[This weekend on the Artblog Reader Advisor: Matt tackles the confounding blindness of media outlets and misguided social justice warriors. — the Artblog editors]
Denial is a river in America. Again we are confronted with the violent reality of racial inequality in our country, and again it is greeted by absurdist misdirection and a childish refusal to accept any facts that disrupt/dispute the white supremacy in this land. Again this toll is counted in black bodies, and again this toll is dismissed by white lies.
So for today’s Reader Advisor, I offer a collection of those who refuse to let go. Like petulant children who know the facts, their desperate grip on absolvent ignorance begins to enter new realms of deranged fantasy. How many times do you have to see your parents putting Christmas presents under the tree before you stop believing in Santa Claus? How many times do you need to see black bodies murdered by white bodies before you start believing in systemic racism? Here are a few people to ask:
The Wall Street Journal is basically Fox News wearing a tuxedo T-shirt. From this op-ed piece printed in Friday’s edition: “Today the system and philosophy of institutionalized racism identified by Dr. King no longer exists.” Today, the Confederate flag–THE SYMBOL of institutionalized racism–flies over the South Carolina state capitol. The amount of pure, virulent denial needed to write and publish this statement would be dumbfounding if it wasn’t first sad and sickening. Time after time, Ta-Nehisi Coates is there with the best words, via The Atlantic
Speaking of Fox News: Yes, please, scare/inform me how this attack was an assault on Christianity. Could you please also get a black pastor to tell me why we need more guns–more guns in churches?, via Media Matters
This struggle to recognize and dismantle the dominant attitudes and oppressive practices in our society has many fronts. Feminist Frequency is a fantastic blog run by video game activists Anita Sarkeesian and Jonathan McIntosh. Their posts and video episodes seek to confront the “so big how could anyone deny it” sexism embedded in video game culture. Accompanying nearly all of their output is a tone-deaf, Monster energy drink-infused backlash from (surprise) a bunch of dude gamers. This was/is essentially the thrust of the “Gamergate” story you may have heard about last year. Check out this video from Feminist Frequency to see an example of their great work, via Feminist Frequency
And watch (or don’t watch) this video to get a feel of the typical response:
Re: 25 Invisible Benefits of Gaming While Male–Gamer Privilege, via YouTube
Jerry Seinfeld in general, via the Guardian
I feel it is also my job to inform you about ESPN commentator and lifetime middle-school playground bully Stephen A. Smith, who last week suggested that a Women’s World Cup goal was caused by the defensive team “not wanting to mess up their hair,” via Screengrabber
