Why so bitter?
Peter did not want to hijack another thread.
I watched it several years ago and though he seemed to have approached the subject with a mindset already in place and missed the ball on Dominican race relations.
Some in the USA are not too happy with the good professor either: How Henry Louis Gates Got Ordained as the Nation's "Leading Black Intellectual" | Black Agenda Report.
Never had my shoes shined so not up to date of the price. Definitely less than 100 pesos though.
And yet, they were quite smitten with him and his "Black in Latin America" documentary or at least, to the point that everything mentioned, especially in regards to the D.R., was taken as the Gospel.I watched it several years ago and though he seemed to have approached the subject with a mindset already in place and missed the ball on Dominican race relations.
Some in the USA are not too happy with the good professor either: How Henry Louis Gates Got Ordained as the Nation's "Leading Black Intellectual" | Black Agenda Report.
Never had my shoes shined so not up to date of the price. Definitely less than 100 pesos though.
It fits the Black Like Me narrative and gives certain types of people self validation.And yet, they were quite smitten with him and his "Black in Latin America" documentary or at least, to the point that everything mentioned, especially in regards to the D.R., was taken as the Gospel.
Yet it still doesn't change the fact it help stigmatized the Dominican Republic and spread falsehoods over a thorny and complicated subject that was simply blamed on the "R" word, even if it does play some (to a certain degree) role into the historical conflict between both nations. I remember the documentary being mentioned on a article on The Roots, a blog/news site for African Americans and their issues (literally) that gave many some sense of entitlement to disparage and attack the Dominican Republic and it inhabitants based on the same tired falsehoods, stereotypes, presumptions and caricatures. The venom, the slander, the, again, hilarous sense of entitlement and self-righteousness of the commentators was truly of out of this world.What Gates does, he does pretty well in the time allotted, I think.
Gates designed his documentaries for the average American, who knows very little about Haiti or the DR. If you watch his technique, he simply presents acknowledged experts from both countries and asks them questions. I do not think he intended this one hour program to be an exhaustive commentary on 300 years of history and two cultures. I taught college Spanish in a historically Black college in the US and most of my American students did not have any idea of Black people outside the US. other than the usual stereotypes (voodoo, dreadlocks, bongo drums).
What Gates does, he does pretty well in the time allotted, I think.
Where can I buy a Sim card for my unlocked Roger's phone in Punta Cana?
Will my number still work in 31 days if I forget to give my DDDE her allowance to recharge her new Galaxy S4?
Gates has always been a lazy opportunist, who has held to the belief that it is always better when someone else does the heavy lifting.