Gay is the new black
“Racial liberation is
configured as politics of the past, while queer liberalism is configured as
politics of the present.” (Kinship pg. 28)
The
section of “The imaginary waiting room of history” of David L. Eng’s The feeling of Kinship brings attention
to the potential negative drawbacks the emergence of queer
liberalism has on racial liberation. By stating that the LGBTQ community is the
“new black” implies that the struggle for racial liberation is “deemed a
completed project” and has been settled. It claims that we now live in a “so-called
colorblind age” where issues of racism and anti-miscegenation are no longer
present and fails to recognize the continued existence of racial oppression.
I found this
interesting because it evident to me that racial liberation, despite of all the
progression it has made, still has a long way to go and is by no means a thing
of the past. In fact, I question whether it will ever truly be resolved. Take
women’s rights for example, according to what is written on the books, women were
granted social equality but to this day we still only make 77 cents to the
dollar. Blacks still face discrimination and one day when a new group of marginalized
individuals capture the media’s attention gays will still continue to endure discrimination
in one way or another. In addition, I really appreciated that Eng brought up
that the case of Lawrence should not solely be thought of as a victory
for the queer community but also for the black community because the same-sex
couple being criminalized for conducting in sodomy were of different race.
Work Cited:
Eng, David L. "The Law of Kinship." (n.d.): n. pag. Print.
I couldn't agree more, Jessica.
ReplyDeleteI also appreciated Eng's thoughts about racial discrimination.
I also liked when Eng stated how he didn't like the LGBTQ community defining Lawrence as its "Brown." That really rang true to me, because I also think that as we just keep comparing it to the Civil Rights movement, it's just going to act like these "racial problems" are already solved. Now, I don't think the LGBTQ community believes that Racial Civil Rights weren't important in their own development, and Eng points that out, but we do need the separate the two. In the end, we really need to follow what Eng is saying in his analysis, that Racial Relations and Gay Relations have points of intersectionality and are the same in a law standpoint, but otherwise should be seen individually. Otherwise this "waiting room" is sure to rear its ugly head again.
There should be no "queue" for basic civil and human rights. I can't agree with you more, Daniel, and I suppose, by extension, I can't agree with the author more (though take that with a grain of salt because I really didn't understand the reading, apparently). To say that we've done away with racism is just plain silly, but that aside, to say that we have to deal with one societal issue before another is completely ludicrous. I think the author touched upon multiple subjects in order to draw parallels between them, and to point out how by solving one issue - for instance, the American contradiction between policies of capitalist importation of immigrant labor and nativist regulations that break up nuclear, heteronormative families in favor of deportation. As I said in class, I think this issue mirrors to "Queer Fad" issue in our society very well, though I appreciate that perhaps the author was more implying that one had to be heteronormative to earn civil rights, as a opposed to my interpretation.
DeleteI agree with you. I often wonder if racial discrimination will ever end. The term "colorblind" threw me off a little bit because I can still see that there are issues. I thought it was interesting that people can push racial discrimination aside as just "a thing of the past". I also thought it was interesting (sorry if I get off topic) how Eng mentioned the relationship being made between "late capitalism and gay identity" explaining that the gay culture is one of aesthetics, mass-media and consumption. It is treated like a fad which is why--I suppose--they use the term referring to gay as "the new black". This made me a little uneasy because I can see that the gay and lesbian culture is certainly a lot deeper than beautiful objects and consumption.
ReplyDeleteI'm so in agreement. I think this text was striking for a number of reasons. Assigning, at first, an almost ambivalent perspective to the existence of racism - indeed, the prevalence of it - and then following that perspective with the statement that "queerness" is a fad financed by Western capitalism . . . is this really what liberalism is about? I'm not quite sure where we stand here from a political stand point. This text seems almost conservative on the one hand, regarding its approach to capitalism, but then openly critiques the concept of denying rights to LGBT families. It could be the heavy nature of the reading, but it seems as though the text can't make up it's mind. Curious and unsettling, in my opinion, as is the analogy drawn between Queer culture and the fashion world.
DeleteWhile I found the connection between racial and queer discrimination very interesting, what was even more thought provoking for me was the "logic of late capitalism and gay identity as a function of a contemporary U.S.-led political economy of neoliberal globalization and governmentality." (25) While the author quotes Hannah Arendt as saying citizenship is nothing less than "the right to have rights" (28), it seems true, full citizenship can only be obtained if you achieve a certain level of consumerism. Unfortunately, disadvantaged minority groups often do not have the resources to "shop until you drop". I particularly liked the reference to Queer Eye for the Straight Guy as kind of the ultimate example of gay culture being accepted. Almost as if its a rite of passage for a minority cultural group, once you can prove your group has a sizable enough consumer base to make it worthwhile to acknowledge your input, the ball will start rolling on bringing your group into mainstream acceptance.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. The struggle can be seen in our own city, which has an actual dividing line within it. I-35 is our version of the railroad tracks, the East Side seen as our ghetto, our segregated place of habit. The college student sometimes ventures forth into the district on Thirsty Thursdays, but rarely have I seen breakage between the boundaries created in our city. And it is bizarre how everyone sees Austin as some hope for equality. Perhaps in comparison to the rest of Texas, but let's be honest, we are pretty sketch ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI also felt like this article used the term "colorblind" with sarcasm, using it as a sort of parody against what is actually true. It was really disturbing that people may view our current generation as "colorblind" when we clearly are not. Referring to 'Gay as the new Black' was another bizarre play on words that, again, really pointed out the problems we face.
In my section noted as "The Imaginary Waiting Room of History", it made a good argument toward how politics and court cases are viewed, ignored, redefined, and reassigned meanings toward whatever we'd like it to advocate, while continuously overlooking what problems are underlined within them. And I felt rather uninformed because I hardly remember any of the cases regarding sexuality ever being mentioned to me, so I had to search them through google to get a better sense of what actually happened in each. The fact is that in most of them, an aspect of equality was always overlooked, whether it be race, sexuality, or identity and, of course, all the stigmas surrounding them.
I often feel the same about these issues. Perfect equality, with each 'victory' groups win, doesn't seem to get any closer. And maybe its a good thing, the fact that we keep realizing more mistakes to correct and fight, matters that must be handled. But the other projects shouldn't be left for new ones. Its completely infuriating when I bring up feminism, and someone says "Why still push that? It's already over." This is true for all movements, it seems. No one ever wants to keep going, they just want to move on to the next big thing. And then, if you even bring it up, you're the one that can't let go.
ReplyDeleteJessica, firstly, I love the title of this blog post, very clever. :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, even though I didn't read the same assigned section I completely see where you are coming from after reading your portion of the text, by the fashion in which you conveyed your points. Good job.
I agree in respects to ethnic and sexuality discrimination, as opposed to focusing on one versus the other. I thought it was interesting to view the Lawrence case under the lens of both types of discrimination because I will admit before now, I use to just think of the case as a stepping stone in progress for the GLBT community.
While I am both in the category of gay and being an African American, I can completely relate. Racism still exists today and discrimination of gays is just as prevalent now as it was when media first captured homosexuality and introduced it to the world. In my personal opinion, the justice system is just jacked up seven ways till sunday and because the hegemonic order is and probably will continue to be, a white man, it is difficult for people of other sexes and cultures to make demands. Although it not as bad as it used to be, the discrimination against all categories other than white men, has not gotten better. As a society, we should even the playing fields and back up what is stated in our constitution amongst other things on the basis of equality.
ReplyDelete