Comments on: The Unbearable Whiteness of Being, featuring not-Cowboy Curtis

By: Spell Fast, Die Young at Faux Real

Spell Fast, Die Young at Faux Real — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 02:01:11 +0000

[...] 1) As part of my recreational, DIY, negative-thinking-immolation, I agreed to participate in a local spelling bee with a couple of coworkers to benefit the area adult education resource center. Aforementioned coworker Sally suggested several names for our spelling bee team: a) Spell Or Die, b) Spell Fast, Die Young, and 3) Carpe Spell’um. So far, number three seems to be the pick. We are open to more suggestions. [...]

By: Marksman2000

Marksman2000 — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 23:47:06 +0000

Lauren, you don’t think the good ole boys in Indiana are real rednecks, do you? If so, I’ve got some people here I want you to meet…

By: Betsy

Betsy — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 20:36:19 +0000

Back in 1994, I was a painfully shy 9th-grader in an all-black (almost, everyone in the class except me was black) typing class with a black teacher. At one point, I think as a well-meant attempt to bring me out of my shell a bit, since I never talked to anyone, all the girls in the class plus the teacher started talking about what actresses I looked like. At one point, one of them shouted, “I know who she looks like! She looks just like Jodie Foster!!” Which statement everyone in the class, including the teacher, declared to be obviously true. Now, if I could post a picture here, you would see how funny that is. What jodie foster and I have in common is that we are white, female, and brunette. That is all. I look NOTHING like Jodie Foster, and when I have told white people that story, they all laugh, because I am so obviously not Jodie Foster. But it was obvious that to the girls/woman in that classroom, I certainly did look like her.
(Which is not to say I’m making a reverse racism claim (god I hate that term) nor suggesting that the implications are comparable. But it is true that people of all groups have an easier time recognizing people of their own racial/ethnic backgrounds, and when taken in good faith can result in hilarity.)

By: bint alshamsa

bint alshamsa — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 01:58:36 +0000

Damn it, R. Mildred! He DOES remind me of Jeff Goldblum now that you said it. Of course, I never would have thought to compare the two.

By: R. Mildred

R. Mildred — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 16:50:05 +0000

The thing is that he really doesn’t look like Samuel L Jackson - he looks like the love child of Samuel L Kcajson and Jeff Goldblum.

In fact, the more I look at that picture the more he looks like Jeff Goldblum.

By: Thomas, TSID

Thomas, TSID — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 16:00:36 +0000

“Well, truthfully, all of the white people I told about this tried to argue that it’s easy to mix up Samuel L. Jackson and Laurence Fishburne, whereas all the black people I mentioned this to said, “Yeah, we all look alike, right?”

There’s a lesson in that. ”

I’m going to actually defend the other white folks here: they didn’t confuse Fishburne with Jackson.

The two are as different as chalk and cheese, and neither of them could be confused with, e.g., Cheadle, Washington, Smith or Snipes. In fact, the combinations of those guys who could reasonably play each other’s roles are few and far between (though if you have not seen Waterdance, don’t assume that Snipes is as limited an actor as his action roles would suggest).

All your white friends are trying to make you feel better for confusing two highly dissimilar actors. They figure you’ll feel better if it was an easy mistake to make. In fact, I think that’s worse. It could only be an easy mistake to make if it was casual racism. It’s as hard a mistake to make as confusing George Clooney and Brad Pitt. Which could only be a brainfart — and we’ve all had brainfarts.

By: Hugo

Hugo — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 00:19:29 +0000

It was a great response, Lauren, and a great post too — loved this bit:

As Ethan grows up, as Chef edges more and more into my experience, as I edge more and more into others’, our sense of justice shifts.

And I regularly mix up lots of people — Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow don’t really look alike, except in Hugo’s universe.

By: Lynn Gazis-Sax

Lynn Gazis-Sax — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:17:57 +0000

I have a hard time telling celebrities of the blonde (white) variety apart

All of them, or just the young and female ones? Because I think young blonde female celebrities tend to look rather less diverse than young blonde female non-celebrities, but the same isn’t so true for men.

By: Roxanne

Roxanne — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 06:00:33 +0000

Heh.

At my local movie house, they run trivia on the screens before the movie starts. One of the questions is “Which movie is Samuel L. Jackson not in?” The choices are The Matrix, Star Wars Episode III, and Pulp Fiction.

By: skippy

skippy — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 06:47:06 +0000

hey lauren, i’m assuming you’ve seen this website:

black people love us!

and have a merry xmas!