Wednesday, April 22, 2009

For Real... Boycotting Conference on Racism??

Peace Peace, so there is alot going on in the world right now, but one thing I have been following is the UN conference on Racism, and specifically the US boycotting it. The United States and other Western nations have boycotted due to pressure from the Israel lobby AIPAC which is concerned that the conference will come to an anti-Zionist conclusion. In order to understand this we need to be able to understand the difference between Zionism and anti-Sematism. Zionism is support for the political state of Israel and anti-Sematism is racism specifically aimed at Jews. This is important to note because anti-Zionism is often portrayed in the media as being anti-Semetic; when for the most part the stance taken is expressly opposed to the policies of apartheid adhered to by the Israeli government against Palestineans. However this is not the most important observation to make in this situation. It speaks volumes when the US, which just elected its first African American president refuses to partake in a conference addressing racism. After the election of Barack Obama it was heralded as a new day for America, there was constant talk of Dr. Kings dream being realized, and analysis being offered through a post racial lens. Nothing can be more dangerous. Racism is as real now as it ever was, and possible even harder to fight against as it has shifted its form. It is true we no longer have chatel slavery (we have exchanged the physical chains for invisible ones) and yes it is a very big deal that a Black man is now the president of the United States. However we can not be fooled to think that this some how means we live in a post racial world. All one has to do is look at this conference to see that Racism is alive and well. Let me pose a question... What must happen to a Black man to not hold an ounce of solidarity with the Palestineans? The answer Racism has changed its face, it now comes in a lighter shade of brown and prays to Allah. Another question... when will we see that our enemy is not a color but a mindstate? Obama has bought into a vision of America that is a violence to the rest of the world and he can not see his own freedom in the freedom of others. This is not a specific disease to Obama, many suffer from this. It is up to those that can see our futures are tied together to put a stop to the greed and shortsightedness that will lead to the destruction of life. This starts with not playing politics with the lifes of fellow humans and simply attending a conference. Ona Move

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