Long Form Links – Politics, Homeless Chic, Waiting
Ta-Nehisi Coates – Let It Come
Rick Perlstein has outlined how Nixon basically turned a victimology of white struggle into a political career. Then there are the racists who terrorized the black middle class in the South, and then routinely charged that they, themselves, were the aggrieved, not the blacks who they’d just run out of town. White victimology is lamentable and ultimately accepted, mostly because the “white working class” is more an idea, an weird amalgam of the purity of the white Southern belle and nobleness of the savage, than an actual group of people. Still it’s been a sight to watch the same clucking heads that dismiss black people for “a culture of failure” and for worshiping ignorance, now tell us that it’s fine for someone who potentially holds the fate of civilization in their hands to know as much about the Bush Doctrine as the man on the street, to think that “Intelligent Design” is science. Enough, indeed. Marion Barry wrecked D.C. These fools are talking about the world.
Threadbared – Homeless Chic (full post)
“The people with the best style, for me, are the people that are the poorest. Like, when I go down to like Venice Beach and I see the homeless, I’m like, oh my god, you’re pulling out like crazy looks. They pulled shit out of like garbage bags.” – Erin Wasson to NylonTV* (posted to Fashionista)
“It is currently ‘in’ for the young and well-fed to go around in torn rags [most recently seen as "hobo chic," or "dumpster chic," as best embodied by Mary-Kate Olsen v.2006], but not for tramps to do so. In other words, the appropriation of other people’s dress is fashionable provided it is perfectly clear that you are, in fact, different from whoever would normally wear such clothes.” –Judith Williamson, 1986, “Woman Is An Island: Femininity and Colonization,” in Studies in Entertainment: Critical Approaches to Mass Culture, Tania Modeleski, ed., Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 116.
* It’s as if NYLON can’t stop being ridiculous.
Model Minority – On Waiting Around for a Man
However, there is something to be said how men can put work first and companionship second, whereas we are willing to sacrifice our work, for the opportunity for companionship.
I mentioned this to Filthy and he offered that as women, we are socialized to make the love from a man our number one priority.
He and I than began to have a discussion about how one of the ways that patriarchy measures manhood is by dollars so it makes sense that heterosexual men are willing to put emphasis on work over a desire to be with a woman. They do this because they have been socialized to do so. This is a narrow cell to live in. I sensed in him that it was a moment of realization for both of us. It became clear that this may have a tendency to damage the quality of life for both women [and men]. In that moment, I became empathetic towards men about the fact that we may expect them to perform in ways that they haven’t been taught or given the tools to carry out.
Capitalism is able to maintain its hold over the spirits of men by telling them that they are what they take home after taxes.
Furthermore, as Black people, who were originally brought to this country to work for free, and to give birth to children to work for free, I suggest that we be cautious with tying our humanity to pay after taxes.
I also added that if men are encouraged to pursue work over women, then implicit in that line of thought is that women or a woman will always be around to be pursued. This would indicate that we are expendable, replaceable and in ample supply.
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
Chris wrote:
@Homeless Chic:
I’ve noticed this for a while. It’s the next step in the hipster trend of appropriating working-class elements and weaving it into their lifestyle.
It started with plain white V-neck shirts and cans of PBR, and has gone all the way to, if you judge by the crowd at the Pitchfork Music Festival, mullets, handlebar mustaches, dirty hightop sneakers, and tattered tank tops.
What was once considered major fashion faux-pas during the early 90s (which was equally as tacky, IMHO) is now chic: You can look like you just stepped out of an IROC-Z on the way back to rural Georgia from a hair metal concert in the 80s and you’d look FABULOUS!
Provided, however, that you actually live in the middle of the city with low-rent housing that isn’t toooo gentrified, but isn’t overrun by poverty-stricken POCs, either (ie, Wicker Park or Logan Square in Chicago).
Speaking of the mid-90s, that’s come back full-force, too in the hipster circles.
On an aside, I was recently shopping at a trendy shop in St. Louis, and a bunch of neon-print-draped kids came in looking for pairs of Vans. They were wearing dark hoodies with brightly colored accents, baggy jeans, white tees, and backwardly-cocked New Era caps. You know, the type of style you’d see prevalent at a Cool Kids concert.
When they left, one of the emplyees said “I don’t get how suddenly African American kids are embracing the skater look and lifestyle now.”
Nevermind the fact that skaters were drawn to the sneaker game by Nike’s limited-edition Skateboard sneaker lines, and thus co-mingled with the trends that came from Japan (A Bathing Ape, Maharishi) and were already prevalent in Asian and African-American circles (such as Jordan collecting, limited edition sneaker collecting, baggy jeans, fitted caps), as evident by Pharell’s and Lupe Fiasco’s (and Lil’ Wayne now, too, I guess) style.
I guess it’s okay if white kids (which I guess is what’s meant by the whole “skater look” comment, because there ARE African-American skaters) co-opt the styles of African-American and Asian teens, but it’s not okay when said teens of color take back certain elements of that style once it has evolved in white circles.
Posted 23 Sep 2008 at 9:38 am ¶
gatamala wrote:
does Nylon have an editor? For more foolishness:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/19/AR2008091904071.html
Posted 23 Sep 2008 at 9:41 am ¶
Ike wrote:
From the Goodwill article that gatamala posted:
Lobbyist Ellen Teller strode across the room wearing an exuberant Kelly green kimono she had just bought for $25.
“I’m going to have to start shopping at Goodwill. Look at this!” Teller said. “Chinese New Year. Party. My house. I’m going to have to throw a party to go along with this dress.”
*sigh* Though I probably should have expected people who are socioeconomically clueless to be racially (ethnically?) clueless as well.
Posted 23 Sep 2008 at 10:19 am ¶
Paz wrote:
I was just thinking the other day how when white people are poor, it’s glamourized, like the whole bohemian lifestyle.
When minorities are poor, they’re welfare leeches.
Posted 23 Sep 2008 at 11:16 am ¶
Chris wrote:
@Paz:
Not so much glamorized, but it’s showcased as more of a tragedy, about how a person or a family has fallen on bad times after some financial crisis, natural disaster, or medical emergency they couldn’t pay for.
On rare occasions there’ll be news pieces dedicated to shedding light on their story or maybe, just maybe, a TV show will pick them to build them a new house.
When minorities are poor, however, they usually get less to no coverage, or if they do, it’s showing minorities lining up outside homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and in welfare lines.
This does less to shine light on how those particular people got to where they are to begin with, and moreso on how they’re dealing with their poverty: by seeking handouts instead of being proactive. Hence, reinforcing the “welfare leeches” stereotype.
Posted 23 Sep 2008 at 12:35 pm ¶
Kaonashi wrote:
If you’re calling yourself a hipster, the odds are great that you AREN’T one.
In other news, Erin Wasson is still a moron.
Posted 23 Sep 2008 at 1:00 pm ¶
NancyP wrote:
Chill. There’s still the “trailer park trash” and “hillbilly” stereotypes for poor whites….
On the other hand, misfortune for individual blacks is not often contextualized. Rare are the stories like this: J. worked for the post office for 42 years and became the first one in his family to buy a house and finish paying off the loan. J was getting on in years, not as mentally sharp as he once had been, and someone came to his door offering big loans if he mortgaged the house again…scammed out of the house…
Posted 23 Sep 2008 at 4:02 pm ¶
Free wrote:
@ Chris – I guess it’s okay if white kids (which I guess is what’s meant by the whole “skater look” comment, because there ARE African-American skaters) co-opt the styles of African-American and Asian teens, but it’s not okay when said teens of color take back certain elements of that style once it has evolved in white circles.
Two words: White Privilege.
I hope this isn’t derailing, but before I left Seattle I got into a war of words with two young white guys who were downtown dressed like they were homeless. They were panhandling and at the same time held up a sign mocking homeless people. They were standing just a few feet from Tiffany and Cartier and across the street from a Vietnam vet in a wheel chair and people were giving those clowns money instead of him. What is really scandalous is that people were scowling at as well as insulting me for calling those clowns on their shit.
Posted 23 Sep 2008 at 7:49 pm ¶
Genevieve wrote:
Ehhh… I remember when I was a kid and actually did shop at the Goodwill it was a bad thing. Now it’s all… “Look at my vintage dress!! Look at my vintage t-shirt!!” It’s not like it’s wine. I place the blame squarely on Mary-Kate Olsen’s bony shoulders.
I also had a conversation about a year ago about what it’s okay to buy from Goodwill and what it’s not okay to buy from Goodwill, by which I mean, a bunch of white women listed out things they would NEVER EVER buy used, and I sat there torn between horror and nostalgia. (I was blissfully unaware of the social stigma attached to being poor, on welfare, and shopping used until middle school, so I didn’t make a big deal of it. My own father didn’t know I’d had several pairs of “pre-owned” shoes until he tried to preach to me about his own childhood…)
Didn’t Sacha Baron Cohen do a “homeless hipster haute couture” segment on Da Ali G Show as Bruno?? I am quite sure he did. I love Cohen to pieces.
~~
I’ve noticed as a minority woman that I’m always caught off guard and surprised when I find out something is worse for men of color than it is for women of color. I don’t really consider any of the hindrances of white men as worse than the same situation for women of color because not only are they men, but they are white.
~~
This election is going to be extra traumatic for me because I am going to be an election supervisor at a call center in Florida, God help me. I swear, if someone who doesn’t believe in the theory of evolution doesn’t get into office, I will consider moving out of the country. I can’t even go to some of my feminist-comics websites because so many women are in a snit about the Lynda Carter comment on “Palin as Wonder Woman”, and they post so many links to donate to McCain-Palin. I just can’t deal with all the (potentially imposed come inauguration, God forbid) stupidity.
…Someone should post about Lynda Carter and Palin on here, I think. It was an awesome moment that’s making me want to give Carter a high five. That’s all I have to say.
Posted 23 Sep 2008 at 10:18 pm ¶
defmunition wrote:
hey, you know what’s a GREAT way to analyze appropriation? Information diffusion theory.
Check out this link about it if you want.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion_(business)
Posted 23 Sep 2008 at 11:51 pm ¶
lxy wrote:
Homeless Chic?!
What will these perverse mofos think of next?
How about America-style Gitmo Gulag orange jumpsuits as the latest fad in menswear?
These White Hipsters are just begging to put out of their misery. Post-haste.
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 4:14 am ¶
NancyP wrote:
Genevieve, do you think the PUMAs posting on your fave comix blogs are “real” individual women, or are some commenters pretending to be actual female PUMAs? I haven’t seen real live women PUMAs, people I know are pretty much Dem or Rep for issues. There are some genuine PUMAs who promise to sit this election out rather than vote for a Republican or for Obama, but these women are generally rather doctrinaire or even separatist feminists, and not the average more pragmatic feminist.
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 10:13 pm ¶