sourcedumal: the-womanifesto: ...

the-womanifesto:

lastofthetimeladies:

This is my school’s production poster for this year’s play, Othello.

The photo features students (the girl who plays Desdemona and the boy who plays Othello) and was also taken by a student.

This morning, many copies of this poster were put up through the hallways of my high school. By this afternoon, they all had been ripped down - some by teachers, some by students, and many by the principal himself due to a large amount of complaints that the administration received for allowing such a poster on the halls.

I honestly don’t know what I think of it because I fear that I have such a big bias in favor of my drama program, being that I am an avid thespian. I understand how this poster can be taken the wrong way - for one, it’s currently black history month, and my school is one that goes all-out to celebrate that. To have posters, announcements, and clubs all revolving around black pride and then to put this poster up in the midst of all that? This poster depicts exactly the kind of stereotypes that we have been trying to negate - a black man attacking a pretty young white woman.

However, this is advertisement and this is art. This is probably the most effective way the drama teacher could have thought of to get people to come to the show. Everyone will see the poster and wonder, “What is that show even about? All I know is that there are black hands strangling a white girl.” Because I know that people do see it that way - completely black-and-white, if you will. They will wonder, and they will go see the show, just to find out whether or not the drama program is actually racist or something. I mean, this is an incredible marketing strategy. Hit them in the face with shocking controversy and make them need to find out.

On one hand, the photo looks amazing from a photographer’s standpoint, and the poster itself is brilliant from an advertising standpoint. On the other hand, from the side of politics and from an activist’s standpoint, how far is too far? I’m afraid that I can’t truly say, since I have both white privilege and a slight bias in favor of my drama department.

Regardless of how “effective” people think it would be to get people to come to the show, racism should never be used to get numbers. The creators of this poster and the teacher that approved it are using people’s racist fears of the black man hurting the white girl in order to advance this theater program. There is no excuse or justification for it no matter what month it is.

That poster is 100% racist, and I am VERY glad that the students and the administrators were pro active in taking that shit down.

OP, do you NOT see how harmful this poster is? It relies on the notion of the scary black man hurting the poor innocent white girl.

And please MISS ME with that “this is art and entertainment” crap.

ART CAN BE RACIST. ENTERTAINMENT CAN BE RACIST.

And NO this is NOT the most effective way. Why in the unholy FUCK would anyone want to go to a show that is advertised like that??? I know I would avoid it like the plague and tell everyone I know not to support such a racist sentiment.

You said it yourself: You have white privilege. Therefore your feelings on this are IRRELEVANT. You do NOT get to determine what is racist. PERIOD.