Uncategorized , , , 33 Comments

The racial issues I talk about

by

There was one comment I got a few weeks ago on one of my posts that’s been in my head for a while now. I won’t name names even though I have nothing against this blogger at all. They discovered Ospreyshire’s Realm through another blogger I follow since I’ve commented on multiple posts of theirs.

To paraphrase what they said, they’ve said that I talk a lot about racial/POC issues.

Do I talk about those issues? Yes, and I’ve been doing so before the recent police brutality cases this year. I’ve shared news stories, written poems with that topic, mentioned it in some film reviews on my other blog, written stories with that as a concept (usually on the more subtle end while doing my best to have positive racial representation), and I even have recordings that allude to racial issues especially with my “They Dreamed of Devastation and Deceit (Circle of Lies)” single and multiple tracks from my first full-length album “Dear Innovare…”. This is something I do care about not just on principle given my heritage, but also because it’s a human issue and I wish more people would realize it.

I wasn’t like this at first when I started blogging when I came up with the Ospreyshire project and eventually my other blogs. I didn’t talk about those subjects at first on here since it was mainly for my first EP, my more innocuous poems, and promoting other people on this blog. Things took a bit of a change where I started to talk about these particular issues in overt and abstract ways (mainly with my creative projects) in my other blogs and it trickled down here. It’s been surprising how supportive people have been with what I’ve been blogging about since I revealed my racial identity, talked about some of my personal experiences on that matter, and to expose more people to these important issues whether it’s with some conversations, poems, music, news stories, film reviews, or personal opinions on different subjects. 2020 wasn’t some trendy thing for me to talk about these subjects. I’ve been doing so before that. I used to shy away from these topics offline most of the time, but I can’t hide or certainly lie about these things. Blogging has made me braver and more outspoken whether it’s talking about racism or at the very least mentioning uncomfortable truths or unpopular opinions.

Before I finish this post, I do have some advice for some of my readers out there on this subject.

1. Don’t make racism a partisan issue at all especially in this election year. This isn’t a left-wing or right-wing issue since both sides have been guilty of bigotry. This is a HUMAN issue, as I’ve said before.

2. Get (un)comfortable learning lesser-known parts of history. Learning about Black Wall Street was the first big example for me of a real life part of American history I never learned about during all my years of schooling.

3. Realize that even so-called “innocent” media can contain harmful subtext. Watch how things can be slanted or what the implications could be in a story, movie, TV show, etc.

I hope this post worked in some way for you. I wanted to do something more constructive than just ranting and raging over everything even with what’s going on right now. That doesn’t mean I’m ignoring these issues at all. Have a great day, everyone.

33 thoughts on “The racial issues I talk about”

  1. “I used to shy away from these topics offline most of the time, but I can’t hide or certainly lie about these things”…nor should you! I think it’s great that you don’t! 😊
    “ Blogging has made me braver and more outspoken…” Good for you! 😊 If there is one thing I think is great about blogging is that it certainly can help you in a lot of ways, and this certainly is one of those things😊
    Have a great weekend!😀

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  2. I think it’s important to talk about not only what you’re passionate about, but also about things that affect your everyday life. I think it’s great that you talk about the things that not many people are willing to address regularly, keep doing what you do! 😊

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

      • In modern society, it’s heavily stigmatized to talk about real-world issues. Apathy is praised. People like to pretend that nothing bad is happening, but it’s courageous to look corruption straight in the face. If you look away, you’re letting the abuse of power continue.

        I have lost followers for criticizing racism and pedophilia before, but it’s important to speak your truth.

        Liked by 2 people

      • That’s certainly true.

        “Apathy is praised.”

        So short, but so true. It’s not even just limited to major issues because I internalized a lot of things wrong with me or done to me while pretending I was okay in front of everyone when I was younger especially when no one would help me when I would express these things.

        That’s on them if you lost followers for standing up against racism and pedophilia. You were doing the right thing, and if they couldn’t handle that, than they can kick rocks.

        Liked by 1 person

      • I’m glad that you feel more comfortable expressing yourself than you did when you were younger! 😄

        Thank you for saying that! Ha-ha, that’s similar to what I thought, too. If someone doesn’t like what I stand against, then oh well.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Yeah, I struggled with a lot of internalization and in some ways I still do. I had trouble speaking up because I would end up getting in trouble and feel like the bad guy even though I would be a victim in various situations.

        No problem! Hahaha! I wish I could’ve told myself that when I was younger because I used to be a yes man and people pleaser.

        Liked by 1 person

  3. I know the feeling of you being called to talk about the issue of racism and sidestepping away from your usual work. Believe me it’s imp

    I’ve done what you recommended #2, not neccessarily for racism per se but with regard to Catholic history in the aftermath of the disaster known as Vatican II (even before I had a blog!). #3 kind of relates to me too considering my religious beliefs and how it’s important to not let the media sway me away from a moral life etc.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

      • It’s good that you can relate.

        I’m glad you have been able to learn about history and realizing how things in the media can be harmful. I’m not too familiar with the history of Vatican I or II as you say, but it could be something to look up. Part of my research on different racial issues involved people weaponizing and perverting elements of Christianity regardless of denomination to justify slavery or colonization.

        Thank you. It’s fine with you doing what you’re doing. We certainly have different takes with our respective blogs when covering different and even similar topics (well, we both do talk about anime when you throw in Iridium Eye, but it’s whatever). I appreciate your comment.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. “Blogging has made me braver and more outspoken whether it’s talking about racism or at the very least mentioning uncomfortable truths or unpopular opinions.”

    On a personal level, I feel really lucky to have learned something early in my life. A truth or a fact are simply a truth or a fact. It’s imperative I accept them once they’re proven true or factual. How they make me feel — comfortable, uncomfortable, happy, terrified — means nothing. I need to understand that which is first. I’ll work out how to feel about it later.

    On the other hand, as I’ve mentioned in your comments before, this way of looking at the world means I literally cannot understand how racism can exist. I see people practice it. I see others enduring the results. But it doesn’t make sense to me. It’s like I’m reading a book with badly written villains.

    People I grew up with are posting on Facebook that if blacks just followed the police’s instructions, there wouldn’t be any deaths. Then a couple of posts later, they berate a police officer who insisted a woman leave a sporting event because she refused to wear a mask.

    That makes no logical sense. One statement or the other is false. But there’s an explanation: Their mind is infected with racism. In which case, their behavior is internally self-consistent.

    But it’s still profoundly irrational.

    My wife said something the other day, and your post reminded me that I wanted to ask your opinion. She’s testing a theory that says racism in the US, at least, is based primarily in white supremacy. The more severe reaction we’re seeing recently isn’t only because of the behaviors the current president wants to normalize; it’s because some circles of traditional power that considers itself white senses a strong threat. That threat is provoking a reaction with increasing violence.

    Is that good or bad? Or is the question one of how we take advantage of that?

    We’re trying desperately to get an intellectual handle on the issue. I don’t know how to chart a course if I don’t know the bearings.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • That’s great how you learned that when you were very young. I do my best to pursue truth. Were there times where the truth was uncomfortable even for me? Absolutely. I also want to speak truth to others. Then again, I was never good at lying to people to begin with. My parents always said that when I did lie, it showed on my face right away. Haha!

      Racism doesn’t make any sense. It’s full of double standards and faulty logic.

      I’ve seen similar comments and even people saying those talking points to my face at some point. It’s part of the reason why I don’t have social media with just how toxic it’s been for years. I know blogging has it’s own issues, but at least people as a collective are more rational from my experience so far compared to FB, Twitter, etc. The hypocrisy is so huge when it comes to racially-coded police brutality in contrast to the anti-maskers acting belligerent.

      Yes, and thank you!

      Your wife would be right about racism in America being based on white supremacy. The thing is white supremacy isn’t just about the KKK, confederate flags, or using racial slurs. Those are obvious an egregious examples of course, but it’s not limited to those things. It is a construct that involves other things like dog whistle phrases or words, so that whatever racism is said is low-key. It affects other sectors of society like law, housing (especially gentrification and redlining), economics, employment, entertainment, politics, education (whitewashing of curriculum and omissions of various historical events as well as the school-to-prison pipeline), and so many other things that most people don’t even think about it.

      She does have a good explanation. I don’t know if she brought up those things, but these aspects certainly need to be addressed. While I don’t have some ultimate solution for the matter, things you can do to start would be being an ally for the right reasons by calling out racist words or actions whether subtle or overt. Having organic conversations with various ethnic groups can give insight (I emphasize organic conversations instead of just forcing it), and to support righteous causes to name a few.

      Speaking as a victim of racism myself, I don’t have some major solution to wipe out bigotry. I can certainly speak about my experiences and what I’ve learned, obviously. I do hope whatever I said helped even if it was in some small way. Thank you for your comment.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

  5. Keep doing what you do! The whole idea behind a blog for me is to enlighten each other of things.
    You are passionate about this and you pursue that and that is always a good thing. I believe you hit the nail on the head when you say this is a human issue. Racismn isn’t political in my opinion either, it’s about respecting your fellow humans.

    We might vary in our views on how to deal with that, but that is fine as I am concerned. You fight the way you fight for your cause and I will try to make the world better and open minded in my own way, as long as we accept each other and keep seeing each other as humans who try to do right in their own way I think we can all get along.

    I at least know I respect you for doing what you do and doing it your way. I differ from a lot of Bloggers, I write more whimsical and less insightful maybe. I do not tend to dwell on deep issues. So one could easily tell me “you are very shallow on your blog” I don’t think I am shallow.. I just write about things I want to write about. While I could compare myself to you and say that you talk more about sensitive subjects than me.. and highlight that difference, I could also say.. We both have an ideal we follow and pursue on our blog. For me that might general positivity towards each other in an online environment, while you might cater to something slighty different.. We both chase a dream or an ideal.

    To me that is what matters and why I will always respect what you do. It is impossible for everybody to think and to feel the same, and never will everyone chase after the same ideal. This is what i think you do really well! You bring awareness that there always is a different side of the story. While we might not always share ideals we can respect that ideal of others. There is a reason why people feel the way they feel. So to me you are not a political blogger, you are someone who offers content that provides insight to improve empathy for a cause. Emotional explanation for a cause or ideal trough foreign films as a primary medium. That is who you are as a blogger to me.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Thanks for the encouraging words, Pinkie. Blogging can enlighten people with the right kind of posts. It’s not some kind of panacea for intelligence, but it could help with whatever the topic is. Thank you for seeing racism as a human issue. I don’t know how people see it in your home country, but here in America, I’ve seen people making it political and partisan when it shouldn’t. Yes, racism has always affected politics which isn’t arguable, but things like equality and equity shouldn’t be stamped with a D or R on them as some kind of agendas.

      Sure and it would be boring if every blog was the same. People have their own ways of dealing with various issues.

      Thanks. Your blog is certainly different from mine with the whimsical nature as well as the more lighthearted approach. I certainly like reading your posts and there were a few that made me feel happy when I had a bad day. To be fair, I do talk a lot about sensitive issues even if I’m reviewing anime for example. I don’t do this to look more “woke” than my peers in the reviewing field, but I do this to bring up certain issues like if a storyline or character is problematic. Even when I talk about heavy subjects, I still have a sense of humor and will even bring up positive things still.

      That’s true, Pinkie. I’m glad that you see me doing my best in my blogging endeavors. I wouldn’t call myself a political blogger even though I might bring up some political subjects from time to time if the situation calls for it. Thanks for all those things.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  6. You’re right about the innocent media containing harmful subtext; a large reason The Last of Us Part II and The Last Jedi failed is because the creators thereof didn’t really think through their implications. It’s likely a consequence of the progressive attitudes guiding Hollywood (and game developers following their lead) being borne from a disinterested marketing department than people who genuinely care about these causes, so it’s unfortunate when these products are confused for (and defended as) the real thing.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Sure thing. I’m glad you’ve noticed that, too. I’m not too familiar with The Last of Us, but I’ll take your word for any unfortunate implications there could be. It’s certainly lip service from what I see in these companies, so I hear you there.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      • Honestly, it’s not worth the investment. If you find you can’t suffer that corporate lip service even a little, those games will completely lose you. Even the original game, which is universally hailed as a masterpiece, was still not a forward-looking experience. It was a bit more earnest in its themes whereas the sequel is very much progressive in the mass-market brand sense, but it still came across as rather chauvinistic and conservative at times.

        Liked by 1 person

  7. As a former teacher, one of the most difficult things to get people to understand is that history doesn’t end with dates and famous figures. There are the circumstances (and those involved) that lead up to any event, the event itself, and its myriad repercussions which can last through generations. Moreover, like a work of art, each event will be interpreted through an observer’s point-of-view and influenced by that observer’s beliefs, whatever they may be.

    As a quick and brutal example, I’ll offer my own family’s participation in World War II. My paternal grandfather went to war in the U.S. Army. My maternal grandfather remained on his farm but helped supervise German prisoners-of-war being used as agricultural laborers Stateside. But my mother’s family was very close to our cousins still in Ireland, some of whom actually helped German efforts during the war as a way to combat continued English occupation of Northern Ireland. So, while the Nazis are portrayed today to have been an unequivocal evil, responsible for the slaughter of millions, what blame can I assign my cousins for living in their own reality wherein it was the English who, over centuries of occupation, had slaughtered millions of Irish through either military means or induced starvation? Were my cousins helping the bad guys? From their own perspective, weren’t they simply trying to weaken their own land’s oppressors? What conversation might have taken place between my paternal great-grandmother, whose only son was killed during the allied invasion of Germany at the end of the war, and my maternal cousins who had supported the Germans?

    Take your stand and speak your piece. Then listen as others speak theirs. You don’t have to change your own opinion, just be aware that yours is never the only opinion. Oh, and everybody really should remember that opinions don’t equate to facts, nor do facts comprise the only truths. History, it turns out, isn’t that simple.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • I didn’t know you were a former teacher. That’s fascinating. I definitely agree with history not being limited to just dates or figures. The ramifications still happen to this day even if something happened centuries and several miles away. One could argue the present is history in motion right now.

      You had family members who participated in both sides of WWII? I don’t think I’ve heard of any stories like that before. I was aware of Ireland allying with Germany at the time since they did suffer under the British crown. While the Axis powers did horrible things which any rational person won’t deny, the Allies had their own moments of atrocities like the English occupation of Ireland as you mentioned. The Soviet Union were Allies and look at what they did. France may have gotten the reputation of being cowards during the war even if they were on America’s side, they were responsible for the Thiaroye Massacre where that army slaughtered African soldiers who fought for their own army all because they wanted to be paid as well as their Caucasian soldier counterparts. Also, African-American soldiers were lynched in uniform during both Word Wars and the ones who weren’t would still have to deal with Jim Crow laws, segregation, not benefiting from the GI Bill, etc. Your story does raise questions about how they could’ve thought when they were against one oppressive regime while supposedly helping out another one.

      Thank you, David. I have been silenced for too long and blogging helped me to find a voice of sorts. I do my best to listen to others when they say their piece. On a much lighter note, I actually had a discussion with another blogger the other day where I liked their positive review of something involving a sequel from a movie franchise I dislike even though this person already knew that and felt glad because they felt nervous about how I would respond if I read said review. Opinions certainly aren’t facts and I’m hopefully clear whenever I say something is one or the other.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  8. My ears perk up whenever someone mentions Black Wall Street; tragic events that are often forgotten when folks discuss being a patriot. We Americans love saying how much we love our country but the things we consider when that statement leaves our lips are of what we have that we believe other countries don’t. In reality, in all actuality, if you can study the genocide of indigenous peoples, the enslavement of west africans, read up on the Tuskegee experiment, & recall upon the concerted effort to spoil the water in Flint Michigan and STILL say I love my country then you can speak with a spirit of contrition and repentance. A desire to turn away from and do better than the past.

    I think that’s where the discrepancy comes in for a lot of us. If we’re fellow Americans and we’re living and breathing citizens in a country do you not care about my well being? Do you not care that I can be treated differently because of something as trivial as a skin tone? Let’s be clear, ELOHIM foreknew us long before He gave us breath. We are created & made in His image. To debate about skin color when, before the “Tower of Babbel”, people of all nations had one language and one speech is nebulous and preposterous. We are willingly allowing the enemy to distract us and have us fighting each other.

    Problem is, if we cry out “black lives matter” then we hope you understand and open your eyes to the fact that we haven’t felt as though we matter since we got here. Sometimes the conclusion of this 4 page letter (LOL 😅😂🤣) is the hardest point to fully express to those who racism isn’t an issue.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Good on you when it comes to noticing Black Wall Street. I know it’s not the only place that faced something like that, but it’s the first historical event that SHOULD be taught in schools even though it’s obvious why the education system wouldn’t dare to put it in the textbooks. Those are some other good examples that you brought up. You could even add The Devil’s Punchbowl to that list which was a huge shock to me when I found out about it. West Africa wasn’t the only part of the continent affected by the transatlantic slave trade since even people like the Congolese, Cameroonians, and Angolans were sent to the Western Hemisphere, too. I also can’t stand the double standard of how some historical events get the “Never forget” mindset like 9/11 or the Holocaust (We shouldn’t forget those atrocities, obviously), but when slavery or heinous racist actions get mentioned, we’re told “Just move on!”.

      Definitely. There was a time where a soldier who came back from the Iraq War asked me if I was an American citizen, but not the white person who was next to me a while ago. I wish people would have more decency and equality, but it’s sadly an uphill battle here in America. Divide and conquer was unfortunately the name of the game.

      Right on and well said. We know what being a victim of racism is like, but we certainly didn’t create it. I’m proud of any genuine allies out there, but I certainly don’t want to deal with activists of convenience when it comes to anti-racism issues. By that, I’m not just talking about obvious acts like protests or boycotts, but just treating others like actual human beings for once. Thank you.

      Like

      Reply

  9. Racism is something I cannot understand. I simply can’t get my head around the idea that people think that someone is inferior because their skin is darker than theirs. After all, there are variations in skin tone from very pale to the darkest black, and every shade in between.
    Imagine a flock of sheep ostracising some of their number if they are a different colour. Or dogs refusing to play with, or always attacking, other dogs of one particular breed. Same thing.
    And why are mixed race people classed as black? They are no more black than they are white. ( Anyway, people shouldn’t be classed as black or white in my opinion. That’s part of the problem.)
    So-called white people lie in the sun or on sunbeds to try to darken their skin, then ostracise people with dark skin. It’s illogical.
    The whole thing is illogical, divisive and evil.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thank you for your insight on this subject.

      That’s a fascinating analogy with other creatures not doing that with the sheep and digs for example. You don’t see that at all.

      I would be considered mixed since I’m from an interracial family with a Black mom and a Caucasian dad. Despite having a lighter complexion than my mom, I still have a noticeable amount of melanin which made me a target for racism. People who are biracial aren’t considered white even if they have a white parent which goes back to that fallacious “one drop rule” back in American society when it came to this myth of racial purity. While genetically, I would be both and I certainly don’t deny having heritage from Africa as well as Europe, society only sees the nonwhite side more often and that was a wake-up call I got when I was younger. I do wish there wasn’t a construct to judge people that way regardless if they’re from a mono-racial or multi-racial family.

      THANK YOU! Racism is such an illogical thing as well as divisive and evil. I wish more people would realize that.

      Like

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s