Subtitled: Are our allies blind? Or are they really allies?
First, a white “feminist” writer writes something that sure seems like appropriation. But she writes in a vacuum, because she doesn’t mention any women of color that went before her! No, seriously!
This was the preliminary book cover by this “feminist” writer. After expressions of concern from some folks about racist imagery, the cover was changed. But of course it didn’t go down easy.
Good to know what the joy-killing narrative is going to be. My money was on “pornographic”. Shows my guessing skills.
(Anti-racists! Joy-Killers!) and
Well, I knew people would complain about something, since they have to. I’ll admit, I didn’t see “racist” coming. But I knew it would be something. I seriously thought it would be a rehash of the Jessica thing, with “too sexy” being it.
And that’s my last comment on it. I knew it would be something, since liberals take the phrase “we have seen the enemy and it is us” as a maxim to live up to. I just need to hone my guessing skills.
So the cover gets changed, but people can’t stop making little digs about this at the writer’s blog:
I’m very disappointed Amanda. Don’t you realize the stereotype that crocodiles have historically represented within the…
So then the book comes out. Here is an image inside the book with the revised cover. (From Dear White Feminists, Quit Fucking Up)
I’m not even sure what to say about this. First the writer gets dragged kicking and screaming into acknowledging the racism of the cover. But then we find that the images inside are just as bad. So what do we deduce from this? Was she incapable of seeing the racism unless it was directly pointed out to her? What about the publishers and everybody else who undoubtedly saw the proofs of the book?
I have to believe it just never even occurred to her.
But the defensiveness isn’t a good sign.
Here are the other two, post titles on a “progressive” blog that mock the way some people think Asians speak:
“Me Reary Rikey the Superbowl!”
Exactly how did those titles escape almost everybody’s attention? This is a serious question, I really want to know. The blogowner came by, apologized and said that he’d changed the titles, but the titles remain the same racist spew on other blogs where there are cross-posts.
When I see ally behavior like this, I have to wonder if it isn’t a way of telling people of color who’s in charge. That’s a pretty cynical take, I guess. A more charitable take is that white people don’t apply conceptual understandings of racism but rather learn lessons one at a time for every single issue.
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April 28, 2008 at 4:26 pm
panracial
I do some indigenous activism and one of my main issues with white feminism (and womanism and Western feminism of color) is how every time an indigenous woman defends something that a white feminist doesn’t like — say, polygamy, the indigenous woman gets called brainwashed so that her voice can be ignored.
Another link I love addressing white feminism, by a Persian woman is here http://www.cunepress.com/cunepress/booksonline/essays/etg/etg-pages/a-d/aziz.htm The book Jasmine and Stars, Reading more than Lolita in Tehran is another good book that addresses white supremacist feminism. As is anything by Oyeronke Oyewumi, Ifi Amadiume, Nkiru Nzegwu, Mojubaolu Okome, Elizabeth Warnock Fernea, Nora Waln, Alison Wearing, Fuambai Ahmadu, Richard Schweder, or Christiane Bird.
April 28, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Kathy
When I first looked at the book cover, my jaw dropped and I almost burst out laughing, because this proves Marcotte to be the complete idiot that I thought she was. Well, her book sure is getting a lot of attention, and she probably doesn’t care as long as her book sells.
I do find it hard to believe that so many of these “liberal white feminist” writers are so dense, not to mention arrogant, elitist, and in a deep comotose denial. Anyone who would take Marcottes book as anything but a racist, pathetic, caricature can’t be very intelligent. This is a classic example of appropriating a subject and then disrespecting and distorting it.
Wow, I still can’t believe that cover.
Panracial, thanks for the link to the Persian woman, yes, a lot of literature focuses on women in third world countries as being abused and oppressed by men, Wild Swans is another classic example, and it’s interesting to me that it is white women who have so much power over what it published, I never really thought about that before. That explains Marcotte too, and the promotion of her book by Feministe.
April 28, 2008 at 7:28 pm
panracial
You’re welcome Kathy. Another good book dealing with feminism and Chinese women is Cinderella’s Sisters by Dorothy Ko.
Btw, does that cover remind anybody of the Lebron/Giselle vogue cover?
Also, Salon, which has always been for white supremacist feminists has just proved themselves once more on their blog.
April 28, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Tom
I think maybe a lot of people who don’t even know that they were raised to believe in white supremacy, sort of assume that they must be allies to PoC, because that sounds like a good thing to be. And maybe that’s just kind of an accident waiting to happen.
(Not the pointy-hood kind of white supremacy, the napalm-and-democracy kind of white supremacy.)
April 28, 2008 at 10:37 pm
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April 29, 2008 at 12:58 am
Margaret
Well, okay, I’ll be the idiot here. I’m not seeing what everyone else is seeing with that cover. I see a white woman ready to eff a gorilla.
The next image from her book is very evidently racist to me.
April 29, 2008 at 1:59 am
panracial
Margaret you’re not an idiot — it’s more about the canon the picture comes from that of King Kong and the blond damsel in distress and the way King Kong is supposed to represent the ravaging black man (see Birth of a Nation or the Lebron Gisele Vogue cover.)
April 29, 2008 at 5:40 am
more cowbell
Just when you think it can’t get much worse …
I knew about the situation, but hadn’t seen the imagery. Is this whole thing for real? Of course it is, but damn. And people wonder WHY we can’t just all get along?
April 29, 2008 at 6:14 am
more cowbell
sorry, I actually had intended to address your first question (are our allies blind, or are they really our allies?) although it was likely rhetorical. I’ve been thinking a lot about the whole ally thing since this all came up. Thinking about what it means to be an ally and of course, questioning what ignorant things I’ve done/said, second guessing, all that. But I kept coming back to the term itself”.
True allies wouldn’t keep going like that though; things wouldn’t have gone this far. Your question — true allies realize they ARE blind when it comes to certain things. Allies listen when they screw up because if you understand what it means to be an ally, you know you ARE going to screw up, and you know to listen when called on your crap by people of color. Even if you don’t understand why people are calling you on your crap, you know enough to listen anyway so you can find out. (If you’re lucky enough that they think you’re worth their time to call you on it in the first place, that is)
Anyway, I’m just thinking that ally means something other than the behavior shown in this situation.
April 29, 2008 at 7:38 am
Melinda
*cringe*
Not all white people are like that…
Also, I’d second the recommendation of “Jasmine & Stars.” Fantastic book.
April 29, 2008 at 1:14 pm
CJsDaddy
Margaret - I wasn’t quite sure what was wrong with the gorilla image either - the other image clearly presents a problem though.
This blog, however is one place where I come to learn, so I think panracial explains it well enough for me, although honestly, it’s the first time I’ve heard that reference stated out loud, if that makes any sense. I think a lot of folks were disappointed with Peter Jackson’s version of the film. Although he does seem to encourage some degree of sympathy for Kong being dragged to America in chains (get it?), he’s still a savage beast.
Anyway - I think if I were an editor, I would have let the first image slip not thinking about it. Judging by the comments here, it sounds like mistakes are OK, but an ally would take the time to respond to the original outrage by making real changes to the book.
April 29, 2008 at 3:33 pm
resistance
Tom, I think that’s a great point. And maybe that’s why a lot of people deny racism. Racism is bad, but they aren’t bad, so they can’t be racists.
Both these incidents were completely demoralizing. I noticed that on the Alas blog that the “Me Reary Rikey” title wasn’t even commented on. Honestly, you look at some of those posts and the comments number in the dozens. There are also apparently a number of bloggers there who are “anti-racist” and none of them said anything either.
April 29, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Margaret
Thanks panracial. I see it now that you give the reference.
April 29, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Tracey
I’ve seen the images plenty of times by now, but I have to say I’m a little shocked by the comments you quoted about the first cover. (I’m assuming they were made by the book’s author, who shall remain nameless.) WOW. I mean, I knew she helped get the original cover changed after there was criticism, but I had no idea she was so snarky and dismissive about it. The “I need to hone my guessing skills,” is especially offensive, as if none of the complaints were legitimate, and that she was just waiting to see what her critics would arbtrarily take issue with. Ugh.
April 30, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Tom
resistance,
I wish I knew something to say. I’m trying to fax you some good vibes.