I, Racist

[Buzzword]

This is a beautiful, terrifying, tearjerking exploration of the problem with how this country deals with the racism which makes up far too much of our national and cultural bedrock.

To understand, you have to know that Black people think in terms of Black people. We don’t see a shooting of an innocent Black child in another state as something separate from us because we know viscerally that it could be our child, our parent, or us, that is shot.

Racism affects us directly because the fact that it happened at a geographically remote location or to another Black person is only a coincidence, an accident. It could just as easily happen to us- right here, right now.

Black people think in terms of we because we live in a society where the social and political structures interact with us as Black people.

White people do not think in terms of we. White people have the privilege to interact with the social and political structures of our society as individuals. You are “you,” I am “one of them.” Whites are often not directly affected by racial oppression even in their own community, so what does not affect them locally has little chance of affecting them regionally or nationally. They have no need, nor often any real desire, to think in terms of a group. They are supported by the system, and so are mostly unaffected by it.


Racism is not slavery. As President Obama said, it’s not avoiding the use of the word n*****. Racism is not white water fountains and the back of the bus. Martin Luther King did not end racism. Racism is a cop severing the spine of an innocent man. It is a 14 year old child being shot for playing with a toy gun in a state where it is legal to openly carry firearms.

But racism is even more subtle than that. It’s more nuanced. Racism is the fact that “White” means “normal” and that anything else is different. Racism is our acceptance of an all white Lord of the Rings cast because of “historical accuracy,” ignoring the fact that this is a world with an entirely fictionalized history.


White people and Black people are not having a discussion about race. Black people, thinking as a group, are talking about living in a racist system. White people, thinking as individuals, refuse to talk about “I, racist” and instead protect their own individual and personal goodness. In doing so, they reject the existence of racism.

But arguing about personal non-racism is missing the point.

Despite what the Charleston Massacre makes things look like, people are dying not because individuals are racist, but because individuals are helping support a racist system by wanting to protect their own non-racist self beliefs.

People are dying because we are supporting a racist system that justifies White people killing Black people.

We see this in the way that one Muslim killer is a sign of Islamic terror; in the way one Mexican thief is a pointer to the importance of border security; in one innocent, unarmed Black man is shot in the back by a cop, then sullied in the media as a thug and criminal.

And in the way a white racist in a state that still flies the confederate flag is seen as “troubling” and “unnerving.” In the way people “can’t understand why he would do such a thing.”

The reality of America is that White people are fundamentally good, and so when a white person commits a crime, it is a sign that they, as an individual, are bad. Their actions as a person are not indicative of any broader social construct. Even the fact that America has a growing number of violent hate groups, populated mostly by white men, and that nearly *all* serial killers are white men can not shadow the fundamental truth of white male goodness. In fact, we like White serial killers so much, we make mini-series about them.

White people are good as a whole, and only act badly as individuals.

People of color, especially Black people (but boy we can talk about “The Mexicans” in this community) are seen as fundamentally bad. There might be a good one– and we are always quick to point them out to our friends, show them off as our Academy Award for “Best Non-Racist in a White Role”– but when we see a bad one, it’s just proof that the rest are, as a rule, bad.

I, Racist

Sadly, the people who most need to receive this message will be the first to turn their noses up at it, get defensive, make prejudicial generalizations, and basically keep the racist system going for decades to come.

 

[chrysostom]

I saw something very interesting on espn's pti pardon the interruption
jason whitlock who is black was substituting for tony
and
was commenting on serena williams' complete tennis victory over maria sharapova
he said maria will never be able to beat serena because she is white and represents all the prejudice serena had to deal with growing up
jason will get away with this because he is black
and
he knows what he is talking about
we can think it
but
we can't say it

why can't we all just get over it?

 

[bybee]

This is a beautiful, terrifying, tearjerking exploration of the problem with how this country deals with the racism which makes up far too much of our national and cultural bedrock.



I, Racist

Sadly, the people who most need to receive this message will be the first to turn their noses up at it, get defensive, make prejudicial generalizations, and basically keep the racist system going for decades to come.

This essay is racist. It speaks to a black mindset that automatically condemns white people. Apparently the writer has selective vision, just as selective as the white people he castigates.

 

[Buzzword]

This essay is racist. It speaks to a black mindset that automatically condemns white people. Apparently the writer has selective vision, just as selective as the white people he castigates.

Did you not read at the very least the part I highlighted?

Black people tend to think of themselves as "we," and most literature written by black people criticizing black people use language revolving around "we need to do better".

White people, empowered and supported by the system as we are, can only think in terms of "I" and "me".
I have struggled to find much literature written by white people which criticizes white people, because the orientation is entirely self-founded.
Thus WE are handicapped from seeing that WE are taking part in a system which inherently elevates US and demeans and oppresses everyone else.

...as the article stated, quite eloquently.

Black people think in terms of we because we live in a society where the social and political structures interact with us as Black people.

White people do not think in terms of we. White people have the privilege to interact with the social and political structures of our society as individuals. You are “you,” I am “one of them.” Whites are often not directly affected by racial oppression even in their own community, so what does not affect them locally has little chance of affecting them regionally or nationally. They have no need, nor often any real desire, to think in terms of a group. They are supported by the system, and so are mostly unaffected by it.

Also, by claiming the article to be racist, you are demonstrating several of his points very clearly.

 

[Traditio]

What the article basically is saying: "Black people are entitled to be racist. The system is racist, and white people perpetuate it. And, in fact, if you deny that all of the stuff that I'm talking about is racist or racism, then you're just proving how racist it is." Sorry, but I'm not impressed.

If anything, it just goes to show how ready black people are to play the race card regardless of the situation, regardless of the facts, etc., and how willing they are to turn any situation, even situations which have nothing to do with race, into matters of race.

E.g., take the case about the 14 year old boy. Because the author is such a racist, all that he sees is the fact that: 1. the boy was black, 2. the gun was a toy, 3. open-carry is legal in that locale and 4. that "innocent little black boy" got killed by a police officer.

Never mind the fact that the gun looked pretty realistic. Never mind the fact that the "innocent little black boy" was brandishing the gun at people. Never mind the fact that those same people, feeling that their lives were being threatened, called the police. Never mind the fact that the "innocent little black boy" refused to comply with police orders to drop the gun. Never mind the fact that the author, had he been the police officer in question, probably would have done the exact same thing. And don't you dare ask where the parents of that "innocent little black boy" were or what role they had to play in this.

[Here, again, I offer my advise to black people: Stop breaking the law. Stop resisting arrest. Stop fleeing from the police. And actually step up and start doing some parenting. Your children are your problem. You need to deal with them. You need to know where they are. You need to impose some discipline and stop letting your unruly little thugs run amok in the streets. You're not up to the task? Then keep your pants up.]

Let's ignore all that. Nope. It's just racism.

I agree, the article really does hilight the problem of racism in America, i.e., the rampant anti-white racism of the black community. Forget law and order. Forget personal responsibility. Forget common sense.

White people are bad. Police are bad. Only black lives matter.

I agree. That's racist.

It's that bad, black people? You hate law and order that much? You hate white people that much? Then leave.

 

[Buzzword]

What the article basically is saying: "Black people are entitled to be racist. The system is racist, and white people perpetuate it. And, in fact, if you deny that all of the stuff that I'm talking about is racist or racism, then you're just proving how racist it is." Sorry, but I'm not impressed.

If anything, it just goes to show how ready black people are to play the race card regardless of the situation, regardless of the facts, etc., and how willing they are to turn any situation, even situations which have nothing to do with race, into matters of race.

E.g., take the case about the 14 year old boy. Because the author is such a racist, all that he sees is the fact that: 1. the boy was black, 2. the gun was a toy, 3. open-carry is legal in that locale and 4. that "innocent little black boy" got killed by a police officer.

Never mind the fact that the gun looked pretty realistic. Never mind the fact that the "innocent little black boy" was brandishing the gun at people. Never mind the fact that those same people, feeling that their lives were being threatened, called the police. Never mind the fact that the "innocent little black boy" refused to comply with police orders to drop the gun. Never mind the fact that the author, had he been the police officer in question, probably would have done the exact same thing. And don't you dare ask where the parents of that "innocent little black boy" were or what role they had to play in this.

[Here, again, I offer my advise to black people: Stop breaking the law. Stop resisting arrest. Stop fleeing from the police. And actually step up and start doing some parenting. Your children are your problem. You need to deal with them. You need to know where they are. You need to impose some discipline and stop letting your unruly little thugs run amok in the streets. You're not up to the task? Then keep your pants up.]

Let's ignore all that. Nope. It's just racism.

I agree, the article really does hilight the problem of racism in America, i.e., the rampant anti-white racism of the black community. Forget law and order. Forget personal responsibility. Forget common sense.

White people are bad. Police are bad. Only black lives matter.

I agree. That's racist.

It's that bad, black people? You hate law and order that much? You hate white people that much? Then leave.

You are demonstrating quite clearly how to be part of the problem.

Especially in the time-honored oppressor tradition of blaming the victim while simultaneously playing the victim like all great bullies throughout history.

 

[Traditio]

You are demonstrating quite clearly how to be part of the problem.

Especially in the time-honored oppressor tradition of blaming the victim while simultaneously playing the victim like all great bullies throughout history.

As I said. This is what you are doing: "You're racist. If you deny that you're a racist, it just proves that you're a racist." What the author has done, and what you are doing, is trapping anyone who might possibly object to the content of the article in a no win situation. "If you disagree with the article, then you're just proving what the article is saying."

That's just stupid (as is blaming white people for all of the problems of the black community).

"Personal responsibility." Look it up. It's a thing.

You know who was a bully? That little thug who was brandishing a fake gun at people in the park.

You know who were the real victims? The people that he was threatening, and the police who were forced into a no-win situation. They were the victims, not that little thug. (Of course, a racist like the author of the article will never admit this.)

And again, I propose a solution:

It's so bad? Black people are tired of being "oppressed?" Then they can leave. May they not let the door hit them on the way out. :wave2:

 

[Lon]

Racism is our acceptance of an all white Lord of the Rings cast because of “historical accuracy,” ignoring the fact that this is a world with an entirely fictionalized history.

:nono: That isn't racism. He's incorrect on this particular.


I don't think we 'have' to always integrate. There is no prejudice involved on an all-white cast. I don't have a problem when my girls go to a chick-flick. They are not 'prejudiced' against Dad, not to invite him along. Some of this is too hypersensitive and the intrusion actually causes as much/more friction as actual racism. Me demanding to be there at the chick flick would cause problems and would itself, be unfair to them. They don't 'have' to include me in everything. If a black man cannot enjoy LOTR, he might actually be the prejudice one.

I've watched a few movies with an all-black cast and we don't think "Hey! Prejudice!" Not even remotely. The Icewind Dale fantasy series is about dark elves. It would be weird to see a white guy/gal if it were made into a movie. Any white actor would have to don very dark make-up because he/she would be out of place otherwise.

I attended an all-black church in Texas. I loved it. After my second visit, I was asked not to come back. I asked 'why.' It WAS because of my skin color but had nothing to do with them being prejudice. I had no problem with moving on after they asked me to leave. There was a very good and loving reason for me to have moved on...

Sometimes separation is a good thing, just not all the time, not when it causes more hurt than good. The balance is to do what is good and best. I think an ethnic church should be able to do some things without me there, perhaps even asking me to find another place to attend specifically because of other needs in that community. I attended a Chinese Church that only spoke Chinese. It would have been disruptive to expect a translator. They just weren't set up for that. There are needed times for us to be separated that have nothing to do with prejudism, though the reason may certainly involve our skin color, language, or any other separating feature. Asking for 'accommodation' all the time is what is disruptive and often unfair. That itself is a reversal of the prejudism they are complaining about. Those three fingers are always pointing back.

 

[Traditio]

:nono: That isn't racism. He's incorrect on this particular.

Again, just proving that the author is a racist. Never mind the fact that a black person simply doesn't belong in the main cast of a Lord of the Rings film. Race trumps everything else. His article is pretty much the very definition of racism: for him, race is the lens through which he pretty much views everything.

 

[Lon]

You are demonstrating quite clearly how to be part of the problem.

:nono: I've heard black people say the same thing Tradio just said. You can't say 'they are racist' or 'part of the problem.'

Especially in the time-honored oppressor tradition of blaming the victim while simultaneously playing the victim like all great bullies throughout history.

Trad would have had to have bullied a black person (or other), based on their color, for this to be true. You are throwing wild punches like a little kid, not caring who you strike, as long as he/she is 'the white bully.'

 

[Traditio]

You are throwing wild punches like a little kid, not caring who you strike, as long as he/she is 'the white bully.'

And somehow, the liberals don't see themselves as racists. :idunno:

 

[genuineoriginal]

This is a beautiful, terrifying, tearjerking exploration of the problem with how this country deals with the racism which makes up far too much of our national and cultural bedrock.



I, Racist

Sadly, the people who most need to receive this message will be the first to turn their noses up at it, get defensive, make prejudicial generalizations, and basically keep the racist system going for decades to come.

You will remain a victim until your identity is no longer based on being a victim.

 

[genuineoriginal]

I've watched a few movies with an all-black cast and we don't think "Hey! Prejudice!" Not even remotely.

I agree.
I think, "That is so dumb, what a waste of film."

Of course, the movies that I have seen with an all-black cast are "Friday" and "House Party."

 

[aikido7]

DISRUPTION!

DISRUPTION!

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...e-flag.html?source=HuffPoFacebook&via=FB_Page

Forgiveness is reciprocal.

 

[Stripe]

Did you not read at the very least the part I highlighted?

Black people tend to think of themselves as "we," and most literature written by black people criticizing black people use language revolving around "we need to do better".

White people, empowered and supported by the system as we are, can only think in terms of "I" and "me".
I have struggled to find much literature written by white people which criticizes white people, because the orientation is entirely self-founded.
Thus WE are handicapped from seeing that WE are taking part in a system which inherently elevates US and demeans and oppresses everyone else.

So you make broad generalizations on people based on the color of their skin and have the temerity to call others racist?

You're a racist and a hypocrite. :loser:

 

[Desert Reign]

This is a beautiful, terrifying, tearjerking exploration of the problem with how this country deals with the racism which makes up far too much of our national and cultural bedrock.

I, Racist

Sadly, the people who most need to receive this message will be the first to turn their noses up at it, get defensive, make prejudicial generalizations, and basically keep the racist system going for decades to come.

I see some basic contradictions in this article.

Black people think in terms of we because we live in a society where the social and political structures interact with us as Black people.

White people do not think in terms of we. White people have the privilege to interact with the social and political structures of our society as individuals.

But racism is even more subtle than that. It’s more nuanced. Racism is the fact that “White” means “normal” and that anything else is different. Racism is our acceptance of an all white Lord of the Rings cast because of “historical accuracy,” ignoring the fact that this is a world with an entirely fictionalized history.

The author just now said that black people see themselves as 'we' and white people see themselves as individuals. And now he is saying that white people see themselves as white. I don't see how you can have it both ways.

In my experience, people (especially children) take you as you come, without prejudice. If you see yourself as black then someone else will take you at face value and also see you as black because that is how you see yourself.

My advice would be that if seeing yourself as in individual is the ultimate of personal realisation, then black people are just as free to do that as anyone else. But if you all live together on black housing estates or districts and if you all speak the same dialect and that dialect is specifically intended to distinguish you from white people, then you are doing the exact opposite of what it takes for others to see you also as individuals. They will see you as you are.

But there is no need to take the view that the ultimate in personal realisation is to be an individual! There is nothing wrong in identifying as black or as white. You identify as American or in my case as British so I don't see why you can't identify as black or white. The lie that you are swallowing is there is something wrong with identifying per the colour of your skin or the culture you grew up in. All you have to do is to identify as being black and be proud of the fact and at the same time respect those who identify as white and are likewise proud of that fact. This is not racism. To say that this is racism is a lie. Racism is when you are prejudiced against someone because they are black or white or whatever. It is when you exclude them from your restaurants or transport or disfavour them in getting jobs.

Again, your self-esteem is your own, not your neighbour's. Get some and the problem will largely go away. Either get it by being part of a vibrant culture or sub-culture as it seems black people prefer to do, or else get it by cultivating yourself as an individual.

The establishment will respect you as a sub-culture so long as you keep the rules of the establishment and don't expect special treatment. And so long as you are not discriminated against unfairly, I don't see what you have to complain about. You would have got everything you could want.

White people are good as a whole, and only act badly as individuals.

Poppycock.

People of color, especially Black people (but boy we can talk about “The Mexicans” in this community) are seen as fundamentally bad.

More poppycock.

There might be a good one– and we are always quick to point them out to our friends, show them off as our Academy Award for “Best Non-Racist in a White Role”– but when we see a bad one, it’s just proof that the rest are, as a rule, bad.

As someone else has said. If you teach your children to be bullies then they will become criminals. Black people and white are different. This is reality. If it were not so, then we wouldn't have different words for it. Children these days in a mixed race school accept their colleagues for who and what they are. They still see that they are white or black, they know that there is a difference. It is just that being brought up in an mixed race rather than single race environment, they just get used to seeing different people around and they do not think it strange to see someone of a different colour.

It seems to me that the author of the article just wants to be different. And unless your name is Michael Jackson it ain't gonna happen any time soon.

 

[Granite]

I don't see a willingness to even listen or consider on the part of many folks here, and that's part of the problem.

 

[Stripe]

I don't see a willingness to even listen or consider on the part of many folks here, and that's part of the problem.

Yeah, we tend not to give racists too much time. :up:

 

[MarcATL]

This is a beautiful, terrifying, tearjerking exploration of the problem with how this country deals with the racism which makes up far too much of our national and cultural bedrock.



I, Racist

Sadly, the people who most need to receive this message will be the first to turn their noses up at it, get defensive, make prejudicial generalizations, and basically keep the racist system going for decades to come.

Powerful.

 

[quip]

Black people think in terms of we because we live in a society where the social and political structures interact with us as Black people.

White people do not think in terms of we. White people have the privilege to interact with the social and political structures of our society as individuals. You are “you,” I am “one of them.” Whites are often not directly affected by racial oppression even in their own community, so what does not affect them locally has little chance of affecting them regionally or nationally. They have no need, nor often any real desire, to think in terms of a group. They are supported by the system, and so are mostly unaffected by it.

The former is no less a complication of racism than the latter. Both sides need to commit to a sincere effort to compromise. Until then both sides are simply going to stand pat....self-defensively tossing rocks to and fro.