BLACKFACE: a musing

["loop.pool" <looppool@cruzio.com>]

Andre wrote:

"As an african-american - -I thought we had moved past the ugly concept of
"blackface".
I donšt care if oberheim, korg, or fender is involved.. We must speak 
out!!"


Being a white man,  I realize I can never know how deeply such a comment
would trigger me if I were black
so I think we should proceed with extreme caution and sensitivity with this
subject.

I , personally,  am working towards a world where the ravages of racism,
sexism, aegism will be long forgotten.

But, as Michael Franti of Spearhead said after the depressing anti-war 
rally
in San Francisco that occurred right after the
War in Iraq had started out:   If we think that the cause of a world that 
is
peaceful is a valid concept, then we have to realize that
it will not occur in our lifetime.  That musn't deter us from working hard
as advocates of a peaceful world and a world where mutual
respect and cultural diversity is both promoted and appreciated.  We must 
be
prepared to work hard for our entire lives so that the next
six or seven generations of human beings even have a shot at creating such 
a
world.   Being an eternal optimist (well, usually) I think it is worth
working for.

About the use of Blackface as a description of the newer and unavailable
EDPs,
Personally,   I get really sad when we can't use words like 'gay' and
'blackface' because cultural intolerance has turned those phrases from
literal ones into highly sensitive and hurtful concepts.

How, Andre, would you suggest that we refer to the physical description of
the new EDPs versus the old ones.   My mind is open.

yours, respectfully,   Rick Walker  aka L()()p.p()()L