Back in equatorial Africa, my parents saved and scrounged to send all their kids to the best schools that they could afford. They would often do without nice things (like adequate medical attention and 3 square meals), so that their kids (especially me, the last-born) could have a good education. I did them proud (I think), by being a grade-A student and excelling in my studies, especially English Language.
At age 7, I was reading at age-10 levels. I’d read the King James Bible cover to cover, and I wrote poetry. At age 12, I was reading and writing at college-level. I regularly had coherent and vocabulary-maximizing discussions with college-level and working-class adults. Between my comic books and my trusty English Dictionary (yes, those big, heavy books), my vocabulary was truly remarkable for one as young as I.
Fast forward many years, I showed up in America, ready to take on the world. Only to be ridiculed, put down, and very nearly beaten up… for being/talking/acting “intelligent”. And that was from other BLACK people! “Normal” girls would not date me because my words and demeanor “did not match my face” (translation: I wasn’t “black” enough. Probably because I conjugated my verbs properly). Once, I was affectionately called an “Uppity College Nigger” by a half-drunk white country guy at a dance-club. I am sure he meant well though.
Simply put, I was not “well received”. Not until I dumbed my public face down to the point of slight mental retardation. Only then did more people become “comfortable” with me.
I think this little true story just about sums up America’s attitude towards intelligent black people. Especially “jungle niggers” AKA African immigrants. Karl Rove is just saying what most Americans (prejudiced or not) are thinking: In America’s collective subconscious minds, an intelligent, articulate black/African person simply “does not compute”. For lack of a better term, we’re called “elitist”, but I am sure if politicians could get away with calling Barack Obama an “Uppity College Nigger”, they would say it.
This goes deeper than racism… this is the stuff of pure subconscious. And it needs to be addressed at some point, but probably not anytime soon, because America is not ready to look in the mirror.
Rove, critics try to pin ‘arrogant’ label on Obama
June 27, 2008Back in equatorial Africa, my parents saved and scrounged to send all their kids to the best schools that they could afford. They would often do without nice things (like adequate medical attention and 3 square meals), so that their kids (especially me, the last-born) could have a good education. I did them proud (I think), by being a grade-A student and excelling in my studies, especially English Language.
At age 7, I was reading at age-10 levels. I’d read the King James Bible cover to cover, and I wrote poetry. At age 12, I was reading and writing at college-level. I regularly had coherent and vocabulary-maximizing discussions with college-level and working-class adults. Between my comic books and my trusty English Dictionary (yes, those big, heavy books), my vocabulary was truly remarkable for one as young as I.
Fast forward many years, I showed up in America, ready to take on the world. Only to be ridiculed, put down, and very nearly beaten up… for being/talking/acting “intelligent”. And that was from other BLACK people! “Normal” girls would not date me because my words and demeanor “did not match my face” (translation: I wasn’t “black” enough. Probably because I conjugated my verbs properly). Once, I was affectionately called an “Uppity College Nigger” by a half-drunk white country guy at a dance-club. I am sure he meant well though.
Simply put, I was not “well received”. Not until I dumbed my public face down to the point of slight mental retardation. Only then did more people become “comfortable” with me.
I think this little true story just about sums up America’s attitude towards intelligent black people. Especially “jungle niggers” AKA African immigrants. Karl Rove is just saying what most Americans (prejudiced or not) are thinking: In America’s collective subconscious minds, an intelligent, articulate black/African person simply “does not compute”. For lack of a better term, we’re called “elitist”, but I am sure if politicians could get away with calling Barack Obama an “Uppity College Nigger”, they would say it.
This goes deeper than racism… this is the stuff of pure subconscious. And it needs to be addressed at some point, but probably not anytime soon, because America is not ready to look in the mirror.