Jump to content

On being a "Wigger"


Recommended Posts

Nothing surprises me anymore. Lunacy is rampant in the land!  And when what constitutes blackness is juxtaposed with what constitutes craziness, there’s a common thread. In addition to all the bizarre occurrences daily reported  by the media, I have never in my life encountered so many people who strike me as crazy as the ones I come across on the internet. When folks don't have to be accountable for their behavior because they can hide behind avatars and anonymity, their true selves emerge. And it ain't pretty. 

I find myself wondering that if one's behavior is sociopathic,  is one a sociopath no matter what one's facade masks? Applying this question to race I ask if, as many claim, it is an artificial  concept, then if you identify with blackness to the point of passing for black, are you black no matter what your DNA is? This situation is too crazy to assess because of the ambiguity of blackness.  

 To me Rachel Dolezal, the white wanna-be sista making headlines, sounds like a woman who has taken on a leadership position in a black organization for the same reason that some black people do. They like the spotlight, the prestige, and the authority that goes with this status.  An extra perk for these spokespeople is being entrusted with the role of dramatizing  black victimization by  delivering the scripted rhetoric that calls attention to their “mission” - and themselves!  Racism provides a platform for their egoism.   

It is also been my observation that some African-Americans who look like they could pass for white but identify themselves as black, secretly like the favorable reaction they get by doing this,  particularly the approval of any dark skin people who are humbly honored by this act of condescension.  To me,  Rachel Dolezal complies with this profile.  Bottom line,  she engages in this charade  because she’d rather be a black somebody  than a white nobody! I consider her an opportunist whose motivation suggests a psychosis; a coo-coo Caucasian.    ( And people of her ilk are making me neurotic!)

As for Walter White, back in the day, he was what was known as a "voluntary negro", a “race man” who could, but did not pass for white.  One explanation given for his long career in the NAACP was how, when it came to fund raising, his appearance helped ingratiate him to white philanthropists who felt more comfortable making financial donations when approached by someone who looked  the way they did. 

Edited by Cynique
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is worth studying (and probably has been ) the online behavior of people hiding behind the cloak of an avatar and this who make themselves plain visible.  I think the differences depend on the person.  

For good, bad, or indifferent I have always posted as myself.  Sure sometimes I write something extreme for effect or write a position I don't personally completely believe as I play devils advocate.  But in general, I'm probably more honest online that I am off, because I have the liberty of expressing myself more freely here than I can in the real world simply because I'm not standing across from someone judging, or not even really listening to what I'm saying.

As for a Rachel, I suspect she will be in a better position post-debacle.  As you know, in this twisted culture of ours her situation will bring fame and the money to go with it. She probably could not have planned it any better--Thanks Black Twitter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The crazies I encounter who represent themselves with avatars, are mostly on the game sites, more specifically Pogo Bridge and Spades players.  I've always maintained that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she  plays cards, and these people are unbelievable.  They cheat, they are sore losers, they're rude, vicious, psychotic,  impatient, racist, bullies - you name it.  Playing bridge, which used to be a civilized game, seems to bring out the worst in the new influx of young  players from the  "Gamer" culture which is an offshoot of America's obsession with winning at any cost.

 I also play the devil's advocate when getting into on-line discussions which usually involve religion and these people literally equate me with the devil. 

Rachel and Caitlyn are examples of a world where now anything goes, and political correctness which once fostered tolerance is becoming intolerant of people who ridicule the outrageous. And so it goes...

   

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Again, I'm tickled at your take on this subject as I  was previously when I read your post. But more to the point, your comment in that she "likes the spotlight" and "Racism provides a platform for their egoism" is interesting and I didn't really consider this until now. However, based on her parents I don't see her doing this for money, so it does make sense that she fed her ego. And yes, she may have secretly relished in the favorism and attention that she may have gotten from Black people, possibly darker skinned black people. But my first reaction was that she reminded me of what was said in the movie depiction of Alex Haley's when the master's wife talked about pretending that she was a slave woman. I think many White women as a secret imbalance when it comes to the history and present issues that face Black women, and to me, it's unavoidable. I think these odd behaviors, that not only Ms. Dolozal has shown but so many others, are just one of the negative fruits of White Supremacy that goes along with the issue. She is by far not the only white woman that wants to be in the shoes of a Black woman when we are 'elevated' or delivered out of a suppressive state and that is all a sick part of White Supremacy, in my opinion. They want to play in the victory roles but not during the times when we are suppressed. 

If it's glamorous to be rescued by some fantastical dashing White Slave master or a gorgeous Superfly black man who saves a sexy Black woman from being attacked, then the White woman wants to be 'that woman' and they don't see the gut wrenching truth behind fantasy. They are not apart of the shaping of the Black culture 'up from slavery' from slave row, but fixate on accounts of times when certain women have been elevated or freed out of suppression. I think it's llike a fantasy, a misplaced fantasy in which they can now pick the good parts of our culture to admire and want to embrace, but don't realize that this type of escapism is offensive. For many of us who have been hurt by racism, their is no escape. We can't get into a position where we can get paid to speak about our hurt, most of us just live it everyday and therefore, we don't have the freedom to speak out without knowing there are possible repercussions and we won't be able to run from it. As a White woman who fantasizes about being a Black woman, I don't think you would find one that would want to be portrayed as an ugly black woman. So, White woman can pick and select how they want to portray themselves in Black face' and therefore, it would be a light skinned Black woman, of which carries a negativity and a blow to our history and experience as well. But I find her behavior so common, I think we just have been conditioned to ignore it in the past and for some reason, her parents wanted to lash out against her, and so we are now facing this issue as a result of their conflict. 

In ancient history, foreign woman who became apart of Egypt put on wigs and portrayed themselves as Egyptian woman in order to be elevated above the original Egyptian woman, but we don't highlight this fact! So why now? Some White women today, blow up their lips and add padding to their hips to present themselves as being attractive with this 'Black trait' but that doesn't mean they want to be Black women, but just the White woman or light woman that has the attractive traits of black woman. They are picking and choosing what they want out of our culture, but then too, some of them are probably doing that in regards to other ethnic cultures as well because they are in a position where they can look at others and then mimic it when they know it will bring some kind of satisfaction. In a way, it could be said that we Black women do the same thing, but not on this scale. For sure, we couldn't speak about issues under the NAACP, and get the attention that she did so easily. I saw her on youtube passionately speaking about 'the reasons why we should boycott the movie, Exodus, and I asked myself, why hasn't a black woman been heard speaking against this move? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...