Abelism

We've talked about race, gender, sexuality, religion and class. We haven't talked too much about representation of people with disabilities in media,

I tried to rack my brain for people that I saw in media who were disabled while I was growing up.  I remembered Stevie from "Malcolm in the Middle" who was an African American whiz kid, Dr. Charles Xavier from "X-Men" a white male mutant, Jimmy in Degrassi, who was black, and Lt Dan from "Forest Gump".  I was unable to think of any others that left an impression on me.

I think this is an issue that should also be talked about in the context of this class. I can't think of any Disney movies that represent people with physical disabilities.  Children and people with these disabilities don't see people like them in everyday media.

This brings me to Kylie Jenner and fashion's use of disabilities to sell their products....I think the tweet below says it all.

Below is a disabled model's response to the ad Kylie Jenner was featured in. 

Physical disabilities should not be exploited for gain. 

More recently, I can still only think of a few physically disabled characters in media.  Maggie from "The Mindy Project", John Locke from "Lost"and Walter Jr from "Breaking Bad".  What I do appreciate about these characters, is that they exist in these shows as very normal people.  Maggie is sexually active, and always has a witty quip.  Walter Jr's condition is addressed in "Breaking Bad", but he is shown having a wide variety of emotions, taking his driver's test, defending his mom from physical abuse, ect.  These are well rounded characters that are a positive step towards more inclusive programming.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/juliegerstein/kylie-jenners-wheelchair-photos-are-slammed-for-being-ableis?utm_term=.hczqNVlL3#.by389lRDx

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3362220/Disabled-model-poses-PVC-corset-response-Kylie-Jenner-s-hypocritical-wheelchair-shoot.html

Tina Fey, why do you do this to me?!

I am a HUGE fan of Tina Fey. Her skits on SNL and her Weekend Update segments with Jimmy Kimmel helped get me through high school.  As I become more aware of the problems of race and sexism around me, I find it harder to enjoy Tina Fey's comedy (and other's as well).  Her decision to "opt out" of the internet and her refusal to answer to criticism is very problematic to me.  As someone who has experienced online harassment, I can understand a celebrities' decision to not have a Twitter or an Instagram account where they open themselves to everyday abuse.  However, Tina Fey has chosen to not acknowledge any thoughtful criticism of her work either.  It's one thing to ignore and avoid the trolls and abusers, but it's another to refuse to engage in thoughtful discussions about concerns people have regarding race and gender.

I watch the movie Tina Fey wrote and starred in, "Mean Girls" and I still am able to enjoy it. I do hesitate though every time the "cool Asians" scene comes up.  I think Fey used a stereotype about Asian teenagers and young women in the wrong way.  The two Asian girls who fought over the chubby PE teacher dressed provocatively and epitomized the sexy and agressive Asian seductresses.  This is in contrast to the meek Asian school girl stereotype that is also prevalent in American media. I think shows how un-creative we as a society can be that we pigeonhole Asians, particularly Asian women as either the "model minority" or as sexual beings desperate for white male attention.

"The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" is such a joyful show that I can't stop laughing for the entire episode.......until a Native American scene comes on.  For some odd reason, Fey chose to cast a white woman as a Native American posing as a white woman.  I wonder sometimes if Fey wanted to demonstrate the pressures Native Americans feel to be whiter or to assimilate into white society, but I doubt it.  I suppose its possible that Fey is using Jacqueline's character to show how ignorant white society is of Native Americans.  The actual Native American actors playing Native American roles do have dialogue and answer and refute Jacqueline's racism. Perhaps it's not all bad, but I still don't get it and feel that Fey could challenge racism in a much more intelligent and witty way.

I haven't had a chance to finish Season 2 of "Kimmy Schmidt", but the second season has controversy surround it and a plot line regarding Asians and Geishas.  Fey trys to take down "outrage" culture on the internet, but at the same time, I feel she is missing a major opportunity to engage her fans in respectful and intelligent discussions on race and comedy.

http://www.avclub.com/article/tina-fey-done-explaining-her-jokes-internet-230086

http://www.vox.com/2016/4/19/11441502/unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt-race-season-2

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt-native-americans_us_5722747fe4b01a5ebde515be

Colorism, inspired by Stuff Mom Never Told You

I listen to this podcast every week and it's really opened me to inter-sectional feminism.  The podcast is hosted by two white women, who make a point to address their privilege and to also discuss the struggles of women and men of color from a respectful position.  Cristen and Caroline also are sure to address cis-gendered issues while still acknowledging their privileges.

This episode was really interesting because it discussed how darker skinned black girls in school are more likely to be suspended than lighter skinned black girls.  Whenever people tell me that black people have the same opportunities as whites in America, it's so incredibly frustrating.  The imbalance of the justice system and how black men are more likely to be incarcerated, and how darker skinned black men are more likely to receive the death penalty.  I just ordered "The New Jim Crow" to read once the semester is over.

This podcast makes a very important point, that the solution to colorism ISN'T telling darker skinned black women that they are beautiful or sexy or desirable. That's incredibly insulting, racist and demeaning.  The answer to the problem of colorism shouldn't be to tell a woman she is valued as a sexual being.

The podcast also discussed colorism around the world and discussed India at length.  I have seen several short news stories on how skin bleaching in Brazil and other South American countries have led to women being hospitalized.  Lighter skin is valued around the world, and it leads to increased violence against darker skinned people. Emma Watson has come out in the past couple years as a feminist, and as someone who has launched the #heforshe campaign.  She is often accused of being a "white feminist" and she has been criticized for a skin whitening cream she promoted several years ago.

In the notes of this podcast, they reference an article about how there is a movement in Pakistan to combat colorism and encourage self-acceptance among darker skinned girls.  The article and the podcast both made sure to discuss how colorism is not just about women, but that this is a men's issue too.


http://www.stuffmomnevertoldyou.com/podcasts/colorism/

http://www.indiawest.com/news/global_indian/forget-fair-and-lovely-dark-is-divine-pakistan-s-first/article_8d1f87ae-1f5d-11e5-8684-0bfe7ff82da8.html

http://asia.be.com/beauty/beauty-news/celebs-beauty-news/emma-watson-is-accused-of-promoting-skin-lightening-117649.html

Representation in Disney

So, Disney is supposedly making "progress" and we discussed this in one of our class sessions.

While sure, it's true they've had a few women of color as their main protagonists, but that doesn't negate the fact that people of color are still under-represented in Disney films and media overall.

I thought this tweet below was a great way to respond to Disney and media defenders.  Progress has not been made quick enough, nor has significant progress been achieved.

Online Harassment

So, I am pretty active in the Twitter community. I am faced with harassment online all the time, so the video by "Just Not Sports" hit very close to home.  I am have been threatened twice online with physical violence, one man telling me, "I want to tape your bitch mouth shut."  I have been told in person by a man when I worked at ROSS to, "shhh your fucking mouth."

The video by Just Not Sports made me cry when the men almost refused to continue speaking.  I re-posted the video on my Facebook and two male co-workers came to talk to me about this.  These men have never talked to me about anything else I had ever posted on Facebook, and they are openly anti-feminist.  They both told me that the video disgusted them and made them really question what they had thought about women being harassed online.  I told them to take a look on Twitter or on the comments section of a female celebrities blog or Facebook and they will seen rampant sexism and threats of violence and rape.

A man I am friends with on Facebook recently liked a post on Jennifer Lawrence making a suggestive hand gesture.  I counted ten posts saying something to the effect of "I want to hold her down and fuck her mouth."  I stopped counting at ten because the other comment surrounding it were even more vile, it was hard to stomach.

Just today, a man tweeted this to me.  I had tweeted about how happy I was that Ted Cruz dropped out of the Presidential race.  He is a Trump supporter.  I don't understand why he clearly felt the need to tweet these things to me, but he did....

being called the "C" word on Twitter is new for me.

http://jezebel.com/i-hope-you-get-raped-again-female-sportswriters-listen-1773096108