To black conservatives: What contributed to you becoming a conservative. VANITY

my pea-brain | me

[mafree]

No, mafree, the " disbelief" remark, was about my buying African stuff too. LOL

Cool- you gonna buy a dashiki too? LOL.

[KC Burke]

The historical Tokhtamish took over the Golden Hoard and attacked Tammerlane, his former ally, with invasions of Tammerlane's territory in the 1380s. Tammerlane defeated him in as series of battles at the end of that decade thereby allowing central Russia to unify with the disintigration of the power of the Golden Hoard.

I could give you sites on this minor figure if you need information on a looser that ran the central aisian tribe into the ground....but I think I've made my point.

[KC Burke]

To you both and others on the thread:
This thread has some of the best posts of the year on it. I'm humbled to read such honest, heartfelt, comments. Thank you all.

[rdb3]

I wouldn't rule out living in Africa at some time in my life to be of more assistance to people there.

As for me ever living in Africa, fuhgedaboudit! Ain't happening. Marxist dictatorships are not my forte.

[mafree]

Do whatever you like, but some of them go Marxist because no one else is there to offer or provide adequate support to a better alternative.

[nopardons]

ROTFLOL ! Nope, since that isn't part of my extended family's culture ; and it isn't part of ANY of the blacks and coloreds culture / heritage in South Africa, either. :-)

But I do keep food a supply of PERI PERI on hand and we have braais, now. OTOH, my daughter has a collection of guinea fowl related items,S.A. indigenous animals charms on her braclet, and her sister-in-law sent her South African Christmas tree ornaments. As I have said, it is a good thing to keep one's cultural heritage alive, at home. I just think that , as AMERICANS , we all should stop aiding the Balkanization this country , and stop this hyphanated stuff .

[mafree]

Nothin' wrong with that idea.

[nopardons]

Glad we can agree on this ! : - )

[Born in a Rage]

institutional racism

While I agree that institutional racism towards people of color still exists, I believe it is mostly aimed towards conservative black people. For example, did you see that thread that someone posted about 'African-American Heroes and their kids homework'? On that thread, a variety of people were mentioned....but no modern conservative/libertarian black role models. We have 2 very powerful black people basically running the country - Powell and Rice, of course - and they weren't mentioned. Why? It is marginalizing kids when heroes are divided into 2 categories - black and all others, as if black heros aren't good enough to be in a study of 'American Heroes' and we just need to think about them in February.

The media also contributes to institutional racism - labeling anyone (black, white, everyone) who doesn't believe in the liberal/socialist doctrine of a particular issue a 'racist', a 'traitor' and etc.

Well, I'd like to discuss this some more with you but right now it's getting late here in AZ.

[mafree]

The instances you talk about are certainly true and to be condemned, but in reality, institutional racism (wherever it exists) cares little about ideology.

[Tokhtamish]

And until 'black conservatism' sheds the image of people like innocentbystander, David Dukes trapped in black skin who have absorbed so much white racism (doubtless because as I suspect their formative years were spent entirely among whites absorbing a lot of "I like you. You aren't like blacks at all." honorary white style racism.) despise all things black, it will never get beyond single digits. For whom conservatism is a way of saying that they identify with white people. That is why black conservatives must work within and on behalf of the black community to forge some kind of trust relationship. Until that time black conservatism is about as brave as a social climber who ignores his family while fictitiously passing himself off in society as an 'orphan'.

Let's talk about affirmative action. Why does conservative propaganda against it focus entirely on race based affirmative action but never on gender based ? In fact, one could say that if affirmative action were solely gender based it would not be a political issue at all. The reason to the black community is obvious. To the white conservative, the white woman is mother, wife, sister, lover, daughter, friend. White families depend on the paychecks of white women. So how can he campaign against them ? On the other hand it is very easy to campaign against "those people". The white conservative's personal happiness depends on his relationships with white women while there has never been a black person he gave a rat's ass about. It's a whole lot easier to focus on Them than it would be to focus on white women.

[mafree]

.."I like you. You aren't like blacks at all." honorary white style racism.)

I can't begin to tell you how insulting I find such comments and I do let folks know they ain't flattering me when they say stuff like that.

For whom conservatism is a way of saying that they identify with white people.

If that's conservatism they can keep it as far as I'm concerned.

Why does conservative propaganda against it focus entirely on race based affirmative action but never on gender based ?

That's a good question- wonder if anyone will answer it.

Good post.