Hooray for New Yarn!

[crysthewolf]

So for the first time in evar and evar, I ACTUALLY have a bit of extra cash. I decided I want to spend a teeeeeeensy bit of it, on this site: http://www.knitpicks.com . The self-striping sock yarn makes me go oooo and aaaaaaaah. I’m so excited. I haven’t decided what I want to get yet tho. Here’s the self-striping sock-yarn section… any suggestions?

For the time being I’ve been working on the ever-elusive afghan project (no, it’s not a suicide bomber.  Elana already beat you to that joke, sorry.)  I picked a color, picked a pattern from “Beginner’s Guide - Knit Stitches and Easy Projects“, and this is what I’ve got so far:

From knitting

It makes me happy. I like the horshoe stitch in particular…

From knitting

it just feels very, flow-ey. Is that a word? And if so, am I butchering it? =)

Been mostly working it while Chris and I get caught up on Battlestar Galactica (DO NOT spoil me. I’m only just starting season 3. If you aren’t sure what you’ve seen in which season, JUST DON’T TALK ABOUT IT. I am SERIOUSLY sick of being spoiled on this show, and I WILL eat you.) I’m hoping to be caught up by the finale… and I’m equally hopeful that someone will throw a finale party.

It’s nice to be making an afghan but it’s definitely an exercise in patience. The therapist suggests DO NOT PULL OUT THE PROJECT AND START OVER.

So NOW the question becomes… do I stick with a solid color, or do I vary??? Hmmmm, decisions decisions…

Love,
Crystal

Originally published at Crystal Knits. You can comment here or there.

Comments

[crysthewolf.livejournal.com]

That's not to say that I'm never socio-culturally ignorant (or clumsy), but there's a distinct difference.

[mycybertuffet.livejournal.com]

I don't think we can really prevent ourselves from having subconscious reactions to people based on both social representations and prior experiences.

For example: I've been harassed by a lot of black men in the past. There are a lot of sociocultural reasons related to their history of oppression that contribute to this dynamic, but I can't pretend it's not there (though I've tried). This, coupled with constant exposure to gangsta rap that is deeply disrespectful and exploitative of women (again, there are a lot of other factors that contribute to this being such a continuously perpetuated image of black men in our society), has led to me feeling generally nervous and on guard when I'm around young black men who dress and speak in certain ways.

Do I *like* the fact that I have this reaction? Not at all.

Is it racist? You bet.

[crysthewolf.livejournal.com]

See, that's where I think I a) define racism differently and b) perhaps have more command of my reactions (it's not noble or anything, just something that's a part of who I am.)

I think that racism is a belief, whereas your subconscious reaction isn't necessarily controllable. Now, what you chose to DO with that is up to you (ie, whether or not you're willing to take responsibility for it, and whether or not you allow your actions to be dictated by it), but I still wouldn't call it racism. If racism is a belief that your culture is superior to others, that's rather different than associating a particular appearance or characteristic to a need for self-preservation.

[mycybertuffet.livejournal.com]

But subconscious beliefs are just as much beliefs as conscious ones. If anything, they effect us *more*.

And it's hard to draw the line between racism and not-racism. For example, at what does recognizing a problem within a culture different from our own become racism? And if you immediately find yourself internally preparing to respond to someone from that culture as though they have the same traits, is that racism, or just an intelligent way to deal with people from different backgrounds? Or both?

[crysthewolf.livejournal.com]

I honestly believe that to give racism too broad a definition causes two problems. 1- we give ourselves an excuse to discriminate (ie: "Well, maybe I shouldn't think lesser of this person because of their cultural background, but, everybody's a little bit racist, right? So it isn't THAT big a deal) and 2-we diminish the suffering of people who HAVE been racially discriminated against.

"And it's hard to draw the line between racism and not-racism. For example, at what does recognizing a problem within a culture different from our own become racism?"

At the point that you believe your culture solved that problem before their culture did because their race is "lesser" in general. And the point where you believe that your way is superior SOLELY because it is your culture's way, instead of investigating to find out if his way actually works for him.

"And if you immediately find yourself internally preparing to respond to someone from that culture as though they have the same traits, is that racism, or just an intelligent way to deal with people from different backgrounds? Or both?"

That's an interesting one... I don't know that I would call it racism at all considering that when you prepare to respond in a particular way you aren't by default considering yourself superior and your friend inferior. However, while it isn't ALWAYS bad to do this, it can be lazy and cause problems in some circumstances. Is it racist that I ask my Jewish friends if they support Israel? Not necessarily... it's a bit culturally ignorant because I'm not certain of the complete significance of Israel to Jewish culture (and, frankly, I don't know if it's going to offend them or not. It really depends on the person.) I think it'd be lazy for me to simply ASSUME that all my Jewish friends DID support Israel... but I still don't know that it would be racist (because even if they did, it doesn't make me better than them), but it would be culturally ignorant and lazy. I do think that if I assumed that all of my Jewish friends blindly supported the Nation of Israel without asking any questions... that gets a lot closer to racism (there are still some basic issues there to deal with though.)

To me, racism is believing yourself to be superior because of your culture and background. It's not the same as acknowleding cultural similarities and differences... it becomes racism when those similarities and differences make your race superior in general, in your mind, to other races.

I understand simplifying the term, I just think that it causes more problems than it solves... see my first paragraph.

[mycybertuffet.livejournal.com]

I think there's a difference between having absolutely no stigma attached to the word, and having it be just about the worst thing possible to call oneself or somebody else (other than "fat," of course, which is absurd in and of itself). We don't need to create a dichotomy that throws the baby out with the bathwater.

I disagree with the notion that something is only racist if it stems from the belief that a race is "lesser" across the board. For example, I'm a raging feminist as you know, but I still constantly find myself reacting to other women in sexist ways. Sometimes I'm able to catch myself before my reaction translates into a behavior, and sometimes I'm not. Sometimes I realize what I did long after the fact.

Another example: I'd say it's pretty racist for someone to say that black people are dumb, but are way better than whites at athletics and rhythm. And yet, at the same time, a lot of people are so terrified of being called racists that they can't acknowledge the obvious fact that African-American children, on average, do much worse than white children on IQ tests. And *that's* also a big problem, because if we don't acknowledge it, we can't do anything about it. And we also can't deny that there are obviously a whole lot more elite basketball players who are black than white.

I'd also say it's pretty antisemitic when someone says that Jews are "good with money" - and that's obviously a pretty complicated issue, as well.

As far as what you said about the Israel issue ... here are some issues that I, personally, find to be pretty challenging.

1) When I was in Egypt, I had the experience of doing a fair number of business dealings with Arabs. I learned fairly quickly that, well, their standards for honesty are different from Western ones. It's just how they do business. If I didn't approach them with that in mind, I'd have been repeatedly screwed. At the same time, assuming that an Arab is likely to be dishonest is pretty racist, isn't it?

And, of course, there's the whole can of worms of how women are treated in Moslem countries. I interviewed a Muslim man from Niger for a class several years ago. he was a product of a macho, polygamous culture that routinely debases women. And this kid hated it. He thought it was awful. It was one of the reasons he was so eager to come to America. How are we even supposed to begin to be able to sort out our feelings about this issue, and figure out what to do, if we're terrified of being labeled "racist"? It cuts off all discussion.

2) When I went to several Indian reservations when I was working for Climb, I was shocked to see how awful things were there. Drug addiction, malnutrition, broken families, violence, and unemployment were pretty much the rule, rather than the exception. The younger kids were eager and excited, but once they hit about 12 or so they became withdrawn, silent, and passive. When I asked them what they wanted to be when they grew up, most of them said "nothing." And they weren't being flippant - they meant it. One of the teachers told me that a couple of companies had come in from outside to try and create some jobs, but it didn't work out because the Indians didn't really have an understanding of the work ethic that was expected of them (i.e. not showing up, showing up late, etc. etc. etc.)

Clearly, there are a lot of problems there. For a variety of reasons that are pretty much our fault, the culture is deeply wounded on a broad scale. But lots of people would be afraid to say anything about Indians other than to talk about how noble and connected to the Earth they are. That doesn't solve the problem. AND - at the same time, if you're not careful, concern for the American Indian population can very easily devolve into into condescension. Or, in the case of a lot of the teachers on the reservation who had gotten burned out, anger, frustration, and contempt. But that doesn't change the fact that in order for outsiders to make a difference, some pretty broad changes need to occur within the culture - which, ideally, we could help with. And, yes, it's racist and condescending to say that. And it also needs to be said.

[crysthewolf.livejournal.com]

"I'd also say it's pretty antisemitic when someone says that Jews are "good with money" - and that's obviously a pretty complicated issue, as well."

Again, is it "anti-semetic" or is it stereotyping? Something about the "anti" in that makes me think that that's a much stronger term than what we're dealing with here.

[mycybertuffet.livejournal.com]

It's anti-semitic because of all the baggage that comes along with it. Most of time time when people say that, they mean it as a backhanded compliment. "Good with money" is code for "rich" and "disproportionately powerful." And from "disproportionally powerful" it's only a tiny quarter-step to "suspiciously powerful." "Rich" is often code for "to be resented because of their money."

It's also a stereotype that's been the basis of antisemitic purges for a millenium. Leni Riefenstahl used it as the inspiration for her visual metaphors of thousands of rats overrunning civilized cities, frenziedly burrowing and wriggling into all the nooks and crannies they could find and gobbling away at every crumb of food the poor, honest working people had to eat. A few years ago, a man sitting next to me on a plane, who had only met one Jew before, asked me - not meanly, he was very polite and genuinely curious - if it's true that Jews run the world. A month after I moved to North Carolina, a girl in my seventh grade class, upon overhearing the word "Jewish," from someone or other, piped up "Jews are rich!" Nobody disputed her. While it wasn't an antisemitic thing for her to say by any means - she was only twelve and didn't know any better - you can imagine how her feelings might change around that assumption if she retained it into adulthood. Particularly if she was experiencing some economic hard times ... and if she started hearing names like "Madoff." (This is why so many of us are so incredibly ashamed and frightened in the wake of the Madoff scandal. It can be a disarmingly short path from "Jews are good with money," to "Jews are rich," to "Jews are rich and we're not, something's fishy," to "It's the Jews' fault we don't have any money." The thoughts are so close together that they can easily wind up flowing into each other.

And that's where stereotyping and racism can meet.

But at the same time, it's undeniable that Jews are, well, disproportionately well-off in this country. Yet if people don't allow themselves to bring those thoughts and feelings into the light of their conscious minds for exploration, they'll just fester in the dark outside of a person's awareness. And, most likely, wind up doing a lot more damage.

[crysthewolf.livejournal.com]

"think there's a difference between having absolutely no stigma attached to the word, and having it be just about the worst thing possible to call oneself or somebody else (other than "fat," of course, which is absurd in and of itself). We don't need to create a dichotomy that throws the baby out with the bathwater."

Mm. I'm not really aiming for a black-and-white (uh, no pun intended?) way of dealing with the issue. I don't think that "racist" IS the absolute worst thing we can say about something or someone... but at the same time I think that "racist" is a serious term and needs to continue to be treated as such.

I'm thinking more about introspection than I am about accusation, if that makes sense. If I'm saying something or doing something that is literally racist, then I need to examine myself and, in the end, quit fucking doing that thing. If I'm stereotyping? Maybe I need to quit and maybe I don't.

[crysthewolf.livejournal.com]

When you boil it down it's really a matter of semantics, and, truth be told, I don't think the world is going to end if the word "racism" is downplayed or if it isn't. You have a particular view of semantics in the issue and I have a different one. I think we've both got some pretty good points, and BECAUSE we've got such good points, I don't know that I see either of us really changing our minds on the issue completely, but hopefully we've both given one another some things to chew on.

That's a really long way of saying "let's agree to disagree", but I get tired of people saying that because it usually means someone's angry or gotten their feelings hurt and I don't think either of us have. I just think we're both saying the same things over and over again and we both get each other's point, we just don't see it the same way. :)

[mycybertuffet.livejournal.com]

Stereotyping isn't racist in and of itself. It's the deceptive ease with which it can - and very often does - quietly slip into racism that's the issue. We've all got some stereotypes rattling around in our brains that have started to edge into grayish territory. And that can exert a very dramatic effect on the world. That's why it's so utterly crucial to be aware of our our prejudices and blind spots. And we've all got 'em :-).

[mycybertuffet.livejournal.com]

At the same time, we can't rake ourselves over the coals too much - our brains are hard-wired to create heuristics for reacting to and dealing with the world based on available information. Stereotyping is normal, and even, often, helpful. Stereotypes help us hone our instincts and make rapid decisions of vital importance. So I feel like the answer isn't to deny that it's happening, but to be extra aware of it in ourselves so we can effectively combat it with other means of decision-making when our subconscious, knee-jerk reactions are inappropriate to the circumstances.

[crysthewolf.livejournal.com]

Which is again why I wouldn't call it racism. Stereotyping I might accept, by a very, very basic definition. But I still find it important to draw a distinction. I don't know that I really think "racist" is a word that should be treated casually.

[mycybertuffet.livejournal.com]

I disagree - I think it needs to become much less of a hot-button word. People are so terrified of getting labeled as "racist" that it's actually preventing us as a society from having meaningful discussions about race. If we're terrified of being "racist," we can't even begin to look at ourselves as we really are, and to honestly and productively deal with those issues and feelings. The *desire* to not be racist, while admirable, is not at all the same as actually not being racist. I can't just rid myself of racism and be done with it; it's a continuous process within myself. But if I'm so terrified of this extraordinarily loaded term, I can't even begin.

I think it's much more fruitful if people are able to say, "Yup, I'm racist. And so are you. Let's talk about it."

[crysthewolf.livejournal.com]

Mmmm... I don't think the problem is that it's a hot-button word, I think the problem is that it's too broadly defined. People SHOULD be concerned if they can define themselves as racist. However, people should also be concerned with knowing what racism is and isn't, and not consider themselves racist simply because they notice differences between cultures.

[mycybertuffet.livejournal.com]

I would argue that you can't separate thoughts and behaviors into neat categories of "racist" and "not racist."

[mycybertuffet.livejournal.com]

For example, a lot of the time you'll hear black people or gay people who have done a lot of work on themselves talk about their own internalized, subconscious racism or homophobia - and how its continuous effect on them, along with their struggle with it, is just a fact of their lives.

I even have a bit of internalized antisemitism, truth be told.

[crysthewolf.livejournal.com]

I tend to consider that "reverse racism"... the belief that someone ELSE'S culture is superior. And I can understand it (hell, I've dealt with it.) It definitely exists. However noticing that your culture is DIFFERENT doesn't by default make you racist or reverse-racist. It's the "superiority" or "inferiority" question that, to me (and to most dictionaries... ;) ), defines racism

[mycybertuffet.livejournal.com]

But it's impossible to have any sort of values system for ourselves without having, at one point, deciding to view this belief or behavior as "superior," relative to that one, which is "inferior." Our value are based on what we find superior and inferior.

The only way to avoid any sort of judgment, and, hence, racism, is to subscribe to a position of pure moral relativism. This is 1) logically impossible, because by doing so you're inherently judging people who believe certain things are right and wrong as "inferior," and 2) obviously problematic. While I certainly don't agree with the right-wing view that the term "moral relativism" is gross and evil, and I think that a large dose of moral relativism is essential in understanding the world and treating people fairly, we'd be in for some major trouble if we allowed it to exist in pure form.

[mycybertuffet.livejournal.com]

Sorry - my stupid brain won't stop running.

Anyway, another point on using superiority vs. inferiority as a litmus test for racism: Asian women are highly sexualized and even fetishized by a lot of people. And it's racist. Even though being viewed as attractive is a positive thing, and even if white men are viewing them as "superior" to white women, it's still racist.

On the other hand, it's not racist for people to express appreciation at the contributions that African-Americans have made to music, or that Asians have made to technology, or whatever.

Well, it can be.

But depends on how it's done.

There's a lot of gray area, and the potential for a slide into racism always exists, for everyone.

STUPID BRAIN ... LET ME GET SOME WORK DONE!

[mycybertuffet.livejournal.com]

Another thought: a great deal of our humor consists of racially-or-ethnically-based jokes. Howard and Rajesh's parents on "Big Bang Theory," for example, or just about all of Harold and Kumar. Whenever we poke fun at an ethnic group's quirks, however gently, the mere fact that we find them mock-able means that we're placing a value judgment on their behavior. But at the same time, laughing together at ourselves and each other, and recognizing reality for what it is, can be tremendously cathartic. And at its best, racially-infused can do a tremendous amount to open up dialogue.

For example, your "Tyrone! What's yo' daddy's name?!" story (which I think is HILARIOUS) is at least partially making fun of AAVE - which means that there's an implicit judgment that standard English is superior. So, yeah, it's racist. Not super-racist. Not dangerously racist, or damagingly racist. But racist.

And still funny.

And it's also an example of why we ought to de-charge the word just a bit. That way, we can call a spade a spade without the spade, y'know, rising up and stabbing us through the eye, or whatever.

Re: STUPID BRAIN ... LET ME GET SOME WORK DONE!

[crysthewolf.livejournal.com]

What's AAVE?

I've always thought that the joke in that story was that the whole situation was entirely preposterous... not anything to do with the race of the woman in question. For all I know she was a blonde-haired blue-eyed anglo lady. Hell, for all I know Tyrone's British. Frankly, whether the story's funny or not, if it's being taken as a slam against African-American culture then I'm going to quit telling it (note my social ignorance. ;) )

I do think that there's a fine line when it comes to racially or ethnically based humor. I think that when it comes to the place where a person is actually made to look down upon themselves because of their own culture due to comments or humor, this is racism, and it's bad. And yes, the line is fuzzy and I get that. But I do still think it exists in there somewhere.

What you said earlier about Asian women I think I don't call racism outright because I think that there is a more approrpiate word for that which ISN'T so charged... Stereotyping. Stereotyping can be a problem or it can be very useful. It becomes racism or not dependant upon how it's used.

I do get where you're coming from and I think you have a valid point. I'm just really hung up on this idea that if we begin to broaden the definition of racism so that it includes anything at all that regards one culture as DIFFERENT than another culture (instead of one culture being superior) or even something that simply makes an ASSUMPTION about another person based on the culture that they come from... I think that it doesn't take power AWAY from racism.. it gives power TO it. It gives us an excuse to keep being racist (all of us, not just majorities) and it brings progress in regards to equality to a screeching halt. While it's a noble idea to diminish the power of the word "racist", I don't think we're doing it by broadening the definition.

I kinda tend to think that calling every instance of stereotyping racism, spits in the face of people who have suffered racial discrimination (like, say, being told they could only sit in the back of the bus.) And I'm not saying "Stereotyping is okay and racism is bad". I'm simply saying that they're not the same thing, and that if we want a less charged term for what we tend to call "racism", then we ought to call these things what they really are instead of stretching racism to cover them.

Am I making sense? I'm really tired this evening and I wanted to say something before you had the entire conversation all by yourself, LOL. =D

[crysthewolf.livejournal.com]

Off topic... oh the random shit that inspires a social-commentary discussion on this blog. ;)

[mycybertuffet.livejournal.com]

LOL - I know. I made a joke, you made a joke, and now, somehow, an enormous amount of time in which I should have been working has been mysteriously sucked away.

[crysthewolf.livejournal.com]

Bwaaaaa ha ha ha ha... it's our way. ;)

unfortunately I had to set all my livejournal-response messages to auto-archive in Gmail so that I would actually GET some work done... but that's because I can't stand to see an "unread message" count in my inbox. ;)