White Noise: White adults raising white children to resist white supremacy | Love Isn't Enough - on raising a family in a colorstruck world
Editor’s note: We are re-running this piece, originally published in August, 2009, in response to numerous reader questions about raising anti-racist white children. This is a very important topic, and we think White Noise is a visionary response. written by Anti-Racist Parent contributor Susan Raffo of White Noise It hit me while I was still pregnant. But there’s this other self; sometimes called the political self or the activist self or the stand back and pay attention self. And this is the contradiction that crept into my belly standing there, at the Mall of America. Whiteness Here is what we noticed right away: both the race of our daughter and the economic privilege of our family. So, white parents raising white children. My partner and I decided that if we’re going to raise a white child we want to pay attention to how she becomes white and how she is white. So, since this is true, we decided to get help. Laying the groundwork Right now, we call what we do “laying the groundwork.”
The Best Take Down of Hipster Racism You Will Ever See
I’ve watched and shared this video so many times that I figured I should blog about it. The poets are Kai Davis (left) and Safiya Washington (right) of the Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement performing at last year’s Brave New Voices semi-finals. The term “hipster racism” was coined by Carmen Van Kerckhove at Racialicious and refers to using racist language “ironically”. But I would go a step further and say that the hipster lifestyle is quite racist in and off itself and Davis and Washington’s performance perfectly encapsulates why that is. As s.e. Smith explained back in 2009: Hipsters are a driving force behind gentrification, driving out low income people and people of colour. This isn’t to say that anyone who owns vinyl records and shops at Urban Outfitters is a raging bigot. This can be seen in the reaction to the video. Like this: Like Loading... Related
This Image Should NOT be Seen by the Whole World | How to be an Anthropologist
Chief Raoni Metuktire of Brazil’s Kayapó If your response is either “I shared it and this is not what I meant!” or “The ends justify the means!” then consider this: Follow Up Post Why is Chief Raoni Metuktire of Brazil’s Kayapó tribe crying? THIS IMAGE SHOULD BE SEEN BY THE WHOLE WORLDWhile magazines and TV chains report about the lives and love affairs of movie actors and actresses, football players and other celebrities, the Chief of the Kayapo tribe heard the worst news of his entire life:Mrs. This narrative is truly heart wrenching. The image attached to this meme depicts Chief Raoni in tears and clearly emotional. This is inspiring stuff. Chief Raoni in Paris presenting his petition. The picture is not of Chief Raoni crying and grieving about the Belo Monte Dam. While far too many have shared this image on facebook, twitter and elsewhere – including many anthropologists – Chief Raoni is effecting actual change and wielding real power. This post has been syndicated on the Daily Dot.
On Miley Cyrus and Racism
So this happened last night: … and the internet (predictably) exploded. And just to be clear, I agree that what Miley did was frankly disgusting, but not for the reasons that you might think. Most of the criticism of Miley’s VMA performance has focussed on her attire and dancing style, with people claiming that her dress (or rather, state of undress) and sexual movements were vulgar, degrading and slutty. Then, this morning, I watched a fuckton of white feminists totally ignore the racist aspects of what Miley did in their rush to defend her from slut-shaming. Now, let’s be clear: there was definitely a lot of slut-shaming going on, and it was really fucking disgusting. What Miley is doing is cultural appropriation. Miley is doing her best to promote herself as a part of rachet culture, which Jody Rosen describes as “the potent sexual symbolism of black female bodies,” while simultaneously treating the black women in her videos and performances as props. And I think that I get it?
When “Life Hacking” Is Really White Privilege — Get Bullish
It happens all the time that white people claim not to be racist because they didn’t intend to be racist; they weren’t thinking about that at all. But there are many situations in which it is precisely your job to think about that. Nothing induces more rage in others than your taking what you do not deserve and not even noticing. A small example: Sometimes I am waiting in line, killing time on my phone, when the cashier, ticket-taker, or receptionist summons me forward. (I am fairly certain that I read as a Fancy White Lady. In situations in which it’s not clear which way the line is supposed to form, or in which multiple lines ultimately lead to the same service point, it has absolutely happened that I was being invited to jump ahead of someone. Plenty of positive thinking literature would encourage me to see this as manifesting abundance or drawing positive energy my way. There is a difference between “being nice to everyone” and “being nice to everyone you happen to notice.”
Casual Racism is Not My Spirit Animal
On this past Monday’s Today show, during a bizarre exchange in which Meredith Vieira and Matt Lauer bickered over a pair of women’s drawers, Lauer said to Vieira, “Don’t be an Indian giver.” An “Indian giver,” for those who didn’t grow up in the US or who were homeschooled or otherwise insulated from a lot of the stupid shit kids say to each other, is a person who gives you something as a gift and then takes it back. It’s kind of like being a liar, only with property involved. The idea of an “Indian gift” was in use as early as 1765, and the specific term “Indian giver” was formally documented in Bartlett’s 1860 “Dictionary of Americanisms.” Because American Indians did not use currency in the same way that Europeans did, “gifts” were typically trades of goods of equal value. Why is it offensive? See, now that you know that, I’ve probably gone and made you feel badly for using it. Unfortunately, this sort of thinking only serves to perpetuate racism further.
