I used to attend some local fancy horse shows, where you had to pay to enter to see the big classes. One of the people I went with was an older black man who had a string of horses with a pro and was a well off lawyer. He would go in the same way we did with a rag in his pocket and he got in free every time because they thought he was a groom. It was funny but it wasn’t.
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I think a piece like this can be written from a place of anger and even spite and still be valuable. Those are valid feelings to have on a subject that has such a vast and devastating influence. I don’t know what your background is and I won’t assume but this piece was not written to satisfy the ego of a few or to give you credit for living in what you believe is a blameless manner. It was written to comment on a system founded on social, financial, and racial inequality in a sport that not only mirrors but amplifies these destructive tenants.
Sure, Sophie is part of an extremely privileged minority but that does not invalidate her experience as a POC women in this sport. While Missy has the “right” to voice her views, I’m a bit sick of hearing “white people” talk first and listen later. I’m a bit sick of people feeling that their need to defend their own way of life and absolve themselves of any blame is a reason to drown out the voices of people actually affected by this issue. Yes, talk. Talk about what you’ve learnt and what you have to learn. But to invalidate POC in this sport by saying there isn’t active exclusion, by saying that all people are welcomed in this space is not only ignorant but selfish and irresponsible.
“To the best of my knowledge, everyone is welcome”. That statement says it all. Her knowledge is woefully inadequate and inaccurate. Her speaking as if her experience reflects an accurate picture of a POC’s experience is laughable.
In fact the whole article reflects the out of touch mindset that stabilizes institutional racism. That unless they witness or participate in overt discrimination, racism doesn’t exist in any meaningful way. The lack of POC representation in this sport is not a systemic problem that we as a group can address but underlies the idea that black people are just mostly poor and can’t afford this sport.
In situations like this the privileged side under scrutiny can always speak back and draw attention to all they ways they have been misjudged, poorly represented, and blanketed together. I’m sure they were to some extent. True insight comes from realizing that despite this, they shouldn’t speak. Because this is not about them. If what you have to say silences voices that are finally being heard, maybe you should just listen.
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Wait, what???
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[QUOTE=snaffle1987;n10668010]
@rah ; why should we only listen to those who are out there protesting? what qualifications do half of those on the streets have to speak on behalf of the black community about this issue? The majority of them have zero qualification or first hand experience. So the answer is not that we should listen to those who are protesting. You should be listening to all of black America on this subject; even those who have differing opinions of what you want to believe is right on this subject.
[/Originally posted by rah
We should be listening to the people that are protesting. The system doesn’t work for them and they have a bunch of people that have finally decided to join in with them to protest because the system doesn’t work for all Americans. I am also one of those people the system doesn’t work and I understand there is a problem, again, with the system.
my original response to you was deleted by accident because I was trying to edit it to say I am also one of those Americans, instead of “people”. I just wanted to make sure you saw I responded to you and wasn’t ignoring you.
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I also wanted to point out what I feel is wrong with this and why. You wrote black man in all caps to emphasize what you think is the most important thing for me to understand. To me, that points out just how much you don’t understand all of this. When I read your statement , all I see is that you should have emphasized the word “a”, and allowed me to come to my own conclusion.
Never mind she plagiarized this person. Snaffle likes to get all her sources from Facebook and not real life. Happens all the time especially in the racing forum. If it hits her feed she posts it without further research and understanding.
We also now know her thoughts are not her own.
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I’ve been waiting for four hours. So far.
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When someone shows you who they are, believe them.
Missy has shown the world who she is. It comes through quite clearly in her incredibly clueless statement. :yes: After reading her words, I’m not surprised that she doesn’t consider herself a racist.
Many racists don’t realize that they have racist ideas and concepts and stereotypes, and it shows how much work will have to be done to put things right.
The first part of solving a problem is admitting you have one, right?
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I had an interesting experience when in junior high.
We had the “opportunity” to change places for a day with our sister school in a poor? neighborhood. I didn’t want to do this, but was nominated and accepted. The experience was life changing, very kind kids and I have nothing but positive things to say. I remember it to this day (from the seventies). To this day, if I hear something racist, I ask if they would want to change places for a day and if they would have the same status as now if they were born in a non-affluent area. I wonder if college students would be ok with trading places instead of studying abroad.
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The fact that most people seem to be guilty of “misinterpreting” Missy’s essay would indicate she’s got some work to do improving her writing skills.
Or, put another way, she needs to step outside the nice small well-insulated bubble in which she exists and really take a look around. At least Sophie is making that effort.
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Once again you are making no sense at all.
You really seem to have no idea what you are saying. Neither do I, because you are babbling incoherently.
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This is exactly what white America does to stop any calls for change (it is also very similar to the SafeSport haters, weird). They will start by asking the wrong questions, then they discredit, shame, and finally, they will tell you how to think.
I can’t tell you how many times I have read or heard someone say “I am so over all this, it has to stop”.
Your willful ignorance is showing.
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This is why we are looked down on. They issued a statement that they feel it right to leave the post up. That girl already made a very well thought out post about how it was offensive and stupid. That should accepted as published.
The Instagram response was a far better rebuttal than what the chronicle released.
Maybe she’s thinking of Mimi? Or Gochman is a Jewish surname? Either way…
thank you that’s incredibly kind of you to say.
also re: “feigned outrage” how is it so hard to believe that people are actually angry. Missy wasn’t speaking for only herself in that article. She positioned herself as an expert in the industry (she absolutely is, mind you) and spoke from that place, presuming to represent the industry. Missy can think whatever she wants, but she lives an exceptionally insular life and apparently has zero idea of that. THAT is what makes me mad. Missy tried to speak for the horse community, and she sure as hell does not speak for me.
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You’re totally right, I mixed up Mimi and Sophie! My initial feelings were a genuine reaction to reading both articles but it’s interesting to think about whether that changes anything for me. At least it seems to mirror the sentiment of POC’s in the sport rather than brush it off. I appreciate that.
When I saw the name Gochman and read the article my brain assumed that, of course, it should be the POC daughter who wrote it. Also interesting that I made that mistake.
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That’s Mimi, Sophie’s sister. Mimi was adopted. Sophie is the biological daughter and is most definitely white.
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