#black people are not a monolith
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“Black People Are Not A Monolith” with Eric Smith - FAIR for All
“If a white professional were to announce that, whenever she speaks, she does so as a representative of all of white America, I imagine that—from New England to Palm Springs—we would hear the response that no one person can speak for all America’s 197 million white people.
The arrogance and stupidity of such a claim would diminish the claimant’s civic and professional reputation.
So why, when a black person claims to speak for all black Americans, is it accepted with so little pushback?
Black cultural essentialism—the belief that a particular ideology, mode of speaking or set of values, beliefs and attitudes is authentically black—is widespread today.
From 1619 Project creator Nikole Hannah Jones arguing that “there is a difference between being politically black and being racially black” to Joe Biden claiming that if black Americans didn’t vote for him then they “ain’t black.”
These beliefs insult the diversity within the black community.
Even 60 years ago Malcolm X spoke for a very different segment of the black population than Martin Luther King, Jr. and, as King himself noted, socioeconomic distinctions within Americans with African ancestry made for significantly different views of the world.
Political, religious and social diversity among black people has grown substantially since then, rendering the idea of any single black spokesperson nonsensical.
Just as many black people disagreed with X or King back then, today, many black people disagree with Nikole Hannah Jones, Ibram Kendi, or Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Many black people do not subscribe to the principles of Critical Race Theory.
Yet those of us considered “the wrong kinds of black people” for not accepting such principles are often treated worse than problematic whites by those who do.
Our refusal to toe their line is seen as a betrayal, and they often even dare to accuse us of internalized racism or “multicultural Whiteness”.
Most “wrong” blacks expect pushback from black proponents of such views.
However, I will never forget the incredulous look a white university president gave me when I told him that black people are diverse in thought, politics, aesthetics and so on.
As a black man, being called a white supremacist by white people caused a cognitive dissonance that induced both laughter and horror.
The absurdity of the accusation is coupled with the historical taboo of being called “uppity,” a trope commonly heard in the Jim Crow South when a black person acted as an equal of whites.
Ironically, the idea that whites know what is best for blacks is central to much of contemporary so-called “anti-racist” activism.
Robin DiAngelo, the author of New York Times bestsellers “White Fragility” and “Nice Racism,” has made a name for herself by presenting black people as powerless, fragile people without agency.
Her popular reception suggests that many think it is okay for whites to perpetuate this narrow conception of blackness.
The attempt to erase and replace blacks who disagree with these positions should not be understood as a reality, but as a political tactic.
The existence of independent thinkers like us present a threat to their narrative.
Instead of engaging with our arguments on the merits, the very purpose of erasing and replacing is to forego engagement.
And when a prominent figure in a social justice movement chooses to erase and replace a perceived foe, sympathetic audiences may be motivated to comply.
But it’s impossible to be an ally to the black community without doing the work to understand the true range of opinions that reflects the actual reality of who we are.
Ironically, even as we champion diversity in America, we all but erase it within the black community.
Black people are not a monolith.
To assume that we are is the definition of prejudice; it is to flatten and stereotype us based on a falsehood.
The most anti-racist thing you can do is to see us as the unique individuals that we are.”
==
“Antiracism” is just a brand name for neoracism.
#Erec Smith#FAIR for All#Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism#mic drop#antiracism#antiracism as religion#neoracism#race grifters#Nikole Hannah Jones#Ibram X. Kendi#Ta Nehisi Coates#Robin DiAngelo#Joe Biden#critical race theory#black people#black people are not a monolith#bigotry of low expectations#wokeness as religion#cult of woke#woke activism#wokeism#woke#religion is a mental illness
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tw: angry rant, stereotypes, black people are not a monolith:
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Really getting fucking tired of black people constantly trying to push stereotypes onto other black people. In 2022. In the year of fucking breaking away from stereotypes and embracing diversity.
First of all, I fucking love pumpkin. Second of all I love pumpkin spice. And that is my fucking business. I am black asf and I love me some fucking pumpkin spice and have always loved it since I was a fucking child.
If you’re bothered because I’m not trying to fit into a narrow box and be a fucking stereotype because I’m a fucking human being who can like and do whatever the fuck I want, that’s a you problem. I’m not a fucking monolith. I’m not a fucking piece of clay for you to mold to your liking.
If you like sweet potatoes, that’s great, but if you try to make someone like what you like, just be prepared to get cursed tf out because I am not the one. You should like something because you like it, not because you’re black, or because you’re expected to because you’re black.
If you live your life trying to please other people, be prepared to be miserable for the rest of your life.
It is 2022… y’all should know better. I’m tired of this shit. Shut the fuck up before I shove them sweet potatoes up your ass.
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It’s 2023 and someone is combing at me for being a black StarWars fan….
#and we’re fucking adults!!#why can’t I be upset about how John Boyega was used and tossed aside like trash#why can’t I open up about being passionate for nerd stuff#I thought black people weren’t a monolith#softie talks
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so extremely tired of hearing "terfs hate men, which is why they hate trans women, so hating men is terfy." it invalidates not only trans women's identity of womanhood, but their REALITY of it, by saying their reality is so close to that of cis men's that terfs are being truthful with their motivations for hating them. it groups trans women in with oppressors that they've been forced to have close proximity to all their life, heightening their vulnerability as women & gender oppressed people.
honestly, imagine if people said lesphobia is based on misandry. it's much of the same treatment, the only difference is that trans women are mistakenly perceived as literally male-- but, the way that terfs and other conservatives treat them shows this perspective is false. they treat trans women misogynistically by denying their place in women's spaces, making fun of their appearance, and denying the fact that transfems are victims of misogyny or, that it matters when they are.
this is classic woman hating. stop reifying terfs' perspective that transfems are adjacent to / are men & demonizing women who hold their oppressors accountable. this rhetoric is a sure sign that you have no idea how transmisogyny or terfism operates.
#feminism#gender essentialism#transmisogyny#while transfems obviously aren't a monolith in opinions on the subject it's interesting to note that the people who take the most issue#with trans women saying this are transandrophobia guys... a bastardization of the theory of anti-transmasculinity by black trans people#anti-transmasculinity is often co-opted to play oppression olympics rather being seen as a partner to transmisogyny. which it actually is#this co-opting makes sense since it's a good way to turn the discussion of transfems issues into a discussion on transmasc issues instead#misandry
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Why. Are y’all adding that you’re white in that big popular rap post. Just shut the fuck up stop making disclaimers like you’re afraid of black tumblr users just fucking talking. Like instead of saying “wow my fellow white people we have to try harder” or “I mean im white but I love rap!” or variations of those like. Either don’t say anything or don’t disclaim it makes you look like you’re actively trying not to sound racist which makes you sound like a little baby OR it makes you sound like you’re taking this chance to flagellate about how sorry you are like. Just fucking change your behavior without expecting a pat on the back
#meows#I’m begging you to just be normal#and the people trying to say they hate rap as a monolith bc they’re autistic#idk man I’m embarrassed for you it’s putting me in pain to read your tags#sometimes it’s better to say nothing and take an internal note.#rather than waiting for black people to congratulate you for listening to one rap song#or if you don’t like it bc you’re autistic or whatever like. just don’t talk#ik im white lmao I’m not making this rebloggable or anything I’m venting#(not the same bc I’m doing it on my own post and not on a big popular post on the subject. it’s so easy)
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genuinely the dissertations people write trying to write away taylor's success is crazy of course her being white helps but if it was only that that made her so successful then why aren't other white artists on her level? why aren't ariana or katy or miley or dua etc on her level then?
it’s so so old and so so tired bht the second i or any other black fan says anything we’re coons and traitors and white washed im SICK
#im mad at two separate things#but they feed back into each other over and over#‘’taylor is mediocre and white’’#and#‘’blank people are a monolith and anyone who steps outside of that is a traitor’’#*black#not blank
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The script paraphrases and arranges Imelda’s real quotes into lyrics, creating a bare-faced critique of her philosophy and exploitation of poverty—the show’s title is taken from a 1987 interview in which Imelda and Ferdinand are asked what they’d like their epitaph to read: “One word,” said Imelda, “Love.” By also citing the U.S. support of the Marcos regime (Reagan’s administration helicoptered them to Hawaii after they were expelled) the show bemoans the ongoing normalization of U.S. interference in the Philippines.
The historic all-Filipino cast is a powerhouse, especially the corps ensemble. Conrad Nicamura’s interpretation of senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, the Marcos’s foremost opposition leader, grounds viewers against an otherwise dark history. Imelda, played by Arielle Jacobs, may be the main character, but Ninoy is the show’s hero as the only voice calling for democracy and disrupting the couple’s ascent to power.
While the show succinctly highlights Imelda’s cruelty, the hour and a half time constraint reduces the topic’s complexities. The People Power Revolution is reduced to a procession of protest effigies in the dark on the far end of the dancefloor from Imelda, who pleads in the spotlight, “why don’t you love me?” A brief scene of police brutality and flashing headlines reveal some of the Marcos’s most heinous abuses: 3,200 killed; 34,000 tortured; and over 70,000 imprisoned. Still, the show ends with a powerful ensemble protest song representing the movement, its chorus declaring: “God draws straight, but with crooked lines.”
Consistent interweaving might have offered more equitable representation between the 1% and commonfolk. The erasure of Indigenous Lumad and the leadership of women in the resistance must also be considered. The former becomes more apparent when one notes how few dark-skinned Filipinos were cast.
By Rohan Zhou-Lee
#here lies love#perspective from a Black Filipino reviewer#musicals#broadway#imelda marcos#People Power Revolution#There's other criticism by Filipino writers who actually SAW the show#The opinions on this musical (those who actually saw it) aren't monolithic either
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god okay just. misandry is a real thing and i’m just not even going to have this conversation anymore
#every post that claims misandry isn’t as bad as misogyny i’m killing you#how many times do we need to remind that unless you fit a very specific profile of being a man#you are deadass getting oppressed and hated on for being a Wrong Man#like it’s exhausting it’s exhausting it’s exhausting#it is real and i’m tired of yall pretending it isn’t#and i don’t want to hear it’s not as bad as misogyny because i’m not talking about that and yes it is#how many black men die because people hate black men#it is in part because of misandry#how many disabled men are ostracized and euthanized and fucked over#like how many times do we have to remind people that men are not a monolith and yall need to get normal about#viewing men complexly DEADASS YESTERDAY#FUCKING HELL#he speaks
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A big reminder that black people are allowed to be weird, outlandish, creepy, scary, odd, and unsettling, and we don’t need to live up to any narrow ideal of blackness for anyones approval.
If you don’t like that weird black people exist, get over it. We exist no matter how hard you try to erase us. We are still here.
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so this post came across my dash earlier and i was going to reblog and then i decided not to and then i just stayed mad
but they've turned off reblogs probably because they're suicide baiting shitbags so here's the screenshots, names included because if you're going to be elitist, racist, hateful shitbags in public i'ma call you out in public
here i'll tag y'all so you can keep up @allthingsmustpass1970 and @auckie
some of y'all need to figure out that "dismissing entire genres of music is probably racist and/or classist" and "people can dislike music i like and it's morally neutral to do so" can exist at the same time
y'all are fucking telling people to kill themselves because they don't like jazz. don't tell me you didn't say that there's the fucking screenshot AND i've seen your notes
guess what, you heinous cockweasels? i don't like jazz. i'm not here to debate about whether i like some examples of certain obscure subgenres i've never heard of. i don't want to hear shit about "influences." it's possible to like things influenced by something else and not like the something else
you're not special or more educated or more sophisticated or more adult because you like jazz. you just like a music genre some other people don't. learn to be okay with that.
y'all took a valid discussion of the racist and classist implications of declaring entire genres of music objectively bad and turned it into a discussion of how superior you are for liking jazz
tell my Black ass to kill myself one more time
tell my 45 yo Black ass to grow up one more time
call my BLACK ass racist *one more goddamned time*
#bunch of sentient fedoras#turning liking jazz into a personality#and stop acting like Black people are a monolith with universal musical tastes and opinions#i don't like jazz#so tf what?#that doesn't make it invalid as a musical genre#go listen to your jazz!#ain't no one stopping you#i don't vibe with it like y'all don't vibe with pop#tho for the record all y'all in the notes dismissing pop as a whole genre?#doing the same thing#y'all so damn concerned about influences what tf you think influenced pop?
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non-black people stop speaking for the black community challenge. unfortunately, people will always fail.
#like how many times do we have to say that we aren't a monolith and one or a group of people speak for all of us..#like just stfu when it comes to black issues atp bcs no matter how ya'll try to tiptoe around it you always fuck it up#all for silly kpop idols. that's crazy.#anyways. this is a psa.#🍯.txt
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OMGGG the backhanded art comment 💀🤡 I wanted to say thank you sooo much for adding your input because comments like that are the reason why I have the urge to rip my hair out everytime I enter the comment section of an MV/Dance Practice like wdym "it's not dance, it's art" ?? what did you think dance was??? How little do you care about dance then?? You're literally the first person I know to address it which was kind of unexpected but very much needed (Sorry if you can feel the frustration radiating of this ask, but that's how much I despise it)
kljlkjflkjflksda well i did go to a very prestigious art school so i do have the experience to back up my backhandedness. i have to thank @exo-s-victory-lap first bc if they hadn't posted that comment on the birthday dance practice i wouldn't have said anything, bc i never read the comments on any kpop-related videos as i don't need the headache. but you're right it is a thing that very few people talk about, mostly because like i said, there's a mass lack of education around the different types of 'art' beyond painting and sculpture, and what even is 'qualified' to be called art in the first place. to be honest dance gets the most of this pseudo-'complimentary' offensive garbage because the average person in the west just does not interact with dance as an artform like, at all. the most common types of dance at the moment are street dance based/whatever shows up on tiktok and they've become so ubiquitous that people have ceased to see it as a skill and connect it to being worthy of being called 'art'. the convention of what constitutes 'art' in a lot of the general public's eyes is western eurocentric forms that have 'historical' backing, but only those that have been approved by the 'elite' as the ones acceptable. and very very few forms of dance have made that cut, so relatively few people recognize it as such.
#no one is calling pantos art and those things are old as fucking time lol. well not that old. but they are a very old form of anglo theatre#the other thing about street dance is that it was invented by black people! and god forbid anything black people do is artistic!!!!!#as someone who went to an art school where they do high concept contemporary art/the stuff that you see in contemporary galleries/museums:#the whole industry moves like fucking white supremacy and relies on the supression of 'lesser' forms in order to keep the industry running#sometimes there's actual white supremacy. sometimes there isn't. but the structure is exactly the same#there's always artists that say they want to 'deconstruct the white cube space' etc etc etc but very rarely do they actually make an effort#to cross disciplinary boundaries or go into the community/do educational outreach to ACTUALLY deconstruct those spaces#because if they actually did that it would make the entire concept of their practice pointless#the master's tools will never dismantle the master's house!!!!!!!!#n e ways. dont go to art school#text#kpop questions#answers#also there's a bias against kpop in general bc of the branding that's been pushed by western media that it's 'manufactured'#and idols themselves aren't artists bc theyre not 'making the work themselves'#which is a further pushing of the monolith artist narrative#also kr media is super guilty of this too. idols are on a really low rung on the 'artistic' ladder#so a lot of these types of comments from fans come from the desire to 'prove' that idols are worthy of making art#but they end up being insults bc kpoppies are dreadfully offensively and tragically uninformed#jokes on them the whole industry's been making art this whole time! just most of it is bad!
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absolutely insane that ive seen "dont speak over marginalized people" be misused to the point that ppl think that if youre not of X group you cant talk about the problems they face like at all without it being suspicious or wrong
#angel posts#like huh#and yeah XYZ isnt a monolith yadda yadda but yall dont care about that#bc how tf a white person correctly points out something is blatantly anti Black and u got (MOSTLY OTHER WHITE PEOPLE) saying they cant#do that WHAT!!!#whats the point in telling them about racism if theyre not supposed to be able to notice it 😭
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The context is that Megan refers to herself as ‘hotgirlmeg’ and her fans as hot girls and hot boys. and just because one of you is black, it does not absolve the nonblack members from using an aave term. and i understand that youre not being malicious about it, but its still a black term although you yourself are not using it as that reference.
hi anon! i’m mo, aka the black woman in the hotgirlnetwork. now this ain’t the way i wanted to break my hiatus but i wanted to have an open discussion with you about this and kaili felt she has no authority on the topic (which she doesn’t) so that’s why i’m here.
first off, i get the frustration seeing an aave term coined by a black woman being used by people who aren’t black. we’ve seen it time and time again. but, i would like to point out that meg herself has openly said that anyone can be a hot girl and has embraced many people using the term and “hot girl summer” (as seen by the support and popularity in it 2-3 summers ago). here’s a tweet she posted explaining what hot girls mean to her.
also, as a self proclaimed hot girl myself and having been a fan of meg before her big blowup, she does call her fans hotties and herself the hot coach and mentioned that hot girl is more of a feeling and just being confident in you. this term was coined to break stereotypes and embrace people’s sexualities. i don’t understand the gatekeeping of this term to only black people or just meg’s fans (which by your terms, 3 out of 4 of us i know are meg stans so in turn, we can call ourselves hot girls).
i would like to ask, what is the point you’re trying to make with these asks? is there a mass black community outrage happening right now over the term hotgirl and how it was commodified by the general public that i’m not aware of? where was this 3 years ago when the whole world, including meg herself, was embracing everyone using the term? i’m not saying you or other black people aren’t valid in thinking the way you feel. it’s just hard to understand your point when meg herself (which in my opinion, makes the term not aave as it did not grow from a black community but was a term that was coined by a single person but that is besides the point) has fully embraced people using the term and everyone feeling confident in themselves.
#this is basically an open call for discussion i do want to see what other black people think about this#bcs as black people we are obviously not a monolith and we all have different feelings and thoughts on things like this#answered#anon#hotgirldiscourse
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this is going to sound so weird but I personally as a bi person wish so badly that wwx was out/explicitly into men in his first life because I think it would be a harder-hitting story. he’s already being marginalized and (unfairly!!) scapegoated because of classism and mob mentality and the corruption and greed of the great sects. if this cultivation world also associated biphobia/homophobia with deviance and horror, and then the reveal comes later that he’s innocent of the accusations leveled at him, I think it would genuinely be a more powerful story. it doesn't have to be immediate wholesale disgust either, we saw how the sects were very happy to praise him for his accomplishments while knowing he was a son of a servant and a demonic cultivator, then turning on him and using any weapon they could to discredit and villainize him as soon as they needed to. it would just be par for the course.
I don’t like how the novel handles homophobia or internalized homophobia, but I actually disagree with automatically eliminating it from fantasy media, and I think it could be a meaningful vehicle to explore sexuality and identity, and the corruption and hypocrisy of the characters in power. it would be actually making a statement about the nature of bi/homophobia within that setting aside from a few disconnected, cartoonishly stereotypical statements by other characters and the godawful treatment of mxy, both of which wwx literally does not react to at all
wwx feels so disconnected from his sexuality throughout the entire story, especially in the novel (ironically enough), and I think discussing/acknowledging how people react to him in the narrative more would just have been a portrayal of a bisexual or gay man that lgbt people themselves could more easily connect with? obviously it was censored, but I think the drama tried to lean in this direction, especially by giving wwx that line after patting down xy. I also want to see the flipside - his sexuality bringing him joy and connecting him to a community and loved ones. which I think cql tries to do too, with nhs, and obviously with the romantic subtext of his relationship with lwj and how much peace and joy that relationship brings him
I get why people maybe wouldn’t want to see this and enjoy that wwx’s sexuality is unconnected from the rest of his very tragic and painful plot, but it just rings a little hollow for me. personally
#again I don't speak for all bi people etc. we're not a monolith it's jsut something I think would fuck. black sails influence on me maybe#incidental bisexuality is all well and good but this story is so deeply about wwx and about his identity and his struggles and his triumphs#being bi or gay felt like a character trait slapped on and not a part of his identity#in the novel#I have seen people talk about why they like how his internalized homophobia is handled and I don't want to talk over them or snything#this is just. personally I would have liked to see it.#i promise im not saying I want wwx to experience bi/homophoba to a greater extent than he already has#I'm just saying I think it would make him a more coherent character#which is wild to say because he alreasy had eight million things going on. he's a pretty coherent character already#and I like that he has a huge character outside of liking men#but I think it would fit really well and make sense#but it feels like SUCH a straight woman writing it.#well. in my head there's a perfect version of the show#cql txp
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maybe its not a microagression, maybe your vibes are just rancid, have you ever thought of that
#ive had people literally point and laugh at me in public spaces bc im disabled#i am not going to make a callout post saying the black community needs to do better just bc those two were black#like are you fucking kidding me recognize your own bigotry#this kind of behavior is disgusting#people are not monoliths and your experiences are not universal
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