Diggin' for Fiyah

K-Otix - "George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People" (mp3 via K-Otix site)

Race, what me worry? At least a third of the nation's population begs to differ. "He woulda been up in Connecticut twice as fast." Let's hope there isn't an opportunity to test this theory, though 43's past performance during times of crises has proven, uh, questionable.

No wonder then that the artist community... no, the hip hop generation has responded with such visceral clarity. Even more so than post-9/11? "If you ain't about the ghetto then fuck you, too." The disparity, the exceptionalism, the privilege in high definition. These are not peace offerings, platitudes, even critiques. Just raw, exposed nerves. "After all we been through, ain't nothin' changed." After all we been through, are we finally headed toward the big change?

Postscript to Monday's posting. A friend reminded me of the precedent of "refugee"'s use; based on that, she argued for an equality of its use. If we are to be fair, she said, can we agree that displaced lower Manhattanites were "refugees?" This is a moot point because the moment's peak point in the public consciousness has passed. How about in Connecticut?