Misguided Afrocentrism

[UrbanGal]

In response to the racist assertion that Africa contributed nothing to civilization, an idea known as afrocentrism has developed over the past few decades. While I feel its important that people of African descent are given their due, I think that sometimes we go a little too far. In our quest to repair the self-esteem of our black people, some proponents of afrocentrism belittle other cultures & claim their achievements as their own. I think that truly defeats the purpose & is similar to what the dominant group has done to us. What do you think?

[GOD]

Afrocentrism is misguided period.

[doncalypso]

This thread could have been good if it hadn't be spontaneously aborted, so I'm bringing it back. And before you guys all start complaining about my resurrecting dead threads take the time to read the original post in those threads I have brought back from the dead.

It's time you realize that there are lots of good threads out there that have been forgotten but could spark some serious dialogue going. Maybe we need more forums to be created to categorize these various threads by subject and not lump them all under Just Ole Talk, but they're worth bringing back.

To answer UrbanGal's original post on the subject, I think she's right in that some people may take Afrocentrism too far. I disagree with renegade's comment though because he's basically giving his tacit support to the Eurocentric educational system that is designed to promote white supremacy while stripping black people of all the knowledge of the contributions they made to modern society.

[Zinyia]

I been tellin Admin fuh de longest while we need ah forum for "Serious Talk." Is ah insult to call some ah these things "ole talk" ... and wats worse these things get lost in de true ole talk. :shame:

[A.savage]

^ shush and just post for de thread nah ya can put down de picet sign for once? Damn. I agree with this post don ya did good pon this one. Now please stop.

[doncalypso]

I been tellin Admin fuh de longest while we need ah forum for "Serious Talk." Is ah insult to call some ah these things "ole talk" ... and wats worse these things get lost in de true ole talk. :shame:

Send a Private Message to him then... Also send one to LoveSponge and whoever else is a moderator.

[Picknee]

To answer UrbanGal's original post on the subject, I think she's right in that some people may take Afrocentrism too far. I disagree with renegade's comment though because he's basically giving his tacit support to the Eurocentric educational system that is designed to promote white supremacy while stripping black people of all the knowledge of the contributions they made to modern society.
Very good point. I am not about lies, and its perprtuation(for or against us), howerver Afrocentricism is like any other information exchanging system, you need yah fact checkers. I teach my son when ever I try to teach him about our culture, that just because its said or written, doesn't mean you don't check it out for yourself.



In response to the racist assertion that Africa contributed nothing to civilization, an idea known as afrocentrism has developed over the past few decades. While I feel its important that people of African descent are given their due, I think that sometimes we go a little too far. In our quest to repair the self-esteem of our black people, some proponents of afrocentrism belittle other cultures & claim their achievements as their own. I think that truly defeats the purpose & is similar to what the dominant group has done to us. What do you think?

I agree with your basic principle, but we dont live in a basic world. There was a post by A.Savage in the Moors post that you agreed with. were he basically was saying that this (http://www.caribplanet.com/community/showpost.php?p=620923&postcount=8). Now we can't all be kings and Queens yes, but the idea that all africans are brothers and sisters, can translate to the fact that we are all royal. and if that be the case then we are all kings and queens. I would also add that the damage done to us psychologically didn't legally end till 1954(Brown vs Board of education)(thats just for me its not arbitrary) was 400 years in the making. and a little morale building can't hurt. Our lineage was destroyed, so we are intitled to a little leverageI think....
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[Rory]

Afrocentrism is misguided period.How so? :)

[GOD]

How so? :)
Because I said so.

[tlapartna]

a noted example

[Rory]

Because I said so.:dj:

<embed src=http://wsm.ezsitedesigner.com/share/scrapbook/7/71364/Shurwayne_Winchester_-_Dead_or_Alive.wma>


:)

[Picknee]

How so? :)

You really expected an full explanation.... Nah you didn't....That right there that Ren did is what I call the "No-Prize" bait...

[Brownilus]

lol @ picknee.

i learn a lot in history class. maybe cause my teacher taught out of his head and not from no textbook. and maybe cause i was interested enough to pay attention (talking about us black history class, no jamaican history)...i wonder why so many up here seem to not know anything but martin luther king...given there are professors in college who make this their LIFE work? and books...there are books i didn't even know exist and i have not gotten the names to read them...books that the very afrocentric seem to make it their business to know about...

i think afrocentrism goes too far when it turns into reverse racism. but just shy of that point, is cool. some of us need to be strong for the ones that are not, or the history will shrivel up and be lost in "bling bling".

[Nika_869]

:corn:

[RockCityEyez]

I think "afrocentrism" was originally coined to combat the essence of its adversary. Though I would call myself afrocentric, that's for lack of a better term--I think it's too strong a description since I don't believe that [my] ethnicity is inherently superior to another. To me, NOTHING is wrong with "pride in one's ancestral history/culture". The problem arises when that pride is transformed to bigotry and eventually racism.

[Rory]

You really expected an full explanation.... Nah you didn't....That right there that Ren did is what I call the "No-Prize" bait...lol...i would have liked and appreciated one. i am willing to listen to and learn from anyone; dat is one of de reasons i ask so many questions.


Can someone start a thread about "regular" Afrikan-Centered World View (Afrocentrism) and include some useful references, please. Tanks!


:)

[GOD]

You really expected an full explanation.... Nah you didn't....That right there that Ren did is what I call the "No-Prize" bait...
I was really just too lazy to get into a lengthy explanation.

[Picknee]

I think "afrocentrism" was originally coined to combat the essence of its adversary. Though I would call myself afrocentric, that's for lack of a better term--I think it's too strong a description since I don't believe that [my] ethnicity is inherently superior to another. To me, NOTHING is wrong with "pride in one's ancestral history/culture". The problem arises when that pride is transformed to bigotry and eventually racism.
@ the bold type, then we would have to get into 'can black be considered Rascist' (I think yes, because we can be prosocuted for it, but call it bigotry and those same ppl won't say a thing.). And I agree with you on that point. But telling the truth of the past you will uncover ugliness that was done to us, and we should not be afraid to confront it.

@ The rest: Afrocentricity, true afrocentricity doesn't really preach that ours is better than anyone else(for sake of it being lived by blacks), but it challenges you to focus on your own culture, because that(afrikan culture) is whats best for you, as a black person. It just teaches you about your own In this world of information at our finger tips, and living in a society that isn't focus to fully show us as who we are, afrocentricity was a tool to focus us on our own culture. I (on another site) put up a post asking what other cultures you would like to learn about, and in all honesty there are several very rich cultures out therei would love to immerse my self in for a few months, maybe years.




lol...i would have liked and appreciated one. i am willing to listen to and learn from anyone; dat is one of de reasons i ask so many questions. Good.

Can someone start a thread about "regular" Afrikan-Centered World View (Afrocentrism) and include some useful references, please. Tanks!
Yes You...




I was really just too lazy to get into a lengthy explanation.

Oh... it looked very baity and I wasn't in a mood to bite. cool.

[UrbanGal]

:2eek: Wow, thanks for bringing this one back up DonC. I didn't know what happened to it.

[UrbanGal]

lol @ picknee.

i learn a lot in history class. maybe cause my teacher taught out of his head and not from no textbook. and maybe cause i was interested enough to pay attention (talking about us black history class, no jamaican history)...i wonder why so many up here seem to not know anything but martin luther king...given there are professors in college who make this their LIFE work? and books...there are books i didn't even know exist and i have not gotten the names to read them...books that the very afrocentric seem to make it their business to know about...

i think afrocentrism goes too far when it turns into reverse racism. but just shy of that point, is cool. some of us need to be strong for the ones that are not, or the history will shrivel up and be lost in "bling bling".


90% of the things I know about Black history I learned outside of the K-12 school system. In school here is what we were taught about ourselves:

Africans were brought to the New World to replace Native Americans on plantations.

10-15 million were brought to the New World.

A little about slave revolts(Denmark Vesey, etc).

Famoous runaways -Harriert Tubman, Frederick Douglass, etc

The Civil War and Reconstruction

Jim Crow and Segregation

The Civil Rights Movement-MLK Jr, Rosa Parks

The riots in the late 1960s

That's about it. And learning about the Diaspora-forget it. I remember learning nothing at all about the current state of Africa and the Caribbean.