30 November, 2017
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claremont’s “performative apathy” By Alicia Goode-Allen ‘19 Community Columnist
A
bout three weeks ago, my stepbrother Justice and his fiancée, Rachel, were married in Monterrey at a beautiful spot by the ocean. I am grateful to say that after a morning of my physical disability inhibiting much movement, I was able to be present for the important moments: the ceremony, the family photos, and when Justice and Rachel jumped over the broom. The ceremony honored Justice’s history, his ancestors whose wedding vows were not legally sanctioned because of racial slavery in our country, and offered hope for the future in a family friend reading Langston Hughes’ “I Dream a World.” The couple hired a mariachi band to interweave Rachel’s culture and history into the wedding proceedings; the music brought lots of laughs and dancing and good vibrations, both musical and emotional. During the wedding reception that night, a family friend and I were Political Theory… More broadly, I can’t discussing the courses I am currently read the news anymore because it’s just taking, a majority of which center race, so sad. It is critical for us to be aware gender, and class systems and political of our positionality when engaging with sites of struggle in the States. He asked issues of disability, gender, sexuality, me, gesturing vaguely, why do you class, and race, and the histories of care about this so much? My reactive those with privilege taking up space in response was to reply with: because ways that are racist, appropriative, and you just asked me that question. For cooptive. It is also immensely critical our older, middle-class, white family that we analyze the ways in which our friend, it seemed illogical for me to care position can be used to excuse a lack about systems that I am largely not of personal and political work. If we feel affected by, as he understood it. He did disconnected from a political struggle, it not hold the understanding that I carry: is, all too often, because we are a part of, the understanding that we, white folks, localized perpetrators and maintainers of, the structural are taught that domination this those who perform “It is ignorant and particular struggle as white can be challenges. innocent, wellindicative of a Aversive racism meaning, and nondeep self-denial runs throughout racist, when in fact our campuses. that constructed to think that we As Eberhardt and m y t h i c a l are not personally Fisk address in innocence actively their critical text perpetuates accountable in reConfronting Racism, structures of racists injustice. creating or changing “Aversive [are] motivated to More and more unaware. in subcultures on the world in which we remain Not recognizing their campus, I hear live.” own biases insulates inaction excused aversive racists from by the rhetoric of what doesn’t “resonate” with each of us— having to confront negative aspects particularly for those of us with privilege. of their own racial attitudes.” Aversive What do I mean by this? I mean the ways racism at the consortium sounds like in which we manifest and utilize our Liberal diversity and inclusivity rhetoric. privilege through a seemingly-passive It looks like the President’s Advisory apathy. Throughout the consortium, Committee on… Oh, what’s the current this takes many forms. As someone name for it now… CIDE? As Richard Wright said to John Paul is a white queer it’s not really my work to… It’s not my place to take Africana Sarte upon his visit to the U.S. decades
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ago, when Sarte asked about the so- work, a greater historical role, if you will. called “Negro Problem” in the States: Time is precious. Our engagement with “There is no Negro problem in the United structural and interpersonal connections States. There is only a White problem.” is constant; herein lies responsibility. Statements like Wright’s offer much Inaction is not and was never neutral. All of a sudden the “American Dream” about the ways in which narrative logics of supremacy function. It is critical for takes on a whole new meaning. Performative me to inhabit and apathy—the carefully hold both “So often the apathy checked-out looks the understanding on each of our that something is on campus, upon faces when we not my own, that further examination, haven’t done the leadership within reading, when we Black liberation indicates a deep ignore the Trump movements, is presence of the presidency’s latest absolutely not my place and that opposite: an immense actions on DACA, in the manifest ways there is work that I can and need to investment in current we lack heartfelt accountability do to end white power structures to one another— supremacy. The prevalent structural racism being maintained.” is throughout 5cs at Scripps will not spaces. There dissipate if we only address the ways we are aversively is an active component in apathy: a racist, for institutional racism hides subversively racist, seemingly passive behind emphasis on localized “bias,” manifestation of privilege that maintains concrete symptoms of a much larger systems of domination. Hughes’ poem reads: “I dream a world and far-reaching structural illness. Yet it is ignorant and indicative of a deep self- where…joy, like a pearl,/ Attends the denial to think that we are not personally needs of all mankind.” Joy as Hughes accountable in re-creating or changing represents it is a pearl that supports, nurtures, “attends the needs of all.” One the world in which we live. So often the apathy on campus, upon of the privileges my Black and Latinx further examination, indicates a deep family members have offered me is a presence of the opposite: an immense joy that is inherently collective. Framed investment in current power structures in the context of Langston Hughes being maintained. We 5C students walk words, apathy is worse than useless and from home to class and class to meeting personal reckoning necessary when it without ruminating on the ways our comes to working towards joy, liberation, everyday actions connect to a greater and historically grounded love.
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