WHITE MALES NEED NOT APPLY

Dear Babs, I am a Latina lesbian. My friend is a straight white male. What are the chances that either one of us will have our art judged on its own merits, which is all either of us wants? Would you suggest we show our art anonymously or use pseudonyms?  —A Token Subscriber

Dear Token Subscriber: First off, thank you for subscribing to Artillery. A wise choice you have made! Your question is a good one too, especially these days. People of color have had the short end of the stick for some time now, but it seems the times are a-changin’, and about time.

Let me address the second part of your question first. You are making an assumption that surnames trigger a reaction, and that’s unquestionably true. But is it a problem? A Latin or Asian name signals a person’s ethnicity; it is not an Anglo-Saxon name. I am reminded of a time I once watched a movie with a Jewish friend. When the credits rolled, he pointed out to me that all Jews in the biz would be looking to see how many Jews were involved in making that movie. I marveled at that notion. Was that bigoted? Was that judgmental? I think it’s more natural than anything. We are a nation of immigrants, and that sort of behavior is inherent as people tend to stick together, especially if they are outnumbered by other folks. That’s why larger cities have Italian districts, Chinatowns, Little Tokyos. It’s only normal. But this sort of segregation also tends to keep people from commingling and thus starts to breed fear and xenophobia. For obvious reasons, this is not a good thing.

That little lesson on racism may be elementary, but I wanted to make a point: People are naturally drawn to their own kind. So to answer the main part of your question: Will your art be judged on merit alone? Who knows? It should be, but there are just too many variables.

Today, being a white male means going to the back of the bus. It may not be fair, but white men have had it too good for too long. People in the arts, in particular, seek to encourage diversity. I know for a fact that Artillery pays attention to that. There’s great art by all kinds of people, and if your work is good, it will get noticed. Yes, always use your own name, always be truthful, and hope your work is viewed on its own worth. But know that that doesn’t always happen, because we know life isn’t always fair. That, unfortunately, has always been true.

Babs cares. Please email questions to askbabs@artillerymag.com