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Racial considerations
Oct. 18th, 2007 08:40 amI loathe when real life intrudes on my happy-imagination time; it's why I DON'T normally pay attention to celebrity gossip, dammit. I just want to watch and write about what's come of imagination.
But this whole thing about Orlando's crash has really sparked some interesting points in conversation on other boards. Someone brought up to me today that if he hadn't been a celebrity, and he'd been black, he likely would've been tested and had to undergo whatever other rigors police normally give a suspected drunk - whether he had actually been drinking or not. Being white, I'm not sure I have much insight into this, nor much of an opinion - if I've learned nothing else in life, it's that what I know and think doesn't mean much in practicality when it comes to ethnic groups, religions, etc. in real life, of which I am not a part. I feel marginally comfortable speculating about religious strife because I've done a little study on it and have lived in part of it. But I don't know what it is to be black.
There are plenty of people still pointing out that celebrity always insulates you from problems and suspicions by the police, as well, and that such police-celebrity interactions should always be viewed with suspicion by the public. I don't think this is a bad idea. But I still think it's faulty syllogism to automatically *presume* celebrity=guilt.
HOWEVER ... if nothing else, something like this has also really reaffirmed my longstanding objection to RPS and RPF. I don't think we can stand back and demand that paparazzi give non-crime-committing celebrities their privacy, and then write speculative sexfic about them ourselves.
ETA: Between me and![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
philosophercat, I think we are on our way to solving the world's problems, including the longstanding Palestinian-Israeli conflict! But I'm pretty sure nobody's going to give us the Nobel for devil's advocacy. Ah, well. *G*
ETA2: Apparently I have some trolls visiting my journal who are too frightened to comment in a place where more than two people might disagree with them. Such a shame our discourse has been reduced to "I think this" "Well, I think this" "Well, you're WRONG" "Prove I'm wrong; this is why I said what I said" "OMG YOU'RE A KNOW-IT-ALL!" Some people are afraid of a brain, I guess.
But this whole thing about Orlando's crash has really sparked some interesting points in conversation on other boards. Someone brought up to me today that if he hadn't been a celebrity, and he'd been black, he likely would've been tested and had to undergo whatever other rigors police normally give a suspected drunk - whether he had actually been drinking or not. Being white, I'm not sure I have much insight into this, nor much of an opinion - if I've learned nothing else in life, it's that what I know and think doesn't mean much in practicality when it comes to ethnic groups, religions, etc. in real life, of which I am not a part. I feel marginally comfortable speculating about religious strife because I've done a little study on it and have lived in part of it. But I don't know what it is to be black.
There are plenty of people still pointing out that celebrity always insulates you from problems and suspicions by the police, as well, and that such police-celebrity interactions should always be viewed with suspicion by the public. I don't think this is a bad idea. But I still think it's faulty syllogism to automatically *presume* celebrity=guilt.
HOWEVER ... if nothing else, something like this has also really reaffirmed my longstanding objection to RPS and RPF. I don't think we can stand back and demand that paparazzi give non-crime-committing celebrities their privacy, and then write speculative sexfic about them ourselves.
ETA: Between me and
philosophercat, I think we are on our way to solving the world's problems, including the longstanding Palestinian-Israeli conflict! But I'm pretty sure nobody's going to give us the Nobel for devil's advocacy. Ah, well. *G*ETA2: Apparently I have some trolls visiting my journal who are too frightened to comment in a place where more than two people might disagree with them. Such a shame our discourse has been reduced to "I think this" "Well, I think this" "Well, you're WRONG" "Prove I'm wrong; this is why I said what I said" "OMG YOU'RE A KNOW-IT-ALL!" Some people are afraid of a brain, I guess.
