What is BIPOC? What is Allyship? Listen to Your Language.
Understanding the wokeification of American suicide prevention as white self-styled radicals pretending to act on behalf of Native Americans and LGBTQ people.
This Substack story continues the narrative of my earlier story, The American Association of Suicidology Statement on Equity and Anti-Racism.
This is how far out the opening to this AAS statement gets:
We believe that the only way for the field of suicidology to reduce suicide and build lives worth living for BIPOC is to dismantle systems of oppression. Systemic racism not only affects how we understand and provide access to mental health care and crisis support, it frames how suicide and mental health are conceptualized, how resources including funding get allocated, and what questions are deemed worthy of research funding. Furthermore, we pledge to examine AAS’s structure and operation to understand how racist and oppressive systems are embedded in our functioning in order to shift our own organization to have anti-racist perspectives and practices
I conclude in this installment that the AAS Statement is a deadly serious form of play performed by clowning whites who won’t step out of their roles as podcasters and deal with the illusion that they are trying to conjure into existence.
You can still find the AAS statement buried on the AAS website. I do not see the words of the statement affecting the AAS meetings, except when Native Americans get paid for a cameo role for white presenters. The Native Americans bless and introduce the sessions and workshops that lack indigenous presenters or among audience members. Some of the white presenters on the Suicide ‘N Stuff podcast co-hosted by Deseare Stage are teary-eyed and choke up when they speak of the injustices that they imagine Native Americans face. Do we dare doubt their sincerity?
I have to ask: If they are so in solidarity with Native Americans, why don’t they take a break from post-casting and do something measurable and concrete about the plight of Native Americans? I suspect that impoverished Native Americans prefer cash to speeches from podcasters or mentions on Twitter.
BIPOC, POC, and allyship.
Pay attention to your language and listen to the language of the motivational speakers who have come to dominate the activities sponsored by AAS. They are very impressed with themselves, but are they persuasive in making the case that Native Americans and others whom they rope into the term “BIPOC” are getting the benefit and not themselves?
You might conclude that it is sensible and cautious for them to use the term allyship because the term demands a lot more than having an alliance with whites. Be prepared that some nonwhites might be offended that the whites using the term are trying to disempower them and get nonwhites to work under the terms set by whites.
Podcaster social worker Jonathan Singer ascended to the American Association for Suicidology presidency early after a fake anonymous coup overthrew the reigning president, David Covington.
Jonathan is wearing a wig with three of his closest supporters in this Twitter screenshot. One of them, Deserae Stage (directly behind the wig), is campaigning for his presidential election.
There was no need to get out the vote for Jonathan. There was no vote after Jonathan seized power in a coup led by Deserae Stage.
In the subsequent turmoil, all living past presidents of AAS signed a formal statement to address members' puzzlement about what to do about the organization's problematic new CEO, Tony Wells, who had risen to power. Jonathan resigned as president.
Alliving former presidents wanted Wells to resign. As a group, they accused him of being unqualified and of having come to be CEO by having sex with someone who was not named. All living past presidents soon resigned, and the AAS teetered on the brink of collapse with no governance.
A few years later, a new CEO and a new set of board members eventually took over with a different agenda for the organization. That was only after more turmoil, sometimes simultaneously incited on social media the AAS listserv when Deserae was visibly drunk, intoxicated by abuse of prescription drugs, and claiming she was in a Mad phase.
Although Deserae Stage did not previously know me, she attacked me in a hatefest for a single innocuous tweet on the eve of Joe Biden’s first inaugural address. She looked up my name on the Internet and was able to find foreign haters of me based in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands and bring them into the attack. In the months of sustained attack, the leaders sometimes became sock puppets and sometimes incitng drug-abusing persons, proudly announcing that they were mentally ill persons to join in the Twitter storm intended to demoralize me and encourage me to disappear. Some of the mobbers condemned me as a Nazi because I was enthusiastic about
BIPOC
I already suspected that BIPOC was a recently made-up word that did not have universal acceptance among either Black or Native American POC. I did a quick Google Search and found an article in The New York Times that appeared near the top of the list and had several authoritative quotes.
I asked ChatGBT what critics said about BIPOC, having confirmed that it first appeared in 2003. In contrast, POC:
As a phrase, “people of color” dates back centuries — it was first cited in The Oxford English Dictionary, with the British spelling “colour,” in 1796 — and is often abbreviated as POC. The other two letters, for black and Indigenous, were included in the acronym to account for the erasure of black people with darker skin and Native American people, according to Cynthia Frisby, a professor of strategic communication at the Missouri School of Journalism.
“The black and Indigenous was added to kind of make sure that it was inclusive,” Ms. Frisby said. “I think the major purpose of that was for including voices that hadn’t originally been heard that they wanted to include in the narrative, darker skin, blacks and Indigenous groups, so that they could make sure that all the skin shades are being represented.”
I asked ChatGPT to summarize the criticisms of the acronym BIPOC.
Asking ChatGPT about criticisms of BIPOC
Overall, critics of BIPOC highlight concerns about erasure, colonialism, lack of recognition of diversity, confusion, inadequate representation, and a preference for specific terms that honor individual identities and experiences.
The term "BIPOC" (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) has garnered both support and criticism within various communities. Some of the main criticisms of the term include:
1. **Erasure of Specific Identities**: Critics argue that the term "BIPOC" can flatten diverse experiences and identities within Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color. By lumping together vastly different cultural, historical, and social backgrounds, the term may overlook each group's unique challenges and histories.
2. **Centering Black and Indigenous Experiences**: Some argue that the term "BIPOC" prioritizes Black and Indigenous experiences over those of other racial and ethnic groups. This can perpetuate hierarchies within communities of color and fail to adequately address the specific needs and struggles of non-Black and non-Indigenous people of color.
3. **Oversimplification of Complex Issues**: Critics contend that the term "BIPOC" oversimplifies the complexities of racism and discrimination by grouping all non-white individuals. This can obscure how different racial and ethnic groups experience racism differently and may require distinct approaches to address systemic inequalities.
4. **Tokenism and Performative Allyship**: Some argue that the use of "BIPOC" by institutions and individuals can be a form of tokenism or performative allyship, where the term is employed superficially to signal inclusivity without meaningful action or engagement with specific issues faced by different communities.
5. **Language and Terminology**: Critics point out that the term "BIPOC" may not resonate with everyone and may not accurately capture the experiences of individuals within these communities. Additionally, the term may be unfamiliar or confusing to some, leading to potential misinterpretation or misrepresentation.
Overall, while the term "BIPOC" has been embraced by some as a way to highlight shared experiences of racism and discrimination, it also faces criticism for its potential to overlook diversity within racial and ethnic groups and for its implications for addressing systemic inequalities.
The “I” in BIPOC
I also found a very personal account from a Native American activist who was concerned that the “I’ (indigenous) in BIPOC was problematic
ChatboxGBT summary of the “I” in BIPOC
Sherman Alexie discusses the misconception that all Native Americans align with leftist political activism, highlighting the diversity within Native communities. He notes three phases of heightened interest in Native American culture, with the most recent sparked by the Standing Rock protests. Alexie argues that the term "indigenous," as used politically, often excludes the broader and more nuanced identities of Native Americans, who hold a wide range of political beliefs, including conservative viewpoints. He emphasizes that Native Americans’ political identities are complex, multifaceted, and as diverse as their cultural experiences.
Allyship
I zeroed in on the section on allyship in the News York Times article, that claimed the term was derogatory when whites applied it to BIPOC:
A form of tokenism or performative allyship, where the term is employed superficially to signal inclusivity without meaningful action or engagement with specific issues faced by different communities.
I again went to Google University and found at Okta
I asked ChatGPT to summarize it
ChatGPT on Allyship
The document discusses the concept of allyship, particularly supporting underrepresented groups (URGs) during Pride month. The author emphasizes that allyship is not merely a label but an active commitment to action and support.
Key points include:
1. **Definition of Allyship**: The author, a straight white man, acknowledges his privilege and emphasizes that allyship requires more than empathy—it requires meaningful action and care for everyone.
2. **Actions of True Allyship**: The document highlights various actions that constitute genuine allyship, such as engaging in uncomfortable conversations, standing up against injustice, supporting URGs, and advocating for political candidates who prioritize URGs' rights.
3. **Call to Action**: In light of Pride month, the author encourages individuals to engage in acts of true allyship and provides resources for further education and support. Suggestions include joining Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and educating oneself on the experiences and challenges faced by URGs.
4. **Personal Perspective**: The author identifies as an ally and emphasizes the importance of using privilege for allyship. They also provide personal information about their involvement in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
The document promotes active engagement and support for URGs, urging individuals to move beyond performative gestures and take meaningful action to foster inclusivity and equality.
Nodawassa: Are Native Americans Black, which would get us off the hook for using BIPOC or professing our allyship?
The term “nodawessa” refers to the near-extinct “hardwood rattler”; this was a term we gave to enemies we had in derision as a result of its bad temper and supposedly its habit of eating its own kind— Wang White, who describes himself as a Canadian bee keep and living data base for indigenous knowledge.
The notion of indigenous Black Native Americans is controversial and, in some contexts, racist. It sometimes came from the confusion of Spanish and French priests confronting the dark pigmented skin of Plains Indians. At other times, it reflected the intermarriage of Black slaves brought to the Americas with enslaved native peoples.
According to Rabbi Joachim Prinz, James Baldwin discussed playing Native Americans in games of cowboys and Indians in his debate with William F. Buckley. According to Rabbi Prinz, Baldwin said
It comes as a great shock around the age of 5, 6 or 7 to discover that the flag to which you have pledged allegiance, along with everybody else, has not pledged allegiance to you. It comes as a great shock to see Gary Cooper killing off the Indians and, although you are rooting for Gary Cooper, that the Indians are you.
The American Association of Suicidology Statement on Equity and Anti-Racism is Deadly Serious Play.
It is tempting to dismiss the AAS’ statement as foolishness and Jonathan Singer and Deserae as a pair of white clowns. This labeling accommodates the crudity and playful, performative aspects of their banter. It predicts that they are unlikely to interrupt their podcasts and take to the streets in an attempt to decolonize society or free mentally ill persons in in-patient specialty care.
Afterthought
I am sure Jonathan Singer and Deserae Stage disapprove of me writing this Substack article, even when Deserae is sober. Deserae Stage has been effective in bringing antiSemites into my life who condemn me as secretly advocating adult sexual exploitation of children. This is crazy, but some circles take it as the gospel truth.
This prolonged harassment has taken a toll on my ability to support myself and get this message out to a broad audience.
The General Counsel for the AAS Board threatened to sue me for drawing a connection between Jonathan Singer and his lovely woman friend and for exaggerating the offense of her behavior.
I welcome donations and assistance in setting up a tax-exempt fund to support my writing, advocacy, and spending my senior years productive as an independent scholar with things to teach and many tales to tell. A legal defense fund would be reassuring. I will announce other ways to support me. Until then, please consider purchasing or gifting a paid subscription or contacting me via Substack about how you can contribute in another way, like buying me some espresso, although I prefer cash.
We need to come to terms with what destruction there has been effort to suicide in the past 10 years or so. It’s now a money sink and a source of profit for people who are concerned with what they’re paid to do actually saves lives.
I figured out that these white people depend on claiming a tie to people of color in order to affect the changes that their self interest requires. They not interested in BIPOC or POC, they have a identifiable financial interest that they are not talking about that requires them to speak for other people. Otherwise, they reduced to the clowns has they posed in the photo.