political correctness as a religion practiced by hyperliberals in this society might pressure them to read this as a form/practice of subtle racism. if the merchandise was a physically dark/black object, wouldn’t they still say this is also emphatically racist? if the object was yellow/oriental, wouldn’t we also say it’s two-fold racism? either way, some people in this society would have something to rant about, some victims to point fingers to, someone to blame. No matter what color the merchadise is or even slightly/remotely connotes, across the board they can bring it back to race.
this leads us back the question/claim “is america addicted to race.” is race so commonly used a currency/label/claim of legitimacy because it’s more physically visible, more readily identifiable, or, well, handier than, say, class? most importantly, is it overused in some contexts, and even misused in others? if anything, as a racialized person i believe fetishizing and overarching race as an interpretive lens is as dangerous and contemptible as the much hated racism itself – the very concept/doctrine it seeks to eradicate in the first place.
to say whether, based on this picture, racism can be subtle or not entirely depends on the intention of 1) the person who organized the shelf the way it was, 2) the photographer who was racially conscious enough to photograph it, and perhaps most importantly 3) the racialist (note: not racist) viewer who can’t help but politicize/racialize the photographic rendition of a mere scene in daily life. He self-consciously and sometimes obsessively turns race from a social reality to a social problem.
thanks for putting forth such an interesting question/observation. where did u get the picture, though? or..did u take it yourself?
tao: Thanks for the very insightful comment! I only used “racism” as a title to catch readers’ eyes – I just wanted to post this for the possible discussion it could entail as this photo happens to stir debate through what may quite possible be a coincidental action. I’m sure (and assuming) the convenience store workers did not see the possible irony in the product placement, yet the photo (from a certain perspective) can be viewed in terms of sending out a racial message. It can also be symbolic in the historical sense.
no no, i just wrote an answer to your question. and you were correct and precise in titling it the way it is. what im trying to do is distinguish race from racism.
political correctness as a religion practiced by hyperliberals in this society might pressure them to read this as a form/practice of subtle racism. if the merchandise was a physically dark/black object, wouldn’t they still say this is also emphatically racist? if the object was yellow/oriental, wouldn’t we also say it’s two-fold racism? either way, some people in this society would have something to rant about, some victims to point fingers to, someone to blame. No matter what color the merchadise is or even slightly/remotely connotes, across the board they can bring it back to race.
this leads us back the question/claim “is america addicted to race.” is race so commonly used a currency/label/claim of legitimacy because it’s more physically visible, more readily identifiable, or, well, handier than, say, class? most importantly, is it overused in some contexts, and even misused in others? if anything, as a racialized person i believe fetishizing and overarching race as an interpretive lens is as dangerous and contemptible as the much hated racism itself – the very concept/doctrine it seeks to eradicate in the first place.
to say whether, based on this picture, racism can be subtle or not entirely depends on the intention of 1) the person who organized the shelf the way it was, 2) the photographer who was racially conscious enough to photograph it, and perhaps most importantly 3) the racialist (note: not racist) viewer who can’t help but politicize/racialize the photographic rendition of a mere scene in daily life. He self-consciously and sometimes obsessively turns race from a social reality to a social problem.
thanks for putting forth such an interesting question/observation. where did u get the picture, though? or..did u take it yourself?
Comment by tao — 2 October 2007 @ 7:19 pm
tao: Thanks for the very insightful comment! I only used “racism” as a title to catch readers’ eyes – I just wanted to post this for the possible discussion it could entail as this photo happens to stir debate through what may quite possible be a coincidental action. I’m sure (and assuming) the convenience store workers did not see the possible irony in the product placement, yet the photo (from a certain perspective) can be viewed in terms of sending out a racial message. It can also be symbolic in the historical sense.
I found the photo on the web.
Comment by sngk — 2 October 2007 @ 9:16 pm
no no, i just wrote an answer to your question. and you were correct and precise in titling it the way it is. what im trying to do is distinguish race from racism.
Comment by tao — 3 October 2007 @ 12:17 am