By Pearl Cleage, Mad at Miles is a book about how Davis is "guilty of self-confessed violent crimes against women such that we should break his albums, burn his tapes and scratch his CD's until he acknowledges and apologizes and rethinks his position on The Woman Question."
A friend lent me the short book this past week or so. Cleage argues that we wouldn't listen to any musical genius if he was guilty of violent crimes against black men, so why do we listen to Miles Davis?
Cleage's position is certainly a very strong one, and she goes on to give some basic training points: the warning signals as a way of anticipating violence in order to avoid it, some of these are:
-- shouting, hollering, excessive cursing, name calling, sarcasm
-- finger pointing or fist waving, especially in and around your face
-- throwing or breaking things
-- hitting his head or his fist against walls, tables, steering wheel...
-- threatening to do violent things to himself or you
The book, overall, made me sad. It's sad that we live in a world where books like this and positions like this need to be taken, that woman is, as Cleage points out quoting Yoko Ono, the "nigger of the world."
Cleage does leave her readers with hope. Here is her statement on "looking for a good brother." My friend read this aloud at our last Unity Bridges Fall Retreat.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR A GOOD BROTHER.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR A RIGHTEOUS BROTHER.
A REAL RIGHTEOUS BROTHER. NOT ONE OF THOSE SINGING WHITE GUYS WHO MADE THE LOSS OF LOVE SOUND SO INTENSELY INTENSE THAT YOU HAD TO FALL IN LOVE EVERY TIME THE RECORD CAME ON.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR A REAL RIGHTEOUS BROTHER.
AN ALL GROWN UP, AIN`T SCARE OF NUTHIN`, AND KNOWS IT`S TIME TO SAVE THE RACE RIGHTEOUS BROTHER.
A GOOD FATHER/GOOD HUSBAND/GOOD LOVER/GOOD WORKER/GOOD WARRIOR/SERIOUS REVOLUTIONARY RIGHTEOUS BROTHER.
A READ A BOOK AND PLAY A TUNE AND DANCE YOUR SLOW DANCE SWEET AND LOW DOWN RIGHTEOUS BROTHER.
A LOVE BLACK WOMEN, PROTECT BLACK CHILDREN, AND NEVER HIT A WOMAN RIGHTEOUS BROTHER.
A TURN THE TV OFF AND LET`S TALK INSTEAD RIGHTEOUS BROTHER.
A TURN THE TV OFF AND LET`S MAKE LOVE INSTEAD RIGHTEOUS BROTHER.
A BROTHER WHO CAN LISTEN.
A BROTHER WHO CAN TEACHA BROTHER WHO CAN CHANGE FOR THE BETTER.
A BROTHER WHO CAN MOVE TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE EARTH.
A BROTHER WHO IS NOT INTIMIDATED OR CONFUSED BY THE POWER AND THE MAGIC OF WOMEN.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR A RIGHTEOUS BROTHER. WHAT WE USED TO CALL A GOOD BROTHER.
A BROTHER WHO DOESN`T CALL WOMEN H**ES, B***HES, SKANKS, PU***IES, SL*TS,etc., etc., etc.
A BROTHER WHO USES CONDOMS WITHOUT BEING ASKED.
A BROTHER WHO DOESN`T CALL SEX SCREWING.
A BROTHER WHO KNOWS THAT TIME AND TENDERNESS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN SIZE AND SPEED AND THAT RECIPROCITY IS EVERYTHING.
A BROTHER WHO DOESN`T DESCRIBE THE DETAILS OF AN INTIMATE HETEROSEXUAL ENCOUNTER BY SAYING, "MAN, I KNOCKED THE BOTTOM OUT OF IT." OR: "I F**KED HER BRAINS OUT." OR: "I DREW BLODD FROM THAT B**TCH."
A BROTHER WHO SAYS: "I MADE HER FEEL GOOD. I SHOWED HER HOW MUCH I LOVE AND CHERISH HER."
A BROTHER WHO SAYS: "I RUBBED WARM OIL ON HER."
A BROTHER WHO SAYS: "I KISSED EVERY PART OF HER I COULD KISS."
A BROTHER WHO SAYS: "I MADE HER FEEL SO SAFE AND HAPPY AND FREE THAT SHE FELL ASLEEP IN MY ARMS AND HER HEARTBEAT SOUNDED LIKE OCEAN AFTER A STORM..."
WE ARE LOOKING FOR A GOOD BROTHER.
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