Passing

[Bunk]

It's an odd one. It seems to me there are two issues here. One, she is identifying as black when she may not be, and two, she seems to be a fantasist. The second one is more straightforward, she's clearly made up a history to suit her and to try and reinforce the first one. I saw a program the other night about a guy called Christian Gerhardsreiter (I think) who is on trial for murder in America. He was a German immigrant who invented personas for himself, at one point claiming he was Clarke Rockefeller, of the Rockefeller family. A real life Tom Ripley.

The first issue is trickier. At first I dismissed it, saying she's clearly white, what a loon etc. But who decides she's too white to be black? At what point does someone become black? And if you switch it around, saying someone is too dark skinned to be white, you start sounding like a BNP member. I don't think this applies to her, but it's not as clear cut as I thought it was.

 

[Gumbo Robot]

At what point does someone become black?

When the Guardian says so. Next...

 

[mudskipper]

The first issue is trickier. At first I dismissed it, saying she's clearly white, what a loon etc. But who decides she's too white to be black? At what point does someone become black? And if you switch it around, saying someone is too dark skinned to be white, you start sounding like a BNP member. I don't think this applies to her, but it's not as clear cut as I thought it was.

Check out Adrian Piper's Cornered (1988)

https://abagond.wordpress.com/2010/09/27/adrian-piper-cornered/ (you can find the actual piece on Youtube)

It's worth a watch.

In 2012, she retired from being black.
APRAF Berlin: Biography

 

[GlenW]

In 2012, she retired from being black.
APRAF Berlin: Biography

I stopped after, "Adrian Margaret Smith Piper (b. 1948) is a first-generation Conceptual artist and analytic philosopher." Waffly bollocks.

 

[mudskipper]

I stopped after, "Adrian Margaret Smith Piper (b. 1948) is a first-generation Conceptual artist and analytic philosopher." Waffly bollocks.

Your loss, I guess.

 

[EternalOptimist]

In todays indie, she (Dolezal) apparently called for a boycott of a film, because white actors played black roles


She described the film as "highly offensive", and accused it of "miseducation" (sic), "misrepresentation" and "robbing and shredding ancestry and history".

 

[mudskipper]

In todays indie, she (Dolezal) apparently called for a boycott of a film, because white actors played black roles


She described the film as "highly offensive", and accused it of "miseducation" (sic), "misrepresentation" and "robbing and shredding ancestry and history".

I felt like that about Renée Zellweger playing Bridget Jones.