A queer analysis reveals that people’s reactions to the Dolezal case have been problematic in three main ways. First, the dominant response has reified and essentialized racial categories. In most news and social media accounts, people have said Dolezal is “pretending” to be black. This very notion essentializes blackness, and implies that there is an authentic way to be black, and that because she is white (an immutable fact) that she cannot be black. According to this popular response, Dolezal is merely a white woman in blackface with a bad perm and weaves. However, this response only reifies inaccurate biologically deterministic ideas about race. Crucially, this dominant reaction to Dolezal is actually antithetical to the goals of the black liberation movement. You cannot simultaneously challenge institutional racism, while reifying notions of racial purity.
no subject
(Anonymous) 2015-06-19 04:36 pm (UTC)(link)mods
(Anonymous) 2015-06-19 04:36 pm (UTC)(link)Re: mods
(Anonymous) 2015-06-19 04:37 pm (UTC)(link)Re: mods
(Anonymous) 2015-06-19 04:37 pm (UTC)(link)Re: mods
(Anonymous) 2015-06-19 04:38 pm (UTC)(link)Re: mods
(Anonymous) 2015-06-19 04:38 pm (UTC)(link)Re: mods
(Anonymous) 2015-06-19 04:39 pm (UTC)(link)Re: mods
(Anonymous) 2015-06-19 04:42 pm (UTC)(link)~wow i never thought ppl wouldnt want to read racist bullshit~
Re: mods
(Anonymous) 2015-06-19 04:43 pm (UTC)(link)god im gonna vom
Re: mods
(Anonymous) 2015-06-19 04:45 pm (UTC)(link)Re: mods
(Anonymous) 2015-06-19 04:45 pm (UTC)(link)Re: mods
(Anonymous) 2015-06-19 04:47 pm (UTC)(link)Re: mods
(Anonymous) 2015-06-19 04:49 pm (UTC)(link)Re: mods
(Anonymous) 2015-06-19 04:48 pm (UTC)(link)Re: mods
(Anonymous) 2015-06-19 04:53 pm (UTC)(link)it triggers my body dysmoprhia
no subject
(Anonymous) 2015-06-19 04:38 pm (UTC)(link)no subject
(Anonymous) 2015-06-19 04:40 pm (UTC)(link)