# 4chan trolls - It's OK to be White **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 2, 2017, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4chan-trolls-its-ok-to-be-white/800496 "2017-11-02T14:14:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4chan-trolls-its-ok-to-be-white/800496/81 "2017-11-30T21:35:41Z")
> [@POSTTOWN1978](#): > > … > > whites are most hated race in the world > > … I know you’ve been banned, so replying to you might be bad form or something. But if there were some small, tiny bit of truth to this hyperbolic claim, a reasonable person must admit that we’ve kind of earned it. I say “we” because I’m a Whitey. ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4chan-trolls-its-ok-to-be-white/800496/82 "2017-11-30T22:47:08Z")
> [@POSTTOWN1978](#): > > Of course its not ok to be white > > whites are most hated race in the world > > other race groups are very jealous of whites for the success they have > and the fact they get most dating choices > whites get most messages by far on any online dating site if u study this The most hated group also is the most coveted dating partner? Makes a lot of sense there. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4chan-trolls-its-ok-to-be-white/800496/83 "2017-11-30T23:30:09Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > The most hated group also is the most coveted dating partner? Makes a lot of sense there. There’s some sexist joke hidden in here about women and “bad boys” ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2017, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4chan-trolls-its-ok-to-be-white/800496/84 "2017-12-01T15:49:09Z")
> [@POSTTOWN1978](#): > > Oh yeh alt right link lol > so people should just instantly act like the alt right has no good points > > their points are so strong people ban them. > are you serious? > > THEY BAN THE ALT RIGHT BECAUSE THEY ARE SCARED TO DEBATE THEM. Really? Tell us more! Oh… wait… you can’t. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2017, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4chan-trolls-its-ok-to-be-white/800496/85 "2017-12-01T15:56:18Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > The most hated group also is the most coveted dating partner? Makes a lot of sense there. I hear that Hate Sex is best. Overall: TL/DR, so bottom line me here, folks. Is it, or is it not, OK to be white? Need answer fast. j/k I’ve been white for 50 years. I reckon I can live with myself for the last however many I have left in me. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2017, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4chan-trolls-its-ok-to-be-white/800496/86 "2017-12-01T16:21:44Z")
> [@POSTTOWN1978](#): > > Oh yeh alt right link lol > so people should just instantly act like the alt right has no good points > > their points are so strong people ban them. > are you serious? > > THEY BAN THE ALT RIGHT BECAUSE THEY ARE SCARED TO DEBATE THEM. Nah, the alt right gets laughed out the room because we’ve already had the “debate” they want to have. And because that debate conclusively ended burning in a ditch covered in petrol one bright morning of 1945. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2017, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4chan-trolls-its-ok-to-be-white/800496/87 "2017-12-01T17:43:06Z")
“For though the world has stood up and stopped the bastard, the bitch that bore him is in heat again.” Brecht ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2017, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4chan-trolls-its-ok-to-be-white/800496/88 "2017-12-01T18:49:14Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > One way is to stop creating an environment in which some white people feel - fairly or unfairly - that they are discriminated against. > > Also, people _ **don’t** _ usually “check their privilege.” They just don’t. Suppose a Ferrari owner lives in a neighborhood of Chevys and Fords and has to hear people talking about “Ferrari privilege.” Chances are, he _won’t_ think, “Well, I am already lucky to own a $400,000 Ferrari when everyone else drives secondhand pickups and sedans.” He may instead think, “Wow, they really don’t like me due to who I am.” Yes. That’s the entire point of reminding them to check their privilege. It’s a reminder you are privileged, and that you need to check how it is influencing your arguments. If we did it all the time, we wouldn’t need to be reminded. And we can’t change that environment, because that environment is just the fact that we try to help out minorities and treat them fairly, and get other people to do the same. Their complaints are always about not being left alone to be intolerant and hurt others. Working class people are suffering, sure. Poor people get made fun of and called names and stuff. But white people? The majority is still white. They don’t attack themselves. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2017, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4chan-trolls-its-ok-to-be-white/800496/89 "2017-12-01T18:59:11Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > I’m guessing from the speaker’s contrasting of southern California with Montana that in this context “Martian” = “Mexican”. Huh. I could have sworn I’d heard of “Martian” being used as slang for black people, but I googled that and didn’t find anything about that. I guess you’re probably right. * * * And, so I don’t write a third post: 4chan has two groups of people: the actual racists, and the juveniles who get thrills out of pissing people off. Blurring the line is a lot about how the alt-right (as opposed to the racist groups of old) recruit. So we have a mixture of racists, provocateurs, and provacateurs on their way to becoming racist if they don’t stop. The only reason to ever say “It’s OK to be \_\_\_\_” is if there are other people telling you that it’s not okay to be \_\_\_\_. Given that no one says it’s wrong to be white, the implication is that they are mixing up “white” and “racist,” ala that sigh “Anti-racist is a code word for anti-white.” So, yeah, it’s racist. If someone in Japan started saying “It’s okay to be Japanese,” I would assume they were freaking out over their government’s new moves to try and pull in more foreigners due to the aging workforce. And if someone says “it’s okay to be white,” I can only assume they are freaking out at how we are treating minorities better than before. At least “All lives matter” has a context where it would make sense. It just is a bad reply to “Black Lives Matter.” But saying that it’s okay to be white? The only world in which that makes sense is if there is systematic or otherwise widespread discrimination against white people. And the only people who believe that are racists, complaining about how we’re treating non-whites more equally. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2017, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4chan-trolls-its-ok-to-be-white/800496/90 "2017-12-01T19:02:10Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > It’s actually much broader than this. > > NOTHING on 4chan is worth responding to or getting worked up about. > > If the most effective response to a troll is not feeding him, merely visiting that hive of scum and villainy is volunteering to slop the pigs at a huge stinky pig farm. > > In other words: “Forget it, Jake. It’s 4chan.” And I guess I will make a third post. You just described why the alt-right has the power they do. 4chan is where the alt-right recruits. Ignoring hives of racism and trollery doesn’t actually make them go away. It creates echo chambers, where they can fester and grow. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2017, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4chan-trolls-its-ok-to-be-white/800496/91 "2017-12-01T19:11:23Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Huh. I could have sworn I’d heard of “Martian” being used as slang for black people, but I googled that and didn’t find anything about that. I guess you’re probably right. . . . It might have meant that also. It’s hard to say. How high is the correlation between anti-black and anti-Hispanic bigotry? I’d guess someone suffering from one is pretty likely to suffer from both. I guess it’s good that some people are sufficiently ashamed of themselves to have to rely on coded language, rather than just out-and-out saying racist crap. It means there’s still some social taboo against racism. (But…less today than a year ago.) ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2017, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4chan-trolls-its-ok-to-be-white/800496/92 "2017-12-01T19:22:24Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > … So, yeah, it’s racist… Your position is that a sign saying “It’s OK to be white” is racist? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2017, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4chan-trolls-its-ok-to-be-white/800496/93 "2017-12-01T20:04:55Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Your position is that a sign saying “It’s OK to be white” is racist? Have you actually read the material alluded to in the OP? It’s blatantly racist. The statement can be racist, in context. And the OP pointed to one of those contexts. It’s like “All lives matter.” It’s unquestionably true…and racist when used in the context we’ve seen. It’s like “Martian.” It’s code-language, used by bad people, for bad purposes. “White people want to make the trains run on time.” Factual, or a slur? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2017, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4chan-trolls-its-ok-to-be-white/800496/94 "2017-12-01T20:30:38Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Have you actually read the material alluded to in the OP? It’s blatantly racist. > > The statement can be racist, in context. And the OP pointed to one of those contexts. > > It’s like “All lives matter.” It’s unquestionably true…and racist when used in the context we’ve seen. It’s like “Martian.” It’s code-language, used by bad people, for bad purposes. > > “White people want to make the trains run on time.” Factual, or a slur? I’m pretty sure at least one of the main purposes was to highlight the silly depths to which usage of the label “racist” has sunk, and you’re playing right along. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2017, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4chan-trolls-its-ok-to-be-white/800496/95 "2017-12-01T20:33:15Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Once, long time ago, a black guy I know got mad at me and called me a “cracker”. What can you do about such cultural ignorance, doesn’t know a cracker from a peckerwood! A cracker is just generic white trash while a peckerwood is extremely rural white trash (like lives in A cabin and traps and makes moonshine). In the hierarchy of these things a peckerwood is like the Kardashian of Crackers. Is this correct? ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2017, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4chan-trolls-its-ok-to-be-white/800496/96 "2017-12-01T20:53:23Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Your position is that a sign saying “It’s OK to be white” is racist? I think it is. White people generally understand that being white is pretty easy and normal and in most parts of the country elicits no special notice. Pointing it out is pointing out the obvious either unnecessarily or to make a specific point. If it is the former than one can consider why such a person feels it necessary to point out the obvious. It suggests an unusual emphasis and preoccupation with skin color, which in a white person might be a sign of racism. In a nonwhite person such a preoccupation might not be a suggestive due to the fact that their skin color might be an issue that they have to dea with on a regular basis. If it is the latter, and a message is being sent, well… what do we think the message is? I tend to read the message as “I am intolerant and unsympathetic of the plight of prejudice and discrimination towards minorities, and since I am white and addressing these issues might cause me a modicum of inconvenience I am going to claim that doing so is in fact prejudice against me. Ha! Touché! Aren’t I clever the way I have turned your tactics against you.” Alternatively it might mean “I am a racist asshole who enjoys fucking with minorities and stirring up shit” So yes, I think it’s racist. I say that as one who is deeply trouble by identity politics and the emphasis on race in today’s society. Generally speaking I think that somebody’s race should be the least interesting thing about them, and people who think otherwise whether they are talking about their own skin color or somebody else’s generally are not worth my time and effort. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2017, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4chan-trolls-its-ok-to-be-white/800496/97 "2017-12-01T23:07:52Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I’m pretty sure at least one of the main purposes was to highlight the silly depths to which usage of the label “racist” has sunk, and you’re playing right along. Unfortunately, you’re “playing right along” also – and it is with the public-relations agenda of the KKK and neo-Nazis. Do you really want to support their message? (I am not accusing you of racism; I just think that you are doing exactly what you accused me of doing: minimalizing “racism” as a bad thing. You aren’t a KKK member of a neo-Nazi…but you are saying things that are to their advantage.) ---
**Author:** ![coffeecat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coffeecat/32/3405_2.png) [@coffeecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coffeecat)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2017, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4chan-trolls-its-ok-to-be-white/800496/98 "2017-12-01T23:11:36Z")
One thing white people don’t have is the moral high ground with leftists; white people are racist oppressors. Some people may just be tired of existential guilt. True, it’s not as bad as being thrown against the pavement because of your skin color, but just because one is wrong doesn’t make the other right. ---
**Author:** ![Senn1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@Senn1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senn1)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2017, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4chan-trolls-its-ok-to-be-white/800496/99 "2017-12-03T19:19:30Z")
Perhaps in the US it’s a bit different, but in the UK it’s actually been taken quite seriously by some people. An increasing number of white people in the UK are feeling discriminated against and this sort of thing is gaining traction. For example the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) which is funded by a “TV License” for anyone wants to watch TV in the UK, has openly banned ALL white people from applying for some roles within the company, regardless of their background. If it was the other way around, of course, they would be reprimanded and likely jailed for racism. It did not even specifically say what type of “white” (So they could even be Serbian). The BBC already had an over-representation of minority groups within employment, and it took zero other factors into consideration, so a black millionaire could apply but a white man about to be evicted with no parents or inheritance could not. And of course, areas where whites are heavily underrepresented, such as universities, it’s brushed off as no issue. Perhaps it is not at that stage yet in the states, but an increasing number of people in the UK are not feeling like the brakes are being put on with equality issues and they could easily spiral out of control if no respect is given for the principles that caused this mess in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2017, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4chan-trolls-its-ok-to-be-white/800496/100 "2017-12-03T19:41:02Z")
> [@Senn1](#): > > For example the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) which is funded by a “TV License” for anyone wants to watch TV in the UK, has openly banned ALL white people from applying for some roles within the company, regardless of their background. If it was the other way around, of course, they would be reprimanded and likely jailed for racism. It did not even specifically say what type of “white” (So they could even be Serbian). Cite? I went searching for this, and [this is the only thing I came up with.](https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/668866/katie-hopkins-creative-access-lbc-row) If that’s what you’re referring to, then your characterization is misleading. – These internships are secured and advertised via an non-profit called [Creative Access](https://creativeaccess.org.uk/about-us/), whose stated mission is to “help young people, from under-represented communities throughout the UK, to access creative careers.” – The “specific jobs” in question seem to be paid internships – The BBC hasn’t banned ALL white people from anything, and there’s nothing indicating that these internships aren’t available to white people – just that Creative Access won’t help you get one if you’re not a minority I don’t know if your characterization was intentional, but in my experience this strategy of playing fast and loose with the facts in order to sell a specific narrative is part and parcel of white nationalist movements. The actual story, “non-profit in the UK helps minorities get paid internships at media companies,” wouldn’t raise eyebrows. But repackaged as a “white people are under attack” story and it spreads like wildfire among people who want to sew hatred towards immigrants. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4chan-trolls-its-ok-to-be-white/800496.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4chan-trolls-its-ok-to-be-white/800496.md?page=6)