After watching the Oscars, I found myself in awe of Lupita Nyong’o. At first, I wasn’t sure what had struck me most about her. Perhaps it was her modern-day Cinderella gown, maybe it was her Oscar-winning performance in 12 Years a Slave, or it could have even been her overwhelming joy when she delivered her acceptance speech that endeared her to me. It wasn’t until I read “The Fetishisation of Luptia Nyong’o” by Charish Halliburton posted in the Motley News that I realized that it really didn’t matter why I liked Nyong’o because a white girl could only like her for one reason: “Blacks are proud that Nyong’o crushed it in her portrayal of Patsey … Whites seem to be most preoccupied with Nyong’o’s exotic looks.”
Comments like this one show that the stereotyping and vilifying of “whites” remains an acceptable and widely-used tool used by advocates like Halliburton in a misguided attempt to empower minority communities. Accomplishments of members of minority communities are valuable enough to stand as accomplishments in themselves and do not gain value when framed in a narrative of overcoming the oppression of white people.
Last week, I went to get blood drawn and, although encounters with needles normally leave me a bit light-headed, I never expected my blood to boil. As I sat in the hospital’s waiting room, I happened to overhear the man across from me. Normally, I try not to eavesdrop, but to be fair, he was screaming.
“Now we got a brother in the White House! Those white people got something new coming now. … They [white people] gonna do anything to get ahead! ” He went on and on.
I sat there as his voice drilled into my head, accompanied by the intermittent shouts of approval from some of the other people in the room, and I realized that this man’s unapologetic racism did much more than construct a barrier between him and the white people in the room, it utilized hatred of “white people” as “the others” to create solidarity and lift his community up.
Growing up, I encountered this attitude all the time. For instance, during high school I competed in track meets scattered throughout the city and suburbs of Chicago, one of the most segregated cities in the United States. Because school districts are divided by neighborhood, many of the teams I competed against were either entirely white or entirely black. While this didn’t cause any major problems during meets, it was common to hear black runners shout phrases like “Yeah! Beat all them white girls!” when they were watching their teammates race.
If I had said “Yeah! Beat all those black girls!” it would have been received as a statement of oppression and hatred, but somehow its inverse rung across the field as a cry of empowerment, an invocation to overcome, as though beating a white girl would add value to their victory.
The experience of minority communities in the United States is inevitably wed to the experience of overcoming discrimination and socioeconomic disadvantage. However, we need to keep in mind that even though prejudice and stereotypes hold different implications in the real world for different communities, nevertheless, every group must be treated with same standards of respect in racial dialogue. After all, in terms of identity, “white” is just as heterogeneous as “black”, “Asian”, “Latino” or any of the the other labels we use to group people.
If our society wants to brand statements like “You’re so … for a black person” or “Wow, you’re not even that Asian” as racist, then it should also condemn phrases such as “You’re white-girl wasted” and “You dance like a white guy.” Institutional racism is a not two-way street in this country, however, racial hatred definitely is and it really doesn’t matter what side of the street you drive on.
The achievements of individuals who identify with minority communities, whether it be winning a track meet or winning an Oscar, should stand alone as achievements in themselves. Framing these achievements as a subtle one-up over white people in an ongoing battle for racial equality, apart from being an outdated perspective, propagates a divisive “us” and “them” approach to race relations that sullies the success of individuals such as Nyong’o.
Nyong’o’s Oscar is a victory that can and should be universally appreciated. It is a victory for film, it is a victory for the arts. It is a victory for the black community. It is a victory for women. It is a victory for all.
This is a good post, and could only be made better by emphasizing that there are a variety of racially-tainted events including harassment, defamation, discrimination, violence, etc. This essay seems to refer primarily to defamation which is probably the easiest element to tackle because speech & writing can be measured & critiqued. Overcoming discrimination and harassment are harder to deal with.
At Resisting Defamation, we have spelled out for the diverse white American peoples how to respond to defamation surrounding naming, labeling, defining, and describing of one’s own demographic affinity group. We do not seek to prescribe these methods and means for other demographics as that is the first lesson…to treat one’s own inclination to supremacy instincts first and not tell others how to think or how to feel about issues. It isn’t hard when you get it, and it all has to do with standing back when others name, label, define, and describe themselves…and attacking back when it is done to you or your group.
As pluralism morphed into multiculturalism and then into multiracialism, we each have to guard our tongues and minds to avoid naming, labeling, defining, or describing the other as a beginning.
Hey Catriona,
Thanks for your insightful article. It reminds me of some of the man bashing that I’ve occasionally heard coming from _some_ feminists; certainly not most. (I use the term to mean anyone who advocates for the advancement of women’s rights.) I understand the anger and I think there needs to be some tolerance for its expression. After all, we live in such a power stratified system which unfairly distributes suffering along race, class, gender and many other lines. So I think it’s important to recognize the humanness and the need for people on the receiving end to express their frustrations. Hence, I would generally let the anti-man comments go.
Hell, I’d be pissed, too, if I were a woman having to live in a man’s world 24/7! I don’t feel it’s fair or healthy to expect or ask them to mask or bottle up their very valid frustrations. That would seem to only perpetuate the problem as silencing people breeds the worst of human problems. It would also perpetuate the power inequalities: man telling woman when and how to express her issues with male privilege and dominance.
But your point is important. It can be easy to cross the line between addressing problems and expressing grievances on the one hand and slagging certain groups on the other. As long as there’s an awareness of the power inequalities, it’s a point well taken. There is a difference in the social consequences of someone saying “white girl wasted” and, say, “Indian girl wasted”.
White “girls” (hopefully they’re at least old enough to be women if they’re getting sloshed) aren’t in very much danger of being stigmatized as drunks by their race. We don’t start to assume all white women are drunks. The same is unfortunately not true for Aboriginal women (and men): they have been stereotyped as drunk up the yin yang to the point that they are denied necessary medical treatment in hospitals, which sometimes results in death, as just one example of the difference racialization makes.
I remember a friend asking me why it was socially acceptable to make a joke about a Scottish person but not okay to make a joke about people of colour. (I can’t remember how the joke went, but it was something about not having a zipper on a kilt.) It took me a long time to realize that the difference is power. Jokes about people of colour and Aboriginal people perpetuate their subordinate social status by continuing the patterns of racialization.
These jokes (or comments, outlooks, etc.) cause real damage to their perception as humans and social equals in a white, male dominated world. Negative perceptions of these subordinated groups continue to work to exclude them from consideration for jobs, housing, friendships, communities, which leads to a sense of not-belonging and lower self-worth…which leads to social problems, health problems, early death, suicide and many other tragic social ills. Because of race privilege, the joke my friend told about the Scottish person’s kilt doesn’t cause this social damage. If it did, the joke wouldn’t have been funny to me.
All to say that I think your points are important and accurate as long as they are situated in a recognition and understanding of _why_ people lash out against dominant groups, and so long as we also work — really work — to help them eradicate these inequalities that are the source of these expressions of suffering. Otherwise the tendency can be to silence people and deny the downtrodden their right to express their frustrations (and yes, sometimes in a way we consider to be inappropriate), which simply perpetuates the power structures that are the cause of these outbursts.
Hopefully the point is not to tell people to STFU “after all we’ve done for you people”, but to open up a dialogue to understanding each other, minimize the barriers to people feeling fully human, and dismantle the unjust systems that cause so much anger, hurt and hatred. I consider nonviolent communication to be a critical tool for this process: cnvc.org/
sorry for misspelling your name…Caitriona!
I disagree. I don’t think there’s such a thing as “reverse racism.” Our social structure gives privilege to white people over minorities…the term is just something used to help those in power evade the reality that they are privileged,the success and comfort those in power achieve is afforded to them significantly because of their white race.. a minority win has to be seen within the context of race, or a win over the majority white, just like a win for women is considered a win over men (it’s just difficult to understand because those privileged haven’t been in the shoes of minorities) …I think those who think reverse racism is a real thing need to be honest with themselves and really look at daily interactions they have with minorities-thoughts, actions… I’m sure it’s not the same as interactions with those who are similarly privileged. Who do you surround yourself with? What race are they? What gender are they? What sexual orientation? What age are they? Why do you feel comfortable interacting with these people? What do your family members think of minorities? How are your classes set up? How does your professor interact with white students? How do your professors interact with minority students? Who speaks up in class? Which students are paid attention to in class? When you speak, when do you speak, why do you speak? Is your learning made easier because of your course of study and race? Power dynamics definitely play a role, and those who advance that “reverse racism” is a real thing are also those who are defensive, constantly needing validation. I would go as far as to say that using the term “reverse racism” is a form of repression itself
I understand where you are coming from and what you are trying to say, but no.
Racism is not a two way street.
That is not how the institution of racism works because, after all, racism is an institution. Though I can completely understand why, at first, it may appear that racism is an incident of blatant ignorance towards a certain race, but that is not the case.
Racism is about power relations and oppression.
Another quick point: not all racial stereotypes carry the same weight. (Ex: A white person may be viewed as not having rhythm, but a black person is viewed as being a criminal.)
There were some other things wrong with your article but to save myself some time I will direct you to a few articles:
“On White Pride, Reverse Racism, and Other Delusions” by Tim Wise (This will help you understand why your article, though a valiant effort, is not right.)
“Eating the Other: Desire and Resistance” by bell hooks (This will help you understand Lupita and the social dynamics that surround that)
“White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh (A classic. This will help you understand why you even are able to claim this notion of reverse racism)
If you ever need any more information on race and how it really works, then you can contact me or use google. Either way, I am sure you will learn, grow, and understand!
Have a great day.
I couldn’t agree more. The reality of the situation is, white people are at the top of pyramid, followed by Asians, Latinos, and then black students at the bottom. That’s just the way it is, and has always been. Georgetown’s campus is a perfect example. It seems like everyone is trying to compete to get to that top level, which results in a pretty superficial campus environment. Reverse racism doesn’t exist. Racism is the product of our institutions, which white people have historically had access to and continue to dominate. I’m sorry if you feel offended that minorities have the balls to try to occupy “your” space. The “racism” white people encounter does not show a disregard for their humanity or life-you are still considered human. People of other races, at one point, were treated like animals…do you not get that? N’yong’s win brings pride to the black community because beauty and talent in society, as you can see, still just means “white.” White students can walk around Georgetown at night drunk and act like hooligans. Do you think students of other races would get away with that-no. As a minority student, I don’t look for pity from white people, but just respect and fair treatment…I would recommend those articles too as a stepping point
I’m sorry, you need to get off your high horse. Can you name one thing that you’ve been denied at Georgetown because of your race?
I think it’s pretty obvious that the author is not arguing that reverse racism exists, and that she understands the different implications that stereotypes have for minorities. “The experience of minority communities in the United States is inevitably wed to the experience of overcoming discrimination and socioeconomic disadvantage… even though prejudice and stereotypes hold different implications in the real world for different communities, nevertheless, every group must be treated with same standards of respect in racial dialogue.”
What she’s asking for is the same thing as anyone else would want, that is respect. Regardless of whatever chip you have on your shoulder about racism, it’s just as bad for you to write off her personal experience with race as trivial because she is from the majority group.