DSN Post of the Day: Why Black Men Love White Women author Rajen Persaud Q&A with DSN (Pt. 1)
Categories: Featured, Literature
Written By: Shawn Williams
By Lorrie Irby Jackson - Dallas South News Contributor
With our nation’s first African-American president now in the White House, as well as the never-ending drama of black and white issues in popular culture, I figured it was a good time to revisit one of the most honest and insightful books on race relations that I’ve ever read, Rajen Persaud’s Why Black Men Love White Women.
Don’t let the incendiary title fool you: instead of it being an instruction manual on how to diss the sisters or giving credence to often-circulated and tired stereotypes, 2007’s Why…. intertwines the author’s own personal observations and experience with facts, percentages and thoroughly researched explanations behind the mindset and motivations of brothers who seem to trip over the sisters in the pursuit of non-blacks for love and companionship.
From his home in New York City, the day trader, filmmaker and lecturer peppered our chat with his explosive views on the recent Essence and Vanity Fair magazine cover controversies, his take on the Tiger Woods debacle and our duties to the young people in our lives to keep them from making some of the same racially-centered errors in life.
Lorrie Irby Jackson: A lot of subscribers were upset by Essence’s decision to feature New Orleans Saints football star, Reggie Bush, on their annual Black Love issue, since he’s very publically-dating the non-black Kim Kardashian. Why do you think they opted to feature him that manner?
Rajen Persaud: Well, Essence magazine is no longer a black-owned entity, it is now a Time-Warner product. So you can say what you want about them, but there certainly not interested in the plight and feelings of the black woman. They’re basically sending that message that they don’t care about black love in general.
RAJEN PERSAUD
When they used to talk about black love, the cover would include a black couple. So, their putting Reggie on the cover is is advertising for a refund, because the White Establishment wants a rebate on the money their paying these negroes. When the white women stop going with these entertainers and athletes, they get paid, and that’s a rebate to the white community, so it’s in their best interest. They used to get a ‘n*****’ rebate; jewlery, cars, dope, liquor, spending as much as they can in the white community, so that’s why they don’t mind advertising back to more whites. They’re not stupid.
I used to call Essence mag Oppressor. They used to have two columns, “Brothers” and “Interiors,” and practically every column was written by a woman claiming to be suffering at the hands of a black man.
In some way, shape or form the black man was the cause of all of her problems, and her evolution out of that problem, and it was always about a sorry negro who had problems with black women. I was wondering who were they talking to, and this was back in the 1990’s.
LIJ: How do you feel about the recent Tiger Woods Vanity Fair cover? A lots of blacks are of the opinion that this was the media’s way of portraying him as what they truly see him as—a thug.
RP: And they’re right. More importantly, they wanted to show you the field n*****, the one that chases white women. They wanted to show the big, black buck. Tiger Woods was the most emasculated man in the world of sports. Now with all of the reported activity with the white women, they finally got the big black buck image that they wanted to destroy him with. It’s the equivalent of that darkened OJ mugshot for the cover of Time Magazine. Now, Tiger is going to be fine from an athletic standpoint: some of his endorsements may split, but other companies needing a spokesperson will need his image, because it will generate interest in their product because of who’s endorsing it.
LIJ: Do you see the same for his marriage?
RJ: Whether they divorce or not, Elin should not be too upset, because the same reason Tiger cheated on her was for the same reason how a nanny could snag a billionaire, and that is Tiger Woods is suffering from self –hate that’s generated from a colonized mind. A colonized mind believes that everything outside of his black world is better than he is. Which is why he would go and marry his friends’s nanny.
He had his pick of the litter from black women, asian women, those with the same amount or more money, or just as educated or more educated, but he believed that a white nanny was the best thing he could get and that white nanny was the medication for that psychological malady of self-hate—-but she was only one dose, and he needed a couple of more spoonfuls.
Elin should thank her lucky stars that there was slavery, becasuee otherwise no one would know her name and she would be a broke nanny mopping floors in Sweden someplace. You find me a millionaire white athlete that’s married to a black maid, nanny, or even to a Jamaician home attendant. You can’t do it. And you couldn’t find me one among asians, Indians, or anyone else. Only with black men.
We have to ask ourselves the question if Tiger Woods had been a shipping manager at UPS/post office, would he have gotten Elin? She wasn’t even a nanny for a black golfer. This woman got paid off of the legacy of slavery, so even if they divorce, she shouldn’t be mad—just take the money and run. If she stays for any reason, it’s prostitution. And this could set a legal precedent that could end up in court. If a woman’s gonna stay with me for an hour and I’m paying her, there’s no difference between what Tiger Woods is doing and what I’m doing, because what he’s doing in that prenup is offering money for the amount of time she stays with him.
Lorrie Irby Jackson is a freelance journalist based in Dallas and has covered entertainment professionally for several years, writing many articles for The Dallas Morning News. Her e-mail address is lorrie.irby@gmail.com.
Edited by Shawn Williams
January 29th, 2010 at 10:32 pm
Lorrie
Many of our Black men of status (and most of our Black athletes) are disgusting. Most of them come from poor humble beginnings, and as soon as they acquire riches, instead of elevating their family and a woman in the Black race to a higher status…they rush out and grab almost the first White woman they can find to marry. What is hard to watch is how they put those women on pedestals regardless of background or pedegree (strippers, nannies, uneducated etc), and ultimately many end up loosing their wealth and having to give it right back to the White community/race through that woman. A good example of that is Michael Strahan. I recall reading how his White wife was awarded more than half of his millions in her divorce settlement (I don’t think she even worked..LOL). We all know had he married a Black woman the divorce settlement would have been more equitable, and more likely in his favor with not as much attention.
To be fair, I also feel that some of the cause for this behavior in our men should lie squarely in our lap ( Black women). We make monsters out of them by making them feel they are the ultimate and only men. Many of us refuse to date other races of men and make sure our men don’t feel the least bit threatend by proclaiming how we won’t date anything but a Black man. Our men proudly keep their options open and are not ashamed to let us and the world know…..in fact some are brazen enough to say they don’t date Black women. By doing this (refusing to date others) you give Black men all of the power and ultimately diminish your value because they know you are going to sit and wait for one of them to come along or just be alone for the rest of your life. Wake up Black women…a man is a man is aman…regardless of race. We need to date other races of men just like everyone else does….because love is love regardless of what color it comes from.
Chery
January 30th, 2010 at 11:07 am
Absolutely fierce interview. True to the 10th power and beyond.
February 1st, 2010 at 11:34 am
Rajen, excellent analysis and great book! I agree, the sickness of self hatred is paramount in famous, wealthy Black men. The promotion and visibility of such relationships help to destroy the ‘possibility’, in the minds of many, of responsible relationships. As a result, black women are looking ‘expand’ there options ie a comfort of being alone, other races of men or same sex relationships.
February 1st, 2010 at 1:04 pm
Pittershawn:
I believe you make a array of superficial points which are easy to get an ‘amen’ to but which lack true insight/thought. What is further ironic is that you blast black men for marrying ‘almost any white women he can find’ yet when speaking to black women - you use the double standard of stating ‘love is love regardless of what color it comes from.” Am I missing something but doesn’t blasting a black male for marrying white yet telling black women to date any race they wish cause love is love seem rather - CONTRADICTORY?????
Lets move beyond the OMG - he is with a white women thing for a second and analyze the true reason for this and ANY behaviour. We all have basic needs and desires which are fed by both our environment as well as those images which saturate us throughout the day. Can you remember way back when your grand dad or some older great uncle just had to have a cadallac? They had to have this car cause it was held out as the best of the best and while before our time, blacks were barred from owning them (did you know this??).
Once the gates were lifed, all those black men who were denied the right to own one but had to see others driving around in them finally had a chance to show that they too, had access to the same object so long denied.
I am, of couse, bypassing much psychology to make my statements fit in this confined space but the same goes for ones mate. For years and years and YEARS, only white women were held out is the most feminine, most desireable, most pleasing by the media, society and yes, the law telling all other races - NO, you cant touch these women cause they are ‘above you’. Well, just like the cadallac, if you hold something out as unreachable yet such barriers are removed in time, all those systematically denied and told they could never obtain that object (yes, i’m objectifying here - smile) will race out to obtain what the media/society has been telling them they could not have.
Basic human behaviour - don’t touch it cause its hot and we touch it. Don’t go pass curfew and we love that exta 30 minutes we stayed out. You can’t have white women and our guys flock to prove them wrong - be it through full knowledge of what they are doing or subconciously.
Here is another question - we talk about black men running to white chicks but everyone is ignoring the simple fact that this is a two way street. Aren’t these white chicks more than happy to have black men?? I won’t even start on the absolutely true distinctions between black, white, asian and hispanic women. Not saying one is ‘better’ than the other but all factors come into play - once we truly look at ALL the reasons - instead of simpy calling black men ‘traitors’ - real discussions can begin but let me say this - your position of blaming black men for doing ‘wrong’ yet insisting black women should date interacially doesn’t help and further solidyfies in a guys mind why he should ’stay the course’. My take is date/marry whomever you wish for love is truly color blind and even if he is dating her as a status symbol and she is with him for his money - who cares for that is one less redneck in the world (smile) thanks to the brotha.
February 1st, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Correction - meant my comments for Cheryl.
Sorry Pittershawn, you were initially shown as making the 1st comment. My error.
February 1st, 2010 at 6:25 pm
Excuse me, I hate to break in these fasinating comments, but I have another related question: I am a Sistah. I worked with 2 Bruthas: 1. Old dude was married to a white woman for 20+ years. 2. Young dude chased every white girl/woman within a 10 mile radius. I prefer only Bruthas. Although I performed all the same job functions as these men, they seem to hate me with a passion for no apparent reason. They lied on me, threatened me and generally made my life so miserable that I quit because the daily mistreatment. Has any other Sistah had this or a similar experience? Do black men co-workers that are married or prefer white women treat black women differently in the workplace?
February 8th, 2010 at 11:56 am
Wow…Nice Spread
February 9th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
I have to point out that for many of us, these types of men are the exception and not the rule. We tend to focus on the men who prefer to date white women, but the reality is that most black men, regardless of their status or accomplishments, still prefer black women. Barack Obama, the most powerful black man in the world is a perfect example of this point.
February 18th, 2010 at 8:05 am
*I agree with the comment a man is a man, it doesn’t matter what nationality. I have dated(don’t get confused what dating means) different nationalities of men and as long as you respect yourself, the man(not boy) will respect you(may not like you but will respect you).
*In reference to race, in today’s society you do not know who is really black or white(my family(black) married(questionable, married or taken by force or in exchange for land) into a white family going back to my great great grandfather(maybe out of necessity to survive when he came from Mississippi to Texas with his family). Instead of blaming our race on trivial race questions or answers, why not step up to the plate and guide our children into adult hood and better education.
* If you put God first and do his will, this world would be a better place. God loves us all whether you love yourself or others.