awesome bell hooks essay

Read with morning coffee: Sexism and misogyny: who takes the rap?

Gangsta rap is part of the anti-feminist backlash that is the rage right now. When young black males labor in the plantations of misogyny and sexism to produce gangsta rap, their right to speak this violence and be materially rewarded is extended to them by white supremacist capitalist patriarchy. Far from being an expression of their “manhood,” it is an expression of their own subjugation and humiliation by more powerful, less visible forces of patriarchal gangsterism. They give voice to the brutal raw anger and rage against women that it is taboo for “civilized” adult men to speak. No wonder then that they have the task of tutoring the young, teaching them to eroticize and enjoy the brutal expressions of that rage (teaching them language and acts) before they learn to cloak it in middle-class decorum or Robert Bly style reclaimings of lost manhood. The tragedy for young black males is that they are so easily dunned by a vision of manhood that can only lead to their destruction.

Also reading a history book: The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople - very well written, vigorous, horrifying, and witty.

Doing stuff, going out

Still coughing a lot but I think with a nap I will be fine to go out to Noisebridge again for early afternoon circuit hacking. Am going to meet up with a friend to go through how to build power supply stuff, and I'll be there to teach people to learn to solder & sell them kits.

Yesterday's wheelchair and scooter hacking meetup was really fun. Z. gave an excellent lecture and then we took apart his scooter to look at some things, and figured out ian's anderson connector problem which looks pretty easy to fix (he replaced a fuse and is going to take apart the cable that will convert the power from 24v to 5, to reverse its polarity.) will write this up properly later.