CAPTAIN'S BLOG
I am a controversial person. Some people have described me as contrarian - a title which I accept, when applied without the assumption that I am merely gamesaying whatever my opponent might say. So when I tell you that I think there might, maybe, be a case for transracialism, be aware that I say that mostly as a philosophical construct, more than an assertion that people ought to get started doing it. Given a world of transgenderism, what sense does it make for people to claim to be transracial? When I first heard about Rachel, I have to admit, I wasn't sure what the big deal is.
For some background, I used to live in Florida. I was a white guy in a small white dominated town - we had one asian girl in our high school of 2500 people - and we had to have black people bussed in from the neighbouring town in order to reach a ratio quota. Needless to say, they intensely resented being away from their friends and families, so they caused some (but not a lot) trouble at the school. Mostly intimidation factor, your occasional verbal exchange. So race is a... funny thing for me. It's also true that humans are inherently tribal - we naturally distrust people who are different from us. That reaction isn't very logical, however - different-looking people is a poor predictor of dangerous people - so it's important that we actively seek to limit our inherent racism, and work to either trust or distrust people based on their merits, and not on their appearance. So given that I'm coming at this whole Rachel Dolezal thing from that angle, I thought it was mostly ok for her to self identify as black and work for a black organisation, in the the hopes she was at least doing some good, and was hopefully genuinely confused about her identity. I know an asexual homosexual white canadian man who's favourite avatar is a fat black lady - and given the opportunity, I think he wouldn't have to think twice before inverting his identity, as it were. But the bottom line is, I try not to care about another person's identity. If she wants to be black, I think that's... allright. I don't think I'd go so far as to say it's 'perfectly fine'. But I don't think it's awful. Now, I can't help but notice that most of the internet, and my girlfriend, heartily disagree with this sentiment. It's true that I am white - and I know comparatively nothing of the suffering of the Chinese, of African Americans, and of the thousands of other minorities who were used for their bodies and nothing more throughout world history. I am told that my lack of understanding in this situation is my white privilege. If that is true, then perhaps I am truly blind to the real truth behind this situation. But I have been hated for my beliefs - I was a strange Canadian boy living in a strange Floridian town, with emotions and feelings I didn't understand and couldn't control, which caused me to embarrass myself multiple times in front of my peers. So I was socially exiled and teased for a long time. I admit, I cannot think how that might apply to Rachel's situation. It is as some people have said - I just can't imagine why she would do it. This is when Breitbart points to this as evidence that racism is over - an obvious red herring if I've ever smelled one - but for me to truly endorse Rachel's position, I would need to hear something along the lines of this: "I have always been very confused about my identity. I don't like who I am and was, and I feel better and happier when I see a girl with dark skin in the mirror rather than a white girl." But that is not what has happened at all. It has been revealed that she has lied about experiencing racist events in the past. It appears as if I, a humble Canadian, have been exposed to more direct racism than she has. She has lied about her family, her siblings, and manufactured stories about her past in every regard. When asked, she makes arguments that make me think she is not seriously thinking about this situation. And for those reasons, I reverse my previous consideration that Rachel wasn't doing anything that bad. By lying about her experiences, she has broken the trust of everyone who has empathized with her or wanted to help because of her stories, and she has done the black community a great disservice in doing so. This is disappointing, because I think transracialism is an interesting idea, and I would like to have a dialog on that subject. But until someone of the non-charlatan variety comes forward, I am afraid this must all remain in the realm of philosophy. Thanks for reading! -C
3 Comments
snoke
6/18/2015 06:28:54 pm
I have to say, your words here really made me smile. The fact that, as a trans woman, you're open to this possibility rather than shutting it down gives me hope for the future.
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LaviniaD
6/19/2015 05:25:01 am
I'm not the author, obviously, but I wanted to stop and say that I've always respected people who are transspecies/otherkin, or have any form of dysphoria including stuff having nothing to do with gender, especially since yours comes with the added stigma of trans allies still "drawing the line" and treating your troubles as less legitimate. Why do we keep assuming people would intentionally put themselves up on the chopping block to get mocked? Besides, I like to believe technology will at least let us better realize our real selves in a virtual environment someday, so fuck the lines. As another reader from cracked (same username), you've got +1 allies. Thanks for wanting to speak up.
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snoke
6/19/2015 08:09:40 am
No; thank you, for your support. Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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AuthorChristina Hitchens is a trans female writer living in BC, Canada. She loves computers, animals, and a good argument. Archives
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