I Am Sorry, or Reckless Whiteness Rides Again

Comments

It's always good to see some one admit to being wrong with a well thought out, sincere apology like this one. Good for you, and it's a good reminder to all of us to not to judge on face value and assumption, or rest assured in one's open-mindedness to the point of falling into closed-mindedness.

Valravne on October 15, 2010 at 9:27 AM

Classy follow up Jen.

Thanks.

Jeff on October 15, 2010 at 9:28 AM

Hey neat! I always like seeing apologies, so many these days from officials or media people are JUST BULLSHIT.

Way too many "I am sorry if anyone took offense to my statement, it wasn't intended to hurt anyone."

You identify your fault, you properly correct your fault and you start a discussion so that gawkers and assholes can get it off their chests.

Thanks!

Fenrox on October 15, 2010 at 9:30 AM

Looking at the pictures, racial addendum aside, I would change my vote to "not racist." The initial description was far more inflammatory than the actuality of the display.

on October 15, 2010 at 9:30 AM

Coll Thrush's book is full of fun surprises. The tone gets old, but it is worth reading. Did you know there was a big village in Ballard where the Locks are now, called 'Tucked-Away-Inside'? Right where the fish & chips place with the fake totems is.

ejamadoodle on October 15, 2010 at 9:31 AM

Did you see a doctor about your knee jerk? I kid, I kid.

I think a lot of us can learn something from your experience. Or as my dad used to say: Don't assume, it makes and ass out of u and me,

Rotten666 on October 15, 2010 at 9:32 AM

That was nicely done, Ms. G. Usually when I get that embarrassed I just change handles and avatars. Way to take the high road.

gloomy gus on October 15, 2010 at 9:37 AM

Get over it, Jen. Sure, you made an assumption, but that is a journalistic mistake-- not a racist one. You used the cues that our society gave you to provide context to a display in a window. No one walking by it (of any race or cultural background) would be able to discern the creator's intentions at face value. As a journalist, it should make you curious. As a human, it should be internalized and processed with your unique perspective. And just being white, and having a white perspective does not automatically make it a racist one.

visitor100 on October 15, 2010 at 9:52 AM

Classy. (I'm not being sarcastic. Is it possible to call something classy without coming off as sarcastic?)

eptified on October 15, 2010 at 9:53 AM

It's a conversation that more of us should be having.

Fnarf on October 15, 2010 at 10:01 AM

THAT'S the window you were referring to in your poll? Jesus. You need to leave the city more. That window reminds me of every small town in the West. That window screams out that the owner is someone who has a serious interest in chronicling and understanding the story of the american west from multiple viewpoints.

You are confusing racist irony with history.' How ironic.

Limey Rick on October 15, 2010 at 10:03 AM

It occurred to me about ten years ago that I was just flat-out lying whenever I said, "I'm not a racist!" Two ideas then presented themselves: 1) I am a racist, but I'm working on it and that will have to be good enough for most intents and purposes; and 2) in certain contexts, the fact that I'm a racist or that I engaged in some form of racist reasoning does not necessarily invalidate my argument, or make true statements less true. African Americans don't score as well on the SATs; that's a true statement even if it comes out of the mouth of a grand dragon of the KKK. Of course there's more to it, but the statement itself was true last time I checked.

The left/liberal approach to racism and people who say or do racist things is actually sort of a political version of the idea that hookers have poor eyesight.

Judah on October 15, 2010 at 10:05 AM

Will you marry me?

seandr on October 15, 2010 at 10:05 AM

the dirty little secret of this country isn't race, it's CLASS.

scary tyler moore on October 15, 2010 at 10:06 AM

Did you really learn anything though? I really doubt it.

You just have some amount of guilt right now about this specific story. I hope you feel better about yourself.

ddecounter on October 15, 2010 at 10:17 AM

I read somewhere that the term "Indian Summer" was derogatory towards Native Americans. According to the writer, Indian Summer is a fake summer - a trick and is, therefore like Indians. They tricked and ambushed the settlers. Is that right?

sanangel on October 15, 2010 at 10:20 AM

Right on. Take this recognition into the schools, where most of us are taught dead-end denial of race politics. There's a teacher-training program called "Courageous Conversations" that helps teachers recognize the dynamics you write about here, articulate them, and make them visible and tractable. That's the starting point of change or, at least, consciousness. If they don't have it where your kids go to school, ask about it. They've got it here in Portland and it has made my kid's racially-mixed public elementary school a much better place for all involved. Second, of course, everyone needs to read Coll Thrush's awesome book, because it is great!

Matthew Stadler on October 15, 2010 at 10:30 AM

Good job Jen Graves

ryjan on October 15, 2010 at 10:38 AM

I feel like I just found my people!
I'm Native American (Pottawatomie) AND Irish too!
I'll be at the grand opening for sure.
Maybe I'll bring along the peace pipe my grandfather carved so we can have a blessing and smoke to honor the new space.

And Jen, don't sweat the race stuff. You did right but owning up to your mistake.
If you really want to do right, write a piece on how our government celebrates genocide with Columbus Day every year.

rslavinstudios on October 15, 2010 at 10:55 AM

@9: When I want to be sarcastic I spell it Klassy. Of course we have to examine any use of the word in light of @14...

hillpagan on October 15, 2010 at 10:59 AM

This is why I was personally gunning for the native american cultural center in the place where the Chihuly BJ Palace is apparently going in. We don't really have any prominent cultural facilities in Seattle that remind us that the Native heritage is living and ongoing, interacting with the city's larger culture, and it's something we desperately need. Victoria and Vancouver both have good, prominent Native American cultural representation, but in Seattle it's almost invisible.

DavidG on October 15, 2010 at 11:00 AM

Jen, I don't always appreciate or agree with your art criticism, but I have nothing but respect for your follow up on this. Well done.

qahobo on October 15, 2010 at 11:01 AM

thanks for this, jen. just a year ago, I was shocked and frightened by an email that arrived in my inbox late one sunday night. in the email I was accused by a student of being an ingorant and dangerous racist and was instructed to make an immediate public apology.

I had made a comment in class in what I thought was a neutral and explanatory way, and in the context of what I thought was a supportive learning environment. I was wrong all over the place. shocked and humiliated by the accusation that my explanation was racist, I was humbled by the power of what felt like a sudden punch to my gut.

in this email, I was told to make an immediate apology in class the following week, which was painful but a good learning experience about the power of language and my racist assumptions. I was also told that if I made any attempt to contact this individual personally or to identify this individual to anyone, I would be subject to the full power of retribution including a lawsuit.

this punch to my gut was appropriate. I took it, and it hurt. a lot. it cost me dearly and had dramatic ripple effects in my life, including the loss of a friendship.

in reading your post, this all came flooding back
like a flashback. though painful, it's good to remember. it's so difficult to see ourselves in the harsh light of our racist ways and assumptions, despite our efforts.

thank you for your post, jen, and for the opportunity to resonate with your experince without the threat of retribution.

gracey on October 15, 2010 at 11:41 AM

@11 No kidding. Apparently in knee-jerk land, any image that's identifiably associated with a race or ethnic group = racism, regardless of how it's portrayed.

Zuulabelle on October 15, 2010 at 11:54 AM

class act. nice move on your part graves.

now, go and get some threads coz' INDIAN SUMMER is awesomeness out of control.

birdy num num on October 15, 2010 at 12:25 PM

Nicely done follow-up, Jen!

It's nice to see a Stranger writer willing to admit, and write about, that upon receiving more information on a subject, they realize that their initial reactions were wrong.

(Something I wish Charles could manage.)

pg13 on October 15, 2010 at 1:12 PM

Told you it was cute.

Will in Seattle on October 15, 2010 at 1:14 PM

thanks jen, it's nice to see someone willing to own up to their mistakes. definitely go check out adria's store - your wardrobe will never be the same!

jahody on October 15, 2010 at 2:12 PM

Thank you Jen Graves, for your heartfelt response. I know how difficult it is to admit to wrong doing, not to mention the moments when we speak before thinking. Sometimes we can't imagine the damage created by ... words; this is a beautiful example in teaching us that they (words) are so powerful. Racism is often manifested and pursued as an UNconcious thought process, which is what makes it so dangerous. It is inside of these moments that we realize how intensively we assimilate to the discourse of our cultural and social upbringing. This SLOG is a heroic self examination, and I applaud your bravery in coming to Indian Summer this weekend to attend the Grand Opening! Bravo!

k-luv on October 15, 2010 at 2:39 PM

Wow. What a melodramatic display of white guilt. It's great to admit one's errors, but way to turn this into a passion play for all whitey's sins. And using one's Cultural Studies reading list to show one's open-mindedness seems to me like a step away from the "I have a black friend" disclaimer.

A simple "I'm sorry" would have sufficed.

Y on October 15, 2010 at 2:47 PM

@ OP

lulz. idiot.

on October 15, 2010 at 3:16 PM

I think the store owner needs to take ownership over the ambiguity of her statement.

RDM on October 15, 2010 at 3:16 PM

I didn't care about the original poll, but after reading the owner's comment I now have visceral hatred of the place. "I AM NATIVE AMERICAN and COWBOYS." has "I went to Evergreen!" written all over it, in highlighter.

TheRain on October 15, 2010 at 6:44 PM

My mom was Tulalip & I grew up on the Rez & I can't completely blame you Jen. There's a certain denim/rodeo aesthetic that's completely synonymous with Shabby Chic...

danielrsmith on October 15, 2010 at 6:45 PM

My mom was Tulalip & I grew up on the Rez & I can't completely blame you Jen. There's a certain denim/rodeo aesthetic that's completely synonymous with Shabby Chic...

danielrsmith on October 15, 2010 at 6:48 PM

Hey Jen - thanks for the Native Seattle plug (and Ling Fu is one my all-time favourite moments in the archives)!

What I've found in years of teaching and writing is that we're all really woefully impoverished when it comes to knowing our history - and by "us" I mean everyone. With a few exceptions, we all went to the same crappy schools. Thanks for the thoughtfulness of your comments - and let me know what you think of the rest of the book.

And as for the "fake totems" at the fish and chip shop in Ballard: they're real. Carved in the 1930s by a man from the same Nuu-chah-nulth nation as John Williams, the carver who was recently shot to death by a Seattle cop. So much for assumptions, eh?

Coll Thrush, Vancouver, BC.

CThrush on October 15, 2010 at 8:29 PM

Thank you, Ms. Graves. Let the healing begin.

on October 16, 2010 at 12:51 PM

Very nice apology and well intended. Your 'mea clupe' is refreshing in light of this huge f$&k up. I hope this stands as a message to you to see how much damage and hurt you can wield with your sword and ignorance. I can only hope you DID learn from this experience and will think about HOW MANY TIMES YOU'VE SPOKEN ABOUT ARTISTS AND THEIR ART AND NEVER REALLY SPOKEN TO THEM DIRECTLY OR CONSIDERED THE OUTCOME OF YOUR CARELESS REMARKS. You're NOT the "art police" or Seattles version of Roberta Smith, Jen, please try to remember that and get the community involved for a change. THIS STANDS AS THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF JUST HOW BAD IT'S GOTTEN AND HOW FAR OFF COURSE YOU'VE GONE.

Warmth,
Hibrow

Hibrowgorilla on October 17, 2010 at 9:47 AM

So when do straight white males get an apology?

on October 18, 2010 at 1:37 PM

Black males commit over half of all murders in Seattle annually, even though black males make up less than 3% of Seattle's population.

on October 18, 2010 at 3:20 PM

Black males commit over half of all murders in Seattle annually, even though black males make up less than 3% of Seattle's population.

on October 18, 2010 at 3:23 PM

TO THE CENSOR : YOU ARE ESSENTIALLY CENSORING THE SEATTLE P-I'S OWN ARTICLES BY CENSORING MY POST AND ALSO PROVING THAT YOU DO NOT WANT THE PUBLIC TO KNOW THE PLAIN UNVARNISHED TRUTH!!!! SHAME ON YOU!!!!!!!!

http://tinyurl.com/no5knk

Extrapolated from the article "List of 2008 homicides in Seattle" from the Seattle PI

selected from the list of the 28 Seattle homicides in 2008....

Allen Joplin, Jan. 4 -- black killed by black

De'Che Morrison, Jan. 10 -- black killed by black

Maurice "Moe" Allen Jr., Jan. 26 -- black killed by black

Degene Barecha, Jan. 30 -- black killed by black

Perry Henderson, Feb. 6 -- black killed by black

Stephan Dwaine Stewart, April 2 -- black killed by black

Eldora Earlycutt, July 4 -- black killed by black

James Paroline, July 10 -- white killed by black

Troy Peters, July 22 -- black killed by black

Pierre Lapoint, Aug. 5 -- black killed by black

Jane Kariuki, Oct. 16 -- woman of unknown race killed by black man named Christel D. Murphy

Quincy S. Coleman, Oct. 31 -- black killed by black

Edward McMichael, the "Tuba Man", Nov. 3 -- white killed by multiple blacks

Nathaniel Lee Thomas, Nov. 23 -- black killed by black

Blacks (8% of Seattle) were the killers in at least half (that's at least 50%) of the murders in the Seattle area in 2008. At least five of the other murderers were latinos.

Now let's take a look at 2009!
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/413827_ho…
http://tinyurl.com/2aa88vd

The link above is to the Seattle PI's article on homicides in Seattle in 2009.

At least twelve of the 21 murders in Seattle in 2009 were committed by blacks, only 8% of Seattle.

Of the 27 officers that were shot and killed by criminals in the last 20 years in King and Pierce county, 21 of them were shot by black men, even though black men make up less than 3% of the population.

on October 19, 2010 at 9:07 AM

Its important to remember that Indians were a stone age people who practiced cannibalism, slavery and human sacrifice before the European conquest. They had no written language, beasts of burden, wheel or knowledge of the outside world either. Hey if anyone owes anyone a thank you I would say it's the Indians to their White masters. Don't be hating. I Just keeping it real. chillax and keep it real yo.

colonel sanders on October 24, 2010 at 11:52 PM

I don't understand how this is racist. It looks like the window display from any western wear store. Where are you from, Jen, New York? Oh, yeah, you are! A headdress and a hatchet on a drunken frat bro= racist. A Pendleton blanket= not racist.

I'm glad you are taking the time to learn about the intricate history of the Pacific Northwest.

yourepretentious on May 31, 2011 at 6:35 PM

I Am Sorry, or Reckless Whiteness Rides Again

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