Ghetto Lit Makes Sense

I can't speak for every Black author on the planet, but I know I am not alone when I admit my disgust and dismay at the popularity of ghetto fiction (aka, Urban Lit). It bothers me that stories glorifying sex, drugs, violence and a moral code that would shock a cockroach, are being categorized as Black Literature alongside such greats as Toni Morrison and Alice Walker. Sadly, I don't know where to direct my anger; at the authors producing (notice I didn't' say writing) this schlock, the readers who pay money to buy the schlock, or the big greedy publishing houses pretending the schlock has merit so they can cash in and get paid. I often wonder if the mostly white publishing industry won't call Ghetto Lit schlock because they're afraid of being called racist. Well I'm Black and I'm saying it out loud, it's SCHLOCK!

But I understand it now. I understand why books like The Connection: Murder, Money, Sex, And a Warehouse Full of Cocaine by S.W. Smith are bestsellers. And I understand why there isn't more public outrage at their position in society as Black Literature. I realize it has to do with the music. You know, Black Music. Music that falls under the title of Hip/Hop and usually is code for music Black people listen to and White teenagers gobble up like candy. You know what I'm talking about. Well, much of this Black music, and I'm not saying all of it, is about as high quality as The Connection....So many songs have lyrics that glorify sex, drugs, violence and a moral code that would shock a cockroach, and the people singing these songs act like they're living the life of which they sing. Why wouldn't the publishing industry and the world at large make the logical leap that if we like to hear it in our music, we're going to like it in our books. And of course in our movies and TV Shows etc. Talk about Racist! It's because the Publishing Industry expects us to be happy with schlock that they give us schlock.

I may be a fascist but I don't think there is a need for Ghetto Lit or Music for that matter that glorifies a reprehensible lifestyle. I say build a bonfire and burn it all. Don't get me wrong, all artists create from experience and there are plenty of amazing books (and songs) that detail the most horrific ghetto lives, but there is no glory. It is what it is. The glory comes from surviving. I'm remembering Push by Sapphire.

Thank God there are more people in positions of power in the Publishing world who have higher expectations of Writers of Color. People like Colin Channer who started the Calabash Literary Festival and Malaika Adero who created the UpSouth Organization to give writers of color a platform to be praised and glorified. If you happen to be in New York City this weekend, check out the UpSouth Festival and see what Colored folks can create with words and music besides schlock.

And that's all she wrote.

Peace Out!

Colored TV

I can't wait to tune in to Grey's Anatomy tonight. Not because I've been following the show for the last two seasons and need to know what happens. I've actually only seen one episode of the highly rated show. I'm just in it for all of the colored people on view. That's right. I said it. I'm an Affirmative Action television watcher. I pick my shows based on the number of people of color I'll see on the screen. So why am I not tuning in to one of the so-called Black shows? Because just like the "mainstream" shows that don't feature any colored folks, I'm not interested in watching Black shows where miraculously White people have been eliminated. That's not my world and I don't want to watch it. I like programming, like Grey's Anatomy, where there is a mix of races and ethnicities interacting in ways that mirror real-life. You know like the Black doctor who is dating the Korean doctor? That's like the latest trend (see my previous Kimchi & Chitlins post for clarification) on the romance scene.

I wish more of Network Television (and Survivor doesn't count) would see the benefits of diversifying their casts. I mean from a money-making standpoint, if they didn't try to segregate viewers they could increase their audience numbers. Think about it. Blacks, Whites and Hispanics all tuning in to the same show? Advertisers would trip over themselves to buy ad-space on that bad boy.

It's time to talk about that revolution!

Hey. I wrote about this colored TV issue in an essay -- The Black and the Beautiful -- for Bitch Magazine a while back and it just got reprinted in their fantastic anthology Bitchfest. Check it out if you have the time.

Until then. Happy Viewing.

Peace Out!

Darfur is Hip

"Please help," the girl screeched as I walked by on a sunny day in New York City. She was shaking what looked like an empty fishbowl, but because she was White, fairly well dressed and this was the luxurious upper West Side, I tried to ignore her. I figured she was trying to fund a habit or collect enough money to hit the clubs later that night. No interest from this hard-working mother of two.

But then she started screaming again. "Please help. People are dying in Darfur. They're being killed and they need your help. Any amount you can give is okay." I stopped then and took a closer look. This White American teenager and two of her friends were standing on the corner of conceivably one of the richest neighborhoods in the country trying to get passerbys to stop for a moment to consider the plight of the victims of Sudan's violent genocide. The three of them, in bare feet and looking a bit disheveled but very earnest in the tee-shirts and madras boxer shorts, worked the corner like seasoned hustlers. I was impressed.

Throughout the day in New York City, I kept seeing more and more teenagers with Darfur t-shirts on. Like it was a fashion statement. Like supporting Darfur was cool. At first I was amused, then a little perturbed, like 'did these wealthy White kids have any clue what modern-day genocide really meant?" But then I reasoned, even if they didn't, they were increasing awareness with their simple black & white t-shirts.

When I got home I did some quick internet searching and this unaware Black American woman discovered that yesterday, September 17, 2006 was Global Day for Darfur, which explained all of the shirts and teens with fishbowls. What's more, American teenagers are leading the campaign for funds and peace initiatives for Sudan. Black teens, White, Asian...I'm seeing a multicultural mix of young people up in arms for not only the victims of Darfur but for people around the world who are suffering, caught in the crossfire of violence. I stumbled onto the website Teens4Peace and was overjoyed to see that American teens have more to care about than MySpace, Ashlee Simpson and the latest iPod manifestation.

Makes me proud to be an American (almost!)

Peace Out!

Kimchi & Chitlins

First of all, this is not an original headline. I stole it from a play I saw in Massachusetts way back in the early 90s. I don't remember anything about the play except that it featured some Black people and some Korean people and it had a really uplifting message. But I just like the way the two words sound together and the idea captures what I want to blog about today, Black people and Asian people (not just Koreans).

So my question is, why is that the media would like us to believe that Blacks and Asians hate each other and could never just get along? Why do we only hear about the fight over the ghetto dollar, the lingering distrust after the L.A. Riots and the insidious comparisons of the model minority against, well 'those people?' Those of us out on the streets know the truth, that there is a serious mutual admiration society going on between Blacks and Asians. Black people love Chinese food and Kung-Fu movies something fierce. And a lot of Asian people dig fried chicken (preferably Popeye's and KFC). In fact, some of my fondest memories of my 20s involve me, an Asian friend and a bucket of Original Recipe.) Japanese people have gone on record with their passion for Black hair styles and hip-hop fashion. Need more proof? Pick up any hip-hop magazine and find an Asian person listed high up on the editorial masthead. And don't get me started on the Christian churches where Koreans and Blacks are praising Jesus together. If that's not love, I don't know what is.

Full disclosure. All of my life, my closest friends have been Asian. Japanese, Korean, Thai, Chinese, Filipino...I never discriminated. So I never understood the "animosity angle" the media tried to convey. I thought they were lying. And it's not just me. I swear every Black person has an Asian friend these days, look at Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan. And need I even mention the Black male, Asian female romance trend that is sweeping the land? And Asian people, at least the ones I know and see out and about in the hip and trendy places I frequent (NYC, Philly, Milwaukee!!!), always have a posse of cool Black friends. So what gives?

Who benefits from this carefully crafted racial bias between Blacks and Asians? If we banded together maybe we could take over the world. I'm not saying Black people and Asians are so similar that we should just meld our two cultures together and make a bunch of Tiger Woods' to populate the earth. It's just that we seem to like each other a whole heck of a lot and if we took our kimchi and our chitlins and made a stew (which I found out is actually a Korean delicacy served with liver, onions, and some special spices, then drizzled with sesame oil. Mmm delicious!) for the rest of America to sample, we could all be just a little bit happier and at peace. And Asian girls could walk in their front door with pride with Malik on their arm and declare, "Yeah Ma, this is my date to the prom."

So the next time you see some Black and Asian love, even if it is only Rush Hour III, tell the people that that is the real deal. A Black guy and his Asian buddy kicking ass and saving the world. It could happen if we let the fake hate go. Kimchi and chitlins yall!

Peace Out!

P.S. Meltingpot Question: Am I the only one who thinks Race-based Survivor sounds like fun to watch?