Something amazing happened today; I discovered the power of white denial and cultural self-exclusion. This discovery was the result of a debate that started over the Where Have All The Bootboys Gone?[i] Exhibition at the London College of Communication, University of the Arts.
The exhibition was described as a viewing of ‘the historical and cultural origins of skinhead identity’ through a ‘comprehensive collection of skinhead paraphernalia […] set to debunk myths about a sometimes misunderstood subculture.’ I went to see it, and it was interesting but shoddy. It did not debunk any myths. It showed a sterile series of magazines, photographs and items from the 1970s and 80s while innocuous ska music played in the background. There was also a talk which incited some strong opinions and raised a couple of eyebrows and that’s about it.
The debate started when discussing the exhibition with a POC* member of staff, let’s call him Fred**, and a couple of non-POCs, Emma** and Dave** who work at the university. Fred admitted how offensive he found the exhibition, especially as the era portrayed was during his formative years and the images caused flashbacks to his youth, racial oppression and violence at the time. He further stated that he was offended, along with other ethnic minority colleagues, due to the nature of the content emphasising style and culture, because to them, separation of the Neo-Nazi aspect from the iconic images was not possible. More disconcertingly, the organisers saw fit to exhibit the works during October which, in the UK, has traditionally always been Black History Month. Emma and Dave piped up at this point with several lines of defence;
- ‘Why didn’t the ethnic minorities speak up during the consultation of the exhibition?’ (What consultation?)
- ‘Surely we cannot live in a world where such things are allowed to happen?!?’ (Is this where we hold hands and sing Kumbaya?)
- ‘The exhibit was meant to be artistic.’ (So is this[ii] but I doesn’t make it acceptable)
- ‘The system/institution/art is not innately racist??! It was a mistake!’ (Yes, so was slavery.)
The point where Dave likened his being bullied, due to the fact that he is balding to being black, is where I truly lost composure. A receding hairline will not increase your chances of being stopped and searched[iii] (Bowling and Phillips: 2007)[iv] (EHRC: 2010)[v]; it will not increase your chances of being stopped for ‘driving while black’ (Warren et al, 2006)[vi]; and I will even go as far as to say that it will not reduce your chances of getting a job[vii]. Furthermore, people will not move to the other side of the street at night because a person is balding, or clutch their belongings closer to them. Folically challenged people are also less likely to have to make decisions as to whether to get wet because putting a hood up is seen as predatory. I must have beenscreaming raising my voice by this point because Emma teared up and her chin started to wobble. Uh-oh.
And that is when I became acquainted with the phenomenon known as ‘White Woman Tears’. Mamta Motwani Accapadi has written a beautifully argued piece on this here and a less subtle but equally thought-provoking piece by Abagondcan be found here.
The overarching lesson from this incident for me is that while discourse is great, change can only happen if all participants are willing to listen. Empathy is not just about identifying with another’s situation, it is about being able to put oneself in another’s shoes, or shackles, and walking that mile towards consciousness.
* That’s Person of Colour for the less discerning.
** Names have been changed to protect the innocent.
————————————————————————————————————————————————
[i] http://blogs.arts.ac.uk/london-college-of-communication/2013/10/18/preview-where-have-all-the-bootboys-gone/
[ii] http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/tate-modern-to-stage-racist-exhibition-1793497.html
[iii] http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/jun/12/police-stop-and-search-black-people
[iv] Bowling, B. and Phillips, C. (2007) Disproportionate and Discriminatory: Reviewing the Evidence on Police Stop and Search The Modern Law Review, 70(6) pp. 936 – 961
[v] Equality and Human Rights Commission (2010) A critical review of the use of stop and search powers in England and Wales London: EHRC
[vi] Warren et al. (2006) Driving While Black: Bias Processes and Racial Disparity in Police Stops Criminology, 44, (3) pp. 709 – 738
[vii] http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/feb/21/lawrence.ukcrime1
Freshly Ground 