Racism and white privilege in politfandom and beyond

Don't have time to work on my paper before I go out to lunch, so I wanted to share a few important links:

LJ comm rahmbamarama has been having an interesting and very necessary discussion about racism (and other forms of privilege). The original post itself contains a number of useful and important links for anyone looking to educate themselves about white privilege.

I originally came to this post and the fic through deepad's Open Letter to the Politfandom that is a MUST-READ not just for people who read and write in the Politfandom, but anyone who is ever going to think about Barack Obama and/or write/read original fiction that is based in the real world. Basically I think everyone should read it.

Once you're done, definitely check out color_blue's redrawing boundaries. It's frank and angry and a good reminder that oppressed minorities put up with a lot of shit on a daily basis and at the end of the day they're still the ones who are expected to give the "benefit of the doubt" to privileged individuals who have been too steeped in their privilege to see what they were doing all along. It's not an easy read and I can't quite describe my feelings about it but I think it's essential to read that side of the coin, too, not just the people who will put up with trying to explain and educate.

It's also a nice reminder that fandom is, like any other place, often safest for people with privilege.

I also need to share this video (original post here) that I all beg you to watch, because at some point you're going to be the one calling on someone for saying/doing something racist or being called on for saying/doing something racist:

Every time I do a post on white privilege and racism I think I really ought to say something myself rather than simply point to other people's posts, but I feel like I am still learning too much at this point. I feel like listening and pointing to things that make me think and help me feel more confident in my understanding of white privilege is more productive at this point, and I am less likely to say things I will later realize were pretty idiotic. I have enough of those already. :) I think one of the most important things I am learning is that, as someone who is privileged in a number of ways, when someone who is less so is expressing frustration and disappointment and trying to teach me something, the very least I can do is listen and avoid defending myself. Not because I'm not doing anything wrong, quite the opposite. But because, while I am implicated in the system of privilege that advantages me, it's not about me. It's also not about all my amazing middle-class white guys that I know and I'm proud to call my friends. Although it is often about what we do, unconsciously or not.

To finish, go read The Spoon Theory (found here originally) to think about disability and the privilege of being able-bodied.


EDIT: See also On racism, pop culture and political correctness.

Quickly on Dollhouse

First, a gorgeous picspam of the end of Needs by syxstring. Obviously spoiler-y for that episode.

A really cool Chicago Tribune interview of Joss Whedon, mostly about Dollhouse. It goes into a lot of questions that have come up about the show.


...I can't believe I forgot that link in my previous entry. A really great post on racism in pop culture and political correctness. It talks specifically about the movie 300 but there's a lot there that applies way beyond that one movie. I like that it brings up the question of purposefulness, which reminded me of Robert Black's "It's not Homophobia but it Doesn't Make It Right" (unfortunately I've only had time to skim over it).