All Racism Isn't Hooded

If you ask most people what their idea of racism is, they'll probably give you two responses.
1. Civil Rights Movement Era, KKK, lunch counters...
2. Trayvon Martin died because he wore a hoodie and he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it's so sad because he was so young and..... 

So, they're not wrong. Those are great ideas. But let's be clear. All Racism Isn't Hooded.

I saw the Volkswagen Commercial, and you can check it out here. In this commercial, we follow a White guy with a new Jamaican accent, who remarks that "everything will be alright".

Here's how Volkswagen introduces their commercial on their youtube site "Watch our 2013 Game Day TV commercial, where you'll meet Dave and his newfound sunny disposition (that manifests itself in a curious way), all thanks to his new 2013 Volkswagen Beetle."

Okay. Here's a few things.

1. VW goes through great pains to make sure that the audience knows that this is not a White Jamaican. No. He's a dude from Minnesota.
2. We are left with the inference that buying a VW makes you cooler and calmer. Like a Jamaican, naturally. (sarcasm)
3. Taking a ride in the VW is so powerful that an accent rubs off on all those who experience its glory.

So, I was inspired by several conversations about this commercial. Frequently, I'm told that I'm "doing a lot" or being "too sensitive about race". I disagree. Let's dive in.

The public imagination is powerful. As a college educated woman, I realize that I am in the minority. Most people in this country don't have the luxury of going to college. I am NOT saying that college is where you become "worldly" or even where all worthwhile knowledge is held. Nope. But what I'm acknowledging is that College is one of the few places in this era where you get to meet people from different spaces. Most people in this country attend homogeneous faith-spaces, learn in homogeneous schools, and work homogeneous jobs. As a New Yorker, I recognize my privilege of understanding (and finding comfort in) queer spaces and immigrant communities. I know how to behave in a gay club. I know where the best beef patties are. 

BUT.

The reality is that most people don't get the chance to engage with "The Other" as frequently. So movies, television, music, and pop culture as a whole serve as a proxy for lived experience. They are important to focus on. I was tryna tell y'all about critical acclaim... There's a reason why Halle won for "Monster's Ball" (Jezebel), Viola for "The Help" (Mammy), and Mo'Nique won for "Precious" (Welfare Queen). The politics of (mis)representation are so powerful. These actresses, talented and incredible in their own right, are still serving a larger function as promoting images that are meant to keep us in our place.... I know I'm right. I digress...

The issue with the Volkswagen commercial is that it is grounded in the idea that culture is a commodity and can be sold. The very idea that buying a VW can make you "as cool as a Jamaican" is one that is built on tourist campaigns. You know the tourist commercial. One Love, One Heart.. Let's get together and feel alright? True. That's the resort-Jamaica they sell (white) tourists. But what about REAL Jamaica? The Jamaica that looks like our Chicago, the Jamaica that feels like our Bed Stuy? (I'm leaving that comparison open to YOU as the reader. I'm curious to know what those neighborhoods conjure for you ;-) )

But the tourism industry is already problematic. Now,  we could get into a conversation about how tourist campaigns buy into a racialized fantasy of the Other. Cultures all over the world have been diluted and essentialized into their most marketable facet to satisfy White appetites. Hence, you will frequently find images of the "laid back Jamaican" or the "exotic-erotic Japanese girl" because they play into a need that has been prescribed to those who may visit. Experiencing stress at your Dunder-Mifflin (points for catching that reference) job? No worries, mon. Take a trip to Jamaica. Those people really know how to have fun here.

See, it isn't about the serene landscapes. It isn't even about the warm weather and sandy beaches... In this Volkswagen commercial, it's about something that Jamaican people are understood to have (in the public imagination) that other cultures are not.

Now, here's where it gets tricky.

What happens when the public imagination comes down the microlevel? You'll see people post face book statuses about Bob Marley's influence. Not as a philosopher, but as a weed-smoker. You'll see Kappa Sigma at Duke promote their "Asian Theme Party". You'll see Hoochies and Gangsta-themed frat parties. You'll read articles about Venus and Serena Williams playing tennis  and somehow the comments always lead to the sisters as being "ugly black monkeys" whose "butts are too big". 

I admit it, I'm a social media junkie. I love reading blogs. I love twitter. Facebook helps me unwind when I'm stressed. And as much as these things are figments of our imagination, they're real. Because these things stand as smaller mirrors of a larger issue.. We have a racial issue here in America. 

Volkswagen isn't to blame. I'm not saying boycott VW. I'm not even saying start a petition. I'm asking us to be real. Where does a joke stop being funny? Where does a line of thought go from "making a well-supported generalization" to "stereotyping"? 

I worry about us. I worry that our forebearers (even before Dr. King and Malcolm), would shudder to think that their greatest grandchildren sat on the promise and potential of their work. Even before the slave trade, even before we knew ourselves as Americans... How would our furthest parents in Africa react to our light-reading of every day culture? Of our insistence to commodify (like these earrings) history? Of our spirit of nonchalance as our most profitable and popular rap artists have made less music and more commercials for high-priced fashion brands a la Jay Z and Kanye. 

I suppose I wonder... At what point is it a game? Who wins? Who loses? And who's left to clean up afterwards?