culture – out of the white nest

Racism Bingo – ATLANTA Edition

I’m pleased to watch Black television shows with no Good White People. I admit that when I was younger, I looked really hard for that representative Good White Person. I needed that confirmation that Black people didn’t think as badly of White people as I did; that we weren’t all terrible; that we could maybe be friends. Of course I still want that in life, but now I really appreciate it when White people are nonentities in Black shows. I love the apparent absence of serious pressure to showcase a Good White Person, and no compulsion by Black creators to add them.

by Zee Bee

Perfection & Capitalism (Perfection, pt 3)

Capitalism, in fact, thrives on the pursuit of an ever-changing idea of perfection. It thrives on pursuit in general, and the greater the pursuit, the greater the consumption – of time, of energy, and of course, of resources. And perfection is the ultimate pursuit. It keeps us focused on the future and unconscious in the present, missing who we actually are and what is actually happening in the desire for what we FOMO on.

by Zee Bee

Perfection & the Great Chain of Being (Perfection, pt 2)

When we rank the superiority of life forms on a human-determined, essentially arbitrary, arrogantly immutable hierarchy, we are necessarily isolating entire species. That does not leave space for mutuality or co-evolution, or collaboration or interconnection, all relationships that we know not only exist, but are essential for the sustainability of life.

by Zee Bee

Kill the Patriarchy, Save the World?

Narrow movements – women’s rights, gay rights, Black rights – always fail on some level. Because if you are choosing to prioritize one cause, you are necessarily prioritizing one population in that cause, and relegating others to another category – one that is beyond your capacity to help if your focus is elevating a particular group, rather than bringing down the oppressor. Alternative? Smash the patriarchy!

by Zee Bee

Who Voted For Trump?

Rich people who don’t want to pay taxes; Single issue “pro-life” voters; Lifelong Republicans whose identity is tied into party affiliation; Frightened people. Most Americans agree with Democratic policies, so Republicans earn their votes with a steady dose of “scary stories and threats.”

by Zee Bee

Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Albums & White Supremacy

Hi, friends. The video just isn’t working on this site. If you’d like to watch it, you can check out the Out of the White Nest page on Facebook. (Yes, Facebook; I can’t get rid of it quite yet)

by Zee Bee

“I have no culture. I’m like, vaguely European.”

As far as I was concerned, and as far as I understood culture, I had none. Culture to me was Black churches and Mexican food and the Italian family in Moonstruck, who yelled and drank together and played opera and plinked sugar cubes in their champagne flutes. Culture was delicious and fun and noticeable.

by Zee Bee

Racism in Minnesota

We have to stop lying about Minnesota. “Our” success is almost exclusively White. When we fail to acknowledge that our state reliably churns out some of the worst racial disparities in health, education, employment, and wealth, we are dehumanizing People of Color.

by Zee Bee

Minnesota White

Originally posted on clawing my way to enlightenment:
Last night was the last night of our 6 month, once-a-month, Unpacking Whiteness exploration at the Zen Center. I honestly got more out of it than I thought I would, and when we went around the circle to give a brief comment on our reaction to the…