Insolent NDN

Flawnology = flawed analogy; the majority if not all analogies when it comes to comparing oppressions are flawed and rarely do anything to advance understanding of the issue in any meaningful way. Flawnologies do not build up empathy but they do further marginalize people living at the intersections and into the overlap; flawnologies do rank oppression but in a postmodern speak that focus on individuality of experience at the expense of the community. How many times have I seen that “homophobia is the new racism” or that “being fat now is just like how it used be for Black folks under Jim Crow”? These are blatantly reprehensible and really only deserve a flashing “racism is the new racism stupid” icon.

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My people view at the world in what English language refers to as dualism or binaries. We look for the balance in two opposites and seek to keep that balance. We believe in roles, we believe in callings. We believe that our creators gave us each a song and we are to live in a way that brings harmony to the community. Pre-Columbian historians have written that the Cherokee were more dualistic, more rigid in our roles than other nations surrounding us. Perhaps. Depending on the lens utilized to analyze our traditions, we may appear inflexible, or we may look secure in our lives, roles and callings.

I share the above because I believe it is crucial to understand the a bit of the lens I use to view the world – the template I use to organize my personal narrative so that the following is not set within European terms that may appear similar, but, in fact, are in opposition to my peoples’ traditions because our traditions were not conceived in greed and birthed in colonialism. Cherokee separation of roles is based in mutual respect for the other person’s power – not in fear. The following assertions are based in the same mutual respect; I honor a person’s right to identify as one chooses but I do have thoughts on the process of light-skinned people of color and mixed identity where one may identify as white and ___________ or white with some color down the pike.

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A few weeks ago, I was chatting with a friend about geographical identity. I assert that my primary cultural language is that of a woman of color from the Southeast. I feel most comfortable among that group, and that tends to be my homeplace speak, and everything else is variables of code shifting. Although, I have lived in both the Southeast and the Midwest for most of my life, I know where home is, and I know the bias and misconceptions that most people without color north of Kentucky seems to have about “Southerners.” I want to address this a bit because I think that using the Southeast as the proverbial redheaded stepchild of the country is disconcerting and is based upon stereotypes that allow any person without color not affiliated with the area to puff up in pride that they are somehow supah spechual unique individuals who don’t have a racist bone in their body because they live in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Yes, there is racism in the Southeast.

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