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the word "whitey" (and identity politics)

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Do black people use this term any more? Or only white people trying to distance themselves from their whiteness? What are the semantics of this word? Funny how white people appropriate a denigratory term about themselves, and yet it remains denigratory, whereas "queer", "nigger", "dyke" etc get a positive spin when appropriated by the people those words target. There's no positive form of identity politics for white people is there, unless it's a fascist one? Does that leave white people totally out of the identity politics game? Or does it transform itself in other ways? Anyone have any thoughts?

― Josh RT, Friday, 28 January 2005 10:19 (twenty-one years ago)

That was ambiguous - didn't mean fascism is positive, obviously. I meant that attempts to portray whiteness as a positive identity end up as fascist.

― Josh RT, Friday, 28 January 2005 10:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Has anyone other than Stokely Carmichael ever used the phrase "whitey"?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 28 January 2005 10:25 (twenty-one years ago)

bbby gllsp has probably used it (nb that verifying this would entail listening prml scrm)

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Friday, 28 January 2005 10:28 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.autograph-cards.com/Cards%5CBigCardsX%5C016998.jpg

― j blount (papa la bas), Friday, 28 January 2005 10:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Funny how white people appropriate a denigratory term about themselves

do they?

― Miles Finch, Friday, 28 January 2005 10:29 (twenty-one years ago)

"Has anyone other than Stokely Carmichael ever used the phrase "whitey"?"

Find threads from I Love Music, containing whitey.

100 results found:

Find threads from I Love Everything, containing whitey.

98 results found:

― Josh RT, Friday, 28 January 2005 10:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Shome mishtake Shtokely?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 28 January 2005 10:32 (twenty-one years ago)

one word does not a phrase make.

― bprofane (AaronHz), Friday, 28 January 2005 10:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Brows are even more furiously furrowed than normal in ILX today I notice

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 28 January 2005 10:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Dada, how would you say use of the term "whitey" would define you, vis a vis rockism? ;)

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Friday, 28 January 2005 10:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Whitey Ford Sings The Blues

― Stevem On X (blueski), Friday, 28 January 2005 10:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Friday, January 28th, 2005 05:15 pm
Anonymous: Praising Beck for going "back to his roots" and being "how he used to be" - Momus you old rockist!

Friday, January 28th, 2005 05:19 pm
iMomus: Yeah, but it's the lesser of two rockisms -- his 'Sea Change' period, recording trad. sincere songs with Nigel Godrich, was much more rockist. At least the authenticity of his robo-rap period is robot authenticity. The Golden Age is cybernetic, and whitey tries to moonwalk.

― Momus (Momus), Friday, 28 January 2005 10:50 (twenty-one years ago)

If I hear/see the phrase "rockist" again I'll plastinate someone

― Two Otto Muehls For Sister Sara (Dada), Friday, 28 January 2005 10:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Sorry, I forgot, "one word does not a phrase make"

― Two Otto Muehls For Sister Sara (Dada), Friday, 28 January 2005 10:55 (twenty-one years ago)

ihttp://www.photofile.com/Photos/Players/Complete_List_Of_HOF_Cards/Ford_Whitey.jpg

― Weatherin'D, Friday, 28 January 2005 11:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Sheeit cracka.

― Andrew (enneff), Friday, 28 January 2005 11:48 (twenty-one years ago)

wait.. i thought whitey meant throwing up after drinking too much/taking too much drugs

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 28 January 2005 12:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Whitey were Lauren Lavernes song of the week last week.

― alix (alix), Friday, 28 January 2005 12:58 (twenty-one years ago)

ihttp://www.musicmatic.de/C/Ciccone1a.jpg

― Curious George Rides a Republican (Rock Hardy), Friday, 28 January 2005 14:46 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.nederpoparchief.nl/bluesbrothers/script_19.jpg

"What are you gunna do about it, whitey?!"

― kingfish (Kingfish), Friday, 28 January 2005 15:57 (twenty-one years ago)

denigratory

Etymology: Latin denigratus, past participle of denigrare, from de- + nigrare to blacken, from nigr-, niger black

weird.

xpost - I hate Illinois Nazis.

― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 28 January 2005 15:59 (twenty-one years ago)

WHITEY BULGER TO THREAD

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 28 January 2005 16:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Here's my take. "Whitey" is an old-fashioned denigratory (yes, the derivation is kinda weird given the context) word not used by black people any more. It's used occasionally by white people, probably not spoken but on the internet or in print, a bit like Momus used it up thread. ie, ironically, but to do with white people somehow "trespassing" on what's perceived to be black or some other ethnic culture. It's all wrapped up in the white anxiety that their culture is not "authentic" or that "authentic" culture has to be watered down for whites somehow. They're sort of ironically buying into an out-of-date reverse racism. Do a search of ILM and you'll come across a bunch of usages like this, ie:

Taking Sides: Balinese Gamelan v. Javanese Gamelan (2 matching messages)

which is the real deal and which the fake debasement of true Gamelan designed to appeal to whitey?

-- DV (dirtyvica...), May 12th, 2003.

So what's going on? Is it just the flip side of standard colonial racism, where white people see black cultures as the inferior, to-be-feared Other? Why does a certain liberal mindset so often locate "authenticity" in the culture of other ethnic groups and feel so much spiritual angst about the fakeness of their own culture?

― Josh RT, Friday, 28 January 2005 16:16 (twenty-one years ago)

There are degrees of whiteness in the Caucasian community

― Snappy (sexyDancer), Friday, 28 January 2005 16:21 (twenty-one years ago)

blackpeopleloveus dot com

― kingfish (Kingfish), Friday, 28 January 2005 17:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Whitey on the Moon

A rat done bit my sister Nell.
(with Whitey on the moon)
Her face and arms began to swell.
(and Whitey's on the moon)
I can't pay no doctor bill.
(but Whitey's on the moon)
Ten years from now I'll be payin' still.
(while Whitey's on the moon)
The man jus' upped my rent las' night.
('cause Whitey's on the moon)
No hot water, no toilets, no lights.
(but Whitey's on the moon)
I wonder why he's uppi' me?
('cause Whitey's on the moon?)
I wuz already payin' 'im fifty a week.
(with Whitey on the moon)
Taxes takin' my whole damn check,
Junkies makin' me a nervous wreck,
The price of food is goin' up,
An' as if all that shit wuzn't enough:
A rat done bit my sister Nell.
(with Whitey on the moon)
Her face an' arm began to swell.
(but Whitey's on the moon)
Was all that money I made las' year
(for Whitey on the moon?)
How come there ain't no money here?
(Hmm! Whitey's on the moon)
Y'know I jus' 'bout had my fill
(of Whitey on the moon)
I think I'll sen' these doctor bills,
Airmail special
(to Whitey on the moon)

(Gil Scott-Heron)

― Hurting (Hurting), Friday, 28 January 2005 17:09 (twenty-one years ago)

I'M A NIGGER
http://www.kidswithtasers.com/revimg/pic3.jpg

― Snappy (sexyDancer), Friday, 28 January 2005 17:15 (twenty-one years ago)

― Curious George Rides a Republican (Rock Hardy), Friday, 28 January 2005 18:05 (twenty-one years ago)

I have had several jobs where, unfortunately, my nickname was 'whitey' and meant in mostly jocular affection.

― Michael White (Hereward), Friday, 28 January 2005 18:06 (twenty-one years ago)

is someone going to repost every post where the word "Whitey" was used?

― DV (dirtyvicar), Friday, 28 January 2005 23:20 (twenty-one years ago)

four years pass...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/80/Simpsonswhiteyford.png/200px-Simpsonswhiteyford.png

― omar little, Sunday, 2 August 2009 04:09 (sixteen years ago)

kingfish (Kingfish), Friday, January 28, 2005 9:06 AM (4 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
Whitey on the Moon

A rat done bit my sister Nell.
(with Whitey on the moon)
Her face and arms began to swell.
(and Whitey's on the moon)
I can't pay no doctor bill.
(but Whitey's on the moon)
Ten years from now I'll be payin' still.
(while Whitey's on the moon)
The man jus' upped my rent las' night.
('cause Whitey's on the moon)
No hot water, no toilets, no lights.
(but Whitey's on the moon)
I wonder why he's uppi' me?
('cause Whitey's on the moon?)
I wuz already payin' 'im fifty a week.
(with Whitey on the moon)
Taxes takin' my whole damn check,
Junkies makin' me a nervous wreck,
The price of food is goin' up,
An' as if all that shit wuzn't enough:
A rat done bit my sister Nell.
(with Whitey on the moon)
Her face an' arm began to swell.
(but Whitey's on the moon)
Was all that money I made las' year
(for Whitey on the moon?)
How come there ain't no money here?
(Hmm! Whitey's on the moon)
Y'know I jus' 'bout had my fill
(of Whitey on the moon)
I think I'll sen' these doctor bills,
Airmail special
(to Whitey on the moon)

(Gil Scott-Heron)

― "A Night As Fine As Jewelry" (Whitey on the Moon), Sunday, 2 August 2009 04:26 (sixteen years ago)

brink back "honky" or better yet "jive honkies"

― m coleman, Sunday, 2 August 2009 15:50 (sixteen years ago)

brink back "honky" or better yet "jive honkies"

Or its milder cousin, "jive turkey."

Also,

Don't call me nigger, whitey
Don't call me whitey, nigger

Don't call me nigger, whitey
Don't call me whitey, nigger

Well I was down, across the country
And I heard two voices ring
They were talkin' angry to each other
And neither other could change a thing

Don't call me nigger, whitey
Don't call me whitey, nigger...

-Sly Stone

― nickn, Sunday, 2 August 2009 18:34 (sixteen years ago)

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/5519/whiteyf.jpg

― CaptainLorax, Sunday, 2 August 2009 18:53 (sixteen years ago)

you can't trust whitey

― CaptainLorax, Sunday, 2 August 2009 18:55 (sixteen years ago)


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