Damn, has it already been a year

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  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts


    basically the same question I'm asking. It should also be stated that Michael Eric Dyson makes some seriously over-dramatic statements such as comparing the post Katrina displacement of families to the slave auctions. I kinda lost respect when he opened his mouth and let that gem out.

    I seriously doubt that you had much respect for Mr. Dyson to begin with.

    But like Drewn mentioned, the way that people who had been waiting for days in the Superdome were split between sexes and such and shipped off to unknown locations...which is true regardless of one single person you talked to in Moreno Valley...certainly indicates a parallel to slave-trading.

    And that's just it, Guzzo...you want to position yourself as somebody helping NOLA, but at every turn you doubt the full extent of what people from New Orleans have told you about their experiences.

    Take the Industrial Canal levee potentially being blown up for instance. Not only did that same sort of thing happen for real back in the '20's and most likely in '65 as well, but having any conceptual grasp on the lengths that American society will go to suppress its black population, from Jim Crow to Tuskegee to Ricky Ross and beyond, should reveal blowing up a levee as small potatoes to these racist fucks. We already know that the Army Corp. of Engineers was consciously negligent in building those levees beneath their required standard, so anyway you slice it something was purposefully done to the residents of the Lower 9th Ward. Yet instead of understanding why a Lower 9th Ward resident would conclude that the levee was blown, you instead want to interject your all-important skepticism, despite the fact that it doesn't change a damned thing regarding the reality of the situation.

    You obviously feel that you gain some sort of perceived intellectual superiority, not to mention comfort, in being able to label said people as crazy. Michael Eric Dyson wrote an excellent book on the Katrina situation (which I doubt you've bothered to read) and followed it up by making some succinct statements during the course of Spike Lee's documentary, but of course you know better than him enough to come out and say that his blatantly apparent comments forced you to lose respect for him. And that's just what I'm talking about. No one wants your charity if you are going to couple it with such a pompous attitude that is of the same cloth as the attitudes wielded by the most racist of Americans.

  • GuzzoGuzzo 8,611 Posts
    What I would say that means right now in relation to the New Orleans situation is for every American to strive to fully understand the repurcussions of a society that promotes such racism that it is perfectly feasible for rescue crews to neglect their duties for fear of the black masses that they would be working to save.



    soooo...what does that mean in practical terms? Kinda sounds like diarrhea of the mouth to me.

    I speak Harvey. This loosely translates to "Please try to be as real as me, I know black people".

    BTW Harvey, how do you feel about the poor whites that lost their home and are in the same property & financial situation as the lower class black people of New Orleans?

    and what is your feeling on Bix Beiderbecke?

  • nzshadownzshadow 5,518 Posts
    No one wants your charity if you are going to couple it with such a pompous attitude that is of the same cloth as the attitudes wielded by the most racist of Americans.

    Congratulations on your appointment as spokesperson for Katrina victims.

    youre doin a hekuva job Harvey.

  • GuzzoGuzzo 8,611 Posts
    I seriously doubt that you had much respect for Mr. Dyson to begin with.

    this is why you should learn not to trust your feelings. I did/ still do respect Dyson. I just think his comparrison was offbase. the slave auctions and the displacement of famlies in efforts to evacuate New Orleans are not exactly one in the same.

    But like Drewn mentioned, the way that people who had been waiting for days in the Superdome were split between sexes and such and shipped off to unknown locations...which is true regardless of one single person you talked to in Moreno Valley...certainly indicates a parallel to slave-trading.

    And that's just it, Guzzo...you want to position yourself as somebody helping NOLA, but at every turn you doubt the full extent of what people from New Orleans have told you about their experiences.

    I didn't speak to one person I actually spoke with a 10+ person family who managed to stay together, I also do not doubt that many families got split up. And please be serious here. The NOLA evacuation does not equal the slave trade. Even Dyson wouldn't say anything that wrong.

    Furthermore I get nothing out of helping New Orleans people other than a good feeling in my heart. Your refusal to see any help as fake unless someone has a "real understanding" of New Orleans is fucking stupid. How fucking "real" does one have to keep it in order to give of themselves?

    Take the Industrial Canal levee potentially being blown up for instance. Not only did that same sort of thing happen for real back in the '20's and most likely in '65 as well, but having any conceptual grasp on the lengths that American society will go to suppress its black population, from Jim Crow to Tuskegee to Ricky Ross and beyond, should reveal blowing up a levee as small potatoes to these racist fucks. We already know that the Army Corp. of Engineers was consciously negligent in building those levees beneath their required standard, so anyway you slice it something was purposefully done to the residents of the Lower 9th Ward. Yet instead of understanding why a Lower 9th Ward resident would conclude that the levee was blown, you instead want to interject your all-important skepticism, despite the fact that it doesn't change a damned thing regarding the reality of the situation.

    I said nothing about levees being blown up and I'm not trying to get into anymore of your conspiracy theory talk. God knows your theories are usually so hairbrained that I often wonder if you're on some sort of psychiatric watch. After all the lizards want to keep us fooled don't they? If you want to get into theories about the levees that involve explosives find some other person to try to prove yourself with. I'll settle for the idea that they gave way and caused damage which now needs to be repaired and improved upon, and no amount of finger pointing is going to do that[/b].

    No one wants your charity if you are going to couple it with such a pompous attitude that is of the same cloth as the attitudes wielded by the most racist of Americans.
    umm, I don't even know what to say to this other than your mind is an interesting place. I'll respond to whatever you write next in a few minutes after I look into some more charities benefiting the area and reaffirm my racist hate and overstated ignorance of New Orleans

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts


    Also, I was rewatching the third act of Spike Lee's documentary last night and at one point Michael Eric Dyson says the exact same thing that I said yesterday about charity being positive but not nearly enough to affect any significant change. And he was quoting Martin Luther King, Jr. paraphrasing the Bible when he said it.


    I agree with your contention that blaming Bush is an easy way out for a lot of folks. Calling out a lame-duck second term president or large amorphous entities like "the federal government" is largely a waste of time.

    My question though, and one I would direct to Michael Eric Dyson as well (and mind you I haven't heard all of his comments from Spike Lee's film - had to TiVo it, will get on it soon), is this: Leaving charity aside, what precisely are the actionable steps that must be taken to "affect any significant change?"

    As Dyson put it in the doc, one can walk the Jericho Road all day passing out charitable goods. But at what point does one actually stop to connect with those in need in a brotherly manner that works to identify and help cure the source of the problem rather than merely catering to the symptoms of that problem?

    What I would say that means right now in relation to the New Orleans situation is for every American to strive to fully understand the repurcussions of a society that promotes such racism that it is perfectly feasible for rescue crews to neglect their duties for fear of the black masses that they would be working to save.

    Each of us must analyze how we too may contribute to the fostering of that racist environment. And if for whatever reason you choose not to do that in the wake of what happened in NOLA, then you might as well be George Bush yourself.



    Again though, how does striving "to fully understand the repercussions of a society that promotes such racism" translate into action. Does this mean (in no particular order):

    A. I attend some sort of forum with community leaders to talk about this event and its historical context or something similar.

    B. I go door to door in a black community to discuss similar issues.

    C. I provide monetary support to try and redress these societal ills (I know that some of us have already eliminated this option, but I felt like listing it for purposes of comparison).

    D. I go to Lousiana to talk to people to try "to fully understand the repercussions of a society that promotes such racism."

    E. I go to Louisiana and offer my free labor to help a family rebuild their home.

    F. I go listen to Michael Eric Dyson pontificate for an evening.

    G. I go to New Orleans at teach middle school for two years at a school whose students' homes are being replaced by a Wal-Mart, and attempt to empower them through education.

    H. I write letters to my congressmen and senators.

    I. I attempt to overthrow the government.

    J. I talk to people on SoulStrut about it when I really need to be getting work done.

    K. I can keep going on with ideas, unless you actually have something that is more productive than pure abstract thought.


    As an white American male (and born into all the privilege that that supposedly entails), I've been aware (some times more than others) that many good people in this country have been treated with pure evil for centuries, in the form of overt and covert racism, classism, sexism, etc.

    My question, that I still solicit answers to is, what can I DO about it? And I do not at all mean that facetiously.


    All right, I'm done venting for now.

    "Action speaks louder than words." - New Orleans' own Chocolate Milk

    The easiest answer to your question is for you to lose the sarcastic attitude.

    From the way you sound, that would be a lifetime worth of action in and of itself.


    But beyond that, yes, it will take you opening yourself up to ideas that at this point you may typically act automatically defensive towards.

    It will entail reading books and basically learning more about the history of racism.

    It will most likely necessitate you engaging in more meaningful conversations with blacks, or for that matter any people of color, than you have in the past or do now.

    It may mean that when you see other white people engaging in racist behavior, no matter how slight and petty, that you atempt to correct them rather than letting them slide.

    It may mean being less of a white guy all of the time...specifically being less egotistical, intrusive, insensitive, overly defensive, passive aggressive, etc.

    There are a million different things you could do to "help deter an environment of racism".

    And of those million, I too am working on plenty of them when it comes to my own self.

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    Guzzo, I named at least 5 local organizations that could use help in NOLA from a list that came straight from the mouth of Cyril Neville. Please tell me why you have chosen to continue to ignore them.

  • GuzzoGuzzo 8,611 Posts
    Guzzo, I named at least 5 local organizations that could use help in NOLA from a list that came straight from the mouth of Cyril Neville. Please tell me why you have chosen to continue to ignore them.

    your list did not provide any contact information and it also seemed to be about building preservation, which I feel is important, but not ass important as getting people housing and some semblance of their life prior to the disaster.

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts


    BTW Harvey, how do you feel about the poor whites that lost their home and are in the same property & financial situation as the lower class black people of New Orleans?

    I feel that if they wouldn't had been surrounded by such a pervasive population of black people that they would have received the help that every person regardless of color deserves.

    There are plenty of families outside of NOLA and in Mississippi and Texas (thanks to Rita) who weren't necessarily displaced, as in your neighborhood has been indefinitely condemned ala the Lower 9th Ward, who are still in need of help.

    While they suffered from natural disasters, I don't feel that it was compounded by the same level racist neglect that was wielded upon the black people of NOLA.

  • GuzzoGuzzo 8,611 Posts
    Harvey: once we all become as enlightened as you are towards the people of New Orleans and can be as sympathetic what do we tell them when they ask for help? I'm thinking of switching back to my pompous roots and donating to charities once I become "real" but I somehow feel that other "real" people may view my effort to help the area as yet another racist move in the white masterplan

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    Guzzo, I named at least 5 local organizations that could use help in NOLA from a list that came straight from the mouth of Cyril Neville. Please tell me why you have chosen to continue to ignore them.

    your list did not provide any contact information and it also seemed to be about building preservation, which I feel is important, but not ass important as getting people housing and some semblance of their life prior to the disaster.

    So you are again going to override the suggestions of an actual community leader from NOLA in favor of your own skepticism...what a surprise.

    Also, this idea that if only people had money in their hands that they could just get down there and rebuild their houses ignores that there needs to be jobs for them to go back to, that the Katrina trash still needs to be hauled off, let alone an environmental clean-up of the area, that many former neighborhoods are now being slated as national parklands, that a lack of viable zoning codes is almost completely handcuffing rebulding efforts, that people are suffering through post-traumatic stress syndrome, that many who left aren't even intending to go back, etc.

    Again, if you would just take the time and effort to sincerely understand the situation, you might then be able to come up with a way to help that reeks more of actual goodwill than your own self-importance.

  • jfreejfree 18 Posts


    The easiest answer to your question is for you to lose the sarcastic attitude.

    From the way you sound, that would be a lifetime worth of action in and of itself.


    But beyond that, yes, it will take you opening yourself up to ideas that at this point you may typically act automatically defensive towards.

    It will entail reading books and basically learning more about the history of racism.

    It will most likely necessitate you engaging in more meaningful conversations with blacks, or for that matter any people of color, than you have in the past or do now.

    It may mean that when you see other white people engaging in racist behavior, no matter how slight and petty, that you atempt to correct them rather than letting them slide.

    It may mean being less of a white guy all of the time...specifically being less egotistical, intrusive, insensitive, overly defensive, passive aggressive, etc.

    There are a million different things you could do to "help deter an environment of racism".

    And of those million, I too am working on plenty of them when it comes to my own self.


    Wow. I don't know where to start. Do I try to defend the number and meaningfulness of my conversations with black people over childhood, the 5 years of teaching at all black middle schools (2 of those in NOLA), and 3+ years of marriage to a black woman. No, I'd probably open up a can of worms that's probably been discussed in numerous other threads on this site about how I wish I was black.

    Perhaps I could ask a question on what book could teach me that egotism, intrusiveness, insensitivity, defensiveness, and passive aggression are "whiteguy" traits. No thanks. That doesn't sound like fun.


    ALL sarcasm aside, I do truly respect that you acknowledged your own efforts in the last line. That is important. It's too easy for all of us to get on each other about what the another man should do.

    I also don't want to dump on all of your suggestions above. There are some tips that many white folks don't follow - they cop out and just give to charity and call it a day, and that is too bad.

    Peace, people. Gotta finish a paper. I do appreciate the discourse, no matter how heated.

  • GuzzoGuzzo 8,611 Posts
    Guzzo, I named at least 5 local organizations that could use help in NOLA from a list that came straight from the mouth of Cyril Neville. Please tell me why you have chosen to continue to ignore them.

    your list did not provide any contact information and it also seemed to be about building preservation, which I feel is important, but not ass important as getting people housing and some semblance of their life prior to the disaster.

    So you are again going to override the suggestions of an actual community leader from NOLA in favor of your own skepticism...what a surprise.

    Also, this idea that if only people had money in their hands that they could just get down there and rebuild their houses ignores that there needs to be jobs for them to go back to, that the Katrina trash still needs to be hauled off, let alone an environmental clean-up of the area, that many former neighborhoods are now being slated as national parklands, that a lack of viable zoning codes is almost completely handcuffing rebulding efforts, that people are suffering through post-traumatic stress syndrome, that many who left aren't even intending to go back, etc.

    Again, if you would take the time and efort to understand the situation, you might then be able to come up with a way to help that reeks more of goodwill than your own self-importance.

    You keep spitting the same garbage out, "donating to a charity to rebuild homes is a bad move, you should give these people your sympathy and that only".

    Dude I hardly feel sorry for anyone in this world. Being raised in a community of handicapped people while on welfare gave me a view into some of the most unfortunate people you could see in America. Very few wanted sympathy, no one wants to be made to feel sorry for. Most people want a fair chance in the world and if they can't get it they want the closest thing to it. It's a reality that some people sitting comfortably in their guilt ridden worlds may not want to see.

    My donations and efforts to get others to donate are not done cause I feel sorry, nor is it done cause I have a misunderstanding of the New Orleans experience, instead my efforts are based on trying to help those get something back to the life they once had and unfairly lost. These people deserve help, they are Americans, and as a fellow American I'd like them to get their piece of the pie back. I ain't about to tell any of them I did this cause I feel sorry for them, if I ever meet a person who got a house rebuilt or received some food or medical care that came from a charity I donated to I'll be damned if I told them I did it out of pity. They earned it, they lost it, they want it back. Are there other things to take into account in rebuilding New Orleans? Of course, but I'm sure groups like Habitat for Humanity are working towards building homes in areas that are safe enough for people to live in. Beleive it or not I did some research into the charities I'm trying to encourage donations towards. I'll get busy on blaming and doing nothing later on, right now I'd rather see some action being taken.

    Your whole pointing out of self-importance is so hypocritical. Where the fuck do you get off saying people shouldn't give to charities cause they don't understand racism like your cracker ass?

    At last check, that family of 10 is still in Moreno Valley. I'll let them know that I was told to stop my efforts to help them get back to their life cause some dude who really knows whats going on told me to.

  • jfree,

    Your well-reasoned, even-tempered and informed posts have no place on SoulStrut.


    Welcome.

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    You keep spitting the same garbage out, "donating to a charity to rebuild homes is a bad move, you should give these people your sympathy and that only".

    If you're going to put quotes around your completely fucked interpretation of what I've said, maybe you can point out where I ever actually said that.


    Hi, Ross.

  • hammertimehammertime 2,389 Posts
    Kinda sounds like diarrhea of the mouth to me.


    x1000.

  • GuzzoGuzzo 8,611 Posts
    You keep spitting the same garbage out, "donating to a charity to rebuild homes is a bad move, you should give these people your sympathy and that only".

    If you're going to put quotes around your completely fucked interpretation of what I've said, maybe you can point out where I ever actually said that.

    this has been your stance throughout this whole discussion. Quote marks or not youre efforts to get people not to give charity and instead learn how to be as understanding as you are asinine and I will continue to both laugh at them and ask you what one should do once they get as "open-minded" towards the situation as you are.

    Actually this whole discussion is foolish, you obviously got your own agenda in which you need to prove how real you are and anything else done in a different direction is going to be seen as wrong. I don't care if you spoke with Cyril Neville it doesn't impress me. What would inpress me is hearing how you are helping.

    Your foolish attempt to teach about racism to a former New Orleans school teacher, who has been in an inter-racial marriage shows that you're working off of nothing but assumptions of how much more profound your NO experience is than everyone elses.

    You ain't about helping shit but your own ego.

  • You keep spitting the same garbage out, "donating to a charity to rebuild homes is a bad move, you should give these people your sympathy and that only".

    If you're going to put quotes around your completely fucked interpretation of what I've said, maybe you can point out where I ever actually said that.


    Hi, Ross.


    Hi, Robert.

    Thanks for mentioning Rita earlier (really).

    Although I do think that Guzzo had a somewhat valid point when brought up "the poor whites that lost their home and are in the same property & financial situation as the lower class black people of New Orleans."

    I think that the overwhelming issue here is one of class. What Kanye should've said is, "George Bush doesn't care about poor people," and Southeast Texas, like much of NO, is very poor.

    Of course, class takes into account all manner of socioeconomic factors, and I know that race is among them. I'm just saying that if these hurricanes had somehow affected only extremely well-to-do areas, things would've gone down very differently. But there's not much point in considering that fantastic scenario, so just forget I brought up.

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    Whatever you want to think, dude.
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