Ouch.

[the_gneech]

Questlove: Trayvon Martin and I Ain’t Shit

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/07/questlove-trayvon-martin-and-i-aint-shit.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

I already get the "people are randomly scared of me for my size" thing. I can only imagine he gets it turned up to 11.

-TG

Comments

[blacktigr.livejournal.com]

I have to admit I agree with the women in the comments who would not give any lone male their floor number, especially if it was obvious they were having lewd thoughts. It's nothing personal, guys, but I am a safer person than that.

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

I agree, definitely; she was absolutely right to preserve her safety if she felt threatened. I don't think if it was an isolated incident it would have mattered so much, it's just emblematic of the kind of thing he must go through all the time.

Like I say, I sometimes get people (men and women both) who are afraid of me because I'm over 6', and I'm a doughy white guy who generally has an expression of goofy amiability. I can only guess what he gets.

-TG

[torakiyoshi.livejournal.com]

Yes, but for a Woman in western culture, it's not because he's Black, but because he's male. Not only do we live in a racist culture, but we live in a rape culture, and it's wise for women to be cautious.

[torakiyoshi.livejournal.com]

What needs to happen is to change the emphasis of the statement, putting stress on the "ain't."

Instead of telling Black folk, "You. ain't. shit," meaning that they are nothing, the community of America needs to stand up and say, "No, you ain't shit." Meaning that they have worth and are valuable members of our culture, and that they are, indeed, wanted for what they bring to the table as people (not as labor).





Sorry for the edit. Wasn't paying attention and used PHPbb code instead of HTML.