The use of ironic, satirical or so-called ‘hipster’ racism has become fashionable in pop culture and mainstream media. Many modern celebrities, sitcoms, and music videos have contributed to its popularity. Those who support this trend argue that by using racism ironically exaggerates how ridiculous its continued existence it. Conversely, there are strong arguments as to why even the ironic use of racism is harmful and contributes to deep-rooted prejudice.
In an article on Jezebel, Lindy West discussed how hipster racism has become a trend among educated, white, middle class folks. These individuals believe that their desire to not be racist makes their use of ironic racism acceptable. However, according to West, racism mutates itself over time, and now it hides in plain sight. It continues to exist in systematic inequalities, language about work ethic and state’s rights – and now in irony. Although certain elements of racism, such as slavery, are no longer acceptable, the prejudice behind them has not disappeared.
Many animated sitcoms make use of racialized stereotypes for political purposes. The theory behind this satire is that the exaggeration and mockery of stereotypes weakens their power in society. However, regardless of this intent, there are many who find humour in these shows precisely because of the mocking of groups or individuals that they are intolerant of. As a result, the use of these stereotypes for comedic value only further contributes to their normalcy.
It is also important to consider who is producing this content. The creators of these shows are often upper class, white, heterosexual, cisgendered males who have never had to face the types of prejudice that they are mocking. This means that they cannot fully understand how these jokes may affect certain groups. There are also many cases where prejudice is taken to such an extreme that it fails to come across as satire at all.
The music industry is also rife with recent use of hipster racism. Feathered headdresses and other traditional Native American clothing items have become very fashionable. Artists who have sported this trend include Gwen Stefani, Lana Del Rey and Ke$ha. Lady Gaga has also been appeared veiled in public. It is problematic that these individuals do not belong to the cultures that they are sampling elements from, and therefore do not fully understand the meaning behind these items of clothing.
Miley Cyrus has also faced a lot of criticism for cultural appropriation, using her all-black backup dancers as objects in her music videos and performances. Many critics were horrified when she repeatedly slapped the backside of a faceless backup dancer with a particularly sexualized and racialized body in her controversial VMA performance. Furthermore, Cyrus was quoted as saying that she wanted her hit song, “We Can’t Stop,” to feel ‘urban’ and ‘black.’ The singer has since responded to critics but has failed to examine how her behaviour may be contributing to deeply entrenched racism.
Lily Allen has also been raising eyebrows for her use of ironic racism in the lyrics and video for her new single, “Hard Out Here.” The song is intended to be an empowering response to sexism and racism in the music industry, directly taking aim at Robin Thicke’s misogynistic hit, “Blurred Lines.” However critics have argued that Allen’s use of scantily clad, dark skinned backup dancers when mocking sexism in rap videos also further contributes to racial stereotypes.
The problem with ironic racism is that we are not living in a post-racist society as some would like to believe. On the contrary, prejudice and intolerance are alive and well. While on the surface a white celebrity wearing a headdress, or a running joke about a Latina maid in a sitcom (such as in Family Guy), may seem harmless, cool, or even funny, these examples have deeper negative consequences. These stereotypes and behaviours come from a long history of systematic racism, and using them fashionably or for humour merely contributes to their acceptance and normalization.
This does not mean that these celebrities are bad people. Humans are prone to make mistakes and are deserving of forgiveness. The best that we as individuals can do is to educate ourselves and be critical of our behaviour and the content that we consume. Ask yourself who benefits from the use of racism and who may be hurt by it? It is only through education and critical analysis that we can truly begin to eradicate prejudice in our world.