Disappeared News

mahalo larry for linking this up. i have met many courageous women but none so articulate and insightful than ms rose. her work with the KKCR 'community' is more than provocative and progressive. it is a hard message to hear and a hard conversation to have but if we can 'listen to understand and not to react' we may learn some valuable and important stuff. it is a shame that KKCR has banned her from it's airways.
 

I have never met Katy Rose but I am impressed by her writing and wish I could have heard her on the radio.

We need to hear and read more. And from others, too. Over here on Oahu there are plenty of folks ready to stomp on messages like hers. We have a long way to go.
 

from Andy Parx (posted at Kaua`i Eclectic originally)

Charlie,

People conflate racISM with race bias. I can dislike you because you are Filipino, Japanese or Haole. That is race bias. But when there is a privileged race that oppresses a under or non-privileged race and uses that privilege to perpetuate their privilege to the detriment of the others, that is racISM.

I used to be confused when people said “oh, she can’t be a racist- she’s black”. But I was conflating the terminology of race bias with racism. Race bias is illegal. But racism isn’t and is much more insidious. It has to be judged by the fruits of it.

If someone hates people who are bald that is different than living in a society where hairy people get all the jobs and routinely oppress bald people who earn less money, go to worse schools and live in a worse places and are viewed as suspicious by the cops because they are bald. The former have a bias against bald people. the latter would be practicing hairISM.

To say, like Dave Gerow said on KKCR last Thursday, “there’s not a racist bone in anyone’s body at KKCR” misses the point and confuses the definitions. I don’t doubt that Dave personally doesn’t dislike Hawaiians or Jews or blacks. But he does perpetuate a system at KKCR where being white is a privilege and that has routinely been used to silence the voice of at least one specific Hawaiian activist because of her speech and her daring to oppose that white privileged power structure that routinely- whether on the conscious part of any individual or not- oppresses Hawaiians by denying them access to the air.

That is an “ism” just like “cronyism” but when judged by the visible and indisputable fruits- that brown people are routinely denied access by privileged withes- that is racism by definition.

The old term of “institutionalized” racism is redundant and used to deny responsibility by those practicing racism by perpetuating and participating in it. Racism is an act by a privileged class of people of one color to maintain that privilege whether they do it out of hate or ignorance. One practices it by being a member of that class and more so by defending it as “only” institutional. But on that level it is a personal decision whether or not to recognize all this and continue to participate instead of thinking because one has no race bias one can’t possibly practice racism

So denying it exists is worse than the racism itself. It’s the old “I can’t be a racist- some of my best friends are...” Maybe you don’t know how that feels to an oppressed non-privileged person. Maybe I don’t either because I’m a privileged haole. But I do know it means something to those who see it from that position.

Something to consider about race and “isms”....
 

Form Andy Parx (potsed originally at Joan conrow's Kauai Eclectic blog(


People conflate racISM with race bias. I can dislike you because you are Filipino, Japanese or Haole. That is race bias. But when there is a privileged race that oppresses a under or non-privileged race and uses that privilege to perpetuate their privilege to the detriment of the others, that is racISM.

I used to be confused when people said “oh, she can’t be a racist- she’s black”. But I was conflating the terminology of race bias with racism. Race bias is illegal. But racism isn’t and is much more insidious. It has to be judged by the fruits of it.

If someone hates people who are bald that is different than living in a society where hairy people get all the jobs and routinely oppress bald people who earn less money, go to worse schools and live in a worse places and are viewed as suspicious by the cops because they are bald. The former have a bias against bald people. the latter would be practicing hairISM.

To say, like Dave Gerow said on KKCR last Thursday, “there’s not a racist bone in anyone’s body at KKCR” misses the point and confuses the definitions. I don’t doubt that Dave personally doesn’t dislike Hawaiians or Jews or blacks. But he does perpetuate a system at KKCR where being white is a privilege and that has routinely been used to silence the voice of at least one specific Hawaiian activist because of her speech and her daring to oppose that white privileged power structure that routinely- whether on the conscious part of any individual or not- oppresses Hawaiians by denying them access to the air.

That is an “ism” just like “cronyism” but when judged by the visible and indisputable fruits- that brown people are routinely denied access by privileged withes- that is racism by definition.

The old term of “institutionalized” racism is redundant and used to deny responsibility by those practicing racism by perpetuating and participating in it. Racism is an act by a privileged class of people of one color to maintain that privilege whether they do it out of hate or ignorance. One practices it by being a member of that class and more so by defending it as “only” institutional. But on that level it is a personal decision whether or not to recognize all this and continue to participate instead of thinking because one has no race bias one can’t possibly practice racism

So denying it exists is worse than the racism itself. It’s the old “I can’t be a racist- some of my best friends are...” Maybe you don’t know how that feels to an oppressed non-privileged person. Maybe I don’t either because I’m a privileged haole. But I do know it means something to those who see it from that position.

Something to consider about race and “isms”....
 

what makes this so hard to grapple with is there many elements interelated and independant from each other but since KKCR is on a small rock the incestuous relationships there at the station have created a mutated form of diversity the hip-goisie have created to make them feel inclusive. then there are the deep seated historical conflicts within the original developers. not to be overlooked is the host culture's exploitation by the station(gifts of aloha, my ass!)we want responsible kanaka who no like talk, shaddup and play music. oh yeah and there's a sovereignty movement in the background of this privileged people's pissing match. throw andy parx into the mix and VOLATILITY is what you come up with. glad somebody played the race card to incite the riot!
 

From Katy Rose:
Thanks for the words of encouragement here.

Bringing up the problem of racism at KKCR has been like poking a hornet's nest with a stick.

The white people are claiming it's not true (except for some of us of course.) Most everyone else is nodding in agreement!

Lately, I've reflected on how exhausting it is to challenge racism. And I've thought about how people of color have to live with this every day. As a privileged white person, I get to CHOOSE when to take on the issue of racism.

The difference there makes me more committed than ever to standing up against injustice. If I don't do it, I'm part of the problem.
 

after listening to today's call in show it apears that there are many who feel that there are different standards and definintions being expressed: 'racism', 'priviledged',
'cmmunity radio'. how do we agree on these definitions and the standards? who sets them up and who follows them? is it the dominant culture at KKCR, the norhtshore? or is it the people running the programs/shows? is it fair to say that KKCR is not diverse? is there a value to being diverse and if there is how is it expressed at kauai's gated community radio station. would changing the location of the station yield positive results reagrding access to broader community support. island breath.org has another fine kkcr piece by jonathan jay. it proposes to the reader some alternatives and suggestions to challenge the resistance against change at kkcr. another activist calling out the kkcr supporters to hui up and kokua mr jay should be commended for his solution oriented contribution.
 

I don't think there's any shortcut to this, no "official" list of definitions.

Back in North America the discussions have gone on for some time and there are countless books, essays, articles on the subject. At the same time, those are the result of umpteen hours of community talks, workshops, discussions, and often difficult or ugly confrontations.

It's part of privilege to want these issues to go away quickly, and let things continue as they were.
 

'It is silly to call the anger and resistance of people of color, or their distrust of white people, “racism” because these reactions do not have any material effect on the privileged position of white people in our society.'

While I appreciate the link to the very thoughtful essay, the statement above is factually incorrect. Ask any white kid what it is like to attend a Hawaii public school dominated by angry, mistrustful Hawaiians. The "racial bias" among students in our schools (passed down from parents and others in the community) is indistinguishable from plain ol' racism. It affects the white kids' learning environment, their prospects for the future, and in the worst cases, their immediate physical safety. You may not care, and that may not fit your agenda, but those are the facts. Those white kids have nowhere else to go, and they are most definitely systematically oppressed. Small surprise, they also learn to hate.
 

It's not a great answer to your comment, but perhaps the white kids are not aware of the recent history of Hawaii and why some other kids might be angry and mistrustful.

Or that the white kids have a far better chance to land good jobs later in their career and live longer, healthier lives. They will probably live in more expensive homes and could possibly send their own kids to private school.

If they knew, although they are kids and understanding probably comes later, they might at least determine to right the wrongs when they grow up and are able to work at that.

There's a whole new branch of discussion under whether oppressors can be said to be oppressed when those they systematically oppress react to the oppression!
 

From Katy Rose:

As a white graduate of a predominantly African-American public school in the 1970's, I disagree with the above analysis.

Yes, indeed, many of my school mates were biased against me because of my skin color and what it represented to them. Yes, indeed, I was often quite uncomfortable socially. However, though school might have been a trial for me, I still got to be white in a white-privilege-based society.
I am awfully thankful that I went to that school. It taught me to respect the history of African Americans and the struggles the community faces today. It did not teach me to "hate," it taught me to understand, to question, to be compassionate, to seek social justice for oppressed people.

There are small pockets in the US where white people sometimes find themselves in the minority and unwelcome. It should teach us, on those rare occasions when we enter those situations, to understand what it's like for people who are in hostile environments most of the time.
 

I didn't mean to offer an analysis. I was making a factual correction. Racial hostility by non-whites can absolutely have a material effect on the "privileged" social position of whites, with Hawaii's schools being an excellent example of same. Those kids I mentioned earlier would howl to see themselves called "privileged." Just ask them what they have experienced, they don't mince words at that age.

I'm don't want to dismiss the past, but your logic can be used to justify some monumental ugliness far into the future. There are "small pockets" where whites are not a majority? Well, California, New Mexico and Hawaii now have non-white majorities, and Texas will very soon. Others states will soon follow. What does it imply for the future if we make excuses for actions and prejudices we know to be wrong just because they were perpetrated by non-whites?

Why would we want to do that?
 

"why would we want to do that?"
this is a good question yet i don't believe anyone is advocating for that(making excuses or justifying racial ugliness and predjudices). we can not look into the future with hope if we can not look at the actions of the past and deal with them in the present. understanding our biases and confronting our own 'stuff' as victimz or perps in the cage of oppresion, understanding how privilege works and contributes to the ism scism trip. if we do not engage now to educate and enlighten ourselves in learning how to relate to one and other on a base,humane level with respect, dignity and compassion, our future does indeed look grim. still yet, we can make progress when we are willing to listen to the voice that cries foul and stop the action on the field. to play on, when a person asks for a review or calls into question a suspicous move or action, would be considered offensive and poor sportmanship. in deconstructing oppression the oppressed regains parity or acheives a fairgame with the oppressor. clearly we haven't gotten there yet. class issues, race, religious and cultural biases are still prevelant. statistics would prove that the playing field is not level. a level playing filed wont just happen but takes work, excruciating work. ALL parties must come together and be willing to work on the issues at hand to level the field. resistance to change is indicative of the challenges that lay ahead, for KKCR, Hawaii and society at large. new models for CONFLICT RESOLUTION must be found for the micro and macro issues of the day.