{"id":2234,"date":"2016-12-22T18:51:57","date_gmt":"2016-12-22T18:51:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/har0ld.com\/playground\/?p=2234"},"modified":"2016-12-22T18:51:57","modified_gmt":"2016-12-22T18:51:57","slug":"from-bo-to-tnc-and-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/har0ld.com\/playground\/2016\/12\/from-bo-to-tnc-and-back\/","title":{"rendered":"From BO to TNC and back"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Barack<\/a> <\/p>\n

As usual, terrific article<\/a>. When Ta-nehisi describes the indescribable joy of having so much black excellence around, taking over the very highly symbolic White House (built by slaves if you didn\u2019t know), it\u2019s\u2026 It\u2019s something very strong man. Like something that will never not make me weep a bit.<\/p>\n

As beautiful as it is though, some things need to happen for a better world. Things that need to happen to a whole lot of people, not just one amazing family.<\/p>\n

\n

the president accomplished major feats. He remade the nation\u2019s health-care system. He revitalized a Justice Department that vigorously investigated police brutality and discrimination, and he began dismantling the private-prison system for federal inmates. Obama nominated the first Latina justice to the Supreme Court, gave presidential support to marriage equality, and ended the U.S. military\u2019s Don\u2019t Ask, Don\u2019t Tell policy, thus honoring the civil-rights tradition that had inspired him.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Actual, real world for most people out there:<\/p>\n

– health-care? Still absolute trash and about to get worse. <\/p>\n

– justice? Where?<\/p>\n

– prisons? Nothing has really changed at all. Probably about to get worse too.<\/p>\n

– Sonia Maria Sotomayor as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States? Great.<\/p>\n

– marriage equality thumbs up? Great.<\/p>\n

– military reforms? Sort of, great.<\/p>\n

Those points don\u2019t achieve shit for 99% of people. Nothing has changed because economic rules have not changed one bit. Banks can still do whatever the fuck they want, bailed out by governments. Companies get the fuck away from workers, automating as fast as possible and we love it as customers. Redlining and gentrification are happening, displacing people. Reparations \u2013that have been scrutinized by the UN and validated- are not on the table of discussions and even just writing it down feels like an achievement to myself. Taboo af.<\/p>\n

Nothing has changed. Besides one thing: black people are doing better than ever. So that\u2019s annoying.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where with all the optimism Barack Obama brings in and that I understand very well \u2013like him, I by default trust white people- I share Ta-nehisi Coates pessimism on the future.<\/p>\n

Because I know what\u2019s happening: people are reaching for cover. When you reach for cover, you side with people who look like you, it\u2019s probably some reptilian habits and some lack of courage\/good ol\u2019 fear. Many white people will side with powerful racists not because they want it but because ultimately it profits them. Survival requires as we know, to do whatever it takes. Asians don\u2019t side with black people as minorities for those reasons, they don\u2019t want to upset their better relationship with white people. They stay neutral (though it\u2019s changing, which is good). Same with Mexicans (25% of y\u2019all voted Trump, let that sink in). <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a trip.<\/p>\n

The article wonders about what it\u2019s like to be a black man growing up like Barack or Ta-nehisi. I grew up like both in the way that I was surrounded by white people like Barack but I was in a working class and upper middle class setting like Ta-nehisi. What I got from that is that if you look at yourself in the mirror and see a black person, you are black now and forever. It\u2019s simple, not easy. Your environment will shape a lot of your style \u2013that is, I definitely stand out as \u201cdifferent\u201d in a sea of black folks- but you\u2019ll always be black. You will lean black even if it\u2019s only from time to time. Black things and black culture will titillate your senses in ways other things will not. Sometimes it will annoy you sometimes you will embrace it fully.<\/p>\n

I guess it\u2019s the same for all cultures and people like me who grew up in a non-traditional culture.<\/p>\n

Anyway next time I\u2019ll write about my solutions to all that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As usual, terrific article. When Ta-nehisi describes the indescribable joy of having so much black excellence around, taking over the very highly symbolic White House (built by slaves if you didn\u2019t know), it\u2019s\u2026 It\u2019s something very strong man. Like something that will never not make me weep a bit. As beautiful as it is though, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/har0ld.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2234"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/har0ld.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/har0ld.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/har0ld.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/har0ld.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2234"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/har0ld.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2234\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2235,"href":"http:\/\/har0ld.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2234\/revisions\/2235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/har0ld.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/har0ld.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2234"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/har0ld.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}