it.
@Anonymouse: "Just know that I believe you are not being totally honest about black unity. Everyone knows Blacks are a splintered race and will abandon each other with a drop of a hat."
ReplyDeleteAre you speaking as a knowledgeable black, or a resentful white.
You need to define your terms, or be more specific. You say a "splintered race." Do you mean religiously? Black churches thrive.
Do you mean black bloggers? Check out the AfroSpear, Field Negro is a "proud member!"
Do you mean in terms of coming together for a common cause?
Check out Color of Change, their successful petition drive has convinced upward of forty sponsors to abandon Glenn Beck and his offensive program.
Do you mean politically? Blacks were criticized for voting en masse for Barack Obama, now President Obama.
To put it nicely: I think you're full of it!
@Anonmous: "Yes, it is killing me...over a doll? It is such bullshit. And as far as your money is concerned, you would have bought the doll anyway. Blacks don't really care. They just like to whine and get attention over any little thing. It's a bad case of low self-esteem, and you know it."
ReplyDeleteDamn Anonymouse, stay in your hole. Is this the best you can do?
Insult me? Psychoanalyze me? And then tell me you know what I know.
You come to a black blog, throw out the usual offensive white staple: blacks pretend to be hurt, are whiners, lack self-esteem, and are in denial.
Bravo, or should I say, brava.
You're here, and you could be anywhere in cyberspace, but you chose to be here to hurl your pitiable insults.
When I stop laughing, I'll clue you: Nothing you can say will insult me. You're just not that important.
Nothing you can surmise will weaken my mental sinew, or my intellectual prowess.
No psychological probing will shatter my emotional resolve, or dismantle the powerful self-image that was created in the struggle for self-determination, and self-approbation.
But now, in your case: You need me to be weak, so that you can appear strong.
You need me to acquiesce, so that you can feel invincible.
Frankly, I feel sorry for you and your ilk.
You got to do better than your feeble attempt to undermine what you no doubt perceive is too much black hubris in one insufferable black fellow.
"You need to define your terms, or be more specific. You say a "splintered race." Do you mean religiously? Black churches thrive."
ReplyDeleteObviously, you have been asleep as a black person. Henry Gates? have you heard of him and what went down? Michael Steele? Allan Keyes? Juan Williams? Black corrupt politicians? K. Kilpatrick, Marion Barry, Conyers wife? Michael Vick, Chris Brown? hell, I could go on days, so save the bullshit cover up. Other than the 60's when MLK was alive, and the recent votes for Obama, Blacks ain't never been together.
Look at NOLA, what happend to Blacks during the 2000 election in Florida and the daily killings of your Black kids in your own neighborhoods. All of those events should have nationalized Blacks, but it didn't because Blacks are individualized self-centered little people who could care less about their fellow Blacks. Blacks know it, Asians know it, Latinos know it, and so do Whites. Katrina proved it; the 2000 Presidential election proved it; daily murders of Blacks are still proving it.
"When I stop laughing, I'll clue you: Nothing you can say will insult me. You're just not that important."
ReplyDeleteThen why are you engaging in conversation with me? Your words belie your actions. That's typical, though. What you say and what you do never match.
@Anonymouse: get out the hole: "'you're just not that important.'
ReplyDelete"Then why are you engaging in conversation with me? Your words belie your actions. That's typical, though. What you say and what you do never match."
To prove a point! And you?
"To prove a point! And you?"
ReplyDeleteWhat point are you trying to prove?
I have no point to prove.
@Anonymouse: You're still in the hole: "[So] save the bullshit cover up. Other than the 60's when MLK was alive, and the recent votes for Obama, Blacks ain't never been together."
ReplyDeleteThose aren't examples of black solidarity. Those blacks that you referenced are not the whole of the black family.
Just as Bull Connors, and a host of other white bigots and racists are not the whole of the white family.
"Look at NOLA, what happened to Blacks during the 2000 election in Florida and the daily killings of your Black kids in your own neighborhoods."
Yeah, look at NOLA and the potential genocide against blacks post-Katrina, because our government failed to respond as it would have for whites.
Blacks killing blacks: no surprise there when you live in a society that crams a subset of it's people in cramped quarters we call Ghettos, deprive them of meaningful work, and a competitive education.
Rats don't do so well, either, under such conditions.
"All of those events should have nationalized Blacks, but it didn't because Blacks are individualized self-centered little people who could care less about their fellow Blacks."
That fantasy should either give you a hard-on, a wet dream, or an organism (which ever fits).
You can only hope that that is true, to continue to find some racial solace in that over-hyped belief, some measure of comfort in the assumption of black disunity.
You're right about us being a "self-centered people," just not about the "little" and "care less" part--as you would obviously wish and hope for.
Yes, we're centered upon ourselves, our blackness, and obtaining our eventual, long-overdue, rightful place in this country, and you won't be able to do anything about it.
Now, that's got to hurt!
"Blacks know it, Asians know it, Latinos know it, and so do Whites. Katrina proved it; the 2000 Presidential election proved it; daily murders of Blacks are still proving it."
The only thing that was proven is how callous, inhumane, and life-disregarding some whites can be.
Those events tell us more about whites, than it does about blacks.
Frankly, it tells us whites have lost their collective souls, if, indeed, they actually ever had one.
It tells us with what contempt many whites hold us, and how far down the road toward spiritual oblivion they've traveled.
Now that I've pointed it out, can't you smell the brimstone of their own hell?
Anonymous said...
ReplyDelete""To prove a point! And you?'
"What point are you trying to prove?
"I have no point to prove."
3:55 AM
I guess you're right. You have no point to prove. You first have to have a point to prove a point.
I'm afraid, you are pointless, a terrible place to find oneself in a world that only care if you've got a point, and not a dullard.
A dull point is indeed pointless.
And what I'm trying to prove?
That's easy: that you're a dullard, a pointless person!
"And what I'm trying to prove?
ReplyDeleteThat's easy: that you're a dullard, a pointless person!"
You are working awfully hard to prove a point to yourself. I don't believe you really feel that way. Again, your words don't match your actions....Most people wouldn't even bother if I was pointless. Good luck on what you are trying to prove.
ANON@1:54am said: (Breaking news: HASSANI CAMPBELL's parents have been arrested.) "What do you think of "togetherness" among blacks now, Miss Angie-in-Japan?"
ReplyDeleteWell...no more than I think of the angry bride in China who charred her husband to death for going to bed with dirty feet; the young lady in Australia who stabbed her own sister to death; the British parents who left their toddler asleep in a hotel room in Portugal while they went out partying during their vacation (she's now missing); the man in Japan who hacked up his wife and mother-in-law, then chopped off the hands of his son... and the parents in California who are now accused of killing their 9-week-old son.
There are sick people of ALL races, ethnic groups, religions, political parties, genders, ages, etc...and they are in ALL regions of the world. (We may not like to admit it...but we all know that it's true.) For every bad thing you show me in regards to a Black person, I can match you with an article of that of a White person. And for every good thing that you show me of an inspirational White person, I can surely find such in a Black person. So, if you're White, you'll be red in the face (I'll be purple) before we get anywhere going this route...IF we get anywhere. That, my friend, is NOT where the true learning is, and I am here to learn.
You then said: "BTW, if you love Blacks so much, why are you hanging out with the Japanese? Why haven't you started a badly needed business in the BC? Let me answer that for you: Because you can't count on Blacks! LOL."
You know, I could be glib and tell you that I don't owe you or anyone else here an explanation, but I'm gonna crawl out on a limb and unselfishly offer you a "life lesson" I consider to be of immense value. (Be nice now...whether you catch me or let me fall will speak MOUNDS about the kind of person YOU are!! LOL...) It isn't a question of whether or not I love Black people. I do. The REAL question is whether or not my love for Black Americans and my love for the Japanese need to be mutually exclusive. It doesn't. I have found that so many of us Americans spend time EXCLUDING people whom we see as different from us..."less" than us. Maybe it is ignorance; maybe fear; maybe the seeds of our upbringing...or maybe even perverted jealousy. Still, it is the kind of limiting life that I WILL NOT ALLOW myself to live. Call me a "inclusive" dreamer, but I aim to give the world back more than it gives me. Now, I can't control those who choose to exclude others...but I can control myself. This is my set of values in operation ...no better than the opposing values of others; merely different. I don't CHOOSE to limit myself, so in that spirit I don't feel that I need to LIVE in the Black community in order to affect positive change in our community. I can do that from Japan...and I already am. As for your hypothesis stating that "you can't count on Blacks"...? Well, I can and I do. Thus, your hypothesis is...INVALID!!
You then said: "Angie, when I get to Japan I will look you up...let's have sushi together." I'd like that. After that, we'll have to partake of a little.........................................watermelon. (Gotcha!!!...bet y'all thought that was a racial joke regarding Black folk's so-called love of this particular fruit. Nope, not so. Actually, it is EVERYWHERE in Japan during the summer. My friends here eat more of it than I ever did back in the States!! Bet y'all didn't know that, did you?? So don't jump all over a Japanese friend who may bring you watermelon as a gift, OK. More so than what you may assume they think YOU eat, they just might be "gifting" you with something THEY want to eat. LOL...
I hope you ALL have a wonderful weekend! And thank you, ANON, for giving me the chance to share my thoughts. I don't consider myself to be any smarter or classier than any other people in here. Everybody in here, including UTS and Eddie (since you called them by name), have something worthwhile to say, teach and share. I'm just trying to listen....
Great come back Angie.
ReplyDeleteAnd NoNay, I need a copy of that sermon. Damn you had me saying Amen.
How in hell could they be so clueless as to put something like that on the shelf unaware that it would be offensive? I mean, maybe I should give 'em the benefit of a doubt, but that level of ignorance boggles the mind.
ReplyDeleteAngie,
You rock!
always want not earn a "place at the table" always due you owed to you?
ReplyDeleteformer slaves i have no problem oweing, any government that does or did condone slavery owes those people.
problem is all those people slaves and citzens and governments are gone???
i know you'll say whites got where they are on the backs of slavery...hummm
most people that work for hourly wages, living check to check really don't see it that way bro.
ANON@2:30 said: "Of course, if you are a black American, you are carrying so much baggage you can't see the forest for the trees. so Blacks are going to scream and whine and cry even though the monkey is revered in Japan."
ReplyDeleteBlack people aren't the only people on the planet carrying that "baggage" you mentioned. I can't even count the number of times I have travelled to a foreign country with my Japanese friends and watched them point out a citizen of that particular country while saying: "Sono gaijin wa--!" ...which means "That FOREIGNER is --!" In those Louis Vuitton bags they carry are remnants of that privileged life they live daily in Japan. They are so used to being anything but foreign, they can't even begin to understand that they are the "foreign ones" when outside of Japan. It really is interesting.
You then said: "Blacks are a real pain in the ass... they are too needy." Now, if you change the word "Blacks" to "Many Whites here in Japan" that would describe my current relationship with more than half of the White Americans I have met in this area. They also carry baggage and it is MUCH heavier than any of mine. They REALLY resent no longer being in control, not being respected, no longer having an influential voice...not mattering to those who do matter! (I know their pain, though I no longer live it). Their American privilege doesn't carry as much weight as they'd like it to here, so they are often the ones "screaming, whining and crying" about how RACIST this society is. Maybe I've lived around, in and through raw racism for so long in America that it doesn't aggravate me as much here as it does the average unsuspecting White "beginner." I don't know...LOL! Still, they are usually the ones constantly trying to change Japanese culture and customs to fit their needs and expectations. And when they fail to change the Japanese majority, they angrily pack up and fly right back to the comfort zones of home, baggage still in tow, to that "privilege" that is automatically rolled out for them. Boy, it must be nice to be in a position to run away from racism when it becomes unbearable. I really wouldn't know. What I do know is that Japanese people treat me as well as they do White Americans, which FINALLY puts us on the same playing field. To the surprise and resentment of many White Americans here, I have blossomed beautifully.
Finally you said: "There was nothing racist about the video. What do you think?"
I believe that before claiming that something is racist, it is our responsibility to consider the action, as well as the intentions/circumstances BEHIND the action. Often a particular action or message will have different meanings in different countries and sometimes even within the same country. As such, we should consider the sensitivities of the sender of the message and/or action...and not rely entirely on our interpretation of that action simply because we are the receiver of it. Communication, in my opinion, is a two-way street...meaning both sender, as well as receiver are responsible for the message. You know, one of the best lessons I learned as a communication major examining nonverbal and verbal exchanges is: "People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel." —Unknown
So, in this case, based on what I know regarding Japanese culture, the positive correlation between this particular culture and monkeys, the way in which Japanese advertisers use humor and famous people to market their products...as well as the country's infatuation with President Obama...NO, I do not take it to be racist. Of course, I may be wrong. Maybe Black Americans living in America, and even those living in Japan who have little or no cultural insight into Japan and how it conducts business may take it as a racist slight. I, however, do not.
PS...As for the Darkie Toothpaste, it was produced by a Chinese company in Taiwan...not a Japanese company. We still have our moments here though, LOL!!
so Blacks are going to scream and whine and cry even though the monkey is revered in Japan. Blacks are offended at every monkey on the planet. Blacks are a real pain in the ass...they are too needy.<<<
ReplyDeleteThen the toy should have been a Japanese doll-baby. You have to have been in a cave since this country's inception to not know that blacks derisively have been compared to apes and monkeys.
Btw, and it's people like you who are a pain in the ass--many times, every time you open your mouth.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYes Angie! You put it in great perspectives! Imagine, they were blocking the black boogie-people right here in America from higher learning - yet they were/are embracing and educating the global competition of Asian and Indian students. Students who are programmed loyal to their country and could eventually destroy America and annihilate US/UK "white supremacy". Sounds like... ironic poetry.
ReplyDeleteSide note: Last year I had a little debate with a known sexist and opinionated Nigerian medical Dr. who works in my office. He had a lot of disgust to express about Asian and Indian students. One day I told him, if half the African male professionals that got educated abroad (US/UK) had gone back to Africa with their resources (instead of bedding and marrying white/non-black women abroad as an additional degree), Africa would partly be in a better state than it is now.
He thought I was a nice quiet "woomaan" before that. Now he despises me, because he found out I'm not quite like the other females in the office. I'm aware of, and think about things that they don't.
Kathy, I didn't say it was exclusive to black people, it's just more rampant.
ANON@2:06 said: "Have you ever thought of dating a white guy in Japan? FN blog has provided interracial dating for years! Of course, I am sure it was not Field's intention to have an interracial dating blog, but hey, plans rarely work out, right? Anyway, if UTS and AB can get together stateside, then surely you and I can get together in Japan?"
ReplyDeleteNow, now...are you hitting on me?? LOL...
(That was too funny!!)
Thanks Alicia, Seda and Field. I really am enjoying this blog!! Of course, I don't mean to generalize and say that ALL Black people are this...and ALL White people are that. I hope it didn't come across that way. Peace...
ReplyDeleteU-Steve: Got your message regarding my response in the other blog. I have MUCH respect for you!! Stay well...
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LaIncognita said: "Imagine, they were blocking the black boogie-people right here in America from higher learning - yet they were/are embracing and educating the global competition of Asian and Indian students. Students who are programmed loyal to their country and could eventually destroy America and annihilate US/UK "white supremacy"."
Yes, we are educating the global COMPETITION. So much in America revolves around that almighty dollar! There is probably no other country on the planet that exports its intellectual "know-how" quite like we do. Now, if only we were focusing as much on providing equal access to education for all children in the United States (in the public school system).
If Americans continue this despicable trend of allowing for inferior education, facilities and resources when it comes to certain American kids, that ironic poetry you mentioned will have the horrific kind of ending that we definitely won't want to be around for.
Education is the key. By the way, have you seen what the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is up to in regards to strengthening US education?
Nighty-night! Off to bed...
LaIncognito: Why don't you stick to your pathological obssession with black men who want white women (and which you believe don't want you, which is the only reason you would whine endlessly about feeling so rejected)?
ReplyDeleteYou are exactly the type of useless negress who shows up at a community meeting and wastes everyone's time with your endless chatter about the definition of being black and contribute nothing to solutions. It's a good thing you spend so much time filling up the band width on this blog because you aren't good for much else.
I can see why you would confuse me with CF because critical thinking is not your strength.
Angie : how do you figure Japan set out to destroy the US? US markets destroyed themselves like the auto industry and the electronics indusrltry. Americans really subscribe to the conspiracy of the hour, yes?
ReplyDeleteWho was responsible for the destruction of mass transit in this country in order to expand the market for american tire companies and GM? Was that a Japanese conspiracy? Who destroyed the US auto industry that REFUSED to invest in the development of alternate fuel technologies or even demand help from the government to partner on such developments?
This led to more cars that contributed to urban sprawl, housing built on farm land, congestion, pollution, etc. Now we are rebuilding the transportation infrastructure we stupidly ripped out at a phenominal cost. This is your Japanese conspiracy? We have unlivable communities with poor quality of life and a gun in every pot creating a culture of violence and fear.
I got your Japanese conspiracy right here.
How sad you see poor, coorupt, greedy, exploitive corporate America as the victim of a Japanese conspiracy and not reaping the fruits of its diligence to drive the US economy into the ground for the almighty dollar and the public good be damned. Unfortnately, corporate america has dragged us all down the same rat hole with it.
To be the so-called leader of the free world, the US is the least forward looking and culturally the most backward of all so-called western nations.
ReplyDeleteAs for educating our competition, american youth are CHOOSING to ignore studies and careers in science, technology, and research because it's so HAAARRRD. Black youth are at the bottom of the pile in science and technology. Americans can barely speak englishan forget about knowing a second or third language.
ReplyDeleteThe US is nobody's damn victim. We did this to ourselves. We even passed NAFTA to insure that available jobs would be minimized.
No wonder newspapers are going out of business. Obviously no one is reading them.
Angie, I agree 100%. And it makes you sick to wonder with all the federal funds floating around, why wasn't public education in certain parts of the US a top priority a from long time ago.
ReplyDelete"No wonder newspapers are going out of business. Obviously no one is reading them."
With the age of technology/various factors that play in this, do you actually think your above theory sounds feasible? it sounded so simple minded, I couldn't let it go (maybe you had a lapse of critical thinking). The only conspiracy is the fact that you seem to come up with things to amplify your own self-righteousness on this blog.
WCS. as for the personal lashing. I hope you’re not expecting me to foam at the mouth or wallow in self-pity because you happen to think that I’m useless, or feel rejected by black men. You can’t expect me to take you seriously. Every time I see your tag, I think of syrup.
I’ve heard it before, and similar. It’s beginning to sound rhetorical. So next time Auntie, try bringing something fresh and innovative to the table. Hopefully I will be able to apply critical thinking if needed.
@AiJ-"but I'm gonna crawl out on a limb and unselfishly offer you a "life lesson" I consider to be of immense value. (Be nice now...whether you catch me or let me fall will speak MOUNDS about the kind of person YOU are!! LOL...)..."
ReplyDeleteAngie, you got to me. You threw me a curve ball. I had expected the typical black tit-for-tat crap like NoNay offered.... How can I be closed off to you when you come with open hands instead of clenched fists?
I will do my best to stand guard so that you, as a good human being won't fall should the limb break.
You are one of those rare human beings with the uncanny ability to transcend race. IMO, that makes you special and difficult to dislike or to argue with. Unlike NoNay who is the typical black angry ugly American, you have managed to challenge me at a level beyond the color of our differences. You have touched the human heart, which is a much higher level of consciousness than wallowing in the 'pointless' conscience of a sick gobbling muddy turkey.
I really appreciated your comments. Hear your point of view made my weekend. It was a refreshing 'break through' to a much better place with greater human possibilities than the cancerous crap that NoNay had to offer. Thank you.
I want to comment more, but I have a few errands to run in this heat. I am not fond of hot humid days. I hope you get this message.
OT: Have you ever thought of marrying a white guy and living in Japan or Seattle for the rest of your life?
Sharon in WI-"Then the toy should have been a Japanese doll-baby. You have to have been in a cave since this country's inception to not know that blacks derisively have been compared to apes and monkeys.
ReplyDeleteBtw, and it's people like you who are a pain in the ass--many times, every time you open your mouth."
My dearest Sharon in Wisconsin, rarely do you attack others. I must have really said something really bad. I am very sorry if I offended you. I didn't think this monkey business would set you off. Please don't smack me down because I think the world of you.
Nevertheless, I am STILL sick and tired of this whining and crying over those damn monkeys. Black folks need to get off of that ape- monkey psychotic path. It makes you weak and defenseless; and it sounds as if you really believe you ARE monkeys. With every monkey doll, photo, or commercial you seem to go crazy with your complaints, whines and self-pity. That is plain stupid- and you need to "get a grip."
Do you think the world should walk on eggshells for you? Maybe kill off all the monkeys on the planet for you? Are you so sensitive that you go crazy like Pavlov dogs everytime there is a monkey doll, planet of the apes movie, picture or commercial of a monkey? Then you need a whole lot of therapy to help you get over your sickness.
PS: Do they have kosher cheese in Wisconsin?
You then said: "Blacks are a real pain in the ass... they are too needy." Now, if you change the word "Blacks" to "Many Whites here in Japan" that would describe my current relationship with more than half of the White Americans I have met in this area. They also carry baggage and it is MUCH heavier than any of mine. They REALLY resent no longer being in control, not being respected, no longer having an influential voice...not mattering to those who do matter! (I know their pain, though I no longer live it). Their American privilege doesn't carry as much weight as they'd like it to here, so they are often the ones "screaming, whining and crying" about how RACIST this society is. Maybe I've lived around, in and through raw racism for so long in America that it doesn't aggravate me as much here as it does the average unsuspecting White "beginner." I don't know...LOL! Still, they are usually the ones constantly trying to change Japanese culture and customs to fit their needs and expectations. And when they fail to change the Japanese majority, they angrily pack up and fly right back to the comfort zones of home, baggage still in tow; to that "privilege" that is automatically rolled out for them. Boy, it must be nice to be in a position to run away from racism when it becomes unbearable. I really wouldn't know. What I do know is that Japanese people treat me as well as they do White Americans, which FINALLY puts us on the same playing field. To the surprise and resentment of many White Americans here, I have blossomed beautifully.
ReplyDelete*******************************
I think Whites are going to have a real problem adjusting in the new economy with China and Company as the new world juggernaut. Their White privilege will mean naught, since Asians can be notoriously exclusive with their own--which no doubt will drive a lot of White people who are used to being entitled to having their ideas, their wants and desire as priority one--completely nuts and as you say running away in huff after throwing a tantrum.
Blacks are used to being excluded and ignored so it won't come as a surprise and we will have the survival skills to deal with the changes. Still I agree Americans in general are not going to be equipped to deal with over 2 billion people, many who are far more educated and has the resources of their culture and home countries to back them up. America has utilized rugged individualism the preeminent philosophy for success and with racism as a further splinter--America is never going to achieve the hegemony they enjoyed the last 50 years.
In closing, AIJ I really enjoyed your perspective as a successful Black woman in Japan. I only hope that you will blog about your stories because I think more than anything Black Americans needs a wider more global perspective that lets them see that there are other places and experiences outside the confines of American corrosive racism and that there are Black Americans, especially Black Women who are successful, happy and thriving in places in the East and beyond. Last note, I wish also that they would translate more Asian writers into English—I am stuck on Eileen Chang and Natsuo Kirino is my literary hero. Their perspectives are so fascinating.
@AIJ-"Their American privilege doesn't carry as much weight as they'd like it to here, so they are often the ones "screaming, whining and crying" about how RACIST this society is. Maybe I've lived around, in and through raw racism for so long in America that it doesn't aggravate me as much here as it does the average unsuspecting White "beginner." I don't know...LOL! Still, they are usually the ones constantly trying to change Japanese culture and customs to fit their needs and expectations. And when they fail to change the Japanese majority, they angrily pack up and fly right back to the comfort zones of home, baggage still in tow; to that "privilege" that is automatically rolled out for them. Boy, it must be nice to be in a position to run away from racism when it becomes unbearable. I really wouldn't know. What I do know is that Japanese people treat me as well as they do White Americans, which FINALLY puts us on the same playing field. To the surprise and resentment of many White Americans here, I have blossomed beautifully."
ReplyDeleteThings must have changed since I was in Japan. American Whites were highly respected as leaders of the free world but Blacks were not. Regardless, I am glad you are doing well, Angie. And yes, if you are a black American, you have been thru the racist mill so anything else abroad is probably anti-climatic. Prejudice against Blacks is universal...I know racism against Blacks and even Asians of dark skin exists in Japan and but not so much as America.
But again, you are a rare individual who 'happens' to be Black who is able to rise above the crap and make a difference. Keep going, beautiful...don't ever change...you are an inspiration.
Are you a practitioner of Soto Zen?
Peace.
WCS said: "Angie, how do you figure Japan set out to destroy the US? US markets destroyed themselves ..."
ReplyDeleteAnd hello to you too, WCS!! Well, based on being hired to work for the Japanese government for the first 5 years of my life in this country...and attending endless dinner parties (which is where people REALLY open up in this country after drinking!! LOL...) with officials who are "in the know." Actually, my contacts in the Japanese government, as well as in some of the major businesses, are quite extensive...all the way up to the Japanese Emperor's daughter. (This probably explains how I received permanent Japanese residency on my first attempt without ever having to marry a Japanese man! LOL.) In addition, I have heard this "conspiracy theory" mentioned over and over again during studies in both undergraduate and graduate international business and Asian studies courses.
Then you said: "I got your Japanese conspiracy right here. How sad you see poor, coorupt, greedy, exploitive corporate America as the victim of a Japanese conspiracy and not reaping the fruits of its diligence to drive the US economy into the ground for the almighty dollar and the public good be damned. Unfortnately, corporate america has dragged us all down the same rat hole with it."
The theory isn't mine...I was just passing along what has been shared with me from both American experts and Japanese experts who, more so than most of us, would/should/claim to know. As for me personally, having lived here for so long, I don't see the idea as being all that far-fetched. The idea of 'shame' is still a major force that guides and drives (no pun intended!) everyday life and business decisions in this culture...that is why 'saving face' (you may have heard this expression before) is so important in Japan and in other places in Asia. But with shame, which often leads people to think poorly of themselves rather than thinking poorly about the actions they have taken (guilt), comes some interesting behavior. Some of these documented shame-driven behaviors, such as striking out at others directly and/or indirectly in an attempt to bring the competition down while lifting one's self up AND seeking power and perfection in order to prevent the possibility of future shame, can be seen as possible reasons for the war-like attack on America from Japanese businesses...after Japan surrendered to MacArthur and the occupation of Japanese people by US forces began. The war might have been over from the US point of view, but that doesn't necessarily mean it was on this side of the Pacific. Now aren't conspiracy theories, especially ones that get you to thinking strategically, fun??? LOL...
In terms of a simple business-related explanation: when looking at the SWOT analysis, a business has to examine these four major areas...Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, right. The strengths and weaknesses are factors that the business can control internally; the opportunities and threats are UNCONTROLLABLE external factors that affect the business and its operations. Now, I'm not saying that Japan single-handedly destroyed the US economy, as we all know (and the SWOT shows) businesses are responsible for directly controlling at least half of the matrix. On the other hand, any business that expects to stay in business has to be flexible enough to roll with the punches thrown its way. Yes, as you said, there are major problems with corporate America being corrupt and greedy...but I think we'd simply be sticking our heads in the sand if we refuse to acknowledge the economical impact Japan had/has (China and India will have) on the corporations in our country. Their presence and contributions in regards to US businesses, both positive and negative, would be listed under the opportunities they present...and/or the THREATS they represent.
NOTE: I don't claim to be an expert on Japan. I'm only writing from what I've seen, been told and/or have studied.
WCS said: "As for educating our competition, american youth are CHOOSING to ignore studies and careers in science, technology, and research because it's so HAAARRRD. Black youth are at the bottom of the pile in science and technology. Americans can barely speak englishan forget about knowing a second or third language. The US is nobody's damn victim. We did this to ourselves."
ReplyDeleteWCS: I believe that whether or not the US is currently a "victim" of the foreign students it has educated has yet to be seen. Just look at the sheer number of Asian students (Japanese, South Korean, Chinese and Indian in particular) who have studied in the United States...then look at how the economies of these countries are growing. Doesn't it make you want to conduct a correlation study that researches the progress of these countries BEFORE we opened our educational borders versus how well they are progressing NOW? I'd also LOVE to know how many US-educated students in these countries currently work for their governments and militaries? I bet we'd have some interesting data to chew on.
As for our children, I'm sure some are choosing to ignore careers in science, technology and research because they may believe these to be difficult. Japanese kids are pretty much the same...they also see the same fields as intimidating. The difference? Japanese communities, schools and families provide ALL of their children in the public school system with equal and ample opportunities, from a young age, to be around these particular fields. From repeated (and I do mean REPEATED) school-sponsored and family trips to science and technology-related museums, to kids shadowing workers in these fields at their companies (I have four Japanese girls coming to work with me in October for a day!!), to kids raising their own vegetables on school grounds to be used in their lunches, to collecting beetles and other insects to study their growth, etc. Japanese society and education promotes an atmosphere which inspires and encourages kids to learn the sciences. If we aren't providing the same for our kids, someone please tell me WHY we aren't! As for learning a second language; the Japanese government hires thousands of native English speakers as teaching assistants to help in the public schools. Should/could we hire teachers to start our elementary kids on foreign languages?
This winter I'm escorting a few kids and their parents to the States so they can watch NBA games. On the way to Florida, we'll be making a quick stop in Arkansas. Why? Because there is a national park where regular folk can go and dig for diamonds and other gems. You keep what you find (no matter how many carats)...for something like $7 a day for adults/half that for kids. Just mentioning that to the Japanese kids and digging for diamonds flew wayyyy up on the list; even knocked Kobe's game against the Celtics off our schedule. Then I mentioned that to my sister and her kids begged to do the same next summer INSTEAD of hanging out at Universal, Sea World, or DIsney. That's what I mean about promoting opportunities and providing chances. Look at all the planetariums, farms, museums and parks, etc. we have. Some kids are going to light up at the chance...others are going to dread it. So it, of course, also depends on the kids and how they FEEL about the science and technological fields. Still doesn't mean WE can't try to make such study fun and educational for them when they are young so they will be more willing to challenge the sciences as they get older. If we adults would only start looking more deeply at the possibilities, instead of focusing on the "impossibilities"...maybe the kids watching us would do so as well.
Just out of curiosity, do you do anything to help kids in your area through mentoring or tutoring, WCS? Anyone else getting involved with helping our kids?? Y'all know what they say: "To whom much has been given, much will be required." Are we all doing OUR part?
(...and for those who don't have kids, neither do I!! We can still help though.)
WCS said: "No wonder newspapers are going out of business. Obviously no one is reading them."
ReplyDeleteLaIncognita replied: "With the age of technology/various factors that play in this, do you actually think your above theory sounds feasible?"
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Well, LaIncognita, I too was thinking that maybe some of the decline in newspaper sales in the US (and abroad) has to do with people considering the environment more so than not reading the news? I mean...look at NAFTA and its NAAEC agreement stressing conservation. You didn't miss that, did you...WCS? LOL!
Anyway, many of my friends are on a similar campaign to protect the environment by reading their news online, limiting the number of email prints they make...and by taking their eco-bags to the store in order to bag their own groceries. I am trying to doing the same...
ANON@6:00 said: "Angie, you got to me. You threw me a curve ball. I had expected the typical black tit-for-tat crap..."
ReplyDeleteHey there, ANON! I probably should have warned you...my father coached little league baseball for over 20 years in my hometown. I REALLY can throw a curve ball...knuckle ball too (or at least I could back in the days)!! LOL...
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You said: "I will do my best to stand guard so that you, as a good human being won't fall should the limb break."
Thank you very much, ANON. I would do the same for you!! I appreciated the questions you asked, difficult though some of them were, because they made me sit down and THINK about the kinds of issues that I usually don't have to think about much here. Now, I don't know if I'm at that point in my life where one is truly capable of transcending race...but I definitely FEEL much better in regards to how I now interpret and respond to questionable racial issues. My various life experiences in both the US and Japan have reached out and tickled my sense of humility these past few years...gradually awakening facets of me, I guess you could say. Hopefully, this represents some sort of continuous, positive growth that I can share with others.
Anyway, here's a little something I wrote about 10 years ago that I really like: "In the course of our lives, we are faced with many social, political, racial and environmental injustices. Standing up to these wrongs is akin to battling a nest of angry hornets. The beautiful meaning of this journey does not come from avoiding the painful stings. It will only be found when we make that difficult, selfless choice to walk straight up to the nest...vulnerable yet determined...while charming everything in our path."
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You asked: "Have you ever thought of marrying a white guy and living in Japan or Seattle for the rest of your life?"
Throwing a curve ball right back at me, are ya! LOL...! No, I hadn't really thought about it....and the possibility never presented itself. I've only flown through Seattle on my way to other places, though I hear it's a BEAUTIFUL place. (I LOVE NATURE!!) Next time through, I'll invite you out for green tea. Anyway, stay well...and out of the heat. I am trying to enjoy our heat and humidity before the snow comes.
Dark Moon said: "America has utilized rugged individualism the preeminent philosophy for success and with racism as a further splinter--America is never going to achieve the hegemony they enjoyed the last 50 years."
ReplyDeleteWOW...what a POWERFUL statement!! Are you taking writing lessons from Kirino san? By the way, if there are any books you'd like for me to try and find for you here, let me know. Just go to my profile and email me. Stay well...and thanks for mentioning Ms. Kirino again. I have heard her name mentioned in the Japanese news in the past...never looked into her work (even though I LOVE to read! Got to make time for that hobby again. I usually reserve it for when I travel). I will also look into the works of Ms. Chang...
Stay blessed...
ANON@11:37 said: "Things must have changed since I was in Japan. American Whites were highly respected as leaders of the free world but Blacks were not. Regardless, I am glad you are doing well, Angie."
ReplyDeleteThanks ANON. Things have changed sooooooo much in the time that I've been here. I remember when a group of older ladies grabbed me when I went to an onsen (hot spring) with friends. I wasn't too hip about the idea of communal bathing but since it is such a major part of the culture, I thought I'd give it a try. Well, I was standing there naked in a room waiting to use the showers before getting into the huge tub. The ladies walked right up and grabbed me (they later apologized and told my friend they had never seen a Black woman before.) I ALMOST LOST MY MIND...I was so mortified!! I still refuse to bathe in an onsen to this day, unless I spring the extra cash for a hotel room with a private one on the deck. (I can still hear you laughing!!)
Black people are still pretty rare in some areas. And people sometimes are slow to warm to me if they think I am straight off the plane from AFRICA...they are much nicer after they learn I am American. Americans, in my opinion, are the most influential of the foreign groups in Japan. And YES!...you were right on target with Japan being hard on other "dark" people. In my humble opinion, I have it MUCH easier than many other Asians in general (Chinese and Korean often have problems because of what Japan did during the war). It's not always about color when it comes to Black people here. Of course, people take note of my color...can't help not noticing it. But they often respect me for the positive stereotypes associated with our nationality once they find out where I am from.
Hey, when were you last in Japan? For how long? Do you speak Japanese? Please do tell....(if you don't mind sharing!)
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You asked: "Are you a practitioner of Soto Zen?"
No, but I was asked to start a gospel chorus at a Buddhist temple in my city. It has been a really uplifting experience. You would probably LOVE it!! LOL! Let me know if you ever come back to Japan...
Honestly Angie you wrote a lot but some substance about how Japan put the US out of business in several industries seems to be missing. I'll keep waiting.
ReplyDeleteAs for my community cred, I'm just not going to roll out what I do. As I've said before, those who speak the most and the loudest do the least.
what a POWERFUL statement!!
ReplyDeleteMalcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers slays the fallacy that individualism is what makes people successful. Short term yes it has benefits but rugged individualism fails to take into account the long view or long term gain. There are far too many factors that contribute to one person’s success and that includes luck, tradition, cultural familial, and a host of other factors that make one great. So for America to cleave to a disastrous rather narcissistic philosophy has and will continue to bring America down. We have a lot of potential as a country but it is being squandered and in the next 20 years it will be too late for Americans to get off their arrogance and come together and work toward a common goal. Unfortunately it is easier to blame America’s ills on Black people being stupid, lazy, and wastrels to look at American values in general and implement changes that would include everyone as a viable.
By the way, if there are any books you'd like for me to try and find for you here, let me know. Just go to my profile and email me. Stay well...and thanks for mentioning Ms. Kirino again. I have heard her name mentioned in the Japanese news in the past...never looked into her work (even though I LOVE to read! Got to make time for that hobby again. I usually reserve it for when I travel). I will also look into the works of Ms. Chang...
That is very cool. Thanks AIJ for your generosity. I will certainly contact you via email. I am just starting to uncover the world of Asian Writing and Natsuo Kirino has a remarkably striking vibrant voice. Her book Out was a first English translation and I would recommend reading first since the story is positively electric. Eileen Chang is another voice—Shangainese, who talks about China in the 30’s and 40 with vivid characterization. If you can also check out Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution based on her short story with the incomparable Tony Leung (Asian actors are also go relatively unnoticed unless their hot and female in America and even then they are largely seen as decorative as the White guy's girlfriend/wife). The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices by Xinran from Beijing was a book that literally breaks your heart—it is so sad and filled with the voices of many Chinese women and their reality and of course that was what sparked my interest to learn more about Asian history to hear woman’s voices.
What I find frustrating in America is that there are so few translations into English of Fiction, Historical, and Sociological writings from Chinese, Japanese, etc. There are a lot of books from White men who believe they know about the East but I don’t think they can adequately tell their stories because it will be biased and will no doubt have a European/American interpretation of cultural phoneme. Non-White people I believe are far better telling their own stories, experiences, and explaining their culture, then the opposite.
ditto aij!
ReplyDeletei admire your global wisdom and sane posts...
new classic = must read for all rebels!:
EMPIRE OF ILLUSION
BY
CHRIS HEDGES
see more:
http://aliciabanks.blogspot.com
peace
&
happy sunday!
ab
wcs:
ReplyDeleteditto!!!!!!!
li/kola is the consummate resident catty bumbling bimbo herein
@AIJ-"No, but I was asked to start a gospel chorus at a Buddhist temple in my city. It has been a really uplifting experience. You would probably LOVE it!! LOL! Let me know if you ever come back to Japan..."
ReplyDeleteThat gospel chorus at a Buddhist Temple sounds interesting. I don't think I have ever heard a Japanese gospel choir. You might be on to something there if they can sing. Japanese tend to put their heart and soul into their work, but gospel is something very American. Are they shaking down the rafters? LOL.
Good luck and I hope it continues to be an uplifting experience for you. It's been years since I have been in Japan but their culture did make an impression on me. It's a beautiful culture. Of course, I hear it's changing...McDonald's is very popular there and gaining more market share. Is that true?
I think at an unconscious level my experiences in Yokohoma and Tokyo with a Buddhist monk had something to do with my present day eastern spiritual practices.
I will let you know if I ever make it to Japan again. No, I don't speak Japanese, although I did when I was there. But like the saying goes, "use it or lose it." Coming back to the states...over time I lost it.......Peace.
WCS said: "Honestly Angie you wrote a lot but some substance about how Japan put the US out of business in several industries seems to be missing. I'll keep waiting."
ReplyDeleteAs I think I clarified, Japan did not single-handedly put the US out of business in the industries I listed. I noted that the country set out to affect us in terms of economics, and in my opinion it has. If you have some time, please go through your own personal belongings (everything from house to car) and list everything JAPANESE that you own. That should provide you with an answer better than I could ever post online. My lack of that "substance" you are waiting for could be irrelevant. Japan, in my opinion, has touched your life and the lives of millions of other Americans far more than you may care to admit. LOL...
You wrote: "As for my community cred, I'm just not going to roll out what I do.
I didn't mean to delve too personally into your personal life, WCS. By asking what you do to help our community, I was not implying that you do nothing. I was merely looking for some people who ARE making a contribution, to encourage those of us who, for whatever reasons, aren't. Sincere apologies if you were offended.
And you said: "As I've said before, those who speak the most and the loudest do the least."
The JFKs, Ghandis, MLKs and Mother Teresas of the world often said the most their loudest, in my opinion. They definitely did not contribute the least ...at least not in the minds of people who are not threatened by and/or who have admiration for what they have to say. It's not about the quantity of volumes one may or may not speak...but about the QUALITY of the volumes one actually does speak.
Great reply Angie!
ReplyDeleteTalk is cheap. Talk on the internet is cheaper than that because people invent personas that are fake due to the anonymity.
ReplyDeleteJFK, RFK, MLK, were vocal but they also took risks to do things that improved the lives of real people. They didn't create fake outrage in order to effect social change.
I'm sure I have many things made in Japan. Probably more made in China. I still see no evidence of a conspiracy.
WCS: As the Japanese often say, "Shiyo ga nai." LOL...
ReplyDelete...there's no fault in not seeing eye-to-eye. Stay blessed...
ReplyDeleteMeet Mr. James, the foreign clown.
ReplyDeleteThought you all might find this an interesting read!!
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20090901ad.html