On telling someone who the "real racist" is

[cowhide]

The point of the article is that PoC get annoyed when a white dude in red face paint tells them what is or isn't racist. How would a white dude in red face know what is really racist since white people have never really experienced institutionalized racism in America? The author makes a very good point. I agree with his point but feel though he was putting all white people in the category of this knucklehead and there are plenty white people who don't think like this knucklehead.

Unfortunately, there are too many white people who still don't get it and give fuel to the argument that whites are racists. However, even if I can't understand the annoyance or pain that PoC have to deal with. I have personally witnessed some of the things my two multi-racial nieces have had to endure. My sister received death threats when she started dating a black man. So I've seen some of the ugliness but only have sympathy for those who have had to endure more.

Racism is a human problem and not a specific race problem. However, as the author truthfully stated when you are the majority and have the power to enact laws to impose your racist beliefs on the minority then you should really stop telling the minority how they are suppose feel about racism.

 

[cowhide]

I worked in a cultured marble and bathtub company in highschool/college. There was a Tongan man who ran the place, a true ******* who was the perfect match to the owner's own special brand of assishness (Utah County LDS business owners are notorious for treating employees like filth, and this guy was one of those type of dirtbags). Anyway, this guy hired a lot of Tongans into the higher paying positions, gave them raises, and the best portion of the annual profit "sharing" bonuses while taking his fair share of the white boys' bonuses.


I was a dumb young kid with all the heightened sense of morality that dumb young kids hold, so I wrote a letter to the Vice Chair expressing my discontent with the sitch. Now, being an a-hole company as it were, who do you think this 20 million dollar company had address my concerns? HR? No. I had a sit down and coming to talk with the Head Tongan in charge and that's where it ended. Kind of strange way to address racism charges, especially with a minor. The segregation was so obvious that only a fool would plead innocent to those charges... Anyway 2.0, being an a-hole to employees and hiring people like that guy is sure to cost you. My best friend and I trashed upwards of $30,000 in product over a two week span, and Head Tongan ended up getting busted stealing over $250k worth of product. And that was all they could prove after becoming suspicious and installing cameras. On top of that, they hired 24/7 security which added to the costs in perpetuity.


That experience didn't harm me one bit because I had a strong support system in place to help me along in life (both family and society at large). That's the difference and what I see as the bigger problem than racism in this day and age. Strong support systems overcome any racism, as has been shown in groups of immigrants from
Ireland to Nigeria (25% of Nigerian-American families make over $100,000 btw).

/ramble

So you had a bad experience and then thrashed the place to get back at these jerk people. So how are you any different? I guess I am missing the point. The point of the article wasn't that racism doesn't exist against whites. It was that since white people imposed their racism through laws they were not really capable of being objective to what is or isn't race to the group of people who received this racism from white. The fact that you experienced a small dose of what some minorities have experienced should have been the lesson received that day. Was it?

 

[cowhide]

Won't click the link. What's the jist of it.

Why are you afraid?

 

[cowhide]

Hmmm...interesting. I will have to think on that.

I will admit that experinces affect our view on ideas. So naturally there would be differences. But just because someone is more experienced or less experienced with racism does not make their claims of racism and more, or less, true.

Racism, in my view, is being used as a charge against someone simply because they did not give you what you want or do things your way. Doing so only lessens the severity of the charge over all and makes people tone deaf to it. A crying wolf scenario if you will.

You mean kind of like religious people and the fake war on religion. Since you didn't read the article, I think you are missing the point. The point is that since blacks and native americans have actually experienced what I call institutionalized racism, it is annoying when the majority of white person who have never experienced this type of racism comment on what is or isn't racist. How would you be able to understand it as a white person? You can't no matter if you've been the victim of being called a "cracker."

It is obvious that the white dude with the painted red face doesn't get it or he doesn't care which ever it is, he probably thinks it is his right to be a insensitive dick. You know if it looks like a duck, has feather, quacks like a duck then it is most likely a duck. I think the message is clear unless one gets all defensive and thinks he is saying all white people are racist which I certainly didn't get from the article.

In reality there is no way white person could understand what black or native americans have been through in this country. Think about it just for a moment. You have to listen to white people talk about their "freedoms" being taken away from them on a daily basis when native americans had their lands taken away, were killed and placed on reservations and blacks were chained up and sold like horse, killed and separated from their families. I believe there are racists in every race. Racism is a human problem but when you are in charge and can make the laws to impose your prejudice on others, now that is real racism.

 

[cowhide]

As I mentioned above, while there are certain commonalities to being members of an outgroup, every outgroup also has peculiarities in its treatment. Women are not more likely to be imprisoned, black/gay/trans people are. Gay/trans people has religious opprobrium thrown their way, while black/latino people are followed around by store detectives and subjected to stop-and-frisk. White people can experience discrimination, but they do not experience racism; black people experience discrimination, but most do not experience homophobia. This means there is a limit to what white women, homosexuals, trans, etc. have to say on the issue.

Perhaps it has more to do with "if it ain't happening to me" than sorry excuse. I think black people are very homophobic. Most of the polls I've seen blacks at a high percentage think homosexuality is a sin or wrong or disgusting. Again it goes back to my point.. if it ain't happening to me....

 

[TroutBum]

Perhaps it has more to do with "if it ain't happening to me" than sorry excuse. I think black people are very homophobic. Most of the polls I've seen blacks at a high percentage think homosexuality is a sin or wrong or disgusting. Again it goes back to my point.. if it ain't happening to me....

But, you're gay.

 

[PearlWatson]

 

[LogGrad98]

Pretty much sums it up.

 

[One Brow]

Perhaps it has more to do with "if it ain't happening to me" than sorry excuse. I think black people are very homophobic. Most of the polls I've seen blacks at a high percentage think homosexuality is a sin or wrong or disgusting. Again it goes back to my point.. if it ain't happening to me....

That's also a part of it. In particular, part of society's message to black man is that their worth is to be found in stereotypical manliness, so homophobia has an exceptionally ripe field there.

 

[One Brow]

How very true.

Being white is the societal norm. Only those who are subnormal, like racists, think that being normal is something to be proud of.

 

[Stoked]

Why are you afraid?

Assumptions are great things.

 

[One Brow]

I agree with his point but feel though he was putting all white people in the category of this knucklehead and there are plenty white people who don't think like this knucklehead.

After reading the Crommunist for a couple of years, I think I understand his position well enough to offer this: he's not just talking about people in red-face, he also is talking to people who try to tell him about much less obvious things, people who confuse a lack of racist intent with a lack of racist effect.

 

[Jazz Spazz]

How very true.

Being white is the societal norm. Only those who are subnormal, like racists, think that being normal is something to be proud of.

You are being obtuse again, as well as wrong in your statement.

While there are more whites in the society of the USA, if all whites were racists they wouldn't be subnormal, but racist would be the norm.

Also, are you white? If not you probably shouldn't be going against your own logic and stating what white people should feel or be proud of as you have never been in their shoes.

 

[TroutBum]

How very true.

Being white is the societal norm. Only those who are subnormal, like racists, think that being normal is something to be proud of.

You are being obtuse again, as well as wrong in your statement.

While there are more whites in the society of the USA, if all whites were racists they wouldn't be subnormal, but racist would be the norm.

Also, are you white? If not you probably shouldn't be going against your own logic and stating what white people should feel or be proud of as you have never been in their shoes.

I can't believe I'm agreeing with Spazz...

Eric, sometimes I think you're extraordinarily subnormal.

 

[One Brow]

You are being obtuse again, as well as wrong in your statement.

While there are more whites in the society of the USA, if all whites were racists they wouldn't be subnormal, but racist would be the norm.

I have never heard a white person use the term "white pride" or "proud to be white" who was not also actively pushing racist views. For example, I've never read you using that phrase.

If you are going to call people some racists, then all humans are racists. There is no point singling out any person or group on that account.

Also, are you white? If not you probably shouldn't be going against your own logic and stating what white people should feel or be proud of as you have never been in their shoes.

The white experience is the default experience of movies, novels, TV shows, newspaper articles, school textbooks, etc., in the USA. Anyone raised in the USA understands the white experience; it's been normalized. You have to go out of your way to learn about the black/latino/Asian/etc. experience if you are not a member of that group.

 

[One Brow]

I can't believe I'm agreeing with Spazz...

Eric, sometimes I think you're extraordinarily subnormal.

I don't see any reason to do that half-way.

 

[One Brow]

Why are you afraid?

Among other things, many workplaces don't allow you to click on wordpress blogs.

 

[cowhide]

But, you're gay.

I don't know if you are joking or serious. I give you the benefit of the doubt. For the record, I am not gay but don't have any problem with people being gay.

 

[cowhide]

Assumptions are great things.

Well I am sorry if I was making an assumption. I guess if you couldn't open the link or had no desire to open it you would have stated it since I have rarely seen you not address an issue. Again I apologize if I made the wrong assumption.

 

[cowhide]

Pretty much sums it up.

Every one of those groups have been killed, tortured, demeaned or had their land taken from them by who? The white man. Pretty much sums it up. Perhaps if white people didn't go around pissing on all these groups then you wouldn't have to play the victim card.