> Brian Siano writes:
>> The Bad Guys are described as "dark?" Hmmmm....
>
> Which happens in so many texts -- the White Hats vs. the Black Hats. In
> Star Wars evil is described as going over to the dark side. Africa is
> the
> heart of darkness.
And when things are dark, it's harder to see predators approaching. There's more danger. Frightening. And this'd be true _regardless_ of notions of race.
>> Why do people expend so much energy on this task?
>
> Because the harm done by this practice is great. One of the young
> children
> I used to mentor in Harlem was fascinated by the phone on my desk. When
> I
> asked why he said he liked it. And why did he like it? He said he liked
> it
> because it was white.
And what's wrong with liking an object for its color? If he'd said he liked it because it was red, would that make him a Communist? If he liked it because it was blue, would he be asserting his cultural background? If he liked it because it was brown, would that make him a coprophiliac?
>> Is literature a minefield, where one has to keep an ever-vigilant watch
> out for hidden
> symbols in order to avoid being turned into a fascist or racist?
>
> Literature is a minefield and always has been. It has helped to create a
> discourse of contempt, disgust and fear of all that is dark. In turn
> this
> discourse is used to help facilitate the explotation of people of color
> and
> their lands/resources.
Man, reading must be an awful chore for you. No joy, no simple story, no mere entertainment-- everything must be scrutinized for its evil political content.
>> How is this unlike the careful analyses of the _Malleus Malificarum_,
>> that
> charming guidebook to sniffing out heresy and witchcraft in the most
> mundane
> of everyday details?
>
> Analyzing the racial/sexual/class strategies of literary texts is a valid
> tool against exploitation. Sniffing out heresies and witches was a
> practice
> the power elite engages in a) to frighten people; b) to keep them
> compliant;
> and c) to direct their attention away from the true monsters who were the
> elite themselves.
Sounds like literary theory to me. Frightens students, keeps'em compliant, and directs their attention to literary malfeasances and the condemnation of writers rather than the elites.