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icedsodapop · 5 months

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I don't see enough analysis about May December and how Whiteness played a role in Joe's continued abuse at Gracie's hands. How Joe's racial other-ness being the only Korean kid in his White neighbourhood made him more vulnerable to Gracie's abuse. How Gracie's Whiteness made it easier for her to get away with marrying her rape victim and starting a family with him in broad daylight. How Gracie's White womenhood allowed her to live with some semblance of normality as a wife and a mum and a small business owner in suburbia despite being a registered child sex offender. All things that Black disability activist Ola Ojewumi pointed out, happened to the real-life woman Gracie is based on in this thread.

And then, that same White female gaze that Gracie projected onto Joe, the gaze that dehumanized him and viewed him as nothing but a sexual object, is also perpetuated by Elizabeth.

#may december #films #todd haynes #white privilege #white gaze #white feminity #white feminism #racial fetishization

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whenmemorydies · 20 days

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Preliminary thoughts on The Bear, race, power and privilege

I’m a non-Black woman of colour who has spent all of my life in the west…so I’ve consumed a lot of television media that is produced by and for the white gaze. The most obvious way that gaze plays out is when people of colour are non-existent in a cast, or when they are included, are tokenistic, bit players.

A more insidious manifestation is where POC are cast to play parts that could just as easily be played by white folks: characters that have no interiority or external relationships related to their cultural identities, wider communities or individual or collective histories (for example, Mindy in The Mindy Project for most of its run, or the characters of colour in Season 1 of Bridgerton).

I've had some thoughts about how The Bear (thankfully) avoids tokenistic and "colour-blind" representation. I also have some thoughts about how the show models meaningful allyship. I'm so keen to discuss this with folks and hear what others think about it too.

Unambiguous and unapologetic

The Bear is confined in its universe, particularly in season 1 where it’s focus is tightly bound to the physical location of The Beef as the setting for almost every scene. Episodes of The Bear are generally not very long, so time is precious (every second really does count). These factors necessarily limit how deep we can get into each character. But the show is so good at drawing on different means of communication: images, lighting, score, soundtrack, phrasing, callbacks to previous episodes, other cultural references etc, that each episode is like a jewellery box with gems waiting to be unpacked and pored over. I've said that I have started reading this show like a tarot deck because of how rich the symbolism in each episode is.

So despite the constraints of time and setting, characters of colour in this show are also so very rich in their realisation and portrayal. These characters are unambiguously and - this is important - unapologetically racialised: through language (see: Tina’s use - and occasional weaponisation lmao - of Spanish), physical appearance (see: Sydney’s two-tone braids and her stunning, prolific collection of headscarves throughout the show), culturally distinct names (see: Sydney Adamu, Ebraheim, Tina Marrero, etc), food (see: Carmy’s peace offering to Syd in ep 1x03 of Ebra’s family chicken suqaar - a popular dish in the latter character’s birth country of Somalia), etc.

GIF by @chefkids

These may seem like small and inconsequential details to some. In fact I’ve been seeing a lot of commentary from folks online saying that what they like about The Bear is that race isn’t mentioned at all on the show. But make no mistake: race is all over this thing. The examples I've given are only some of the many references to racialised histories and cultures that build out the broader fabric of multicultural Chicago here.

What is not present in The Bear is a script that is wasting time explaining the characters of colour and their rich inner and outer lives to white folks. Those things are just a given and we are invited to witness them being brought to vivid life by this cast and crew. And I am fucking here for it.

Respect and allyship

Another thing I LOVE about this show is the respect given to, and the recognition of, the experience, talent, drive and ambition of its characters of colour.

This is most obvious in the relationship between Syd and Carmy who are signalled as complementary equals in many ways. Others have written on the importance of the representation embodied by Sydney’s character and you should search out that analyses, especially when its authored by Black women. The only other thing I’d say about it is that I love Sydney’s character and I also love endgame Sydcarmy (even if it’s only hinted at in the last second of the last frame of the last ever episode lmao…I will take whatever I can get of these two 😭).

I also see the show’s respect and recognition manifest in The Bear's investment in its staff, particularly in season 2. Everyone who worked at The Beef has a role at The Bear and Carmy, Syd and Nat fund the ongoing training and upskilling of their largely racialised staff to make sure this happens. Ebra and Tina are paid to attend culinary school (Carmy also gives Tina his prized knife for her studies and beyond). Marcus is sent to stage in Copenhagen to develop his skills as a patissier. And then we have The Bear itself - what started as Carmy and Michael’s vision, is now the whole team’s baby, with Sydney literally being made the captain of the ship by Carmy at the end of ep 2x09.

GIF by @savagegood

Part of what was so tragic about Carmy's fridge spiral at the end of season 2 was that he didn't get to see how beautifully the team came through in a crisis. Instead we had him internalising, regressing and lamenting how he had let everyone down. This language centred Carmy as the be all and end all of The Bear (saviour vibes) when this couldn't have been further from the truth (particularly in a season where the man spent so much of his time not in the restaurant but chasing manic pixie no-last-name-having Claire....but I digress).

Carmy is his best when he checks his ego, takes a step back and realises that he is not alone. He is part of a whole chosen family supporting one another at The Bear. And I get the sense that the folks creating this show know that we need more white folks using their power and privilege to step back and facilitate access, and less gatekeeping white saviours taking credit where its not due.

After all, and paraphrasing Viola Davis, the only thing that separates people of colour from anyone else, is opportunity.

12/04/24 Note: I’ve amended this post because I forgot to mention the most pivotal example of Sydney along with her relationship with Carmy. Also made some slight stylistic changes to phrasing cos i fixate on errors lol

#the bear #the bear hulu #the bear fx #white gaze #critical race theory #carmen berzatto #sydney adamu #tina marrero #ebraheim #marcus brooks #allyship #white privilege #power #chris storer #joanna calo #sydney x carmen #sydcarmy #carmy x sydney

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odinsblog · 2 months

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Obviously I despise Republicans, but I hate Black Republicans sO fucking much. Trump is making racist jokes and they’re all just sitting there laughing and applauding him.

Talk about a “yassir massa,” house negro mentality. They would eagerly sell out their parents, their children and all their loved ones for just 0.003 seconds of basking in the white gaze.

Black Republicans are the living embodiment of house slaves who snitched and warned their white masters about field slaves plotting an escape.

By the way: racist “jokes” about the lights going out and only being able to see the white eyes and white teeth of Black people isn’t anything new.

This racist trope was used repeatedly in cartoons of the early 1900s.

#politics #republicans #donald trump #black republicans #sellouts #c👀ns #🦝#black conservatives #black conservative federation #bcf #white gaze

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twacn · 6 months

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Hello!! Does anyone have a quote about the difference being seen (as violence/exploitation) and being seen (as love). Preferably in a way that talks about how these ideas intersect with race and gender, and/or talks about the internet??

Please reblog if you see this my english assignment will thank you

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cosmicanger · 2 years

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1890s portrait of zulu woman in south africa by G W Wilson

#1890s #white gaze #photography #b #style #a #fashion

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zealoussy · 11 months

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Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

✨ Some sort of review

So, basically June (a white woman) is so jealous of her friend, Athena (a chinese american, queer), who seems to have it all, that when she suddenly dies, June steals her friend’s unfinished manuscript. She stole it, polished it so it aligned with her approach to writing, then published the story as hers.

Yes, she's insufferable. Yes, you have to deal with her for the whole book. So, make sure you prepare a snack, a tea, or anything that you can grab when things get frustrating.

As an unlikeable character, June is written too well, I think. When you read this, you will expect to hate everything that she says and does. Granted, there are a lot of things you can hate about June. But the thing is, RFK leaves enough room in the characterization of June for the readers to interpret what kind of character she is.

You see, in satire, usually you have this expectation that the characters will always talk in exaggeration, their behavior and worldview, you can’t help but expect the characters to be some sort of caricature. Yet often, in this book, the things that she says are the messages that RFK wants to deliver.

If you find yourself agreeing with this quote from June,

We’re just suggesting the right credentials, so that readers take me and my story seriously, so that nobody refuses to pick up my work because of some outdated preconceptions about who can write what. And if anyone makes assumptions, or connects the dots the wrong way, doesn’t that say far more about them than me?

may I remind you that in this context, June stole Athena’s manuscript about a WWI Chinese Laborers story? Well you’ll find more layers of irony like this in Yellowface.

That dissonance between how I perceive June and some things she said that I agree with, makes me reevaluate my thinking about what was said, who said, how it was said. (A lot of things said on the internet. It’s easy to lose my voice in the noise, sometimes I even forget to make my own judgment.)

Another thing about June is that she feels human in this book. Before you come at me, no, I am not a June defender. There are moments where you will see how June is slowly deteriorating. In those moments, you can see that June is capable of guilt and grief and fear. That, makes her human.

Although not for long you’ll be reminded again, how still unlikeable she is. What an asshole she is. Some people may not like this way of characterization where, after showing her vulnerability, you'll then be hit in the face with a reminder how bad she is.

For me personally, I like to be reminded that she is terrible simply because I’m an empath.

Aside from June's characterization, there's also the social commentary. Have you ever felt like you have so much in your head but it seems impossible to express what you think? Yeah, RFK spoke what I had in mind like how. This book is I think RFK's way to give words to the things that she has been observing. She's very thorough at that too.

Maybe it's because I'm chronically online. Or maybe it's because I'm always interested in media trends. But there are a lot of nuances in which RFK write the things that she wanted to show the readers.

For example, June thought that the way Athena approached historical fiction is "so hackneyed that they defy belief", although it was implied that Athena was trying to be as truthful as possible to the actual history.

For June, how Athena writes is not accessible, didactic, therefore makes it not a good craft. Meanwhile all this time the opposite has been said about Athena's books: brilliant, authentic, insightful.

Part of Athena's original draft that June's editor said to be "torture porn" was a literal story straight from historical record. That exchange between June and her editor is a good example of "the winner is the one who write the history" or whatever, that sentence, but in a bad way.

From this gaze, we get to see how power is an essential factor that builds the narrative. There's a big part in the story where white privilege plays a role in which they have more advantages over people of color.

SPOILER ALERT

June is misusing her influence towards a POC character which consequently ruin that person's life entirely.

SPOILER ENDS.

Talking about POC, RFK has got some humour in her. I love how Juniper is written being so delulu that it makes her look plain stupid.

"Diversity is what’s selling right now. Editors are hungry for marginalized voices. You’ll get plenty of opportunities for being different, Emmy. "

In booktwt specifically, it is not an uncommon occurrence where readers are debating about diversity. "Just because the book is diverse doesn't mean it's good," that saying is not unfamiliar among the readers. What is a good book, honestly? Pulling the thread from this scope, RFK tried to capture how twitter discourse looks like, what each sides are arguing about.

It's easy for people to dismiss the happenings on the twitter as, "It's just twitter", although in a lot of cases it's warranted that things are overblown in there, but there needs to be some consideration where people's life are depending on it. What does this mean is, it all comes down to the theme of white privilege again. June's career is depending on social media, mainly twitter. Being the June that she is, let's say, she's not nice to people, so there are consequences of her own actions, but knowing how deranged twitter can be, relying your career using that media can be debilitating. June is obviously overwhelmed by this. I like this part because this is where the social commentary shines light about the publishing industry.

But Twitter is real life; it’s realer than real life, because that is the realm that the social economy of publishing exists on, because the industry has no alternative.

I don't think I ever heard a book that tells a story about publishing industry this close. Readers are introduced to the behind the scenes of publishing industry with a sense of familiarity, using terms that readers use when they talk about the books they consume. Yellowface is an intriguing piece of literature that break the door to the source of the enjoyment itself and the way it is created in this profit-hungry society. Not only that, it also a neat composition of characterization, storyline, motif, worldbuilding, and a sprinkle of social commentary.

TLDR: Seriously, please read Yellowface! It's well-written, engaging, insightful, and overall an amazing book.

#book review #booklr #yellowface #yellowface rf kuang #rf kuang #white gaze #books #adablabbooks #sorry for any grammatical errors and incoherent sentences :')#i don't talk about athena liu because i want people to experience by themselves #the character of athena liu

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leciellilac · 11 months

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Hey everyone! I am a dutch-somali writer living in the netherlands. I am currently in the process of building my own business: a publishing house centered around literary fiction that decenters the white gaze. So I wanted to specifically ask the somali community on here: what kind of things do you guys want to see in the media more regarding somali representation? And what kind of things are you guys sick of?

#somali #somali representation #somalis in the media #somali in the media #orientalism #edward said #white gaze #literary fiction #decolonize creative writing #writing characters #decolonisation #reer tumblr

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belle-keys · 1 year

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let's play a game! (ask box open, btw)

tell me a book written by a POC and/or is about POC and/or is set in a POC-inspired world that feels like it's exclusively written to appeal to the white or Orientalist gaze. and be honest!

i'll start with a super duper easy, obvious one: Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas

#books and literature #books #ya books #ya fantasy #romance books #bookish #poc #woc #woc writers #publishing #white gaze #orientalism #orientalist #book blog

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truths89 · 2 years

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In Recovery

My mother must have binged on shame when she bore me in her womb

This I assume because of the necrotic racial trauma I have come to groom.

Pass me a fucking broom

I am ripping this “safe black” costume The white gaze and it’s pretense serves my spiritual doom

All the while, I am deflated by my delayed bloom I am fasting on self-inquiry, because Black contentment is a feast I must consume

#truths89 #poetry #healing #recovery #trauma #anti-blackness #internalized oppression #whiteness #white gaze #anti-capitalism #classism #elitism #shame #acceptance #reframe

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maneater2008 · 2 years

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icedsodapop · 1 year

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Sometimes, I think about how Oprah Winfrey and Marie Kondo are always on the receiving end of white people's vitriol or criticism or mockery, and I want to punch into drywall. It really shows how women of color who succeed by their own merits, who by all means abide by respectability politics (Winfrey and Kondo are both traditionally feminine cis-het women, and they have never publicly misbehaved) will still be subjected to harsh public scrutiny. It's never enough for the white gaze.

#white gaze #racism #racialized misogyny #antiblackness #anti asian racism #marie kondo #oprah winfrey

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fhtagn-and-tentacles · 10 months

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IT ENTERS AS WE’RE SLEEPING

by Top Tarasin

#tentacles #fhtagn #puvanai tarasin #top tarasin #creature #concept art #horror #monster #black and white #eyeball #gaze #sleeping #fear #nightmare #fhtagnnn

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odinsblog · 4 months

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Internalized Racism Inventory

1 Do I trust people of color? Do I ever react to people of color in ways that indicates suspicion or mistrust?

2 In my work or educational experience do I seek out approval from white individuals for a job well done over that of other people of color?

3 Do I/have I ever been embarrassed to respond to another person of color in a language other than English for fear of being associated with my cultural/ethnic group?

4 Do I/have I hesitated to participate in cultural/ethnic heritage events at my place of work/educational institution for fear of being identified with one of my cultural/ethnic groups?

5 Am I a harsher critic of the choices or behaviors of other people of color than I am of white people?

6 When choosing a healthcare provider of other provider of services that requires specific educational training (i.e. attorney, educator etc.) am I less likely to select a person of color versus a white person?

7 Have I/Do I intend to alter my physical features in any way to hide or obscure my own cultural/ethnic features?

8 When choosing a place to live, would I prefer to live within a community that is a community of color or a predominately white community?

9 How often do I refer to other people of color as “ghetto” or by some other derogatory/diminutive term?

10 When choosing books, toys or similar gifts for the children in my life how conscious am I of images, sounds and experiences that reflect their ethnic/cultural identity?

11 In my place of work do I give more weight or credence to the thoughts and ideas shared by white people versus people of color?

12 Do I believe people of color?

13 Have I ever questioned whether a colleague or service provider (of color) was chosen for their position based on an affirmative action initiative?

14 When choosing sources of entertainment (literature, movies, music etc.) how often do I choose art created/produced by people of color?

15 How often am I embarrassed by or fearful of another Person of Color?

16 How often do I mistrust my own thinking or carry around doubts about other People of Color’s ability to think well?

17 Do I ever actively or passively believe or support racial stereotypes about my own racial group (for example: laugh at a racist joke)

18 Have I ever played the role of “gatekeeper”, assisting the white power structure in preventing certain People of Color from admission to an organization, or promotion to a leadership position – for fear of the perception that we’re “taking over?”

19 How often do I overcompensate – actively go out of my way to contradict or disprove a stereotype that I think white people may be holding about me or others in my racial group?

20 Am I ever ashamed of People of Color? How often do I feel ashamed of or avoid those whose skin is “too dark,” hair is “too kinky,” eyes “too slanty,” who dress “too ethnic,” or who talk or play music “too loud?”

21 Do I ever censor my own opinion or passion, or hesitate to make waves when my knowledge and experience are overlooked in a conversation or discussion or argument with white people?

22 Have I ever thought about my own racial group: “We are our own worst enemy.”

23 How often do I doubt myself? Or second guess myself?

24 Do I put on a different persona when I go into white people’s business, organization or home?

25 How often am I unsupportive of a Person of Color’s leadership? Have I ever undermined or sabotaged their leadership?

26 Do I hold People of Color to a higher standard than I hold White People?

(source) related post ↵

#internalized racism #racism #aversive racism #advice #self hate #internalized colorism #colorism #white gaze #white santa claus #26 questions

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acinomthecat · 2 years

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Why does this always happen in yt fandoms?

Parent(s) of color: (breathes)