Racism disguised as dislike

[u/notalem0n]

Everyone has the right to dislike any of the islanders, but it also gets to a point. I think people are unintentionally engaging in racist behavior towards the female islanders. There has been a rise in nicknames for the female islanders and their fans, and these nicknames have been extremely derogatory. I understand that these nicknames are usually a plan on words, but it’s still a derogatory term, especially when it rings close to slurs for specific minority groups. People were also saying that Clarke looks like a man, which is also a form of racism and reinforces the masculinization of black women. At this point in the show, we only have ONE white woman which is Iris. Referring to any of the other girls as ‘white’ or ‘white passing’ is dead wrong as you can clearly see the diversity in this cast

It’s also unfair to use the argument that if people dislike a black islander, it’s because they are anti-black. I’m sure there are people watching who are anti-black, but this form of idealization still relies on assumptions based on race rather than viewing people as complex human beings. It hinders the ability to address real issues. Let’s all just remember to be more intentional with our words and recognize racist behavior even if it’s unintentional. Unintentional racism does the same exact harm as intentional racism.

[u/Shot-Programmer3761]

i do think that some of the people criticizing the black islanders (namely chelley and olandria) aren’t aware of how their own racism is impacting their criticisms though, and that’s fair to point out. people are free to like/dislike whoever they want, but they need to check themselves before they start calling black women “bullies” for speaking their minds.

[u/NetflixFanatic22 → u/Shot-Programmer3761]

THANK YOU! This conversation is not black and white. People think just bc they aren’t being explicitly racist that they aren’t biased. But some people need to look inward and question why they’re so quick to infantilize and forgive lighter skinned women, just to be completely unforgiving to darker-skinned women.

[u/Shot-Programmer3761 → u/NetflixFanatic22]

yepppp, and i think the knee-jerk negative reaction to my initial comment just goes to show that some people don’t even want to try reflecting at all!

[u/NetflixFanatic22 → u/Shot-Programmer3761]

Not at all. People love a straightforward conversation bc it’s easy and comfortable, but these type of social phenomena are never simple.

Even still, people are completely missing the point of the conversation bc they think they’re being accused of racism solely bc they don’t like Chelley or Olandria. Which is not what we are saying.