IMG_5259 Tears for Fears at the Wiltern Curt Smith "Inner Black Woman"
Just Channel You: Thoughts on "Positive" Stereotyping
***Original blog post below, followed by subsequent timeline of events and resources for continuing the racial dialogue***
Tears for Fears
Wiltern
March 21, 2010
Pictured above: Michael Wainwright with Curt Smith of Tears for Fears, just before "Woman in Chains," in which Michael sings the part originally recorded by Oleta Adams.
This moment inspired a tweet by Michael (later retweeted by Curt) the following day:
Favorite moment: @curtsmith whispers "channel your inner black woman".. I did.
Parlance's head goes 'splody. I think it was meant to be funny. I think it was meant to be a compliment to Black women. But it was neither of those things. Why the joke wasn't about channeling one's inner Oleta, which might have skirted the race issue, I don't know. But I do know the comment was made public, and it hurt me and it hurt some friends. A white man was given a chance to explode the box of stereotypes, and instead it became another opportunity to shove him - and singers like me - right back into that box. "So free her," indeed.
I love this band. They have inspired me in countless ways and have personally given me an opportunity of a lifetime. Last year, I won Michael's contest to sing with him at Tears for Fears' Santa Rosa concert. We sang the duet he recorded with Gaby Moreno, "Someone Like You." I am so grateful I was given that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It helped me find my voice and courage, and I will always think of it as one of the most joyous moments of my life.
But now, imagine if someone had said to me just before I sang with Michael, "Channel your inner Guatemalan woman." It would have been random and odd and offensive. And meaningless. What exactly is the sound of the Guatemalan Woman Singer archetype that I'm meant to access?
But for a myriad reasons, people have stereotypes in their heads of the Black Woman Singer that are no less absurd than the above example. I'm focusing on singing here, but the comfort level people have with that statement speaks to the reinforcement of stereotypes about Black women that aren't limited to jokey asides. It's a reality that limits our social, cultural, financial and political opportunities.
And I have no doubt that at least some people had those stereotypes in their heads when I walked on stage to sing with Michael. As a Black woman who sings, I'm expected to be a belter. A diva. Maybe an arm-waver. "Soulful," whatever that means. I have expectations to fulfill that white singers do not.
For the record, I don't fit that Black Woman Singer stereotype. For instance, I can't tackle "Woman in Chains." One day I will, but for now I can't do what Oleta or Michael have done.
So, does that make me less of a singer? Less of a Black woman? Will you boo and wave me out like an unfortunate contestant on "Showtime at the Apollo" for having a voice or style that isn't like that of Oleta or Aretha or Beyonce? Or will you just relax and give me a chance even though I don't match your expectations?
Fortunately, in Santa Rosa, they did give me that chance. And for the record, Michael is Michael. He doesn't channel a Black woman. He sings like Michael Wainwright with his own unique tone that has nothing to do with race, and he holds his own beautifully. At all four performances I attended where Michael sang a role intended for a woman, the crowds absolutely lost it over him.
People think these stereotypes are acceptable and amusing because they're "positive" stereotypes, but they're still stereotypes. And no matter however harmless or well-intentioned stereotypes may seem, they're still limiting, damaging and dehumanizing. They get tossed around carelessly, and they do hurt, anger and disempower.
I am a person, not a concept. I'm not a dark, mysterious force you can conjure with chants and songs. You can't channel me or my essence any more successfully than I can channel my inner white guy. So here's a thought - why don't you just channel your inner you?
- End to original post -
**************
Many thanks to my friends for bouncing off ideas, food for thought and critical feedback. And, dear reader, thanks in advance to you for reading and for your measured, calm and respectful discussion of this piece.
**************
3/31/2010 Timeline Edit: For about a week after I wrote it, responses to this blog were civil and drama-free. Things exploded over one weekend in confusing ways, demanding a timeline. I've been asked to start this timeline at the absolute beginning for clarity.
3/21
* Tears for Fears concert at the Wiltern. Curt Smith whispers something to opening act Michael Wainwright just before "Woman in Chains."
3/22
* Michael tweets/Facebook's Curt's comment to channel his inner Black woman.
3/24
* I posted this blog to Flickr. The link is tweeted and retweeted, but otherwise, things are quiet.
3/27
* My friend, sweetparkalife, responded to Curt at Twitter, suggesting that he apologize:
* In his first response since the blog was published, Curt said he was accused of being racist by Twitter followers:
If you do an @curtsmith search, however, you will not find anyone calling him racist. This was the case on Saturday 3/27 and remains true today.
3/28
* I prepared to respond to sweetparkalife with ambivalence regarding an apology. My intent for this blog was to use the original comment as a teaching moment, and I never expected an apology (though a sincere one is always nice).
* Before I could respond to her, however, I learned that Curt had posted on Twitter, and I switched gears to responding to him. I reposted his tweets and noted the absence of the word “racist” in the dialogue until Curt introduced it. I also noted the derailing nature of the word: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
* Curt and I had a brief interaction that seemed to end in an agreement to let it drop:
3/29
* Instead, Curt posted a mini-blog at his official website (since deleted. Screencap here), and WaybackMachine link here) his Facebook fan page and myspace, telling us, among other things, to “get over it.” He didn’t link to either sweetparkalife’s tweets or my original blog, nor did he mention that his aside comment was posted and reposted in a public forum (Twitter), which is how this all began.
4/1
* Tempers continue to flame at Facebook, the official board and also at LJ and Twitter (original tweets from nueva_voz were deleted). I don't condone the name-calling, but I'm posting this link with la-vie-noire's permission as part of the overall teaching moment. She has some great insights in her post and you would do yourself a favor to read them.
**************
Despite the derailment, I am heartened by feedback from people who have told me this blog has led them to think more deeply about the assumptions behind seemingly “lighthearted” comments. This remains a necessary dialogue, as evidenced by the very non-lighthearted reaction that has followed.
Nothing’s been taken out of context; I took great pains to be fair and empathetic in my approach to everyone involved. As I noted several times, I do believe Curt’s and Michael’s original intent in making and posting the comment was not to harm.
The bottom line, however, is that it’s not your place to dictate to a person or group how to respond to language that affects them directly. As a straight, able-bodied cisgender woman, for instance, I don’t get to tell lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or disabled people how to react to language about lgbtq or disabled people. Likewise, it’s very odd for white people to tell people of color that our responses to language about us are overblown or that we need to get over it. That’s not “political correctness," that’s respect. Why wouldn't it concern you that your words hurt others? If you consider yourself a supporter, an ally, you need to keep this basic tenet in mind. And one’s intentions, upbringing or association with another do not preclude that person's right to speak out about the harm these seemingly harmless comments can cause. Nor does speaking out make you a bad fan. The right to exercise free speech extends to all sides.
I sincerely hope this blog has planted the seed to continue this conversation elsewhere. I also hope this experience won’t discourage others from speaking out. It's very telling that that one comment created a firestorm, which speaks volumes about the racially stratified world we live in. This is bigger than Curt and myself, and certainly bigger than one comment and a response to it. I hope people will come to understand that when you dismiss and deflect the real pain and anger of others, it doesn't go away. It only festers, becomes bigger and explodes. Whether you understand where I'm coming from, I believe the way this controversy exploded is a prime example of why constructive *moderated* dialogues around race need to take place.
Anti-Racism/Racism 101/Constructive Dialogue Resources
4/2 I want to thank you for reading and leave you with some anti-racism/racism 101 sources to facilitate constructive discussions in the future:
Livejournal
* Anti-Racist and White Privilege Resources
* How to Suppress Discussions of Racism (you'll be astounded by how closely this imbroglio followed the pattern)
* Baby-stepping away from racism: A guide for white people
Other websites:
Book recommendation
A tremendous, groundbreaking book by Beverly Tatum Daniel that I gave Curt back in 2008 about the ways we (meaning people of color and white people) develop racial identity in the US.
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?
**************
IMG_5259 Tears for Fears at the Wiltern Curt Smith "Inner Black Woman"
Just Channel You: Thoughts on "Positive" Stereotyping
***Original blog post below, followed by subsequent timeline of events and resources for continuing the racial dialogue***
Tears for Fears
Wiltern
March 21, 2010
Pictured above: Michael Wainwright with Curt Smith of Tears for Fears, just before "Woman in Chains," in which Michael sings the part originally recorded by Oleta Adams.
This moment inspired a tweet by Michael (later retweeted by Curt) the following day:
Favorite moment: @curtsmith whispers "channel your inner black woman".. I did.
Parlance's head goes 'splody. I think it was meant to be funny. I think it was meant to be a compliment to Black women. But it was neither of those things. Why the joke wasn't about channeling one's inner Oleta, which might have skirted the race issue, I don't know. But I do know the comment was made public, and it hurt me and it hurt some friends. A white man was given a chance to explode the box of stereotypes, and instead it became another opportunity to shove him - and singers like me - right back into that box. "So free her," indeed.
I love this band. They have inspired me in countless ways and have personally given me an opportunity of a lifetime. Last year, I won Michael's contest to sing with him at Tears for Fears' Santa Rosa concert. We sang the duet he recorded with Gaby Moreno, "Someone Like You." I am so grateful I was given that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It helped me find my voice and courage, and I will always think of it as one of the most joyous moments of my life.
But now, imagine if someone had said to me just before I sang with Michael, "Channel your inner Guatemalan woman." It would have been random and odd and offensive. And meaningless. What exactly is the sound of the Guatemalan Woman Singer archetype that I'm meant to access?
But for a myriad reasons, people have stereotypes in their heads of the Black Woman Singer that are no less absurd than the above example. I'm focusing on singing here, but the comfort level people have with that statement speaks to the reinforcement of stereotypes about Black women that aren't limited to jokey asides. It's a reality that limits our social, cultural, financial and political opportunities.
And I have no doubt that at least some people had those stereotypes in their heads when I walked on stage to sing with Michael. As a Black woman who sings, I'm expected to be a belter. A diva. Maybe an arm-waver. "Soulful," whatever that means. I have expectations to fulfill that white singers do not.
For the record, I don't fit that Black Woman Singer stereotype. For instance, I can't tackle "Woman in Chains." One day I will, but for now I can't do what Oleta or Michael have done.
So, does that make me less of a singer? Less of a Black woman? Will you boo and wave me out like an unfortunate contestant on "Showtime at the Apollo" for having a voice or style that isn't like that of Oleta or Aretha or Beyonce? Or will you just relax and give me a chance even though I don't match your expectations?
Fortunately, in Santa Rosa, they did give me that chance. And for the record, Michael is Michael. He doesn't channel a Black woman. He sings like Michael Wainwright with his own unique tone that has nothing to do with race, and he holds his own beautifully. At all four performances I attended where Michael sang a role intended for a woman, the crowds absolutely lost it over him.
People think these stereotypes are acceptable and amusing because they're "positive" stereotypes, but they're still stereotypes. And no matter however harmless or well-intentioned stereotypes may seem, they're still limiting, damaging and dehumanizing. They get tossed around carelessly, and they do hurt, anger and disempower.
I am a person, not a concept. I'm not a dark, mysterious force you can conjure with chants and songs. You can't channel me or my essence any more successfully than I can channel my inner white guy. So here's a thought - why don't you just channel your inner you?
- End to original post -
**************
Many thanks to my friends for bouncing off ideas, food for thought and critical feedback. And, dear reader, thanks in advance to you for reading and for your measured, calm and respectful discussion of this piece.
**************
3/31/2010 Timeline Edit: For about a week after I wrote it, responses to this blog were civil and drama-free. Things exploded over one weekend in confusing ways, demanding a timeline. I've been asked to start this timeline at the absolute beginning for clarity.
3/21
* Tears for Fears concert at the Wiltern. Curt Smith whispers something to opening act Michael Wainwright just before "Woman in Chains."
3/22
* Michael tweets/Facebook's Curt's comment to channel his inner Black woman.
3/24
* I posted this blog to Flickr. The link is tweeted and retweeted, but otherwise, things are quiet.
3/27
* My friend, sweetparkalife, responded to Curt at Twitter, suggesting that he apologize:
* In his first response since the blog was published, Curt said he was accused of being racist by Twitter followers:
If you do an @curtsmith search, however, you will not find anyone calling him racist. This was the case on Saturday 3/27 and remains true today.
3/28
* I prepared to respond to sweetparkalife with ambivalence regarding an apology. My intent for this blog was to use the original comment as a teaching moment, and I never expected an apology (though a sincere one is always nice).
* Before I could respond to her, however, I learned that Curt had posted on Twitter, and I switched gears to responding to him. I reposted his tweets and noted the absence of the word “racist” in the dialogue until Curt introduced it. I also noted the derailing nature of the word: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
* Curt and I had a brief interaction that seemed to end in an agreement to let it drop:
3/29
* Instead, Curt posted a mini-blog at his official website (since deleted. Screencap here), and WaybackMachine link here) his Facebook fan page and myspace, telling us, among other things, to “get over it.” He didn’t link to either sweetparkalife’s tweets or my original blog, nor did he mention that his aside comment was posted and reposted in a public forum (Twitter), which is how this all began.
4/1
* Tempers continue to flame at Facebook, the official board and also at LJ and Twitter (original tweets from nueva_voz were deleted). I don't condone the name-calling, but I'm posting this link with la-vie-noire's permission as part of the overall teaching moment. She has some great insights in her post and you would do yourself a favor to read them.
**************
Despite the derailment, I am heartened by feedback from people who have told me this blog has led them to think more deeply about the assumptions behind seemingly “lighthearted” comments. This remains a necessary dialogue, as evidenced by the very non-lighthearted reaction that has followed.
Nothing’s been taken out of context; I took great pains to be fair and empathetic in my approach to everyone involved. As I noted several times, I do believe Curt’s and Michael’s original intent in making and posting the comment was not to harm.
The bottom line, however, is that it’s not your place to dictate to a person or group how to respond to language that affects them directly. As a straight, able-bodied cisgender woman, for instance, I don’t get to tell lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or disabled people how to react to language about lgbtq or disabled people. Likewise, it’s very odd for white people to tell people of color that our responses to language about us are overblown or that we need to get over it. That’s not “political correctness," that’s respect. Why wouldn't it concern you that your words hurt others? If you consider yourself a supporter, an ally, you need to keep this basic tenet in mind. And one’s intentions, upbringing or association with another do not preclude that person's right to speak out about the harm these seemingly harmless comments can cause. Nor does speaking out make you a bad fan. The right to exercise free speech extends to all sides.
I sincerely hope this blog has planted the seed to continue this conversation elsewhere. I also hope this experience won’t discourage others from speaking out. It's very telling that that one comment created a firestorm, which speaks volumes about the racially stratified world we live in. This is bigger than Curt and myself, and certainly bigger than one comment and a response to it. I hope people will come to understand that when you dismiss and deflect the real pain and anger of others, it doesn't go away. It only festers, becomes bigger and explodes. Whether you understand where I'm coming from, I believe the way this controversy exploded is a prime example of why constructive *moderated* dialogues around race need to take place.
Anti-Racism/Racism 101/Constructive Dialogue Resources
4/2 I want to thank you for reading and leave you with some anti-racism/racism 101 sources to facilitate constructive discussions in the future:
Livejournal
* Anti-Racist and White Privilege Resources
* How to Suppress Discussions of Racism (you'll be astounded by how closely this imbroglio followed the pattern)
* Baby-stepping away from racism: A guide for white people
Other websites:
Book recommendation
A tremendous, groundbreaking book by Beverly Tatum Daniel that I gave Curt back in 2008 about the ways we (meaning people of color and white people) develop racial identity in the US.
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?
**************