"Oh, Lottie": Race in Mildred Pierce

Mildred (right) with daughter and the film's femme fatale Veda (left).

Mildred Pierce is one of my favourite classic Hollywood films. There is something about the film's blending of post-war fragility and 21st century modernity that makes it a uniquely timeless film. Mildred remains so good to think about when charting the history of class, gender and social structure in American society and these representations in Hollywood.

In a flurry of supposed agency, title character Mildred casts off her former motherly domesticity and becomes empoweringly entrepreneurial. She grows rapidly into a wildly successful restauranteur as her resourcefulness in the home translates into profitable enterprise, though her success is couched within a desperate attempt to satisfy an insatiable daughter and social pressures that seek to return her to the home and to the husband. (Which she does, much to the film's applause.)

For our purposes, we must look to race. In Mildred Pierce, the most damning statement about race is not what is shown, but rather, what is not shown. Notions of race – other than white – is distinctly and consciously absent from the film. The only non-white character in Mildred is the housekeeper Lottie.

Lottie (left) making pies with title character, Mildred (right).

Lottie, for all the screen-time she gets (which I vaguely guesstimate to be around a maximum of five minutes, total), is portrayed as a bumbling, impressionable fool. She is totally deferential to her employer and title character, Mildred. Her high-pitched, over-stretched voice posits her as no smarter than a toddler: at one point she is shown to be unable to operate a telephone. The character is highly stylised on DelGaudio's 'mammy' stereotype: a most persisting image perpetuated by Hollywood productions. She is "inexorably linked to ... the slave-society image of surrogate maternalism and domestic service" while being resigned to the "customary position of socio-economic dependency".

The novel of the same name upon which the film is based makes no mention of Lottie's race or nationality, therefore we may validly assume that this pairing of character and race was a conscious decision reflective of attitudes of the era. Certainly, this description of Lottie's characterisation and racial stereotyping is damning but all too similar to its Hollywood adjuncts. 

Interestingly, the actress that played Lottie, Butterfly McQueen, was uncredited for her role in Mildred Pierce as she was for her role (also as a maid) in Gone With The Wind. McQueen herself gave her view on her recurring characterisation as a bumbling Mammy that, in my view, says more in 3 sentences than I could in a whole blog post.

I didn’t mind playing a maid the first time, because I thought that was how you got into the business. But after I did the same thing over and over I resented it. I didn’t mind being funny but I didn’t like being stupid.

Trying to Give Chris the Benefit of the Doubt

Chris Lilley is a well known comedian in Australia and New Zealand hailed for his work, which is often seen as being edgy and hilarious. However, he is rarely criticised for being racist, despite employing crude racialisations of his characters including brownface. Not only is he free from major, career-damning criticism, but has been awarded a big ol’ stack of comedy awards over the years. Is Chris Lilley unpacking racism?

To give him the benefit of the doubt, some of Chris’s characters seem to probe into everyday racism experienced and pracised by different members of society. In his most popular show Angry Boys, The prison warden “Gran” splits up boys in her detention centre according to the colour of their skin (lightskins one side, darkskins on the other side!) and hurls slurs at the detainees (come on coco pops! – jesus, I thought abbos could run fast – kick it, negro! – I thought wogs were good at soccer! etc etc). As a character, Gran has the potential to open up the floor for discussions on sterotyping and deep set attitudes related to racial profiling held by some white Australians. By only using slurs towards people of colour in this scene, Lilley also emphasises how as the dominant group in Australia, privileged whites are able to go through life unmarked by ethnicity whereas ethnic minorities such as African-Australian, Aborigine and Middle Eastern people are subjected to stereotyping and profiling.

Other characters like the first generation Japanese immigrant Jen, and Jonah (featuring in other, similar, Lilley-produced TV shows) allude to a different societal experience on the basis of colour. However while these characters may highlight a different day to day experience, it can be hard to believe that Lilley isn’t just exploiting his particularly crude representations of archetypal racialised roles to generate cheap laughs. Lilley in brownface depicting the disruptive Tongan teenager Jonah, accompanied by the one-dimensionally physically abusive character of Jonah’s father doesn’t do wonders for the representation of Tongan people or do anything for the unpacking of stereotypes about Polynesian minorities. While some aspects of his characters can be seen as pushing the boundaries and making us think about race in modern Australia, overall his use of race in comedy is ham fisted and, if it is aiming to break down barriers, is doing so indirectly. Lilley’s awards are handed out in a white-dominant framework where racism doesn’t contradict a comedian’s hilarity.

SNEAKY LIL' HILL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfiuMFi9uow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k4nmRZx9nc

While Hillary Clinton is definitely a preferable alternative to Donald Trump, she is far from being a perfect politician. In my mind, one of the main places she falls down on along the campaign trail is on topics of race, in particular police brutality towards African Americans.

Leading up to Super Tuesday, where several southern states with high African American populations were voting, Secretary Clinton delivered a touching speech, recognising the strength and endurance of the mothers and loved ones of people who had died as a direct result of racist police brutality. It was clear that she was standing in solidarity with and in support of these people and she’s publically condemned the institutional racism of police departments across America, calling for an end to racial profiling and retraining police officers. However, as soon as those southern black voters popped their votes in the ballot box Hillary went on to abandon any more chat about the way blacks are treated (ticked off the list!) in favour of rallying behind miner’s unions in some other far flung corner of the country. A lower socio-economic class of black voters are being fooled into pledging their support for Hillary by her emotional manipulation of sensitive current events, when in fact Bernie Sanders’s policies centred around welfare, all encompassing state provided healthcare, living wages and equality regardless of ethnicity or social standing are far closer to policies which will actually help improve their lives.

While she acknowledges institutional and systemic racisms in America, she hasn’t apologised for the part she has played in the racial landscape America faces today. As first lady in the 90’s, she campaigned for legislation which disproportioately subjected young black men to police attention and incarceration, and referred to young black men as gangs of “super predators”. It seems all she does it say what she knows will get her votes. In the mid 90’s it was persecuting blacks, but now she seems to have caught onto #blacklivesmatter. She even managed to whip/nae nae her way through an Ellen segment.

Online Nobody Knows You're a dog

We're all a bit racist from time to time. It might not be overtly obvious but at some point in time, you have stereotyped someone based on their race. But wait, you've never said it out loud so you can't be a racist right?. Wrong, It's not just the physical manifestations of racism that counts . Racism is a system which involves the thoughts and ideas you use to process a person into each category of race. But don't worry, its ok to have those thoughts.  Just don't go preaching them as fact ok. The phenomenon I want to touch on is how people can go from young, innocent, politically correct, 'never been racist in my life' in person to a complete racist bigot when online. I'm an avid online gamer so I'm usually exposed to ages ranging from 7 to 30ish. I can confirm that online gamers produce some of the most toxic communities in the world. Yup, that innocent 7-year-old  or your 30-year-old husband gamer is a complete ass-hat when online. It can turn the best of us at times. The outbursts aren't exclusively racist, but it is frightening to hear  a 7-year old call you a "useless shit N***er" just because he's better than you (I'm 24, sad face).  I thought I would be the bigger person and reply. "yeah you got me good man.......Just like I did your MUM!" Boom. Yeah, I'm not proud of it but damn it felt good to say. .....Anyways let's discuss how the online world turns us into these monsters.

Group popularization

This occurs when people who share a common interest become more extreme in their positions when discussing it. With the internet, it is easier to find like-minded people. Are you a vegan? google vegan restaurants and groups. If you're into rugby, join a fan page. Are you a Nazi? well go punch yourself first, but then you can proceed to find nazi supporter groups. The internet helps connect those of common interest and from those groups come extreme views. Take the TPPA or flag debate for example. Pages were set up on social media sites to show support for, or against, it. They exploded on social media with protestors calling for John key to be removed from his position. It even went as far as death threats against him. That's pretty extreme if you ask me.

In online gaming, it's also a matter of 'if everyone else is doing it, I should too'. This makes it more acceptable to throw around those racist slurs, but with others joining in it becomes a case of who can be the most racist.

Witness Me!

Ever met a person who brags about how many likes they got on their selfie or Instagram post or how many retweets they got on their tweet and how one of those retweets was a celebrity. OMG, you're like literally famous now right.......This is all a matter of 'what can I do so people will notice me'. One way is to share the loudest, most controversial opinion you can find. Racist comments are always gonna spark conversation or reaction. For gamers, if you want to get under another player's skin then all you have to do is assume he's some minority race and shout racist slurs at him/her. I could be some white English guy (I'm Polynesian)  but that 7-year old completely disregards that fact and calls me a racial slur intended for African-Americans. As  mentioned earlier, it sparked my reaction but it shows how we contributed to an online culture that is desensitised towards the implications of racism. An interesting observation here is that the racial slur was not aimed to offend my race, rather its acts as a symbol of his superiority. With these racist stereotypes comes the issue of power. Racism is a sensitive subject. By stereotyping and judging with disregard to that race's customs and cultures you degrade them in return for your perceived superiority.


Anonymous: "(insert racist comment)"

This is the most obvious reason that we let those demons out of our closet. You can say whatever you want because no one  knows who you are. No one will find out that you're a closet racist, or cross-dresser, or even a silly old dog. Anonymity shields us from the judgement of our real-world selves. Also, with no ownership comes no consequence. People online hide behind their aliases and avatars so they can let out that controversial thought without being targeted directly.
The competitive nature of gaming makes it so you have to be better than the other team.
If you are better than them then that gives you the right, through some unspoken rule, to belittle them. While I understand the theory behind it, it is sad to see the majority of belittling comments made through racist analogies. Yeah, that 7-year-old was better than me but it was shocking to see him  make the connection of the word N***er and its use as an oppressor for an inferior player. In the end, all I can do is curse back at him. Most casual gamers have no real means of finding out who they are playing with. In real-world sports or games, you hardly ever see these types of comments made to the opposing team. It does happen, but the consequences are real world consequences.  If you shout some racist comment at a football player, you can bet that you got a fist coming your way.


There are more reasons for why we suddenly become racist online, but these three I find particularly important. It is nice to see a lot of online forums employing admins to monitor inappropriate behaviour and language. It's a great step towards fighting online racism. However, for now, I would suggest that you tell your gamer friends to mute the chat, especially your 7-year olds. 

Die fokken Antwoord

Die Antwoord means “the answer” in Afrikaans. Does it mean they are the answer to racism?

Die Antwoord is a zef rap-rave group from South Africa which consist of Ninja, Yolandi- Vi$$a and DJ Hi-Tek. After “taking over the interweb” in early 2010, they have played Afrikaans rap-rave music all over the world. You might think they are freaky, but you may also like them a lot. Claire Scott discusses in their “Die Antwoord and a delegitimised South African whiteness: a potential counter-narrative? ”article how Die Antwoord’s music and image can possible be seen as a sort of counter culture to whiteness within South Africa.

 Ninja (Left) and Yolandi-Vi$$a (Right) of Die Antwoord

Scott’s article takes a section to explore the racial melting pot that is South Africa and how individuals (mainly whites) have difficulty forming social identities they can belong to. Using Homi Bhabha’s discussion on the topic values how popular music can be used to take bits and pieces of daily life and repurpose them into signs of national culture which also works as a “counter-narrative” against the established nation. Marlin-Curiel is quoted in saying how Afrikaners want to be feel safe in South African and want to be accepted by non-white Afrikaans speakers. One way in which this was possible was through the rave scene. It allowed Afrikaan’s speakers of all wakes of earth to come together and enjoy the rave. It was able to put the past behind everyone and to help build a path to a more inclusive future.

Another reason that the inclusiveness of the rave was necessary was the position white Afrikaners where in. Since segregation, whites have been at the centre as the privileged race over history. With this in mind out of South Africa’s total population of 51,770,560 in 2011’s census, only 8.9% were identifying as white. Being the privileged minority causes difficulties in forming one’s identity. The other factor is since these white South African’s are living among blacks and coloured people daily, it gives them the sense that they are not racist. However this mentally is problematic because it doesn’t encourage change and challenge the current racial stereotypes.

This predicament has lead Scott to include a section on whiteness studies and how problematic it is. It is discussed that whiteness studies should be treated the same way Black studies or Asian studies are treated. However, attempts to discuss whiteness on the same level as other races is done with hesitation. Another concern is that if someone discusses whiteness studies in white people’s defence it could be seen as sympathising with white supremacy and trying to keep whites in a privileged position.

So what does this have to do with Die Antwoord?

Die Antwoord’s main artists, Ninja and Yolandi being physically white plays into their use of ‘zef’. ‘Zef’ roughly translates to ‘common’ is a slang word to mean cool in Afrikaans. It used to be a derogative term that white lower middle class were called. While the aesthetics of ‘zef’ style could be called white trash, Die Antwoord have re purposed it to be “it’s like your poor, but you’re fancy” making use of bright colored shorts and tank tops with characters on them such as Hello Kitty and boxer shorts with the Pink Floyd dark side of the moon album cover on them.

An example of zef style by Die Antwoord from their video 'Zef Side'

Scott discusses that the use of zef and the white working class within South Africa by Die Antwoord has enabled them to tap into a site of unredeemed racism. In the music video and song Rich Bitch, it illustrated a story of the poor white working class. Yolandi raps about how she is a rich bitch now, but it wasn’t always that way. Her fame and fortune was achieved by working hard and taking matters into her own hands. She not only strips her whiteness of its privileged statue, she also stands for an example of hard work can lead to success which can be achieved by any race. It is also interesting to note that Die Antwoord have never really shown the desire to become even wealthier or abandon their zef persona.

A more modern example of their inclusive image through zef is the song Pitbull Terrier, 2014. With the lyrics “White cats. Black cats. All my zef cats” Ninja is inviting anyone, black or white who identities with zef to their song.

Die Antwoord may not be the revolutionary starters and may come off as vulgar and weird to the unfamiliar eye. However after the shock wears off, one is able to appreciate the exotic presentation of zef and their inclusive nature of all cultures within South Africa to form funky, offensive rap-rave music which is enjoyed all over the world.

References: 

Scott, Claire. "Die Antwoord and a Delegitimised South African Whiteness: A Potential Counter-narrative?" Critical Arts 26.5 (2012): 745-61. Print.

http://www.southafrica.info/about/people/population.htm#.VvjomPl96hc

Chile and New Zealand - Parallels of Privilege?

As we all know, racism is prevalent around the globe. It has become so entrenched in society, that indigenous people tend to be seen as ‘inferior’ or less-likely to succeed in the dog-eat-dog world we call home. I address this topic of indigenous racism from a point of view I was able to take in South America not so long ago. I look back now and find it fascinating how clearly I was able to make connections and similarities between comments of some New Zealand citizens towards the Maori population, as the Chilean citizens towards the indigenous Mapuche people, during my gap year in Chile.

Now, having heard comments such as the ‘handouts’ the indigenous were able to receive from the government, or the ‘muddier’ coloured skin that the Mapuche have as a distinguishing feature in Chile; I was concerned to continue hearing the negative backlash from the more ‘civilised’ and ‘Europeanised’ Chileans with their paler skin tone, and apparent higher class status. The reason I comment on this is the fact that racism can be observed as something having stemmed from the lines of imperialism and European colonisation. The historical period of subjugation of the people of the newly ‘discovered’ Americas, and not to mention, Pacific islands, certainly built upon, and reinforced the binary of commonly used language aiding in the racist approach that lingers on. Some similar, less extreme binaries I could draw from the two indigenous populations were the so-called ‘laziness’ versus the productivity of an ‘us,’ or the ‘intelligence’ versus the ‘simplicity’ of an ‘other’.

Eurocentrism can be observed as a causal factor in the normalised and dominant discourse of the ‘West versus the Rest.’ The influence of European politics and the ideology that coincides with this, has certainly caught on to the everyday opinions of a society such as Chile, which historically can be seen in its governmental change to a neoliberal, and privatised society. Such a dark history of bloodshed and maltreatment of indigenous populations of colonised countries could be dissected for days, however, the main point I am wishing to address is the parallel between the indigenous of New Zealand and those of Chile. What privileges are provided for the Maori that could possibly heal the wounds of imperialism that hacked away at the native language and cultural identity associated with it? The same goes for the Mapuche people, have they not endured enough suffering and ethnic abuse to be worthy of a scholarship opportunity? Structural racism can also be seen in play particularly due to the fact that the Mapuche are often of low-socioeconomic backgrounds, leading to public schooling and little opportunity to carry on to private tertiary education. Is this not racist in itself- a chain of occupational disadvantage that maintains the status quo?

Modern day society does not cater for indigenous peoples, a scholarship here and there cannot undo the past which is often hidden or suppressed by dominant racist discourses, and therefore not addressed by society. If anyone has anything to comment on an overseas experience or particular form of cultural racism they have noticed, please comment below.

Whiteness and Beauty

When I was younger, one of my close friends in elementary school would often come over to my house to hang out with me. I remember my mom telling my aunt about how my friend was so beautiful with her pale, white skin and blue eyes. This was one of the rare instances that my mom ever expressed her belief of  light skin as being the ideal. For the most part, my parents never made a point to raise my siblings and I with the idea that light skin was more beautiful. Now, had my skin actually been dark enough that people would point it out as I was growing up, I think my experience would have been very different.

The skin colour thing has been a huge issue across South Asia. There is an entire industry dedicated to selling products that claim to lighten one’s skin. The truth is, this industry only thrives because of the very impactful process that goes into raising girls with the mentality that their skin colour is not good enough and not seen as beautiful. White so easily becomes the ideal and girls intuitively pick this up from a very young age. My best friend goes out of her way to avoid the sun in the summer and will make comments like “Ugh I can feel my skin getting darker” or “I look too dark in that picture”. This is the product of a lifetime of hearing the “Wow your daughter is so beautiful” comments go to her cousins and friends with lighter skin.

It is incredibly sad to know that there is such a huge impact on the self-esteem of millions of girls because they are unhappy with their skin colour, something that is impossible to change. In weddings across India and Pakistan, women almost always have makeup that is several shades lighter than their skin tone. It is the face of a porcelain doll painted over them. And we all know what colour these dolls are. What’s worse is how easy it is to internalize this hatred of your own skin colour and how difficult it is to stop seeing white as the ideal. In fact, I don’t even know if I could get my own parents to understand that the sky being blue and white being beautiful do not hold the same factual equivalence. To try to explain the social construction of race and the historical process of white supremacy, means that they would have to be willing to unlearn and relearn. And even then, I worry that white as superior is rooted so deep within them.

In lecture, Suzanne talked about Stuart Hall explaining how the white eye is unnamed yet everything is positioned within the frame but because it is unnamed, it is unquestioned and unnoticed. If you’re watching a movie without thinking, you could easily watch something that has no people of color in it and not even notice. When I was in high school, I read a lot of young adult teen fiction and romance novels. I don’t think I ever read a single book in these genres where the main characters were not white. As a child, I enjoyed writing short stories and looking back now, my characters were always white despite the fact that I am not. My white characters lived in their white world with their white family and friends. It was just natural that they would be white and I did this without thinking. This in itself, is a powerful example of how easily we have internalized the superiority of the white body. I have so many experiences and so many things that are a part of my culture that I could’ve created a character around, yet I chose to write stories with characters who were reflective of all the other books I had read and of the movies I had seen.

Movies, books, and all other forms of media shape the way that all of these girls who desire lighter skin see the world. In a world of eurocentric beauty standards, understanding racial formation is one of the most powerful tools to dismantle the messages that we have been getting our entire lives about what is beautiful. For me, expanding the definition of beauty has only had a positive impact in my life.