Leather & Race
About a week ago, while logged into Facebook, I began seeing comments about a so-called "comedy act" which had been booked at the Portland Eagle - a white gay male named Chuck Knipp, who appeared in blackface as a character he has named Shirley Q. Liquor.
Now, I had never heard of Shirley Q. Liquor, nor was I aware that we still, in this day and time, had anyone who was performing in blackface. I seriously thought we had seen the end of that during the Civil Rights movement. Apparently not.
In the past week, there has been much traffic online about this act, and the fact that it was booked at the Portland Eagle, and how people felt about that. Then, when community uproar caused it to be canceled, there were more discussions about how people felt about that. I followed everything being said, but did not post what I was thinking right away. Trying to follow the way of mindfulness, I decided to sit with my thoughts and feelings, and examine them fully, before posting anything. I am very conscious of the power of words, and wanted to be sure, when I posted, what I posted would fully reflect what I wanted to say. Hence, this post.
After a week of sitting with my thoughts, I will warn you upfront, that this post is a long one. And, because I waited to compose my thoughts, much of what I am going to say has probably already been said, in some fashion, by others. But these are my thoughts and feelings, and I need to express them.
First, about blackface, and the question (really??? REALLY???) about whether or not it is racist. If you are seriously asking that question, you really don’t know what blackface is, or how it has affected American society. If you don’t know what it is, that's okay - go here and read about it, and then come back.
OK, ready to go on?
So, in case it wasn’t clear from reading that page, blackface was used to create exaggerated caricatures of black characters built on racial stereotypes. Most of them were negative, and intended to either denigrate black people, or to make white people fear and/or loathe them - unless, of course, they could be "kept in their place" (e.g., Mammy or Uncle Tom). When you consider that the minstrel show era (1830 - 1890) coincided with the Abolitionist Movement (1830 - 1870), you might begin to understand why these stereotypes were promoted. In any case, blackface was largely responsible for projecting the image that black people were lazy, ignorant, shifty, and inferior in about every way.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines racism as "a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities, and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race." Blackface promotes the ideology that black people possess inherent traits which make them inferior to white people. Ergo, blackface is racism. I don't think it can be much clearer than that.
The next thing which came into question was whether or not this would apply to this particular use of blackface - since this comedian says he respects black women, and doesn't have any racist intent behind his act. And if he doesn't have any racist intent, and says he respects black women, this should be taken for what he says it is - comedy. After all, plenty of comedians are not PC, right? Well, I think don't think he's respectful, but I'll give you the chance to make up your own mind. Go listen to 'Who Is My Baby Daddy?' or 'Shirley Q. Liquor's 12 Days of Kwanzaa' before I continue.
You don't have to listen to Shirley Q. Liquor very long to realize that, not only is Knipp using the blackface of minstrel shows, he also creates a modern day minstrel show caricature built on the very worst stereotypes attributed to black women. In his own words, Shirley Q. Liquor is the "Queen of Ignunce" - "an illiterate welfare mother with 19 kids who guzzles malt liquor and drives a Caddy." Shirley's children are named such things as Kmartina Salmonella, Chlamydia Champagne, and Shithead (pronounced "Sha-theed"), and in addition to his stage performances, he sells merchandise like baby bibs that say "Inmate" or "Who is my Daddy?" Knipp claims that his performance is "an homage to strong black women," but, believe me, this character pays no one homage.
After the Portland Eagle cancelled the Shirley Q. Liquor appearance, another wave of controversy hit when people from the LGBT community in Portland who frequent the bar, and then, people within the leather community, itself, started discounting the feelings of the people - and particularly, the black women - who had spoken out against Knipp's appearance at the Eagle. An article appeared on Leatherati.com, posted by one of their contributing editors, Tyesha Nicole Best, in which she said "The Shirley Q Liquor character has been around for years. I believe the Shirley Q Liquor act doesn't intentionally seek to cause displeasure, resentment, painful/unpleasant sensations, or to attack using words as weapons. The intent is probably to get the audience laughing. If Shirley Q Liquor had any negative intentions it would not be called entertainment, it would be called hate." Well, Tyesha, I've seen Knipp's comments posted in response to the "Ban Shirley Q Liquor" petition, and I disagree. I think he knows his act is creating displeasure, resentment, and hurt, but when this brings him something like $70,000 - $90,000 a year, he doesn't care. I don't see what Knipp does as entertainment. I see it as making fun of black women, and in my book, making fun of someone is what bullies do, and this kind of bullying language is hate speech.
The fact that the venue is one of the places the leather community calls home, and that there were those in the leather community who seemed to be supporting the booking of this performer, was particularly hurtful. Now, I've heard the argument that the Portland Eagle only has a couple of leather nights each week, and thus isn't a leather space, but the fact is, as long as it's still a space the leather community patronizes for leather events, it affects us. And hearing people in the leather community discounting the opinions of those who are offended by this affects us. If we are "known by the company we keep," then sitting back in silence while a space we frequent books this performer makes us complicit in this act of racism. If we say nothing when our local Gay Pride committees book this performer during Pride celebrations, we are tacitly supporting this act of racism.
Invariably, as the topic hit the online networks, there were those tried to derail the discussions. The most common derailing arguments from white people were about their experiencing "reverse racism." To that, I can only say this: you may have had some experience sometime when someone treated you differently because of your race, but you were born into the racial group that holds the power in this country. You were born into a racial group which doesn't have to prove, every day, that it is as intelligent, or as capable, as anyone else. Your experience of racial difference was nothing in comparison to what others have dealt with every day of their lives from the time they were born. When you speak out in righteous indignation because someone dared treat you differently because of your race, you are speaking from the viewpoint of someone who has always been in the racial group who is on top, in power, in control, and protected. It is such a rare occurrence for you, in comparison with what POC have to deal with, that you don't even realize the privilege you display in expressing yourself that way. You may even be feeling hurt, because you see yourself as one of the 'good' white people, the allies, the ones who are 'fighting the good fight' alongside your POC friends. But, the first thing you need to understand is that the definition of racism quoted at the beginning of this post may be the one found in the dictionary, but it's not the one used in anti-racist circles. For those who live with racism every day, the definition they use is "racism is prejudice plus power." So, yes, you may have experienced prejudice, but white people still hold the institutionalized power.
The fact is, in this particular case, none of us who are anything other than a black woman - not even other people of color - can begin to know exactly what they feel in this moment.
If you can, though, think about the very worst traits ever attributed to your racial group, and then imagine that someone totally unassociated with your racial group used them to create a loud-mouthed, ignorant, degrading character that they then paraded on stage as a portrayal of you.
Have some compassion. Give your support. Raise your voice, and say “This is racist, and it's not going to be allowed in OUR house.”
Now, I had never heard of Shirley Q. Liquor, nor was I aware that we still, in this day and time, had anyone who was performing in blackface. I seriously thought we had seen the end of that during the Civil Rights movement. Apparently not.
In the past week, there has been much traffic online about this act, and the fact that it was booked at the Portland Eagle, and how people felt about that. Then, when community uproar caused it to be canceled, there were more discussions about how people felt about that. I followed everything being said, but did not post what I was thinking right away. Trying to follow the way of mindfulness, I decided to sit with my thoughts and feelings, and examine them fully, before posting anything. I am very conscious of the power of words, and wanted to be sure, when I posted, what I posted would fully reflect what I wanted to say. Hence, this post.
After a week of sitting with my thoughts, I will warn you upfront, that this post is a long one. And, because I waited to compose my thoughts, much of what I am going to say has probably already been said, in some fashion, by others. But these are my thoughts and feelings, and I need to express them.
First, about blackface, and the question (really??? REALLY???) about whether or not it is racist. If you are seriously asking that question, you really don’t know what blackface is, or how it has affected American society. If you don’t know what it is, that's okay - go here and read about it, and then come back.
OK, ready to go on?
So, in case it wasn’t clear from reading that page, blackface was used to create exaggerated caricatures of black characters built on racial stereotypes. Most of them were negative, and intended to either denigrate black people, or to make white people fear and/or loathe them - unless, of course, they could be "kept in their place" (e.g., Mammy or Uncle Tom). When you consider that the minstrel show era (1830 - 1890) coincided with the Abolitionist Movement (1830 - 1870), you might begin to understand why these stereotypes were promoted. In any case, blackface was largely responsible for projecting the image that black people were lazy, ignorant, shifty, and inferior in about every way.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines racism as "a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities, and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race." Blackface promotes the ideology that black people possess inherent traits which make them inferior to white people. Ergo, blackface is racism. I don't think it can be much clearer than that.
The next thing which came into question was whether or not this would apply to this particular use of blackface - since this comedian says he respects black women, and doesn't have any racist intent behind his act. And if he doesn't have any racist intent, and says he respects black women, this should be taken for what he says it is - comedy. After all, plenty of comedians are not PC, right? Well, I think don't think he's respectful, but I'll give you the chance to make up your own mind. Go listen to 'Who Is My Baby Daddy?' or 'Shirley Q. Liquor's 12 Days of Kwanzaa' before I continue.
You don't have to listen to Shirley Q. Liquor very long to realize that, not only is Knipp using the blackface of minstrel shows, he also creates a modern day minstrel show caricature built on the very worst stereotypes attributed to black women. In his own words, Shirley Q. Liquor is the "Queen of Ignunce" - "an illiterate welfare mother with 19 kids who guzzles malt liquor and drives a Caddy." Shirley's children are named such things as Kmartina Salmonella, Chlamydia Champagne, and Shithead (pronounced "Sha-theed"), and in addition to his stage performances, he sells merchandise like baby bibs that say "Inmate" or "Who is my Daddy?" Knipp claims that his performance is "an homage to strong black women," but, believe me, this character pays no one homage.
After the Portland Eagle cancelled the Shirley Q. Liquor appearance, another wave of controversy hit when people from the LGBT community in Portland who frequent the bar, and then, people within the leather community, itself, started discounting the feelings of the people - and particularly, the black women - who had spoken out against Knipp's appearance at the Eagle. An article appeared on Leatherati.com, posted by one of their contributing editors, Tyesha Nicole Best, in which she said "The Shirley Q Liquor character has been around for years. I believe the Shirley Q Liquor act doesn't intentionally seek to cause displeasure, resentment, painful/unpleasant sensations, or to attack using words as weapons. The intent is probably to get the audience laughing. If Shirley Q Liquor had any negative intentions it would not be called entertainment, it would be called hate." Well, Tyesha, I've seen Knipp's comments posted in response to the "Ban Shirley Q Liquor" petition, and I disagree. I think he knows his act is creating displeasure, resentment, and hurt, but when this brings him something like $70,000 - $90,000 a year, he doesn't care. I don't see what Knipp does as entertainment. I see it as making fun of black women, and in my book, making fun of someone is what bullies do, and this kind of bullying language is hate speech.
The fact that the venue is one of the places the leather community calls home, and that there were those in the leather community who seemed to be supporting the booking of this performer, was particularly hurtful. Now, I've heard the argument that the Portland Eagle only has a couple of leather nights each week, and thus isn't a leather space, but the fact is, as long as it's still a space the leather community patronizes for leather events, it affects us. And hearing people in the leather community discounting the opinions of those who are offended by this affects us. If we are "known by the company we keep," then sitting back in silence while a space we frequent books this performer makes us complicit in this act of racism. If we say nothing when our local Gay Pride committees book this performer during Pride celebrations, we are tacitly supporting this act of racism.
Invariably, as the topic hit the online networks, there were those tried to derail the discussions. The most common derailing arguments from white people were about their experiencing "reverse racism." To that, I can only say this: you may have had some experience sometime when someone treated you differently because of your race, but you were born into the racial group that holds the power in this country. You were born into a racial group which doesn't have to prove, every day, that it is as intelligent, or as capable, as anyone else. Your experience of racial difference was nothing in comparison to what others have dealt with every day of their lives from the time they were born. When you speak out in righteous indignation because someone dared treat you differently because of your race, you are speaking from the viewpoint of someone who has always been in the racial group who is on top, in power, in control, and protected. It is such a rare occurrence for you, in comparison with what POC have to deal with, that you don't even realize the privilege you display in expressing yourself that way. You may even be feeling hurt, because you see yourself as one of the 'good' white people, the allies, the ones who are 'fighting the good fight' alongside your POC friends. But, the first thing you need to understand is that the definition of racism quoted at the beginning of this post may be the one found in the dictionary, but it's not the one used in anti-racist circles. For those who live with racism every day, the definition they use is "racism is prejudice plus power." So, yes, you may have experienced prejudice, but white people still hold the institutionalized power.
The fact is, in this particular case, none of us who are anything other than a black woman - not even other people of color - can begin to know exactly what they feel in this moment.
If you can, though, think about the very worst traits ever attributed to your racial group, and then imagine that someone totally unassociated with your racial group used them to create a loud-mouthed, ignorant, degrading character that they then paraded on stage as a portrayal of you.
Have some compassion. Give your support. Raise your voice, and say “This is racist, and it's not going to be allowed in OUR house.”