tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315857934060352736.post7140224128241166744..comments2024-01-26T18:28:14.619-05:00Comments on Jamaican Till I Die!: Whites have become Black ...WTF?inmyownwordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900263474744400860noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315857934060352736.post-24665795489551524282011-08-29T14:40:34.894-05:002011-08-29T14:40:34.894-05:00SeBiArt - Thank you so much, well said and thank y...SeBiArt - Thank you so much, well said and thank you for the link..inmyownwordshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09900263474744400860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315857934060352736.post-53364826910944745952011-08-29T00:04:37.261-05:002011-08-29T00:04:37.261-05:00One more thing - my Jamaican friend - feminist, mu...One more thing - my Jamaican friend - feminist, musicologist, psychologist, Richard Wright, currently based in Oakland, CA, flew to the UK for the first time in his life, days before the riots. We met beforehand in NYC, and like a faithful Brit-o-phile, I sang the praises of her majesty's country, squealing with excitement that he was finally going to stay in my beloved city of London. Where was he going to stay...Hackney. 2 days after arrival...riots. This was his introduction - and he happened to be interviewed on the Italian press for this - please do watch. Most interesting note - was not a single British press source was on the streets to dialogue with the very people whose voices need to be heard: <br /><br />LINK: "Hackney" - http://vimeo.com/27524839SeBiArthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12475848709808958666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3315857934060352736.post-34208933242701327282011-08-28T23:52:12.019-05:002011-08-28T23:52:12.019-05:00EXCELLENT post and I mean EXCELLENT. Necessarily ...EXCELLENT post and I mean EXCELLENT. Necessarily challenging to the core, and such confronting observations and the investment of such a candid and uncomfortable analysis can only come from love. I feel you on this one because I am an African expatriate (Sierra Leone), a Jamaican expatriate, and a Brit-o-phile from much time spent there in my childhood and adulthood, and now struggling with all these very issues while assimilating as a 'minority' in the US. It's hard to throw stones at the beloved kingdom and queen, but throw we must. The world is so enamored and seduced by the customs of this Empire, that as you rightly observe, we dare not criticize it. But my God must we ever, and yes again as you rightly put it, THEY started this conversation imperially for centuries, and claim to have ended the separatist point of view with abolition laws...only to be running their country this way now. Tsk. This all said - in your second bullet point in your opening argument, I must disagree - at least for myself, with a perhaps naive defense of other yardies. The impulsion of most I think is to defend the image of our nation, rather than to distance ourselves from it in shame. I personally do no tolerate any lazy conclusions about our nation, ESPECIALLY when under the spotlight of biased press. <br /><br />I'm sorry to be so lazy in doing this, but I am compelled at least to share with you two comments I posted on FB (in StooshPR) during these riots that I somehow feel you may appreciate. They're a bit emotional - but are also appropriate responses to your most important findings above methinks - with regards to the UK, but also addressing the disconnect of the 'haves' and 'have nots' which I think is creating a tsunami of riots the world over. <br /><br />REPOST of my comment StooshPR: "Relevant to these riots, but more broadly methinks to the world over, the bottom line is, contrary to 40 years ago, the divisions of wealth and how that affects rights and distributions of basic services and commodities has become so OBVIOUSLY wide. The underclasses - irrespective of their outer representations in race, culture, nation, religion, etc et al - are slapped up against a clear screen of vulgar wealth. Once upon a time, what created the separation was not so obvious; NOW, we KNOW why we pay $3 for a bottle of water for example (vs once upon a time not having to bottle, or buy bottled water AT ALL!!) , it's to line the pockets of the wealthy who could give a toss about who suffers for their profit. Look at the wave of riots worldwide? Look at the crap our President here just dealt/is dealing with?!! The division is now vulgar. And the underclasses KNOW it. And all there is to see is RED. It's a wave that's been swelling, and is redefining at this very moment what activism will look like - and it's unfortunately near past open dialogue; it's emotional; and it clearly ain't gonna be pretty. Sigh. Sigh. Sigh."<br /><br />2nd REPOST: "The whole thing just pisses me off. politics and big biz corporations have pulled a fleetwood mac on the world - they're so comfy in bed together, and left everyone else not only out of the bedroom, but out the gate of the yard!! When you have an overpopulated world and a real (check the numbers with UNFPA and others) food shortage - you got a planet ready to go nuts for food and water!! How stupid can these corps be?? you can't control a mob fight for food and water - esp when 'building down' to this point, the people at large were left OUT of the conversation in the first place! They're not ready to talk therefore, they're ready to burn, pillage, and loot back - as they were..."<br /><br />Thanks again for an amazing, provocative, and most necessary post. Bless up.SeBiArthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12475848709808958666noreply@blogger.com