“War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength”—I wonder how George Orwell missed “Segregation is Integration”? Maybe because that was too obviously ridiculous even for Big Brother to pull off….or so he thought.
Apparently yoga and meditation studios in multiple locales in the U.S. are running “no whites allowed” classes in the interests, say the operators, of making Eastern self-help disciplines more accessible to “people of color” [ I detest this phrase, but I’m quoting] by excluding people of less valued color—that is, whites. The New York Times just published an uncritical profile of such a place in Oakland, by a reporter who shrugged off the fact that she was refused in her request to attend a class because she was too little “of color.” Incredibly, the Times reporter just accepts the Bizarro World logic and utter hypocrisy fed to her as if it makes as much sense as “freedom is slavery” makes to poor Winston after his brain cells have been scrambled by the threat of rats eating his face.
“Specific classes at the center bar white or straight people — in order to be inclusive of some, they exclude others. Those who run the center say that the practice ultimately makes the center community more diverse…Brenda Salgado, the director of the center, said that as part of its diversity efforts, the center has four different sitting groups that meet weekly. “An L.G.B.T.Q.I. sitting group, one for people of color, a Friday open sit, open to everyone — those can fluctuate between 50 or 100, Ms. Salgado said. “We also have the Every Body Every Mind group, for people with disabilities and chronic illness.”
For all but the “open sits,” the expectation is that only people who identify with the target group will attend. (I learned as much when my request to attend People of Color Yoga was turned down.) And for open sits, organizers use a Web application to ensure that white people do not crowd out others. When the spots allotted for white people fill up, registration is capped to save spots for others.”
Oh, naturally: quotas too!
Meanwhile, up the coast, Rainier Beach Yoga in Seattle has permitted “five queer people of color” to create a special class called “Yoga for People of Color” whose rules forbid “white people” from attending. The class invites “lesbian, bisexual, gay, queer and trans-friendly/affirming,” while specifying which “people of color” are acceptable for human contact, such as “African American/black/of the African Diaspora, Asian, South Asian, West Asian/Arab/Middle Eastern, Pacific Islander, First Nations/Alaskan Native/Native American/Indigenous, Chicano/Latino, or Multiracial/Mixed-Race.”
One of the co-founders of the class, Teresa Wang, explained what would happen to a white yoga enthusiast who wanted to attend. “Well, it’s a class for people of color, so he would be coming to that class knowing that we’re really clear about who we are asking to come to class, so…I’m not really sure because it hasn’t happened to us,” Wang said.
The class, after all, is aimed at making “people of color” feel comfortable. How is this in any way different from the people on Rosa Parks’ bus wanting not to have to endure the “discomfort” of having to sit near black people? Or of airplane passengers being nervous about seeing Muslims on their plane?
Or of a Christian bakery feeling uncomfortable about decorating a wedding cake topped by two little men in tuxes?
Blogger/Lawyer Marc Randazza, in his trademarked Take No Prisoners Style, sums up this hypocrisy thusly…
Some people say that this is just like a sign that says “blacks not welcome” or “jews and dogs need not apply.”
Bullshit.
It is a lot more polite. See, if Jim Crow had just said “our negro friends are respectfully asked to not sit at the lunch counter” we wouldn’t have had all that talk about equality, discrimination, and such.
I will be a lot more direct and less funny than Marc. I have no respect for anyone who accepts, advocates or rationalizes this pure bigotry while mouthing platitudes about “diversity,” ” equality” and “justice.” This is either stupidity or hypocrisy, or both, and it demonstrates that much of the progressive community is only interested in using guilt, double standards and rhetorical gibberish to gain an advantage for its favored groups. Their purpose is not eliminating prejudice and discrimination, but using both for their own purposes, with utter, gullible, media fools like
There are honest, serious, fair, objective and intelligent people like Randazza who have the courage and sense to expose this travesty of civil rights, but there need to be more of them, and they need better weapons than blog posts. Here is another question that should be aimed at Hillary, Bernie and the Three Dwarfs on Wednesday. “You claim to be a progressive–what is your response to gay-only, black-only yoga classes as a way to promote diversity? Will you condemn such practices as un-American and a violation of Democratic core principles? Remember, it will cost you the Hypocritical Left voting bloc, which is obviously huge. Secretary Clinton? Senator Sanders? Senator Webb? Senator Chaffee? Governor O’Malley?”
I wonder what yoga position all but Jim Webb will twist themselves into to try to finesse the answer?
______________________
Sources: New York Times, Mark Randazza, Red Flag News
Ethics Alarms 
Was not one of the justifications of racial segregation to ensure safe spaces?
concurrence .
emphasis added; citations omitted
These people got their educations and their ideas about the world in echo-chambers. They need their entire waking lives to take place in echo-chambers now.
This is the nutty side of mindfulness meditation promoted by “progressives” who in America unfortunately are the majority going to these classes. A Zen Master in Japan would laugh at this idiocy. In Asia, all are welcomed to join up if you have the right stuff as with the Marines and are willing to follow the rigorous guidelines.
My name is “Marc” 🙂
I knew that. All if you eccentric Marcs drive me nuts…I spelled Mark Levine’s name “Marc” for years for fear of getting this exact complaint!
You know, my real name is Jac, but after a while I gave up correcting people…
I thought your real name is John. Or Jon.
Bil?
Are you kidding? I can’t tell. In fact, my Dad and I, both real Jacks, had an informal “Jack Marshall” club—there are a lot of them—and when we ran into another Jack M, asked whether they were really “John.” Almost always they were, like the most famous Jack Marshall, the Hollywood arranger/composer who wrote The Munsters theme. I’ve broadened the membership eligibility to just plain Jacks now, and there are a lot more of them than when I was a kid—in a largely Catholic community, I had teachers who refused to call me by my name. I would refuse to answer, an argument would ensue, and my Dad usually had to come and give the teacher a talking to.
Now, thanks to Jack Ryan, Jack Bower, Keanu Reeves’ character Jack in “Speed,” and lots of TV series with leads named Jack, like “Without a Trace” and “The Following,” Jack is suddenly a popular given name, rather than nickname, for the first time in US history.
Marc, the YouTube video must have been done in Santa Monica I bet. The guy that does Gandhi is definitely funnier than Ben Kingsley.
“African Diaspora”? “First Nations”? And an alphabet term for homosexuals that seems to get longer every week?? Let these Diversity Divas have their separate classes, then, if being around normal white people is so innerving to them. Frankly, I’ve long since become disgusted with this demographics song and dance.
A couple (early Sunday morning, and therefore perhaps a bit muddy) thoughts:
1. Why don’t we all go crazy every year with the famous (infamous) “Black Achievement Awards?” What would happen if someone put together a “White Achievement Awards” night? (And please, don’t give me the “majority/minority” argument… Heard that a million times. Any anyway, soon enough “whites” as now defined will in fact be in the minority (see Latino, Asian population growth especially), so perhaps eventually there will actually be a need for a “White Achievement Award,” if you buy the rationale for a “Black” one…)
2. The only way America’s “melting pot” can be achieved is through both organized and casual interaction of citizens of various races, genders, national origins, etc. Right? An argument made for… forever. Will it help me to understand this country and be a full participant in its society if I associate myself only with women of my age, sexual orientation, height, weight, educational achievement, and economic bracket? It may be a natural, personal preference to do so in some areas of one’s life, but to establish organizations for the specific purpose of excluding those who differ from a tightly circumscribed and defined group is only –and grossly so — divisive in the extreme. Go moronic USA! Let’s all get together and work together! How, exactly?
3. On the other side — and I am _not_ supporting the ridiculous race/gender restricted yoga programs — what about all-female schools and colleges? I once consulted for an all-girl, Catholic high school: the nun who ran it stated unequivocally that she considered it “leadership training for young women.” “There are no boys here to be president of the Student Council, leaving the vice presidential post to a girl; there are no boys here to serve as “counsel” to the Board — the girls have to do it, and _learn_ to do it.” So is this sexist? And What about Sweet Briar, e.g.? Was the saving of that revered and effective institution ultimately sexist? Or did the alumni really have a case that a bunch of greedy, lying board members were selling this institution out? And did it really help Harvard and its students to consume Radcliffe, as another example? I’m pondering this…
Just another reason I’ve never had any inclination whatsoever to attend a yoga class. Let these idiots keep to themselves. Fine by me.
I wonder where I the spectrum I fall. Hispanic by family and birth, white by appearance and probably “privileged as fuck” by experience. Whenever I find myself supposed to be given preference over someone who has probably had a harder time than I did I cringe.
Time to quit cringing, Alex — “supposed” and “probably” are your cues to take what comes and make the most of it. If it makes you feel better, you wouldn’t be permitted to join the “White Only” yoga class.
Privilege has nothing to do with actual privileges in life, like being born into a rich family or having powerful friends. It has to do with what color your skin is and whether you’re a dude and stuff. I don’t get it either.
To “Segregation is Integration,” add “Uniformity is Diversity.”
The Légion Etrangère (French Foreign Legion) was originally organised on national lines, that is to say German volunteers were grouped together, Swiss together etc. but early in the Spanish (?) campaign they were all thoroughly intermingled. Living and fighting in such close proximity it was impossible for national/ethnic rivalries to survive and the Legion became one integrated, and formidable, unit.
It is natural that ethnic immigrants want to group with others that they can best communicate and relate to, but it’s the worst thing they can do in the long run.