(emphasis mine)
This is because Grand Dragon Shodan is low level. But wait, let me back up and give you my scale:
Level 0: This white doesn’t see “race” except in people of color. Believes white people are genetically, morally, and/or intellectually superior to people of color; this white may categorize people of color as an existential threat to their way of life (e.g. Laura Ingham remarked yesterday because of immigrants “America We Know and Love Doesn’t Exist Anymore”). Unlike most whites who prefer to utilize coded language when referencing people of color, this level 0 white tends to use explicit language to debase people of color (and anyone – including other whites - who supports people of color). The behavior of this white may be unconscious or conscious. This white cannot be engaged.
Level 1: Imagine having a doctorate in physics and being drawn into an hours-long argument with a layman about the intricacies of atomic orbitals. The layman insists he knows as much as you or more than you. That’s the story of a level 1. Unlike level 0, whites at level 1 are more socially aware/averse to shame and therefore more likely to use coded language and dog whistles over direct racial epithets. This white genuinely believes he or she knows more about race and racism than people who have spent their whole life studying (or experiencing) it. Consequently, this white dismisses facts, evidence, and truth for whataboutery and equivocation; this particular white chronically confuses “not understanding” with “disagreeing”. The smart level 1 whites tend to cultivate, associate, marry, or adopt people of color as a means to deflect accusations of racism or to appear more cosmopolitan. This white cannot be engaged.
Level 2: This white has a limited understanding of racism and the impact of that racism on people of color. This white understands that white privilege exists but rejects the premise that he or she has personally benefited from that privilege. This white naively believes that the trajectory of his or her life would’ve been the same even if their skin was darker. While this white may engage and associate with people of color, he or she doesn’t possess the racial stamina to challenge white supremacy. While level 2 whites insist that racism can exist against white folks, level 2 whites (are consistent and) do admit racism also a deleterious impact on people of color but believes it is the individuals should be shunned, not the ideology of white supremacy. This white cannot be engaged.
Level 3: This white has a remarkable ability to “zoom out” from the individual. While he or she may not engage in overt prejudice or bias, the level 3 white is acutely aware he or she is a beneficiary of white privilege. When this white is exposed to anti-black sentiment by fellow whites, the white may (seldomly) speak up but will (most) often disengage or cut off contact with the racist. This white struggle with intrusive racist thoughts in contact with people of color but understands that these thoughts are due to being brought up in a culture that worships at the altar of white supremacy. When these moments occur, the white takes a step back, reflects, and attempts to be a better person. The level 3 struggles with the question (paraphrased): “I accept racism exist and I accept white privilege but WTF am I supposed to do about it?” This white may (or not) have authentic relationships of color but nonetheless has the ability talk to people of color about racism without reflexively leaning upon anger, argumentation, defensiveness, or other dictums of white fragility.
Level 4: This white is similar to level 3 except that this white has a broad understanding of history and its context; this white is able to acknowledge that this country’s framework was built on white supremacy. This white may or may not have friends or associates who are of color but nonetheless has a desire to foster authentic relationships with them. This white does not tolerate anti-black or other racist sentiments by fellow whites and will immediately call it out. This white doesn’t give a fuck. This white has the intellectual stamina to understand that the slavery, torture, and incarceration of black fathers, the slavery, torture, and rape of black mothers, selling of black children and the deliberate dissolution of the black family, Black Codes, redlining, Jim Crow, a culture of white supremacy that denigrates people of color as stupid, shiftless, or less-deserving, housing and employment discrimination, lynching, human experimentation, etc. has deleterious and long-lasting effects on people of color that continue to this day. While other whites scratch their head in puzzlement or make excuses, this white understands, for example, why the U.S never passed an anti-lynching law or why the U.S never apologized for slavery until the late 1990’s. These whites roll their eyes or walk away when a fellow white says “white lives matter”, “all lives matter”, or “blue lives matter” because these the level 4 white has the intellectual ability to understand exactly what is meant by the slogan “black lives matter”; further, the level 4 white knows and that this phrase has nothing to do with denigrating or cheapening the lives of whites or others.
Level 5: This white is similar to level 4 except that this white has achieved a kind of awakened transcendence. We colloquially call this “zenyatta ult” or “being woke”. When this transformation occurs, he or she understands that whiteness isn’t an ethnicity or a skin tone but an ideology of hate onto itself. He or she is freely able to zoom in-and-out from his or her individual actions and behavior, to their respective demographic groups, to ultimately society as a collective; he or she understands that racism is institutional and pervasive while bias and prejudice emanate from the individual. He or she understands how one can individually not overtly engage in bias or prejudice but still be complicit in a system that was built on the ideology of white supremacy. While this white may still struggle with intrusive racist thoughts, he or she earnestly, empathetically, and authentically engages with people of color; this white insists (and demands others who are around) on treating people of color with the dignity and humanity.
Whew! I could be convinced that Grand Dragon Shodan provides biting commentary in subjects that are non-race related, that he is very knowledgeable in his field of study/occupation, and that he is a mastered coded language to an impressive art form. But even with all of those accomplishments, on my scale, Grand Dragon Shodan stuck between a 0 and 1. He doesn’t get what you’re saying because he’s a racist and incapable of engaging in a serious discussion on race. You shining light the truth is only going to make the racist cling tighter to their beliefs. Sound familiar? It should because his thinking is a microcosm of what’s playing out in the United States now - Trump enjoys the second highest Republican approval ratings in recorded history and this is after he had separated children from their families. Listen, I know I’m the last person you’ll listen to but mark my words: you can’t change the hearts and minds of these people and what they represent. For people like Grand Dragon Shodan, it’s about the debasement of people of color and the truth. Does. Not. Matter.