a.MARIE
PERFECTION ISN'T EVERYTHING!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
& Feburary is supposed to be Black History Month
This political cartoon was recently featured in the NY Post. Is it racist? Yes I damn sure think so. Monkeys, apes, gorillas throughout history have been used to portray African Americans. Clearly, these animals are wild, relatively unintelligent and dirty. Also, notice the beware of dogs sign. Really? In the middle of the fucking street. This signs are usually posted by residentials on their fence or in their windows. It's one thing not to agree with the stimulus plan (why you would....IDK?!) but it is unnecessary and immature to make such a racisit political cartoon. I mean really... are we still living in the 1930's when cartoon like these used the ape and or brute to depict the physical and personality components of African Americans.It bothers me that in 2009, racism is still alive and well. Just because the President is black doesn't prove racism is no longer exists in the United States. This, being the view of many Americans since the election of Barack Obama.
As much as I think I love being an American, I have been learning so many things that royally piss me the fuck off about this country. Oscar Grant & events similar to his occurring way too frequently.
Also, I am a criminal justice major. There are way too many fucked up things that occur in our justice system it is ridiculous. We've learned that practically all prisoners will re-enter society. The smart thing to do would be to put these individuals into properly funded and developed rehab programs that help deal with educational, vocational, cognitive, drug and emotional therapies. This would help these people make better choices, find jobs and build a better life for themselves. Furthermore, African Americans are incarcerated at a disproportionate rate to what is reflective of the total population of our country is. Over sixty percent of the prison population is black. While African Americans only make up about 1/3 the population of America... Now, don't get me wrong. I am fully aware of the "gangsta, dope boy" mentality infiltrating the African America
n population. This is some what to blame for our problems. BUT... it is also disturbing that America spend more money in funding correction operations including building jails, paying corrections positions, and weak rehab programs. The United States spends more on these things than it does on education, which is a very big problem. & not only for African Americans, all Americans will potentially suffer from this problem. Practically every in American will either be sent to jail or know some one (family member or friend) will be sent to jail. 1 in every 3 males will be sent to jail at some point. I cant remember the statistic for females but the number is growing rapidly.
On another tangent, this is Black History month & I have not heard of many happenings occurring in observance of this celebration. Could it be for my lack of effort? Possibly. But I remember Black History Month being such an important thing growing up until about 4th grade. It may be possible that because I went to a predominant
ly white schools through high school black history month was ignored, which is quite sad. I didn't learn until I was 21 that slaves planned successful rebellions and established their own self-efficient societies. Haiti being a country reflective of this. I never heard of Sarah Bartman. The African lady who was displayed as a freak show because of her large ass in England museums for over 150 years while she was both alive & dead.This is just a post I felt compeled to write because that political cartoon bothered me. It bothers me people think rasicim no longer exists. It bothers me that Black History month is slowly fading away year after year.
Labels: Black History, Bother, Stereotypes
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