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Stephgirl
Regular Poster
Username: Stephgirl
Post Number: 44
Registered: 09-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 12:27 pm: | 
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Race Matters. Black Sexuality: the Taboo Subject (Cornel West).
Americans are obsessed with sex and fear of black sexuality.
The obsession is motivated by the search for stimulation and meaning in a fast paced, market-driven culture. The fear is grounded in visceral feelings about black bodies and fueled by sexual myths of
black women and men.
According to these myths, the blacks are viewed as either having sexual power over whites or as harmless. Even if the number of white Americans to interact sexually on an equal basis with black
Americans is increasing, the fundamental challenge of human interaction remains unmet. Demythologizing of black sexuality is connected with devaluation of black people.Slavery, institutionalized terrorism (segregation), lynching, etc., were aimed to devaluating
black people and install white supremacy. Thus, white supremacy ideology is based on
the degradation of black bodies to control them through fear. Demythologizing is
necessary
because the self-inflicted hatred and self-contempt cause many black Americans to love
their own bodies. Acceptance and reevaluation of the black beauty and value.This gradual process took place in black social spaces (churches, mosques, schools, fraternities and sororities) and not only affirmed black humanity by supporting damaged black egos but also preserved their sanity. With other words these settings
provided opportunities for black love to stay alive. One exception: black institutions refused
to engage a fundamental issue- black sexuality. Reasons: black institutions put a premium on black survival in America. A Faustian pact
was made and that assured black survival on the margins of American society. Social scientists have long acknowledged that interracial sex and marriage is the most
perceived source of white fear of black people. Fear is weakness and white fear of black
sexuality is a basic ingredient of white racism. Black sexuality is a taboo subject because it is a form of black power over which whites have
little control. On one hand, black sexuality among blacks does not include whites and on the
other hand, black sexuality between whites and blacks is founded on ground desire. This
reason is very often ignored, dismissed or denied by Americans in public and laws have little
control over it. Thus, this taboo issue is rather a compromise having as purpose silencing
talk about black power over whites. Black male sexuality differs from black female sexuality because the black male has different
self-images and strategies of acquiring power in the patriarchal structures of white America
and black communities. Due to a society obsessed by sex and also to the Afro-
Americanization process of white youth, the black male is viewed as desirable sexual partner
versus female. Power is acquired by most young black by stylizing their bodies in such way to reflect their
uniqueness and provide fear in others. This is a form of self-identification, resistance in a
hostile white culture and maybe the reflection of a defensive system. Reflection of the major stylistic option which is machismo-identity is a cause for most black
gays to be marginalized in a white America and penalized in black America. The status of the black lesbians is even more dramatic. One reason is the degradation of
black female heterosexuality and mainly lower economic status. Consequences of challenging the taboo subject will result in sterile acknowledge and tragic
psychocultural facts of American life (AIDS is one aspect). Hearing Voices: Unearthing Evidence of Homosexuality in Precolonial Africa (Cary Alan
Johnson)
Interpretation of an Akan maxim: Everyone has the right to pursue their unique destiny, and no
one is a lesser person.
African scholars have asserted that homosexuality is a Western phenomenon and not an
indigenous element of African culture. The purpose of this article: 1-male homosexuality has long existed within African culture
(not imported but rooted in traditional African social patterns) and 2-male homosexuality and
bisexuality have been viewed as acceptable sexual alternatives. Knowledge of homosexual tradition in African cultures is limited by the lack of material but
oral history and written documentation (mainly European and American) account it. Metraux have stated that lesbian behavior in Africa was abnormal but accepted and tolerated
on Easter Island (Blackwood,1986). Judith Gay noticed in a study of sexual play among girls and young women in Lesotho that
these relations stress privacy because of the fear of being stigmatized by outsiders
(Blackwood, 1986). Among Sebei culture, homosexual behavior was considered sokoran (illegal taboo), but
made no effort to deny transvestitism . Male homosexual behavior in Africa is divided as follow:1-Type 1: between adults and youths (initiatory)
2-Type 2: between men and biological males who have ``female`` or ``feminine`` male status
3-Type 3: between men of different races or classes
4-Type 4: between mean of equal age, status and class. ◊ Male-wives/ by-wivesInstitutionalized intergenerational sexual contact among men is as old as civilization itself
and was documented by Greek, Chinese and Byzantine materials. Type 1 behavior is typical to Zande, Swahili, Arab/Bantu and Siwi cultures where men and
boys participated into this alliances with family approval. Boy-wives were eventually
married to women , their former husband paying the bride price. Type 2 behavior was common among the Bara, Bitsileo and Tanala of Madagascar and
transvestitism was usual. Marriage to men provided instant status and an acceptable in the community for the
homosexual male.◊ Priests, Witches, and Mediums: Spirituality and the African HomosexualIn Southern Africa and Uganda, spirit mediums were women and most of men who
experienced possession and joined the cults evidenced homosexual orientation. Possessed males dressed as women, often spoke in high-pitched tones and reported dreams that were
homosexual in nature. Membership in a spirit cult or recognition as a skilled medium was a
route to social empowerment for men who couldn`t or wouldn`t follow traditional avenues
for marriage or fathering. In Tanzania and Zambia homosexual relations between boys and between boys and men were considered accepted behavior and forcing one against will in such relation was
witchcraft. In Nigeria, homosexuality is cult-oriented and is making millionaires out of those who
belong to it. ◊ Homosexuality and Language in AfricaMost African cultures use words that Western linguists found equivalent as ``homosexual``.
These words indicate some androgyny characteristics.In Ghana, were homosexuality was familiar, there are three principles: okra (life principle),
mogya (blood principle) and sunsum (personality principle). Sunsum is not an entity but a
manner of being. A``light`` sunsum characterizes a female and ``heavy`` sunsum is referred
to as a female man. Similarly, males with ``light`` sunsum are the cowards, sexual deviants,
retarded mentally are male woman.In Lango, Nilotic agricultural people, homosexual transvestites are referred as impotents
ans is believed that they adopted these roles out of necessity. ◊ Same-sex environmentTraditional African systems did not have facilities for detention but the modern Africa has. These are same sex environment and consensual sex between males, homosexual prostitution
and rape are common. Homosexual liaisons occur in South Africa mine camps (type 1 and
2). These relations are quite common and predicated on grounds that ``mature men with
authority
are entitled to regular sexual activity
`` (Moddie 1989,124). These camps
provide an environment in which men with homosexual behavior are able to express hidden
desires. Age-group segregation reflects type 4 behavior. ◊ ``In the Life``: The Emergency of an African Gay CommunityModern Western assumptions of homosexual lifestyles are antithetical to traditional African values. The views of African leaders are slowly beginning to reflect changing attitudes toward homosexuality. The application for UN Economic and Social Committee consultative status
submitted in1991 by the International Lesbian and Gay Association was unsuccessful but
was supported by Ethiopia and Lesotho. Men and women known to engage in homosexual behavior face significant prejudice in
Africa. Most Safrican nations have laws that prohibit sexual contact between men. In the last 10 years, bars frequented by African male homo/ bisexuals have existed in
Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Lagos, Nigeria, Nairobi. In North Africa, ``hammams`` or
bathhouses serve as meeting grounds for homosexual and bisexual men.
Gay and lesbian organizations are currently functioning in Ghana, Zimbabwe and South
Africa. A pivotal role is played by the foreign gays, particularly Europeans and North Americans.The homes of Europeans serve as headquarters for homosexual nexus. Type 3 behavior emerged to service the appetite of an expatriate homosexual elite and the burgeoning tourist
trade. However, homosexuality remains heavily stigmatized and those who adhere to it lead
secretive lives. |
Schakspir
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Schakspir
Post Number: 247
Registered: 12-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 12:44 pm: |
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Cornel West is bringing up a subject that has been brought up before AD NAUSEUM, and usually far more eloquently. Example: Sex and Racism in America, by Calvin Hernton(1964). Prof. West is totally unoriginal. |
Zuriburi
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Zuriburi
Post Number: 108
Registered: 11-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 01:26 pm: |
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I have always thought that those Black scholars that tried to deny the existence of homosexuality in Africa lacked a level of academic/personal intergrity.
It is so absurd to suggest that even though homosexuality, bisexuality, and hemerphradites (visual proof of sexual disuniformity among people)
have been and are found all races of humans, Africans (the oldest type of human) would be different.
Very educational read. Thanks. |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 1957
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 01:32 pm: |
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As Cornel is wont to do he comes up with no practical ways in which to accomplish the "Demythologizing of Black Sexuality" (Cornel never met a seven syllable word he didn't like) but he is a philosopher and practicality ain't his bag...how do you accomplish such in a society where all sexuality is in some way mythologized?
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Libralind2
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Libralind2
Post Number: 336
Registered: 09-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 07:26 pm: |
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I know this. WE as a people better do something about the way to discuss sex with children. Im not talking teens but 5-8 yr olds. They are being sexually molested at home, at school and at the day care. if you think Im making this up, check your local police reports. WE have to let them know it is NOT appropriate for another 5-8 yr old to touch them (let alone an adult), pretend to have sex OR to ask for oral. YES this is happening in record numbers.
LiLi |
Yukio
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Yukio
Post Number: 1195
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 07:31 pm: |
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stephgirl:
When was this essay or article published?
Schakspir: What was the thesis of Hernton's book? Did it address issues relevant to the 1960s, for example, or was it a generic treatise? |
Tonya
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Tonya
Post Number: 2120
Registered: 07-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 07:55 pm: |
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His book Race Matters was written about ten years ago so it could be a little outdated. Still, Cornel West strikes as a person simply at awe with having his opinions applauded and nothing deeper than that. I think he romaticizes the roles of men like king and Socretes (sp) and imagine himself being viewed in similar ways. He doesn't strike me as one who is serious about race itself. And, unless I'm mistaken, he's also a religious philosopher, so any kind of sexual politics might be a bit of a stretch for him. To me, the most informative book about Black Sexuality is Black Sexual Politics by Patricia H. Collins. She is very methodical and enlightening with her coverage. If you like being up to date, it's one of those books you'd wanna read twice, just to absorb every iota of the information she provides. |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 4241
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 05:41 pm: |
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The garrulous Cornel West could've saved himself some time if he had simply summed up in 2 words the black sexuality dynamic as it relates to white people. "Forbidden Fruit." |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 4242
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 05:41 pm: |
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Hi Yukio! |
Yukio
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Yukio
Post Number: 1196
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 08:09 pm: |
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Hi Cynique!
Thank you, Tonya. |
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