Respectability Politics

 

by Kierra Freeman

I will be doing a visual project, and my topic will be respectability politics. Respectability politics is the state or quality of being proper, correct, and socially acceptable. Louisiana State University Tigers women's basketball star Angel Reese is a perfect example of respectability politics because, during the basketball season, she was constantly criticized for being her black self. She was often told she was “too hood, too ghetto and too loud” only for doing things other white players do. During the South Carolina and Iowa games, Angel Reese and her teammates saw how Caitlin Clark disrespected Raven Johnson by waving her off and not playing any defense. Reese also noticed how Clark did the John Cena, you can’t see me hand gesture to the Louisville Cardinals during their game. While the clock was winding down in seconds for LSU Tigers to be announced as the SEC champions, Angel decided to celebrate by doing the exact hand gesture (you can’t see me) as Caitlin. After doing this, Angel was called classless and out of her name; meanwhile, Caitlin was praised.  

The text that I would use to contribute to my topic is coming from A Different Drummer. In this novel the character Tucker was getting reparation for his ancestors by destroying everything. Tucker's Dad passed away and there was hardly anyone there. One of the men there describes him as a “noble nigger.” After witnessing that Tucker took it upon himself to do something about it. He decided he was going to buy the land, the house and the animals and destroy it all so no one could profit from it. While Tucker was in the act of destroying everything he was being watched by a town of white people. The white people didn’t understand what he was doing or why he was doing it, so they just started to criticize him by calling him crazy etc. 

   My research question is “what is the difference in the basketball women actions or is it their skin color that cause the confusing?”