Polite On Society

by Marc | May 16, 2012

Polite On Society: Third Year Anniversary

Hello all. New readers and old. Long time readers and those who are just pulling up this site for the first time, welcome. There is a great reason that I have for being all formal and cordial with you tonight. It’s that time again, the anniversary of this blog. Yes, this space on WordPress that you have been reading has been in existence for three whole years. On May 17th, 2009, Polite On Society began with one short post and as a hobby of sorts. We have all come a long way since then.

If I had to briefly summarize everything that happened in one word, I would use the term whirlwind. Resulting from my grind, and others reaching out to me, I have been able to accomplish much. Obviously, the nomination and winning of the award last year was the biggest thing to occur, and subsequent things would follow. Coming right on the heels of that would be an avalanche of activity. From the beginning of more freelance opportunities, to a visit to the White House back in November. I was able to get published in two great Black newspapers, and got my commentaries picked up in Maryland. Soon to follow, were more speaking engagements, and appearances. Just last week I was on a panel with a group of esteemed history majors.

I have started to do things with this space that have kept it fresh for those reading. The author interviews, inclusion of contributing writers, have all broadened the scope of what we discuss here. By the way, if someone on the West Coast wants to contribute to the blog, that opportunity is still open. (The Mid-West and South is already spoken for)

I don’t have a theme for this post overall, but I would like to thank everyone immensely for continuing to read what comes across the screen here. Some of you arewondering, what is next for Polite On Society? I will continue to do what I do here, but I feel as though it is time to expand into another format. After much deliberation, I have decided to let the cat out of the bag. Right now, I am finishing up a book, and intend to have it out this year. More details will be coming, as things firm up and all of the particulars are figured out. Its time. I been wanting to make the jump to authorship, and now is the opportunity. Fear has to go to the side, and make way for what needs to happen. I look forward to this next step in the process, despite the challenges I know this will come with.

See you next post folks!

-Marc W. Polite

The Aspiring Author

P.S. If you get a chance, check out my latest profile of women in business over at Madame Noire.

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Tagged as Coming soon, Polite On Society Third Anniversary, Upcoming book from Marc Polite

by Marc | May 11, 2012

Mitt Romney Tried To Take Credit For Auto Bailout

The flip flops keep coming. As the general election continues on, more and more is revealed about the character of Mitt Romney. No we aren’t talking about the bullying he did in high school. This relates to recent history. Namely, his stance on the Auto bailout. According to a statement earlier this week, Romney tried to take credit for something he famously opposed. President Obama called out this claim, referring to it as an “etch a sketch” moment.

With movements like Occupy Wall Street playing a role in an election and focusing on issues that effect working people, sleighs of hand like that will be less convincing.

Marc W. Polite

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post

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Tagged as Auto bailout, Occupy Wall Street, President Obama

by Marc | May 9, 2012

President Obama Voices Support For Marriage Equality

Today, President Obama spoke out in support of same sex marriage. With the general election well under way, the president is voicing a progressive outlook. In effect, what we have here is a gamechanger. No president has ever used their office to speak out. It builds on the repeal of Dont Ask Dont Tell. This comes after two occurences: the words of Vice President Joe Biden in support of same sex marriage and the referendum in North Carolina.

With this stance on such a controversial issue, President Obama is putting it on the line. It is a very risky move politically to take a stand on an issue that polarizes so many people on religious grounds. It is now up in the air as to which way the independents will go, and North Carolina may be lost over this. Given that this is an election year, of course it is a political move. However, it is the right stand to take.

While some have denounced this as a political move, this goes to show that we as a society have turned a corner on the issue of marriage equality. Especially if President Obama is re-elected, he will be pushed to enact policy on marriage equality to back up his words of support. It also has another effect. The Republicans are painted into a corner as the ones who are in the way of progress. Much will be said about this in the next couple of days.

What are your thoughts?

Marc W. Polite

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Tagged as Marriage Equality, President Obama

by Marc | May 7, 2012

Author Profile: Shauntae M. Jordan

Shauntae M. Jordan, MBA

The cost of a college education is an increasingly pressing issue. So much, that the issue has come up in issues of national politics. With more and more people taking on higher and higher debt, its fair to ask is there a better way out there to pay for college.

One individual who knows the answer to that question is Shauntae M. Jordan. She is a graduate of Winston-Salem State University, and holds an MBA. She obtained a number of scholarships and was able to limit debt this way. The name of her book is Learn How I Made A Fortune While In College. An author and motivational speaker from South Carolina, Shauntae is determined to share her story with a broader audience. Below is a clip from today, where Ms. Jordan informs us how she went about doing this. In case you missed it today, Shauntae will be at the City College Bookstore tomorrow, Tuesday May 8th from 12noon to 2pm.

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Tagged as Shauntae M. Jordan

by Marc | May 7, 2012

Can You Feel The Post-Racial Love?

Welcome to Post-Racial America

It is almost too much to keep up with. Over a period of roughly a week, there were three separate affronts on Black people. Let us begin with the first and most blatantly racist one. New York Post writer Phil Mushnick opined on a possible name change for the Brooklyn Nets. In addition to that he wrote that the cheerleaders should be called the “Brooklyn B–hes” While we all know this was meant to garner attention, it worked. Now the ever so enlightened Forbes magazine came to the defense of Mr. Mushnick saying that his column wasn’t racist. If the same outlet that brought us “If I were a poor Black kid” is riding to your rescue, what does that say? #MarinateOnIt

Moving right along to the second attack, which came from the respectable Chronicle of Higher Education. Last week, Naomi Riley penned a column practically saying that Black studies doesn’t deserve to exist. In this diatribe against Black studies, there were several doctoral candidates who had their work disparaged. Not on intellectual grounds, or factual ones either. Just the title of the essays. Ms. Riley read the title of these dissertations and perhaps a couple of pages, and decides that it is unworthy of being considered serious scholarship. The Black blogosphere has responded, and today the students attacked in the piece responded to what they rightly deem a hit piece.

The third and last one, is the recent New York Times article on “Why Black Women Are Fat” Yes, that is the actual title. While this piece has a Black author, it is still disparaging of Black women as a whole. Now, some of you may say how is that so? America has an obesity problem, period. To have a discussion about why one group of people are overweight separate from an account of the proliferation of cheap and processed unhealthy food is dishonest. While these three varying prongs of attack on Black personhood have different focal points, there is an underlying sentiment that ties them together. Underneath the vile statements of Mr. Mushnick against Jay-Z seem to lurk an unstated sentiment that a Black man has no business owning a basketball team. Ms. Riley takes issue with Black doctoral students studying about issues that effect the Black community. Apparently, those aren’t worthy of study in the eyes of others, possibly including whoever gave her the platform to voice this uninformed opinion. While Alice Randall is Black, some of us internalize the idea that there is something especially wrong with Black people.

Ultimately, there is little respect for Black people’s minds, bodies, or creativity. Welcome to post-racial America.

Marc W. Polite

The Blue Collar Scholar

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Tagged as Phil Mushnick

by Marc | May 6, 2012

Open Line Picked Up By WBLS

Good morning all. Just wanted to put it out there for folks who may not be aware. The popular Kiss FM radio show “Open Line” is now part of Sunday’s WBLS lineup. This is great news for the Black community, and due in no small part to the outcry to save the show.

It airs in its regular two hour slot from 10am to noon.

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by Marc | May 4, 2012

Official Politics vs. People’s Real Concerns: A Chasm of Distance

As a political observer, it is crucial to recognize when there is a disconnect. As the 2012 general election carries on, its important to gauge where things are. The GOP contenders have thinned out with Romney being the eventual nominee, and President Obama has in effect begun his campaign. While the machinations of the political process unfolds, and the criticisms have already started, it is important to note a couple of things.

One, many people aren’t paying close attention to the political process at this point. Two, outside of how the political programs of each candidate will effect the lives of the average person, there is a palpable amount of indifference. Those who are in the know and speak regularly of politics and others that could care less are different sets of people out here.

There is a perception out there that official politics has increasingly less and less to do with the everyday lives of people. There is a difference between fascination with the process itself, and those who are concerned about the outcome and what it means for them concretely. Speaking personally, when I talk to people about politics nowadays, people aren’t concerned with how this or that candidate measures up in terms of stats of education, career experience or even the degree of being personable . In most cases, especially recently, people think in terms of how policies would effect their lives. Whether it would make it harder to put food on the table, harder to go to college, get a job, etc. It is things like those which will quietly be factored in to people’s political choices, one way or another.

Any player on the political scene that does not tune into this will find themselves out of touch with what people are really concerned with. More people are concerned with how to get their children into schools (without them closing) than knowing the details of what Bin Laden’s last words were. But you wouldn’t know that from watching mainstream media. Elections do matter, but even with a national election going on, many are thinking about their personal bottom line. It bares remembering, for media and politicians alike.

-Marc W. Polite

The Blue Collar Scholar

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by AFaulkner | April 27, 2012

Justice Delayed Is No Longer Justice Denied!

Charles Taylor

Five years ago the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands started assembling a case against former Liberian leader Charles Taylor. The case stemmed from Taylor’s role in Sierra Leone’s 1991-2002 civil war. Taylor was convicted on eleven counts including murder, rape, and sexual slavery earlier today. In addition to these horrendous crimes he has been accused of seeking out child soldiers and forcing them to commit these atrocities. The trial which had significance in many ways was followed by the international community mainly because it was the first war crimes conviction of a former head of state by the international court since the Nuremberg trials of Nazi leaders after World War II. Taylor’s sentencing hearing is set for May 16^th, but we can be sure to expect appeals from his team. If everything goes accordingly he would serve out his sentence in a British court for no death penalty has been established in international criminal law.

Taylor has long been accused of financing the war with money from “Blood Diamonds” and giving orders to the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels. It has been said they killed over 50,000 people, along with chopping off the arms of thousands of civilians. Charles Taylor was president of Liberia for six years; he was forced out in 2003 and was attained while trying to enter into chad, another African nation. His rise to power began when he overthrew the regime of Samuel Doe in 1989, the entire incident was caught on tape and began circulating on you tube three years ago. After Doe was killed Liberia went into a bloody civil war that lasted 14 years and took the lives of 200,000 people. Many may doubt the role of the International Criminal Court (ICC) but one thing is for sure they have won a victory today! The court now has two other African presidents on its radar; they too will soon face crimes against humanity at The Hague, Sudan’s Omar El Bashir and Ivory Coast Laurent Gbagbo. Just maybe Justice delayed is not Justice denied after all!

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Tagged as Charles Taylor, ICC, Liberia, Sierra Leone

by Marc | April 24, 2012

A Response To ‘The Danger Of Twitter, Facebook Politics’

Social media has opened up the political discourse a great deal in the last couple of years. So much, to the point that some thinkers are wondering if it is a good thing. In today’s op-ed on CNN, Wesley Donehue opined about the .Dangers Of Social Media Politics In the piece, Mr. Donehue notes the risks involved with what he calls ”over-democratization” He then goes on to give his reasoning as to why there is such a thing as too much democracy. While he it is his opinion, there are faults with that kind of reasoning.

The real here is the anti-democratic sentiment expressed by this op-ed. The free flow of information is good for the political process, and does not prevent politicians from working together at all. And to the point raised regarding the necessity of back door deals as the mode of getting things done, that is part of the problem. The decisions that elected officials make affect the lives of many. Therefore, the fact that more people can weigh in and use these new means to influence those decision makers is a question of participation. The more people these bills affect, the more of a right these same individuals have to speak out.

Even what a politician proposes has to be considered for the impact that it will have on their constituents and the wider public. If politicians do not want to be held accountable for the things they propose, then they should not run for office. The transparency that exists today because of social media is one of the few means people have to influence the political process. It is now part of keeping politicians honest, as difficult as that is. Everyone does not have the required resources to start a SuperPAC.

There appears to be an unstated fear in broad masses of people bringing pressure on to the political system via social networks, and this latest op-ed is an example. All this freedom of imput is too much, and must be wrested back from the horde. If we really want to discuss what is hurting this republic, its the inordinate amount of influence that monied interests have on candidates, starting before day one of their campaigns. What is truly dangerous, is a political process that is unresponsive to people’s concerns. We all know what that is a step towards.

Marc W. Polite

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Tagged as CNN, Op-Ed, Response to The Danger of Social Media Politics, Wesley Donehue

Polite On Society