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Not sure how many of you are following this "debate" over the Oscar red carpet comments by Giuliana Rancic. On a TV show called Fashion police she made the following comment about Zendaya Coleman dreadlocks “I feel that she smells like patchouli oil . . . or weed,”. It lit up social media etc. Below is a snippet written by Britni Danielle that I think is one of the best op ed on the issue. I agree with her that this is a distraction... The full article is here
This dreadlock debate is a distraction
Britni Danielle
So I get it: Rancic was wrong. However, at times I wish we wouldn’t take the bait, because losing our collective cool over the narrow-minded utterances of a celebrity is just a distraction. For all the wonderful conversations Twitter has sparked about race, gender, religion, and politics, the social network is rife with distractions masquerading as righteous indignation. An errant remark by a politician, a clumsy statement by a TV presenter, or a racially charged joke by anyone with a platform can quickly become a topic of national, or even international, conversation. But should it?
In 1975, Toni Morrison gave a powerful speech about the effects of racism on black artists and writers: “It’s important to know who the real enemy is and to know the very serious function of racism, which is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining over and over your reason for being,” Morrison told students at Portland State University.
“Somebody says you have no language, so you spend 20 years proving that you do. Somebody says your head isn’t shaped properly, so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Somebody says you have no art, so you dredge that up. Somebody says you have no kingdoms, so you dredge that up. None of that is necessary. There will always be one more thing.”
Morrison’s argument – that there will always be one more offensive remark – sums up my thoughts on the cycle of “outrage”. Though some conversations, such as discussing the problematic bits of actress Patricia Arquette’s Oscar speech, are certainly worth having, constantly reacting to every single microaggression is not only a waste of time, but also serves to reinforce the myth of the superiority of white opinions and ideals over all others.
Black folks are used to residing on the margins. We’re constantly left out of race-neutral, “colour-blind” conversations because white remains the default in many societies. And while this is unfair, as Morrison notes, constantly trying to prove our worth and explain our reason for being is a waste of time.
Though Rancic’s comments about Coleman’s hair were stupid, closed-minded and painfully stereotypical, they don’t actually matter, and neither does her apology.
What matters is that people of colour centre ourselves in the conversation and continue to go about the business of living, thriving, loving, creating, dressing, and styling our hair however we see fit. Because, as Morrison explained to those students 40 years ago: “A prison is erected when one spends one’s life fighting phantoms, concentrating on myths and explaining over and over to the conqueror your language, your lifestyle, your history, your habits. And you don’t have to do it any more.”
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