Fiction writing, white people and black hair

[ashiah]

I'm taking a fiction writing class that is predominately white. Today we were doing prewrites (short stories based on a topic or word given to us by the professor) and today's topic was "kinky."

Now, when I thought of "kinky" I thought of sex. So I quickly began brainstorming about what I could write about that was loosely based on kinky sex. Once everyone was done the professor read her story first. It was about a skinny, unattractive, dateless girl with "terrible kinky hair." I wasn't quite sure if this character was supposed to be black, but once she read, "but at least I have waistlength kinky hair," I immediately knew the character was black. I honestly didn't really know how to respond. So kinky hair is only okay if it's long?

THEN a white guy decided to read his story outloud. His story was about a guy having sex with a black foster girl (her age was never mentioned). He narrated that he didn't want to offend the girl (and her hair) so he said her hair was, "very, very tangled." The entire class laughed. I was baffled! First of all, a story about a guy raping his foster child isn't funny at all. And was the hair comment necessary?

I don't get offended easily and I didn't want to come across as overly sensitive, but I was pissed.

Am I justified in this??

 

[Ebonygurl00]

OMG! I would be offended, and I would be very uncomfortable if I was the only black person there. I didn't like the way the professor said, "At least I have waistlength kinky hair." I'm pretty sensitive, too, so maybe that's why this offended me.

 

[MeccaMedinah]

I would have spoken up.
Did you?

 

[chayil0427]

I'm in and advanced composition class this semester, and I've taken a lot of other writing classes. To me, in my opinion, it sounds like this was done very distastefully and wasn't needed to provide educational experience. I'd definately be offended.

Chayil

 

[shiningstar84]

well i would be and am offended for you. you need to speak with your teacher about this since it is the beginning of the semester. only God knows what other unneccessary (sp) racially charged words he will come up with to talk about. let him know now that it is not cool.

i dont want you coming back here talking bout y'all had to do a prewrite on the word "nig.g.a.", "tar baby" or some other words. you need to put him in check. if you dont feel comfortable, write a letter/email to the head of the English department and if there are any African-American English teachers at your school, let them know what is up and they would def. let you know your best course of action. It's only August. He must've not been paying attention in sensitivity training.

I guess i'm so heated 'cause i attend a white school too. I let something like this slide in my English class when I was younger. Now I wish I would've spoken up.

Actually, do you know if your teacher meant kinky as in freaky or kinky as in hair? Did he ever say after y'all were done? He may not have meant any harm. But then again why would he have y'all writing about sex. and then read the sex stories out loud. Hmmm. Somethin' aint right. Your teacher got a few screws loose.

 

[Synthia]

I'm taking a fiction writing class that is predominately white. Today we were doing prewrites (short stories based on a topic or word given to us by the professor) and today's topic was "kinky."

Now, when I thought of "kinky" I thought of sex. So I quickly began brainstorming about what I could write about that was loosely based on kinky sex. Once everyone was done the professor read her story first. It was about a skinny, unattractive, dateless girl with "terrible kinky hair." I wasn't quite sure if this character was supposed to be black, but once she read, "but at least I have waistlength kinky hair," I immediately knew the character was black. I honestly didn't really know how to respond. So kinky hair is only okay if it's long?

THEN a white guy decided to read his story outloud. His story was about a guy having sex with a black foster girl (her age was never mentioned). He narrated that he didn't want to offend the girl (and her hair) so he said her hair was, "very, very tangled." The entire class laughed. I was baffled! First of all, a story about a guy raping his foster child isn't funny at all. And was the hair comment necessary?

I don't get offended easily and I didn't want to come across as overly sensitive, but I was pissed.

Am I justified in this??

OMFG. I cannot believe this. And with you right there in class!
Damn, I'm pissed.

 

[Mizani_Mrs]

i would have been upset that the teacher selected a racially sensitive word out of all the words in the world. But as far as the stories...i wouldln't have been offended because there are some people who think that kinky is unattractive hair and that is their god-given right to their opinion of preference. The same as it's my right to think that stringy hair is bad or unnattractive. Like no matter if my opinion is right or wrong, you still cant change my mind about how i feel about stringy hair. If you really wanted to politely make your point you should have told a story about a black girl with GORGEOUSLY kinky hair and how thick, lush and curly it was and how everyone admired her locs. then they would have got the hint that women with kinky hair are proud of their hair. Did anyone say anything about the guys story with the foster child? that sounds so wrong, i would have asked him to clarify what his story is about, cause he sounds perverted...

 

[Denim And Leather]

I'm more offended about the guy reading his story about raping a foster child than I am about the kinky hair remarks.

 

[ashiah]

The professor never elaborated what "kinky" meant. It was up to us to decide what kinky meant and how we would work it into our writing. When she first said the word everyone laughed because I'm sure most people thought of sex. That's what I thought. The majority of the people did write about sex, which is why I was confused that a few of them thought of black hair (and that one white guy thought of sex and black hair).

I didn't speak up because I was more confused than shocked at the time. It wasn't until the black foster child story that shock settled in and by that time the class was over. People are very defensive when it comes to their writing, so even if I wanted to speak out, the teacher and the white guy would have vigorously defended their writing and it would have been the entire class against me. I'm way too shy to put myself in that position. I'm not a good speaker, which is why I'm a writer.

I basically just sat at my desk and nervously looked around with a "What the ****?" look on my face.

 

[hotshot]

this is interesting and very telling.
IMO, kinky is a neutral word in regards to hair: its neither offensive nor complimentary, merely a descriptor. My hair is kinky. But, obviously to your classmates, kinky hair, black hair, is clearly unacceptable, poor, piteous, unattractive, unkempt. . .

You got an up front example of how blackness looms in the corners of white imagination.

 

[HermioneWeasley]

I'm way too shy to put myself in that position. I'm not a good speaker, which is why I'm a writer.

I basically just sat at my desk and nervously looked around with a "What the ****?" look on my face.

I understand this. I'm in a grad program for fiction writing. BUT, if this made you uncomfortable, you really needed to speak up. One of things my advisor impresses upon me is that the creative process is not done in a vacuum. It can be affected by negativity and ignorance no matter how hard you try to safeguard yourself. Either consciously or subconsciously, you will be stressed from here on out coming to this class and dealing with both this teacher and the classmates you mentioned, and that might put a check on your ability to focus and create your art. Don't do that to yourself. Maybe before class next time, you can clear the air at least with your professor. Those other two nimrods seem to be lost causes - especially the white guy. That "story" was probably some type of wish-fulfillment fantasy for him. Ick.

 

[Vshanell]

I'm taking a fiction writing class that is predominately white. Today we were doing prewrites (short stories based on a topic or word given to us by the professor) and today's topic was "kinky."

Now, when I thought of "kinky" I thought of sex. So I quickly began brainstorming about what I could write about that was loosely based on kinky sex. Once everyone was done the professor read her story first. It was about a skinny, unattractive, dateless girl with "terrible kinky hair." I wasn't quite sure if this character was supposed to be black, but once she read, "but at least I have waistlength kinky hair," I immediately knew the character was black. I honestly didn't really know how to respond. So kinky hair is only okay if it's long?

THEN a white guy decided to read his story outloud. His story was about a guy having sex with a black foster girl (her age was never mentioned). He narrated that he didn't want to offend the girl (and her hair) so he said her hair was, "very, very tangled." The entire class laughed. I was baffled! First of all, a story about a guy raping his foster child isn't funny at all. And was the hair comment necessary?

I don't get offended easily and I didn't want to come across as overly sensitive, but I was pissed.

Am I justified in this??

That's just sick.