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Originally posted by bebanovich
Let me start with the Bill Cosby issue because I don't want it to get lost. I definitely did not bring him up initially, nor can I ever image a case where I would cite him as an expert. I only refered to him after repeated references in this thread because I thought people were essentially saying, "I'm white so I don't have a valid opinion but Bill Cosby is Black and he says this . . ." I just wanted people to state their own opinions and back them up and not just feel like their race or Bill Cosby's race was the main factor here.
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Well the fact that I am Black and I deal with Black people on a regular basis of all classes and backgrounds might not make me an expert, but it makes me more knowledgeable than someone that only sees Black people at a sporting event or at one time of the day.
Quote:
Originally posted by bebanovich
My opinion is still that his concerns are well-placed, he has a right to speak and most of his ideas are creepy. I have also heard the name Michael Dyson but have not read his work. I plan to go take a look at his books today - thanks for the recommendation. One more point about race and expertise. . . obviously being of a majority races does put a cap on ones' credibility. I can read all the books I want and work with as many kids as I want and have as many conversations as I want but I can't replace the knowledge that comes with experience. I just wanted to make the point that people should really understand and own their ideas about race rather than find a mysteriously appointed "Black leader" like Bill Cosby to speak for them.
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Leaders are people ask to lead. Martin Luther King was a leader because people in the Black Southern Community asked him to lead. King was not the only voice in the Black community across the country. Remember there were other leaders like Malcolm X and the Black Panther Party that took very different points of view than King's non-violence stance. So there has never been one person that is considered "the leader." Cosby is just a celebrity that is in my opinion out of touch with what goes on in today's society because he has been far removed from the people he was so critical of.
BTW, here are some of Dyson's books so you get some idea of what he writes about.
Michael Dyson's Books
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Originally posted by bebanovich
As far as stereotyping, it certainly wasn't my intention to imply that only kids from a certain area are capable of or willing to behave badly. I have also tried to point out repeatedly that my kids didn't and, in general don't, behave badly. I was trying to point out that sliding standards can be disheartening and insensitive to cultural differences - especially in cases like this. In the course of naming the thread (something I'm pretty crappy at) and in making some generalities based on conversations and experiences with my kids I have generated and definitely encourage stereotyping. For that I apologize.
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Of course you said your kids did not do anything, but your post started with a comment that suggests your kids are the exception. That is what I was taking you to task about. Violence is not a cultural issue. If I am not mistaken we have had nothing but white Presidents and many of them have made decisions that caused the death of more people than a community ever has in a 4 year period. Call it what you will but violence is something a lot of people in different cultures advocate violence and engage in violence. There was a time in this country when certain groups of people could die if they whistled at the wrong color women or if they tried to vote. I do not see poor communities and the people that live in them as any different or special than the terrorism that was inflected on people of color long before Al Quada was known.
Peace