Avatar (No, Not that one!)

Business meeting or lynch mob?

I might as well just say right off that I am an avatar freak. I like making up people, personalities creating outfits, decorating, telling a story using the constraints of visual media. Hence my overindulgence in games like Superpoke pets, and Pet Society. Mercifully there are along list of acquaintances that do not know this about me and are spared the the Facebook updates but the small handful who really know me understand that it is something that engages my imagination perhaps far beyond what the marketing intends. I like my playtime.

I have never had any interest in watching AMC’s “Madmen.” I tried to watch it once but aside from the appeal of the fashions of that era, I have come to regard it suspiciously merely as a show about a bunch of arrogant masochistic white guys and the women who tolerate them. This may be a huge generalization but for the most part nothing pulls me into that program. Combine my trite summary with the terrible racial climate of that era and how that figures in advertising of the 20s and 30s and I’m even less inspired to watch it.

When the “Madmen Yourself” icon maker came out a few years ago as a way to promote their first season, I was surprised at how much fun it was to create male and female characters of that era using all the same constraints and gender biases that kept me from ever watching the show. The clothes of that era tell such a clear story about that time that no one would have a hard time knowing where they fit. The clothes are glaringly codified with social status and gender role function of the time.

 Have a drink honey! You'll feel better in no time.

Women's clothes are super form fitting or sheer, reminiscent of the ever pervasive corset for that uniform tiny waist and tell you if they are going to work, dining, meeting someone for a drink, lounging at the pool, working as a stewardess or typist, baking a cake or entertaining a party.  The men’s clothes tell you whether he is going to work, lounging at home, making a presentation, dining, schmoozing, etc. That being said, creating “Madmen” avatars of color is quite a trip. I have to say that I’m impressed by the available choices in skin color that vary from pale to tan to brown, to very dark brown, almost black. They also have three body types, skinny, "fit," and heavy.

 I suppose the point for actual "Madmen" fans is to create someone who resembles a version of them, as they would be represented in this world. It is also not without a twisted sense of humor of which I highly approve. A very jazzy loop plays continuously on the website as you zip through each step of creating your "Madmen" icon. Among the various accessories for men is a shotgun and an accordion. For women there is a maternity dress, complete with baby bump. I am toying with the idea of pairing the baby bump with a cigarette in hand or a nice cocktail. Real cute, unless you happen to be black or Latina or any of the various groups represented by color. Then it’s a bit surreal. Because although I can appreciate that they make these color options available, all the “scenes” they appear in are a sobering reflection of exactly whose world it is. No matter who your avatar is you are surrounded by a sea of white faces, the secretary, co-workers, the guy who meets you for a drink.  Regardless, I spent hours one evening last week creating my own cast of “Madmen” characters with a new set of looks promoting the latest season. I like playing around with the stereotypes, creating situations that would be highly improbable in the 1920s or 30s for people of color.  Isn’t this how we start to have important conversations? Isn’t this why we play?

"Why do they always have to make it about race?" -True Blood

Hamsa and Reya 
(Two dolls in my collection)

Instead of just talking about how much I loved the 3rd season premiere of  "True Blood" last weekend, I thought I would tie this blog into another nice little political discussion on media and race. There were so many hilarious, provocative scenes and lines from that show I can't even begin to list my favorites right now but they hit the ground running in the opening scene when Sookie runs out into the night screaming for anyone who will listen that her boyfriend Bill The Vampire has been kidnapped. The only young woman who happens to hear her expresses concern at first and then when she learns Sookie is talking about a Vampire, she just turns on her heel and walks off shouting something like "These vampires! It's always some shit!" in French! Oh Alan Ball! SCORE!!!

A few scenes later police take down Arlene the waitress' account of events ending in the death of one out of two of the only other black male characters in True Blood's previous season. Tara who sits a few feet behind her being comforted by her cousin Lafayette, is angered by what she feels is Arlene's total lack of sympathy for the fact that the man killed was someone she was deeply in love with. This causes Tara to explode in anger. Tara feels that Arlene's apparent lack of compassion. is directly race related; he was black and another dead black man doesn't matter. Tara storms off after Lafayette keeps her from ripping Arlene from limb to limb and Arlene gets angry as well. "Why do they always have to make it about race?" she yells. Cut.

Somehow, this is a notion I think that still permeates the minds of most white people whether they are aware of it or not. Just as many Black people sometimes tend to pull the race cards in situations that don't actually merit  it, Whites often pull the "Why does it always have to be about race?" in situations of clearly overt racial bias. I suppose it's a part of the whole plan to spread the lie that a post racial society actually...exists. It does not.

Some of you know that I'm a photographer with a passion for collecting Blythe Dolls, which were originally released by Kenner in the 70s. After an unsuccessful year on the market they were all pulled. A few years later, Blythe was picked up by a Japanese company, Takara and marketed in smaller releases to a growing niche market of collectors as Neo Blythes and became a cult phenomenon. I started collecting them almost 2 years ago. When I first saw a Black Blythe doll while browsing through flickr, I flipped! I had never seen one before and loved the ones I saw! I immediately made all the necessary inquiries to find out who made them and where I could find one. There were none to be found. They don't make them. The ones I saw were custom made. How, I thought in thirty five years had they not seen fit to manufacture even one doll that reflected the worlds peoples of color? Even Mattel has in the recent years released a line of black dolls that are more diverse in color as well as facial features if not body types for young girls. If no other reason than the lucrative saleability of "difference" they could make just one Black doll. But far be it for me to seek brown faces in Japanese culture whose media historically has been severely whitewashed for years.

Heather Sky

Ah yes, but Takara does make an offensively nondescript looking doll of indiscriminate color, called Heather Sky. But the fact is, no one would really call her black. It's all very "safe" and sickeningly suggestive of an intense reluctance to pin down an ethnic identity associated with African American culture. So I decided to find out how to make one myself. I decided to find out how others had made their own Black Blythe dolls. And I made one, then two, then three and and I'm finishing a fourth one now which is due to hit the market (and by market I mean ebay) in a few weeks. There is such a high demand for black Blythe Dolls in the niche market of collectors that you would think Takara would take advantage of that and get on the fucking ball but I'm not waiting for that to happen anymore because I'm having way to much fun making my own, creating a line where there is none. See, this is one of the many hundreds of reasons why it really is about race a lot of the time.

Today I was invited to join an Etsy African American Sellers group on Flickr by a woman who had commented on one of my photos and sells African fabrics. I was thrilled to join and couldn't help noticing that I was, at present anyway, the only member besides herself. All comments and invites on photos on flickr are public and I found myself thinking about a white person's reaction to it. The fact is, and I haven't researched any actual statistics on this, but judging from my contacts alone, Blythe Doll collecting appears to be a predominantly white hobby. I can count on one hand the Black females collectors I am in contact with on flickr. If any more of you are out there, don't be shy! Look me up! LOL!

See, this is one of the many effects of media representation that disproportionately represents "Whiteness" only. I'm not say I think that media can accurately represent reality with complete accurateness at all. We have to find unique and diverse ways to do that for ourselves. I do know that the media creates many very dangerous and false ideas about what beauty, power, gender roles and race mean and that the faces we see in the media most often, even when they resemble our own are controlled by a white power structure. There's more to all of us than that. But  to those who believe that Blacks are always making issues about race, please consider that everything we have seen in the media for hundreds of years has been about race; the white race. I don't ever have to make any White Blythe Dolls do I?  I doubt I will never have to make any.

RACE - The Power of an Illusion

Ten Things Everyone Should Know About Race

Our eyes tell us that people look different. No one has trouble distinguishing a Czech from a Chinese, but what do those differences mean? Are they biological? Has race always been with us? How does race affect people today? There’s less – and more – to race than meets the eye:

1. Race is a modern idea. Ancient societies, like the Greeks, did not divide people according to physical distinctions, but according to religion, status, class, even language. The English language didn’t even have the word ‘race’ until it turns up in 1508 in a poem by William Dunbar referring to a line of kings.

2. Race has no genetic basis. Not one characteristic, trait or even one gene distinguishes all the members of one so-called race from all the members of another so-called race.

3. Human subspecies don’t exist. Unlike many animals, modern humans simply haven’t been around long enough or isolated enough to evolve into separate subspecies or races. Despite surface appearances, we are one of the most similar of all species.

4. Skin color really is only skin deep. Most traits are inherited independently from one another. The genes influencing skin color have nothing to do with the genes influencing hair form, eye shape, blood type, musical talent, athletic ability or forms of intelligence. Knowing someone’s skin color doesn’t necessarily tell you anything else about him or her.

5. Most variation is within, not between, "races." Of the small amount of total human variation, 85% exists within any local population, be they Italians, Kurds, Koreans or Cherokees. About 94% can be found within any continent. That means two random Koreans may be as genetically different as a Korean and an Italian.

6. Slavery predates race. Throughout much of human history, societies have enslaved others, often as a result of conquest or war, even debt, but not because of physical characteristics or a belief in natural inferiority. Due to a unique set of historical circumstances, ours was the first slave system where all the slaves shared similar physical characteristics.

7. Race and freedom evolved together. The U.S. was founded on the radical new principle that "All men are created equal." But our early economy was based largely on slavery. How could this anomaly be rationalized? The new idea of race helped explain why some people could be denied the rights and freedoms that others took for granted.

8. Race justified social inequalities as natural. As the race idea evolved, white superiority became "common sense" in America. It justified not only slavery but also the extermination of Indians, exclusion of Asian immigrants, and the taking of Mexican lands by a nation that professed a belief in democracy. Racial practices were institutionalized within American government, laws, and society.

9. Race isn’t biological, but racism is still real. Race is a powerful social idea that gives people different access to opportunities and resources. Our government and social institutions have created advantages that disproportionately channel wealth, power, and resources to white people. This affects everyone, whether we are aware of it or not.

10. Colorblindness will not end racism. Pretending race doesn’t exist is not the same as creating equality. Race is more than stereotypes and individual prejudice. To combat racism, we need to identify and remedy social policies and institutional practices that advantage some groups at the expense of others.

Copyright (c) California Newsreel, 2003

The Last Anti-Racist Interview

I had to sneak into the office where I work on my day off on the stealth tip to get this interview. It was the best place for us to meet actually. This is where they normally meet in the evenings for their reading group. We both made good time. I showed up just a few minutes before he did and found a classroom nearby where we could sit. I have to say, I've been learning a lot, both about my research topic and about myself and this whole process of interviewing. I hate the sound of my own voice for instance when I'm mmhhmming and uhhuhing and basically making the usual sounds of confirmation that I am indeed listening and or I understand. Hate that. I often wish I could either just sit there and take notes (actually I uses a digital recorder because I suck at notes and don't wanna miss anything) or interject and make it more conversational, but I hate to think that anything I say might be affecting the subject's response although I imagine it would be impossible not to. The subject was really forthcoming and shared a lot of his very honest, critical and thought provoking experiences with being white and how that related to his experiences as an activist and hs relationships with people of color. At my site visit, when I observed him in the group, I recognized in him, what I felt to be the closest thing to the voice a person of color might have. What I mean is that he seemed to raise the kind of issues that were hard to intellectually skirt around. He pointed out things that might make some white people uncomfortable the kind of things that would force a white person to confront certain contributory aspects of their conditioned personality to racism. That's one of the main reasons why I picked him. And when he told me about his background, growing up in rural Pennsylvania and his own unique take on that, his resistance to a kind of learned racist environment, I was even more fascinated. We went over the alloted 20 minutes that I have been limiting all my interviews to and I think we made it just under an hour. He and I both had a lot to say.

So anyway, now I am faced with the daunting task of somehow shaping all this data into something cohesive and compelling: a basic ethnographic write up. This is what I will be doing for the holidays. That and stuffing my face, and getting drunk. But I'll also be thinking about race and how, even though essentially I think race means very little, save the skin pigment we are born with, we are obsessed with it. And how important it is for white people to interrupt the lazy, dangerously subtle color blind racism that has become pervasive in this country. Luck to me.

Anti-Racist Reading Group

I really really kept on top of the contact person for this group in order to be able to gain collective permission to observe this group which meets in my building and met last night from 8:00 until 11:00.

My Urban Cultural Diversity Professor would not have minded of I had not been able to do the site visit for my mini-ethnography project but I was so psyched to observe this group and have the most detailed and thorough write up possible to support my research question and theories. In that regard, I can't really go into detail here about everything that took place until I have completed all my interviews.

This group is comprised intentionally of whites only in their 20s and 30s. The all white space is intended to be a safe place to express and discuss issues and experiences with racism including ways in which they have perpetuated racism without feeling uncomfortable or judged. And to a degree I understand this but I do believe now that I have had the chance to sit in on this group that whatever progress they feel they have been making will slowly begin to deteriorate if they don't open the group to people of color.I think it is really important that whites take responsibility for the huge role they have played in oppressing and continuing to passively oppress people of color but when you have white people alone educating other white people about these things an issue of unrealistic social reflection emerges. It just starts to sound like that safe space is about remaining safe and deluded. That's dangerous. The truth is that undertaking something like this can't be made easy because it simple is not! And it's not painless either, but I do think there must be a way to facilitate this kind of organization in a manner that draws the best out of everyone so long as everyone has similar goals in mind. And it's those goals that I need to study. I'm sure it's different for everyone involved.

Tim Wise

Ummm, SleptOn is one of my my new favorite websites. Holy Shit! This white man laid it down! I don't know too much about him. I've only heard his name about a million times since the election began and also in reference to my anti-racist mini-ethnography project at school. So I finally read an article he wrote post election this afternoon and I am blown away.

CHECK IT OUT!!!

What Makes Me White?

Ahem...
So tonight in my Inequality Privilege class which is growing more and more disappointing every week, our professor whom I will not mention by name showed a video entitled "What Makes Me White" and when the whole awkward thing was done talked about how this had to be presented to white people in a "non threatening way in order that they didn't shut down when confronted with their own racism. I told her that the whole notion that this had to be presented in a non-threatening way said a lot about the fucked up way in which we deal with race in this country and that that is something that needs to be addressed as well. When the lights came on and she looked up down at us with her arms crossed, I could see in her eyes that she was looking, not for our honest response but for a specific response that she had already in her mind. The general response as far as I could gather was like what's the big surprise? Listening to white people talk about white privilege may be a big revelation for them but we've known this shit all our fucking lives!!!! What am I supposed to do now feel sorry for some white woman who didn't realize that her black nanny was a human being until she attended her funereal and heard all her friends talk about all the contributions she made to her community. Oh give me a fucking break! Go cry to your fucking shrink! This is just going take me a while to get used do. I'm actually conducting a ethnographic project on the subject of Anti-racist white groups for my other class n Urban Cultural Diversity. I don't suppose this will be good attitude to go on in with. I'm just blowing off steam here because honestly, this was just the wrong approach in my opinion. I am just truly fucking shocked at how deluded some white people are! Man! Wow! I mean really! I'm gonna need a moment. I've been waaaaaay too sheltered.

....Shit.

Walk the Walk

"Because racism is so ingrained in the fabric of American Institutions, it is easily self-perpetuating. All that is required to maintain it is business as usual.
I sometimes visualize the ongoing cycle of racism as a moving walkway at the airport. Active racist behavior is equivalent to walking fast on the conveyor belt. The person engaged in active racist behavior has identified with the ideology of White supremacy and is moving with it. Passive racist behavior is equivalent to standing still on the walkway. No overt effort is being made, but the conveyor belt moves the bystanders along on the same destination as the White supremacists. But unless they are walking actively in the opposite direction at a speed faster than the conveyor belt—unless they are actively anti-racist—they find themselves carried along with the others."

-Beverly Daniels Tatum
“Defining Racism”