Monday, April 16, 2007

smashing white liberal delusions

as e st v and i sit jamming to rage against the machine in a computer cluster on old campus (with three other black people... we're just waiting for someone to arrive and ask to see our IDs), we have decided to start a series of TNS posts about white leftist culture at yale and white liberalism in this nation at large.

after a conversation with a fellow activist, e st v found herself wondering what it must mean to be white and said, "maybe white people do have it hard. because this man is struggling."

and so we will be writing a series of posts contemplating everything from the irony of the rhetoric of white privilege to why anarchy just won't ever work for people of color.

we do not call these posts "internal critique" because that term implies that these leftist circles/social movements constitute true community for black folk... which has yet to be determined. as malcolm x said in his 1963 "message to the grass roots":

"time will tell."

our peeps in SJN and The Women's Center may not be too keen on these critiques that are sure to be painful.
we only say these things because we believe in change.

Watch.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

wait, but I really like anarchism (as it works in everyday life, not as it is sold at Hot Topic). does this make me a white liberal?

Naima said...

no! this doesn't! TNS believes in plurality amongst brown folk...

e st v and i were merely suggesting that many white proponents of anarchy fail to recognize the real need there is for a state to protect the rights of people of color and provide legal means of redress for discrimination, economic violece, and injustice.

all we gotta do now is work on the state.

Anonymous said...

right. I of little faith in the state think we should chat anarchism, because the way most (white) (privileged) people talk about it is really unrealistic and not useful or practical.

or I can just tell you all my stories about cops and lawyers from 18 years in Chicago, and you will immediately lose all semblance of hope for any state.

Frances said...

hey cool ppl that i love,
let's talk about anarchism sometime.
i'm really interested in hearing both of your positions.
Frances