bell hooks on Racism & Sexism (Part Two)

Continuing on Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism(1981) and Black Looks: Race and Representation (1992, Intro, Ch. 3, 11), with guest Myisha Cherry.

We talk about black feminist "essentialism" (i.e., a single narrative of oppression) and how that relates to bell hooks's project of media critique. Every person's journey is individual, yet she thinks there are right ways and wrong ways to self-actualize: You may think you're all independent and free, but really you're just parroting the narratives of the oppressor, e.g., by embracing loose sexuality or enjoying films where black gang members shoot each other up. How can we tell if this self-deception is really happening in particular cases?

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End song: "Stories" by Mark Lint and Steve Petrinko (2011).

bell hooks picture by Solomon Grundy. #philosophy #racism #sexism #myisha #cherry #feminism #patriarchy Go to the blog: http://www.partiallyexaminedlife.com/2016/05/16/ep139-2-bell-hooks/