It’s Time For ‘Men Of Color Blog’ To Shut Down

Men Of Color Blog’s Victor Hoff–who is white (not that there’s anything wrong with that)–reacts to this week’s Cybersocket Award nominations:

I didn’t see a lot of color on the “Best Porn Blog” list in so far as unique voices go. In fact, default black porn actor Diesel Washington and East Coast hero Tiger Tyson aside, almost the entire list is made up of people promoting the same vanilla vision of human sexuality.

Someone who defines himself as being against racism in porn probably doesn’t serve his cause very well by classifying one of the rare successful black porn actors working today as “default.” Is this someone who is serious about fighting racial stereotypes? Has Men Of Color Blog ever been a blog that was serious about combatting racism? It’s mostly been a blog about calling people names and picking fights, and that’s fine! Blogs are for fighting.

Blogs are also a great way to promote whatever crazy train has hitched itself to your wagon (whoa, mixed metaphor):

Three great bloggers not on the list immediately come to mind but they were nowhere to be found: Angel Cruz, Tre Xavier, Chase Coxxx.

Three “great” bloggers, whose only claim to “greatness” has been, coincidentally, hating Diesel Washington. (Google them if you care.) And that’s fine, too! Nobody has to like Diesel.

But here’s a tip for Hoff and whoever has been gullible enough to take him seriously: The packaging of personality conflicts, jealousy, and cries for attention under the guise of “That’s Racist!” isn’t just disingenuous, it undermines the cause you’re supposedly fighting for. In fact, marginalizing someone by attributing their success to being a “default black porn actor” is…racist. Or, at least, racially insensitive.

Oh, but there’s an apology! There’s context (there always is). Hoff’s apology came after, of course, Diesel weighed in in the comments on the original post.

An Apology

Occasionally, I overstep the bounds of good taste…

Oh boy…

…and after thinking about it last night (and then turning it over to someone better able to deal), I realized that I owe Diesel Washington an apology. Yesterday, in my post about the Cybersocket Awards I referred to him as the “default black actor” of the gay porn industry. I was making the point that with the systematic blockade of writers, bloggers and others in the reporting of and linking to other people of color, Diesel is one of the few black performers that mainstream audiences see (and are comfortble with) and because of that, he is – through no choice of his own – the “default” black actor. Diesel felt – and I agree – that it was disparaging, especially becomes (sic) he had no context to gauge where I was coming from. So, I am sorry. I could have made my point without using words that are understandably confrontational.

Or, he could simply stop writing his blog.

And if we – although certainly not Diesel and I – but if “we” want to continue to have a conversation about Race in this industry, it can’t be done -nor will it ever stand a chance of being successful – in a climate of name-calling, mistrust and defensive posturing.

A climate that Victor Hoff’s Men Of Color Blog has created.