Ok, I give zero fucks about most pop culture, unless we’re talking The Walking Dead and House of Cards. Occasionally, I’ll
dabble, and I do enjoy reading Perez Hilton when I can’t sleep…don’t judge…but
for the life of me, I don’t get why we’re obsessed with entertainers. I just
don’t. What I do love? When public
figures freak the fuck out when their privilege is challenged, particularly the
white dudes.
Alec Baldwin, Piers Morgan, Shia LaBeouf, and probably dozens of other
white dudes are really tired of people judging everything they do because we’re
somehow persecuting them for holding the accountable. This policing has clearly
got to stop *sarcasm*. Don’t get me
wrong, I’d hate to be followed everywhere, but I also wouldn’t make
transphobia, homophobic, racist, etc rants. I intentionally used the word “policing”
because we don’t police white cis men’s behavior the way we police people of
color, other genders, and other
sexualities (Anyone got better inclusive language that doesn’t keep cis white
dudes at the center? I’m trying to make it clear that anyone who deviated from
the standard by which we measure is policed in appearance and behavior in a way
cis white dudes just aren’t). Additionally, this policing is more than self-policing,
which a guy I know likes to complain about men are held to an unrealistic
standard because of comicbooks (no, that is all). I’m talking about dress being
used against you in court, or racial profiling, or the media deciding you’re
the worst person ever because you cheated on your boyfriend complete with death
threats. And yes, all of those are real examples.
So when Alec
Baldwin pens a piece claiming he’s stepping back from public life, I just
have one question, why bother penning the piece? Delete your Twitter account,
delete Facebook, refuse all interview requests moving forward. Just do it. However,
in that piece where he claims he was unjustly labeled a bigot, Baldwin using
the T word in regards to a transgender man, so clearly he learned a lot. Reading
Baldwin’s piece is kind of surreal. He talks about how lucky he is, but then everything
changed because he was called a homophobe. THE HORROR! Some perspective maybe?
My life’s ok, and I’m called a cunt by strangers pretty regularly, meaning I’m reduced
to my genitalia on a regular basis by people who give zero fucks about who I
am. Want to talk about street harassment? I suspect some of my friends of color
have similar experiences. At the end of the day, I shrug my shoulder and walk
it off because fuck those guys and what can I possibly do? Perhaps, Baldwin was
hit so hard by being called a homophobe because deep down he knew it was true? And
epically, Baldwin concludes by apologizing if he offended anyone, you know instead
of apologizing for what he said and did.
Allison Kilkenny does a
pretty great take down of Morgan and Baldwin. She notes their privilege is the
real problem for both of them. Kilkenny notes the similarities between Morgan
and Baldwin’s decisions to step back (though Morgan’s decision was probably
aided by CNN pulling the plug finally). They are also both pseudo liberals.
Morgan and Baldwin both keep saying their didn’t do anything wrong, which is
bullshit. Morgan was so disrespectful to Janet Mock, and then went on to engage
with Twitter activists about how he’s the real victim, because you know he says
so (?). For Baldwin, his major issue is that technology has allowed people to
capture his horrendous behavior, tough guys, I’ll break out the tiny violin.
Kilkenny nails it:
“Now, here’s the thing: I believe everyone has the right to take a mental vacation. I’ve seen some of my friends (primarily women journos and activists) be relentlessly hounded by anonymous internet trolls, bullied and threatened with rape, until they left their online lives just to preserve their sanity. But let’s be very clear that what Morgan and Baldwin are describing is entirely separate from the noble existences of persecuted activists. Men like Morgan and Baldwin are accustomed to holding all the power, which is why they’re mystified and peeved by the public backlash they’ve received for, in most cases, being privileged dicks.”
Kilkenny continues by explaining what Morgan and Baldwin are really
doing, which is giving up, another privilege of those with power. They don’t
need to work; they don’t have to listen to people who disagree with them or
want to hold them accountable. I think this is the point of all of this. People
with privilege aren’t used to being held accountable, and because of that they
decide they can walk away. Well, too damn bad, and welcome to the world everyone
else lives in. I’m sure Baldwin, Morgan, and the rest of them are going to be
alright. But as my mother told us, “grow thicker skin.”
