Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Time flies when you are having fun....


I am not big on celebrations or milestones. I honestly can't remember the last time I really celebrated my birthday. So I am somewhat hesitant to talk about the one year anniversary of this blog. Still, I feel that I must, if only because I need to have a a sort of measuring stick in terms of where I was and where I am going.

I started this blog after being banned from house negro LaShawn Barber's blog. I remember thinking at the time; "how the hell can she ban me from a blog for giving my opinions and views?" But then I thought about it, and said to myself; you know what, it's her blog, and she can do whatever the f**k she wants to with it. So rather than bitch and moan about Ms. Things right to boot me I started my own.

Now when I started this blog, I vowed to myself, that unlike LaShawn and others, I would never ban someone from commenting or reading my blog no matter how much I disagreed with them or their views. That just seems so f*****g unamerican to me. I swear some people just get off on being able to ban someones IP address or screening and blocking the comments of those they don't agree with. Which is why having my own blog is such a beautiful thing, because I can say whatever is on my mind (which I always do) without restraint or censor.

So overall, this has been a great exercises for me. And after over 45,000 page hits, 84 links (and counting), and a bunch of great readers and posters later, I couldn't be happier. Oh, and speaking of links, let me say this for the record: I will link every blog that links me. Because I feel that every blogger's voice should be heard, and we should do everything we can to share each others messages and thoughts with others on the web. To me, us bloggers are like a family, and we are joined in thoughts and ideas by this electronic medium called the Internet. There is just so much potential in this blogging thing that I think we should all take advantage of it. This is why I get so pissed off when some of these bourgeoisie bloggers (you know who you are) try to exclude up and coming bloggers because they don't agree with all of their views, or they think these other bloggers are beneath them. F**k that! Every one has a voice and we should do our best to spread what others have to say. Especially us black folks, because we are already being marginalized in the world wide web by others. If you don't believe me, just go to some of these other web sites from the majority population, or go to one of these blogger conventions and see how much of us "Negroes" you see there. I can guarantee you that you will feel like you are at an NHL fu****g game in Winnipeg.

Which brings me to another reason I got into this blogging thing. After seeing the net roots movement among white liberals, and how successful it was, I started to think about the lack of a cohesive black progressive voice on the net. I started to wonder why some of us black bloggers who have a different perspective on the issues and who have something to say about all the f****d up sh** affecting black folks in America aren't expressing ourselves out here. Sure there is the black conservative brotherhood, and I applaud them for doing their thing. But there wasn't when I started, and still isn't now, real black independent progressives unifying around the sh** that affects us and our communities. So I started blogging to find like minded voices and to get input from like minded people on the web. And in truth, I have found some. There are some other voices out there spitting truth on a regular basis, and keeping it one hundred percent with people who read their blogs. Look no further than the sites I have linked here to find some of those voices. But there should be more, and we should be more unified as black bloggers, because let's make no mistake about it, there is strength in numbers. Sadly, ever since slavery, we as black folks have had some issues unifying. Some of us wanted to stay in the house and enjoy its comforts. And we would have done damn near anything to stay out of the fields. Well, fast forward a couple of hundred years and it's no different now than it was then. Some of us (you know who you are) would rather play the safe negro role, and address bull shit issues on your blogs, hoping to attract "charlie" and his ilk in your quest for greater exposure and readership, and ultimately dollars. All the while steering clear of the issues that you really need to be addressing, and the shit that really effects your community.

Sorry folks, I didn't mean to go on a rant, but.....hey, I wouldn't be the field if I didn't. So thanks again to everyone who has helped to make this a successful year by commenting, reading, and allowing me to share the blogosphere with you.

Before I go, I was tagged by the good peeps over at Coyote Angry who wanted me to list five blogs that really make me think. This is a tough one, because different blogs make me do different things, and it's hard separating what makes me think from what I just enjoy. For instance, I enjoy reading blogs like La Bella-Noire,Nat Turner's Revenge,Too Sense, and Skeptical Brotha. For information, I say f**k Drudge. I enjoy reading Voice Of A Native Son,African American Black Opinion and Afro Netizen. For comments on my blog, I love hearing from the likes of I am not star jones,Liz,and mahndisa. Mmmmm, so now the five that makes me think. OK I would say The Free Slave ,Mirror On America,The Strange Death Of Liberal America ,The Anti Essentialist Conundrum, The Book Of Asabagna, and my man over at Exodus Mentality a close 5A; all make me think. Whew, that was deep, and I am sure I am leaving out some folks. Hey, let's just put it this way, if you are linked on this blog I am feeling you.

I'm out.

36 comments:

Unknown said...

I am new to the blogosphere. I enjoy finding nubians out here that are coming strong & correct. Your blogging philosophy over the past year is right on time!

I really like your MOVIE OF THE DAY feature. Very creative idea! One day I want to franchise that idea over on the Electronic Village.

Anyhow, wanted u to know that the Field is appreciated by the Villager.

Mahndisa S. Rigmaiden said...

03 28 07

Hey Field:
Thanks for the shout out. Also CONGRATULATIONS on the one year anniversary of your blog. I am happy to come visit and believe that such dialog can only stimulate positive growth in our communities. I hope you continue to post. Speaking of that, all this time I thought you were on my blog roll but I was wrong! That is being corrected NOW!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! I learned about you from Topper, and have since put you in my blogroll. You have a great blog. It's a great milestone, a year of speaking truth.

Never stop. :-)

Peace.

wst... said...

congrats fn...looking forward to reading you for many more years.

MartiniCocoa said...

everytime
you spank Harold Ford, I howl with laughter and much recognition.

He personifies
ambition and success without integrity
and it's great how you call him and others out.

Your blog is much needed in these
crazy crazy times.

btw, the movie of the day
is priceless.

Anonymous said...

Congratulatons!

In some ways I'm glad LaShawn did what she did. It gave you more of a reason to be who you are as a a real field brotha, blogger and as a human being. Keep on doing what you do!

You and the other brotha's and sister's are truly appreciated.

Dangerfield said...

Yo Field congratulations on your blogs 1 year birthday. Thank you for keeping it 100% and for teaching extremely annoyed folks like me the value of patience and maturity. Godbless and Godspeed in whatever you do Field.

Sylvia said...

:) Happy blogiversary, field! I'm very happy I found your blog, and I hope you continue the course you're taking. 'Sides, it's good to see another black legal mind on the blogosphere. (Though I'm still on baby step 1 of many, lol.)

Also, thank you very much for the shout out! I appreciate it.

Anonymous said...

Thanks mark,you and people like Denise and the folks at "we saw that" are some of the originals. Thanks for participating and your contributions to this endeavor.

Thanks "dani", and villager, I have linked the "electronic village"(love your site). dani I will link your site as soon as I get back to the bat cave :)

my sister mhandisa, please believe I was not refering to you when I spoke of the snub blogs. I know you are in the "conservative brotherhood", and I would understand if I am not lnked to you. Trust me,having your input here is more important than a link. I just appreciate your always honest assessments of my posts, and the you speak from your heart.

I am not star jones (I love that name!)thank you as well, and Af Am. pundit. Well, you know how I feel about the work you guys do over there. So thanks for the acknowledgement, it's special when it comes from guys like you.

Anonymous said...

Oh damn, I almost forgot my girl aulelia (that sister makes me think too) over at Charcoal Ink
(http://charcoalink.wordpress.com)
amd Maryscott from My Left Wing.
(http://www.myleftwing.com) See, this is why I can't pick out just few people, there are just too many. Now you just watch; I will think of about two or three other people I forgot in about two minutes :)

Anonymous said...

Congrats to the Field!

I truly appreciate what it means to have done this blog thing consistently for a year. I had only been blogging for a couple of months when I ran across the Stepin Fetchit Awards (bka The Coonies). The Field was one of the first Afrocentric progressive blogs I had seen and I have been hooked in every since. You played a big part in my continuing to blog, because at that time, I really was starting to wonder what was the point. Your feedback was a big part in me keeping going. Like you I now realize that the point is to build the sense of community and and an understanding of each other that will allow us to work together.

Some of us Runaways don't quite understand Field or House negros. I was one of those before you gave me some insight into the Field mentality. Now I know we can work together and continue to build this AfroNetRoots community.


Thanks also for the shout out. I am not worthy of your praise, but I am nonetheless very appreciative. Let's continue on this journey, because I suspect the ride is going to get even wilder.

Mahndisa S. Rigmaiden said...

03 29 07

Hey Field:
Thanks! Oh No,I didn't even go there in my mind. I simply realized that I have been commenting on your blog for a long while AND I sincerely thought I had linked to you. You are the only liberal on my blogroll,but in truth your goals transcend mere lablels which is why I linked to you! heheheh

Regarding snub negroes, well yeah, I came across a few like that, but they are not just in the political blogs they are also in the physics blogs too. It is a stupid attitude of elitism that has no place in my world! Have a great rest of week!

Anonymous said...

Well, I'm glad I found your blog, FN. Agree or disagree, you always write an on-point post.

I do get a chuckle out of the House Negro of the Day, Movie of the Day. And, a good history tip from the Field Negro of the Day.

field negro said...

Thanks "rikyrah", you are always on point yourself. Now when are you going to start your own blog?

Anonymous said...

Congrats Yawdie!!

You are one of the first bloggers I read when I started into this game. I did a search for Black bloggers to get a feel for what this was all about and your page came up. You and subsequently thefreeslave inspired me to develop and project my voice out there/here. BUT most of all I appreciate the times you made me laugh.

Much love and respect!
JAH! RASTAFARI!

Asa

Anonymous said...

Congrats on one year. It ain't easy, is it? But you hung in there. I thought you'd been around a lot longer actually.

And, thanks for the honor. I truly appreciate it.

FS

field negro said...

Big up Asa, and thanks for the love.

FS, you speak truth to power my bother, your honesty makes even me flinch at times; and trust me, that's hard to do.

C-dell said...

Congrats on the one yr. I just got mine on Feb 16. You have a great blog here. Keep up the good work

plez... said...

field,

happy anniversary! i can't believe i've been doing this longer than you (by 2 or 3 weeks). but i LOVE coming over here for my daily dose of REAL (i don't have much time to post when i'm "on assignment" like this, but i do drop in often) ... if there were more brothers and sisters like you in the field, I wouldn't have wanted to go the house! *smile* keep up the good work, my brother!

plez...

meera bowman-johnson said...

Congratulations, FN! Thanks for supporting my blog, for going where many a black blogger is afraid to, and for representing my original plantation, the illadelph, like only a true field negro could. :)

Tasha said...

Happy one year anniversary, keep it up! Thanks for the shout-out :-)

Francis Holland said...

Happy blog anniversary, Field!

Speaking of "marginalized", although Shaquanda Cotton has captured the hearts of Black bloggers who are working feverishly to get her released from detention, and her case has been mentioned in the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, and on government sponsored National Public Radio, yet the name "Shaquanda" has still NEVER ONCE been mentioned by white people at DailyKos in their stories, diaries or comments.

In fact, the name "Shaquanda" has only been used once at DailyKos, EVER, by a Black person in the context of a once-weekly roundup of news about African-America. That weekly roundup received a grand total of nine comments, including three that were written by the round-up's author himself. Blacks (<2.5% of members) and Black concerns are virtually non-existent at DailyKos, the foremost of the whitosphere apartheid blogs. There are probably more Blacks at a hockey game in Winnipeg.

Meanwhile, NPR has done an entire story on Shaquanda Cotton. In effect, a story that has captured the heart of the Blackosphere has a greater chance of appearing in the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, and on government sponsored National Public Radio than such a story has of appearing in the psuedo-progressive" apartheid whitosphere.

What will it take for ONE white person to mention Shaquanda Cotton at DailyKos?

Liz Dwyer said...

Field,
Congratulations on your anniversary! (Where's that Tony!Toni!Tone! song where you need it?) I'm so glad you've stuck with blogging so that I at least get the chance to come over here and comment.

I got tagged with this same meme and wanted to include you in my five...but someone beat me to it. I just want to tell you that I wanted to tag you not only because you make me think, but because your transparent honesty is a mark of true leadership and our community needs that and needs your integrity.

Francis Holland said...

Pardon me for highjacking this thread, Field, with a different but strongly related topic.

"White-News" vs. Shaquanda Cotton

Although Shaquanda Cotton, (the 14 year-old Black girl sentenced to 1-7 years in detention for pushing a school hall monitor) has captured the hearts of Black bloggers who are working feverishly to get her released from detention, and the story has been picked up by the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, and on government sponsored National Public Radio, still "Shaquanda" has NEVER ONCE been mentioned by white people at DailyKos in stories, diaries or comments. (I don't know about MyDD.) The ostensibly "progressive" DailyKos is a "white-news" perveyor that ignores - even more than the mainstream media - issues that primarily disadvantage Blacks.

Since the Shaquanda Cotton story directly challenges the whitosphere fallacy that whites have become "color-blind," so whitosphere blogs like DailyKos will wilfully ignore this story until and unless it becomes so large that they can no longer pretend that it doesn't exist. Continued at the Francis L. Holland Blog.

Cynthia said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Cynthia said...

Congrats on your one year anniversary. I'm also glad I found your blog. I like the fact (putting it bluntly); you're not a House Negro.

I also like the fact that you are not antagonistic to those who don't share your view point. This is something I'm working on. My style has gotten me de-linked from people’s blogroll so many times I don't care to mention.

Anonymous said...

Thanks again yawll.All of you are linked here, and trust me, I wonder into your worlds from the fields on a regular basis.

Yes mrs j, I am trying to rep Illadelph to the fullest, but it's hard out here my sista :)

Francis, you are on a serious mission against Kos my man, and I will not discourage you. Keep fighting the good fight. No one is immune from getting called on bull sh**, even yours truly.

And yes Cynthia, I know what you mean about rubbing people the wrong way. trust me, I was booted from a bunch of blogs and delisted from blog rolls until I mellowed out somewhat. But thanks for your kind words as well.

Cobb said...

DAMN DAMN DAMN!!

I have been in Philadelphia for the past 8 weeks man! Now that I'm back in LA, I drop by here and find out that we coulda hooked up.

Anonymous said...

Damn Cobb, don't do that again! The next time you come east holla at me!

You are one of those on the right that I respect in this game. I miss our posting battles :)

Hey, what do you say we start an East Coast West Coast battle again? Let's call it Tu Pac and Biggy Two, the blog version :)

Brian said...

Thanks Field....

I visit this site everyday...and love your insight. And the storytelling is great too.

Cobb said...

I don't want to be Tupac. Fool thought his fiction was non-.

Anyway I'll be back in Philly in a couple weeks. We'll do Mahogany or Devon. Hell, we'll do both.

GiGi - The Shy Giraffe said...

Congrats on your 1st blog anniversary Field. I'm sure there are many more blog posts for us to read in the coming future. Glad I found your site and been reading your thoughts on daily basis.

=:O)

field negro said...

Tnaks AI, and thanks Gi gi, I love in your world sometimes thanks to yuor blog, and it's quite interesting.

Cobb,Mahogany sounds like a plan, I will try to line up a "Cuban" for you ;)

Hathor said...

From reading a few of your post, I can't see that you would have said anything objectionable. I've often emailed a blogger that was upset with my comments and said it is possible for them to have a private blog where only those who share their thoughts can read them. If you have a public blog then is should be public and I have never thought of a blog the same as being a home, which some blogger compared his blog to his home. My comments can be Googled, none of the speech is private. I can understand if someones deletes an add, gibberish or something 99% of people would object too.
I think LaShawn Barber and some other black bloggers don't wont opposing coherent and intelligent arguments from other blacks, because they will lose their specialness.

cuz said...

Hey Field, How come when I put my email address to subscribe all I keep getting is page can't be displayed Whys this James at cuzinmex@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

You can choose to dwell on the past and use that information to shape your present.

You can choose to live in the moment and consider neither the past or future.

You can choose to shape the future based on the lessons of the past and the situation of the moment you are in.