Blackface

Just don’t do it. You may think it’s funny and harmless, but it’s really not. Do you really want to join the ranks of racists, such as the minstrel actors of the 19^th century that guy who dressed up as dead Trayvon Martin for Halloween? I don’t think there is any hope for that guy who dressed up as Trayvon Martin and his horrid friends. Their actions show such a profound hatred and disrespect as they eagerly and joyfully recreate the violence perpetrated on the black community. They’re lost causes.

But for other people, people who aren’t hateful to the core, what on earth would possess you to engage in this racist tradition? Last night I went to sleep crying after watching and episode of 30 Rock in which one of the characters dressed up in blackface for Halloween. That act in and of itself is seemingly benign, but it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It exists within this troubling history and very real current problem of racism in the United States. By referencing that deeply racist tradition, even in jest, you are reinflicting wounds, the depths of which you cannot even begin to understand.

Total-lack-of Representation

That's right, I'm not talking about an "Miss Representation." I am talking about being so severely underrepresented in mainstream media that at times I wonder how it is even possible to dismiss and erase the experiences of non-white, non-straight people in mainstream media. Sometimes I find myself having a sort of existential crisis when I am watching one of my favorite scifi shows where you have all sorts of fantastical creatures, magic, and a total disregard for silly rules like gravity, every so often between the action scenes and suspense I realize that there is no place for me even in that fantastical world where seemingly all things are possible. There may be talking dragons, but there are absolutely no strong, nuanced characters of color. Teleportation, time travel, no problem! Well, come to think of it, queer characters of color are almost never a problem ever because we simply fail to exist!!!!!!!!!

Oftentimes it's just a game where my wife and I place bets on how long before they kill off the only character of color. Our half-joking remarks are nothing more than an attempt to lighten the horribly depressing fact of the matter: that characters of color are formulaically expendable and disposable.

While I continually find myself shocked (though I really shouldn't be at this point) and appalled (I refuse to desensitize myself to sexist, racist, and heterosexist representations) in television and films, I have pretty low expectations in terms of mass media. However, seeing these same patterns perpetuated in young adult literature under the guise of providing girls with strong role models makes my blood boil.

P.S. The above is a post I drafted but never published about a year ago. Now Sleepy Hollow exists and I have newfound hope! Characters of color, standing around talking to each other! And not just as token stock characters, as real dynamic characters with complex histories who drive the plot! I feel warm fuzzies like that time when Gina Torres was kicking as on Firefly :-D

Hilariously Accurate Explanation of "Reverse Racism"

I know this has been circulating for quite a while now, but I just need to post it because Aamer Rahman perfectly explains the concept of "Reverse Racism." I wish I had this clip on hand years ago to direct people to instead of trying to have this infuriating conversation while trying to keep my head from exploding.