Baiting whiteness: Ziwe Fumudoh's satirical repetition

Abstract

Analyzing the comedy of Ziwe Fumudoh, this paper examines how repeated comedic bits can challenge white audiences' disingenuous anti-racism, satirize toxic white womanhood in the U.S., and script what is possible when white feminists demonstrate sincere attempts at cross-racial connection. Each artifact from Ziwe's comedy—an interview with chef Alison Roman, a musical sketch titled “Lisa Called the Cops,” and an interview with activist Gloria Steinem—carve out productive modes of confrontation. Ziwe satirizes the ridiculousness of white performative allyship and toxic white womanhood, and demonstrates the push and pull between hope and hopelessness of structural progress in the U.S.