I was in Nova Scotia the weekend of January 14 to 17 and I happened upon the Saturday edition of the Cape Breton Post.
Now, anyone who knows me understands that I don’t do well with news from print media. I also don’t do well with news from Canadian or U.S. network television but that rant will have to wait for another time.
But for a number of reasons I will often read the paper when I’m away, and as we have seen, no good can come of this.
Buried deep in the “lifestyle” section of The Cape Breton Post of Saturday January 16 was a silly fluff piece from Kelowna BC about how a certain bottled water manufacturer plays music for the water as it’s being processed and bottled, which makes the water both taste better and “helps the body heal itself’”. After giggling at the headline I prepared myself for a nice silly diversion from the stresses of every day life.
What a naive fool I was.
Read the rest of this entry »
So, the new Star trek movie, the reboot of the original series. It seems that the Spock/ Uhura (S/U) relationship (”ship”), and particularly the interracial kisses that were depicted (gasp! cry! omg!), have caused a huge stir in the mostly white fan base.
Luckily for the anti-racist crowd, there’s a equally nerdy POC Star Trek 2.0 fan base out there, who have done closer, more intricate, and more detailed readings of TOS than even I thought imaginable. These folks also rock with AR analysis. Two of my worlds, in one. My life is complete.
Via racialicious.com, I found ankhesen-mie.
So, first up is a quiz. A small 16 question quiz about your response to the S/U ship (just getting into the lingo here, folks). I’ve learned tons about ways to present materials to folks who are struggling to get it, or resisting getting it, and please note the writer doesn’t use the term “racist” ever. But people sure respond as if s/he did.
http://ankhesen-mie.livejournal.com/24009.html
The first seven questions: 1) Do you feel horrified when you see Spock kiss a woman who looks like Uhura, and don’t know why? 2) Do you look at Zoe Saldana and feel you “just can’t trust her” but can’t say why? 3) Do you think Uhura’s not a very feminine character, but just can’t say why? 4) Would you prefer Spock to be with Christine Chapel over Uhura? 5) Do you think the Spock/Uhura relationship—in the story—is controversial because of Uhura? 6) Do you consider yourself a “die-hard” Trek fan but still don’t agree with the pairing? 7) Have you watched all things Trek—shows, films, interviews, etc. pertaining to this cast—and still think this pairing “came out of nowhere”?
…..
Next up, a follow-up blog post detailing the various objectors to the first post. Their responses have been nicely organized for us: The Poor Taste Reaction, The Uncomfortable Reaction, etc. Funny, cute and smart! This is so my new favourite blog!
http://ankhesen-mie.livejournal.com/24071.html
This blog was inspired by the panel with Judy Rebick and others, which I linked to and talked about here.
The evil MW, who spoke on the panel in question, talked about victimhood and oppression in ways very common by those on the right, as well as anyone who doesn’t understand the levels of how oppression works, and the ways in which it manifests in people’s lives.
This isn’t the first time that I’ve heard this “argument” put forth, by both ardent right-wingers, as well as white folks on the left.
This is my first attempt to articulate, in writing (rather than indignant sputtering) the flaws in this argument, and this framing, and to try to get some talking points and arguments assembled in a coherent manner.
So, the argument goes something like this:
“Why do you focus on oppression so much? Are you saying Group X* is so oppressed that everyone in Group X is just a passive, helpless victim? Now, that’s offensive! I belong to Group X (or I’m married to someone in Group X, or my best friend is from Group X or someone from Group X once sat beside me on the subway and I smiled at them, etc) and I’m (or They say they are) not oppressed! By using this language you’re manufacturing victims where none exist! Just to further your bleeding heart agenda! Shame on you!”
…or something like that. Rolleyes.
*Group X is any marginalized group, and can include people of colour, Aboriginal people, women, people who are poor / low income, queers, disabled folks, youth, seniors. And all intersections between those groups, and anyone else who experiences systemic marginality.
So, to the debunking.
There’s not much more I can say that hasn’t been said. So instead I will link to the best commentary, history, context and resources that I’ve read online.
From the Angry Black Woman Why is American tv coverage of the Haitian disaster driving me to drink?
From Jay Smooth On Haiti
From Ted Rall Haitian Earthquake: Made in the USA: Why the Blood is on Our Hands
For Facebookers: from Manuel Rozental Haiti: Aid and Strategic Resistance
Judy Rebick (author and founder of rabble.ca), Margaret Wente (columnist for the Globe and Mail) and John Cruickshank (publisher of the Toronto Star) were on Jian Ghomeshi’s show Q on Friday Jan 8 2010.
Link here to the segment.
The panel begins at about the 4 minute mark, but it’s a prelude to the title topic question.
If you have any compassion, have a heart or other working apparatus in the area of “caring”, please be prepared. Wente is a dreadful person who has a national platform to spew hatred, plain ignorance, as well as she’s just rude!
The topic is “Are Canadians Too Moderate” a tired trope that is grounded in whiteness as a basis for a Canadian identity. Rebick points out that the question that frames this panel is about 25 years out of date, after Wente has answered it straight, which is kinda funny. Wente takes the classic conservative position of “you can’t say anything these days for fear of offending someone.” Another tired trope that conservatives have been whining about for close to 20 years as well. My response to that is, and has always been, well, how about you think about why that is? Perhaps you have some undealt with assumptions that you spew as “facts” and “real” when in fact they’re based on your own biases and your privileged position, Ms. W? Maybe being offensive shouldn’t form a huge part of your identity. Argh.
