Why I Moderate the Way I Do

The primary focus of my blog is the empowerment, advancement, and unification of people of color. Sometimes that means discussing beauty, sometimes literature, sometimes history, sometimes sociology, sometimes sexuality, sometimes music. But no matter what it is, my ultimate goal is the strengthening of POC.

So when white people come here and give me their opinions on issues they cannot fully and usually don't want to understand, comment deletion is often imminent. This blog isn't for them. It's not here for their benefit, and 90% of the time, what they have to say doesn't help the cause. Don't get me wrong, a few of them occasionally say something supportive (and they're usually female, quel surprise), but more often than not, white commenters who come here often come for self-serving reasons.

I've noticed, not only in the comments which pass my inspection, but in the really passive aggressive ones which I tend to delete right away, that a lot of white commenters place a lot of emphasis on "agreement."  One Anonymous would-be commenter on my Uhura post bitched, "I bet you delete comments which don't agree with you."  Jas0nburns, another example, kept bringing up the issue of agreement in his comments, some of which made the cut, and some which didn't.  The reason is obvious, of course; commenters like these focus on the issue of expressing opinions, specifically, their opinions.

I said it before and I'll say it once more: Personal opinions don't require logic, experience, understanding, wisdom, or deep thinking of any kind. You don't have to listen to anyone else, see things from another perspective, learn anything at all, or inconvenience yourself in any way when it comes to your opinions.  Thus, someone who knows little to nothing about genetics can still "say something."  Someone who knows little to nothing about sociology can still "say something."  Someone who knows little to nothing about history can still "say something."

Someone who has Absolutely No Clue what it's actually like to be a person of color, or female (or both) in Western society can still "say something."

I get that some white readers come here in hopes of learning something; that's their decision. But the truth is, theirs are not comments I'm ultimately interested in. I grew up in a mostly white environment, and the cold, hard reality is that most white people think the same way; they're conditioned to, and even more importantly, they're conditioned not to see, believe, or challenge their own conditioning.  And they sure as hell don't want to face what exactly it is that they're conditioned to believe.

Naturally, I'm not interested in dealing with all that.  It's not my job and most certainly not my calling.

Here's what interests Moi:

1) The Advancement of People of Color. More than anything, I want to read the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of my fellow people of color. I joined the blogosphere for you, for all of you. As a fervent student of history and sociology, you will never know just how much I love, respect, and empathize with POC all across this globe.  I want to see us rebuild our lands and re-energize our cultures.  For those of us with endangered languages, I want to hear our words carry on.

2) The Advancement of Women of Color. I have a special place in my heart for my brown, yellow, red, and black sisters worldwide. I believe that sexism is perhaps the oldest of the -isms, and while we have come a long way, I still believe we deserve more and have a lot of work to do.

3) Solutions for POC in media. I'm an author and the co-owner of a small, independent press for women of color.  I need my fellow WoC to talk to me.  Tell me what you see in media.  Tell me what you don't see.  Tell me what you want, what you hate, what you hope for.  Show me your talents, let me read your words and hear your voices.  I love you all, and I want to see us grow and flourish together.

4) The Unity of POC.  This is a huge challenge for us;  we have a lot to overcome.  There's bitterness on all sides and some of it is valid.  We need to develop workable solutions, and finger-pointing isn't one of them.  I want to read innovative solutions; I want to hear news of ground-breaking projects here and abroad.

5) Unequivocal Condemnation and Criticism of Mistreatment and Misrepresentation of POC in the West.  I'm not interested in excuses or defensiveness.  For example, when there is an obvious decline in POC representation, a patent absence of positive POC portrayals, and blatant racebending in media, I'm not interested in reading some white commenter's opinion about how whitening Uhura isn't a big deal/a bad thing, or that cultural exploitation/appropriation in film is a form of diversity.

6) Understanding that Difference Matters.  This is a really big one.  I'm not interested in "Why does it matter?" or "It shouldn't matter" comments.  Difference...matters.  Variance is why the universe functions.  The differences in species, terrains, clouds, elements, planetoids, stars - all of it.  If I am different from you, it matters...and it is a good thing.  Let's talk about how we can grow together, not in spite of our differences, but because of them.

So for the white folks looking to argue about race, and want to comment freely and even debate, let me clarify once and for all: this is not the blog for you.  You're better off going over here:

Abagond

Abagond is an exceptional and distinctive blogger.  He covers genetics, music, literature, sociology, anthropology, history - you name it.  He limits his posts to 500 words so he's a short, but informative read.  Along with his inimitable sense of humor, it's often said that Abagond has the patience of a saint.

Field Negro

Field Negro's sarcastic political insight is a consistent joy to read.  He is humorous, eloquent, and very straightforward.  He also has a strict free speech policy on his blog, so literally anything goes.  He doesn't even care if people post as "Anonymous."

BrothaWolf

Formerly known as Blaque Ink, BrothaWolf is a strong, highly observant, and very outspoken blogger.  BrothaWolf takes a candid look at current and historical events, and responds with well-written commentary.  I have high hopes for him.

Godheval

In addition to history, politics, and media analysis, Godheval (or "Heval" for short) is a gamer (avid and proud) whose writing style is fiery and witty.  While he doesn't blog regularly, each new post makes one hell of an impact.

AngryBlackBitch

ABB might be a bit more strict in her comments policy than the aforementioned bloggers, but she can talk politics and current events all day, every day.  And she's absolutely hilarious while she's at it.  She's a very clever writer, with a no-nonsense approach to discussion.

A Black Man's View

I've been meaning to read this blog more consistently, but I've been checking up on blogger Dirty Red off and on for over a year now. He's a laidback, humorous gent, and an insightful old soul.

So there you have it, white readers.  These are just a favored few, and they are each linked to dozens more.  Go play with them, and leave me be.

Now, for the POC in attendance, we need to get back to our regularly scheduled posts that are basically all about us.  Stay tuned.