Politics
Commentating: BBC News
On November 6th, I appeared live from New York on BBC News talking about Obama’s win. Other topics in the discussion included Obama’s influence on black people as a role model and whether or not the UK will have a black Prime Minister anytime soon.
Sarah Palin’s Speech…
What to make of Sarah Palin’s speech?
Well, you know, it wasn’t badly delivered… but it doesn’t take a genius to read from an auto-cue. Ok, so she attacked Obama, talked about McCain being a POW (a lot) and then attacked Obama again. Oh, and she talked about her family.
She was combative, sarcastic, snarling (I didn’t [...]
What is the “race card”?
John McCain’s camp accused Barack Obama of “playing the race card”. Now, bloggers, journalists and ordinary folk are asking if Obama has indeed played the race card.
My first question is what the hell is the race card? What does it actually mean? What is the true definition of that phrase?
According to Wikipedia “Playing the race [...]
Race: White Privilege, Black Disadvantage
In a recent article - “Saying Sorry For Slavery Isn’t Enough” - that I wrote for the Guardian about the US House of Representatives’ apology for slavery, one of the readers made a comment to the effect that he/she is white and is sick of hearing about race.
This type of comment is one that particularly [...]
Obama & The Rest Of The World
If the rest of the world could vote in the American elections, Barack Obama would certainly win. The adulation that he was greeted with on his tour of Europe, the Middle East, Iraq and Afghanistan show as much. Obama symbolizes a great deal to a world fed up with President Bush.
Americans, however, seem not to [...]
Satire or Stupidity?
The New Yorker magazine has come under intense fire for publishing this cartoon of a turban-wearing Barack and a militant, afro-toting Michelle.
On first view, I can see why. Without understanding its context, it is easy to see this as a cartoon that seeks only to confirm all of the worst rumours about Barack Obama and [...]
Transcending Race - Don’t Talk Nonsense!
[Taken from a blog post written in February 2008]
The notions of ‘transcending race’ and ‘post-racial politics’ are not only nonsensical but rather troubling. Although people use the terms as though they are a cause for celebration, when you read between the lines you find that they actually carry with them inherently racist ideas.
Here’s why…
1) The dictionary definition of [...]
Obama Wins Democratic Nomination - what next?
I’m proud to be here in America during this historic election period. Well done to Barack Obama for running an excellent campaign so far and for becoming the first ever African American Democratic nominee…Not many black people thought they’d see this in their lifetime.
So what’s next? A year ago, the media and even most voters had [...]
Monkeys & Black People
A couple of weeks ago a (white) friend of mine asked me if, as a black woman, I’d be offended if he used ‘gorilla’ as a term of endearment towards me. I said I most probably would be. He was surprised. He said that he had, intending to be friendly, called one of his black friends “gorilla” and she was [...]
Obama vs the media
I had a piece published today regarding Obama, Jeremiah Wright and how the media has shaped the whole story… Here is the link to it: http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/lola_adesioye/2008/05/obama_versus_the_media.html
I’m not necessarily pro-Obama and I’m not necessarily pro-Wright. I just find it rather interesting to see how powerful the media vehicle is when it comes to influencing - and [...]