I’m just trying to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. It’s pretty harsh to convict people, in their absence, based on such a little information. Calling someone a bigot is serious stuff and not useful if poorly aimed.

You could be right of course – and I certainly started this – but you could be wrong too. I’d argue someone’s actions are a far truer proof of their character than their statements and words are all we have to go on. You’re making assumptions too. If you didn’t think (know!?) I was a white male it might change the tenor of my statements. Such is the inaccuracy of type and that’s what we’ve got to account for.

(NB: This isn’t anything other than an interesting fact. Following Mr. Marcus’ scene with Joanna in Tristan’s movie he’s gone of to play POTUS in ‘Joanna’s Angels 2′ – made long before all this stuff.)

Thanks for the compliments on the contrary nature of the blog. It’s supposed to entertain and start debate. I’ll leave maintaining the porn hive-mind to others.

Anyway. Meet you at the barricades…

We are still going to have to agree to disagree on this notion that “the brave and honest who confront [prejudices] in themselves.” In my experience, TT’s “brutal honesty” is a mediocre, self-serving standard (both intellectually and morally), in that it mostly exists to allow white folks to pat themselves on the back for “bravery” while doing next to no actual work in the real world. Truly brutal honesty involves a hard conversation among equals where folks put themselves at genuine risk, but whatever risk that might have attended this particular situation has been dissolved a warm bath of fuzzies (not to mention networking, product placement and log-rolling.) I mean, I’m really glad that Joanna Angel and TT and whoever else has been able to go on this wonderful, deeply introspective journey through RaceLand and all; just please don’t get mad at me for pointing out that they’re all still just talking to themselves about themselves, this after claiming they were discussing their complicated relationships to, well, me.

Or put another way: I actually know that you’re (Sam) with me; what I’m saying is that I don’t think those two alt-cheerleaders are with us. You did a brave thing by setting off a dissonace bomb in the middle of (what I imagine is) your social and professional peer group. And I know it gets hot in that particular kitchen (especially in insular media communities), that it can be dicey to say “I think your comment was borderline racist” and “please be in my podcast!” in the same convo. But now you’re like a guy with a tray standing at the foot of a cafeteria, this on the day after some ugly racial shit has gone down. I am trying to make eye contact with you and instead you’re busy coming up with reasons why sitting with, like, them, is the right thing to do. “She thinks about things” isn’t a reason, friend; in our imagined, hypothetical community it’s just showing up. and no one deserves props for it.

I printed Tristan’s response in full as a courtesy. I do not agree with her statements RE: race, as framed above, I pointed out in an earlier comment.

I don’t know Joanna but I do know we all have prejudices and it’s the brave and honest who confront them in themselves. I know I have preconceived ideas about people of other ethnicities and I know they’re wrong. Knowing that helps me put them aside when I realize they might be an influence. You can test people’s prejudice pretty simply (Malcolm Gladwell wrote about it at length in ‘Blink’) – we’re all prejudiced.

That said I think racists are limited individuals who lack enough objective reasoning power to make their opinion on anything worthwhile.

I’m not going to make a decision about Joanna because I have nothing to go on. I’ve said some outrageous shit I wouldn’t want people to take as a true reflection of my personality and I’m honored to be the subject of a couple of Sarah Silverman jibes back when she played the ‘M’ bar in LA. Like many you could paint me as a racist sexist asshole only using direct quotes and videotape.

So ebog (I can call you ebog right?) I’m with you.

Tristan’s an intelligent person and, as you’ll hear in my interview with her (next week?), she thinks about things. Whatever she’s written, I think I’m safe in saying she wouldn’t describe racial discrimination as anything but racism.

My point is narrowly focused on Tristan Toriamo’s BS comment that one can legitimately not work with black men and not be a racist. I don’t buy it. What possible reason could you have? Any performer who refuses to work with someone of any given race is a racist for the very reasons you outlined in your comment, but Tristan thinks that’s “reductive?”

What I’m confused about is your use of Toriamo’s letter in your post. It seems that you’re endorsing her muddled racial thinking. My own reading of Taormino’s comment is that she’s basically fine with racist decision making (I don’t work with black men) on the notion that Joanna’s really a dear, that and using the r-word about people she likes is “reductive.” (Because alt-ass theorist Tristan Taormino, would NEVER be associated with any racists! Perish the thought!)

Seriously, whatever. Every disgusting racist on the planet can be a dear as long as you’re not the object of their hatred,

Taormino’s notion of “brutal honesty” deeply bores me, that when it doesn’t annoy me. White folks are always passing off peeks into their dusty, racial cellars as “brutal honesty” and I could personally really give a flying fuck. Work that shit out in private on your own time, and if you intend to pursue public profit off it (like by including it your doc) don’t get mad if the world calls you on it. This fetish for “honesty” and “complexity” is classic alt-yackity smack racism that allows white folks who should know better to avoid taking their friends, neighbors, family, etc to task for their BS.

Its 2006. I’m not interested in Joanna Angel’s learning process about racism. This is a common cycle:

1- white person says something stupid
2 – white person gets shit for said stupid comment
3 – other white people defend initial idiocy as part of white learning process

You guys should be honest and just admit that all this stuff – the docs, the movies, the blogs – are for white folks about white folks and that’s it. That way I can go through my day without being blindsided.

At which point I stop and demand, through my tears, that she make me some kugel and nibble my toes like my aunt used to.

It’s always an awkward situation, and they rarely make the kugel right.

If I say I don’t date Chinese women I’m a racist as all I know about Chinese women is that they’re Chinese, thus I’m discriminating against them based soley on assumptions about what that means.

If I say I don’t date short women, I might be a prick but I’m not a racist. Assuming all Chinese women are short is the assumption that turns fact based choice into racist shit.

What could any woman say is true of all black men which is reason to discriminate against them? Allergy to melatonin?