The claim: Discussing minor or "borderline" instances of racism diminishes the impact of serious instances of racism. In effect, it is like the boy who cries wolf.
I have heard several people make this claim and I don't think it works for a few reasons which I will outline. First the easy stuff:
- The story about the little boy who cried wolf was about an individual who lost credibility by claim a threat exists when there was none. But "black people" are not an individual, rather we are talking about a population of millions.The notion that all minorities must "behave" and never be wrong about racism in order for anyone who is a minority to have credibility on the subject is ludicrous.
- Even if we are talking about an individual. Say Rev, Sharpton, who has been wrong about racism on a couple of occasions. (But he has been right more often than he has been wrong) It still doesn't justify ignoring an instance of serious racism that he brings to the table. Of course, public opinion can be shaped by such things, but the willful assertion that one "doesn't have listen" indicates a bizarre kind of retribution that really shouldn't have any place in a productive dialogue.Wrong is wrong. Serious racism is no less wrong becuase you find some black person or liberal to be "too focused on race."
Now for the more complex concepts:
- Racism in pop culture matters too. It doesn't matter as much as a material issues such as police brutality, and economic inequality, but it still helps us see the ways in which racism permeates culture. It mattered that Disney didn't have any black princess until recently. It matters that so few leads in movies are black women. (black men do better, the numbers for black women even as a percentage of the population are absurdly low.) It matters that TV news tends to show pictures of black offenders more often than whites. It matters that TV news will devote more time to a white child who is kidnapped than a black child. It's worth talking about and thinking about these things since they show the ways that racism continues to thrive. The only way to change any of this is to talk about it.
- Talking about "soft racism" can help us to explore our prejudices and learn about history. For example, if we talk about the meaning of a white person putting on dark make-up to appear black. (Even if said white person has no racist intentions and doesn't act in a a manner consistent with black stereytypes.) Each person may see this action in a different way. Sharing the ways that we understand these actions can help us to identify gaps in how people with different cultural backgrounds interpret meaning. I think it might surprise some to find out how often many black people have encountered black-face (think of the "ghetto parties" held at some colleges) even in the year 2010. Conversation allows us to daylight these experiences. And if we want to redefine something like black-face it should happen through conversation not some kind of top-down "this is not racism so shut up" command.
- It's possible to acknowledge the racist implications in something and still enjoy other aspects of it: Merchant of Venice and Othello are great plays-- Racism is not black and white. It is not a matter of a single racist element making something "pure evil." When I am with people who can talk intelligently about the racist aspects of a work it makes it easier to simply enjoy it for what it is since I know that we are laughing for the same reasons.
For example, I remember watching Chris Rock with some white people in college and becoming very uncomfortable since two of them were laughing in a "oh what a funny n-gger!" kind of way rather than a "oh isn't it messed up what racism has done to this country " kind of way. --I realized that there was a gap between what I was seeing and what they were seeing in his comedy.
Or take this adorably ignorant and funny video of Antoine Dodson:
A number of black people feel embarrassed by this guy since he acts in a manner similar to some stereotypes about black people. (And gay people) There are a number of white people who would view this video as an example of "what is wrong with ghetto blacks" rather than just a funny bother losing it on camera since he's so protective of his sister. One need only look at some youtube comments to see that there are people who do this. When black people are not treated like individuals these fears seem justified.
So, when some pop-culture artifact like this is reinterperted and remixed in to new form of humor it is legitimate to ask "what are we laughing at?" Yes. Is it the most "important" thing to ask -- probably not. But there is nothing wrong with bring it up thinking about it and talking about it. In fact, it's what we need to do to roll back racism in popular culture.
For example: Is the remix made by some white hipster "racist" ? I didn't think so, I thought it was pretty funny. But someone else might not agree. Let's talk about that! It matters.
Is asking if the remix is racist "diminishing legitimate claims of racism?" No, I don't think it is. In fact, making it difficult to talk openly about race in even "light" contexts will slow our progress in unlearning ugly stereotypes.