Prometheus 6

...for this open letter, which I find incredibly charitable, honestly. Because I find Billmon's imagery totally offensive. It is so gratuitous, it borders on pathological; the only avenue Billmon could come up with to properly mock Blitzer's slobbering sycophancy is blackface? American white supremacy is the only institution whose socio-political dynamics properly encapsulate the Blitzer-Cheney relationship? It is insane. It amazes me that ordinarily intelligent white liberals can't figure out that blackface is only funny if slavery is funny, lynching is funny, and racism is funny. Hardy har har.

I used to read Billmon back when I had time. Three years ago he wrote something that impressed me with its honesty.

I have an unpleasant confession to make. I am a Southerner. Born in the south of southern parents, with Confederate veterans and slaveowners on both sides of the family tree. For all I know, there may even be a few Klansman hanging in the lower branches as well -- by their necks, I hope.

I'm also, in some deep subterranean sense, a racist -- for one cannot grow up in the world of my childhood and not be marked by its imprint. Believe me, I know: I've spent my entire life trying to get away from it.

Intellectually, I believe in racial justice as feverently as I believe in anything. I would rather have my tongue cut out than utter a racist thought, much less a slur or insult. I support just about every item on the traditional civil rights agenda -- affirmative action, the Voting Rights Act, you name it -- even though I'm not entirely comfortable with race-based solutions. As a privileged white American, I don't think I have the right to tell black Americans the playing field is level enough, especially when I know that it isn't.

I'm even open to conservative solutions, such as tuition vouchers, that are popular with black parents -- though I disagree with them philosophically. Again, I don't think I have the right to tell someone who lives in the ghetto what's right for their children.

But that's just politics. On a personal level, I know there is still a deep divide between me and anyone who happens to have a dark skin.

That's the level of self-examination white folks need if their really going to address this. And I'm pretty forgiving of folks who mean well but do badly.

It also helps that I understand racism and expressions thereof as the other guy's perceptual flaw rather than something I have to explain. 

But on another level my concern isn't charity so much as efficiency. If I beat the hell out of the well-intentioned how do I get them to listen to find out the right way to work things (not that there is one in this case...)?

I'm teaching not punishing. Punishing is someone else's job; plus they're as new at being around free Black folks as Black folks are at working the levers of power in the USofA. If we get to the point where I've tried everything but punishment, that's another thing.

Well, it is nice that Billmon can own his inner racist during times of quiet reflection, but he clearly has a ways to go before he is able to see it when it has hijacked his voice.  

And, funnily enough, that's when I stopped reading Billmon. Completely.

I too thought it was courageous, sort of, but at the time it just struck me in the wrong place, I guess. I think, possibly, because I considered him pretty much my favorite political writer/blog and then, well after reading that... dunno. I've just read that particular piece again, however, and it doesn't bother me at all. Probably still won't read the blog, though.

This is an excellent and generous open letter, thank you for writing it. I hope he and others take it in the spirit in which it was offered.

Billmon writes his ass off. He's thoughtful, honest and informative.

...for that excellent response.

The 2003 Billmon excerpt is amazing. It does demonstrate an awareness and willingness for searing self-examination that I find refreshing -- and that is not especially evidenced by Billmon's current response to this controversy. Nevertheless, you've persuaded me not to overdo it on the "punishment" front; not that my intent has been to punish, rather simply to voice my honest reaction to the post, but I can see how it can degenerate into ritual flogging.

Anyway, my favorite line of yours: "Put down the Photoshop icon and back slowly away from the program."

Cheers.

I have no beef with Billmon.

Folks make mistakes. And right now he's likely kinda raw. Give him a couple of days.

And just fuck all the conservatives beefing with him.  

Billmon actually has two responses to those expressing disappointment re: his blackface post: here and here. He's a smart and good writer and on the right side of the issues. Nothing he says in either of those posts though addresses how actual black folk like you and me might have reacted to his photoshop and the slavey talk. He's focused on defending himself against the wingnuts.

I think that we've got to give each other the benefit of the philosophical doubt in the progressive blogosphere while educating on what is and isn't appropriate/helpful. No need for a beatdown. I think your post and your comments strike the right note.

I also think the wingnut response is sickening in its hypocrisy given the recent ads in places like MA and TN.

You know, the slavey talk didn't bother me at all.  

I think your post and your comments strike the right note.

That's because I'm old. Less than a fiscal quarter from the half century mark, I know which racist gestures are absolutely empty attempts to tap MY energy and which are serious threats. There's not a lot of flexibility in my responses to those things...I deny the vampires access to my personal juice in the first case, I expose and educate in the second (frankly, that being all that's in my power at the moment).

Between those extremes are the manipulable cases...the once that can be influenced with a nuanced approach. 

Yeah.  i'm with this; and i kind of see what Nanette means, too, although without this as added context i'm not sure i'd be comfortable articulating why. sort of reminds me of Harlan Ellison's early protestations of how horrified he was by his "former" sexism, you know, he's on the wagon...but you know, what -would- earn some respect back, i think, would be if he could put two and two together and go, okay, this here might just be some of that unconscious internalized racism i was talking about: this is painful, but now i can see what happened here more clearly, and that's Another Fucking Opportunity For Growth, so: ouch, but thanks.but if he's just going down the river Denial again, well, whaddya gonna do.