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Subtle racism
Mar. 10th, 2021 04:08 pm“I am not your magical negro!”
I will never forget the first time I heard that expression. Sitting around at an SCA event a couple of years ago, the conversation jumped around from subject to subject as usual. Within the group, we had an array of people from all over the country, including a few people of color.
“Magical negro????” I asked naively. “What in the world is a magical negro?” In my white privileged naivety (which I now understand really IS a thing), I somehow completely missed the trope that has become so common in storylines in books and film; namely where the plot revolves predominately around a white person who faces a struggle or struggles, only to be assisted at key points by a friend who happens to be a person of color. Think Mammy to Scarlet or Uncle Remus and his teachings to the good little white children.
Sure, I understood that there were racial issues and inequalities all over the place, and I didn’t believe that entertainment would be any different. But the “magical negro” concept was not one that I ever really had picked up on before. Only after speaking to people of color did I realize that it was, from their perspective, a very insulting racist stereotype. And even in the middle of the conversation, while I was completely open to listening and empathizing, I still didn’t “get it”. Why? Because from my perspective, it just seemed like everything ended well for everybody. The protagonist came out on top. The friend of color was helpful. And all’s well that ends well.
Right?
Well… no. And why? Because while that truly is how things look from my perspective, I really needed to do more to put myself in the shoes of the person of color. In whatever the story, the plot revolves pretty much entirely around the white person and the challenges or struggles or victories that that person achieves. But what about the person of color? Oh, we generally don’t even learn of the fate of that person. In such stories, they really are only treated as being relevant insomuch as they help the protagonist. They are an asset to the white lead – and nothing more.
Once I really saw this, I was pretty appalled – particularly at how much it happens without me even noticing.
“This is HORRIBLE!” I thought to myself. “But at least now I see it and can be a better ally.”
Well… that’s what I thought.
Like many people, a few months ago, I found myself completely sucked into the award-winning production of the Queen’s Gambit. I really loved it and thought it was a unique glimpse into strategy, and genius, and addiction, and conquering one’s demons, etc. Well, I fell into the trap. From a white person’s perspective, I got it right. But for a person of color, it was once again a Magical Negro movie, because the protagonist really got a huge boost from her female friend of color who was in a much worse situation than the protagonist. We don’t really ever learn much about her, as her role in the story is pretty much limited only to being there to be helpful.
And again… I didn’t see it. It wasn’t until I read an op-ed written by a person of color that the incredibly obvious trope became apparent to me. And it blew my mind! I felt ashamed of myself. I know I didn’t say or do anything of a racist nature. But I once again did not even see a subtle racist theme that I had told myself to look out for going forward.
I still have a lot to learn. I still make mistakes. I still miss things. And in the process, I am contributing to it still being a thing. And for that, I am angry at myself.
I fear that it is going to take a long time to undo subliminal teachings that have led me to this point. And I’m gonna try. But through this example, I know for a fact that I am still failing in some ways.
This is hard.
I will never forget the first time I heard that expression. Sitting around at an SCA event a couple of years ago, the conversation jumped around from subject to subject as usual. Within the group, we had an array of people from all over the country, including a few people of color.
“Magical negro????” I asked naively. “What in the world is a magical negro?” In my white privileged naivety (which I now understand really IS a thing), I somehow completely missed the trope that has become so common in storylines in books and film; namely where the plot revolves predominately around a white person who faces a struggle or struggles, only to be assisted at key points by a friend who happens to be a person of color. Think Mammy to Scarlet or Uncle Remus and his teachings to the good little white children.
Sure, I understood that there were racial issues and inequalities all over the place, and I didn’t believe that entertainment would be any different. But the “magical negro” concept was not one that I ever really had picked up on before. Only after speaking to people of color did I realize that it was, from their perspective, a very insulting racist stereotype. And even in the middle of the conversation, while I was completely open to listening and empathizing, I still didn’t “get it”. Why? Because from my perspective, it just seemed like everything ended well for everybody. The protagonist came out on top. The friend of color was helpful. And all’s well that ends well.
Right?
Well… no. And why? Because while that truly is how things look from my perspective, I really needed to do more to put myself in the shoes of the person of color. In whatever the story, the plot revolves pretty much entirely around the white person and the challenges or struggles or victories that that person achieves. But what about the person of color? Oh, we generally don’t even learn of the fate of that person. In such stories, they really are only treated as being relevant insomuch as they help the protagonist. They are an asset to the white lead – and nothing more.
Once I really saw this, I was pretty appalled – particularly at how much it happens without me even noticing.
“This is HORRIBLE!” I thought to myself. “But at least now I see it and can be a better ally.”
Well… that’s what I thought.
Like many people, a few months ago, I found myself completely sucked into the award-winning production of the Queen’s Gambit. I really loved it and thought it was a unique glimpse into strategy, and genius, and addiction, and conquering one’s demons, etc. Well, I fell into the trap. From a white person’s perspective, I got it right. But for a person of color, it was once again a Magical Negro movie, because the protagonist really got a huge boost from her female friend of color who was in a much worse situation than the protagonist. We don’t really ever learn much about her, as her role in the story is pretty much limited only to being there to be helpful.
And again… I didn’t see it. It wasn’t until I read an op-ed written by a person of color that the incredibly obvious trope became apparent to me. And it blew my mind! I felt ashamed of myself. I know I didn’t say or do anything of a racist nature. But I once again did not even see a subtle racist theme that I had told myself to look out for going forward.
I still have a lot to learn. I still make mistakes. I still miss things. And in the process, I am contributing to it still being a thing. And for that, I am angry at myself.
I fear that it is going to take a long time to undo subliminal teachings that have led me to this point. And I’m gonna try. But through this example, I know for a fact that I am still failing in some ways.
This is hard.
