|
|
|
|
Blogs by Erik Hare
Straight Up Racist
3/4/2008 6:11:34 PM
I have been writing about both literature and race issues quite a lot lately. The saga of Margaret B. Jones, aka Margaret Seltzer, shows that I’ve been on to something.
She was the author of “Love and Consequences”, a memoir of growing up in a black foster family in South Central Los Angeles. Her tale was a wild ride with a strong mother and gang violence, death and redemption. It also turned out to not be true when Ms. Seltzer was ratted out by her own sister.
It turns out that she was, in fact, raised in Sherman Oaks with her biological family and attended a private school. Her information came from research conducted “sitting at the Starbucks” in South-Central, where “I would talk to kids who were Black Panthers and kids who were gang members and kids who were not.” If you don’t believe me, you need to read the article in the NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/books/04fake.html
That’s not all there is to this story, however. Penguin, which has since withdrawn the book, spent three years and an advance of $100,000 working on it. Apparently, they loved her and they loved her story. They had every reason to believe it was going to be a big hit.
That’s the interesting part to me. Listen to this interview, given last Friday, where she describes her book and her experience in quite a lot of detail:
http://realserver.bu.edu:8080/ramgen/w/b/wbur/onpoint/2008/02/op_0229b.rm
Her faked accent is nothing less than appalling. It wouldn’t take anyone with the smallest sense of reality any time at all to realize that there isn’t something right with this, and yet Penguin just ate it up. The whole time that this woman was running her con, to the tune of 100 grand, no one thought to question why she didn’t even have an authentic accent. She was, in the parlance of my native Miami, feeding them candy, and all they wanted was more candy. Why did they eat up this good looking white girl’s story that included every stereotype of life in da ‘hood you could imagine?
Obviously, they wanted to. Like any con, the mark believed the lies because they wanted to.
It’s hard to imagine just how naïve Penguin was to be taken in by all of this, but their desperate need to believe this con shows just how desperate the publishing industry is for the next big hit. More importantly, it proves a point that I have been making all along, which is that many people in this desperate industry are dangerously out of touch with reality. Their view of a significant slice of American comes from other forms of media, and their decisions do nothing more or less than reinforce what their own insular world has told them has to be true. They honestly must have though that this vision of black city life, concocted by whites for whites, was true.
This can only be called racism.
Racism is a wild beast which is reincarnated in a different form for each generation. In its current state, at least a few whites in positions of power obviously believe the very worst that they hear about “those people”. Indeed, Ms. Seltzer was quoted as saying, “I thought it was my opportunity to put a voice to people who people don’t listen to.” We don’t? Let’s give this a try:
“Elvis was a hero to most
But he never meant shit to me you see
Straight up racist that sucker was
Simple and plain …
Power to the people no delay
To make everybody see
In order to fight the powers that be”
That’s at least one voice, and his name is Chuck D. Learn it.
I use that quote because it brings up the other troubling aspect of this, exploitation. What this woman did is nothing less than steal other people’s stories, which as far as I am concerned is the same as stealing their souls. It’s not the first time that popular black culture has been subject to exploitation, either.
In the early days of Rock ‘n’ Roll the popularity of black music was alarming enough to the record industry that they created a category specifically for black music called “R&B”; Bo Diddley referred to it as “Rip-off and Bullshit”. How’s that? Because white musicians would take the same songs and make them big hits, paying black musicians little (the “rip-off”) and confining them to their own segregated charts (the “bullshit”). Elvis made his whole career as the first white man who could sing like a black man, and became wildly successful through exploitation.
What Ms. Seltzer was attempting to achieve was the same exploitation. If it wasn’t for her sister, she might have pulled it off, too. In 2008.
This story is troubling for so many reasons, but what is important is that it puts into stark relief the racism and exploitation that is present in at least one corner of the publishing industry. The smallest knowledge of what the Hell they were dealing with would have told them that this was nonsense, but they believed it out of their own desperation and extraordinarily small view of the world.
The publishing industry needs to demand far, far more if it wants to restore not only its credibility, but also its relevance.
Post a Comment new!
More Blogs by Erik Hare
• Let the Real Games Begin - Sunday, August 24, 2008
• Soul Mate - Friday, August 22, 2008
• Breaking the Code - Tuesday, August 19, 2008
• The Investment Express - Sunday, August 17, 2008
• The Verse of a Song - Friday, August 15, 2008
• Generic Politics - Tuesday, August 12, 2008
• Reductio ad Extremis - Sunday, August 10, 2008
• I'll Have it Bronzed - Thursday, August 07, 2008
• Lotsa Vacation - Tuesday, August 05, 2008
• Generations: Re-Invention - Sunday, August 03, 2008
• Happy as a Pig. Just a Pig. - Friday, August 01, 2008
• The D Word - Tuesday, July 29, 2008
• Writing Bubble - Monday, July 28, 2008
• Munchie - Friday, July 25, 2008
• Ode an die Freude - Wednesday, July 23, 2008
• Citizen Journalism - Monday, July 21, 2008
• Truth of the Cottonwoods - Monday, July 21, 2008
• Barking at the 'Net - Saturday, July 19, 2008
• Brasilian Way - Thursday, July 17, 2008
• Leadership - Tuesday, July 15, 2008
• No Safe Harbor - Sunday, July 13, 2008
• Open Yer Mouth - Thursday, July 10, 2008
• 15 Second Politics - Tuesday, July 08, 2008
• Nice Work if You Can Get It - Sunday, July 06, 2008
• Fly the Flag - Thursday, July 03, 2008
• Housing Bubble, Toil and Trouble - Tuesday, July 01, 2008
• Depressing Events - Monday, June 30, 2008
• Ein Kunstlerleben - Friday, June 27, 2008
• IRV - Wednesday, June 25, 2008
• Convention Wisdom - Monday, June 23, 2008
• 500 Year Floodplain - Thursday, June 19, 2008
• Desaparecidos - Tuesday, June 17, 2008
• Write on! - Monday, June 16, 2008
• Techno High School - Friday, June 13, 2008
• Urban Return - Wednesday, June 11, 2008
• Strategic Planning - Monday, June 09, 2008
• The Team - Thursday, June 05, 2008
• The Obvious - Tuesday, June 03, 2008
• Hung T-Bar Ceiling - Monday, June 02, 2008
• Brightest Bulbs - Thursday, May 29, 2008
• Regional - Wednesday, May 28, 2008
• Vaca - Accion - Monday, May 26, 2008
• Narrowing - Thursday, May 22, 2008
• Scale - Tuesday, May 20, 2008
• Invisible Hand on the Pump - Monday, May 19, 2008
• Ancient Music - Friday, May 16, 2008
• Electric Motion - Wednesday, May 14, 2008
• Comments? - Monday, May 12, 2008
• In the Translation - Monday, May 12, 2008
• Still Over - Very Over - Friday, May 09, 2008
• Hear the Quiet - Tuesday, May 06, 2008
• Enlightenment and Excess Sugar - Tuesday, May 06, 2008
• Cola Warriors - Monday, May 05, 2008
• Urban Core: Life - Friday, May 02, 2008
• Fantasy and Perspective - Tuesday, April 29, 2008
• Net-Work'd - Tuesday, April 29, 2008
• Urban Core: New Urbanism - Monday, April 28, 2008
• Urban Core: Lessons - Friday, April 25, 2008
• Urban Core - Wednesday, April 23, 2008
• But Fear Itself - Tuesday, April 22, 2008
• You've Got a Friend in Pennsylvania - Monday, April 21, 2008
• Cultural Catholic - Friday, April 18, 2008
• Taxing - Wednesday, April 16, 2008
• Light & Fluffy - Tuesday, April 15, 2008
• Work - Monday, April 14, 2008
• Human Barometer - Thursday, April 10, 2008
• Bad Girls - Tuesday, April 08, 2008
• A Good Meal on a Dreary Day - Tuesday, April 08, 2008
• One Year On - Sunday, April 06, 2008
• Not at Any Price - Friday, April 04, 2008
• Winning Through Acting Crazy - Wednesday, April 02, 2008
• More Press(ure) - Tuesday, April 01, 2008
• Message = Medium - Sunday, March 30, 2008
• Anything is Possible - Thursday, March 27, 2008
• Fit, Print, Whatever - Tuesday, March 25, 2008
• Ars Gratia Fructis - Monday, March 24, 2008
• Yes, Not Again - Sunday, March 23, 2008
• Generations: Empire - Thursday, March 20, 2008
• Generations: Do the Right Thing - Tuesday, March 18, 2008
• Brief Commercial Message - Monday, March 17, 2008
• Generations: Institutionalized - Sunday, March 16, 2008
• Generations - Thursday, March 13, 2008
• St. Patrick's Day - Tuesday, March 11, 2008
• Blinding Daylight - Monday, March 10, 2008
• It's Still Over - Sunday, March 09, 2008
• Pedestrian View - Thursday, March 06, 2008
• Straight Up Racist - Tuesday, March 04, 2008
• Stamp Them When They're Small - Monday, March 03, 2008
• Schooled - Sunday, March 02, 2008
• Free at Last - Friday, February 29, 2008
• Theo-Rhetorical - Tuesday, February 26, 2008
• Moral or Political? - Monday, February 25, 2008
• Flik Lit - Sunday, February 24, 2008
• Fit to Print ... and more! - Thursday, February 21, 2008
• Letter to Sen. Clinton - Tuesday, February 19, 2008
• Leading and Learning - Monday, February 18, 2008
• Dr. Carver - Sunday, February 17, 2008
• Primary Reader - Thursday, February 14, 2008
• Ordem e Progresso - Tuesday, February 12, 2008
• Class and Struggles - Monday, February 11, 2008
• Why Do We Write? - Sunday, February 10, 2008
• Streaming - Thursday, February 07, 2008
• Still About People - Wednesday, February 06, 2008
• A Fun Evening Ahead? - Tuesday, February 05, 2008
• Sick of It? Nah! - Monday, February 04, 2008
• Britney - Sunday, February 03, 2008
• Soooper Tooosday! - Friday, February 01, 2008
• Crazy Train - Tuesday, January 29, 2008
• Sacred and Profane - Monday, January 28, 2008
• Making Stuff - Monday, January 28, 2008
• Bill's World - Thursday, January 24, 2008
• Panic! - Wednesday, January 23, 2008
• Airballs and Airbending - Tuesday, January 22, 2008
• Cold - Sunday, January 20, 2008
• Spencer House - Friday, January 18, 2008
• Avatar - Wednesday, January 16, 2008
• Politics, Hopes, and Dreams - Tuesday, January 15, 2008
• Feast or Famine II: The Wrath of John (Zogby) - Monday, January 14, 2008
• Feast or Famine - Sunday, January 13, 2008
• For Madmen Only - Thursday, January 10, 2008
• Paul - Tuesday, January 08, 2008
• Horseraces and Horse Sense - Monday, January 07, 2008
• A New Start? - Monday, January 07, 2008
• Handicapping - Sunday, January 06, 2008
• Happy Talk - Friday, January 04, 2008
• Cold and Warm - Wednesday, January 02, 2008
• Happy, um, New Year - Monday, December 31, 2007
• Riot - Monday, December 31, 2007
• Bestsellers! - Thursday, December 27, 2007
• Why Do They Read? - Wednesday, December 26, 2007
• Christmas Morning - Tuesday, December 25, 2007
• S. Claus, C-14 - Monday, December 24, 2007
• Darkness and Light - Friday, December 21, 2007
• Memoir - Wednesday, December 19, 2007
• Eyes of a Child - Tuesday, December 18, 2007
• Solstice - Monday, December 17, 2007
• Glory and Promise - Thursday, December 13, 2007
• Desperate Cry for Attention - Wednesday, December 12, 2007
• Compound Interests - Monday, December 10, 2007
• The Game - Monday, December 10, 2007
• Got" Nuthin - Friday, December 07, 2007
• Snow Day - Tuesday, December 04, 2007
• Real Way, Way Real - Tuesday, December 04, 2007
• Snowstorm - Sunday, December 02, 2007
• Progress - Friday, November 30, 2007
• Tao Te Ching - Tuesday, November 27, 2007
• As You Like It - Monday, November 26, 2007
• Saint Paul - Sunday, November 25, 2007
• Travel - Friday, November 23, 2007
• Awareness - Wednesday, November 21, 2007
• Two Places Together - Tuesday, November 20, 2007
• Thanksgiving - Monday, November 19, 2007
• Mechanical PR - Friday, November 16, 2007
• Heavy and Light - Wednesday, November 14, 2007
• Rollin' and Scratchin' - Monday, November 12, 2007
• Lay Yer Dollar Down - Sunday, November 11, 2007
• Smarts - Friday, November 09, 2007
• Local - Wednesday, November 07, 2007
• Elections - Tuesday, November 06, 2007
• Platforms - Sunday, November 04, 2007
• Gutenburgistas - Thursday, November 01, 2007
• Shadows - Wednesday, October 31, 2007
• Saleable - Tuesday, October 30, 2007
• Tea - Monday, October 29, 2007
• Crispin, be Remembered - Thursday, October 25, 2007
• Faking It - Wednesday, October 24, 2007
• Post Dispatch - Tuesday, October 23, 2007
• Job Blob - Sunday, October 21, 2007
• MEA Weekend - Friday, October 19, 2007
• Mousketeer - Friday, October 19, 2007
• A Novel Solution - Wednesday, October 17, 2007
• Sunspots - Monday, October 15, 2007
• Ghosts - Sunday, October 14, 2007
• Voyages - Thursday, October 11, 2007
• Obsolete Houses - Tuesday, October 09, 2007
• Watching - Tuesday, October 09, 2007
• Distributed - Sunday, October 07, 2007
• Bright Light - Friday, October 05, 2007
• Soy Protein - Wednesday, October 03, 2007
• Making a Point - Monday, October 01, 2007
• Grace or Redemption - Sunday, September 30, 2007
• Widgets - Thursday, September 27, 2007
• Expectations - Wednesday, September 26, 2007
• My Point is? - Tuesday, September 25, 2007
• Access - Monday, September 24, 2007
• Housewife - Thursday, September 20, 2007
• Equinox - Wednesday, September 19, 2007
• Writing Back - Tuesday, September 18, 2007
• Street Life - Monday, September 17, 2007
• Cartoon - Friday, September 14, 2007
• The Greenback War - Wednesday, September 12, 2007
• A Fair Cop - Tuesday, September 11, 2007
• Small World - Monday, September 10, 2007
• Fairness - Thursday, September 06, 2007
• School Daze - Tuesday, September 04, 2007
• Publishing, Redux - Monday, September 03, 2007
• Labor Day - Sunday, September 02, 2007
• Ethnicity - Thursday, August 30, 2007
• Who Ya Know - Tuesday, August 28, 2007
• Repo Voting - Monday, August 27, 2007
• Sun - Friday, August 24, 2007
• Starving Artists - Tuesday, August 21, 2007
• Juanita Bartlett - Monday, August 20, 2007
• Stock Marks, not Market - Friday, August 17, 2007
• Novel Writing - Wednesday, August 15, 2007
• Stupid Money - Monday, August 13, 2007
• Crappy Cars - Friday, August 10, 2007
• snafu - Wednesday, August 08, 2007
• J.S. Bach - Monday, August 06, 2007
• I-35W Bridge - Friday, August 03, 2007
• Heat - Wednesday, August 01, 2007
• Illegal - Monday, July 30, 2007
• Prof. Powers - Thursday, July 26, 2007
• Harry Potter - Wednesday, July 25, 2007
• Cat President - Sunday, July 22, 2007
• MCS - Thursday, July 19, 2007
• Politics and People - Wednesday, July 18, 2007
• Authorial Omnipotence - Monday, July 16, 2007
• Conveyance - Thursday, July 12, 2007
• Univision - Wednesday, July 11, 2007
• Tropopause - Monday, July 09, 2007
• Big Ideas - Thursday, July 05, 2007
• Star Spangled Banner - Tuesday, July 03, 2007
• North America - Sunday, July 01, 2007
• ex Machina - Thursday, June 28, 2007
• Catalpa - Tuesday, June 26, 2007
• Blogosphere - Sunday, June 24, 2007
• Queuing - Thursday, June 21, 2007
• Make No Small Plans" - Tuesday, June 19, 2007
• Telling Stories - Monday, June 18, 2007
• Community - Thursday, June 14, 2007
• Minor Leagues - Tuesday, June 12, 2007
• For the Kids - Monday, June 11, 2007
• Wurst Writing - Thursday, June 07, 2007
• Progressive - Tuesday, June 05, 2007
• Credentials - Monday, June 04, 2007
• Band Concert - Thursday, May 31, 2007
• Institution - Wednesday, May 30, 2007
• Publiosity - Tuesday, May 29, 2007
• Honor and Sense - Monday, May 28, 2007
• King O'er the Water - Thursday, May 24, 2007
• Everything Counts - Wednesday, May 23, 2007
• Numbers Game - Monday, May 21, 2007
• Elected Attorney General - Friday, May 18, 2007
• Car Free - Thursday, May 17, 2007
• Cold Front - Tuesday, May 15, 2007
• Fortune Telling - Sunday, May 13, 2007
• Distant Voices - Friday, May 11, 2007
• Value - Wednesday, May 09, 2007
• Disposable Buildings - Monday, May 07, 2007
• Energy Alternatives - Friday, May 04, 2007
• Statuary - Thursday, May 03, 2007
• Voice - Tuesday, May 01, 2007
• McNews - Monday, April 30, 2007
• The Jebediah Effect - Thursday, April 26, 2007
• Public Realm - Wednesday, April 25, 2007
• Four Leaves - Tuesday, April 24, 2007
• Media Outlets - Monday, April 23, 2007
• A New Line of Thought - Saturday, April 21, 2007
• Pattern Taxonomy - Friday, April 20, 2007
• Politics, Interest, and Democracy - Thursday, April 19, 2007
• Making Sense - Tuesday, April 17, 2007
• Naked Emperor - Monday, April 16, 2007
• Barking in the Night - Saturday, April 14, 2007
• Kurt Vonnegut - Thursday, April 12, 2007
• All the News That Fits, Prints - Wednesday, April 11, 2007
• It was a dark and stormy night ... - Tuesday, April 10, 2007
|
|
Bookmarks
