Media Diversified
Foregrounding marginalised voices
Whitesplaining:- “to explain or comment on something in a condescending, overconfident, and often inaccurate or oversimplified manner, from the perspective of the group one identifies with,”
e.g the paternalistic lecture given by a white man toward a person of colour defining what should and shouldn’t be considered racist, while obliviously exhibiting their own racism
This Week in Whitesplaining delves into how the mainstream media depicts stories related to people of colour from a viewpoint which often dismisses the viewpoints of said POCs. Each week, Chimene Suleyman and Maya Goodfellow will explore different topics which have been whitesplained within the media.
by Maya Goodfellow When narratives form around politicians, they tend to be difficult to unpick. Over the weekend the carefully constructed image of Theresa May as a sensibly “cautious” prime minister was deployed by Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi and right-wing paper The Sun to explain her calculated silence over – and then limp criticism of –… Read More
by Maya Goodfellow The forces of right-wing xenophobic populism are stronger in America and Europe than they have been in decades. Donald Trump is president-elect in the United States; after a virulently anti-migrant referendum campaign, the UK voted to leave the EU and far-right parties are gaining ground across much of Europe. The left – in… Read More
by Chimene Suleyman It is possible to understand that associating with someone who does not favour the marginalised is not unequivocally an admission of being racist, a woman-hater, or anti-gay rights. It may not excuse the individual from blindly aligning and enabling a repressive structure, but that is for them to deconstruct at their own pace.… Read More
Xenophobic racism, legitimised by the political classes, obscures points of solidarity between working class Britons and migrants by Maya Goodfellow “A person like me, I am never scared of anybody”, Jayaben Desai told her manager before leading a mass walk-out of the Grunwick film processing plant in north-west London in the summer of 1976. Through sheer… Read More
by Maya Goodfellow “We have to acknowledge voters’ legitimate concerns on immigration”. During the general election this was a fashionable phrase used by Labour politicians who were about to embark on a path littered with myths about migration. It’s one that betrays all manner of sins. And this week, in some Labour circles, it’s in vogue… Read More
by Maya Goodfellow Tomorrow will mark a year since three-year old Alan Kurdi’s body was washed up on a beach in Turkey. He drowned in the Mediterranean sea during his family’s attempt to seek safety after fleeing their home in Syria. A picture of his lifeless body face down in the sand was on the front… Read More
by Maya Goodfellow “I’ve never felt less welcome in this country” – these are the terrifying words I’ve heard far too many times from migrants and UK-born people of colour in the run up to the EU referendum. Open anti-migrant hostility has been embraced; let loose by a referendum designed to placate a fractured Tory party.… Read More
We may never have been able to predict the murder of Jo Cox, and yet close observers of the long struggle with nationalist extremism will find the formula of this kind of statement-violence familiar. A man shouts in the name of his allegiance, “Britain First!” before maiming and killing, publicly, those whose ideals and way… Read More
by Maya Goodfellow On Wednesday, political journalist for Channel 4 News Michael Crick decided to share on Twitter an excerpt from a conversation he supposedly had with a London cabbie: “You couldn’t vote for that Corbyn, could you? Not for anyone that’s messed around with that Diane Abbott.” Crick’s choice to cherry-pick this specific quote and… Read More
by Chimene Suleyman There has never been a London mayor or politician whose religious beliefs have been at the forefront of our admiration for them, whether Conservative, Labour, Lib Dem or Independent. It shouldn’t matter much whether Boris showed up at his local Sunday church services or spent quiet Tuesday evenings revelling in agnosticism. Those who… Read More
Media Diversified 
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