individual effects of systemic privileging

Makes you think that your position in society as a white individual is justified and even normal and that having non-white people beneath you is also perfectly justified and normal.

Justified by what I ask? It's called a "white superiority complex" I think...

I'll never forget sitting in class in Grade 5, we were doing Natural Science in that period and our prescribed textbook had illustrations of a black girl and boy working on various experiments and asking each other questions. The white girl sitting next to me then proceeded to ask why all the central characters in the book's illustrations were black. Do you ever hear non-white people asking why almost every hand-model in a textbook is white for instance. Why always the white friggin hands? Or why actors in big-budget Hollywood movies are mainly white or why we consider white to represent the pinnacle of civilization.

The other day, I was sitting in a lecture and our instructor went on about how the style of learning in South Africa does not adequately prepare learner's for College and that we don't follow the European model. WHAT? Did I hear correctly. All I could think of at that moment was "white supremacist"...who told you that Europeans don't have a problem with "rote learning". That's a bold generalization. This glorification of all that is white is truly wack. What's even more wack is that people of colour hop on to the bandwagon and begin to loathe their own culture taken a drift by the all-encompassing need to take in as much whiteness as they can.

It's a never-ending story told from culture to culture...





And I don't blame whites...you're a victim the first time, once you've been shown an escape route, you become a volunteer

"Wait Your Turn, Chris!"

Laughing at some of the tweets I read with reference to Rihanna's new video. Not Russian Roulette which is so flat, the Namib Desert is jealous (drum strikes for the bad joke). It's this song called Wait Your Turn. How baffling this young lady's behaviour is becoming. I have expressed my concern for her. Has she found emotional healing from the abuse. Think about the transition she's made from her "Music of the Sun" sugary to the point of wackness sweetness to this dark, dreary, gloom and doom character that's "Rated R". Pointing guns at the camera and grabbing her crotch. Even Grace Jones didn't instigate this much violence. She was eccentric yes, hypersexual yes but I can't remember her making threats to harm with her body language. I'm mobile so can't post the video. You know what to do YouTube addicts.

Why I Don't Believe in Vengeance

Lately, I've been delving into some literature about the subject of verbal abuse. I've learned so much. Ironically enough, Womanist Musings happened to have a post closely related to this topic:

http://www.womanist-musings.com/2009/12/eminem-plays-with-words-to-disguise.html

In the past I've made the same mistake of attempting to transfer the pain of things said to me and of me, prejudiced, cruel treatment from others. I was young and naive. Instead of putting the insults into context, I often allowed myself to hurt over them. It took a toll in the long run and I eventually started lashing out - impersonating those that caused me pain.

That's what Eminem is doing. I often felt compassion for him especially after hearing "Cleaning Out My Closet" in 2002. I can see the source of his pain but he, as a 35 year old man, must be mature and realise that the past no longer has an influence unless one chooses to give it one. But instead of using his adversity as a way of knowing others' struggles and becoming empathetic and kind, he does the opposite by turning into the father that left him, the mother that neglected him and all those that hurt him very deeply.

It's difficult especially if one's wounds are deep to march forward and heal. I've learned that for the sake of one's wellbeing, if anything else, love and forgiveness are the key.

Look At Me Dammit

If there is anything profound about what I have observed within the realms of human psychology is that being ignored hurts a person's sense of self enormously. Rejection. We've all had to face it. From the smallest scale to the most painful - when a loved one disregards you. Today I witnessed a very interesting display of rage from a person hurt about a perceived rejection and belittling. It's not the first time and it's wonderful to see that in people of both genders, all ages across the colour spectrum cannot stand not being noticed. It's as if we all have this instinct which drives this desire to be seen and heard and know that your voice is acknowledged by the group. Could this be evolutionary? This desire? Maybe so. If you weren't part of a group back in the day, you'd be left alone to salvage for yourself in presence of wild animals, harsh weather and solitude. Nobody wanted to be a loner of a caveman or woman. I'm just assuming of course. But this could be a plausible explanation. I'll do some reading into this.

This is a modern age and more than ever, there's been a significant emergence of hermits. I'm one myself. Not that I'm misanthropic. I down with humans but solitude is a conducive environment for certain activities that just require silence and not the presence of other people. Yet I've had people take this personally. Rejection? Seriously, how sensitive can you get. You have those phrases that so many like to toss around such as "No man is an island" - well I'm not ruling out the possibilities of human contact when I decide to go off and work on a novel or revise course material. Yes people are necessary but sometimes you have to go it alone. One can't be 100% dependent on company all the time. Einstein made a lovely comment about this. I'll paraphrase. When one is immature solitude is unbearable but "delightful" when one is mature. I feel that but not everyone does. So while these peeps are standing outside of my fortress walls trying to launch canonballs and yelling and screaming about my eremetic lifestyle choices, I'l be chilling in my castle enjoying the peace of mind and splendid silence through which ideas are birthed.