mercuriosity, posts by tag: ibarw - LiveJournal (original) (raw)
12 August 2007 @ 04:22 pm
My IBARW posts: Mon | Tues | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun
Finally this week, I want to talk about the hardest kind of racism to fight: my own.
In my personal philosophy of what it means to be a good person, confronting one's own prejudices is one of the hardest things for any conscientious person to do--and one of the most important. Hard, because if you are a conscientious person, it hurts. If you want to be a good person, you do not like to look at yourself and find prejudice. It makes you profoundly uncomfortable. It makes you squirm. It's usually easier and less painful just to ignore it as best you can. But it's also one of the most important things to do, because it's all too easy to fight the big, obvious injustices that we see in the world, all the while allowing old attitudes and prejudices to flourish on a more subtle level. It's amazing how many people here think that because we've gotten rid of slavery and segregated water fountains, because women have the right to vote and we might even have a woman as president, because TV shows and movies with gay characters exist--racism, sexism and homophobia1 are no longer big issues in this country. They're no longer problems that the majority of us have to be concerned with; it's just a few redneck whackjobs who are stuck in the past who still have those issues. Right? Right?
Wrong, wrong, WRONG; three pints of wrong and a chaser of NUH-UH.
A year ago, I could not have made the posts I did this week. I probably couldn't have done it six months ago. I welcomed the opportunity to participate in IBARW because I'm very much in the process of learning about myself and figuring things out, not because I know it all already. If I sound especially passionate about combating a certain stereotype, or especially angry about a certain kind of injustice, there's a good chance it's because I've recognized myself buying into that stereotype or perpetuating that injustice. I don't blog against racism to tell people what I think they need to know; I do it to tell people what I wish I had known sooner.
Thank you and good night.
1This is true of homophobia to an admittedly lesser extent; a lot of people are aware that it's a problem and it's pretty hip now to be seen as fighting it; but already we can see the same process happening, whereby some of us are still concerned and actively fighting but at the same time a lot of people are already falling into that mindset of, "Things aren't as bad as they used to be, therefore things must be good." Which, no.
International Blog Against Racism Week
11 August 2007 @ 02:50 pm
My IBARW posts: Mon | Tues | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun
I'm in a hurry, so instead of the well thought out post I had planned, you get a hasty shove in the direction of other resources.
My plea today is: please take a moment to educate yourself about African American Vernacular English (AAVE). This is something about which many progressive, liberal-minded and well-meaning individuals in the US are sadly ignorant. As a result, you get statements like, "I'm not racist, but [racist views expressed as disapproval of language]." Only a few years ago, I would have made statements like that about AAVE. My very first linguistics class at university immediately made it a little harder to complacently hold on to those biases; now, having earned a degree in linguistics, I find them impossible to maintain. Knowledge brings change.
The Wikipedia article on AAVE is kind of messy, but may be a useful introduction. Bill Labov is a leading researcher in the field, and has some papers available on his website. Here's a transcript of a radio show where Geoff Pullum criticizes the media frenzy surrounding the 1996 decision of the Oakland School Board to acknowledge "Ebonics" as a language, and explains why the view of AAVE as a deficient version of English is wrong. Here's a page with an intro to AAVE and some links to other resources. Here are some notes and discussion by John Rickford from a somewhat more technical perspective that other linguists might enjoy.
Oh, and if you don't believe that language and racism can have anything to do with each other, why not get an introduction to the field of sociolinguistics?
International Blog Against Racism Week
10 August 2007 @ 03:48 pm
My IBARW posts: Mon | Tues | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun
There is perhaps no greater obstacle to the continuing struggle for equality than the complacency that is generated by a certain amount of success. We as a society are fooled into thinking that changing laws solves everything, when the reality is that changing laws is a piece of cake compared to changing attitudes and challenging power structures. I get this all the time when I dare to speak out as a feminist: "What do you mean women haven't achieved equality? We had a women's movement, didn't we?" I just don't know how to explain to people that despite our tremendous successes, we're still living under a system founded on inequality and subjugation; so it's usually at about that point I take out a wooden plank with the words status quo written on it and start beating people over the head.
*cough*
I don't even want to get into the stereotype of the "model minority" and how insulting it is both to Asian Americans and other ethnic minorities in the US ("See, they succeeded despite our stepping on their heads, why can't you?"). Other people have probably done it better, and if you really want to spike your blood pressure, you can always Google it. What I really want to do is just remind people of the history of Asians in America, and how far from pretty it is.
In the infamous Plessy v. Ferguson case, which established the doctrine of "separate but equal", Justice John Marshall Harlan was the sole dissenting voice. In his dissent, he said:
But in view of the Constitution, in the eye of the law, there is in this country no superior, dominant, ruling class of citizens. There is no caste here. Our Constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law.
But a few paragraphs later, he goes on to say:
There is a race so different from our own that we do not permit those belonging to it to become citizens of the United States. Persons belonging to it are, with few exceptions, absolutely excluded from our country. I allude to the Chinese race. But, by the statute in question, a Chinaman can ride in the same passenger coach with white citizens of the United States, while citizens of the black race [...] who have all the legal rights that belong to white citizens, are yet declared to be criminals, liable to imprisonment, if they ride in a public coach occupied by citizens of the white race. (emphasis mine)
Yay for fighting racism with more racism! I guess some things never change.
(Some links: Wikipedia on Yellow Peril and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, aka "Thanks so much for building our railroad, guys, now GTFO".)
International Blog Against Racism Week
Current Mood: stressed
09 August 2007 @ 03:49 pm
My IBARW posts: Mon | Tues | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun
These links are sadly US-centric, I'm afraid. If anyone, inside or outside the US, has their own favorite mixed race resources, I'd love to know about them!
- This site lists some well-known people of mixed racial heritage. Some of them may surprise you, particularly actors who tend to get cast (and therefore viewed) as one race or the other in the near-total absence of multiracial characters. I'm not thrilled by how many of the multiracial women are known for being lingerie models or Playmates, but that's a rant for another time. The site also has an extensive links section.
- In their own words, MAVIN is "the nation's leading organization that builds healthy communities that celebrate and empower mixed heritage people and families." THE organization in the US for issues relating to mixed-race people, interracial relationships, and transracial adoptees.
- A MAVIN project, Chasing Daybreak is a documentary that follows a group of young mixed-race people on a roadtrip across the US as they visit schools and communities to talk with people about mixed race issues. On the site you can read about the film, buy it on DVD, or see if there's going to be a screening in your area (or get your organization to request one!). I caught a screening at my campus, so here's my frank review: I had thought the film was going to be a little more on the "education" side, like actually showing their talks around the country and chronicling people's responses--i.e., sort of a documentary about the state of mixed race issues in the US today. In fact, the film is much more about the behind-the-scenes aspect of the group's tour, sort of reality-TV style with the kids talking into the camera about how their last presentation went, how the group was getting along, things like that. So it wasn't what I was expecting, but I still think it's worthwhile to see it if you get the chance, because these candid talks to the camera are a portrait of what young mixed people think about in their daily lives--only some of which is being mixed. It reminds you that they're people, with the full spectrum of personal interests and concerns.
- Why is this in a list of race-related links? Because the NMDP desperately needs more donors from racially diverse backgrounds. Patients with diseases like leukemia or lymphoma who need a potentially life-saving bone marrow transplant are more likely to find a match with someone of their own racial background. If you are an American of African, Native, Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic, or multiracial descent, please consider registering as a donor. I did this as part of an event on campus, and it was super easy: I did some cheek swabs, gave them some medical and contact information, sent it all in, and got my membership card in the mail. Please see the site for info on this and other ways you can help.
Secret Asian Man, a comic by Tak Toyoshima
- I love this comic! Although you can probably guess from the title that the focus is on the Asian main character, SAM covers a much wider range of topics than "just" Asian stuff. In fact, this is one of my favorites. Seriously, everyone should give it a look. Furthermore, the main character/author is in an interracial relationship and has a kid. Yay for diversity on the comics pages!
- Finally, this is one of my favorite sites of all time. I just- you have to see it to believe it. For your sanity, you might want to skip the "letters" section, which is full of people who Do Not Get It.
International Blog Against Racism Week
Current Mood: rushed
Current Music: Joan Osborne, "Dracula Moon"
08 August 2007 @ 09:10 am
My IBARW posts: Mon | Tues | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun
Occasionally I've seen people try to shut down conversations about race/racism by saying, "Race isn't real!" or "Why can't we all just get along?" or "Blah blah colorblind blah blah" (can you tell I sort of zone out when "colorblind" starts getting thrown around?). The implication being that if you insist on talking about race, you're playing into racist ideas about differences between groups of people1, you're being divisive, &c.--in other words, you're contributing to the problem. The real, perhaps subconscious, meaning behind those words being: "I'm uncomfortable talking about race and I wish you'd stop. Maybe if we ignore it, it'll go away!" (It won't.)
Guess what? RACE EXISTS.
Now, some people debate the use of the word "race". As an effort to derail conversations about race, this is also annoying; but I don't deny that there are valid linguistic questions. Witness the recent controversy in fandom over use of the word "miscegenation", where the approach of the offenders was essentially, "Well we didn't mean the word to be offensive, so it isn't." Which, no. Words have meaning beyond what's written in the dictionary; they have power; they are important. If you really find the word "race" problematic, by all means, ponder some better terminology. But for my part, I find race a very useful word, and when I use it I refer to a concept which is real, and whose reality is unaffected by any dispute of one meaning of the word.
It's kind of like Santa Claus. Is Santa Claus real? Does he exist? For a certain sense of the word "real", no. But he exists in the sense that he's in books, movies, music, art, imagery, and every mall in the United States at a certain time of year. This kind of being real is no less meaningful because it isn't that other kind.
Santa Claus isn't real, but I bet you can tell me what he looks like. Try substituting "Santa Claus" for "race" anytime the statement "Race isn't real!" comes up and see how relevant you think it is.
1For a look at historical attempts to justify racism via biology, check out the references in this old paper of mine. Mr. John Van Evrie's treatise is particularly enlightening.
International Blog Against Racism Week
Current Mood: hungry
07 August 2007 @ 04:35 pm
My IBARW posts: Mon | Tues | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun
I suddenly remembered an old rhyme/game from elementary school the other day. I don't know where it originated, but maybe some of you are familiar with it:
"My mother is Chinese." (pulling corners of eyes up)
"My father is Japanese." (pulling corners of eyes down)
"And I'm all mixed up!" (pulling one eye up and one down)
This is not something I remember as traumatizing me as a youngster, this is something I clearly remember participating in. We used to do it on the school bus. Now, plenty of things I did when I was younger embarrass me, but this- I'm more just. Comically appalled. What was going through our little heads? Clearly, nothing much. This is a prime example of kids having no idea what they're saying. Didn't it ever occur to me that I am "all mixed up"? That I was essentially making fun of my very existence?
Perhaps more important: where did we kids get it from?
*boggles*
I guess I'll end by recounting an incident that happened back when I worked at Target. I was cashiering one day, and an older woman came through my line with some makeup products, including a couple of different shades of foundation. She held them up and said, "Can I ask you which of these you think is a better match for me?"
"Um," said I.
Quoth she: "It's just that I credit the Oriental race with such a good eye for color."
"..." said I.
I just. She was so genial. What do you say to that? First of all, she must have been about a hundred years old, because who says "Oriental" anymore? "Oriental" is a flavor of ramen. Second, if she'd just asked for my color advice, I could have disclaimed any special color sense, but since apparently she asked me because I'm Asian, the only way to wriggle out of answering would be to deny being Asian, or to confront her weird ideas about Asians and their mystical eyes. Third, what if I gave her bad advice? I would be letting down my entire race, apparently. Oh, the pressure!
In the end, I fought stereotype with stereotype. "I can't help you," I said, "but why don't you go ask the cashier on nine? He's gay, and as such has an innate sense of color."
...OK, I didn't, really. That's just what I wish I had done.
International Blog Against Racism Week
Current Mood: busy
06 August 2007 @ 12:07 pm
My IBARW posts: Mon | Tues | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun
First of all, I want to remind people that the definition of "mixed-race" is not limited to people who are half-and-half, or people who are part-white/part-something else. That being said, those both describe me, so if I talk about being mixed in those terms I don't mean to exclude others; I'm just speaking from my experience.
Lots of people, often complete strangers, try the guessing game as to what Asian ethnicity I am. I don't know why; I've never found it a particularly rewarding exercise myself. My mother is Chinese, born and raised in Taiwan; my father is a white American. So I usually tell people I'm half-Chinese, half-Caucasian (or white, or whichever term I feel most comfortable with at the moment).
This is me:
Until very recently, my usual reaction when discussions of race and/or racism arose was to get angry and get vocal on behalf of others, but to refrain from talking about my own experiences with race because, well- I don't have any. If you asked me about my race, or about being mixed, I would probably tell you: "Well, it's never been a big part of my life."
To some extent, I still think this is true. But lately I've started to wonder if this reaction, in itself, reveals more about my experience with race than I'd realized.
Tomorrow I think I'll talk more about being mixed, and my own experiences with race. At some point this week I'll talk more about being Chinese/Asian, specifically.
International Blog Against Racism Week
Current Mood: good
03 August 2007 @ 11:26 pm
Re: International Blog Against Racism Week, I've posted some icons for use here.
Some Naruto, some Avatar, some general; more bad puns than you can shake a stick at.
Current Mood: productive
03 August 2007 @ 04:01 pm
International Blog Against Racism Week is coming up!
Specifically, IBARW is this August 6 to August 12.
Maybe y'all already knew this, and I'm just late to the party--but then again, maybe not. Suffice it to say that I was super excited to learn I would have a chance to participate in a conversation that desperately needs to be had, so I thought I'd pass the word on.
(Current icon is up for grabs to anyone who wants it, and I'm making more as I type. The revolution will be well-accessorized.)
Current Mood: excited
Current Music: Dead Kennedys, "Rawhide"