Racialicious featured in The Nation magazine at Racialicious - the intersection of race and pop culture

Racialicious featured in The Nation magazine

by Carmen Van Kerckhove

Stephen Duncombe, author of the fantastic book Dream: Re-imagining Progressive Politics in an Age of Fantasy, just wrote a piece for The Nation about why progressive activists cannot afford to ignore celebrity. He was kind enough to mention Racialicious in the article:

It’s exactly this sort of gateway that longtime activist Patricia Jerido is trying to build with her progressive networking site, GoLeft.org. Prominently featured on its home page this summer was a curated list of news stories, briefs about an action staged by the NAACP in Detroit, another Republican politician denouncing the war and…Paris Hilton’s jail stint. When I ask, why Paris? Jerido responds, “Because that’s what people are talking about. Republican defections make the news, but Paris in jail makes it into popular culture.”

“We need to be talking about her too,” the founder of GoLeft elaborates, “using her as a starting point to move to the conversation we want to be having about who gets sent to prison and who gets out, about money, wealth and access.” Carmen Van Kerckhove, who runs the website Racialicious.com, calls this sort of thing a “teachable moment”–an approachable opening into larger, thornier issues like the inequities of the criminal justice system. In fact, Van Kerckhove points out, two such moments are opened up when politics and celebrity intersect. The first is the issue itself, and the second is how the mass media handle that issue. Both can be opportunities for political conversation.

Sometime what’s more interesting than the celebrity event itself (e.g., Michael Richards, Don Imus) is how the issue gets played out in the media. The Richards incident started with the racist ravings of a white man, complete with references to lynching, but ended up as a public discussion of why black people keep using the n-word towards each other. The Imus incident started with the racist and misogynist remarks of a white man, but ended up as a public referendum on misogyny in hip hop.

It’s fascinating to me that all roads seem to lead back to discussions of how black people are supposedly oppressing themselves.

I interviewed Duncombe in episode 78 of Addicted to Race. I encourage you to check it out - he’s got some great ideas.

Trackbacks & Pings

Alas, a blog » Blog Archive » Whites Need to Take Responsibility for Their Racism (Alternate Title: Stop Giving White People 2nd, 3rd and 4th Chances When Blacks Get Zero Chances) on 21 Oct 2007 at 9:58 pm

[…] seemingly unrelated posts together to make a point about contemporary racism. Yesterday, I read this post over at Racialicious. Carmen closes the post with the following sentences about Don Imus and Michael Richards: The […]
politicalpartypoop.com » Blog Archive » Whites Need to Take Responsibility for Their Racism (Alternate Title: Stop Giving White People 2nd, 3rd and 4th Chances When Blacks Get Zero Chances) on 29 Oct 2007 at 11:02 am

[…] seemingly unrelated posts together to make a point about contemporary racism. Yesterday, I read this post over at Racialicious. Carmen closes the post with the following sentences about Don Imus and Michael Richards: The […]

Comments

Kai wrote:

Excellent!

*pops champagne*

Posted 19 Oct 2007 at 9:33 am ¶
Rachel S. wrote:

Your point about these discussions leading back to “why black people are really the problem” is soooooooo true.

It is absolutely disgusting to see white men behave badly, and then people want to start talking about how black people are behaving badly.

Can we talk about white people, and do it in a way that makes race central to the analysis? That’s the question we need to ask.

Posted 19 Oct 2007 at 10:37 am ¶
Mike wrote:

“It’s fascinating to me that all roads seem to lead back to discussions of how black people are supposedly oppressing themselves.”

So true but those disscussions still needed to take place. The fact is if we did’nt let Hip-Hop get out of hand or throw the N-word around like common vernacular they would’nt have the excuse to throw it back in our face. I remember when Hip-Hop used to self check and call some one a sell out when they went main stream. Which is what a lot of this gangsta/hard core/strip club raps are, cross over music. We take these issues and put it out there, and if any one says something against it he is “Hating”, how can whites not join the party?

The whole child like “well he did it to!” is sorry excuse but the fact is He Did Do It To. And he needs to get his house in order.

Posted 19 Oct 2007 at 10:53 am ¶
Allen wrote:

Man, I’m still a little confused at how white people effing up is a reason to discuss the need for black people to get their house in order? Logically, it would seem like reason to discuss white poeple getting their house in order. Problems in the black community are discussed often by black people, both in public and private. But, too often white people never discuss their problems or even admit they exist on a widespread level.

Posted 19 Oct 2007 at 11:15 am ¶
Tosin wrote:

@ Mike:

Um, right, because white people never used the n-word before the age of hip-hop and rap.

We do need to have a discussion about the use of the n-word and misogyny in black communities and entertainment. But the timing of these discussions - right after a prominent white figure has said something racist - is highly suspicious. That is not the appropriate time for discussions of what black people have done wrong. It’s a time to have a hard discussion about white privilege and racism.

Never mind the fact that many people in black communities *are* interested in discussing and have discussed on many occasions the question of how to “get our house in order,” as you put it. It’s amazing to me how the media consistently pretends as though these conversations aren’t taking place in black America.

Posted 19 Oct 2007 at 11:32 am ¶
Mireille wrote:

Well, that’s some good news to wake up to.

I never did notice how it always turns into a discussion about black behavior when it’s a white man who messes up.

Posted 19 Oct 2007 at 12:27 pm ¶
Colin wrote:

On the whole “white person does something = black people are thusly irresponsible as a people” line, it’s a sick, racist smoke screen.

Many of the people in the MSM and otherwise know that Imus was not and is not the only shock jock or “anti-PC” person saying evil diatribes about black people, or PoC as a whole. Faux News puts minorities as just another political faction with the Democratic Party; Bill Orally can’t figure out how blacks can resist swearing like a sailor while at a fine restaurant; South Park, well, we all just talked about that one…

The point is that the media strategy on the Imus-Rutgers scandal was probably the smartest BUSINESS strategy they could manage, even if it was, let’s say, morally bankrupt.

By attacking Imus early and often, they could frame themselves as on top of the story, BUT once Imus referred to hip-hop and black culture, the way the story could continue from a white media’s perspective is to play on old-school notions of blacks being the penultimate people of debauchery (We’re apparently the ones who started sexism and racism and ultraviolence in America) and overall laziness and apathy. (Since our non-elected leaders, Jackson and Sharpton, weren’t out and about all day every day marching and talking, which seems to be the only way the media thinks we protest anymore, about hip-hop lyrics, black America as a whole people must not have CARED until now.)

It played for a while, and so without ratings data in front of me, I can only assume it worked relatively well. What it came down to, was people became interested in hearing how the black community would change ITS WAYS after a white man demeaned them.

Posted 19 Oct 2007 at 1:52 pm ¶
Van wrote:

Ahhhh! I’m sipping Kai’s champagne!

Posted 20 Oct 2007 at 12:02 am ¶
Mike wrote:

@Tosin
@Colin
Im not going to blame the “white man” for repeating what he heard. That is like blaming a child for using a curse word he heard from his parents. You correct them explain why it’s wrong and than you watch what you say around them. Thats how it’s supposed to be done.

These disscusions that were supposedly taking place within the black community prior to Don Imus episode were taking place under the radar. In womens magazines, blogs, and church folk. They were not taking place among the people who needed to here it and thus actually make the change, which are the producers (Black men), the consumer (white men), and the distributer (record labels and the media). Prior to Don Imus the most public debate about hip-hop came from the Spelman women protesting Nelly and Than what happened? Oprah gets a hold of it and with all due respect to her, her viewing audience are not the ones who need to hear it. Thats preaching to the choir. You want change you go straight to the source. You can blog, write, hold forums about it all day and night but till you get the message out to those who can actually make a difference you did’nt do Sh@t.

Now if some white dudes talking side ways can get that started than Im willing to give a couple of them a pass.

Posted 20 Oct 2007 at 5:28 pm ¶
Mike wrote:

Oh yeah I frogot about C. Deloris Tucker and Rev. Calvin Butts public outing of hip-hop but since nothing changed I guess thats why it was frogetable.

Posted 20 Oct 2007 at 5:37 pm ¶
P6 wrote:

@Mike

Im not going to blame the “white man” for repeating what he heard. That is like blaming a child for using a curse word he heard from his parents.

Infantalizing white folks. THAT sounds like a really good idea…

Posted 22 Oct 2007 at 6:27 am ¶
Sewere wrote:

P6 said,
“Infantalizing white folks. THAT sounds like a really good idea…”

You beat me to it, damn 3hr gap!

@Mike

Like the main stream media that was all to happy to shift the blame to hip hop would have been following stories of anti-misogyny movements within the black community….

Did anyone notice it took less than 10 posts for us to go back to the “It’s black people’s fault too!” meme? Sigh, Intro to Research Design and Theory doesn’t seem so excruciating after a conversation like this.

Posted 22 Oct 2007 at 12:23 pm ¶
Mike wrote:

@Sewere

Exactly when has the media not taken the chance to shift blame black people for anything that they may bre remotely involved with? Is something that just started? The point is that they are not completely off when they spread the blame and there is still need to correct the culture. Now if you dont like the fact that a white guy is pulling your coat than straighten it out your self.

P6
In no way am I generalizing white people only the ones who engae in this behavior.
What else do you call some one who feels entitled to the world, accepts no blame for his actions, but instead blames you, uses tactic such as splitting, intimidation, flattery, and pity to get what he wants? I call them a bunch of spoiled Brats.

Posted 22 Oct 2007 at 1:53 pm ¶