It Doesn’t Work That Way

The first hint that I was about to come crashing down from my lofty and quite comfortable celebratory clouds was a comment left on a post where I expressed bafflement at the passage of Prop 8. The comment was nothing but a link to the exit polls. I followed the link, and after reading them, even though their was no actual commentary to go along with the link, I suspected that I was supposed to take note that 70% of Black Folks in California voted yes.

[update: I just noticed the email addy of the person who left the comment (something I rarely do, truth be told), and I realized that I know the person who left the comment, and can say that I now don't think there was any ill will in the leaving of said link]

Then, I saw a Tweet from Renee, directed to someone else, talking about people blaming Black Folks and Latin@s for the passage of Prop 8. I hadn’t read any of these accusation myself, but now, I can feel the clouds starting to dissipate right underneath me. Here comes trouble.

Then, I happen to head over to Vivirlatino, and what do I see but a post entitled, More Prop 8 Black and Latin@ Blaming. Then Joan posts this question: “And how do people get from ‘I’m gay and white and I voted for Obama’ to ‘black people owe me because of what I did for them?’”

Now it’s become clear to me that hanging up here in these clouds has made me a little blissfully unaware, and I’m not one to enjoy being blissfully unaware much. These clouds are getting thinner by the minute, but I know that when I land, as much as it will hurt, it will be for the better.

Does it matter to me that 70% of Black Folks in California voted “yes” on Prop 8? Yes, it most certainly does. It pains my heart. I agree with La Macha that Black and Latin@ communities have much work to do with regards queer issues. And I now realize that I should really be doing more myself to help heal these wounds and eradicate these prejudices. I am, nonetheless, equally pained at the notion that anyone is out there voting, or doing any other civic or activist or social justice act with the idea that they will be “owed” by other people. I am equally pained at the ease with which People of Color are so easily scapegoated, as if Prop 8 didn’t also pass with the help of a hella lot of White people as well.

You see, it doesn’t work that way. You vote for, you give aid to, you advocate for other people and causes because it is the right thing to do. If you’re doing it because you expect something in return, your doing it for the wrong reasons. No one wins in this situation because nothing has changed. No fundamental shifting of paradigms has occured. It’s simply, “I’ll throw you a bone if you throw me one back.” And the falling on the convenient (always marginalized, conveniently enough) scapegoat is just plain tired. You see it with Sarah Palin. Everyone is jumping in line to blame her for the Republican loss, and little is being paid attention to the horrific screw ups that McCain made as well. Palin throws “tantrums.” McCain has “anger management issues.” Palin doesn’t know the NAFTA countries, so she’s “ignorant.” McCain doesn’t have a friggin’ clue about economics and admits it, and he just needs a bit of education, is all. McCain doesn’t even know how many houses he owns, and yet it is Palin that is the “shopaholic.”

Now you may be wondering. Am I calling all of you so-called liberal folks out there who are so quick to blame the Blacks and the Latin@s for the passage of Prop 8 just as transparent and disingenuous and full of shit as those slimy republicans. Yes, in fact I am. Here’s a little advice from La Macha:

What this suggests to me is that communities of color have their problems–but largely white organizations seem to not value those communities until the time comes when they need them for their own agendas, and even then not so much.

Yes, it is a two-way street, so let’s leave all this blame-game/you-owe-us stuff behind and get to the actual work of reaching out, coming together, listening to each other, and maybe actually working for all this change that we claim to believe in.