Let the Ass kicking commence!

Well, actually, I feel a little beaten and bruised already.

Damn, I try. I got accused of being a troll today. It ain't the first time, it won't be the last. I love going over to the Unapologetic Mexican. Like me, this guy is fired up about what he believes in. He is en fuego about the Mexican immigrant issue as I am about the Corporate destruction of America. I think that both issues have a symbiotic relationship in many senses. I am more focused on the issues that affect me, as a poor lower/working class citizen of America. Just like he is more focused on the issues that affect him, as a Mexican. I try not to go too far into the psychology of an issue, because I have found that you get bogged down in the tangents. I try to keep on the simpler side of things, although I am capable of comprehending the intricasies. My poor writing ability of course, holds me back, more often than not.

I got hooked up with a lot of new female bloggers via the whole HPV thing a while back. I am a parent, but as a guy, a lot of my opinions got immediately discounted. I am not a female, it's true. So, of course, I can't put myself in the position of one. But I don't think it means that I am less of a parent, although I have been told my many mothers that it does because I don't have the link to my children because of the womb and what-not. Well, nope, I don't have that whole womb-link (like their mom did- the mother that left her womb-linked 3 month old daughter and 18 month old daughter with daddy and disappeared for over a year). But I like to think my love and the attention I show for my kids is equal to ANY parent out there, female or male.

In the case of Nez, I ain't Mexican either. I made the mistake of trying to put myself on equal ground by showing our common ties via the American Indian blood both in myself and those of Mexican descent. It's a little trick I use- hey we have this in common, let's have a civil discourse. But merely by mentioning it I put him off, plus, he dissected my poor ability in racial fractions. ("largely half-indian", yeah, I really should edit my comments and posts, but I think it adds a somewhat rural flavor, but I digress)

So my point, (finally!) is this- Is it okay, since I am a member of the "master" race, (even if only by an unknown racial percentage) and a lowly male, as well- should I defer to all issues concerning women to the women, and defer all the issues concerning blacks- to the blacks, and all mexican issues to the mexicans? I do to somewhat extent already, but is my opinion really completely as invalid as some of these people make me feel it is?

The point of Nez's really well-written The True Front of Progressivism post was that white bloggers ain't writing about Immigrant issues. A lot of Feminists are griping as well, that we aren't writing enough about their issues, and so on and so on. But when we do, we aren't meeting their specifications. We aren't tackling them the way they would tackle them.

Therein lies the trap for white males who dare have an opinion on female-related or mexican-related isssues. And when I use 'Related' I mean that these issues affect me too. If it was purely a woman's issue- Like Abortion-I don't fucking touch it. Hill Country Gal taught me that one (well, plus my own experiences). I don't think I have anything to bring to the abortion debate concerning a woman's choice. I have my own opinion, but I think as far as THEIR bodies go, they can own that conversation.

But guess what? I have a special insight as well. As a man, I have insight there too, that may be - I don't know- useful in framing a debate that you are trying to use - with - MEN. And the same thing concerning my Whiteness, partial or not. When POC discount a white man's opinion, when offered in a honest way- that doesn't help anything. I know, the knee jerk reaction is Fuck the White man! All they have done is fuck over people and ramrod their own bullshit down peoples throats. Okay= no argument there. If your goal is a race riot, fucking have at it. But if you'd like to change things, peacefully and practically- you may want to build some empathy with ole Whitey here. Hell knows, I am trying.

But I got all that white guilt too, so I left off Nez's place yesterday feeling kind of shitty. So, thursdays the kids go to their mother's house (who has now been found :) ) and I went to my neighbor, Eden's house, popped open a beer and helped him sand the gas tank of a harley he was painting. We don't mince words, so I just asked him right out :

"You think I'm a racist?"
He uttered a long stream of mexican cusswords. "You? Who the fuck tol' you that, man"
"Some really smart Mexican activist on the internet"
"Shit. You're a wedo, you can't help that, man. But you're mescan too. We ALL know that."
The other guys in the shop all nodded, gave me sober (uh-somewhat) assessments of acknowledgement.
"Fuck that Mexican. He don't know shit. You're the second favorite white boy in the hood!"
Everyone toasted. Salut! And no more was said about that particular subject. We had a harley to paint, after all.

I'll have to take this Unapologetic Mexican's opinion over the other one. After all, he's my friend. And where I come from, friendship trumps race anyday.

(and just so you know, I'll never make the Number one white boy in the hood. He's dead. And he was real popular)...