Is black feminism different from regular (shitty) feminism?

[LJ_Reloaded]

Sure seems like it.

http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2011/08/hating-men-solves-nothing/

When I read the comments from women on this site and others, I am hurt at times to see how vehement the hatred towards our men can be, just as I am disheartened at the number of Black men who come to Clutch with the sole intent of telling us how sisters ain’t sh*t and that they’d rather have anything but us. As a woman warrior, I am compelled today to address the former alone, as we have come for the men many, many times. In the midst of our fight, we have to be self-reflective and we have to be willing to engage the ways in which we may also be contributing to what’s wrong between Black men and Black women.

One of the main aims of feminism/womanism and any other anti-sexist school of thought or action is to eradicate misogyny– the hatred/belief in the inherent inferiority of women. When one recognizes that she is hated and oppressed, its easy to respond with feelings of hatred of her own. I have hatred, too. I hate oppression. I hate suffering. I hate the global rape culture, the cultural devaluing of the Black female body and mind. But I do not hate men for being men. When you cannot make the distinction between allies (men who wish to support the struggles of women in a genuine way), willing participants in our opression (the sexism deniers and those who cry for foolish concepts like ‘masculism’), and those who are truly unaware of their complicity in the global abuse of womanhood…when you cannot see past the pain of patriarchal oppression to see that there are men who we should be proud to call our brothers, even if they aren’t feminist-identified…there is a problem.

Sure, there’s gonna be brothers who don’t know how to act, who think White women are a gift from God, who wouldn’t know to respect their mothers/sisters/lovers if they were provided with an instruction sheet. But if we allow those men who represent the lowest common denominator of our people to become the image that we identify to be the “real” Black man of our community, then we are no better than the racists who pitted us against each other in the first place.

To want more from Black men, you have to be willing to offer more. You have to explore and examine your own scars and look to find ways to heal together. You can’t say “I got cheated on. All Black men ain’t sh*t” or “My child’s father left me. Black men leave their kids.” We have to work on improving individual accountability for the greater good of the group without allowing the worst to be the image of the whole. You also can’t let romantic relationships (or lack thereof) be the only metric by which you judge the men of our race. Lovers should not be the only Black men who occupy space in your life. Even if your relationship with your dad is strained or non-existent, you can seek out teachers, mentors, platonic friends and others to provide you the space to have important relationships with men.

 

[LJ_Reloaded]

More good news from the black feminist world:
http://blackgirlnerds.com/the-awkward-black-boy-nerd-and-why-he-deserves-a-chance-2/

The Awkward, Black Boy Nerd and Why He Deserves a Chance

The awkward, Black Boy Nerd is a rare creature; he isn’t the epitome of masculinity, especially the hyper-masculine Thug of the 90s. He’s considerate, sweet and romantic. He holds your hand during a movie. He probably doesn’t have tattoos or has been in a fight; he laughs at nerdy things, and he’s confident in his intellect and abilities. Is he perfect? No—especially if he’s dated girls who didn’t appreciate him. But ultimately I think he’s more willing to take a chance on something meaningful instead of the Thug/Bad Boy type who manages to elude commitment.

The more I embraced being a Black Girl Nerd, the more I discovered I wanted a Black Boy Nerd of my own. I was tired of the dark, brooding, emotional terrorism of the Thug. I rethought my archaic ideals surrounding masculinity, which helped me to embrace the type of guy that worked for me, not against me. I’m not saying Black Boy Nerds can’t hurt us, but I do think they’re worth getting to know. In addition, I understand we all have a “type” and that we’re comfortable submitting to our romantic wiring, but I believe we can benefit from taking on alternative perspectives and questioning our ideals. This includes awkward, Black Boy Nerds who feel they can only find viable romantic relationships with White women.

By re-examining my stance on masculinity and what I’m “attracted” to, I’m able to appreciate the uniqueness of the Black Boy Nerd. Here’s someone I can be myself with; I can nerd-out on Game of Thrones and Harry Potter. I can snort when I laugh, or freak out over traffic; we can spend the evening inside watching documentaries on Netflix or explore a quiet bookstore downtown. Instead of mysterious and laconic, he’s nervous and available—and to me, it’s adorable.

Awkward, Black Boy Nerds give us the freedom to walk in our authenticity and we do the same for them. Here, our quirks and peccadillos are appreciated, not judged. As a BGN who was definitely addicted to the Thug/Bad Boy, it’s refreshing to experience another side of dating—one with sweet available guys who are interested in getting to know me instead of wasting my time. Yes, he may be awkward but I’ll let you in on a little secret—so am I.

And speaking of putting words to action:
This was trending earlier today on Twitter: #BlackGuyNerds
https://66.media.tumblr.com/82e928a8e3005c26f01efb2c5dfbf08b/tumblr_inline_o8vlrodN1E1ri344e_540.jpg

and even Jet Magazine has at least temporarily offered out a seat at the table of African American community acceptance for black guy nerds.

http://www.jetmag.com/entertainment/black-guy-nerds-twitter/

Any minute now, #BlackGuyNerds will become a thing. Twitter has that kind of power.

The soon-to-be popular tag fell upon Twitter timelines from the mind of Jamie Broadnax, who tweets under the handle, @BlackGirlNerds, an online community dedicated to representing the “nerdiness” among Black women.

Black feminism has its hatemongering elements, but unlike mainstream feminism, it also has a healthy helping of this, too.