Selective Presbycusis - Schools want to educated themselves

I was happy when one of my sons approached me to buy him a book. I usually make sure that I keep them reading, which I believe is better than playing computer games. He finished the Harry Potter and Hunger Games series, etc., and I was looking for the next challenge he would take, and the fact that it seems to be recommended by his school came to me as a surprise. I brought the book for him on Amazon, listened to my audio version, and hoped to beat him to the end. But the title seemed provocative, which makes me think, "what were they are actually teaching him at the school?" - fearing that it might be some socialism ultra far-left liberal thing. Especially knowing that our educational institutions are often filled with liberal elites who are progressive, and they might want to politicize the children. I did not want to bring up a mini Black Panther recruit under my roof and facilitated his induction by supplying reading materials. But later, going through its preface, which contained the blog that started the author on her way to the book, all my fears were laid to rest. The author described a state of emotional disconnect she observed when she discussed race with white people. She could no longer cope with the "bewilderment and the defensiveness". She could no longer cope with the "glaring lack of understanding or empathy", and she felt emotionally drained as she felt the balance was far set in their favour. The author claimed that she controls herself by stopping any further conversations. But after sending her blog, she had numerous responses, from black people who said that she put their feelings in words and white people who said they were embarrassed about the situation and begged her not to stop talking to them. And she wrote the book to educate both white and black on the historical precedents of our current situation, and she reassured her readers she would continue talking about race. She speaks specifically about Britain's relationship with race which is unique from the US's civil rights movement. Being its colonial past and slave history. This history seems to surround us in buildings, statues, institutions, churches, etc. it's a dark stain from the past which affects everything around us. You just have to know where to look.

 

Reni Eddo-Lodge

She is an award-winning journalist, author, and podcaster, born and raised in London by a Nigerian mother. She still lives in London, and describes herself as a feminist activist and has a blog, an outlet for her political thoughts. Reni Eddo-Lodge  (born on the 25th of September 1989) is a British journalist and author, whose writes on issues related to feminism and exposing structural racism. She has written for various publications, including The Independent, The New York Times, The Guardian,  The Daily Telegraph, BuzzFeed, Vice, i-D,  The Voice and Dazed & Confused. She has made numerous TV appearances and spoke on the radio on the issues of race and feminism. She was brought up in the London of Borough of Haringey and experienced how councils had restricted spending in certain areas designated as poor areas and diverted to affluent areas. Hence facilities, schools, health services, etc., can vary in the same council but in different areas and "white flight" from poorer areas to more affluent areas.

Unlike in the USA, Black History Month in Britain was started in 1987 by Linda Bellos of South London Lambeth's Council to celebrate black contributions to Britain. The idea was put to her by Ansel Wong, Chief Officer of the Strategic Policy Unit's race equality. This is quite different from the US Black Month History, celebrated in February, while the UK's Black History Month is in October. It is now more to do with fashion and food, involving other non-white ethnicities. The political issues that it had started with have now been taken backstage. The struggle of the blacks in the UK from Elizabethian times their role in building up the Empire their role in the World Wars has been Whitebrushed and replaced by a different narrative.

Reni feels that the White feminists are fighting a different battle to their Black sisters, which she believes has a white-centric perspective. She believed that the burden fell on her to explain why feminism was so divided during a radio program. She stated that feminism was not exempt from white privilege as other society regimes. The backlash afterwards was hurtful to her as feminism was her first love and made her "become a more critical, confident woman and in turn, was helping" her "come to terms with" her "blackness". She has been afraid to be labelled an "angry black woman", which she believes has been used to control women by others, especially men. Reni believes that women are fighting for equality but in different frames, while Black Feminism while seen as disruptive and decisive, which upset the polite and palatable white feminism.

The author claims that white privilege is subtle, and many white people are unaware of it. They believe that they are working, if not harder, than their black colleagues. Many white believe that they are not placed in any particular position of advantage since they believe that they have worked very hard for their lot in life and are unaware of the suffering and pains of their black friends. They see many black people in prisons, arrested, forced mental health comparisons treatment, etc. This can be easily be put down to their aggressiveness and culture. But a typical white person is totally unaware of such and is hurt by such insinuation and believes that it is an attack on white people. Reni said she stopped talking to white people mainly because of white privilege.  

The author believes that some white fear that the whites will become a minority in their own country. Based on the population dynamics, Professor David Coleman from the University of Oxford predicted that by 2066 in the White British will be a minority in the UK. From Enoch Powell, a Conservative MP, speech "rivers of blood", which indicated the fear of immigration and his speech made in April 1968, he said, "In this country, in 15 or 20 years the black man will have the whip hand over the white man". The Brexit vote and phase "take back our own country" seems to be related to the widespread fear of a "Black Planet", where the minorities would be the dominant "race." 

Unfortunately, as a Black man in the UK, I see it differently, although I can understand where she is coming from. I tried my best to do justice to the book and see it from her perspective. But as I tried as a Black man who has spent some years in Nigeria, I understood where she was coming from and can empathize with her. The Red Pill by Cassie Jate paints a different picture of White feminism, which I agree with Remi here are fighting a different battle from their Black sisters. But while living in Nigeria, I was acutely aware of the effect of tribalism, and in a way. I see what different people can do to those of another group. Research has shown that more differences in each race are more than between races. And that race is actually a social construct. I have seen the effect of the quota system in Nigeria, which was supposed to help the Northerners meet up to the Southerners, and how it has been abused and corrupted. The gap has been ever-widening, and the bitterness increased. Although they have corrupted and politicized the quota system as we know, it has been used successfully in other countries. But I understood why Reni decided no longer to speak to white people about race.