A Foot In The Door
The thing about "getting your foot in the door" is that, if you’re Black, at the end of the day, it's not beneficial.
This piece was actually inspired by the whole James and Fuhad, hosts of ShxtsNGigs, mess. By “mess”, I mean them finally being honest about how much they hate Black women. I learned a lot about it from the creator above, King of Reads. In conclusion: misogynoir is still profitable but only if you're honest about it from the jump. Also it helps to be White.
‘Bad Girls Club’ and the Profitability of Misogynoir
The term breadcrumbing also comes to mind when I think of this fiasco. James and Fuhad were breadcrumbing their audience. With "lighthearted" homophobia and anime plugs they breadcrumbed sensitivity and "nice guy"-ness. They also breadcrumbed the alpha-male-incel types with this same homophobia and their dog whistles for their disdain towards Black women. In the end breadcrumbing both sides wasn't a good strategy.
Breadcrumbing explained
They got their "foot in the door" and it blew up in their face. This happens when other Black people do it too. I used to straighten my hair, code-switch and laugh at racist and homophobic jokes, hoping that one of these “feet” would lead towards “success”. I would always end up being fired for not smiling enough or not laughing on cue or some other insignificant incident that ultimately was rendered down to my Blackness.
When we try to hide who we really are (even if in James and Fuhad’s case, the real us is a couple of self-loathing Black men who project that hate unto Black women) we lend ourselves to the mercy of others. Through our dishonesty we affirm their lust for hate towards us just for existing. I write often about how building a relationship on dishonesty will ultimately make it unsafe. This also includes expecting dishonesty via antiBlackness from Black people in exchange for the unkept promise of safety.
Being Black isn't a crime or a death sentence or an act deserving of punishment but the harmful behaviors perpetuated through the hate for Black people, make it so. When we pretend that these White centering and seeking behaviors are a sure way towards success, we gateway greater harm. We permit harm towards others, ourselves, and our communities. Promoting “foot in the door” antics in any form is harmful.
K Mataōtama Strohl (They/Them)
K is an award-winning consultant, coach, writer and speaker. K is also the curator of a content space that shares “refreshingly genuine and educational bite sized yet profound insights and experiences,” as well as the host of two popular podcasts.
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