white women’s workout: racism vs. sexism.

we know there is no real racism “versus” sexism. certainly not when you are a part of two marginalized communities. for me, they live together. in the [big house] of oppression. which is why this video was so interesting to me. this video has had quite a bit of circulation on the internet- and by internet, I obviously mean facebook. the center of the universe. as you can see, in this video, the moderately hilarious godfrey plays a fitness instructor named ty bowman. please tell me you get the tae bo reference? the video is called “the white women’s workout.”

i was genuinely amused at first- well, with the stereotypes of black men as inherently violent and over-sexualized, I could see the satire. lest we not forget emmett till and the lynchings of the early 20^th century in america, and the continued criminalization of black men. the creative use of comedy to highlight the racial stereotypes and history of black men being considered predators of white women was great. the excessive victim blaming not amusing. at all.

as ty describes his workout plan, he says that he has researched the activities of white women to tailor the program to their needs. he goes on to say that white women do “stupid” things like “sit in the park alone” and “jog when they are not supposed to be jogging” and “walk down the street by themselves.”

well. i do all of those things. and if some black (or otherwise) man jumped out of the bushes to attack me, I’d be pretty afraid too. that’s not just racism. that’s fear of being raped. that’s a result of years and years of ingrained sexism– the same sexism that has told us over and over again that walking through an alley at night is in fact an invitation for rape. sure, i get the joke, but how much funnier would the video have been without actual purse snatching? how much funnier, and more irrational would thier fear have been without an actual threat of violence?

what would this video have looked like, if he could have made the point about racism without evoking every cliche about why a woman shouldn’t go out at night alone, and why, if she does, she deserves whatever violence comes her way. the complexities of race and gender, and the intersections of racism and sexism are so nuanced. I understand that. but violence [or the perceived threat of violence] against women is just not funny. ever.