Hmm I don't know. If I saw a tweet like that, I would take it as her being sarcastic as a means of pointing out structural racism and people's unconscious racist assumptions. I've definitely heard "jokes" like that before that are actually just a way of condemning racism, like if white people are smoking weed, "Well don't worry, we're white and in college so we won't get in trouble." As in, our nation's selective law enforcement is a barely concealed vendetta against young black men. Or like on 30 Rock, when Jack was offering a job to Kenneth, and when Kenneth says that he doesn't know how, Jack says something like, "Kenneth, you're a young white man with hair, you can do anything." To me, her tweet sounded like one of those statements that are made to point out people's racist thinking by saying something that brings hidden assumptions to light
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"Maybe I'm just giving her too much benefit of doubt though."
... Which you are. She's posting other insensitive shit before on that account. Stop giving people the benefit of a doubt just because you dont want to *believe* they were being racist, when it is quite clear they were.
I mean seriously. Wtf @ "sarcastic as a means of pointing out structural racism and people's unconscious racist assumptions" r u serious girl
THANK YOU. There is no way shape or form that this woman was being jokey in the name of social awareness.
She made a super shit comment, and got her shit called out on her. As someone who watched it all go down, even to the point Justine started making twitter accounts because her main one was "suspended" to "apologize", all of her tweets sounded hollow and weak.
"I'm so sorry, I never meant for this to be this way" (Should have watched your mouth) "I'm crying myself sick right now" (Oh no, hope it isn't AIDS! *sarcastic hand waving*) "Everyone please go ahead and donate to Aids for Africa, please" (You should have been first in line, with the biggest contribution)
It was especially hilarious seeing her trying to tweet at Kerry Washington, who commented on this... but tweet to Keri Hilson (a singer) instead.
...which is why I posted this all as a question and included words like "maybe," no need to bite my head off, I'm not the enemy here. But I'll admit, I didn't read the full article and didn't see about her past tweets, which now that I have, makes it seem like there was no higher order thinking on her part in tweeting that.
didn't read the full article and didn't see about her past tweets
That's the thing, though. Your mindset - and the mindsets of people of similar opinions - are part of why racism persists and persists among people who don't relieve they are racist shits.
I, a Black woman, read that tweet and my first thought wasn't, "OMG! She's totes condemning racism in an ironic way!! Go, her!" And I bet there were plenty of others who also read it in the spirit in which (given her past tweets) it was apparently intended.
Don't get me wrong. I do know that supposed "allies" can say dumb shit. But as far as I am concerned, that's part and parcel of their privilege and unwitting racism (or whatever other -ism that might apply). I've had non-Black friends say things which, while not as horrible as what Sacco said, fell under the same racist vein. I knew those friends didn't think that they were racists, and I knew that some of them thought that their comments were actually anti-racist. But they weren't. And I eventually learnt to call them on it.
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Gotcha, I'm terribly sorry then. I just tried to put myself into similar shoes thinking as to whether I would have had the same reaction if hers was a comment about Judaism, like "Going to Germany, hope they don't use my fat for soaps...no just kidding I'm Christian!" and I realized how bad that would be, and that it's exactly the same thing here. I am curious though, on a show like "30 Rock" (don't know if you've ever watched it?) when Jack (rich executive) says things to Kenneth (ignorant page boy) "You're a white guy with hair, you can do anything," or "Be the white man, take credit" - well I'm pretty sure that Tina Fey is writing those lines with the intent of pointing out inequalities in hiring practices and promotion, and I originally saw this person's tweet as being able to fall either way - something bad or something trying to be insightful that fell flat. I'm not at all trying to excuse my thoughts before, I'm really just curious - do you find such lines on a TV show like 30 Rock to also be part of the mindset that promotes
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Glad you understood the point I was trying to make. Re-reading, in the light of day, what I'd written while tired and not completely "with it"... Well, I wasn't sure I'd made my point. But, yes, your comparative scenario shows you got exactly what I was going for.
do you find such lines on a TV show like 30 Rock to also be part of the mindset that promotes racism, that white people who are from that line of privilege trying to be "ironic" with racism are still promoting it? Do you think that because people like me become sensitized towards hearing inequality discussed in such a flippant and privileged manner, we become accustomed to thinking of things in those terms and processing other information, like that tweet, with a warped way of viewing it?I've had a television for exactly one month and one day. I haven't yet got round to watching any particular shows, so I don't know 30 Rock. Judging from what you've described, though, I'd say it does downplay the effects of racism - making it, in essence, not much more significant than
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... Which you are. She's posting other insensitive shit before on that account. Stop giving people the benefit of a doubt just because you dont want to *believe* they were being racist, when it is quite clear they were.
I mean seriously. Wtf @ "sarcastic as a means of pointing out structural racism and people's unconscious racist assumptions" r u serious girl
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She made a super shit comment, and got her shit called out on her. As someone who watched it all go down, even to the point Justine started making twitter accounts because her main one was "suspended" to "apologize", all of her tweets sounded hollow and weak.
"I'm so sorry, I never meant for this to be this way" (Should have watched your mouth)
"I'm crying myself sick right now" (Oh no, hope it isn't AIDS! *sarcastic hand waving*)
"Everyone please go ahead and donate to Aids for Africa, please" (You should have been first in line, with the biggest contribution)
It was especially hilarious seeing her trying to tweet at Kerry Washington, who commented on this... but tweet to Keri Hilson (a singer) instead.
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Those tweets came from a fake twitter account, to the best of my knowledge.
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no need to bite my head off, I'm not the enemy here. But I'll admit, I didn't read the full article and didn't see about her past tweets, which now that I have, makes it seem like there was no higher order thinking on her part in tweeting that.
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That's the thing, though. Your mindset - and the mindsets of people of similar opinions - are part of why racism persists and persists among people who don't relieve they are racist shits.
I, a Black woman, read that tweet and my first thought wasn't, "OMG! She's totes condemning racism in an ironic way!! Go, her!" And I bet there were plenty of others who also read it in the spirit in which (given her past tweets) it was apparently intended.
Don't get me wrong. I do know that supposed "allies" can say dumb shit. But as far as I am concerned, that's part and parcel of their privilege and unwitting racism (or whatever other -ism that might apply). I've had non-Black friends say things which, while not as horrible as what Sacco said, fell under the same racist vein. I knew those friends didn't think that they were racists, and I knew that some of them thought that their comments were actually anti-racist. But they weren't. And I eventually learnt to call them on it. ( ... )
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do you find such lines on a TV show like 30 Rock to also be part of the mindset that promotes racism, that white people who are from that line of privilege trying to be "ironic" with racism are still promoting it? Do you think that because people like me become sensitized towards hearing inequality discussed in such a flippant and privileged manner, we become accustomed to thinking of things in those terms and processing other information, like that tweet, with a warped way of viewing it?I've had a television for exactly one month and one day. I haven't yet got round to watching any particular shows, so I don't know 30 Rock. Judging from what you've described, though, I'd say it does downplay the effects of racism - making it, in essence, not much more significant than ( ... )
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