IBARW 2!

[oyceter]

Guess what? It's almost time for Intl. Blog Against Racism Week again!

Yes, I am making this a yearly thing.

Since it started around mid-July last year, I want to keep it around the same time. But since my birthday is in late July, and I am entirely selfish and really don't want to be dealing with potential race-related stupidity around my birthday, I am making the first full week of August officially the week of IBARW.

So that's August 6 to August 12!

This year, I want to a) read through all of last year's entries and pick my favs, b) blog more about POC reactions to racism (internalized, denial, acknowledgment, anger, etc.) without having it turn into "But POC are racist too OMG WOE!", c) actually do something about the "international" part, and d) continue to post about it the rest of the year too.

What Can I Do?

Well! I'm glad you asked! (or, uh, didn't, but whatever, I'll pretend that people did.)

1. First, I'd love volunteers to be Icon-Makers of the Revolution!
   
   I made some icons last year, which are still up for grabs, and I will make more this year. But I am singularly uncreative and am running out of icon ideas, and my icon skills are passable but really not the best. Also, for people who want customized personal icons or whatnot, it'd be nice to have more icon-makers to go to.



2. Second, I need a Record-Keeper of the Revolution!
   
   You'll be compiling all IBARW posts during the week, like rilina did last year in the handy link compilation. I think mostly people comment with a link to theirs, so you don't have to search all over the internet to find things. The link compilation will include all posts for IBARW, including sporktastic ones, though I encourage people to create their own recommended posts lists too!
   
   
   • Alternately... since IBARW generated over 200 posts last year, I think it'd also be cool if there were a Programmer of the Revolution who wrote up a link-compiling program that would have people input the link, title, poster, time posted, and summary of their posts and spit out a handy-dandy list. I think I do have webspace for something like this, although I'd need to re-investigate, as I have completely forgotten what I can do with it.



3. Thirdly, post!! If you're a white person and don't want to take attention away from POC bloggers, I respect that a lot. But if you still want to contribute without taking attention away, you can also post links to posts POC have made as well, or drive traffic, or search for IBARW links that people may have missed.

And while I'm asking for things, I so want an Anti-Racism 101 blog a la Finally, a Feminism 101 Blog. I would very much contribute and possibly even be able to create the blog, but I don't think I have the time to post to it often. Maybe I will think about just compiling links and whatnot for the FAQs section or something. Hrm...

Thoughts? Questions? Bueller?

Comments

[anenko.livejournal.com]

I hope you don't mind me dropping by here with a question, but I respect your opinions on race and racism, and recent discussions [1 (http://community.livejournal.com/lifeonmartha/268192.html), 2 (http://community.livejournal.com/lifeonmartha/259659.html), 3 (http://thete1.livejournal.com/628790.html)] have left me wondering about this.

I know absolutely nothing about the behind-the-scenes aspect of movies and tv, but what do you think actors of colour/minority actors do with roles and scenes they find offensive? Do they remain silent because they fear losing work? Do their opinions simply get ignored? Or do you think the end product actually *has* been improved after input from actors dealing with iffy material?

Some of the stuff we end up seeing is so glaringly *offensive* that surely someone on the creative end must have noticed, and said something. When fandom talks about race (or sexism or any other sort of prejudice), we usually talk vaguely about "the writers" or "[the show's creator]," but there are so many other people around them, and involved in the creation of a movie or tv show that surely *someone* must notice when the subtext is getting ugly.

Hmm. I'm sorry if I haven't phrased myself very coherently, but if you are willing to share your opinions, I would appreciate them very much.

I am not <lj user=oyceter> and don't play her on tv, but

[zvi-likes-tv.livejournal.com]

I think it's a mistake to assume that actors of color are always aware of the messages being received by the audience, especially if the treatment of a single character isn't blatantly racially negative, but it's the shows global treatment of CoCs that is at issue. A lot of actors look at a TV show or movie very much from the viewpoint of their single character, and they may know little or nothing about the larger show, or the created world in which their show is set.

I think the best example of actor monofocus is what happened to Andromeda when Kevin Sorbo started exercising more creative control: in short, the stories completely re-centered around his character and the interesting and complex story continuity and ensuing moral questions were axed a lot.

There's also the X Files episodes written by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. DD's episodes were pretty coherent episodes, but they were only of the humorous quirky type, not the scary horror/thriller type. GA's episode didn't make sense, in terms of the larger universe or her character's progression in the series. It involved Scully getting re-involved in a personal relationship from college after a point where she had relinquished all personal relationships outside the FBI and her family, and it didn't have much in the way of an X factor.

Also, actors do sometimes influence storylines for racial reasons, but the way they influence those storylines may or may not strike other people as constructive. Eriq Lasalle (black man), who was on ER, got the producers to break his character up with the white woman he'd been dating, because he was sick of black characters so often ending up with white ones. That's his perspective because he's working on an ensemble drama — for me, who was watching a lot of buddy shows are smaller cast sf dramas, I found it really frustrating that the only time we'd see incidental, minor character CoCs, it would just so happen to be when a main cast CoC needed a date to the big dance or to be seduced by alien priestesses or what have you.

I do know that some minority actors just don't work as much as their talent would dictate. Angela Bassett (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000291/) should have a longer IMDB entry, for instance. So should Regina King (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005093/).

So, I suspect the answer is yes, to all of the things you asked, depending on the ability of the actor to express what is offensive and the actor's estimate of their influence on the whole of the production and the producer's estimate of the actor's influence.

I am not <lj user=oyceter> and don't play her on tv, but

[zvi-likes-tv.livejournal.com]

I think it's a mistake to assume that actors of color are always aware of the messages being received by the audience, especially if the treatment of a single character isn't blatantly racially negative, but it's the shows global treatment of CoCs that is at issue. A lot of actors look at a TV show or movie very much from the viewpoint of their single character, and they may know little or nothing about the larger show, or the created world in which their show is set.

I think the best example of actor monofocus is what happened to Andromeda when Kevin Sorbo started exercising more creative control: in short, the stories completely re-centered around his character and the interesting and complex story continuity and ensuing moral questions were axed a lot.

There's also the X Files episodes written by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. DD's episodes were pretty coherent episodes, but they were only of the humorous quirky type, not the scary horror/thriller type. GA's episode didn't make sense, in terms of the larger universe or her character's progression in the series. It involved Scully getting re-involved in a personal relationship from college after a point where she had relinquished all personal relationships outside the FBI and her family, and it didn't have much in the way of an X factor.

Also, actors do sometimes influence storylines for racial reasons, but the way they influence those storylines may or may not strike other people as constructive. Eriq Lasalle (black man), who was on ER, got the producers to break his character up with the white woman he'd been dating, because he was sick of black characters so often ending up with white ones. That's his perspective because he's working on an ensemble drama — for me, who was watching a lot of buddy shows are smaller cast sf dramas, I found it really frustrating that the only time we'd see incidental, minor character CoCs, it would just so happen to be when a main cast CoC needed a date to the big dance or to be seduced by alien priestesses or what have you.

I do know that some minority actors just don't work as much as their talent would dictate. Angela Bassett (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000291/) should have a longer IMDB entry, for instance. So should Regina King (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005093/).

So, I suspect the answer is yes, to all of the scenarios you proposed + sometimes they don't have the perspective to see it, depending on the ability of the actor to express what is offensive and the actor's estimate of their influence on the whole of the production and the producer's estimate of the actor's influence.

Re: I am not <lj user=oyceter> and don't play her on tv, but

[oyceter]

And yet you answer so well as me! ;)

Re: I am not <lj user=oyceter> and don't play her on tv, but

[zvi-likes-tv.livejournal.com]

*heh* Thanks!

Re: I am not <lj user=oyceter> and don't play her on tv, but

[anenko.livejournal.com]

Thank you for taking the time to reply! I hope my question wasn't too ignorant, but I'm a white woman, and a pretty sheltered one at that. I'm trying not to blunder in on a sensitive topic in a way that's too insulting.

I think it's a mistake to assume that actors of color are always aware of the messages being received by the audience, especially if the treatment of a single character isn't blatantly racially negative, but it's the shows global treatment of CoCs that is at issue.

I'd wondered about that, too. I was curious as to whether it was harder to see racism from within a role; or if it were easier for a minority actor to recognize problems because racism is something they are more likely to have been exposed to than the (white, male) writer/director/etc. (in much the same way fandom sees absolutely nothing wrong with a scene until a POC steps up and says: "hey, that's not cool.")

Re: I am not <lj user=oyceter> and don't play her on tv, but

[oyceter]

I was curious as to whether it was harder to see racism from within a role; or if it were easier for a minority actor to recognize problems because racism is something they are more likely to have been exposed to than the (white, male) writer/director/etc.

Huh, I dunno! I guess it depends who they are and where they are with regards to their own relationship to race? I say this just because I know there was a period in my life in which I would have totally denied the racism in something I enjoyed, a lot because I didn't want to see myself as disempowered and because I had totally internalized the whole "Ooo, look at those self-segregating Asians" POV. Whereas now, I'd react very differently.

On the other hand, I do think on a whole there is more of an awareness with POC when skanky race things are going on b/c of the exposure you mention, so... I dunno.

[oyceter]

I agree with pretty much everything witchqueen wrote out. Also was just going to add that I don't know much about behind-the-scenes as well (rachelmanija has better experience than me), but that I suspect the general paucity of actors of color also hovers around the issue like a... hovering thing. I'm guessing some stay silent because they don't want to be known as the person who rocks the boat, some do because it's already hard finding roles for POC, some speak but get ignored, some speak and get listened to (Masi Oka for Heroes, whoo!). But I suspect in general they have less clout than white actors, siiiigh.

Some of the stuff we end up seeing is so glaringly *offensive* that surely someone on the creative end must have noticed, and said something. When fandom talks about race (or sexism or any other sort of prejudice), we usually talk vaguely about "the writers" or "[the show's creator]," but there are so many other people around them, and involved in the creation of a movie or tv show that surely *someone* must notice when the subtext is getting ugly.

Hrm, yeah. I dunno. Speaking as someone who used to be the token "I am colorblind and therefore have all white friends" Asian back in college, I think a lot of it may be in the atmosphere? Certainly if you've heard your peers or superiors making fun of people for being "PC" or "overly sensitive," even (or possibly especially) casually or with toss-aside comments, and you see no one standing up to it, it makes it that much more difficult to say something. Or I'm wondering if people do protest, only to be pooh-poohed as "pulling the race card" or just being a poor sport or whatnot.

I found it really, really hard speaking out about it on LJ last year, and that was among a group of people who generally prided themselves as being liberal and feminist and subversive, because of a lot of the above factors, but that's more my guess about Hollywood atmosphere than actual knowledge.

[anenko.livejournal.com]

Thank you for taking the time to reply!

I hadn't thought about how important the atmosphere must be, but it makes a lot of sense that it would help keep people in line.

I'm glad that you did speak up about race issues. I've seen some discussions get pretty vicious in lj fandom, but I appreciate the different perspective (even if I don't always like what I learn about my fandom or myself in the process).

[oyceter]

Sure! ^_^

And it's such a little thing, but it's just so good to know that people are reading and thinking, as the vicious comments are easier to remember. It helps me balance things out. So thank you.

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

I know back in the day, sometimes actors were dreadfully unhappy with the parts they had but wanted to work, and sometimes felt they had no choice but to make the best of their roles-- IIRC Butterfly McQueen was dreadfully unhappy with and ashamed of her role in Gone With the Wind. On the flip side of that, Nat King Cole was well aware of his show's impact and worked very hard to show a black man in a positive way. (Heartbreakingly, the show got killer ratings and was ended due to lack of corporate sponsorship.) I wish I knew more about the industry now.

[delux-vivens.livejournal.com]

Do they remain silent because they fear losing work?

Sometimes.

Do their opinions simply get ignored?

Sometimes.

Or do you think the end product actually *has* been improved after input from actors dealing with iffy material?

Sometimes.

It all depends on the show, the amount of clout the actor has, and what kind of clues the people involved have.