Racism in our country…how will it ever end?
Last weekend, some friends and I found ourselves at a party at the corner of Atlantic and Nostrand Avenues in a neighborhood of Brooklyn known as East New York. Anyone familiar with East New York knows that it’s one of the roughest neighborhoods of the city with some of the highest crime statistics. Of course the neighborhood is also predominately black. Leaving the party at around 1am, one member of our crew, in spite of my suggestion to call a car service, insisted on trying to hail a taxi in the street. Fifteen minutes into this ordeal, with nary a taxi in sight (taxis don’t shop for fares in East New York), she agreed to allow me to call a car.
As a result of these shenanigans, the six of us spent 25 minutes or so standing on the curb of Atlantic Ave in this very sketchy section of Brooklyn. There was undoubtedly some element of fear that I experienced standing on this street, as 20 or so black men and women passed us on foot. Don’t get me wrong…I do not, in any way, harbor any racist thoughts or feelings. Those who know me are aware that I have friends of all color, races and religions. As a travel hound, I also value cultures and crave experiences that are foreign to my own way of life. But on this evening, smack dab in the middle of a culture very foreign to me, I experienced a bit of fear and felt unclear about my willingness to explore it. Aware of this paradox, I turned to my friend Andy (an even more experienced traveler than me) and suggested that we visit the corner bar where most of the passers-by seemed to be congregating. Without much hesitation, he rejected the idea. When I questioned him on it, explaining the paradox above, he expressed that this was not an experience of interest to him; and I couldn’t completely blame him. I certainly wasn’t going to enter the bar alone.
For the past week, this experience has troubled me. Racism still exists in our country and until last week, I believed that I wanted to end it as much as anyone. But from my actions on Saturday night, I’m not sure I can still say this with a completely straight face. If we are less curious about the cultures in the next neighborhood than we are about the ones on the other side of the world, how will our country and people every fully integrate? In my opinion, much of it comes down to psychology. I can’t place the source, but I’ve learned in my studies that behavior is largely dictated by expectations that are communicated in a variety of subtle ways. Malcolm Gladwell speaks to some of this in his books The Tipping Point and Blink. If a white man shows fear when he enters a black neighborhood, black people who witness this will internalize it and begin to think there is a reason why this man should be frightened in their presence. Compounded many times over, this may lead to behaviors that would not have occurred without that judgment having been passed. On the contrary, if Andy and I had visited the corner bar and exhibited confidence and a friendly demeanor, without even acknowledging being the only Whites in the establishment, I’m fairly certain we would have received the same in return. Ultimately, much of it comes down to fear and our own abilities to conquer it. I’m reminded of a memorial I saw touring the Guguleto township outside Cape Town. Amy Bhiel, an American exchange student working as an anti-Apartheid activist, was stoned to death and cut up with knives because she was white, despite pleas from several locals in the community. It’s an awful story, but an illustrative one for the purpose of this article. Her leadership served as a beacon of courage and conviction for South Africa’s fight to overcome Apartheid. Later, during the Truth and Reconciliation Hearings, Amy’s parents chose not to press charges against their daughter’s killers, and instead bravely chose to subscribe to the broader cause and movement. One of Gandhi’s famous quotes is "be the change you want to see in the world." If we truly care about ending racism in our country, we should start by removing our own judgments and giving others the benefit of doubt and respect that we hope to receive in return.
As a follow up, this troubled me so much that a few nights later I dreamt I was dating a Kenyan woman, and was struggling to figure out how to integrate her into my white Jewish family. What gives?
When the Levees Broke - Spike Lee HBO Joint
I caught one act of When the Levees Broke on HBO last weekend. Despite visiting New Orleans in the
past year and driving through the decimated Ninth Ward, the film’s content and the way it was presented still amazed me. My reaction was one of anger and tremendous disappointment towards our country and government. The federal response has been disgusting and FEMA, part of that response, has shown complete incompetence. The response from corporations involved - mostly insurance co’s and local industry (oil) - has been one of apathy. It’s interesting that these same industies are typically connected with Republican groups. Coincidence? I doubt it. After discussing it with several government loyalists, I have still yet to hear a strong argument to the contrary. If ever there was a clear signal that the leadership of our country is in disarray, this event should be it. New Orleans is one of America’s truly special cities and this makes the situation even more tragic. I’m currently researching Katrina relief organizations and determining what help I can provide.
Irresponsible reporting by leading publications reveals larger anti-Israel bias
This photo was emailed to me with the following capton:
Do you see the "problem" with this picture? The last "body" in the back is getting up too early. These are the "57 dead" in Qana and the journalist goes along with it.
In case you missed this piece of news last month, Lebanese journalists initially reported that 57 people had been killed including 37 children in the Israeli bombing of Qana. This led to the Israeli government suspending air strikes for 48 hours. Human Rights Watch later reported that, in fact, 28 was the number dead, which included 16 children. Its hard to argue over numbers of dead, especially since I believe every single one of the lives lost in this conflict were killed unnecessarily. However, in the crucial war of public opinion, the Arab nations battling Israel continue to gain support, and with much assistance from foreign journalists who do not seem to care about reporting news factually. I am reminded of the NY Times photo in September 2000 of Tuvia Grossman, a Jewish student from Chicago, blood streaming down his face, which included a caption describing him as a Palestinian victim of Israeli abuse. The report proved to include other factual errors including the location where it was taken. The point here is that a strong anti-Israel sentiment continues to plague honest reporting around the world, particularly reports from the region of conflict. One might expect this type of biased coverage from Lebanese or Syrian sources, but from the NY Times and Washington Post….its very disappointing.
Marketers getting creative, sneaky republicans stirring negative PR
Republican groups have been doing some pretty sneaky (and admittedly creative) stuff to influence the opinions of young voters in America. This isn’t surprising since it was largely their creativity and willingness to play dirty that got W elected in 2004. Ironically, it was the WSJ who uncovered this news last week in an Aug 3 article. Someone uploaded a video to YouTube entitled "Al Gore’s Penguin Army" mocking his film - "An Inconvenient Truth". The 2-min video is neither creative nor intelligent in its message - though I’m still amazed someone can get away with implying global warming is anything less than a harsh reality. What is creative is the method of distribution - uploaded to YouTube and distributed for free to millions of users, mostly in the highly sought after 14-26 demographic. The video has been viewed just under 400,000 times in the past week, so as a marketing ploy, its been pretty damn effective. Thanks to a few curious journalists, it was uncovered that the video had been uploaded from computers at DCI Group , a conservative PR and lobbying firm in DC who counts Exxon among its clients. When questioned about it, DCI would not comment.
In a related story this week, the WSJ reported that marketers are using mySpace to do social marketing by allowing users to make "friends" with movie characters, and other relevant pop culture icons. The article alluded to Ricky Bobby’s mySpace page, a fictional page made to look like one owned by Will Ferrell’s character in the new film "Talladega Nights."
The message here is simple. Marketers of all types who want to influence opinions are embracing Web2.0 technology offerings with a vengeance and taking advantage of opportunities they enable. Social networking technologies enable groups and individuals to interact with a level of ease and accessibility previously unknown. Organizations who want to communicate a message or idea can, for the first time, reach out directly to groups of their constituents. Groups that fail to embrace these new offerings will fall behind, and possibly precipitously so. Its not surprising that media and entertainment groups have been some of the earliest adopters. I am surprised, though, and impressed with conservative groups’ adoption rates. For the sake of our country, I hope Democrats heed these signs and jump on board the bus before its too late.
Sketch from Israeli soldier on front lines
My cousin, Dagan, was called up from the IDF reserves three weeks ago and is serving in the current conflict at an undisclosed location. He sent me this sketch which he drew while on the front lines last week.
Time for Joe to go!! - Joe Lieberman’s day of reckoning
Voters are lining up today in the CT Senatorial primary to decide if Ned Lamont takes Joe Lieberman’s Democratic party ticket. If Lamont wins, it will be the first time an incumbant senator loses a primary since 1980.
I think its time for Lieberman to go. Enough middle of the road politics. A Lamont win will send a strong message to future Democratic candidates that pandering to Bush and the current White House will not be tolerated. Lieberman has a respectable voting record, but he has straddled the fence on key issues over the past two years - patriot act, free trade, foreign policy, environment, gun control - and this will ultimately prove to be his undoing. Ned Lamont has taken Bush head on - condemned many of his policies including the Iraq war, and supported universal health care, the need to decrease our dependence on oil and protect our civil rights. While he obviously doesn’t have much of a voting record - Lamont’s positions are stronger than Lieberman’s and he has vowed to go after Bush. This might be enough to get him the Democratic seat. He also brings strong business saavy to Washington, which the government desperately needs.
Brigitte Gabriel speech at Duke anti-terrorism speak-out
Someone sent me the transcript of a speech given by Brigitte Gabriel at an anti-terrorism speak-out at Duke in 2004. This is particularly relevant given what’s happening in Israel today. It’s also significant to me because as an advisory board member to Duke’s Freeman Center for Jewish Life, the anti-terrorism speak-out stands in direct contrast to the Palestinian Solidarity Conference that chose Duke’s campus for their rally last year. The world is divided over the Arab-Israeli conflict and I believe unjustifiably so. The beginning of the speech is below and I link to the full transcript. Its powerful and worth a read.
"I’m proud and honored to stand here today as a Lebanese speaking for
Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East. As someone who was raised
in an Arabic country, I want to give you a glimpse into the heart of the Arabic world. I was raised in Lebanon where I was taught that the Jews were evil,
Israel was the devil, and the only time we will have peace in the
Middle East is when we kill all the Jews and drive them into the sea. When the Moslems and Palestinians declared Jihad on the Christians
in1975, they started massacring the Christians city after city. I ended
up living in a bomb shelter underground from age 10 to 17 without
electricity, eating grass to live and crawling under sniper bullets to
a spring to get water. It was Israel who came to help the Christians in Lebanon. My mother was
wounded by a Moslem shell and was taken into an Israeli hospital for
treatment. When we entered the emergency room, I was shocked at what I
saw…." Click here for the full speech transcript.
Eric Hoffer on Israel from 1968
This comment in 1968 by Eric Hoffer - author of The True Believer - was posted by Michale Ledeen on the National Review blog today. The world has held Israel to a terrible double standard, really since its establishment as a state. This quote from 1968 is as spot on today as it was then. There are numerous possible reasons for this, but the fact that it exists is indesputable from my vantage point. More to come on Israel in the coming days.
The Jews are a peculiar people: things permitted to other nations are forbidden to the Jews.Other nations drive out thousands, even millions of people and there is no refugee problem. Russia did it, Poland and Czechoslovakia did it, Turkey threw out a million Greeks, and Algeria a million Frenchman. Indonesia threw out heaven knows how many Chinese-and no one says a word about refugees.
But in the case of Israel the displaced Arabs have become eternal refugees. Everyone insists that Israel
must take back every single Arab. Arnold Toynbee calls the displacement
of the Arabs an atrocity greater than any committed by the Nazis. Other
nations when victorious on the battlefield dictate peace terms. But
when Israel is victorious it must sue for peace .Everyone
expects the Jews to be the only real Christians in this world. Other
nations when they are defeated survive and recover but should Israel be defeated it would be destroyed. Had Nasser triumphed last June [1967] he would have wiped Israel
off the map, and no one would have lifted a finger to save the Jews. No
commitment to the Jews by any government, including our own, is worth
the paper it is written on .There is a cry of outrage all over the world when people die in Vietnam or when two Blacks are executed in Rhodesia.
But when Hitler slaughtered Jews no one remonstrated with him. The
Swedes, who are ready to break off diplomatic relations with America because of what we do in Vietnam,
did not let out a peep when Hitler was slaughtering Jews. They sent
Hitler choice iron ore, and ball bearings, and serviced his troop
trains to Norway.The Jews are alone in the world. If Israel survives, it will be solely because of Jewish efforts. And Jewish resources. Yet at this moment Israel is our only reliable and unconditional ally. We can rely more on Israel than Israel
can rely on us. And one has only to imagine what would have happened
last summer [1967] had the Arabs and their Russian backers won the war
to realize how vital the survival of Israel is to America and the West in general.I have a premonition that will not leave me; as it goes with Israel so will it go with all of us. Should Israel perish the holocaust will be upon us.
Michael Franti releases new album - Yell Fire!
Michael Franti released his latest album, Yell
Fire!, this week. The album is made up of music
inspired by his 2004
trip to Baghdad,
and Palestine
to tour the region and visit the troops, his guitar slung over his shoulder the
entire way. He made a film about the experience entitled I Know I’m Not Alone, which he screened
at small theatres and yoga studios in
and San Francisco.
Having seen the film and Franti discuss it, I expected big things from this
album and was not disappointed.
Michael Franti is one of the most important musicians today. The fact
that he has yet to be discovered by the mainstream only adds to his cache, in
my opinion. His music is soulful and sweet. The arrangements and
production are creative and fun - a blend of hip hop, reggae and funk, making
Franti’s sound completely unique. What really grips you about this album
though is the inspiration that he brings to his music from these
conflict-ridden regions. Franti is a spiritual, practicing yogi (I saw
him perform in a NYC yoga studio) and politically involved. All of this
comes through in his songs, nearly all of which have some element of political
undertone, cultural message or spiritual plea. The entire album grabs
you by the heart and raises you up a couple steps. I’ve uploaded three tracks from the album here. Enjoy!! Download yell_fire_03_i_know_im_not_alone.mp3
Download yell_fire_07_one_step_closer_to_you.mp3
Download yell_fire_06_hello_bonjour.mp3
Great Eleanor Roosevelt quote
My friend, Marcus Oliver, sent me this quote today. It speaks volumes.
"Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss
people."
– Eleanor Roosevelt