Blackbird Web Browser: Ambassador For Race Relations

40A, a software development company, released a new browser called Blackbird into beta on Sunday. Blackbird is a web browser that is designed to better fit the needs of the African American Community. While the program is just a customized version of Firefox, Blackbird brings a unique black theme that changes the appearance of the browser, and integrates a series of bookmarks, links, news feeds, and social networking applications that are custom tailored for African Americans. Ed Young, CEO of 40A believes that Blackbird will, "broaden the Internet experience for African Americans. We want to offer a tool that makes it easier for this community to find resources that are geared more towards them."

Is it just me, or does this seem a tad bit racist?

I've been using the interweb for quite some time now, and in my searches for hilarity on Youtube, business on Myspace, and randomness everywhere else, I have bumped shoulders with people from a variety of backgrounds, races, and belief systems. And I couldn'be be happier. Getting to interact with unique folks, even if it is just through text and pixilated pictures, is pretty darn cool. In fact, I think that was the whole point of the net, wasn't it? To meet folks, learn things, and be better, if not slightly more pudgy, people.

And I know there is software out there that only caters to a small amount of the population, but Blackbird seems to be a bit more so. And it's not because of technological restrictions, or based on the limits of accessiblity, but more on some social border that appears to state, "This is african american, and that is not."

And I know that the African American community does and has things that only cater to them. Seriously, what community doesn't? Musical styles, language, traditions, these are all things that make up a population, and I wouldn't expect them to become universal. In fact, in the case of things like the word "shizzle," I think that should've probably stayed with them instead of becoming utilized by the world at large. People living in the suburbs should not be allowed to use the word "shizzle" damnit! So if the African American community wants a series of resources to help them navigate the interweb better, so be it.

However, this is not just a resource for african americans, it's a statement. Look at the deep black theme of Blackbird. The color is so dark, that it actually makes things kind of hard to read. But that's not the point is it? No, the point is to tell people who look at your computer that you are a proud African American individual who is using a proud web broswer. What if you are someone who is not African American? Does that mean you shouldn't use Blackbird? Or does that mean if you do decide to use it, that you need to do it secretly like something out of Office Space?

And what about those fabled resources? Are these things that the African American community at large uses on a regular basis, or is this also a statement about what it is to fit in this culture? I noticed BET was on the bookmarks list. And I know first hand that there are plenty of members of the African American community who absolutely cannot stand BET. People who pillars of the community, and are proud of their culture and heritage, and tend to get a little queasy at the thought of an overcommercialized television station. Would their disapproval of this make these people less of an African American? I should hope not.

And I admit that, perhaps I'm looking a little too much into this. Clearly this is designed to be a positive resource, enabling a group to have access to a variety of things from one convenient place. I know the purpose as a whole, was designed to be a good thing. But it just feels a little dirty, that's all. In darker times, many communities of various ethnic ilk set up socio-cultural borders that clearly defined what the community was, and what it wasn't. I'm a dark skinned man who, despite my upbringing and heritage, was not welcome in his socio-cultural community because I "didn't meet the qualifications." My inability to speak Spanish and dance with any degree of compentency was something that kept me out of certain social circles. And while I'm not bitter or angry, it is something that I have walked away from and left behind.

If Blackbird turns out to be a positive thing, getting more people on the net and interacting with the world, then cool. I'll withdraw my concerns and return my attention back to making fun of celebrities. In fact, I would welcome it if Blackbird ended up doing this. Just don't let it become another border. Another open device that is accessible to all, but guarded by the few. In this day and age, the last thing we need are more lines.