White Southern Codespeak

Let me begin this post by setting the scene a bit. I live, along with my dear friend Matthew, in an all residential area on the outskirts of downtown Charleston in a predominantly African American community. It’s a really great place to live, and the neighborhood is just full of friendly people, many of whom are raising families here and some who have been for generations. Now, being European American in a mostly African American community does get me a few odd double takes every now and again when I’m out walking, but I don’t begrudge people that. It just speaks to how rare a light skinned face is in this part of town, and the inherent racism that is such a huge part of our culture. It’s unfortunately the reality that we all live every day of our lives. So, recently Matt and I have been conducting a desperate search for a third roommate to fill the other bedroom in the house that Charlie left vacant when he moved out in May. We posted an ad on the college website and have since been receiving emails and phone calls from absolute strangers about the house. All those to come and look at the house so far have been white (big surprise there College of Charleston) young women. Do you know what I have realized during this experience? White people, and specifically white Southerners... okay wait. Let me stop midsentence and explain something about my choice of words here first.

Word Usage with Laura - Lesson #1

Today's word(s) - WHITE PEOPLE!

Okay. Now most people probably hear me say "white people" and go, "Waitaminute Laura... you're white... why are you placing yourself outside of the group by using an outsider label to describe them?" Well readers, I'll tell you why. "Whiteness" ... that is... the "white" mentality that has been constructed in our society to marginalize and oppress ethnic groups of darker complexions, has no basis on nationality or genealogy whatsoever. So-called "white" people come from all areas located in and around the European continent. German Americans, Irish Americans, English Americans, Polish Americans... they all fall into the "white" category that has been constructed for them, but they have no ancestral relationship to one another. None close enough to speak of anyway. So… what’s the point? Well the point is this: The idea of a white race is in and of itself a racist and oppressive concept. I refuse to associate myself with that mentality, and so instead I consider myself to be just what I am; European and Native American. I’m part Irish, part German, and part Cherokee. There are probably other ethnicities in my bloodline that I don’t even know about, but those are the main three that I’m aware of. So! “White people” does not equal all people originating from European bloodlines, according to the terminology that I have chosen to adopt (and have borrowed from Matt, to give credit where credit is due.) When I use the phrase “white people” I am referring to people of European ancestry who buy into and support the historically oppressive mentality that is white privilege. When referring to others that fall into the category most people would call “white” I will use the term “person of European descent.” Got it? Great. Now let’s get back to the point of this post…

Where was I? Ah yes. White people, and specifically white Southerners, like to use codespeak like “Is this a ‘safe’ neighborhood?” which is really just a subtle way of saying “Omg do BROWN people live here?! Cuz I don’t much like those types!” Nearly all of the white girls that have come to look at our apartment over the past two weeks have asked the same question. Is it “safe?” I am beyond annoyed by this thinly disguised racist question. Yes, the little old lady walking her three grandchildren down the street as they totter on their trainer bikes… isn’t she SO threatening. And the men (who wave and greet me warmly every time I go out jogging... not the creepy jogger-watcher men that give out catcalls of “Hey baby how you doin’…” as I run by and who irritated the HELL out of me when I used to run on King Street… no not them, but the “Hello how you doing, alright, alright…” actually FRIENDLY type people) that congregate outside the barbershop might leap out and rape your poor virtuous white woman self at any given moment!!! Oh my! *acknowledges the fact that that wasn’t really even a coherent sentence* Sorry. My bad. But really. I am fed up with this bullshit. Why is it that white people are so threatened by the idea of living in a community in which most of the people there just so happen to have an increased level of melanin in their skin? Why? Because they’re fucking racist asshats, that’s why. And I don’t really want to live with them anyway.

In conclusion… people need to just grow the fuck up!

Peace and love! xD (Because that post was SO peaceful and loving… LOL)
Laura

IS THAT YOU PRESIDENT BUSH?!

HI CREEPY STALKER ANONYMOUS? BECAUSE OF YOU MY COMMENTS ARE NOW HIDDEN.

YOU ARE CREEPY BEYOND BELIEF.

GO AWAY.

MY GOD YOU'RE CREEPY.

Okay. Someone copy/pasted some old fanfic of mine in a comment to my last post just to creep me out and let me know they knew who I was... they didn't say anything... they just pasted it. O_o CREEPY! So yeah. Comments are gone now. Just letting everyone know. Kbye.

Yeah, I'll say it again... THAT'S FUCKING CREEPY!!!

Criminalizing immigration, 9/11 rigged?

I haven't posted anything new lately, mostly because I've been really busy with finals week. Ah the life of a college student. Anyway, I am very excited about all of the protest rallies against the recent immigration crackdown that are going on across the country right now. Every time I turn on CNN and see the crowds of hundreds of thousands of people in the streets standing up for their rights I get this fluttery happy feeling in my chest. So awesome to see the people finally putting their foot down and saying no to the bullshit this administration is pumping out. I saw an amazing political cartoon recently... it showed the pilgrims landing and Native Americans meeting them at the shore -

Natives: "Hey there... we're gonna need to see some identification... do you have a green card, papers?"
Pilgrims: O___o "HUH?!"

Hahaha, also I saw a tshirt with an old photo of several Native Americans holding shotguns that read, "Homeland Security: Protecting America since 1492."

Good stuff, good stuff.

But seriously, this immigration shit is pissing me off. I recently heard the Spanish version of the Star Spangeled Banner... it's beautiful. But of course, it's causing an uproar. This is what Bush had to say about it: "Well, I think the national anthem ought to be sung in English, and I think if you want to live in America, you ought to learn English." Pompous ass... I just love how we forget that America STOLE Texas from Mexico less than 200 years ago. STOLE it. Annexed = code word for STOLE. Half of his family is Mexican... how can he advocate stamping out immigration rights? Ass monkey. Anyway, you all have probably heard about the protests going on this Monday, May Day, against HR4437. Supporters are calling for all Latino immigrants to refuse work on May Day. It's being dubbed "A Day Without Immigrants." I'm not sure what sort of protests are going on in Charleston tomorrow, but there's probably going to be something in Marion Square. I'll definitely be checking that out.

I initially thought I wanted to see this movie, but now I'm not so sure. After watching this and this, my entire understanding of 9/11 is beginning to change. I've heard rumors about the conspriacy theories around 9/11 since it happened... but until now I had never seen this kind of hard evidence. Just watch it. That's all I have to say.

Peace and love will win in the end,
Laura

Cheney Naps During President Hu's Visit

SERIOUSLY. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

I really have nothing else to say about this.

Fox News and Young Hunters

I would just like to say that the O'Reilly Factor is simultaneously the funniest and perhaps most frightening thing I have ever witnessed on television. Like every good anti-propagandist I usually try to steer clear of mainstream news stations, but sometimes I tune into Fox News for a good laugh now and again. So after returning home from the weekly ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE meeting (so many exciting things going on with them!!!), I turned on O'Reilly Factor and got out the popcorn for some good frightening entertainment. Naturally, dear Bill did not disappoint.

Of course this story would involve the NRA, right? They're a fun bunch. So the laws in most states set the minimum age for using a gun at the ripe old number of 12 years. Per usual, this doesn't satisfy our trigger happy friends of the projectionist homophobic macho freak hunting community. No, they'd really like it if the power's that be would consider lowering the age to 8 years old. But wait, this isn't the best part of the story! Oh no... it gets better. And this part made me stop and ask the television set, "Is this a joke? No, really... IS THIS A JOKE? Is it April Fool's and I forgot?" The man in charge of the campaign to lower the age... his name is... wait for it... SCOTT... GUNDERMAN (can't find a link on him). Yes. His NAME has the word GUN in it. I swear to Big Brother I'm not making this shit up. I nearly died laughing.

But I digress. Yes, these crazy people actually want to put shotguns in the hands of 8 year old children and then send them off into the wilds to gun down Bambi! Let's think about this for a moment. Think back, if you can, to yourself at the age of 8. What sort of things were you doing to entertain yourself at that age? Moi, I was playing with my pet cat, Smokey (not actual photo... but he looked just like that) in the backyard. He really liked to be buried in pine needles and then dig his way out. I was bird watching in the thicket with my dad's binoculars. I was splashing through mudpuddles with my then 1 year old brother on rainy days. When I ventured inside, I was playing archaic versions of today's computer games and dancing to Oldies music in the living room with my best pal teddy bear. I WAS NOT ON THE DELIVERING END OF A MALICIOUS FIREARM WITH A HELPLESS ANIMAL IN MY SIGHTS!!! And what child SHOULD be?! My God, what is our nation coming to? Are they trying to desensitize us to death and cruelty as soon as possible so that when we get drafted into their glorified military factions we won't need as much training to fork out ruthless slaughter to our so-called "enemies?" Sounds about right to me.

... Okay... I had way too much fun with the links in that post. *laughs*

"Charleston Charm" my ass...

Well, I've finally decided to jump on this bandwagon and start a real blog. Take note: I have a personal journal and diary over at Livejournal. This will serve as a more academic/intellectual/political/whatever else type blog, rather than a daily account of my life. If my everyday activities really interest you that much, you're welcome to go to LJ and post on my public entry. Just say who you are and why you'd like to be added to my friends list. My journal is friends only so you'll have to be added to see my entries. Okay. Now that that's all clear, on to the rant.

A recent article in the teacher's magazine Edutopia describes the beauty and charm of old time Charleston, South Carolina with the ambiance of a real estate ad doing its damnedest to make a quick sale. Now first of all I must say that generally speaking I have found this publication to be interesting and helpful in the past. It's a free subscription; all you have to do is go to their website and enter your information to receive the magazine every month. I usually find at least a handful of cool articles in every issue. One section, in which the editors ask questions of the readers who then write in with their answers, is always my favorite. I always find the best education advice comes from real educators, people in the field doing the daily grind, rather than the so-called "authorities" on educational policies. So it's a good magazine really. Nonetheless, when I went to my campus mail box this afternoon, sifted through the usual pre-approved student credit card applications and month old church newsletters, and pulled out my April issue of Edutopia, I was immediately shocked. Right there on the cover, heading up the top of the page, it read: "The Charm of Charleston." Now allow me to explain for those of you who are not familiar with "The Holy City."

This is the most racist place I have ever seen or heard of.

While that overarching statement basically sums up my point, indulge me in the opportunity to elaborate. When I first moved here about two years ago, I was blissfully ignorant of many of the city's problems. I sorrowfully admit to my great and overwhelming ignorance concerning the racist and classist history of this place. I remember afternoons walking on the battery with my then roommate Erin, and commenting on the beauty of those multi million dollar homes on the waterfront... how pretty the downtown area was, especially the spruced up city blocks around Market Street, the center of the tourist area. I've learned a lot since then, thankfully. It still amazes me how sneakily white supremacy can pull the wool over the eyes of the masses. As a woman of European descent, I never had to stop and think about how the people living in those beautiful mansions had earned the money to buy them, never had to stop and think about the disgusting seperation of the tourist district from the low income residential areas of the city, never had to stop and think about the fact that the farther south you get down that penninsula, the whiter the streets look. No, never had to think about any of that. Thank the Creator for the guidance and insight of friends who know better. Around August of last year, I struck up a friendship with a fellow student named Matt. This man has taught me so much about racism and white supremacy in the South. I started thinking about this city in ways I never had, really examining the world around me, taking note of city landmarks and what they stood for... here are some fun facts on landmarks around Charleston...

John C. Calhoun statue: This enormous phallic symbol stands overlooking the street that also bears his name, directly in front of the old Citadel campus and parade field. When the college was still based there, cadets would march in formation around the field in a display of their military presence in the city. The combination of military marches, the castle-like fortress of the college itself, and the ever present reminder that "them darkies need to be kept in their place" by the paternalistic statue looking down from above was intended to strike fear into the members of the predominantly African American community that once dwelled in that sector of the city.

Battery and old dock area behind the Customs House: This is where slave ships docked and unloaded their "cargo." The customs house is now a huge tourist attraction where visitors learn about the political prisoners and pirates that were kept there, and tour guides dispense heart warming stories of George Washington's visit to the house during his presidency. Oddly, the history of the slave trade coming through the customs house is largely absent. Hm, go figure.

Denmark Vesey tree: Okay as far as I know this story has not been confirmed for sure... but local legend tells that a particular tree now growing in the middle of Ashley Avenue in the Martin Luther King Jr. District was the hanging place of Denmark Vesey. The spot bears no mark, no plaque, no label of any kind. The only testament to the tree's importance is that the road is forked around it, one lane on either side, and a median built up with cement blocks and a grassy area around the tree itself. Of course, no one in charge of Charleston tourism wants to confirm this story... it's bad publicity to remember the stamping out of slave uprisings. In fact, they'd love for us to forget that there ever were slaves. After all, most masters treated their slaves pretty nicely... so it wasn't really that bad anyway... (ahem, sarcasm ahoy guys...)

Not exactly a historical landmark but it bears telling, my final place of importance is this...

Burke High School: In the year 2006, still a segregated school. 99% of students are African American, and the city has completely abandoned this school as just another "bad neighborhood" beyond help.

I could describe it for you all day, but until you actually come here and see it for yourself, it's really impossible to understand how bad it is. I'm not saying that this is the only place one can find racism by any means... I'm quite sure you could walk out your front door or peek out your window and see it right now. But the level of seperation and the clear distinction between the haves and the have nots is so outrageously obvious here that today I am sickened to look back and remember the ignorant young woman who walked the battery and fawned over the "beautiful" houses on the waterfront two years ago. Well, that's what life is about right? Growth and change, and discovery, and education. If I've learned anything so far it is that looking back with regret on the past and feeling guilty about it gets you nowhere fast.

But I digress. Back to the article. When I opened up that magazine today, as I gazed down at the huge photo of a battery house, with a horse drawn carriage out front, full of eager tourists... I was reminded of that other self. As I read about the "old charm of the city by the sea" I saw the same kind of blind romanticism with which I once looked upon this city. The illusion is an enticing one... but it is just that, an illusion. A fake, cooked up fairy tale of a happy world in the days when men were still gentlemen and women were still noble ladies... a world... that never existed. The "glory of the Old South" ... the Gone with the Wind lie of noble people living in a fantasy world of parties and mansions and gilded streets of happy white faces... all lies. LIES. In fact, at one point the article described the open air market on the aptly named Market Street as "the old market where they used to sell slaves." This is NOT TRUE! The Charleston tour guides tell that to the tourists, but it is completely false. Every local knows that. I can't believe that made it into a published magazine. The place where the slaves were actually sold is run down and unkempt, because the city doesn't care to pour money into that historical memory. Lies lies lies. Lies that to this day keep a billion dollar tourist industry pumping out profits. People eat it up. They love it. They love the cobblestone streets, they love the plantations, the "antebellum houses" that are really slave cabins but no one wants to talk about that... they love the ladies in their frilly dresses, they love the ghost stories... they love the lies.. why? Because history's lies are always more attractive than history's truths. The truth is often ugly, and tourists don't like ugly.