the race accusation

[anansie-s.livejournal.com]

Just thought I'd share an article about some of the things being said.



Source

Stop This Meme: RuPaul is not "Racist" for his "Drag Race" Winning Pick

by Brent Hartinger
--

This has to stop.

On Monday, RuPaul revealed the winner of the second season of his RuPaul's Drag Race reality TV show, and it turned out to be Tyra Sanchez.

The choice was controversial. A sizable number of viewers were rooting for the quick-witted Pandora Boxx , who had been eliminated earlier in the season, but who won the Miss Congeniality Award in the reunion show ("by a landslide," RuPaul said).

Others thought plucky, amiable Jujubee would have made a better "Next Drag Superstar," or even foul-mouthed, but always flawlessly-executed Raven.

There are plenty of good reasons to second-guess the actual pick, but racism on the part of RuPaul isn't one of them.

But weirdly, that is precisely what a disturbing number of people are saying, on the Drag Race Facebook page and even here in the comments at AfterElton.com.

What's the evidence? Despite selecting multi-racial casts this year and last, RuPaul's eventual winners, Sanchez and last year's Bebe Zahara Benet, were both black.

Accusing someone of racism is one of the most serious accusations you can make about a person — or so conservatives have been reminding us for the last thirty years.

We are in the era of Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Sarah Palin, and now that we have a black president, conservatives seem to have forgotten restraint; high-profile cable and talk radio commenters openly and repeatedly accuse Barack Obama and many blacks of racism and "hatred" against white people, but — Beck's genuinely paranoid delusions aside — I suspect this has more to do with making a "dog whistle" appeal to a Republican base that still includes many racists, while undercutting and de-legitimizing the whole notion of "racism" in general. Tit for tat and all that.

I'm not sure what motivates the ridiculous charge against RuPaul, except to say I think the accusation itself is a form of racism and, intended or not, it makes a mockery of the whole concept of racism.

To my 2010 mind, prejudice, whether it's against blacks or gays, boils down to this: two different sets of rules, one for the majority, one for the minority: when straight couples walk down the street holding hands, they're just sweetly in love, but when gay couples do it, they're "flaunting their sexuality" and being "provocative."

Or when rich, white Americans are required to buy health insurance, it's a full-fledged, Tea Party-crazed Constitutional crisis, but when police are allowed by the Arizona government to demand "papers" from virtually all hispanic people, well, you gotta break a few Constitutional eggs to make an omelet, right?

In other words, rather than a presumption of innocence, there's a presumption of guilt. And if you think that's a small difference, you know nothing about the history of human beings.

Because RuPaul picked two African Americans in a row as winners of his reality show, an accusation is being made about his motives that would never be made about a white host of a reality show who picked two white winners in a row. Indeed, how many white reality shows have done exactly that?

Presumption of innocence for the white person, presumption of guilt for the black one. This is literally what racism is, despite attempts by Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck to muddy the term all up.

I could quote passages from RuPaul's latest book, Workin' It! RuPaul's Guide to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Style, that indicate very clearly where his heart is on the issue of racism and even white-inclusiveness. But you know what? That would imply he somehow needs defending, even against baseless, scurrilous charges such as these.

He doesn't.

Let it go. Disagree with RuPaul all you want — just don't resort to vile racial doublespeak to do it.

*--*

On a more pleasant note --- have some Martha Wash and RuPaul:

Comments

[entwashian.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think the racism comments are stupid.

I do, however, think there's a strong element of classism within the construct of the show itself -- when it's considered okay for everyone to constantly mock Mystique for not having the "right" outfits/enough outfits, and when Jessica Wild is basically kicked in the face for not being able to speak English as well as the other contestants -- there are issues.

[anansie-s.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, yeah ... I wonder if that kind of classism is endemic to the world of professional drag in general, you know?

I don't remember Jessica Wild getting that hard a time about her English (although some of the contestants were really condescending), except from Jackie Collins. She came across *so* sleazy! Oh, and at one point Ru was seen telling Jessica that she could explain herself in Spanish -- although, heh, it sort of seemed like Ru didn't really understand the Spanish.

[entwashian.livejournal.com]

I'm sure it probably is. Looking fabulous somehow always seems to end up being about spending money.

Jackie Collins was just like the cap on the episode to me. That whole challenge was... they just dropped Jessica up a creek without a paddle. And I know that everything had to've been planned out weeks in advance, probably before Jessica was even voted onto the show. But. How do you win one week & get sent home the next? In the very week that immunity just happens to be revoked? Like I said, I know it's probably a coincidence, but with that timing, I can't help but be suspicious.

[zenkindoflove.livejournal.com]

I definitely think that throwing the race card is jumping the gun. After two seasons of this show however, I do have some problems with the judging and how they are choosing their winners. I really think Ru needs to reconsider this focus on fashion and get rid of either Merle or Santino and find someone who will not just focus on the girl's outfit choices alone. There is a lot more to being a drag queen than "knowing how to wear clothes" as Santino would put it.

My Opinion, Warning long thoughts. Sorry.

[momiji-neyuki.livejournal.com]

i have to say i agree with this post. I really never believed it was about racism. I don't think that after dealing with being gay and a drag queen Rupaul would by a hypocrite and choose her winner because she was black.

Last year Bebe really was the better lady. I would have loved to see Nina win, but the fact was she still had trouble with the English language and I honestly believed the next drag superstar should really be articulate.

Bebe is really refined no matter what color she was or is. The fact is she was the best choice for season one.

Season two I really didn't have a choice for the winner right away. I probably went with Tati, because honestly I thought her beauty was up there with last seasons contestants.

I was really turned off by all the cat fights and just general rudeness of this seasons queens. I especially did not like Raven. I thought she was crude and very unladylike in or out of drag. I thought that a lot about the ladies this year. Last year I would have been happy with anyone winning except Akisha and Rebecca, but that was a whole different ball of wax. I do have to honestly say when Tyra was called out on the Bridal show she started to change after that. She tried not to be a rude and more sensitive. She really did progress a lot and I honestly think that's why she won. Nothing to do with race at all.

[paradise-kissed.livejournal.com]

I watched both seasons of the show, and I knew from the second that Tyra was crowned that people were going to be upset over her win. There's so much of a double standard it's not even remotely funny. The commentators who are labelling Ru's decision as "racist," don't even understand that to make this accusation in of itself is racist. Also, the show was multi-cultural, everyone was included.

The fact of the matter is, Tyra deserved to win. It had nothing to do with race, and if someone is pulling that card they need to seriously consider why it bothers them so.
Would it have been better for RuPaul to choose a non-black contestant just so this sort of accusation would have been avoided? No, because that would have been unfair to real competitors.

It was obvious from watching the final episode that Tyra simply outshined Raven, performance wise. She was aware of how to work the judges and is that not what a drag queen is supposed to do?

Now, Tyra did some things in the competition that were just in bad choice but so did many of the other girls. To hold her to some unfair standards and let the others slide is unfair. If you watch the "Untucked" shows, Raven was beyond "honest" in her sizing up the competition. In my opinion, Raven's constant focus on her other competitor's weakness probably led her to thinking that she had it in the bag.

Whatever the case, RuPaul is not racist.

I think that because 2 black contestants won it was seen as something out of the ordinary even for a drag show. Why is this so? How many white contestants have won reality shows and no one dared point and say "hey that's racist!" It doesn't happen. Minorites are marginalized and if someone crosses that marginal line, despite talent and plain observation of the facts, their success is always going to be questioned.

Sorry this is so long but this just irked me.

[anansie-s.livejournal.com]

Amen to *everything* you said.

If it wasn't kind of upsetting I'd find it funny that people are trying to draw generalisations based on only two seasons. And can't seem to see the many differences between Bebe and Tyra.

(And yes, much as I loved Jujubee, I can't deny that Tyra's performance in the last episode was clearly the best).

[teddi.livejournal.com]

I think the real problem is how the show is set up. It seems based upon other shows searching for the next MODEL. Drag queens are completely different, and that's what's confusing me in how the show seems to work. We're given all this background information about the contestants, but it seems that all that matters when it comes to the competition is the runway. Really, if that's what the show is going to be based on, then just stick with that and DON'T show us more info than what the judges get. That's why people have problems with what RuPaul decides and what the viewers decide. I mean, runway only, Tyra was excellent. Personality and work ethic-wise? Quoth the Raven: "She's shit."

[anansie-s.livejournal.com]

I sort of agree, but only if we're talking about the second season... I feel like the first was a lot more personality/talent-driven.

But I feel like it can all be fixed in season 3 with more Ryan Heffington and less drama.

[kapvik.livejournal.com]

I agree that calling Tyra's win racially motivated is incorrect. Because it's not so much that "another black drag queen" won, but rather "another drag queen who is inordinately similar to RuPaul herself" won.

Personally I just feel "cheated" in a way because this competition turned out to be something completely different than what I saw it as last year. In Season 1 I genuinely bought the line that it was about whoever had the best charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent because Bebe (who has all four qualities and was an admirable contestant in all aspects) won. This year, Tyra - who is UNT, and arguagly just UN - won, because it's actually about finding the next drag supermodel, rather than an all-around drag superstar.

They snuck that one past us because Bebe is also great on the runway, on top of being awesome in plenty of other ways. With Tyra (whose only major "talent" is walking the runway) winning, the true standards of the competition are now much more obvious. And it's a fucking letdown.

[kapvik.livejournal.com]

PS: One of the anti-Santino comments on the source page is awesome.

"Santino honey? When you dress every day of your life like a junkie pimp you have a hell of a nerve saying someone else looks like a coke whore."

[purlewe.livejournal.com]

THIS is exactly how I feel about Santino. His style os so assinine that it is calling the kettle black.

[purlewe.livejournal.com]

I agree. I feel like last season was about all of the qualities of finding new talent in the drag world and giving them a chance to shine... this season was about the drama, which is one of the things that turns me off about the land of reality tv. I get that they are working with a a type of show that has a pretty standard formula.. but they kinda broke the mold and used several formulas last yr. This yr it was all about the formula, the drama, and the hate... which made me only route harder for the girls who were funny, nice, or at least honest about their passive aggressive habits (juju, I'm looking at you.)