pynchon's misogyny

[Andrew Dinn]

Joe Varo writes:


> > So, black women miss out not just
> > once because they do not conform to the white standard of beauty but
> > twice because they do not even approximate to the standard against which
> > black women qua black women are judged. 

> Am I missing something here or are you saying that Angelfood McSpade, a
> cartoon character, is the standard [of beauty] "against which black women
> qua black women are judged"?

Nearly. Clearly, black women do not conform to most men's standards of
beauty for white women. But then they are also judged against bizarre
misrepresentations of black culture such as Angelfood. It's not a
standard of beauty, rather yet another redundant gauge with which they
are measured (granted there is an element of history to such
judgements since these days whites and blacks are more aware of each
other's way of life). Images like Angelfood represent noise in the
system which stops people seeing the fine detail. Only in black
women's case these are not alternatives to so much as above and beyond
all the rest of ths shit.

Consider, for example, the cartoon where some `scientists' bring
Angelfood out of the jungle in an atttempt to `civilize' her. They
give her a job cleaning toilets (all she has to do is `lick out dese
here toilets and ah can be de boss lady'). Only they trick her and
push her head first down the toilet so they can then abuse her
sexually while joking about how stupid she is. So, not only does
Angelfood fail because she is uncivilized (not like a proper `white'
lady) she is also regarded as someone it is legitimate to manipulate
and abuse because she is black. Black women not only fail to meet the
requirements for a decent, loving sexual relationship, they are
actually regarded as conduits for the discharge of white male's
perverse sexuality. Just as black men not only fail the test as
potential lovers and/or husbands but are are regarded as sex-crazed
studs just waiting for a chance to hop on a white woman and abuse her.

And it's not just white men's reaction to black women. If Eldridge
Cleaver is to be believed, black women are also often contrasted
unfavourably with white women by black men. Make that a triple whammy.

I mention the Angelfood-toilet strip for obvious reasons, of course.
Pynchon's rewrite of this comic strip brilliantly inverts the racial
and sexual roles.


Andrew Dinn
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To the stilled Earth say:  I flow.
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