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Rachel Dolezal Back in the News


Black Aliss

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6 hours ago, littlemommy said:

Has anyone else watched this?

I just watched it.

There was this scene near the end of the movie where they were interviewing her in her garden and to me it seemed like that in her mind she can either be black or be the helpless 18yo girl looking 12yo wearing Amish dresses and being beaten by her parents.
It was like if she "lost" her "blackness" her parents had won and she would go back to that place in her mind.

It was scary and very sad at the same time.

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I haven’t finished watching The Rachel Divide yet, but so far I don’t have much sympathy for her (admittedly I’ve never had any pity for her so it might take a lot to change my feelings). I just feel so sad and sorry for her sons :(

I do have to wonder though, if part of her identity was indeed shaped by her fundie upbringing. I could be completely and totally wrong and this is purely armchair psychologising. But I read that she said she used to hide in the garden and smear mud on her face when she was little, and fantasise about being a child rescued from Africa. Did that come from her parents adopting Aftican children? From memory her parents didn’t adopt until she was a teenager, so perhaps not until 10 years after those fantasies. Did it somehow influence her? Did she feel lesser than the children her parents adopted? Could the roots of this whole deception traced back to possible feelings of displacement when her parents started exploring adoption?

The problem is, I can’t be sure that what she says is true because she is a proven liar. Therefore my wonderings can’t ever be explored. And maybe she made up the story about smearing mud on her face.

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I’m back - I felt that I needed to watch the rest because otherwise I probably shouldn’t discuss things I have no idea about.

You will have to forgive me for the phrase I’m about to use but it’s the best way to describe how I perceive Rachel’s outlook. IMO she can’t see any shades of grey - to her it’s either black or white (which possibly comes from her fundie upbringing).

Two quotes gave me this impression.

The first one was when she said she had to stay on social media because it was the only way she has a presence in the world. She can’t see that she is an incredibly talented artist who could give her voice to many causes without identifying as being black. But because she refuses (? is unable) to consider any other alternative she just keeps on throwing logs on a roaring fire  

The second one was this:

”I can't go back to being white because I can't go back to being Amish, wearing Amish dresses, and letting my parents win.”

So her only other option is to identify as being black? She’s never seen a white woman wearing something other than being Amish and wearing an Amish dress?

IMO there is no hope of her getting a clue or being able to consider things introspectively until she gains the ability to see more than the two options she is clinging to. It’s sad that she will not widen her perspective beyond her narrow worldview (again, perhaps a result of her fundie upbringing).

I think it’s pretty clear that she is traumatised by her upbringing and I hope she seeks help to move towards a healthy and healed place. But my fear is that she is traumatising her sons and they’re going to have an even worse journey than she did.

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I watched this doc today too after a friend recommended it during the week.

 

I am a non American, non white, biracial woman watching today (through Netflix global reach) and my repulsion (skin crawl ) for Rachel's deception and her continued attempts to justify came flooding back!  She certainly seems a curious mix of mental unwellness, intelligence, and something nearing narcissism. Interesting to see her creativity in her artwork.  It appeared that her concern for her sons quickly orientated itself back to her and hard to tell whether she appreciates on any meaningful level her son's clearly growing distress.  

 

Did anyone see the entire segments for the clips where Rachel was interviewed?

 

Also I may have a personal Rachel though her deception is not as thorough and she doesn't appear to be an activist. Interestingly she is also teaching in a university programme  called xx (insert region) studies. She grew up and studied overseas and describes herself as a woman from an island country and most people have accepted this. It was not until two friends who had known her for some years previously overseas both mentioned that while she has identified as x she had acknowledged that she was not biologically of that ethnic group on one occasion, some years previously.  I really don't know anything of her past in terms of childhood and/or trauma-fundie past but even before Rachel Dolezal this always seemed offensive and deceitful. Personal Rachel also has biracial children.  Wonder how many other Rachels are out there?

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