We Are Not Your Goddamn Stereotype

People of certain ethnicities, backgrounds, or variance of melanin are not automatically preset into cultural cages.

That’s just an overly complicated way of saying that, just because we are a certain race or come from a certain background, doesn’t automatically mean that we ascribe to your idea of what that means.

That line of thinking is a secret form of racism that places individuals into boxes. And the worst perpetuators of this idea are those who claim to be standing for the rights of others.

Let me tell you something you’re not going to like to hear: “People of Color” or “POC” is a disgusting term. It denotes difference. It sets a distinction between human beings. It says that anyone who isn’t white has to be lumped together with a different designation, instead of being regarded as human, first.

In short, it’s a form of segregation.

Yes, there are certain cultural norms. But these can transcend race and social class and speak to people on a personal level. Culture shifts and blends. It reaches communities and changes them, regardless of history and location. If not, we wouldn’t have many great artists who escaped expectation to become titans in their field.

So when you expect portrayals of people to fit into preset forms, and then call it “unrealistic” if said presets aren’t adhered to, what you’re actually doing is perpetuating the idea that being born into your skin is a lifelong sentence that ensures you’ll like specific art, act a specific way, and hang in specific social circles.

This is all a crude way of saying that institutionalized racism/sexism is still alive and well and running rampant in the very ivory towers that claim to be “woke”.

We are people. People come in all shapes and forms, despite their backgrounds. Some adhere to cultural norms. Others swim in different waters. But the point is, cultural identity, with all its fluidity, is not nor should not be the defining factor of being human.

It’s who we are at our cores that defines us. And that’s different for everybody. Because we are — all of us — people.

Feeling Good About Feeling Bad

Let’s be real here, folks.

The people in power don’t give a fuck about making things better for people you regard as marginalized.

They care about appearing like they’re making things better.

Putting pretty people on covers. Writing articles about this genius or that genius who comes from a poor background and still made it. Publishing works from “people of color” so they can say, “See! We do care! We are making a difference!”

Thing is though…

It’s bullshit.

The vast majority of popular art and entertainment is still run by well off white kids. They can claim to be “woke” all they want, but they’re still benefiting from a machine designed just for them. They throw in a few of us “darkies” utilizing a system called slotting, where marginalized figures are highlighted so to make the system appear like its changing.

But, really, those standouts are just pushing a certain narrative.

Notice how most of their work tends to be about whatever issue is in vogue.

A certain kind of insert what makes me mad to make the mostly upper-middle class audience feel good about feeling bad.

And does it help anything?

Maybe.

But mostly no.

The vast majority of non-white artists are still clinging to the fringes, desperate just to be seen.

Why?

Because they’re people.

People making work that has nothing to do with their race or perceived gender.

They want to write horror stories.

They want to photograph natural scenes.

They want to paint portraits of healthcare professionals after a long shift.

In short, they want the freedom to make whatever the fuck they want.

Not to be put into a box where they have to make the thing that they’re “supposed” to make.

See, “person of color” is an incredibly offensive term.

It posits a difference.

That we’re not people - not human beings - but something other.

Something less than.

You may not think that’s what it means.

But believe me.

That’s exactly what the fuck it means.

So how can this change?

Simple.

Allow for the idea that we can make whatever we want to make

Not what we’re “supposed” to make.

Allow us the same freedom as artists throughout history to create what interests us.

Regardless of our melanin content, of what’s between our legs.

Does that mean you shouldn’t make art based specifically on your life experience?

Of course not.

But you also shouldn’t be expected to be a singular thing.

Art is about subverting norms, pushing boundaries, and opening doors. It’s a field where everyone is meant to play however they want to play in it. It’s not meant to be a prison, or a dictatorship. It’s a realm of beautiful chaos.

If this bothers you, you’re part of the problem.

But you don’t have to be.