# Racialism: Everyone's Favorite Politics **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 11, 2018, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racialism-everyones-favorite-politics/817715 "2018-07-11T14:56:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racialism-everyones-favorite-politics/817715/81 "2018-07-12T03:18:05Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > And that unjust and unequal treatment was done by putting people into separate groups. So make America one group. One united group. Not a group of African-American, another group of German-Americans, another group of Italian-Americans, another group of Arab-Americans, another group of Asian-Americans, another group of … Be one united group of Americans. Oh, yes. If people would simply stop identifying themselves as black, then all the people who called police to complain about black people legally and peacefully going about their business or who screamed obscenities and racial epithets at people in public places would simply stop behaving in that manner. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racialism-everyones-favorite-politics/817715/82 "2018-07-12T10:34:46Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > … Racialism is wholly inescapable in leftist rhetoric. Racial diversity is paramount. They group everyone into races and advocate for policy based on race. Every event that happens must be viewed through the racialist lens. > > I have a simple question for the many racialists among us. Who is white? Who is black? > > We have some historical examples. We had the “one drop rule”… At a Tea Party conference, two right-wingers provided an insight into their interpretation of the “who is white, who is black” question: > [@Matt Taibbi](#): > > … Ron says his problem with Obama is the integrity thing. “He exaggerates too much,” Ron says. “He’s not honest.” > > “OK,” I say. “What does he exaggerate about?” > > “Well, like that time he was saying he had a white mother and a white grandmother,” he says. > > I ask him how this is an exaggeration. > > “Well, he was saying . . .” he begins. “As if that qualifies him to . . .” > > Despite my repeated prodding, Ron seems unable or unwilling to say aloud exactly what he means. Finally, his friend Mary, a grave-looking blonde with fierce anger lines around her eyes, jumps in, points a finger and blurts out one of the all-time man-on-the-street quotes. > > “Look, you either are or you aren’t,” she says. > > “And he aren’t,” Ron says, nodding with relief. ---
**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:** [July 12, 2018, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racialism-everyones-favorite-politics/817715/83 "2018-07-12T12:05:39Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > At a Tea Party conference, two right-wingers provided an insight into their interpretation of the “who is white, who is black” question: So more or less what most posters here believe? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racialism-everyones-favorite-politics/817715/84 "2018-07-12T12:11:33Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > So more or less what most posters here believe? No. More or less what the racists being quoted believe, or claim to believe. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racialism-everyones-favorite-politics/817715/85 "2018-07-12T12:12:08Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > So more or less what most posters here believe? No, very different, in fact. Why are you continuing to try and read our minds? You’re constantly getting it wrong. ---
**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:** [July 12, 2018, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racialism-everyones-favorite-politics/817715/86 "2018-07-12T12:19:10Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > Well\* they\* certainly think so. I’m fine with self-identification being the standard, but I don’t think it jives with the race-based policies of the various political factions. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Because it’s not enough for you to personally treat everyone equally if you support other people that you know are treating people unequally. How evangelical. > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > No, we are lacking major amounts of substance. Since you are obsessed with definitions, you need to provide yours. I assume that you recognize that some people are considered to be non-white. How do you distinguish them? By skin color? If not, what other markers are used? Please be exact. In addition, provide the criteria by which you decide that people who self-identify as a PoC are not doing so accurately. I realize that people are considered “non-white” but I do not know the basis for such considerations when it comes to the preferred political policies of various factions. Maybe you are confused about what I said in the OP. As I stated above, I’m fine with self-identification being the standard. We have had some nonsensical arguments that I guess were supposed to be deep revelations like: white people are treated like white people. This does not make any sense, and it does not jive with the self-identification standard. Would the left-wing advocates of race-based policy be ok if Clint Howard identifies as Black and reaped the benefits of the race-based policy? Would the right-wing advocates of race-based policy be ok if Wesley Snipes identified as white and reaped the benefits of their race-based policy? ---
**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:** [July 12, 2018, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racialism-everyones-favorite-politics/817715/87 "2018-07-12T12:22:39Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > No, very different, in fact. Why are you continuing to try and read our minds? You’re constantly getting it wrong. You don’t agree with “You either are or you aren’t”? Tell us more about how the bumpkins are wrong for saying you either are white or you aren’t white. You don’t agree with the gist of “He aren’t”? Tell us more about how the bumpkins are wrong for saying Obama is not white. ---
**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:** [July 12, 2018, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racialism-everyones-favorite-politics/817715/88 "2018-07-12T12:31:41Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > No. More or less what the racists being quoted believe, or claim to believe. The racist bumpkins believe that “you either are or you aren’t”, do you disagree? The racist bumpkins believe “he aren’t”, meaning Obama isn’t white. Do you disagree? ---
**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:** [July 12, 2018, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racialism-everyones-favorite-politics/817715/89 "2018-07-12T12:41:53Z")
Not expecting any direct responses. Have I short-circuited some posters by pointing out they agree with racist bumpkins on an aspect of racial classification? This should take some time to heal. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racialism-everyones-favorite-politics/817715/90 "2018-07-12T12:45:37Z")
It’s rather obvious that “racialism” is your favorite type of politics, tbh. That’s my main takeaway from this thread. ---
**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:** [July 12, 2018, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racialism-everyones-favorite-politics/817715/91 "2018-07-12T12:50:40Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > It’s rather obvious that “racialism” is your favorite type of politics, tbh. That’s my main takeaway from this thread. You mean it wasn’t the eternal wisdom of “ White people are those treated like white people”? If breaking down the politics of racialism falls under that umbrella, fine. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racialism-everyones-favorite-politics/817715/92 "2018-07-12T12:59:32Z")
So, is all this verbiage because you’re embarrased to be white? Or is it because you’re mad that being white isn’t as special (and, in many circles is becoming a handicap) anymore? ---
**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:** [July 12, 2018, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racialism-everyones-favorite-politics/817715/93 "2018-07-12T13:02:59Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > So, is all this verbiage because you’re embarrased to be white? Or is it because you’re mad that being white isn’t as special (and, in many circles is becoming a handicap) anymore? I don’t care about white identity, what don’t you understand? ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racialism-everyones-favorite-politics/817715/94 "2018-07-12T13:07:21Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > I’m fine with self-identification being the standard, but I don’t think it jives with the race-based policies of the various political factions. That’s generally the standard for the government when it comes up. We ask people for demographic information. Not just race but all manner of details and we generally just take their word for it. They could be using a different definition of age or lying. Or maybe they actually believe they’ve turned 32 every year for the past decade. But when I want to look at workforce participation rates for all people age 25-54 (a number often discussed on this board) I use BLS data where we’re just taking everyone’s word for it, with the understanding and acceptance that there’s going to be some fuzz and questionable edge cases. Same as if I want to look at that same number for black teens. It’s not like BLS is pulling birth records. If I call myself a black teens in the survey, they’re going to have a point for a black teen with unusual education, employment, and income. And so if we’re looking at whether a policy has a disparate impact on different groups, we’re pretty much always going be relying on how people describe themselves. Outside of, say, geography. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racialism-everyones-favorite-politics/817715/95 "2018-07-12T13:08:08Z")
So, why do you care about others identity? Your post makes zero sense in how you portray yourself to us. [Abed sarcastic voice]“I don’t care about white identity, but GOD FORBID a non-white person is identified as such.”[/Abed] ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racialism-everyones-favorite-politics/817715/96 "2018-07-12T13:12:45Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > The racist bumpkins believe that “you either are or you aren’t”, do you disagree? Disagree. These ones may, but some call him “Halfrican-American” in order to invalidate his experience as a person perceived to be black. ---
**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:** [July 12, 2018, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racialism-everyones-favorite-politics/817715/97 "2018-07-12T13:28:31Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Disagree. These ones may, but some call him “Halfrican-American” in order to invalidate his experience as a person perceived to be black. So do you think Obama is whatever he identifies as? ---
**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:** [July 12, 2018, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racialism-everyones-favorite-politics/817715/98 "2018-07-12T13:29:45Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > So, why do you care about others identity? > > Your post makes zero sense in how you portray yourself to us. [Abed sarcastic voice]“I don’t care about white identity, but GOD FORBID a non-white person is identified as such.”[/Abed] What makes you think I would care if a non-white identifies as a white? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racialism-everyones-favorite-politics/817715/99 "2018-07-12T13:31:05Z")
This thread. Other threads. Your words. Seriously, it’s like you’re not even trying to make sense. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racialism-everyones-favorite-politics/817715/100 "2018-07-12T13:33:15Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > You don’t agree with “You either are or you aren’t”? > > Tell us more about how the bumpkins are wrong for saying you either are white or you aren’t white. > > You don’t agree with the gist of “He aren’t”? > > Tell us more about how the bumpkins are wrong for saying Obama is not white. Huh? You’re whining about a lack of “direct responses”, and you throw this sort of this so-vague-as-to-be-meaningless nonsense around (“he aren’t”… wtf)? What the hell are you talking about? I’ll tell you what – you ask a clear question, and I’ll do my best to answer. If you’re asking whether I agree with those weirdoes who insisted Obama was somehow “exaggerating” by talking about his mother and grandparents, then no, I don’t agree, and theirs is a ridiculous (and racist) assertion. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racialism-everyones-favorite-politics/817715.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racialism-everyones-favorite-politics/817715.md?page=6)