Category: Thoughts International

American Media for the WIN (yet again sadly)

8/28/2013

I typically don't write (or think) about American celebrities (Well except for Rihanna*) for two main reasons, one personal the other philosophical/political. On the level of the personal, I simply don't get the American celebrity construct, I never have. I don't understand why I must get embroiled in the lives, activities and thoughts of people, simply because they can sing, dance or act a little bit. I don't see why I have to discuss these people's tawdry insipid lives or why every bad choice they make or every bad performance they have is (international) news. I quite frankly find American celebrities peevish and boring! On the philosophical/political level I have profound understanding of what cultural colonialism is, I see the effects of it around me every day (particularly in the behaviour of my nations' youth and my nations' politicians) and I choose not to participate in the forwarding of that agenda.

So it is with some reservation that I write this (deliberately vague) blog.

Recently a young white female American performer, of mediocre talent, performed at a music awards showcase. In her performance the young lady lifted certain key elements from the "gangsta rap" culture and placed them on the stage. The next day American news and social media exploded with outrage at the racism of it all.

The thing is, in the grand scheme of things the performance was altogether unremarkable (Yes American media worked... I saw it... in its entirety), it wasn't remarkably good, it wasn't remarkably bad and in a country in the which people get killed, jailed, deported and declared war on on racist premises, it wasn't remarkably racially offensive (just a little perspective).

Yet again American media has dictated to us what is important to think about, and without thinking about it... we thought about it.

As a black man I was not at all offended by the performance, I did not feel that she was speaking to me or about me. I happen to know thousands of Caribbean black people and I did not feel she was speaking to them or about them either. I know several (not thousands) of American black people, from several walks of life, and I can say confidently (despite what American media would have you believe) that she was not speaking to or about them either.

I will grant you that the young woman (or rather her handlers, for she is little more than a product) are guilty of some racial insensitivity, in much the same way that some white people can't quite grasp why it is okay for black people to say "nigger" but not for them! (For the red herring lovers I am not saying that it is or isn't okay to say nigger I'm merely... drawing a reference). I will also grant you that given the global problems of racism, class-ism and culturalism (aha!!) we do need to discuss such issues... but really? This bullshitty performance is your trigger for discussion... Really??!!

Furthermore there was nothing in the performance that I haven't seen (or far worse) in a typical gangsta rap video. If I was to choose to be offended by the shenanigans of manufactured, contrived American celebrities I would be offended by the black rappers who put these images forward as "black culture" in the first place not by the pathetic attempts of a soon to be" has been" to expand her market share.

Anyway American media has won again for here I am discussing a performance that I would not even have farted on ordinarily... while the country that I live in and love spirals towards economic ruin!

Nala (The $2 Philosopher)

*I'll talk about Rihanna because even though the construct of RIHANNA is an American celebrity the human being around whom it is built is a Bajan so I feel (may be mistakenly) entitled.

4 Comments

Injustice is injustice. So how guilty are we? (Note to self)

7/16/2013

6 Comments

So the verdict has come back on the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman trial and (for those of us who have ever paid attention to anything) with NO surprises. Facebook and other social media have exploded with outraged indignant responses to the injustice (real or perceived) of it all, and as social media has evolved into a space in which people give public vent to their private feelings this is no surprise either. Since Barbados has been recolonized by the USA and we are heavily invested in the goings on in that country an additional “no surprise” is that many Bajans have expressed solidarity with Trayvon Martin and his family and posted his picture on social media or blacked out their own profile pictures as a form of protest against the decision.

Well… whatever! Although the trial is largely responsible for triggering this blog I am not about to rant about the murder of Trayvon Martin nor the American (in)justice system nor racism nor any of the shite that Facebook revolutionaries have (from the safety of their, not even in America, living rooms) been ranting about. What I want to get off my scrawny chest has more to do with unexamined groupthink and largely ineffectual, feel good activity.

Amidst the expected responses to the verdict was a status post by a good friend of mine and fellow artist, let’s call him MG; MG’s status essentially declared that he didn’t know Trayvon, that his death had no real impact on the quality of life in Barbados and that he (Trayvon Martin) was in essence the feel good flavour of the month (Marc actually gave it far less time than a month, he suggested the next fifteen minutes). Not surprisingly he was almost immediately taken to task by those who felt he should show greater sensitivity and further felt that by failing to see the wider implications of the verdict he was missing the point. Two people even accused him (by implication) of social apathy and quoted Martin Niemöller “They came first for the communist, I did not speak up I was not a communist….” Blah blah blah. (Google it you can find the quote for yourselves).

Martin Niemöller? Oh frigging please!! First of all in most instances it is highly presumptuous, at best, to call the posting of pictures or status updates on Facebook “speaking up”. It seems to me that Facebook, Twitter and other social media have bred a new kind of uncommitted, no-risk taking, virtual revolutionary who can, at the click of a button, support, endorse or express seemingly radically anti-status quo views without having to put anything on the line. This virtual revolutionary has actually managed to convince itself that reposting photographs will somehow, magically, feed starving children in Africa or that posting “threatening” comments will somehow weaken the resolve of dictatorial leaders. This kind of virtual activism makes us feel good about ourselves, which is the point of it, it’s similar to masturbation and though I have absolutely no problem with masturbation I feel it is important to know when you are merely playing with yourself and when you are actually taking impactful social action.

Because I am painfully aware of the phenomenon of “deliberate misunderstanding” let me just say that I am fully cognisant of the fact that there are social activists who use Facebook and other social media merely as tools to augment their real world activities and that they have, on occasion been able to use social media to help effect social change. It should be clear that these are not the people to whom I refer when I speak of “virtual revolutionaries.”

That aside, MG himself, was in his status post, actually “speaking up” against a number of things that are very relevant to us here on this little rock we call “Bim.”

At the risk of misrepresenting my bredren I call unexamined groupthink as one of those things. American news (and I use the term “news” very loosely) networks have far too powerful a hand in shaping the world view of Caribbean and Bajan (yes I know Barbados is part of the Caribbean) peoples’ world view. They seem to dictate with abandon what we consider important and largely what we react to. They did it a year or two ago with “bullying in schools.” Do you remember when bullying in schools was the issue all over American news and then all of a sudden we in Barbados were spending money on a study of bullying in our schools? Wasn’t that some bullshit? They did it again when Paula Deen said “nigger” and we were all up in arms about that, even though most of us don’t even know who the hell Paula Deen is (Who the fuck is she???). Now we are being told that this trial/verdict is one of the most important issues of the day. I am sure that when the ratings dictate the American networks will find another hot topic to occupy us with, and the Trayvon Martin affair will fade into obscurity as we get all caught up with something else.

Again for the “deliberate misunderstanders” let me just state what I am NOT saying.

I am not saying that we should not care about the gunning down of a seventeen year old (unarmed) child, we should, as human beings we should, as fellow descendants of the survivors of one humanity's several holocausts (as wunna choosing to invoke Niemöller), we absolutely should, however where we place is this concern in our list of priorities is very important.

Which leads me to my next point (of contention) ever since the Trayvon Martin story broke many of my country folk have posted his pic or blacked out their own profile pics or declared “I am Trayvon Martin”. I have seen discourses about the broken American justice system, about profiling and racism (institutional and individual) in America, but when it comes to real discussion of these issues as they exist here, at home, in Bim THE SILENCE HAS BEEN DEAFENING!!!

Let me say this since our ancestors traveled together through the middle passage before branching off to their divergent destinations I am completely willing to accept that I am Trayvon Martin, but long before I am he, I AM I’AKOBI MALONE, I AM MENELIK ARMSTRONG and many more sons and daughters of this here soil who have suffered gross injustice right here in Barbados.

Again what I am NOT saying.

I am not saying that we must ignore the plight of others in order to focus on the plight of our own.

I am not saying that we must fix everything at home before turning our eyes outward.

What I AM saying is… It seems a bit hypocritical and self-defeating to be so deeply engaged in the social issues of another’s culture while pointedly ignoring similar issues in our own back yard.

Take the I’Akobi Malone story for instance as it is so similar to the Trayvon Martin story. In my opinion the I’Akobi story constitutes a far more obscene violation of citizens’ rights. I’Akobi Malone did not lose his life at the hands of a private (and possibly disturbed) citizen, he lost his life at the hands of the police force; the very people mandated by law to protect his life. I know his mother I have watched her unrelenting struggle for the simplest justice of a satisfactory and transparent investigation into the bizarre circumstances of her son’s demise.

It doesn't seem a lot to ask. It seems to me that this is a moment in which mass posting on Facebook could be meaningful. In the context of a small island space we could actually spread the word and generate the critical mass to persuade the relevant authorities to take appropriate and responsible action. Wouldn't that be more meaningful than offering support to a victim thousands of miles away in another cultural space? Again, not that we can’t offer support there too, but shouldn't we address our own gruesome travesties first??

After news of the, now infamous, verdict broke I read a few (quite frankly irritating) posts that said thing to this effect... “Zimmerman found not guilty, only in America I’m glad I live here (Here being Barbados)” Not a true direct quote but you get the gist.

I tried to post similarly but sadly this is all I could come up with.

“George Zimmerman was found not guilty, I’m glad I live in Barbados where a young man with a bright future can die under questionable circumstances in the “presence” of the police and there is no real public outcry, where a young boy can be brutalised by a security guard and there is no righteous indignation, where a black youngster can be severely beaten in Sandy lane by two white Bajans (for stealing if memory serves) and it sparks no real discussion on race relations in Barbados, where there can be clear abuse of authority and no one and I mean no one is never even reprimanded.”

I found that a little too cumbersome so I edited it down to this.

“George Zimmerman found not guilty. I so glad I live in Barbados where that could never end up on CNN”

6 Comments

Between sexuality nazis, selective rule followers and compulsive oversimplifiers why don't we just kill EVERYBODY?

11/21/2011

10 Comments

When David Cameron declared that the UK would be withholding aid from nations that did not reform their anti-gay legislation I completely missed the point! The sexuality of others has never been an issue for me, because, truth be told, I don't find human beings interesting enough to care what consenting adults do in private or even (within reason) in public, for that matter, and I am too aware of Cameron's previous strongly anti-gay position to believe this declaration is anything more than some sort of political power play. So, I admit (unashamedly), that the issue of gay rights never even crossed my mind, what I responded to was the fact that I am tired of these fucked up (self declared) first world nations dictating to what they clearly see as "turd" world nations what we should and shouldn't be doing, especially since they can't even manage their own frigging domestic affairs.

It was only when the sexuality Nazis (those spiritually and intellectually evolved souls who admonish us as a society to "kill a buller"* because "all botty boy must die!)" and social commentators weighed in on various sides of the issue that it began to dawn on me what the real issue was... and even then I didn't quite get it. I misguidedly wondered what it was that had so upset the sexuality Nazis, after all (I thought) intelligent grown up human beings ought to know that you don't have to approve of everybody to live in the world with them, I mean I don't approve of women wearing weaves or men wearing white dress shoes... I don't feel the need to "bun fyah" on these people or to deny them their basic human rights... I just don't wear weaves or white dress shoes... it seemed fairly simple to me... if you don't approve of "bulling"... don't "bull"... I realise now that I had missed the point... yet again!

At this juncture I should point out that I am not "pro gay" I know a lot of gay people and some of them are assholes, I've always thought it a bit odd to decide if I was for or against an individual based on a generalised trait such as sexuality. I am not "pro hetero" either because I know even more heterosexual people and a lot of them are (quite frankly) gay! ... I can't even say I am pro human because I know more human beings than I know homosexuals and heterosexuals combined and I find them, largely, to be intolerant and inhuman. What I am is pro peace and quiet and I find this never-ending discussion about our intolerance both ridiculous and annoying and I want it to fucking stop!

Speaking of the ridiculous, my first hint as to what the issue really was, came when I read BC Pires' (I never know where the apostrophe goes on names ending with S) column in which he declared that he rejects the bible in toto and seemed to imply that if the bible was taken out of the equation there wouldn't even be a need for the gay rights discussion. That may well be true, but, since the bible is central to a lot of the ideas that people have about homosexuality BC has essentially managed to make a non-point.

It is the above realisation (that the bible cannot be taken out of the discussion) that forced me to finally "see the light" (so to speak). The gay rights discussion has NEVER really been about gay rights it has always been about the divine and infallible word of god and we heretics and atheist need to accept that! As such I find myself having no other choice than to proclaim that... (wait for it!) .... The Gay Bashers are right!!!

It is god's law (Leviticus 20:13 to be precise) that most sexuality Nazis are referencing when they say that homosexuals must not be given the right to conduct their sexual lives in peace... it's in the bible (which we all know is an infallible document) and to go against the bible (which is perfect) is akin to blasphemy (which according to the bible is punishable by death) so that is end of the discussion... Except that it's really not! Leviticus 20:13 actually states that homosexuals should be put to death (read it for yourselves I won't be quoting scriptures as I am not worthy) and if the bible (which is above question) says so then it must be so! I can feel some of the sexuality nazis out there smiling proudly at the fact that they have a new convert... but hang on I actually read Leviticus and I discovered in excess of one hundred and twenty laws in there (funny how that never comes up), I further discovered that in addition to Leviticus there are four other books of law in the (written for all cultures and all times) bible: Genesis, Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. I also discovered that the bible (which must not be added to or subtracted from... as it is perfect and complete) has more than six hundred laws and this is not including the ten commandments nor edicts of Jesus, which must also be considered as they are in the bible (and the bible is... well you get it by now).

As a child I was always told by my parents (who the bible says you must honour at all times... or be put to death) that you must never half do things so if we are following biblical law let's FOLLOW biblical law and according to biblical law homosexuals are only one group in a long list of people who need to be put to death! The death list is also not confined to Leviticus and some of the death list is contextually implicit (may those who have eyes... see who to kill). So in order to help you properly follow the law I have compiled a "biblical hit list", as it were, so that you can know who you are duty bound to kill... be advised though that the list is not complete as I have omited some of the interpretive "hits". The onus is on you to read the bible and get the full hit list for your damned self but at least you can read this list and get to killing!
Leviticus 20:9 says to kill anyone who curses their parent. (I guess we're killing most teenagers)
Leviticus 20:10 says to kill anyone who cheats on their spouse (and the person they cheat with)
Leviticus 20:11 says to kill a man who sleeps with his fathers wife (and the fathers wife)
Leviticus 20:14 says if a man sleeps with his wife and her mother all three must be killed (or more specifically burned to death)
Leviticus 20:15-16 says anyone sleeping with an animal must be killed (including the animal)
Leviticus 20:27 says Psychics wizards and anyone dealing with astrology should be stoned to death (so all of you horoscope reading fuckers...sorry!)
Leviticus 21:9 says that a priests daughter who is a whore should be burned to death (how specific is that?)
Leviticus 24:14-16 says that anyone cursing or blaspheming god should be stoned to death by their community (this could be a family outing)
Deuteronomy 13:5 says to kill anyone who has an anti god dream or makes an anti god prophesy as well as anyone who tries to turn you from god. (oops)
Deuteronomy 13:6-10 says to kill anyone, including family, who dares to suggest that you worship another god.
Deuteronomy 13:12-15 says if you discover a city that worships another god... kill everybody... including the animals (murder tourism, this could be big)
Deuteronomy 17:2-7 says to kill anyone with a different religion (So Rastas should kill Methodists should kill Catholics should kill Jews should kill Moslems should kill... etc athiest you don't believe in the bible but you should probably just kill all religious people so they can't kill you first)

Ok then, I'm getting tired so I'll wrap up with these thoughts, those moderate Christians who purport that god is love and that we should love and tolerate each other are implying that we disregard gods' law which is akin to blasphemy so we need to kill them! The bible (which is infallible) says "the wages of sin is death!" and in the spirit of oversimplification we will take that to mean physical death so all sins are punishable by death! Jesus said that thinking about doing a thing is akin to doing it (and that is a SUPERTRUTH because Jesus said it and Jesus is god and god is never wrong and it's in the bible and the bible is infallible) so if you've ever thought about any of these things we have to kill you! And the bible says "thou shalt not kill" so we'll have to kill the killers and then we'll have to kill the killers of the killers and then.....

This is the solution, because then you homophobic fucking idiots won't have to worry about gay people because they'll all be dead, and I won't have to listen to your homophobic vitriolic bullshit because you'll all be dead, and no one will have to read my offensive blog because I'll be dead (yeah at least I have enough sense to know that you can't walk around suggesting that human beings don't deserve to live and expect to be treated with respect) and then everybody will be dead and there will be peace on earth HALLELUJAH!!!

Nala (The $2 Philosopher)

10 Comments

The diva a pudendum and a barrel of red herrings!

10/19/2011

7 Comments

I'm so frigging sick and tired of hearing about Rihanna, every two seconds its "Rihanna this Rihanna that... Rihanna can't sing, Rihanna into bad boys, Rihanna has too many tattoos, Rihanna sells her soul, Rihanna felates a banana, Rihanna single handedly cripples the global economy...!! I CAN'T take it! I feel like if I have to hear about Rihanna again I will pull my toenails out one by one with a pair of pliers. I don't want to hear about her anymore!!!

I know there is a small subculture of people in Barbados (I like to call them the Anti-Rihanna society) who are probably nodding in gleeful agreement when I say I'm sick and tired of hearing about ras-hole Rihanna... well you people can kiss my arse! This is NOT an anti-Rihanna rant! And for those of you who run around talking about your "Ri Ri"... wunna could take a ticket and pucker up too, because she ain't my Ri Ri I don't know her personally and besides she is a growed (yes growed) woman and only her mother or her man should be calling a growed woman "Ri Ri"

This little vitriol is not even about Rihanna, per se, so much as it is about the ridiculousness, willful blindness and red herringism (My phrase) that surrounds her. I think (surprise surprise) that there are a number of valuable and meaningful reasons why we (Bajans) could scrutinise the phenomenom that is Rihanna.

The policy makers and politicians (both parties, we are non-partisan) for example. You know the ones I mean, the ones who for the last however many years have been running around talking about "Cultural industries" and dreaming up various "cultural policies" and "acts" and "complexes" and "super-complexes", all of which appear to assume that our "cultural production" (enough with the quotation marks :) is supported and organised enough to be called an industry. None of which seem to acknowledge the need for, or encourage investment in the arts at the grassroots developmental level.* These people would do well to look at the fact that Rihanna was fifteen when she was picked up but that we didn't hear a peep out of her until she was seventeen. Two years of investing in and developing the artist before expecting a finished product.

Some of our lazy arse artistes, who feel that they could just come and sing, dance, act, write, make movies, with out ever having spent the time to learn and fine tune their craft, could also take a look at Rihanna's invisible two years in which she was voice trained, and learned about performing, and they could pick sense from that!

The folks frantically looking for "the next Rihanna" could consider that Robyn Fenty was discovered and Rihanna was created...and recreated... and recreated again (her image keeps changing) and pick sense from that too!

Some of us creative people who seem terrified of sharing ideas and working together should look at how Rihanna expanded her fan base through collaborations with other artistes.

Our business people who refuse to invest in the arts and our artists who refuse to acknowledge the business of art would both do well to consider that it was through examination and manipulation of market trends and the application of new business model (Internet distribution and dissemination) that Rihanna was able to smash Madonna's previous (long standing) sales records.

As I say there is a lot we could seriously look at where Rihanna is concerned, instead we all fussed up over the fact that she said "CUNT" (and yes I spelled it out) and then said (or was reported to have said) that Bajans don't find the word offensive. But we don't... well sometimes we do, but not all the time... consider how I discovered this story: a friend looked up from his laptop and said to me... "You $2 yah cunt (term of endearment) Rihanna does do nuff cunt (descriptive)" . Funny enough he had barely told me that when the story of her posing for Esquire magazine broke and people were vexed at Rihanna for exposing her OWN bubbies yah cunt!

I just don't get it there are so many valuable lessons in the Rihanna story and we keep getting distracted by a barrel of red herrings... and for the record if you really think that world wide fans are judging Barbados based on Rihanna's personal antics ("she letting down Barbados" being one of the mantras of the petty) you may have an over bloated idea of our importance and the seriouness with which people take celebrities.

Don't get me wrong, we are all entitled to our opinions and if you want to get your panties in a twist over the (rather tame) behaviour of a young pop star that is your business... me personally I DON'T GIVE a C**T!

Nala (The $2 Philosopher)

*There is actually a Cultural Policies bill (draft) circulating now It (in my opinion) needs work, If you are an Artist of any kind you should take a look at it and offer our policy makers your input!

7 Comments

American Media for the WIN (yet again sadly)

Injustice is injustice. So how guilty are we? (Note to self)

Between sexuality nazis, selective rule followers and compulsive oversimplifiers why don't we just kill EVERYBODY?

The diva a pudendum and a barrel of red herrings!

The $2 Philosopher!

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