Read on Twitter
Why Leif Donnelly is the worst type of white person in 2x06 of #ZoeysPlaylist - a thread.
Ok so we saw a lot of white privilege and white blindness in that episode. Handled absolutely perfectly by the incredible @zorabikangaga and his writing. But let's talk about Leif.
Ok so we saw a lot of white privilege and white blindness in that episode. Handled absolutely perfectly by the incredible @zorabikangaga and his writing. But let's talk about Leif.
We all saw the virtue signaling and the performative nature and his desperate need to prove that he was a "good" white person. He is the absolute epitome of what we call "white centering" in racial justice spaces. He cares more about his feeling good than he does about Tobin.
The minute someone made a joke at Tobin's expense with his race, Leif laughed. No engagement whatsoever with what he kept saying about acknowledgement of his own biases and internal prejudices. He sees the joke before he sees the pain it causes, and doesn't think it any further.
White people like that? Are EVERYWHERE. they will talk such a big game about analyzing their biases but the minute they're expected to apply that to IRL situations they're suddenly unable to do so. And every time that happens you prove that you are just another untrustworthy ally
But more than anything else, their performative virtue signaling disguises heavy amounts of emotional labor that they are requesting from the minds and spirits of BBIPOC. Instead of focusing on the needs of those marginalized communities, they focus on making themselves feel good
We are not your infinite resource pool where people can Google your brain and find the proper way to deal with this stuff. Even if you are a super close friend or even best friend, it takes time and effort and half the time you don't believe us that it's that bad anyways.
BUT. and a big but. If you are a good friend or a close companion, you can often guilt trip a BIPOC into using up their labor. No matter if it's just you "checking an opinion"/"looking for resources" You end up feeling entitled to that work because of the established relationship
Tobin probably has had to reassure Leif that he's not racist SO MANY TIMES. And that is EXHAUSTING. Especially when it seemed that Leif was not putting in his work as an ally. Especially as pen supervisor, the Slumdog joke? He should have immediately called that one out
Leif couches his refusal to change in flowery language about internal biases and white privilege while not actually doing the work. He just wants Tobin's forgiveness, not to actually change. Performative wokus pocus allyship used to disguise emotional labor. That's not the point
Anyways this is long and kind of rambly but it's 4 am so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯. Point is - put in your own work. Also, sometimes being anti-racist means not talking.
