Pure White Episode 5: Myths of Sexual Danger
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Dec 22, 2023 This podcast episode explores the legacy of lynching and myths of sexual danger, addressing cases like Emmett Till and the Atlanta Massacre. It discusses the promotion of white women's purity and racial innocence, touching on topics such as the Lionel Ritchie myth and the Central Park jogger. The episode examines how these myths persist in the white racial imagination, shedding light on the impact of purity culture on racial identity and trauma.
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Emmett Till And Bryant's Accusation
- Carolyn Bonham Bryant accused 14-year-old Emmett Till of sexual impropriety, triggering his brutal lynching and national outrage.
- Mamie Till-Mobley's decision to display his battered body in an open casket galvanized the civil rights movement.
Sexual Danger Myths Rooted In Racist Stereotypes
- Myths of sexual danger have long framed black people as hypersexual and white women as sexually vulnerable.
- These narratives justified racial terror like lynchings by framing interracial contact as a threat to social order.
Lionel Richie Elevator Urban Myth
- Vron Ware recounts a vascular urban myth about Lionel Richie scrawling a cheeky note after an elevator misunderstanding with a white woman.
- The story circulated with many celebrity names substituted, showing how such rumors target black men.