# I do not share your racism.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-share-your-racism/599588>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [October 14, 2011, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-share-your-racism/599588 "2011-10-14T00:57:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 16

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\
**Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-share-your-racism/599588/301 "2011-10-31T03:45:40Z")

</div>

> [@Frylock](#):
>
> That there are racial tensions in DC, that white people tend to be richer than non-white people, etc, even that there have been more hate crimes in DC lately, has nothing to do with whether the lady described in the OP was expressing a racist sentiment or not.
> 
> “You know how it is–_they_ are targetting white people” means something very different from “People assume you’re rich because you’re white.”

Perhaps, but I think that we are talking about what makes someone a target, not just socioeconomics. And it is relevant to determining what the speaker’s state of mind is. It all goes to the context of why she said it.

I suspect that the neighbor spoke poorly. Would you have an issue with what she said if she had told the OP " Be careful, a white girl like you is a target in this neighborhood"? Because that’s my take on what she was trying say. And like I said earlier it isn’t that white people tend to be richer in DC, it’s that there is a perception that white people in DC are rich and therefore have nice shit worth stealing. It’s no different that criminals targeting Hispanics because the perception is that they get paid cash, and therefore are going to have enough cash to make a mugging pay off.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-share-your-racism/599588/302 "2011-11-01T16:43:04Z")

</div>

> [@Frylock](#):
>
> I don’t understand this post, but I do understand the question. The question’s answer is: Because if you call a black person a “nigger” you are likely to make him unnecessarily upset.

That’s not it at all… how careful do you have to be not to say nigger?

It’s more about using the word black (a word that no one can claim ownership of) in any way that would suggest anything negative about black people.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-share-your-racism/599588.md?page=15)