Red-headed, white-skinned, tender, provocative. All words to describe one very vocal blogger who chose to peel back the layers of color for all to see. In her own life. On her blog. Most decisiviely her blog. While most of her writings could never be categorized as subtle and are usually starkly political and informative, this post blossomed into a personal realm. What I admire about her writing is not so much the details and statistics and broadly scrutinized arguments for the political process — although that is surely commendable in itself –but the way she lays it bare without apology.
Our post of the day entitled Legal To Have Skin Color and Hair is an expose on racism, love, and happiness far from the scrutiny of politics. Quoting from Sport of Nature by Nadine Gordimer, we see what is in her heart and what once came out of her mouth in a faraway ceremony once upon a controversial time in her life. It is clearly beautiful prose. “Lying beside him, looking at pale hands, thighs, belly: seeing herself as unfinished, left off, somewhere. She examines his body minutely and without shame, and he wakes to see her at it, and smiles without telling her why: she is the first not to pretend the different colours and textures of their being is not an awesome fascination. How can it be otherwise? ”
She has just flipped the switch and crossed the purely personal line. If only the political process she so boldly exposes could do the same.
Congratulations ilovemylife, you have posted The Rising Blogger’s Post of The Day.
Review written by MIMI LENOX.
{ 4 comments }
I have always said that what I want written on my tombstone is “All I ever wanted was to be understood”. So this simple acknowledgement of my post that is about my personal experience and enlightenment regarding bigotry in a world of pretentiousness is an example of feeling understood. To stop the pretense about the visual differences of how we look is a start. We look different. And it is a fascination. Not a reason to feel insecure or finger point. Shades of skin and texture of hair have been allowed to get in the way of celebrating the beauty of who we are, what we see in the mirror and in the person in front of us. Or never met.
“To be nobody-but-yourself in a world which is doing it best, night and day, to make you everybody else ~ means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight and never stop fighting.” e e cummings
Thank you for reading and acknowledging my post!
A strong post. Definetely worthy of acknowledgement
Congratulations. I loved this entry. Beautifully written. And thank you for introducing me to Gordimer’s work.
It was a tender and strong read.
Brava!
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