A few weeks ago she shared a link to a quick pic post about Misty Copeland being named the first black female principal ballerina in the American Ballet Theater. Her only remark was "Progress. Far too slow, far too painful, but progress."
The condescension. My God. She's supposed to be a dancer, and bear with me on that, but she's also supposed to be a feminist, and an athlete. And how the fuck anyone who knows anything about any one of those things could see Misty Copeland dance or read her personal story and then just reduce her accomplishment to a maudlin comment about progress for her race, is beyond me. That is in itself racist as fuck. ABT isn't being edgy or offering a token principal ballerina position just to advance racial equality. She earned the job.
And of course being black is part of her story, but that's only one part and it isn't a part that fat ladies should frown and sigh woefully about. Ragen sounds like the echo of a 1950s-era grandmother who doesn't even know she's embarrassing and offensive, nodding woefully to say, "Progress is just too slow and painful for the blacks, but I'm glad they let this one in the ballet. At least it's progress for them. That this (paraphrased) reaction came from a self-proclaimed feminist is absurd!
Misty Copeland is a phenomenally powerful and beautiful dancer who earned her position through sacrifice and hard work like every other dancer in the company. Yes she's black. But to say "oh look how slow progress is, they finally let a black girl join the team" is gross. Try, "Holy shit, look at this amazing dancer who just became the first black principal ballerina at ABT."
She is not just a representative of her race. Her accomplishment is her own and she deserves celebration, congratulations, and acknowledgement for the sacrifices she made to get there. I can't even fathom how Ragen thinks it's acceptable for a fat white "dancer" to use this minority woman's success to make a negative remark about the pace of racial progress.
But as you said, she hates people who've actually accomplished things. She can't celebrate Misty Copeland's lovely moment or her talent, she has to take that woman down a peg. Being promoted now is just an example of slow progress for black folks. Someone else should have been the first black principal ballerina years ago. So really, Misty isn't that special if you think about it. The real first black principal ballerina is probably dead now. In fact, she starved to death from dieting but she ate all junk food every day, has type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease and high cholesterol and still only weighed 90 pounds.
And now I've fully Ragened this reply.