Tuesday, April 26, 2005
SWOP homepageBlogosphere Racist?
After looking around the local blogosphere (and seeing how white it is) I did some quick research (google) to see if others have noticed how few people of color are writing blogs.
"Blogging Beyond the White Men's Club," by Steven Levy, senior editor of Newsweek, noted how few women and people of color are on the Top 100 blog list as rated by Technorati when he attended a self-congratulatory conference of the nation's top bloggers.
"It's white people linking to other white people!" exlaimed Haley Suitt, one of the few women at the conference.
A quick browse of the city's newest blog collective - Duke City Fix - seems to confirm Suitt's analysis.
The digital divide can't take all the blame here, especially in a city with such a large population of people of color - particularly Chicana(o)s, Latina(o)s and Native Americans, and smaller Asian and Pacific Islander and African American communities.
From the Levy article:
...at the Harvard conference, Suitt challenged people to each find 10 bloggers who weren't male, white or English-speaking—and link to them. "Don't you think," she says, "that out of 8 million blogs, there could be 50 new voices worth hearing?"
I'd say more than just worth hearing, but rather vital to the debate.
"Blogging Beyond the White Men's Club," by Steven Levy, senior editor of Newsweek, noted how few women and people of color are on the Top 100 blog list as rated by Technorati when he attended a self-congratulatory conference of the nation's top bloggers.
"It's white people linking to other white people!" exlaimed Haley Suitt, one of the few women at the conference.
A quick browse of the city's newest blog collective - Duke City Fix - seems to confirm Suitt's analysis.
The digital divide can't take all the blame here, especially in a city with such a large population of people of color - particularly Chicana(o)s, Latina(o)s and Native Americans, and smaller Asian and Pacific Islander and African American communities.
From the Levy article:
...at the Harvard conference, Suitt challenged people to each find 10 bloggers who weren't male, white or English-speaking—and link to them. "Don't you think," she says, "that out of 8 million blogs, there could be 50 new voices worth hearing?"
I'd say more than just worth hearing, but rather vital to the debate.
Comments:
Links to this post:
<< Home
"Suitt challenged people to each find 10 bloggers who weren't male, white or English-speaking—and link to them."
Karlos-
I absolutely support quotas for institutions that have traditionally discriminated. But, is the blogosphere discriminating? Anyone can start a blog in less than 5 minutes (www.blogger.com). So, would you say that discrimination is stopping someone from blogging? People of all kinds, who are blocked from certain schools or clubs, are free to speak to the entire world -- to share their lives and views with everyone.
Do you really want a link from me solely based on (fill in the characteristic you think makes us the most different from each other)? Are you going to link to me because we're different or because we agree on so much? Or are you going to refuse to link to me because of all the advantages I've had in life (and there have been many)?
In fact, most people find my blogs through google; very few follow a link from another blog. So, people find my blogs by searching for some words or ideas. Perhaps they're interested in me for my mind, not my body.
If two guys are discussing this in English, is it suspect? I'm not mocking you nor am I denying racism plays a role in lots of things. I'm not even saying that the Web isn't full of racism, just as it is full of sexism -- we take this ugly stuff with us everywhere we go. But is the blogosphere racist? I'd like to say "no more than any human activity," but I honestly think it is LESS so. I don't have a clue about the race or gender of many of the bloggers I read. That alone will make it hard to meet Suitt's challenge.
I hope this isn't the end of a dialog. peace, mjh
Karlos-
I absolutely support quotas for institutions that have traditionally discriminated. But, is the blogosphere discriminating? Anyone can start a blog in less than 5 minutes (www.blogger.com). So, would you say that discrimination is stopping someone from blogging? People of all kinds, who are blocked from certain schools or clubs, are free to speak to the entire world -- to share their lives and views with everyone.
Do you really want a link from me solely based on (fill in the characteristic you think makes us the most different from each other)? Are you going to link to me because we're different or because we agree on so much? Or are you going to refuse to link to me because of all the advantages I've had in life (and there have been many)?
In fact, most people find my blogs through google; very few follow a link from another blog. So, people find my blogs by searching for some words or ideas. Perhaps they're interested in me for my mind, not my body.
If two guys are discussing this in English, is it suspect? I'm not mocking you nor am I denying racism plays a role in lots of things. I'm not even saying that the Web isn't full of racism, just as it is full of sexism -- we take this ugly stuff with us everywhere we go. But is the blogosphere racist? I'd like to say "no more than any human activity," but I honestly think it is LESS so. I don't have a clue about the race or gender of many of the bloggers I read. That alone will make it hard to meet Suitt's challenge.
I hope this isn't the end of a dialog. peace, mjh
Duke City Fix claims to have the "inside line" on Albuquerque. That's simply not the case. DCF may have the "inside line" on white, somewhat liberal Albuquerque, but to claim more than that just isn't accurate.
Surely it must disturb you that no person of color blogs for the site or is linked to by the site.
To disregard people of color and women and ignore their active participation in political, social, economic and cultural life – including blogging - is tantamount to depriving the debate of its full potential.
Surely it must disturb you that no person of color blogs for the site or is linked to by the site.
To disregard people of color and women and ignore their active participation in political, social, economic and cultural life – including blogging - is tantamount to depriving the debate of its full potential.
"Surely it must disturb you that no person of color blogs for the site or is linked to by the site."
Yes, it does disturb me. I think that will change over time. As a start up, we may have promised more than we can deliver right now.
At the same time, in no way belittling your observation, I see 11 women and 4 men. Does that disturb you? I suspect most to be in their 30's -- I'm one of two old men. I'm not being glib -- and I don't think I'm being stupid -- in saying that someone doesn't have to be like me to speak to me.
Nevertheless, I hope we'll talk more about this. And I hope we'll see theFix improve in various ways.
peace, mjh
Yes, it does disturb me. I think that will change over time. As a start up, we may have promised more than we can deliver right now.
At the same time, in no way belittling your observation, I see 11 women and 4 men. Does that disturb you? I suspect most to be in their 30's -- I'm one of two old men. I'm not being glib -- and I don't think I'm being stupid -- in saying that someone doesn't have to be like me to speak to me.
Nevertheless, I hope we'll talk more about this. And I hope we'll see theFix improve in various ways.
peace, mjh
Karlos,
It seems to me that lack of representation has something to do more with use of technology or its lack of use that is the problem.
You right in observating that the overwhelming majority of blogs are represented by the dominant culture. However, I think it is because blogging is at the point where it is just coming into its own.
I suspect the people who are not blogging are either unaware of it or, in the case of many Latinos, they are busy attempting to get their piece of the American pie. From what I see, Latinos by and large have bought into the illusory American Dream so this is a time of great transition.
I haven't fully explored the phenomenon but I think it goes something like this; people from 'minority' groups struggle for equality in rights first. Having believed they accomplished that, they seek to assimilate themselves into their society. They accomplish that by copying what they observe from their dominant-culture counterparts. In their struggle to 'keep up with the Jones,' their cultural memories of disenfranchisement and disaffection are the first to go. It becomes every man for himself. Gone, are the idealistic longings for issues like ‘social justice’ and ‘parity’ across-the-board because the trade-off for the American Dream often means lots of work just to have the goodies in life. They are fully committed to the rat race as it were. Thus, the mentality of, 'I've got mine. You go get yours' develops. Most people simply forget and become just plain lazy when it comes to social justice issues.
Not everyone becomes this way however. There are the Karlos Schmieders of the world who cling to their idealism and have not been blinded to issues such as institutionalized racism. To your credit Karlos, you are a man who has devoted his entire life to the social justice causes. You have kept up with technology. Consequently, you avail yourself of the phenomenon of blogging. Owing to your world-view, you are sensitive to issues like under-representation and rightfully lament what you have witnessed all your life; poor people and more specifically, people of color for the most part are once again missing from the table.
In my opinion (and this is only my opinion) two realities exist; poor people do not have equal access to technology because they are struggling just to survive. They do not enjoy the luxury of sitting at a computer because their focus of concern is having their primary needs met. Their world is one of struggle merely to survive. They are not disencumbered enough to enjoy the luxury of engaging in dialogue about social injustice. They are involved in an all out struggle to meet their basic needs. The second reality, I already referred to above. People who have spent generations longing to reach the table are unwilling to give up what they have so they are obsessively filling their plates to satiate a hunger of memories. Having reached their particular social or economic apex, they are unwilling to relinquish what they have struggled to acquire at such great personal sacrifice.
So the notion of 'divide and conquer' is revisited in that people at the 'top' of the social heap tend to forget people sharing the same cultural/gender/economic stripe at the bottom. Thus, they make no effort to keep up with what is happening in the long since forgotten 'struggle.' Of those who have ‘made it,’ the vast majority end up in the middle class where entertainment comes in the form of television for the most part. At day's end, they return home to 'veg' out in front of the boob-tube, too drained to do any deep thinking because tomorrow is only a few hours away. These folks are entertained by sit-coms or educational programs or sports channels or cable news that even does the thinking for them! It is no wonder that the dumbing down, numbing effect of ‘entertainment’ is as seductive as it is. You don’t have to do anything but sit there and watch. In a world where one is concerned with meeting deadlines and making future payments for current ‘necessities’ such as homes, cars, amenities, tuition etc, can be so depressing, how the hell is there time for social justice?
For those who spent generations being shit on, all they want to do is forget it. People like Schmieder can’t. I share his plight.
Post a Comment
It seems to me that lack of representation has something to do more with use of technology or its lack of use that is the problem.
You right in observating that the overwhelming majority of blogs are represented by the dominant culture. However, I think it is because blogging is at the point where it is just coming into its own.
I suspect the people who are not blogging are either unaware of it or, in the case of many Latinos, they are busy attempting to get their piece of the American pie. From what I see, Latinos by and large have bought into the illusory American Dream so this is a time of great transition.
I haven't fully explored the phenomenon but I think it goes something like this; people from 'minority' groups struggle for equality in rights first. Having believed they accomplished that, they seek to assimilate themselves into their society. They accomplish that by copying what they observe from their dominant-culture counterparts. In their struggle to 'keep up with the Jones,' their cultural memories of disenfranchisement and disaffection are the first to go. It becomes every man for himself. Gone, are the idealistic longings for issues like ‘social justice’ and ‘parity’ across-the-board because the trade-off for the American Dream often means lots of work just to have the goodies in life. They are fully committed to the rat race as it were. Thus, the mentality of, 'I've got mine. You go get yours' develops. Most people simply forget and become just plain lazy when it comes to social justice issues.
Not everyone becomes this way however. There are the Karlos Schmieders of the world who cling to their idealism and have not been blinded to issues such as institutionalized racism. To your credit Karlos, you are a man who has devoted his entire life to the social justice causes. You have kept up with technology. Consequently, you avail yourself of the phenomenon of blogging. Owing to your world-view, you are sensitive to issues like under-representation and rightfully lament what you have witnessed all your life; poor people and more specifically, people of color for the most part are once again missing from the table.
In my opinion (and this is only my opinion) two realities exist; poor people do not have equal access to technology because they are struggling just to survive. They do not enjoy the luxury of sitting at a computer because their focus of concern is having their primary needs met. Their world is one of struggle merely to survive. They are not disencumbered enough to enjoy the luxury of engaging in dialogue about social injustice. They are involved in an all out struggle to meet their basic needs. The second reality, I already referred to above. People who have spent generations longing to reach the table are unwilling to give up what they have so they are obsessively filling their plates to satiate a hunger of memories. Having reached their particular social or economic apex, they are unwilling to relinquish what they have struggled to acquire at such great personal sacrifice.
So the notion of 'divide and conquer' is revisited in that people at the 'top' of the social heap tend to forget people sharing the same cultural/gender/economic stripe at the bottom. Thus, they make no effort to keep up with what is happening in the long since forgotten 'struggle.' Of those who have ‘made it,’ the vast majority end up in the middle class where entertainment comes in the form of television for the most part. At day's end, they return home to 'veg' out in front of the boob-tube, too drained to do any deep thinking because tomorrow is only a few hours away. These folks are entertained by sit-coms or educational programs or sports channels or cable news that even does the thinking for them! It is no wonder that the dumbing down, numbing effect of ‘entertainment’ is as seductive as it is. You don’t have to do anything but sit there and watch. In a world where one is concerned with meeting deadlines and making future payments for current ‘necessities’ such as homes, cars, amenities, tuition etc, can be so depressing, how the hell is there time for social justice?
For those who spent generations being shit on, all they want to do is forget it. People like Schmieder can’t. I share his plight.
Links to this post:
<< Home
