Lilly.
Hey, like I said, racism exists everywhere, but not all people are racist.
Whether or not I benefit from white privilege or historical inequity has no bearing on whether or not I’m racist. You, however, are making sweeping generalisations about people based solely on their race - which makes you racist.
And quite frankly, the idea that black people, or anyone else for that matter, necessarily suffers because of lack of privilege or historical inequity is patronising, divisive, dismissive of personal agency and responsibility and, due to the general nature of the statement based on colour, racist.
Treat people as you find them, regardless of ethnicity. Give people the same access to help regardless of what their background is. Stop putting people in boxes.
Was this always true, or just in the present? Was it racist to say that black people suffer because of lack of privilege and inequity in the Jim Crow South? If not, then when did it become racist to say so?
Interesting how this discussion “fighting ignorance” has become a showcase for unchecked ignorance.
Because there is a “No” option?
This defines racism so broadly that the term becomes meaningless. The poll might as well ask “Are you white?” or “Are you human?” If Justin Trudeau is no better than David Duke, then David Duke is no worse than Justin Trudeau.
Racism means you believe a certain poorly defined group has traits that render them inferior–more violent, less intelligent, more anti-social–to another group (Usually the one you belong to.) Any person might have such thoughts when they’re having a bad day but if you don’t hold that as an ideology, then you aren’t racist. I’m not a racist and neither are you.
Yes I’m aware that my white skin grants me certain privileges in dealing with law enforcement, job interviewers etc. If I was a racist I would hold that those privileges are due to me by right, not simply a result of history.
I agree that the word covers a lot of territory. People think “I do not have murderous hate in my heart!” and think they aren’t racist.
To me saying “I’m not racist” (as a white person) means “I have not considered this but assume I am a good wonderful person.” I mean, even people who go into racist rants precede them with “I’m not a racist but.” So as ambiguous as the word “racist” is, even less meaningless is any protest from a white person that “I’m not a racist.”
I wasn’t aware it was public.
We’re all racist in a way. According to implicit assumption tests, something like 80% of whites and 50% of blacks harbor anti-black sentiment. And that is just white/black racism.
Since racism is an offshoot of tribalism, it is pretty much universal. Tribalism over race, religion, ethnicity, culture, politics, etc. is pretty much universal.
The goal is just to keep our innate tribalistic traits from becoming too dysfunctional or cruel. Admitting you have a problem is step 1.
You take that back. I’ll have you know we landed on the moon.
To quote the wisest of posters on the subject of race, Clothahump, there is only the human race. So yes, I am racist against humans.
I am a middle-aged (okay, 64), middle-class, middle-American white male. I was raised in a town where black people would fear for their lives if they stayed after dark. I realize I have to have some measure of racism, sexism and ageism in me (even if I am consciously unaware of it), and I try to consider that before I state any opinion.
Yeah, but what have you done since?
There actually are people who believe that individuals, in recognition of their ancestry, have voluntarily chosen to acculturate themselves within social groups of like ancestry. These social distinctions are recognizable in speech characteristics, art forms, fashion, cuisine, etc. none of which are forcibly imposed on them by a racial dominar. To recognize this cultural divide, or to observe that perpetuating such a divide is to the disadvantage of the group that self-imposes it. is nowadays defined as “racist”…
Oh, I don’t know. Does a little show called ‘thirtysomething’ ring a bell?
Yes, I am a racist, and I so voted. A sexist, too. I’m a middle-aged white man who grew up in the 70’s and 80’s, partially in the South and partially in a northern Ohio bedroom community so lily-white that I had one black classmate in three grades of junior high. (His name was Chip, and the one Jewish kid was Joey. We called them “Chocolate Chip” and “Jewy”. Racism was endemic and overt. Homophobia, too.) I’m more comfortable with white people than black or brown (although class plays a role, as well; I’m more comfortable with middle-class people of any race than I am with working-class or poor people), and I interact differently with people of color than with other whites.
I never thought I was racist, since I always have been a good liberal, and scorned the obvious “Send 'em back to Africa” bedsheet-wearers. That sort of racism is easy to spot and easy to avoid, as is the “Some of my best friends are…” variety But Black Lives Matter, and the police shootings that engendered it, and the election, has really helped me see the ways in which racism, and misogyny, are systemic and subtle. I recognize that I take my experiences as a white man as the default, and those of minorities as variations from the norm. I’ve come to realize the privilege my race and sex give me, and understand that the realities that underlie my life are fundamentally different for women and people of color. When I get pulled over by a police officer, I don’t have to worry whether I’ll survive the encounter. When I’m running at night, I don’t have to wonder if the man running up behind me will assault me.
So, yes, I’m a racist. I recognize that as something to acknowledge, and to battle. I’m a racist, but I try very hard not to be a bigot.
OK, a couple of things.
First, I definitely do not think I’m a “good wonderful person.” I mean, I’m not a monster, but Jesus do I have my problems.
Second, this argument is going to devolve into a pointless circle of semantics. We are defining Racism as two different things. You are defining it as “being white.” I am defining it as “actually holding racist beliefs.” I don’t think either of us will convince the other that our definition is correct, though I think mine is more useful.
Finally, you seem to have a very high opinion of your opinions. I put it to you that someone who disagrees with you might actually have a valid point of view that should be addressed.
I went yes but marginally so; its not so much race as nationality. I have some issues with the Japanese in general and whites of western Europe.
It was never true that black individuals necessarily suffered from that, and to make a judgement of an individual that they must be suffering because of that solely due to their skin colour has always been racist and denied their individuality.
Concepts such as privilege and the effect of past mistreatment are important, if not essential, in understanding how society functions, and why certain groups of people differ from others in, for example, economic status. However, they only show averages and tendencies, they tell you nothing about an individual.
Fairly certain “you” had help. Ditto on “thirtysomething”.