What makes an issue African American?

[msgadget]

Yesterday evening I was reading the Daily News and ran across a gossip piece detailing Will Smith's August remarks regarding 9/11 and the lite, reactionary boycott buzz. My first thought was, "Damn you, Will! Now I gotta go sit up IN a movie theater for you, man!" I hate going to the movies. But, my support of him wouldn't even be about what he said because I don't see things as he does. It wouldn't even be because he's black. I am a die hard action adventure lover and he's got a good chest for that kind of movie. That's why I'd sacrifice a perfectly good evening at home to go support him. It might be because I feel like I watched him grow up without scandal or embarrassment but I wouldn't do it for, say, Raven Simone, who I also watched grow up. I'd probably do the same for Barbra Streisand or Harrison Ford. Okay, so it'd be a fan thing, not a black thing.

OTOH, going to see Raisin... was a black thing. The box office receipts for Def Poetry were pitiful and it was obvious our people weren't hitting the theater, not even to support the black arts. So, off I went, on a black mission. If I'd had to go every night I would have because I couldn't have lived knowing the revival of such a great and monumental piece of work had died on Broadway. As it turned out, I needn't have worried but my going was definitely a black thing.

Just last week I was reading about how the NYT did the in house investigation of Jason Blair's misadventures. I remember when the story broke there was WAY too much speculation that perhaps he was given such leeway because he was black. Everything I read about the little guy said he was headed for downfall since his first college news article and not even being white would've saved him. So, imo, not a black thing.


And, on and on. Got my drift? How do you judge when something is 'black'? If black people are involved is it automatically black?

[Kahuna]

1. Beats me anymore. I have to think about it for a while and get..

back to you.

[GOPFighter]

2. It's a black thing...

Actually I can't wait until there are no African American issues. But until then...

IMO, AA issues are those that deal with AA history, discrimination that is directed toward AAs specifically, and how to integrate AAs into the larger American culture. Then there is the "Black pride" issue which is analogous to Italian pride, Greek pride", etc.

Most of the other issues are poverty issues, minority issues (including hispanics, muslims, etc.), discrimination issues (against people of color, people of different sexual orientations, people of non-Christian faith, etc.)

Still, AAs are the most visible minority in America and certainly the most successful at fighting discrimination, so in a way, all of the above issues are black issues.

(caveat, this was written after three glasses of wine. I reserve the right to edit my comments tomorrow!)

[msgadget]

3. Well said,

GOP. That wine evidently made you quite lucid!

What do you mean when you say '...integrate AAs into the larger American culture'? Remember, Msgadget asks no rhetorical questions - truly curious.