palaceoffunk:“Not too many years ago, I can imagine that this story might have generated heated...

palaceoffunk:

“Not too many years ago, I can imagine that this story might have generated heated comments about the sexualized fantasies about black men. And yeah, there was one. And having checked out that blogger, I strongly suspect that he belongs to a much older generation than young adults. Otherwise, I’m happily surprised to say there has been not a blip of protest. So what does the lack of any racial outrage or puzzlement or fervor amidst the tremendous rain of positive reviews possibly say? Conceivably, if the book had not reached the African-American community of readers, if such a category still exists, perhaps there might be some backlash. The first young African American reader who responded to me loved the book. But then, she’s the kind of free spirit who would eschew limiting herself to a single category. Or perhaps — and this is what I hope — the YA generation sees race in a way that is unique to them, unique in our history. After all, they have arrived on the scene decades past the integration of schools and Jim Crow, even well past the days of The Cosby Show. Soap-mouth-washing words that were forbidden in my youth now populate rap songs so often I wonder if, happily, they have lost their vile connotations. I have endeavored to raise my children with a color-free mentality. My son once mentioned that his color was white while mine was tan. This was said with no more feeling than if he’d been describing the different colors of our bedrooms. No doubt most kids today would laugh at or find puzzling an incident that I now see influenced the way I thought about race in a blink of an instant.”

—

Victoria Foyt, excerpt from Interracial Relationships Seen Through Eyes of Young Adults.

She seems to be operating under the misconception that racism and races are a thing of the past. This new generation does not understand racism and that colorblindness is a way in which we can move forward in this racism-free future.

Racism does still exist. Colorblindness is simply a tool that erases the idea of racism and the experiences related to it. You’re not helping, Ms. Foyt. You’re a part of the problem.

And your friends, your editors, the people who did not stop you from doing this are to. You should step back and listen to the people who are telling you this is racist and you should not dismiss them as ‘too old to understand this new generation’ or ‘too closed minded for the genre’.

The way this book is described, it sounds like you’re allowing us (white people) to perpetuated damning stereotypes and racist fears about a world run by people of color. 

You CANNOT turn racism on it’s head and write about the experiences of racism from the white perspective because you DO NOT know those experiences. We’re white. We never will. We cannot understand them because we will never suffer through them. 

We can pretend to be colorblind because the effects of racism don’t hurt us, but they’re still screwing over everyone else. That’s privilege—our inability to see how we benefit, harm and affect things like this because they’re not immediately visible to us as white people. 

And if I’ve said something wrong, someone call me out. Similarly, I’m sure someone more informed and articulate can tackle this.

(via curiousmeans)

Yep, thank you. Also, that dig of “if such a category still exists” in regards to a Black community of readers show, once again, how absolutely ignorant and vile she is. Has she even walked down the aisle of a book story to the “Black Literature” section? We didn’t put ourselves there, sequestered away from the rest of the books. You put a Black face on the cover, have it written by a Black author, and it becomes “Black lit.” You put a girl masquerading in blackface, written by a white author, and all of a sudden it’s universal YA lit.

Racism is still here you asshole. You’re contributing to it.

“I’m raising my kids as colorblind, so here’s a bunch of blackface in a book about race race race and by the way, race, and more blackface, and this one girl I totally know who is black loved it (you wouldn’t know her, she lives in Canada).

Also, I am going to build my defense up against criticism that I haven’t received yet, is everyone cool with that? Thanks!

Ps. More blackface.”