How Inequality Works When You're Not Famous
February 12, 2016 8:12 PM Subscribe
Jesus, straight out of Hollywood Shuffle. We’ve come so far in 30 years.
posted by bongo_x at 9:25 PM on February 12, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by bongo_x at 9:25 PM on February 12, 2016 [2 favorites]
Great piece of writing, and a great example of what free speech is really about. Thanks!
posted by saulgoodman at 9:39 PM on February 12, 2016
posted by saulgoodman at 9:39 PM on February 12, 2016
Powerful writing. Thank you.
posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 11:36 PM on February 12, 2016
posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 11:36 PM on February 12, 2016
I sent it to a friend - who is an excellent actor, among his many impressive accomplishments. I knew would appreciate it. He had his own story to add, which I will share if I get his permission. I will share this though:
I don't have to be "more black". You — the industry — need to broaden your idea of what that means.
posted by louche mustachio at 12:51 AM on February 13, 2016 [3 favorites]
I don't have to be "more black". You — the industry — need to broaden your idea of what that means.
posted by louche mustachio at 12:51 AM on February 13, 2016 [3 favorites]
It's funny, I see the first two anecdotes he shares as racist, but I don't see the third one that way. I don't think the police consultant treated him any differently than he would a white actor, or an actor of any other race/ethnicity. Asking a black man to be more black, or using an unnecessary derogatory epithet - those are easy to spot. A white guy treating a black actor exactly the same as any other actor? It's hard for me to call that racism.
But it is a total lack of understanding, or appreciation for the realities faced by minority actors. I would never call it racism, but that's where it comes from. Some interactions have significant racial baggage that requires extra care be taken, like First Nations and teachers here in Canada, even when there's no racial intent. Definitely something I have to consider more.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 3:18 AM on February 13, 2016
But it is a total lack of understanding, or appreciation for the realities faced by minority actors. I would never call it racism, but that's where it comes from. Some interactions have significant racial baggage that requires extra care be taken, like First Nations and teachers here in Canada, even when there's no racial intent. Definitely something I have to consider more.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 3:18 AM on February 13, 2016
I don't think the police consultant treated him any differently than he would a white actor, or an actor of any other race/ethnicity.
Well, firstly, we don't actually know that. It's entirely possible the officer was taking advantage of the circumstance to be a bully to a black person, so we shouldn't just assume the actor's experience that this was racially charged was a mistake on his part.
Secondly, it's important to realize that some things it is perfectly okay to do with white people become a problem when done to others, because there is a weight of history behind it. A white cop behaving aggressively toward a black actor is very different than the same behavior directed toward a white actor, because, for the most part, white people don't have a long history of being institutionally abused by the police. And a white actor probably will have a lot more clout to go to the director and complain without fear of being seen as difficult or losing their job.
Behavior that is shitty to anyone becomes extra shitty when directed at people who have less recourse for addressing the behavior.
posted by maxsparber at 5:33 AM on February 13, 2016 [25 favorites]
Well, firstly, we don't actually know that. It's entirely possible the officer was taking advantage of the circumstance to be a bully to a black person, so we shouldn't just assume the actor's experience that this was racially charged was a mistake on his part.
Secondly, it's important to realize that some things it is perfectly okay to do with white people become a problem when done to others, because there is a weight of history behind it. A white cop behaving aggressively toward a black actor is very different than the same behavior directed toward a white actor, because, for the most part, white people don't have a long history of being institutionally abused by the police. And a white actor probably will have a lot more clout to go to the director and complain without fear of being seen as difficult or losing their job.
Behavior that is shitty to anyone becomes extra shitty when directed at people who have less recourse for addressing the behavior.
posted by maxsparber at 5:33 AM on February 13, 2016 [25 favorites]
GhostintheMachine, I think what you're struggling with could be called the power plant of structural racism. Treating people equally, when they are manifestly not equal, reinforces inequality, while still allowing the person to believe they are acting fairly.
posted by I-Write-Essays at 5:36 AM on February 13, 2016 [7 favorites]
posted by I-Write-Essays at 5:36 AM on February 13, 2016 [7 favorites]
Yeah, I could be wrong, but it seemed to me like the cop was taking out aggression on Bellinger for things that were being shown on the news.
And the cop aggressively telling him
posted by blueberry at 5:56 AM on February 13, 2016 [3 favorites]
And the cop aggressively telling him
“I don't care what happens out there, but for the five minutes you're with me, you're mine”is just horribly bad on at least two levels.
posted by blueberry at 5:56 AM on February 13, 2016 [3 favorites]
Well, firstly, we don't actually know that.
Yes, actually, we do know that. And the author acknowledges it directly:
"He knows a certain way to impart the need to move and act a specific way as a police officer, and has presumably been teaching other officers for years."
It may be entirely possible the officer was taking advantage of the circumstances to bully a black man, but when the black man in question doesn't see it that way, perhaps we shouldn't, either. I've seen this sort of actor training firsthand, and it wouldn't matter the race of either participant. The direct action of the consultant in physically pushing the actor is not a racist act, nor is it bullying. The indirect action of the consultant, in not considering that a police officer taking a young black man into a separate room before being physical could be perceived negatively by the actor, however, is a big deal. But it's a separate issue from the direct act.
Treating people equally, when they are manifestly not equal, reinforces inequality, while still allowing the person to believe they are acting fairly.
Yes, I agree completely with this, and it's closer to what I was trying to say. I believe the consultant treated the actor equally, and believed he was acting fairly. And under other circumstances that would be the end of it. But as a member of the majority, I have to realize that it's just the start, and I have to look at my other interactions with people who have been marginalized, abused, or persecuted by people like me in that light.
I think if the consultant had explained what he was going to do beforehand, and asked if the actor was OK with that (giving him a chance to ask for a witness, for example), he could have proceeded to do exactly the same thing without it being an issue.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 6:29 AM on February 13, 2016
Yes, actually, we do know that. And the author acknowledges it directly:
"He knows a certain way to impart the need to move and act a specific way as a police officer, and has presumably been teaching other officers for years."
It may be entirely possible the officer was taking advantage of the circumstances to bully a black man, but when the black man in question doesn't see it that way, perhaps we shouldn't, either. I've seen this sort of actor training firsthand, and it wouldn't matter the race of either participant. The direct action of the consultant in physically pushing the actor is not a racist act, nor is it bullying. The indirect action of the consultant, in not considering that a police officer taking a young black man into a separate room before being physical could be perceived negatively by the actor, however, is a big deal. But it's a separate issue from the direct act.
Treating people equally, when they are manifestly not equal, reinforces inequality, while still allowing the person to believe they are acting fairly.
Yes, I agree completely with this, and it's closer to what I was trying to say. I believe the consultant treated the actor equally, and believed he was acting fairly. And under other circumstances that would be the end of it. But as a member of the majority, I have to realize that it's just the start, and I have to look at my other interactions with people who have been marginalized, abused, or persecuted by people like me in that light.
I think if the consultant had explained what he was going to do beforehand, and asked if the actor was OK with that (giving him a chance to ask for a witness, for example), he could have proceeded to do exactly the same thing without it being an issue.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 6:29 AM on February 13, 2016
I would never call it racism, but that's where it comes from.
The problem, you have found it.
posted by Etrigan at 6:33 AM on February 13, 2016 [3 favorites]
The problem, you have found it.
posted by Etrigan at 6:33 AM on February 13, 2016 [3 favorites]
Yeah, same treatment isn't always right treatment.
I might call a 20 year old white friend 'boy' if we're ribbing each other and he throws a ma'am at me (I'm 41 and white.) A black friend in the same circumstance would be 'young man,' the use of which puts the joke a little bit more on me pretending to be querulous and fussy. Because rehabbing innocent-but-racially-loaded terms is not my crusade, and we play-tease with people when we feel safe with them, and I'd hate to pollute that trust. There are plenty of people who like to get their closet racism expressed passive-aggressively, so they're protected by plausible deniability. I don't want to burden peoples' trust with ambiguity about that kind of thing.
So that's the impression I got from the anecdote of the police consultant - he was just doing his job, right? The author's not the only actor in the room. Of course I'm experiencing it through the author's interpretation, but I perceive him as a person with a pretty respectable bullshit detector, and he's not exactly claiming a Bigfoot sighting or something.
posted by Lou Stuells at 11:13 AM on February 13, 2016 [1 favorite]
I might call a 20 year old white friend 'boy' if we're ribbing each other and he throws a ma'am at me (I'm 41 and white.) A black friend in the same circumstance would be 'young man,' the use of which puts the joke a little bit more on me pretending to be querulous and fussy. Because rehabbing innocent-but-racially-loaded terms is not my crusade, and we play-tease with people when we feel safe with them, and I'd hate to pollute that trust. There are plenty of people who like to get their closet racism expressed passive-aggressively, so they're protected by plausible deniability. I don't want to burden peoples' trust with ambiguity about that kind of thing.
So that's the impression I got from the anecdote of the police consultant - he was just doing his job, right? The author's not the only actor in the room. Of course I'm experiencing it through the author's interpretation, but I perceive him as a person with a pretty respectable bullshit detector, and he's not exactly claiming a Bigfoot sighting or something.
posted by Lou Stuells at 11:13 AM on February 13, 2016 [1 favorite]
I would never call it racism, but that's where it comes from.
If an action "comes from" racism, why wouldn't you call it racism? And what would you call it? Racism lite? Son of Racism? Racism 2: Electric Boogaloo? If an action or belief comes from racist roots or from a racist place, and if it cements racist ideology or reinforces racial inequality, that's racism.
posted by decathecting at 11:51 AM on February 13, 2016 [3 favorites]
If an action "comes from" racism, why wouldn't you call it racism? And what would you call it? Racism lite? Son of Racism? Racism 2: Electric Boogaloo? If an action or belief comes from racist roots or from a racist place, and if it cements racist ideology or reinforces racial inequality, that's racism.
posted by decathecting at 11:51 AM on February 13, 2016 [3 favorites]
I think if the consultant had explained what he was going to do beforehand, and asked if the actor was OK with that (giving him a chance to ask for a witness, for example), he could have proceeded to do exactly the same thing without it being an issue.
Also, I think this is pretty naive. The article explains all the reasons that a black actor wouldn't want to be perceived as "difficult" to work with, or would be afraid to raise an issue and ask for a solution to it. If that's true when a fellow actor is hurling racial slurs at him, it doesn't seem to me to be plausible that it would be more comfortable to speak up and say, "actually as a black man, I feel afraid to be trapped in a room alone with a police officer, and I would like a chaperone to protect me." That sounds like a recipe for being singled out and branded as difficult to work with. And I can understand why, even if given the opportunity, a person might turn that down.
posted by decathecting at 11:55 AM on February 13, 2016 [2 favorites]
Also, I think this is pretty naive. The article explains all the reasons that a black actor wouldn't want to be perceived as "difficult" to work with, or would be afraid to raise an issue and ask for a solution to it. If that's true when a fellow actor is hurling racial slurs at him, it doesn't seem to me to be plausible that it would be more comfortable to speak up and say, "actually as a black man, I feel afraid to be trapped in a room alone with a police officer, and I would like a chaperone to protect me." That sounds like a recipe for being singled out and branded as difficult to work with. And I can understand why, even if given the opportunity, a person might turn that down.
posted by decathecting at 11:55 AM on February 13, 2016 [2 favorites]
And that's setting aside the fact that no one thought that it might not be cool to have a police officer come to the set and engage in multiple acts of assault and battery against the actors. Like, no one thought to themselves, "hmm, there's a big problem with police brutality in this country, and it's a really bad thing when police officers use their authority to bully others, so perhaps we should find a way to have our actors learn their roles without bringing in a very angry dude who has the authority to repeatedly hit them and use the power of his office to scare the crap out of them." The fact that no one considered that tells me that whoever was in charge basically doesn't give a crap about the well-being of the team, much less the members of the team who are, in virtue of race or gender or other personal characteristics, inherently more vulnerable.
posted by decathecting at 12:00 PM on February 13, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by decathecting at 12:00 PM on February 13, 2016 [2 favorites]
Yes, actually, we do know that
You know that when he says "I presume," it means he doesn't know. Unless you have information beyond what the author shared, we actually have no clue how the officer behaves toward white actors.
posted by maxsparber at 1:36 PM on February 13, 2016
You know that when he says "I presume," it means he doesn't know. Unless you have information beyond what the author shared, we actually have no clue how the officer behaves toward white actors.
posted by maxsparber at 1:36 PM on February 13, 2016
One of the things that always seems to come up with interactions like the police example is well meaning people wondering what the "right" way to approach the situation might be. Often the point being brought up by people of color is that there is no right way. There are aspects of life in a white supremacist society in which the shit always roll downhill, regardless of where you aim it. The fix is not one of etiquette or intent. The fix is completely dismantling white supremacy.
posted by billyfleetwood at 1:48 PM on February 13, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by billyfleetwood at 1:48 PM on February 13, 2016 [4 favorites]
If an action "comes from" racism, why wouldn't you call it racism?
Seems like that comment was trying to distinguish between structural racism and intentional racism. Racism isn't always necessarily intentional, at the individual level, and the way people are wired to think and feel about themselves weighs intentionality very heavily in moral and social reasoning. It may be true, but it can be hard for people to accept they can be responsible for hurting others when they don't mean to. Our impulse is to consider that kind of harm circumstantial/accidental harm that no one is personally, individually responsible for, and from a certain point of view, it makes sense to look at it that way. That one consulting police officer can't fix the problem of racism all by himself, even if he had been more sensitive to how the racist context might color his actions.
Often the point being brought up by people of color is that there is no right way.
That's well put.
posted by saulgoodman at 8:35 PM on February 14, 2016
Seems like that comment was trying to distinguish between structural racism and intentional racism. Racism isn't always necessarily intentional, at the individual level, and the way people are wired to think and feel about themselves weighs intentionality very heavily in moral and social reasoning. It may be true, but it can be hard for people to accept they can be responsible for hurting others when they don't mean to. Our impulse is to consider that kind of harm circumstantial/accidental harm that no one is personally, individually responsible for, and from a certain point of view, it makes sense to look at it that way. That one consulting police officer can't fix the problem of racism all by himself, even if he had been more sensitive to how the racist context might color his actions.
Often the point being brought up by people of color is that there is no right way.
That's well put.
posted by saulgoodman at 8:35 PM on February 14, 2016
« Older Squashed Roach | HERCULES MULLIGAN! A TAILOR SPYING ON THE BRITISH... Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by emmet at 8:49 PM on February 12, 2016 [2 favorites]