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an African American female by the name of Kendall Hall, nicknamed Lefty. She was said to have swastika tattoos and a cohort of angry young white males who followed her every command. Some say that Lefty was considered a joke and blight upon the D.C. punk rock scene. Despite how she may be viewed by others, the fact remains that she existed, and still exists as a representative figure in support of a belief system that condemns her own African ancestry as inferior and seeks to oppress others based on cultural differences. In his essay on black personality, psychologist James M. Jones includes an excerpt from psychologists Abraham Kardiner and Lionel Ovesy on the theories of black self-hatred entitled ‘‘The Mark of Oppression’’ which was first published in 1951. Kardiner and Ovesy write, ‘‘The mark of oppression is low self-esteem tantamount to self-contempt, which leads to idealization of whites [and] frantic attempts to be white. . .’’ (1991, 311). In extreme cases, the reality is that white culture does not accept Blacks as being white, no matter how symbiotically akin Black people’s views are to their white counterparts. This can lead to a form of schizophrenia on the part of the oppressed group: a pronounced hostility against those who reject them even though they still hold firm to many white ideologies that consider blacks inferior. Kendall Hall can be read as the result of years of cultural inequality, and internalized white ideological influence. A heavy-set woman with a shaved head, Lefty defied European standards of beauty, and her acceptance as the leader for an Aryan Nazi group is baffling to say the least. But this contradictory arrangement is part of the black punk dynamic. For black female punks, even more than for white females, disidentification, the ridding of identity or cultural ties due to their limiting factors, comes into play.
(3) Crafted Character: Fey Hellion – Hardcore punk rocker and performer (Figure 3) A former foster kid who aged out of the system, she lives a nomadic existence crashing on acquaintances’ couches or sleeping with newly met ‘‘friends.’’ Fey is awash in a world of drugs, sex, and larceny. Her ray of light is punk music. Her outrageous antics on-stage are matched by her punk bravado and her need to be the center of attention. PUNKY INSPIRATION: Individuals – Poly Styrene, Ari Up, Alice Bag Contribution – Punk Performers Influences – Day-Glo wearing, voice of young punkers in England in the late 1970s (Styrene); Unorthodox stage shows. Self-appointed punky reggae singer (Up); Hardcore Punk/Kitschy Punk (Bag) These three artists were selected as the inspiration for Fey Hellion because they provide a diverse cultural background. They were also chosen because each was a pioneer of punk amidst a landscape of male settlers. In addition, the courage and tenacity of each woman, along with the spectacles and hijinks of their performance personas, adds color and complexity to the crafted characters.