theme four
"All Tea, No Shade": Black Queer Rhetorics for a New Language of Humanness
Though many argue that queerness has more visibility in the 21st century, that visibility is still nested in a framework where queer mostly means white. On top of that, visibility does not mean or offer real recognition and valuing. Black queer rhetorics do not let you get away with forgetting either of these two points and reminds you that any social category of normativity rests on the backs of Black queerness in all of its manifestations.
The idea that someone could be disabled, Black, feminist, femme, immigrant, working class, and queer, all at once, is a metaphysical reality that few scholars, even those centered in women’s and gender studies, still can’t fully grasp. In most places, including--- and especially including universities--- we don’t even have a good enough language to imagine the alternative humanness that Black queer lives offer. Black queer rhetorics give us a new language for moving beyond the social realities imposed upon us. While it should be obvious that popular culture revolves around Black queer language (shade, tea, beat face, fish, stud… the list is endless), Black queer rhetorics ask us to notice the ways that a unique Black queer discourse gives language to new ways of experiencing bodies and being.
The idea that someone could be disabled, Black, feminist, femme, immigrant, working class, and queer, all at once, is a metaphysical reality that few scholars, even those centered in women’s and gender studies, still can’t fully grasp. In most places, including--- and especially including universities--- we don’t even have a good enough language to imagine the alternative humanness that Black queer lives offer. Black queer rhetorics give us a new language for moving beyond the social realities imposed upon us. While it should be obvious that popular culture revolves around Black queer language (shade, tea, beat face, fish, stud… the list is endless), Black queer rhetorics ask us to notice the ways that a unique Black queer discourse gives language to new ways of experiencing bodies and being.
Before you start this theme, you need to decide how you will do your final project #3 that connects to this unit. How you do the final project will determine what kind of RRs you submit. You have two choices for the final project in this theme: 1) snailmail art OR 2) a digital zine. If you choose snailmail art, then you will do each RR as a scrapbooker might—as a piece of art. At the end of the theme, you will put all of your RRs in some kind of container and mail them on project day. Please let Carmen know if you need envelopes and stamps for mailing. Snailmail art rarely uses word processing and can be written on anything--- including newspapers and things with print already on them. In fact, the more alternative the medium, the better. Use what you have around you. Snailmail is also handwritten. For inspiration here, go to Instagram and search under the hashtag, #snailmail or #snailmailrevolution. You can also see Carmen's Pinterest Board (click here for ideas).
If you choose a digital zine, then you will do each RR like you normally would via word processing. For the theme project, you will take your RRs from this theme and create a zine that looks a lot like this syllabus. You will need to play with multiple fonts on EACH page. Each page should have at least three images/graphs/charts with the words wrapped around each image (i.,. no free floating images) with image credits right below. You will need to figure out the tech skills of all this on your own, because that’s not something that I can teach over email.
Make your choice now so that you can move seamlessly into the theme project. What would you rather do? Work on the computer? Or work with more tactile materials and with your hands? Only you can answer this. You might get sick of the computer screen really quickly if every class is online now, so maybe you want to craft a snailmail project. Crafting is also a form of self-care so if that’s you, really let yourself go and get into this project. On the other hand, you might be the type who likes to stay up all hours of the night, playing on the computer, and overdosing on Red Bull. If that’s your thing, the digital zine is for you. If you’re somewhere in the middle…. Well, there’s always flipping a coin. In the ideal, this project won’t feel like a chore. It will feel like putting together all of your ideas in a low-stress but creative way.
If you choose a digital zine, then you will do each RR like you normally would via word processing. For the theme project, you will take your RRs from this theme and create a zine that looks a lot like this syllabus. You will need to play with multiple fonts on EACH page. Each page should have at least three images/graphs/charts with the words wrapped around each image (i.,. no free floating images) with image credits right below. You will need to figure out the tech skills of all this on your own, because that’s not something that I can teach over email.
Make your choice now so that you can move seamlessly into the theme project. What would you rather do? Work on the computer? Or work with more tactile materials and with your hands? Only you can answer this. You might get sick of the computer screen really quickly if every class is online now, so maybe you want to craft a snailmail project. Crafting is also a form of self-care so if that’s you, really let yourself go and get into this project. On the other hand, you might be the type who likes to stay up all hours of the night, playing on the computer, and overdosing on Red Bull. If that’s your thing, the digital zine is for you. If you’re somewhere in the middle…. Well, there’s always flipping a coin. In the ideal, this project won’t feel like a chore. It will feel like putting together all of your ideas in a low-stress but creative way.
The Components of Theme 4
