Comments

1
i think i'll stick with this sweet white gig
2
But you'd have to give being snotty about Spokane. I expect that would be a deal breaker for you.
3
I vote for Ijeoma for President of the Internet
4
Yeah, Rachel stirred a tempest all right. If she claimed false statements about herself and on application(s) then she should be held to account. Especially to the NAACP.

Otherwise, here's something to ponder:

http://thefederalist.com/2015/06/12/if-r…

5
Oh my god, I needed this laugh today!
6
I do not see what the big deal is. I wonder if many "white people" in America, would, willingly take the place of a black person?
I admire her courage and it doesn't take anything away, from what she tries to accomplish at the NAACP.
Disclosure: I wasn't paid to write this comment and Yes I am black!
7
According to this list, I'm already black.
8
Angry, illogical, off-topic race-populist pablum.
9
Oh dear. You think being white lets you enjoy Girls.
10
^ Yes, lots of white people hate Girls.
11
I think of it more in terms of her not being accepted or successful in a club she wanted to belong to until she could pass.
12
The crime is the cover-up.
13
@9 and @10, and Carson Daly
14
This is hilarious and silly but why mention it? Folks are reading?
15
I felt privileged when I first started, but then went back to work when the bullshit came out. Cranked up the country music too. Reminded me of a girl I know... writes lyrics and grows hogs for folks to eat. Man, best around but she loves em so much. She works hard and would be embarrassed to be brought to attention.
16
@14, she was featured on Nightline tonight. Who could have predicted?
17
So who's up on transracial theory?
18
Right now I'm packing an overnight bag with all my realness, and I will be moseying over to Spokane to TAKE THE HELL OVER.
19
Which one allows me to complain about an alt-weekly writer perpetuating a bunch of offensive racial stereotypes?
22
#8, 19: do they not have jokes on your planet?
23
@20 "gender is not analogous to race (in this context)."

Just what I would expect to hear from a cisracial.
24
hmmmmm, Bruce Jenner identifies himself as a woman. Society largely celebrates him.
Rachel Dolezal identifies herself as black. Society is confused & offended.
25
@23 and 24

Is it really that important to you to use this to go after trans people?

It seems that some people relish the opportunity, no matter how ludicrous, to take shots at people with what is effectively a medical condition
26
@22: On the planet Ork, humor is illegal. They could be from there.
27
I wouldn't hold my breath on liking that girls show.
28
A little spray on tan and POOF you too can be black. What an idiot.
29
This article tells me that even a black person can be prejudiced...about black people.

This is because my direct experience with African-Americans has been mostly with middle class blacks. My ex-wife was part of the Black middle class of Pittsburgh. Her mother was a senior administrator at the University of Pittsburgh. Her father was a nuclear engineer who used to work for Westinghouse and held patents on some of the earliest (and safest) fission reactors ever built.

When I think "black" I think administrators, academics, professionals but also the people in the Pittsburgh community, who had lived there for decades and held prominent positions in color-free organizations like the US Post Office. Many were also doctors, dentists, barbers, who earned a good enough living to own and maintain a home and sometimes a lot more, becoming wealthy.

30
@22, @26

Aw, crap, you guys are right.

There's nothing wrong with a little racist joke or two, what was I thinking.
31
@22, @26

Wait, I just picked which one I want to be, didn't I?
32
On whites.. We don't all have all the privileges some non-white folks think we have. Many of them attach to class and wealth rather than to skin color. On blacks, the aforementioned fact doesn't make a raw deal any easier for you. I say economic justice, social justice and equal opportunity for all.
33
@24 .. being transgendered is a medical condition diagnosible by professionals... highjacking black culture without the experience of growing up black in America is the thing that is getting peoples panties in a wad.
34
@20,
Disagree. Race & gender are analogous in most cases. The first article by Meredith Talusan isn't tenable. The second just discusses MRIs and transgender subjects. It mentions nothing about race.
Look, I have no problem with Dolezal & Jenner. The former being black & the latter a woman.
I just think Dolezal should be genuine on her applications and Jenner be treated fairly as woman. But that doesn't make Jenner a hero.
35
@20

Given that we don't actually know the full context of Rachel Dolezal's passing for black, I think it might be a little early to claim there are no parallels to be drawn with gender identification.

What does seem very clear is that a lot of transgendered people really, really don't want to be compared to Rachel Dolezal-- because they've already passed judgement on her transgressive behavior. And frankly, that seems a little premature, too.

There is already a street-level public conversation in America about transgressions of racial identification, full of terms half joke and half insult, like "oreo," "wigger," "weaboo," "white asian," and "pocho." The people on the receiving end of those epithets are human beings with entirely serious (if sometimes unusual) reasons for behaving in a way that gets them little but ridicule and scorn from much of the society they live in. And maybe we need to give a little more thought and respect to these people when we talk about race in America.
36
@35: "weeaboo" isn't a racial thing.
37
No mention of cornrows in the list. Is that up for grabs?
38
@ 35 Wrong

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.ph…

Someone who is obsessed with Japan/Japanese Culture/Anime, etc. and attempts to act as if they were Japanese, even though they're far from it.
39
@36, @38

Yes, there is a difference between race and ethnicity. And line between the two is not always easy to define. This stuff sure is complicated, isn't it? If you'd prefer not to think about it, or to simply excise the racial aspects of the term "weaboo" because that's more comfortable for you, then you can of course go right ahead and do that.
40
@25 "It seems that some people relish the opportunity, no matter how ludicrous, to take shots at people with what is effectively a medical condition."

Caitlyn Jenner embracing a cultural stereotype -- looking like Raquel Welch instead of, say, Rosie the Riveter -- is a MEDICAL condition?? Stuff and nonsense.
41
@23, "Just what I would expect to hear from a cisracial."

Actually, that was pretty good.

I only know the biology...but I know that gender is perceived in the brain (and the brain nuclei responsible are there from birth), while race isn't really a... biological category. I mean, sure, how many melanocytes your skin produces is genetic, but trivial external characteristics like that are along a continuum, which culture than puts into "convenient" categories. If you were born blind, and no one told you your race, you would have no "internal" perception of it (unlike gender). That's really my only point... I'm sorry I didn't make it very well.
Now as far as the cultural constructs of race and gender: not going there!

@34, "I just think Dolezal should be genuine on her applications and Jenner be treated fairly as woman. But that doesn't make Jenner a hero."

Can't argue with that, frankly. I'm not fond of either of these people.

@40, pretty sure Rosie the Riveter was trans.

43
Oh, hey, Seattleblues*, perhaps you'd like to comment on this topic. I mean, I'm sure you and your wife discuss these complicated issues all the time. What does she think about this "poser" Dolezal? Personally, I think she's cray cray. Let us know what you think, OK?

*Do you think he realizes he's been un-banned yet?
44
I as most of you have never heard of Rachel Dolezal until this week. She has pretty much been under the radar working for the NAACP, conducting lectures like this & for the most raising the awareness & equality of the African-American race. I haven't heard her using the "N" word ( Hanks son) beating black kids at a pool party nor destroying any lives. What she has been doing is the old adage..."Walk a mile in my shoes". She has lived a African-American life. Oh, I'm sure she's been called names, probably denied some opportunities, etc but in turn she has really helped & attempted to further our advancement.
Okay I know the other side of the coin is..."She lied" . She said she was Black, she deceived a lot of people & she gained entry into our lifestyle, our world. But are there worse lies than living as a African-American, advancing our culture & seeing the world through our eyes?? She hasn't shown me a reason to be angry because she wanted to stand up for a my race. The Black race is an amazing story and a proud one. We are beautiful, strong willed, spiritual people that speak our minds, make amazing things happen & change music, history, sports & cultures. I'm sad to say that some people I see seem to be "Cultural Chameleons" that only follow or believe in being Politically Correct. They change with the trend. Whatever the news says is in...., they bend to it. They don't stand for something, they sway for something. To stand for something means you have to have a backbone, rather than being a snake & not having one. You have to focus on a goal or particular way of life.
My point is with all the negativity in the world, its refreshing to find a person that will stand up beyond ridicule for a just cause. Remember what NAACP stands for. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. I think she did that, actually better than some others. I can't be mad at that...

Conspire 2Inspire. ~Philco
45
Thanks, Philco. Hope you stick around.
46
@33: First of all, gender dysphoria didn't always exist... It's recent. Who's to say that in another 30 years or so psychiatry will not have recognized race dysphoria as well? And as for "hijacking" a culture, is there not a form of culture appropriation happening when a person changes genders? By your logic, should we not berate Caitlyn Jenner for skipping past all the challenging aspects of growing up female?
47
@41: That point about not having a concept of your race if you were born blind is interesting. I've been trying to come up with a good way of explaining the difference between this and being transgender, and that actually makes sense. Not that people who ask what the difference is really want to believe there is a difference ... in any case, I think that makes sense.

@46: Some people have complained about Caitlyn Jenner having spent all of her life until this point with the privilege of someone perceived to be a wealthy, white male. Quite a few have made that point, actually. The only way that point would be remotely comparable is if Caitlyn Jenner had been presenting as Caitlyn for a decade, talking about sexism and how hard it is to be a woman, and then it turned out she was actually Bruce in lots of makeup and a good weave the whole time.
48
So does Mx. Dolezal have to check her white privilege?
49
@38, 39: It's about culture, not race. It's easy to get those mixed up, especially when talking about as monoethnic a country as Japan.
50
Read "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to his White Mother," by James McBride.
52
I'm half Mexican, but "pass"
As white. My daughter looks like a blond Barbie doll. Eventually we will all end up brownish-pinkish gray. Let's just repeal the social constructs.
53
@49

OK, yeah, pretend there's no racial component to "weaboo" at all. Pretend it doesn't carry a whole hell of a lot of "yellow fever" connotation. Pretend it's not applied to people who are into either or both Korean pop and Japanese cartoons. Have you honesty never heard the term used as an insult, or thought about why it might be considered insulting by those who use it that way?

And keep ignoring every other term I listed, too; let's keep hijacking the broader and far more important point and fixate on "weaboo" instead. Why you want to pretend "weaboo" has nothing to do with race is beyond me, but go ahead and do that, if it's really that disruptive to your preferred perception of the phenomenon.

I'll drop "weaboo" from the list, for this conversation. Now let's talk about all those other terms.
54
It sounds like she lied about more than just race. She also made up stories about how and where she was raised, for example. She's likely just a liar, or possibly delusional, about many aspects of her life and identity beyond race.
55
@52, Mexican is not a race. You can be a Black, Asian or White Mexican so I don't get your point.
@44, Well said. I see nothing wrong with what Ms. Dolezal did. I hope she keeps her position with the NAACP. I don't care what race she is as long as she's trying to do some good.
56
reminds me of the Onion article that says Man Finally in Charge of Women's movement.

"McGowan claimed that one of the main reasons the movement enjoyed so little success in the past was that the previous management was often too timid and passive and should have been much more results-focused."

http://www.theonion.com/article/man-fina…
57
Appropriating someone else's culture is never right. This woman crossed a line that just makes her pathetic.
58
@46 there already is that arguement. quite valid too. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/opinio…
59
One of the things I would like to point out what appears the obvious, the writer is Black or African American. For political correctness seems to apply only to White or Anglo. The things said would deem a person who was White as a racist, Black as a comedian or opportunist.
"Political correctness is killing comedy"
Jerry Seinfeld
"Liberals are killing comedy "
Bill Maher
61
<3 all the pholques taking this article seriously. Clue: it's a joke, and it's funny. Laff!
62
Actually, I'm pulling for Rachel Dolezal. I tend to take a less critical approach maybe because I have learned that life is difficult and complicated. I can imagine a young girl growing up in a family that in her eyes is motivated by that which she disagrees with but is forced to live with. If that family was white the young girl might see white as being akin to her developing beliefs and values. If her families reaction to her questions and concerns was to ostracize her she might ultimately feel estranged and develop a view of the world that saw the opposite view, of her white family, as desirable. Maybe she identified with Blacks because she had contempt for whites.

Now if I was a member of an organization I think that I would see someone who was committed to and compassionate about the values and goals of the organization more valuable than people who show up simply because they are the right color or maybe just because they had nothing better to do. I see it this way. If a black man joins the Republican Party and preaches the party line, which by the way is total contempt for minorities, is that man still black? I say no. He may be black skinned but his hart is white.

Rachel Dolezal was with the NAACP because she wanted to make the lives of black people better. As she said "I identified with Black people". In my humble opinion the NAACP should have embraced her. Both for her compassionate and passionate approach to running the Spokane NAACP and her ability to reach across racial lines.

I hope that some agent takes her on as a client and make her the next Black American President.

As for her family. The "outing" of one's daughter and sister to the press goes to show why she turned away from them and came to identify with Black Americans. They didn't need to say anything but chose to attack their own daughter. To me that fact says a lot about her family and explains a lot about her.

Finally, aren't ALL humans descendants Africans?
63
Absolutely the funniest thing I have read in years!!!! Thank you Ms. Oluo. Emailed it to all my friends

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