Soap Box Rant #907
Whatever is in any way beautiful hath its source of beauty in itself, and is complete in itself; praise forms no part of it. So it isn't one the worse nor the better for being praised. Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121AD-180AD), Meditations
People often say that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder,' and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves.
Salma Hayek
So Ms. Green is a Trekkie, kind of. I was born into a "Trekkie" family, not by choice but only because my mom forced it onto my sisters and I as children. After years of Parental Trekkie abuse, you kind of grow to accept certain things. So when this new movie came out, I was a little (okay more than a little) excited to go see it.
Spoiler alert!!! (Although, if you haven't seen this movie by now, you deserve to have it spoiled for you)
Here's some background . . .
Star Trek was the TV show of the future. In fact a bunch of the stuff that happened on the original Star Trek series was a big deal in those days. Having a show with an Asian character, an African American female character (the "it" girl, mind you), a Russian character (during a time of cold relations between Russia and the U.S.) Oh, and these people weren't playing exaggerated stereotypical race roles either. What a concept! This show was breaking down all kinds of barriers. Star Trek represented the future. It represented a time when we wouldn't see our differences as boundaries, but opportunities to explore (strange new worlds to seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before.) Sorry, had to do that.
Here's MY Point . . .
So why WHY was my coworker (not a Trekkie or even a Star Trek follower AT ALL) a little too happy about Lt. Uhura (played by Zoe Saldana) and Spock (played by Zachary Quinto) being an item? First, I'll tell you why I was excited.
I was excited because all of the time that I saw the commercials, I thought that Lt. Uhura and Capt. Kirk were hooking up and the thought pissed me off. I almost didn't want to risk seeing the movie based on that very fact. The idea of Uhura giving it up to Kirk, the biggest flirt on the ship was too much for me to bear. Uhura had it going on and everybody knew it. I couldn't see my girl being a notch on somebody's belt, not even on a make believe space ship in outer space far far into the distant future. So when I found out that it was Spock she was locking lips with, I was relieved and pleasantly surprised. As a (bootleg) Trekkie, it was a strange and interesting concept, but one that could work. I mean, Spock never really had too much going on in the relationship department. He's had some moments, like the time he hijacked the ship to go to planet Vulcan to get some love (in the 7 Year Itch episode), but other than that, I don't remember him getting too much action. And Uhura either. So this worked for me. Not only could I live with this, but I could get with it too. ~Ms. Green does a quick pop lock routine~
So that's why I was excited. It was a reasonable, knowledge-based excitement if I'm allowed to say so. But WHY why was my coworker, someone who never watched an episode of the original Star Trek series in her life excited about the hooking up of these 2 characters that she knows absolutely nothing about?
Because it was interracial. Yes, because a White man was kissing a Black woman. Something that was a big deal like 40 years ago.
I found out why she was excited after mentioning that I was shocked that the two were paired together. I guess she thought that I meant because of racial reasons because she says, "Spock likes that Black a$$." "He like that dark meat."
Skkkrrreeeeech! Eh-squeeze-me? Did you just refer to Lieutenant Uhura of the Starship Enterprise, a character of substance and dignity, as "Black A$$" and "Dark Meat"?
Now I didn't lecture the poor girl, but she could tell that I didn't appreciate her comment. Usually I can let things slide, because I know more than anybody how my foot tastes, but it just wasn't sitting right in my spirit (probaly why I decided to go online and vent on my little soap box).
She continues, trying to redeem herself. "You know what I mean." um, really, I don't
"Spock gets down with the swirl. He likes the sistahs." She had the biggest Isn't that Great smile on her face.
I was sooo not impressed.
Number 1, as a (kind of) Trekkie, I don't consider Spock a White guy. I consider him an alien from the planet Vulcan. Also the first interracial kiss ever to air on television took place on the original Star Trek series in 1968 and that was a big deal back in those days. Not in 2009, when we have a Black (by way of an interracial relationship) President and a Black first lady.
Number 2 (and this is my main point here), ignoring the fact that what my colleague said was disgusting and degrading to Black women (and all women, really), it makes me angry when Black women get overly happy to find out that guys of another race are willing to date us. Why wouldn't they?
We have a lot to offer. All women have a lot to offer. And guys, I don't care how ignorant they may seem, are not ignorant of this fact. Men would loooove for us to believe that it is their opinion which does or does not validate us. The truth is, that's not how it works. As a woman, I have been hit on by men while walking down the street, and then called "ugly" when I didn't respond. Does that make me ugly? What if the guy was an attractive millionaire? Would that give him more credibility as to how attractive I am?
The stats show that a Black woman would be more willing to date a White man, than a White man would be willing to date a Black woman. To some, this means that White men are in more of a position to choose. Personally, I don't give a rat's a$$ who (they think) they're willing to date. I know that whoever I want, I'm getting. Whether he's Black, White, Chinese, Vulcan or Romulan. When there is sincere mutual attraction, prejudice goes out the window! Men are men. And that . . . is the bottom line.
Anywho, in 2009, it's time for women of all colors to define their own standards of beauty. No woman should EVER be surprised or impressed that a guy likes her (or someone who looks like her). Now I can appreciate interracial couples and I can also appreciate compliments expressed for Black women (because let's face it, you don't see it very much) but, Black A$$? Dark meat??? Come on!
I really don't want to conclude this post on that note, but I don't know what else to say.
So I'll just wrap this up with Star Trek rocked! Go see it. That is all.
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