**Trigger Warning**
New York Slutwalk has been stirring up some rage after photos of the event surfaced on facebook.
It all happened after a member uploaded a photograph of a young white woman with an incredibly offensive sign. The sign was the title of a John Lennon song that includes the n-word.
***
Slut Walk NYC - posted on their facebook group.
** I took it upon myself to disguise the identities of these marchers. It has been made clear that at least some of them are under 18. Although what they did was thoughtless and racist, they also have a right to personal safety. **
The thread developing below the photo itself has proven to be very racist.
**The bits I find particularly ridiculous will be bold and enlarged.**
Here is what a woman said in defense of the signage:
"This is the title of a song written and performed by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the 1970s.You have to listen to the whole song to understand it. It is not offensive to anyone other than sexists in its entirety and was a very powerful message, then and now. I can understand how the sign out of this context would be disturbing. But I urge everyone to check out the full lyrics and listen to the song and judge for themselves."
Another woman with "TheBeatles" listed as her middle-name, jumped in to simply paste the entire lyrics to John Lennon's song. She later admitted in the same thread that it was her sign and she continued to stand by it, claiming it not to be racist.
Another woman holding the same sign at the NYC Slutwalk March on October 1, 2011
Here are more comments from white women, including the woman holding the sign in the first photograph.
"There was no disrespect, hurt, pain, or offence intended. I don't think there was one racist person there. I, the one holding the sign, though not the one who made it, would never use that word offensively. The word and it's meaning is wrong, but the sign is true. There is no contest about it. I am probably the least racist person out there. I have never even mistakenly judged someone by the color of their skin. Don't judge before you know what is really going on. I did not make the sign, but still feel wrong and sick. I apologize for being photographed with it and would like to ask for it to be taken down.
I never thought this experience could make me ashamed or hurt, or even make me cry, but it has. Anyone who has seen photos of me with it please ask for them to be taken down. ____ this is not your fault, I just don't wish to be hated for a word."
The thread goes on and becomes more racist as the backers of the sign continue to comment and dig themselves into an even bigger hole.
Now, along with the racist signage, the NYC Slutwalk facebook group photoalbum also contains a photo of a woman (clearly from a porno) with semen all over her face and lipstick smudged across her mouth. On her forehead is the word "SLUT" and she appears to intoxicated in the photo wit one of her eyes half closed while looking glassy and disconnected. Above her head reads "Max Hardcore" and as many people know, this is the creator of very violent and stomach-churning pornography. Slutwalk NYC may or may not have added this photograph themselves, but it is unlikely that their group album is open to all of the over 2,000 members. If it is open to all members then I will be concerned as to why supporters of the march would post such material. Even more alarming about this photo was its placement next to another photo of a young woman from the march. This woman also had the word "SLUT" scrawled on her forehead. Under this photo, the caption reads "before" and it is oddly placed AFTER the photograph of the semen-drenched woman which bares the caption "after."
My question is why, if NYC Slutwalk is concerned with women's liberation and creating an inclusive and safe march, would they walk alongside white women carrying a sign with the n-word on it and possibly posting a photo from a violent porn site on their group?
Disgusting.
For more on the racism at the NYC Slutwalk, please check out these:
Racialicious: Which Women Are What Now? Slutwalk NYC and Failures in Solidarity
Racialicious: Slutwalk, Slurs, and Why Feminism Still Has Race Issues
The Crunk Feminist Collective: I Saw the Sign but Did We Really Need a Sign?: SlutWalk and Racism
Akiba Solomon from Colorlines.com: More Thoughts on SlutWalk: No Attention is Better Than Bad Attention
I almost face-palmed when i saw the photo.
ReplyDelete"I just don't wish to be hated for a word."
ReplyDeleteEverything is "a word" with these SlutWalk people,isn't it?There is no context to anything ,no history,nothing, which is the reason why they feel so confident in using the word Slut in a female movement. Words really do matter, this is proof of it. The smug look on her face just makes me all the more sickened.
Don't know where to post this and how to contact you otherwise so here goes: Gallusmag is currently compiling a radfem collective feed thingy so I wanted to ask if it would be alright to have your blog included.
ReplyDeleteI asked Slutwalk NYC who the principal organizers were - because I wanted to know if men were as involved in this as they were in Baltimore and LA and other places and I think it is an obligation for them to tell people, many of whom are survivors of sexual violence at the hands of men, who they are - and got a non-answer back. "The organizers are the organizers." Now this? I'm guessing it's a bunch of middle class+ educated white women and men.
ReplyDelete