New faculty blog about the eccentricities of old faculty, but I would also like to blog about their eccentricities. Many seem to want to be exotic. They are willing to be agressive, even belligerent, about it.
We have a young man who wants to be not only the first gay person we ever hired, but also the first one we ever met; a young woman who wants to be the first member of her religion we ever saw; and another young man who believes he is the only person here with a Ph.D. from a good program. He keeps saying, at my university there was something you have surely never heard of. The first two keep saying, what? you know another gay person? you are yourself gay? you are also a member of my religion? you are married to a member of my religion? how could you? I am just waiting for them to cry and say, “It isn’t fair!”
All three are also white Americans convinced that they will experience and witness more racism in this state than ever before. The gay man is merely concerned that racism will stain his own self-image and limit his “lifestyle” preferences. The other two believe that they are free of racism and are vastly different from anyone else here for this reason.
I am bored and tired, and I wish they would keep these conversations out of the coffee room. There is in fact a racism problem in my department, namely, that although we look like the Rainbow Coalition, most of our nonwhite graduate students and faculty members are foreign. And yes, there is segregation in this town, and prejudice. And since these things are not articulated in the same way everywhere, racism must be negotiated anew in each new place. But I find our newest faculty members insufferably provincial. I also have an intuition and a question.
Is the statment, “There may be too much racism here for me” really code for “This town is too Black for me”? It also definitely means, “I want to lord it over you by insisting that I am cooler.” Is this desire to be exotic a general trend among this year’s new faculty, or is it only we who have hired these would-be exotics?
Axé.
coldhearted scientist وداد 
“…racism must be negotiated anew in each new place.”
As well as everything else. And a good point. Listening and watching first is important. Thanks for the reminder.
As far as the desire to be exotic goes, maybe they feel nervous and defensive and are trying to find their respective niches (first day of school jitters). Better to listen and watch, yes. An excellent plan which they seem to have not learned about. Unlike some of us who have those who watch our backs and prevent us from causing unnecessary problems for ourselves. :^)
“Is the statment, “There may be too much racism here for me” really code for “This town is too Black for me”? It also definitely means, “I want to lord it over you by insisting that I am cooler.” Is this desire to be exotic a general trend among this year’s new faculty, or is it only we who have hired these would-be exotics?”
Are they Northerners? I totally agree with the meaning “I want to lord it over you by insisting that I am cooler.” They are from the north and love the whole colorblind racism idea….The North, where racism surely doesn’t exist…or, goes it? It is like saying “You red neck people in Louisiana are too stupid or blind to have not gotten rid of the race issue by n0w.” grrrr.
As for the exotic thing? hmmm. Maybe it is the whole, “I am aware that this is a racialized society but, hey, I’m in a target group so I cannot be racist! I will remind you of my oppression everyday so that you will never think that I am the oppressor.” At least, it isn’t the “but my grandmother is a Cherokee Indian” thing all over again.