Posts tagged says
Why the “S&%t X Says to Y” Version of This Meme Exploded
Feb 3rd
“The thing about memes is that through repetition, they create a shared language,” says Professor Julie Levin Russo, an adjunct assistant professor at Brown’s Modern Culture & Media Program. “If you understand the premise of the meme, you can communicate a lot very easily, with whatever twist you’re putting on the meme structure.”
On Jan 4, the “Shit Girls Say” meme was radically transformed. New York-based graphic designer & video blogger Franchesca Ramsey a.k.a. Chescaleigh unleashed “Shit White Girls Say to Black Girls”, and it blew up the Internet. In the video, Ramsey plays her blonde-haired white friend who she portrays as curiously confused, and innocently ignorant. “Why isn’t there a white entertainment television? The Jews were slaves too, and you don’t hear us complaining all the time,” Chescaleigh as-white-girl asks the camera. She portrays her friend as at times confused (“Is this racist?”) other times annoyed. Overall, her white friend is completely unaware of fundamental cultural and racial differences between her and her black friend. It’s these awkward moments that fuel the humor of this viral video.
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When Franchesca appeared on Anderson Cooper a few days after the video blew up, Cooper asked *the question* that mainstream media was dying to know: Is the video racist?
“I don’t think that talking about ignorance is racist,” Franchesca tells Cooper. “And like I said, I’m not labeling anyone racist because that would infer that the statements were saying someone was better than another race – and that’s not what any of the statements are doing.” Shortly after her Anderson Cooper appearance, Franchesca produced a sequel, “Shit White Girls Say to Black Girls Part 2.”
Soon, more “Shit X Says to Y” versions of the meme began to appear. “Shit White Girls Say to Brown (Desi/Indian) Girls” features an Indian woman portraying her white girlfriend, who asks questions like “Do you want to go to 7-11? Oh oops, is that racist?” It is cutting, and points to some of the underlying racism that Indian-Americans experience regularly.
In “Shit White Guys Say to Asian Girls,” actor/comedian Cindy Fang dresses in drag, playing a white dude and points out some of the obnoxious, arrogant statements that some white guys say to Asian women. “Sorry, I have a hard time telling Asians apart,” she says, with a tone that conveys how the white guy she is portraying doesn’t feel like trying to educate himself. He is blissful in his ignorance. And then, a blatantly racist statement: “Why do they call it Bangkok? They should call it Bang Pussy!!!” This video speaks to the painful sexism and racism that Asian women experience.
Of course, it’s just comedy – and the talented Fang masterfully exaggerates these statements to hammer home the crass, yet serious joke. Moreso than “Shit White Girls Say to Black Girls,” “Shit White Guys Say to Asian Girls” is doubly as biting, taking swipes at sex and race relations. It’s almost as upsetting as “Shit Asian Girls Say”, another version of the original “Shit Girls Say” meme.
In Latoya Peterson’s blog post “Exploring the Problematic and Subversive Shit People Say [Meme-ology]” on Racialicious, she notes that it isn’t until “Shit Black Gays Say” (and part 2) and “Shit Southern Gay Guys Say” that the viewer starts to see the performer’s subjective interpretation of themselves.
“It’s notable that these videos are the principals representing themselves (as opposed to someone else’s interpretation of them), perhaps since these groups are still so invisible in the public eye that no one else but them could speak to their experience,” writes Peterson.
How “Shit White Girls Say to Black Girls” Shifted the Conversation
“There’s a way in which the meme format allows for a more granular renditions of identity than you often see in mass culture,” says Professor Russo.
Chescaleigh’s video shifted the focus from the narrator as subject to the narrator as a vehicle for social critique. Now X is saying something to Y. Previously, X was either speaking for themselves, or portraying the stereotypical subject, usually in drag.
“Do you know the guy at the liquor store? I mean, I assume you guys all know each other,” says the Arab girl portraying her white friend in “Shit White Girls Say…to Arab Girls”. “I’ve never met one of you before! I mean, I’ve seen Arabs on TV…on the news. Was 9/11 your fault?”
“Friendly Prejuidice”
Writing for The Guardian, Thea Lim points out that the statements in all of these videos imply a sort of “friendly prejudice”:
What’s friendly prejudice? The most common defence of racism is: “But I didn’t intend to be racist.” This response relies on the idea that if we didn’t intend to offend someone, then their feelings can’t possibly be hurt. The Shit X Says to Y videos are delightfully validating because they show that those with the genuinely lovely intentions of being your friend and seeking commonality with you can still be rude and hurtful.
A commenter on the NPR story that questioned if Franchesca’s video was “racist” tried the good ol’ “role reversal” trick (that always fails), which attempts to deny the existence of white privilege. “If the roles were reversed…Jesse [Jackson] & [Al] Sharpton, would be involved, lawsuits filed, perhaps riots…”. Says Lim:
The reason why relationships between white and non-white people, or straight people and gay people are fraught, is because of our history – long gone, recent or ongoing. Racist, homophobic or simply thoughtless comments are insulting not just in and of themselves, but because they are a bilious reminder of the times when straight, white people have dehumanised and denied other groups their human rights. Of course, non-white and gay people can say nasty or even prejudicial things to white and straight people, but those things don’t deliver the sting that comes from decades of being on the wrong end of an unequal relationship.
Where Do We Go From Here?
I have watched my friends react to these videos with anger and sadness. I have seen others shout “That’s me! That totally happened to me.” Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. The most important aspect of these videos, however, is that people are actually reacting to them. They’re easy conversation starters, a segway into sharing experiences past and present.
Looking at our own biased perspectives and cultural baggage is not easy, but it is necessary. The “Shit X Says to Y” iteration of the “Shit People Say” meme forces viewers to actually think about what they’ve said to their friends, and what their friends say to them. Humor helps us in those strange, uncomfortable moments.
But are we ready to deal with this?
In her post on Racialicous, Peterson points out that, still, “Shit Girls Say” and “Shit Black Girls Say” received a lot more views than their “Shit X Says to Y” social commentary videos. “Maybe that’s because, as a culture, we are accustomed to laughing at stereotypes,” writes Peterson, “but we aren’t prepared to unpack how we perpetuate them.”
After a few weeks of Internet madness, the noise died down. By the end of January, conversations about this meme were starting to feel stale. So the Internet chilled out and went back to its usual, easy humor. I started seeing these videos on my Facebook news feed: “Shit New Yorkers Say,” “Shit Chicagoans Say.” But it’s only a matter of time until the currents shift again.
Image via Chescaleigh’s Facebook page.
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Google’s New Privacy Policy May Violate HIPAA, Congresswoman Says
Feb 3rd
Several members of Congress continued to express reservations about Google’s new privacy policy after a closed-door meeting on Thursday, with one House member saying that Google’s handling of sensitive medical searches may violate HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and…
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Akamai Says The Internet Is a Nastier, and Faster, Place
Feb 2nd
Akamai has released the results of its latest “State of the Internet” report covering the third quarter of 2011. What is interesting is how nasty the Internet has become, with increasing attack incidents recorded and changing strategies for hackers looking to exploit systems. Our last post on the first quarter results can be found here.
“Akamai has seen a 2000% increase in the number of attack incidents recorded on our platform over the last three years, including several recent high-profile Web-based DDoS attacks conducted by both hacktivist groups and more traditional online criminal elements,” says the report.
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Indonesia replaced Myanmar for the quarter’s top attack source, generating 14% of observed attack traffic. Myanmar dropped off the top ten list entirely, suggesting that either hackers have moved their operations or else shut down there.
More attackers are using telnet port 23 than previously, and fewer of them are using Web ports. Akamai posits that the increase is due to attacks based in Egypt and South Korea.
Not surprisingly, Brazil, Italy, and China all experiencing growth of 25% or more in Internet usage. As before, you can assemble your own charts on their website that compare various statistics. Here is the average connection speed among the top Internet-rich countries such as US, Korea, Sweden and Japan:
And you can see increases even among the Internet-poor countries such as Algeria, Armenia and Azerbijan:
The global average connection speed continued to increase in the third quarter of 2011, climbing 4.5% to 2.7 Mbps. Denmark pushed Ireland out of the top 10 countries in terms of broadband connections.
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Two Weeks In, Google Says “Search Plus Your World” Going Well, Critics Should Give It Time
Jan 27th
Two weeks ago, Google launched Search Plus Your World. Since then, Google has faced strong criticisms that SPYW is making its search relevancy worse and favoring its Google+ social network too much. Not so, says Google search chief Amit Singhal. Most Google users are happy, Singhal said. Of course,…
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Ask.com Has The Most Long-Winded Searchers, Report Says
Jan 24th
The longest search queries are happening on Ask.com, where users average almost five words per search. That’s according to research from Chitika. The ad network analyzed search referrals on “hundreds of millions” of impressions across sites in its network between January 9th and…
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What Mark Zuckerberg Says About SOPA/PIPA
Jan 18th
Today Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg voiced his personal opposition to the proposed SOPA/PIPA legislation, joining the ranks of fellow Internet powerhouses Google, Wikipedia, Craigslist and Reddit.
“The Internet is the most powerful tool we have for creating a more open and connected world,” writes Zuck. “We can’t let poorly thought out laws get in the way of the Internet’s development.”
Facebook is full of images and videos, many of which violate copyrights. Users peruse the news feed and their friends’ walls for content. When they find images or videos that they “like,” they share them to their walls and their friends’ walls. They’re not thinking about whether or not this content violates copyrights, and what posting it to their wall would even mean. No, Facebook users are too busy thinking about what they “like.” In 2011 alone, Facebook users shared 30 billion pieces of content every month.
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Many people use Facebook to express themselves creatively. Freedom of expression doesn’t usually coincide with copyright laws, especially for artists who use appropriated imagery in their work, which is currently being protected under Fair Use law but would be wiped out completely if SOPA/PIPA passed.
Facebook’s Washington DC office echoes Zuck’s statement while acknowledging the fact that much content on Facebook violates copyright laws. “Facebook takes online piracy and copyright infringement very seriously, but we believe the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) are not the right solution.”
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SEO Campaigns Need To Attract Quality Traffic, Not Just Quantity Says Punch – Emailwire (press release)
Jan 17th
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SEO Campaigns Need To Attract Quality Traffic, Not Just Quantity Says Punch
Emailwire (press release) COM, January 17, 2012 ) Leicestershire, UK — When researching keywords for search engine optimisation (SEO) campaigns many businesses will naturally opt for those that are searched for the most, however, in some cases these terms are fairly open and … |
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Zappos Says Hackers Did Not Access Payment Data
Jan 16th
Hackers may have made off with data from as many as 24 million customers from online retailer Zappos.com, the company reported on its blog and in an email sent to employees Sunday night.
Anticipating a flood of customer inquiries, Zappos said it was turning off its customer phone system and only responding to inquires sent by email. In its message, the company emphasized that the database that stores customer credit card and payment info was not accessed.
In an email to customers affected by the attack, Zappos said the information that was compromised include “one or more of the following: your name, e-mail address, billing and shipping addresses, phone number, the last four digits of your credit card number (the standard information you find on receipts), and/or your cryptographically scrambled password (but not your actual password).”
The company is resetting all of its customers passwords. Customers who were affected by the attack were told — in CAPS LOCK — to create a new password as soon as possible.
The hackers gained access to the company’s database through a server in Kentucky. CEO Tony Hsieh said the company was working with law enforcement and would conduct an “ehaustive investigation.”
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Microsoft Says No to Disabling UEFI Secure Boot on ARM
Jan 13th
Remember last year when questions arose about Microsoft’s policies on UEFI secure boot on Windows 8? Microsoft’s response, or lack thereof, was that "OEMs are free to choose" how or whether to enable turning off secure boot on systems shipping Windows 8. It appears, however, OEMs may not be as free to choose if they’re shipping ARM hardware.
Glyn Moody points out a clause from Microsoft’s Hardware Certification Requirements for Windows 8 on page 116, that says "Disabling Secure MUST NOT be possible on ARM systems."
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I’d hoped to get some clarification from Microsoft, but no such luck. I contacted Microsoft’s PR firm this morning and was told "we have nothing more to share about UEFI at this time."
Moody paints this as a Microsoft vs. Linux situation, but does Microsoft really need to worry about Linux on tablets and phones? Perhaps there’s a contingent that would try to boot Maemo, MeeGo, Tizen or whatever it’s called this week, but in large enough numbers to threaten Microsoft? It seems doubtful.
So why prevent disabling secure boot? Aside from a reflexive lockdown on tablets and phones, you’ve got me. Microsoft won’t have the same kind of problems with copyright infringement on ARM devices it has on x86/AMD64 computers. If you buy a tablet or phone running Windows 8, you’ve already paid for Windows, right?
Here’s hoping Microsoft will have a change of heart about the requirements for Windows 8 before we start seeing a bunch of ARM devices that can boot nothing but approved images of Windows 8.
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Group Says Twitter Trails Other Social Networks In Fighting Pedophilia
Jan 11th
A watchdog group says Twitter lags behind Facebook, Bebo and other social networks when it comes to protecting children from abuse.
The London-based Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre said it believes some pedophiles still use the site to discuss crimes against children and link to pornographic images, despite efforts by Twitter to act immediately when it receives complaints about such activity.
WIn a statement Del Harvey, Twitter’s Director of Trust and Safety, said “we receive a report and identify it as valid, we take action immediately.”
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“Accounts being reported may be the subject of law enforcement investigations. In those instances, while the profiles are certainly disturbing, removing them immediately can actually harm the cases that law enforcement may be attempting to build,” Harvey said. “Additionally, a user submitting a report may not receive a response if it is a duplicate to one that has already been reported, even if action has been taken.”
CEOP said Facebook and Bebo have both worked with the agency to develop “panic buttons” on their sites which allows users to immediately report concerns with a single mouse click. Twitter, on the other hand, is still a “little bit behind some other sites that have been around a little bit longer,” CEOP Chief Executive Peter Davies said in a statement.
CEOP provided no specific examples of instances where children have been endangered, but the group cited anecdotal evidence from Mark Williams-Thomas, a former detective who now works as a child protection expert. Williams-Thomas said he believes pedophiles are still active on the site and may be using Twitter to contact victims.
Williams-Thomas also told the BBC that privacy protections on Twitter and other social networks may be helping pedophiles hide their crimes. In Twitter, for example, users can keep conversations private from everyone but their followers, which makes them harder to detect and report.
“Clearly you can communicate whatever you want within a protected profile,” Williams-Thomas said.
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