Kartina Richardson (c. 1986?- ) is an American writer and film-maker. She is best known for writing about film. Her work has appeared on “Ebert Presents: At the Movies”, Salon, Loop21 and Jezebel. She is a huge fan of Fred Astaire, Jean Cocteau and the Thin Man. She quotes Plutarch and James Baldwin.
Her writing sometimes wanders and gets lost in the grass, but it has enough insight that it keeps you going. Her review of “Black Swan” (2010) was particularly good. She tells us why we like the Thin Man films (if we do) and why Americans did back then when they came out in the 1930s and 1940s. She is a huge film nerd who grew up watching European and old American films.
But better than any of that is that she often talks about race in her reviews. Most reviewers either overlook racism or excuse it. Not her. As much as she likes Fred Astaire, for example, she does not buy the idea that his use of blackface was “non-condescending”. There was no such thing in a land where Jim Crow was in full swing. She does, however, try to avoid sounding morally condemning. She likes how Louis C.K. talks about racism.
She knows about acceptable blackness, Black Sidekicks, Noble But Boring Blacks, the White Default, how “positive” stereotypes are harmful, what it is like not seeing people who look like you in film, the attraction for artists of colour to be “universal”, all of that. She even knows who Ota Benga is.
Her father is black, a professor of European history, a descendant of Virginian slaves. Her mother is Chinese Malaysian. Growing up she was cut off from the Asian side of her family. It is why she hates “The Joy Luck Club” (1993): it reminds her of that fact and why it is important to know your roots, your history.
Americans mainly see her as Asian. She has never been called the n-word. She is clearly familiar with the perpetual foreigner and model minority stereotypes. On the other hand, she grew up on the black side of her extended family and seems to know more about anti-black racism than anti-Asian racism. She knows how Americans are uncomfortable with mixed-race people.
The first time she saw slave quarters she was shocked and shakened by how new they looked – slavery was not all that long ago.
In 2013 she wrote about the White Default in Salon: “How can white Americans be free?” Whites regard themselves as the default. They see themselves as “normal”, “neutral” and “objective”. That seriously undermines their cultural identity and understanding of race. It also places them beyond history, making them unable to come to terms with that history, with the pain it has caused:
In order to see a person you must see the truth of their pain. If you deny their pain, you refuse to see them. This is what makes black people invisible. And black invisibility is what makes white pain invisible to black people.
Thanks to commenter lifelearner for linking to the Salon article, bringing it to my attention.
– Abagond, 2013.
See also:
- Some of her stuff:
- “How can white Americans be free?” (2013)
- “Dear Drapers, Love Carla” (2010) – about “Mad Men”, the first thing I can remember reading by her.
- her websites:
- Mirror Film – some of her reviews
- This Moi – her blog
- Ota Benga
- tropes she knows about:
- The perpetual foreigner stereotype
- The model minority stereotype
- blackface
- acceptable blackness
- The White Default
- being universal
- Black Sidekicks
- Noble But Boring Blacks
- Jim Crow
- Reading Plutarch
- mixed-race identities
- colour-blind child rearing
The concept of “white pain” is an interesting concept that she touches on. There is a price to pay to be white, and it is not just “white guilt”.
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Yay for Kartina. She sold me an extra pair of tickets she had (at the last minute, when they were already sold out) for the Newport Jazz Festival back in 2007. The girl’s alright with me.
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“perpetual foreigners”… Yes, that’s how people with North African and Asian origins are viewed in France. Different from “Blacks” (people with African origins, either from the Caribbean, from the Reunion Island and elsewhere), who are “accepted” (brackets mean it’s condescending) in the “adoptive” sense, as “perpetual children” who must be taught “how to be French”, so-called “integration”, when the word means that the host takes you in, not the opposite… So integration seldom happens, because the host rarely welcomes you… I’ll check Kartina Richardson’s stuff later.
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I’ve read “How can white Americans be free”. It was very interesting as I had never thought of them as being not free.
Thinking about it now, makes me think of Barack Obama’s race speech, and how ridiculous it seemed when he spoke about white people’s pain. Maybe it wasn’t so ridiculous. I’ll have to go back and read it.
White pain is self-inflicted. If white freedom means black freedom, white people would rather hurt.
It’s like Booker T. Washington said a long time ago: “You can’t hold a man down, without staying down with him.”
She also had a very good interpretation of the movie “Spring Breakers” which my husband and I couldn’t make anything of other than it depicting a bunch spoiled white kids.
I pretty much agree with her interpretation of the movie. Although, I’m not sure it was the writer’s intent.
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Found it, thanks abagond!
Wow, i was in awe after reading her article, “White Default” on salon.com.
Its a different perspective i never really thought of in regard to white people as needing to be set, free.
They can only set themselves free, we as black people and other people of color, have no control of that.
I agree with you, solesearch. white “pain” is self-inflicted, ( quotes meaning, if you could call it, pain. ) Being their white pain is white privilege, being the default in all.
I do however, think what Kartina Richardson is trying to say, when she points it out as pain, is how it hurts white people, not so much as it being the pain, that black people and other people of color’s pain.
I thought about abagond’s article, https://abagond.wordpress.com/2009/10/31/how-racism-helps-and-hurts-white-people in correlation with how i see white people in regarding them as a race of people that are in crisis.
I also thought the piece where Kartina, points out the lack of an identity that white people don’t seem to have, therefore stealing from minority groups was very profound.
I’m reading a few other articles she wrote on salon.com 🙂
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A very influential woman and a great woman to look up to. She is a great role model to all young girls. These last words of the post:”In order to see a person you must see the truth of their pain. If you deny their pain, you refuse to see them. This is what makes black people invisible. And black invisibility is what makes white pain invisible to black people” are great!
These words really hit me and no, as a Black person I don’t see the pain of a White person and vice versa. I wish Whites could really see us as completely human instead of something that is strange and abnormal and try to get rid of institutionalized racism for good. I really wish we could live in a society where racism is done with and we judge others by their character. Sadly I believe that many if not most White Americans don’t actually want to live in a society free from racism unless they benefit and stay on top.
@Solesearch
Good words! Excellent wording. However I believe that most Whites want to have a society free from racism only to their own benefit. When I mean only to their own benefit, I mean if only they could stay on top economically, socially and politically without having to deal with racism.
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@Sondis
I love and agree with your points, I never saw Whites as a group to be set free because they are supposedly a group of people in AmeriKKKlan that has had privileges over minorities. However I believe that giving up White privilege is a painful thing for them to do because let’s face it, they have always benefit from White privilege. Most of them, I am sure, want to get rid of racism from our society but at the least time they don’t want to give up the privileges they have over minorities,
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With regards to the whole ‘perpetual foreigner’ perception surrounding members of certain ethnic groups, I myself have noticed that when I am taken for being a non-Black PoC, I also usually receive questions as to my nationality (umm…American?).
Also, I agree with Ms Richardson that many Americans seem to be uncomfortable with mixed-race people. My being of mixed descent is rarely a first guess for Americans (… or even for many immigrants). Their guesses almost always concern nationality….In my entire life only two people have discerned that I’m mixed: one was a Guyanese man, the other was a guy from Ireland.
I think a lot of Americans feel that is insulting to someone to ask if she/he is of mixed descent . Or, perhaps, many Americans are simply in denial as to the degree of intermixing that has, realistically, been taking place for centuries here in the US.
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” In order to see a person you must see the truth of their pain. If you deny their pain, you refuse to see them. Very profound and eloquently stated. Never heard of this young woman, will check out some more of her writing.
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Abagond…Thank or this introduction to Kartina Richardson. I’d not heard of her before — I am grateful that I now have.
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There must be a prettier girl in the world. I’ve just never seen one.
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@Kiwi,
Are you sure you want to paint all Blasians and Eurasians with such a broad brush?
Actually, I am sure that even Abagond would label Ms. Richardson as a rather racist person as well (as he has labelled himself). She has to be somewhat racist in order to write about things she does. And the fact that she feels spurned by her Malaysian Chinese family and has delved more into anti-black racism rather than anti-Asian racism suggests that she has formulated racist-related opinions and beliefs.
Still, I wouldn’t use her as the representative example of all U.S. Blasians no more than I would use the U.S. Eurasian individuals that you have met to represent the universe of them. To formulate a broad based statement that the latter is more racist is also itself a racist belief. You are using specific examples to confirm pre-existing beliefs in your head (ie, confirmation bias).
I could use the same example to confirm that Asians are much more racist than Blacks, but I won’t do this.
I like to read what she writes for her insight, but not for confirmation bias purposes.
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🙂
Peace
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have similar experiences far a she in the family sense. My mother was shunned for her involvement with my father. Like Katrina I look more obviously Korean than black but identify as black. The comment about eurasian being racist I’ve heard of but found to be as not so true. My half white cousins and others I’ve met aren’t the least bit. They are actually uncomfortable with fetishization. The favoritism if you have more Europeans features compared to having more dominated Asian features can be blatant. I seen this with first hand account how my girlfriend who by the way is mixed, has such beautiful genes. Rarely are my cousin who’s biracial who has a stronger Asian phenotype.
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I skim-read her article. I think she is onto something. I agree with her about White people feeling as if their race makes them raceless, cultureless and bland. They often feel this `need’ to explore, take and borrow things from other cultures because they feel Whiteness has none of this.
I think the quote is very powerful. I feel it has a lot of truth to it. If anyone were to deny the pain I have been through with racism, I would feel they refuse to see me. After all, if they deny it all, they deny my existence because it has shaped my entire life and who I am as a person today.
@ Cornlia
Interesting you should mention `perpetual children’. When I was in France, I really felt I was treated that way even though I would fit the category of `perpetual foreigner’ more. I thought I had friends until I realised that they were constantly trying to force me into being `the right way’. To make me more `normal’, i.e. French. Giving all sorts of unsolicited advice on every topic imaginable.
As for the Blasians vs Eurasians. I’ve spoken to both Blasians and Eurasians online, but it seems Blasians are far more likely to identify as Black only. I think this is in part due to `mixed race’ communities always assuming White has to be a part of that mix. Another part due to them being treated as Black by the rest of society due to their skin and hair.
Due to the huge numbers of Eurasians I have spoken to, yes, some of them have been racist or have shown signs of buying into all the excuses White people have for racism. Or happily playing into the model minority stereotypes. When I was younger, I used to be one of them.
Many have admitted to their Asian parent being racist towards dark-skinned people, but are usually very ashamed and embarrassed about that.
The only pattern I found was that, if they had experienced bad racism, they were usually not racist. If they had not experienced racism or only light racism (e.g. racist jokes among friends), they were more likely to excuse White people and come up with all sorts of explanations APART from racism. e.g. If the former person was talking about schoolmates singing `Ching chong, ching chong!’ at them, the latter would say something like `How do you know it was racist or hateful? Maybe they were trying to make friends with you by making an effort to speak your language!’ Perhaps a slight exaggeration, but you get the idea… Then there were those who had experienced both light stuff and heavy stuff, but had yet to make a connection between the two, so were still excusing the racism of others towards them.
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“I wouldn’t make the huge error of saying I know very much about Blasian or Eurasian Americans, despite all the knowledge I’ve tried to gather about them. That would be as unwise as a mixed-race American — albeit knowledgeable — feeling as though they know more about the experiences and definitions of Asians and mixed-race blacks from the UK.”
– – –
Yeah, it’s probably best just to let this thing go and not take it from thread to thread. The truth is anybody can have an opinion concerning who is called what, and that’s exactly what’s causing this amount of friction: my personal opinion, which is based on my understanding of the word “ethnicity”. People can and do refer to themselves in any way of their choosing, and i have never run up behind them and told them that they aren’t allowed to refer to themselves in that way. I do however have a right to my opinion on labelling to voice that opinion. I was commenting on Yorkshire pudding and you got unhappy about it because you wanted to focus on the ancient English dish of chicken tikka masala and Bangaldeshi British phrases. I myself never said anything about knowing more about the experiences of others (a straw man), unless, of course, you consider my opinion on labeling practices the same thing as “feeling as though [I] know more about the experiences and definitions of Asians and mixed-race blacks from the UK”. Try debating without resorting to the use of logical fallacy too often — especially the straw man arguments and the appeals to emotion.
So, let’s just end this right here and I won’t bother digging up and showing evidence for your numerous acts of plagiarism over the last couple of years, OK?
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@ Fiamma
Thank you for the examples. They are helpful.
@ Bulanik
1. I deleted two of your comments where you question Fiamma’s motives or make light of them.
2. Fiamma’s examples are pretty damning. I have unwittingly repeated things I have read, using some of the same words and phrases, but not to that level of detail. I still put things the way I would say it.
The dyslexia thing I could maybe buy, but attacking Fiamma makes it seem like you have a guilty conscience. Plagiarism is serious. Someone who did it unknowingly would be embarrassed and apologetic, not trying to turn the tables.
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hey Bulanik,
it’s one thing to say “yes, I did it”
but please, don’t prostrate or further explain yourself to anyone, hold your head up, apologize and move on… at this point, you can just put quotes around your statements and include the links.
your intent was honest and I believe most of us here on the blog who respect you, get that —
for those people who you have a negative history with and feel “giddy” about you being put on blast … let them have their minute of joy and then tell them to “f’ck off”… everyone makes mistakes and no one on this site is perfect or has all the answers.
I am glad when you bring in information that I wasn’t aware of, no matter where it comes from, and you also bring in your perspective, which adds to the discussions. Keep doing you.
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@Bulanik; I appreciate your commentary. I learn so much from you. Keep doing what you do.
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@ Bulanik
I also always appreciate reading your comments. I do not think that your reaction to being attacked proves you have a guilty conscience. Most people, when accused of things they are NOT guilty of, tend to react angrily.
@ Kiwi
Thanks for the long reply! I’ll respond to you in the open thread later as it’s off-topic.
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@Linda,
@Mary,
@Iris
Iris said:
Yes, correct.
Fiamma made 3 serious accusations, and Abagond wanted me to “own” up to to them even though they are untrue/done unwittingly. We have to look at why anyone would want me to own up to what is untrue about inner myself.
And, what comments have been deleted, that identify how common plagiarism is on this blog-site; what commentaries have been silenced?
Before I forget, I vaguely recall a female blogger once or twice telling Abagond that his posts reminded her of the very subjects that she’d originally written about on her own blog previously. But she didn’t make a meal out of it, or encourage other commenters to do that to him either.
***************************************************************************************************
@Abagond
Please delete ALL comments on this blog-site made by me up until 23rd May, 2013.
Please delete each and every statement, personal account, question, answer, video and link provided by this commenter, on ALL THREADS.
Thank you.
***********
In doing the above, note that:
1) it’s not for you to judge your commenters from a position of moral superiority. As you judge others, so shall you also be judged. And,
2) you have no entitlement to make a “patsy” out of me because I do not flatter you.
Thank you.
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@ Bulanik
1. I did not demand anything from you. I was making sense of your behaviour to determine whether your plagiarism was real or just an honest mistake.
2. I will make the requested deletions but not right away. I am away from my computer at the moment.
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The examples from Fiamma are devastatingly acurate…I mean really, we could start discecting other posts and find plenty of examples…
Again, what is the most revealing is the way Fiamma was maliciously belittled, and, eventualy in a post now deleted, deceivingly linked up with me , as though Im some dark force, when me and Fiamma have had very little comunication. This is conniving and manipulative behaviour…something going on for a couple of years now
Yeah, it smells, now you have to question everything, the anecdotal evidence, it all could have been googled up, who is the real person? You dont think this doesnt happen out on the internet? False itendities, false background information, false anecdotes to get sympathy
It just leaves a dirty feeling…nobody wants to give Fiamma credit for the good work she did digging away to reveal deceit…nobody really wants to look at the truth about this, and all the real ramifications and betrayals…and now trust is broken…after this, after the crap Ive had to put up with , I dont trust any cyber blip on here and your beltting half baked political agendas…
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No, Kwamla, you haven’t missed anything….it sucks that we may lose a contributor that brings so much to this blog…regardless if some of it is cut and paste, the information is still relevant.
As far as I’m concerned, the integrity has been ruined, not by accusations and examples of plagiarism, but by the high school catty-ness that’s called the “BR vs Bulanik show”… the integrity continues to be compromised because BR has not yet realized he needs to get over himself and Bulanik is acting childish because BR won’t let the Bulls’it go.
Fiamma came in and said what she wanted to say and called it a day; but BR keeps “going and going” like the energizer bunny and Bulanik is reacting as if, at the end of the day, BR’s opinions have any impact on her life.
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@Bulanik
How can I say this?
I like/appreciate your PRESENCE here. We don’t agree on everything – but who does? As far as you and I are concerned, we seem to possess an unspoken (until now) mutual RESPECT for one another. That counts for a LOT in my book!
As such, and as usual, I have to agree with much of the tone – if not all – of what my friend Kwamla says. He has a way, like you, of nailing things down – or putting more light on the subject!
I, too, do not see the benefit in deleting your recorded comments. It’s part and parcel of what make this blog – THIS blog.
Always do what is on your heart to do – however and whatever that may be. You only need to answer to your self and to your Creator.
xo
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Oh really, Linda?
For two years Ive been called a stalker, racist, oppesor, sexist, and people were told over and over I “belittled her as a black woman”….
I dont get any vindication of these manipulating deceiving lies, especialy from you ,now , Linda…did you ever think that until I get some kind of vindication for the lies then Im going to have to speak the truth loudly
This from you Linda on another thread
“fuk Brazil…only joking B. R.”….out from no where. Linda, how would you feel if I just out of no where said “fuk jamaica, fuk Honduras…only joking Linda”…even now , knowing it hypithetical I bet you winced inside…so what kind of resentments are you carrying against me, Linda? I just dont trust your judgement about me at all…you had genuine feelings for someone who turned out to be malicious and deceiving…Im sorry you feel you have to implicate me….Linda, Id like to hear how you feel to be labeled a stalker, have someone like hannu barrell in and make incriminating statements and just end up stepping on himself doing it, like the othewr person I forgot, did the same thing, trying to defend these ridiculous accuasations? Id like to know how you think you are suposed to react…so we are suposed to act like Protistants, and sweep it under the rug and not say anything…yeah, I am going to say something, and my defensive anntena is all up for the kind of flak coming my way….like from you
Legion, Ive been crossed checked every time I use some referance , so, I have to use the name with caution
but also, lets get seriously for real, people do create totaly false itentities on the internet and even represent their sex differantly…the internet has so much information that anyone could pretend to be something they are not…I mean can you really blame me for thinking of all the options of what the truth could be after the crap Ive put up with? Even at its most minimum, plagiarising posts and maliciously going after Fiamma about getting the truth to come out, is extremly revealing and damaging…
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@ bulanik,
OMG, this is about B.R.? Or about any other individual?
There are some people you can have dialogue with, and some, which, well, are more difficult.
If you want, just interact with the people you want to, and ignore the rest. Let things go, unless you really want to have THAT conversation. No problem with that. Many people, myself included, have enjoyed your comments.
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The reason we are having this discusion is absolutly not because of B. R.
” she brought in so much information” plagiarised to make it look like her thoughts
“even though it was cut and paste”….hahaha what kind of denial is going on here?
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What the heck is going on with this blog?
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Please continue discussion about the Bulanik plagiarism controversy on the Open Thead where it belongs.
Any further posts on it here will be deleted.
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“BR,
fuk Brazil…only joking B. R.”….out from no where. Linda, how would you feel if I just out of no where said “fuk jamaica, fuk Honduras…only joking Linda”…even now , knowing it hypithetical I bet you winced inside…so what kind of resentments are you carrying against me, Linda? I just dont trust your judgement about me at all…you had genuine feelings for someone who turned out to be malicious and deceiving”
Linda says,
BR, you continue to sound like a whiny child…do you really think I care about what you think about me or if I truly care about what you say about me or my country(s)… grow up!
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I read the article and was blown away!
However,
The comment section–rinse and repeat! Cognitive dissonance, grammatical ‘explain-aways’ about grammar and the “structure” of her writing…complete WHITE DENIAL!
Some of My favorites: (not in order)
“I am white and I understand the concept about being white as the default position in life. However, much of this essay is so poorly written it was hard to follow. Sorry.”
“I absolutely agree, what strikes just from these ‘conversations’/comment sections when race comes up is how uncomfortable and taken aback most white people are with being ‘subjects’, being observed and *reduced* in the same way non-whites in America are as a matter of course. I think if more white people who have this reaction pondered the disempowering effect they feel in that moment they would get a glimpse of what essays like this are on about, and how it would feel to carry that load everyday since birth.” 🙂
“White people do not care….why can’t you grasp that concept ?
This article wass just another piece of drivel, interspersed with lies. I know many Italians and, believe me, they are damm proud of their heritage and have a culture quite different from the English or Germans who live in the US. Mosty white people are just so tired of the constant whining from minorities that they have just tuned you out.”
“So is the point of this essay to disempower white people?”
“It might have been worth hearing the first hundred times writers of various races voiced the same complaints, but now it’s just tired and trite. It doesn’t add to the conversation in any meaningful way.”
“It’s very tempting to report this writer to the SPCA, but I’m not sure it’s actually considered cruel to beat a dead horse.”
“Wow, this is great satire, I hope.”
*********************
I could really go on with this…but these comments are 2013! 2013! Do you see how plainly this was laid out? How non-threatening and everything else white ppl say they need to “understand” ppl of color and when you DO it? Their privilege still gives them the right to REFUTE! DISMISS YOU (on’ technicalities’) and whatever other messed up generalizations they deem appropriate to offset the guilt!
And so…when I say that sometimes white America is really, really far gone and it would take a spaceship and another entire planet to remove them and make them live with themselves and their ‘privilege’, I mean it. I’m sure some of these ppl have CHILDREN…
and the cycle continues…
SK
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Abagond……..don’t you have some work to do on these comments?
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