Why I Didn't Run the Caitlin Moran Interview

There is something problematic in the idea that "Girls," despite its lack of women of color, has "won a HUGE battle for women in TV." Arguments like this suggest that "women" are only of the white, cisgendered, upper class variety whose experience is presented in "Girls." The suggestion that it is not Dunham's "responsibility to fight for other demographics as well" implies that women of color are some "other," alternative demographic to "women." Intersectionality is a complex, but integral part of feminism, and it is important that we not reinforce the lack of representation of people with intersectional identities in our culture by refusing to criticize even the most seemingly commendable contributors to that culture. I would also suggest that "criticism" is not necessarily an "attack." An artist should be willing to recognize flaws in their work and should be open to making changes where needed; if what I have read about Dunham is correct, she has already suggested that she will be writing characters with more intersectional backgrounds for the coming season of "Girls." I am excited to see her work develop.

I want to briefly address the question "is it racist if a black woman says she doesn't give a shit there are no white people on Girlfriends?" I would suggest that this hypothetical situation would not be not racist. As feminist philosopher Sandra Lee Bartky posits, cultural domination (an important element of oppression) involves the exclusion of a group from the elements of their culture (TV, music, religion, etc.). White women are not oppressed or excluded from the elements of U.S. culture due to their race (though they are due to sex/gender), but women of color are. Therefore, the absence of white women from "Girlfriends" does not contribute to the cultural domination of any group. (Personally, I do not believe that the term "racism" can be applied to anti-white prejudice, due to the fact that racism connotes a disparity in power/privilege, but that need not factor into this argument.)

Finally, I have never seen "Girlfriends" and am not aware of the possible problematic elements it may contain. However, given your awareness of the show's existence, I wonder why you have not credited the writer of "Girlfriends" with winning a battle for women. After all, according to Wikipedia, "Girlfriends" premiered in 2000, over a decade before Dunham's "Girls." What is is about "Girlfriends" that somehow makes it less groundbreaking and women-championing than "Girls," and why did it never receive the kind of attention from mainstream feminists that "Girls" has been showered with? Barring any problematic racial or gender issues with "Girlfriends" (I will probably have to watch an episode or two to investigate), I suspect that the disparity is due to the fact that black women are not seen as representing "WOMEN," where white women, unfortunately, are.

For more Bartky: http://books.google.com/books?id=f842YFos8UwC&pg=PA23&lpg=PA23&dq=stereo...

I read what you were saying, and I think you make good points about women needing to be supportive of one another (Though I don't like the idea that because we're women we should just stick together, I agree that we often, myself included, tend to tear one another down) and examining why this one woman, Dunham, is getting taken to task so much.

Then, however, I read this statement: "I encourage anyone who identifies as part of a minority to think about ideas for films or TV series that show what their world is like. Personally, I’d be very excited to watch these shows as they would be fresh, hopefully very honest and real and most important of all – normalising difference."

This implies, whether on purpose or inadvertently, that "people who identify as part of a minority" aren't telling their stories daily, auditioning for roles, pitching shows/films, etc. Which is just wrong. They are; those stories just aren't considered interesting in a world that still considers women, let alone "minorities," a niche market. Do you think they're not pitching their ideas? While you would "find them to be fresh" and "normalising difference," they rarely get a chance. It's this kind of logic that displays the very privilege that the author cites as a big problem with mainstream feminism.

Please understand, I do not intend to start a fight with someone on the internet or be rude or tear you down. However, I thought that highlighting what you wrote might be a good place for some dialogue or thought to begin about how we all --myself, Bitch magazine, commenters, readers, feminists, etc.-- can work on recognizing our own privilege. It is so hard to see, and our blindness to it is very uncomfortable when pointed out. Hence the hostility in Moran's comments.

Amalie,

I appreciate that you took some time to think this over but you are missing a very real truth. There is not a lack of POC actors, writers, directors, etc but there is a systematic lack of opportunities driven by old-school power dynamics in hollywood and advertising. That is what racism is about, oppressing through structural and institutional systems which seek to deny opportunities based on one's race. It is well documented that casting calls regularly go out for white leads and shut out actors of color, even for adapted scripts where the original characters were POC or where no race is specified at all by the screenwriter. Parts for actors of color are frequently stereotypes because, surprise!, writer's rooms are also not all that diverse (and not for lack of talented writers). There is also something called color-blind casting which could be used much more widely.

"As much as I’d hate to get into film school just because I’m a girl and they have a quota, I’m sure people of all kinds of minorities would hate being cast just for a physical thing that makes them different." How would you feel being denied admission into film school because you were female? Affirmative Action in learning institutions are in place as a result of qualified people getting shut out based on race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. There are clearly no such systems in place in Hollywood and you see the results. I guess it's also worth mentioning that a person of color in the US is regularly treated differently as a result of other's perception of their race, especially in casting.

Caitlin Moran and Lena Dunham are hardly victims, they are receiving a small amount of criticism alongside mountains of praise and CA$H and being labeled as the feminist voices of our generation. Caitlin Moran's ignorant and flippant Tweet is so offensive to so many because yet again a white, cis woman is exalted by mainstream media as the foremost authority of feminism despite the fact that she clearly "literally doesn't give a shit" about a lot of women and disregards the importance of inter-sectionality in the fight for equality.

The fact that Girls was such a huge let-down for so many was not only the show's complete lack of diversity while based in Brooklyn, but also that there are many POC writers who are continually overlooked by tv networks and one "victory" for a young white woman is clearly not a victory for every woman. Similarly to the right to vote, just because white women break that barrier, does not mean that barrier is lifted for all people of color.

If you really do want to understand, here are some resources for you:
http://www.racialicious.com
http://www.racebending.com
http://awkwardblackgirl.com

You ask why racism and feminism must mix. Because not all women have the same struggle. The face of feminism is white. Feminist media consistently shows time and time again that their true interest lies in WHITE women, and consistently, women of color go ignored. Let me put emphasis on this. WOMEN of color. Women of color are also women, and yet, the fight for ALL women is constantly revealed to be the fight for WHITE women.

Yes, we're all women. But there are levels of privilege involved. White women have more privilege than any woman of color can have, so when white feminists constantly fight for ALL women, but then choose to ignore the struggles of women of color, they AREN'T fighting for ALL women. They're fighting for themselves, and leaving us in the dust, while telling us that they care about us too, when their actions say differently.

Why point out that woc are oppressed when the goal is equality for all? How the hell will you know where the finish line is if you can't pinpoint your own location on the map? Forgive me for sounding snippy, but as a woman of color, it IS irritating having people constnatly ask this question--and it does get asked a lot. It IS hurtful when people go, "Well, I see how we need equality for ALL women, but why do we need to look at the problems of THOSE women? WHY IS IT NECESSARY?" It's certainly not racist to highlight that some women struggle more than others. Women of color are dealing with an intersection of gendered oppression, AND racial oppression, and sometimes the two mix to become gendered racial oppression. And if feminism on a whole insists on overlooking that very distinct struggle, then it's not feminism at all because again, they're ignoring the struggles of a LARGE portion of the women they're claiming to fight for.

So let me ask you a question. You ask why feminism and racism must mix? Let me ask you this: Why SHOULDN'T they? When a large fraction of women deal with oppression that is deepened because not only are they a woman but they're also a woman of color, why SHOULD that not be addressed? Why SHOULD we ignore that white women have more privilege than women of color? (And on that note, why should it be ignored that white women also have more privilege than men of color, something that most feminists like to ignore) If we're going to fight for ALL women gaining equality, then how CAN we ignore the fact that some women have more privilege than other women on the basis of skin color alone? Is that not an important thing to recognize?

When white feminists consistently do racist things (See: "Women are the nigger of the world" signs at Slutwalk") and then try to silence women of color all in the name of feminism for ALL women, why should we ignore it? When women of color aren't free to wear their cultural garments without risk of being insulted, attacked, or killed, or told to go back to where they came from, while white women can commodify and disrespect our cultures, why SHOULD it not be addressed? When white women perpetuate stereotypes about women of color--stereotypes that directly contribute to OUR rape numbers, OUR death tolls, OUR instances of assault and harrassment--why SHOULD it not be addressed?

Just because we're all women doesn't suddenly mean that we gain or lose privilege. Being white doesn't negate the fact that you have white privilege over women of color, just as being a WoC doesn't suddenly mean that you get the same privileges that a white woman was born with.

THAT'S why it's important.

vicky,

i think perhaps the problem with asserting moran's racism lies in distinguishing calling her actions racist from calling her BEING racist as if it is something engrained in the genetic make-up.

the fact is moran's words were racist. her use of the word 'tranny' in her book was transphobic. her use of the word 'retard' in her book was ableist. now whether she is racist/transphobic/ableist deep down in the pith of her soul i neither know nor care, but when she is seen as representative of a movement of which i (and all female identifying feminists) consider myself a part that is when these words become problematic. not her being, her words.

one's personal feminism is never 'done' it is a lifelong learning process; we can never know ALL women, and to expect such is a lot to ask, but we can LISTEN to other women. so when someone is throwing you a bone and saying 'hey! consider this aspect of being a woman' and you reject it on the basis of your own personal biases, whether they are conscious ones or no, that is when these words of 'racism' etc come into play, to signpost these such negligences, NOT to make a sweeping and irreparable assertion about a person's character.

what i'm trying to say being called a racist is often treated to harshly. when a poc is calling something racist, it is important not to get caught up in the labelling aspect of it, and instead just learn from their calling out. i do not wish to generalise but when i have called out a lot of white people on racist comments, they seem more concerned that they have been 'tarred' with the sign 'racist' than the fact that they have caused me or others offence. this is the kind of unhealthly attitude to prejudice that we as feminists need to learn to combat.