Head Grabbing Line

I have not posted much in the past few months unless there is grave news or other interesting happenings. This case is one. There have been a number of disturbing post and racially tinge post over at the Ditmas Park blog. Enough so that it warrants a reaction. Giving the history of racial tensions and crimes throughout the history of this country and this neighborhood in particular, one would think that the Ditmas Park blog would be more responsible with what they write. This has not been the case. From its inception they have made a number of insensitive and racially tinge posts. There have been a number of incidences in Ditmas Park, much of which does not warrant the scrutiny giving to it by the Ditmas Park blog. Thus it did not surprise me that when dug a little deeper into the author of the blog, I’ve found an interesting tidbit. Ben Smith is also a blogger for Polico. During the presidential elections he was called out for his posting insinuating that Barack Obama was somehow channeling Malcolm X. See it here. These are not the only instances that this blogger as well as the Ditmas Park blog has been called out for their questionable postings. I’ve been getting death threats, hate mail and all sorts of garbage ever since this blog has been in existence. A couple of post from the ditmas park blog to illustrate this form of race baiting.
1. Black guy who could have been anyone between the ages of 18-35 ties up a young vulnerable white girl in her Victorian house and mugs her. A picture accompanying this post shows a composite of a dark skin man with a mask. So how is it possible to recognize the perpetrator? This could have been anyone. I suspect giving the history of the NYPD and the 70th precinct in particular, this was a poor excuse for racial profiling of black youth in the community. This story has never been substantiated. For all we know this could have been a hoax, but the damage has already been done. Let’s suspect all black youth in the neighborhood as potential criminals.
2. Lesbian feels threaten by cat calls. That’s breaking news. I don’t know of any lesbians who are particular glad men are cat calling them. I suspect what happen in this case was that a bunch of idiots tried to talk to these women. The women more than likely brush them of. One of the guys probably said something stupid. Now it’s all over the Ditmas Park blog as a Hate Crime, with the insinuation that it’s those troubled young black youth again making these white women feel so uncomfortable with their cat calls. Let’s have a meeting and self-defense classes. (gotta love capitalism huh). My two cents is that this was probably a stupid comment made by some stupid kid. But the Ditmas Park blog wants to race bait this as some kind of hate crime. Giving the history and violence throughout the history of this country’s involvement in incidences of young black being kill, lynch, falsely accused of rape and having their lives turn upside down. Shouldn’t the Ditmas Park blog be more sensitive to what they post? What is the ultimate purpose of all this. Are we learning anything from these incidences? Or is this just a ploy to get people riled up, just for the sake of riling them up. These posts on the Ditmas Park will only serve to create more distrust, hatred, racism, people going back to their respective corners, marginalization and could ultimately have more detrimental effects on the heart and soul of an individual who continue to read this type of race baiting, sub-conscious racist blog. I say Sub-conscience racist blog, because as vice-president Jo Biden said once. You can never know what’s in the heart and mind of an individual. After they post their stories they can always fall back on plausible deniability. At the same time, the pattern remains that they will usually be at least one blatant racist comment in the comments section. With one of the moderator Ben Smith or Lina chiming in that such comments will not be tolerated. Well if you don’t want such comments and the pattern has continued throughout your blog. WHY CONTINUE TO POST THESE RACIALLY CHARGED postings on your blog? You can’t question someone’s motives. There is no way to know what’s truly in someone’s heart or mind. We all to some extinct have had bad thoughts or ill will towards people who may have not look, talk or be in the same socio-economic background as us. But within us we also have that great capacity to see the beauty and goodness in our fellow human beings. That capacity to learned and enriched ourselves from different cultures. That needs to be nurtured more and be front-centered. It’s that other-nism that seems to plague this country. As this country, city and neighborhood becomes more diversify, it’s a dangerous idea and it serves no person. These are demons that should be fought in our own thoughts, mind, habits and heart, not nurtured and coddled by a blog looking to grab the next headline. To have a blog that keeps us in this perpetual other-nism. That reminds us of this kind of “they’re not like us” attitude. “Watch out for them.” I may not question the motive behind a blog like that. What I can question is their judgment and lack of sensitivity to those issues.