Search Results for: "identity beyond"
Identity beyond boundaries, cont’d: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar comes out of “the locker room ghetto”
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recently turned cultural critic by reviewing the HBO show Girls for the Huffington Post. In a follow-up article titled “Coming Out of the Locker Room Ghetto,” he addresses the naysayers who question his qualifications to do so: There … Continue reading
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On identity beyond ethnicity (and other boundaries), cont’d: Tom Piazza on music, empathy, and the limits of “authenticity”
In an NPR interview, Tom Piazza discusses his collection of essays Devil Sent the Rain: Music and Writing in Desperate America. He points out that country music singer Jimmy Rodgers “crossed a lot of lines that, I think, at that … Continue reading
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On identity beyond ethnicity, cont’d: “I am a Japanese writer”
From Dany Laferrière’s novel I Am a Japanese Writer: The space police help identify you (Where do you come from?). Born in the Caribbean, I automatically became a Caribbean writer. The bookstore, the library and the university rushed to pin … Continue reading
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On identity beyond ethnicity, cont’d: Donald Glover likes white stuff
Actor, comedian, writer, and rapper Donald Glover is insanely and unfairly talented. A daring, subversive, puckish spirit runs through all of his work — whether riffing on racial stereotypes in his standup routine, writing for Tina Fey’s 30 Rock, spitting … Continue reading
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On identity beyond ethnicity, cont’d: “There is no such thing as Asian literature”
Kenan Malik (whose book Strange Fruit: Why Both Sides are Wrong in the Race Debate I am currently reading) continues to challenge the notion of identity bounded by ethnic or geographic categories: What are my five favourite Asian books of … Continue reading
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On identity beyond ethnicity, cont’d: Where multiculturalism goes wrong
I’ve been meaning to link to this article in Eurozine about the flaws and limits of multiculturalism in Europe; it’s interesting to compare and contrast how the debates about diversity, free speech, and equality unfold in America and elsewhere. Science … Continue reading
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On identity beyond ethnicity, cont’d: “Race will not automatically tell you my story”
I’m always interested in other perspectives on race in America, and why it matters (or shouldn’t matter) — because I’m a minority, because I’m in a (very happy) mixed marriage, and because our daughter may confront her own set of … Continue reading
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What do we owe our tribes? On identity beyond ethnicity
I’m a big fan of Neil deGrasse Tyson, and hardly need an excuse to post about him on this blog. Here he is, talking to students at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Maryland and revisiting some of his favorite … Continue reading
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Why stereotypes need to die, cont’d: “Do I look suspicious?”
In the wake of the killing of Trayvon Martin, the men of Howard University have put together a compelling video that challenges racial profiling and reminds us of its lethal consequences: On a related note: In a previous post on … Continue reading
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Miscellany, and an apology for long silence
I’ve been away from this blog recently, trying to devote some more time to fiction writing (but not yet quite comfortable enough to talk about that personal creative process, as I know others do). Working on this blog has been, … Continue reading
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bluejay's way 