PostSecretHelp me out with something, please:
What are white people thinking and feeling when they say, as white people so often say, "I'm not racist, but . . . "? And what are they thinking and feeling when they then go on and say something that is racist, and that they know is racist, which is why they began with that almost reflexive prefix in the first place?
The kinds of people who say racist things knowingly are the kinds of people that most of us would quickly label racists.
So, why do so many seemingly goodhearted white people -- people who definitely do not want to be labeled a "racist" -- say things that they clearly know are racist? And why do they feel that they have to announce that they're not racists, even though they're about to say something that they know is racist?
This is such a common phrase that it's the title of a book -- I’m Not Racist, But. . ., by Anita Heiss. (Has anyone here read it?)
In my copy of Racism without Racists (which is falling apart because I use it so much), Eduardo Bonilla-Silva labels this common phrase and others "discursive buffers." They often appear "before or after someone states something that is or could be interpreted as racist." People use them, Bonilla-Silva says, in part because "post-Civil Rights norms disallow the open expression of racial views."
In other words, whites often know that they're not supposed to say anything racist, but they still just have to say this thing, so they use such discursive buffers to identify themselves, bizarrely enough, as the kind of person who would definitely not say the thing that they're about to go ahead and say.
"Some of my best friends are black" is another classic example, and the kind of distancing laughter that David Arquette demonstrates in yesterday's post seems like another (it may be debatable whether laughter should be considered "discourse," but I think it should).
Finally, since it's Friday, here's a brief video on the topic -- seems to me that Lincoln Trudeau pretty much gets it right here. Is he missing anything?
Gee, I must be naive. I thought people who say that didn't actually know they were saying something racist. Don't they believe that it's not racist because they believe it's true based on their observations which they believe to be objective? And therefore it's not racist, it's just a fact...I thought that's what they're thinking, and hence didn't think it was possible to tell them otherwise.
ReplyDeleteWhat they don't seem to realize is that saying something about a group of people that can be applied to pretty much any group is not a very nice thing to say. e.g. 'I think Latino women are -- it depends on the woman -- but I think they are very, they have great judgment, but there are some that are just nuts.' (from the other post on David Arquette)...like, huh? Any group of people will have some with good judgment and some who are nuts.
I agree. Why would someone caveat what they are about to say with the statement that they aren't racist if they did not believe on some level,they were about to say something offensive that could be perceived as racist. If they didn't think they were about to say something bad they wouldn't preface it with saying that isn't their attention. Just like when people say things liek "with all due respect" or "not to be condescending" they usually are about to say something disresepctful or condescending.
ReplyDeleteas a member of a racist family (father's side), nearly every visit i have to hear this phrase. i think in their cases, they know that what they're saying is racist, but they want to keep it hush hush. i have encountered white people who say this phrase, as fromthetropics points out, and actually believe what they're saying--they think they're not racist, but think that a generalized stereotype is fact. so apparently, that just makes them ignorant.
ReplyDeleteso i've been conditioned: when i hear the phrase "i'm not racist, but" in my head i know that immediately following is "here's something racist!"
"distancing" yourself from racism doesn't make your statement any less racist, or you any less racist.
Here’s what I’ve experienced, having grown up in Oklahoma and lived many years in Virginia (both technically considered “southern,” but in very different ways). When I’m in a social situation where other white people preface a sentence with “I’m not a racist, but…” they are doing it because I’m also white and they feel comfortable expressing their anxiety or stereotyping in what they assume is a sympathetic context. They’ve put racism in the “lynching and unacceptable language” box and are therefore excused from responsibility for the subsequent statement, usually one of fear or disapproval (black people scare me or why are those Mexicans downstairs so loud all the time). They profess said fear or disapproval and expect me to validate it as “natural.” And that’s where it gets sticky—because the concept of white privilege rarely, if ever, makes it into the larger cultural conversation about race. So while the person in front of you might know on some level that his/her statement is racist (hence the disclaimer) they have little interest in pursuing the comment further or reaching its logical conclusion. Sometimes this is because they simply don’t have the language to do so. Other times they vehemently refuse to pursue it further after I reveal exactly how unsympathetic I am to that line of thought.
ReplyDeleteAnd it’s not easy to introduce privilege into a conversation that most people assume will only last a few minutes. As a white, middle class, educated, cisgendered straight woman, I’m still working on unpacking all sorts of ingrained privileges and still haven’t figured out how to move beyond the wall that every white person will eventually encounter: how to own up to something that isn’t technically your fault (being born white in a privileged society) but that you unwittingly take advantage of and use to dismiss the views of persons of color. Even if you can get into the privilege concept with someone, it will inevitably come down to whining about fairness—“but it’s not fair, I didn’t create the problem, why should I suffer because of it?” Because we haven’t figured out yet how to separate a loss of privilege from true oppression and suffering. But we can’t do that unless we listen to people outside of this system of privilege. Which is why I read this blog and try to listen to comments. And in the meantime try to figure out how to engage the person in front of me without feeling like a giant hypocrite for taking advantage of that privilege for basically my whole life.
I'm not racist but when i see a white person i'm nervous that they're going to try to sell me meth or Nascar DVDs.
ReplyDeleteWhat these people are saying, to appease the LIBERAL ELITIST RACE PIMPS and their worker drones is ... "I'm not racist but ... my experience tells me that ... my culture is different than theirs, and they are more apt to be in my face and aggressive and dislike me because I am White, leading to violence and if I am in their face and aggressive, leading to violence, then I am a horrible White racist, always looking for confrontation, and it will be on the new and no one will hear my side. So I have to be a good boy and remember that they were oppressed and haven't caught up to me yet."
ReplyDeleteYou can't be yourself around (some)blacks, it's uncomfortable; for anything you say you can be called racist but any racist/stereotyping bullshit they say absolutely cannot be because ... THEY ARE BLACK! I'll never forget being with a group of black women, and one of them saying ... "you know how white people are." I laughed and said ... "No, how they hell are they?" If I had said that about black people, the proverbial mierda would have hit the fan. I would not want to have White skin and have to supervise blacks. It's really a no win situation.
This website is a crock of really sick psycho-babble that educates no-one and is the product of one person's sheltered upbringing and inability to think for himself ... he knows the appeasing buzzwords. It preaches to the angry Marxist choir and programs white people to be docile paranoid guilt-ridden super-bending-over-backwards bitches of black people and encourages black people to spew any sort of racist bullshit and stereotyping and revisionist-history, taking any advantage of "guity white" people that they want. Why don't you call blacks out when they say stereotyping bullshit, Macon? Or are you scared you'd lose a few black friends and your treasured status as a "good white boy"? Where the hell do you come from, anyway? Why are you so naive? Why do you delve into normal human behaviors and trash white people for having them? There are better ways to respect people of different races than to SELF-FLAGELATE (ooo, that word ...) and then pin your family's particular peculiar behaviors on every white person in the world. "Some" white folks. What a crock.
"Acting White" and numerous other websites are much better websites to explore race relations than this emotionally dysfunctional Marxist one is. They have more common sense and are more realistic, not just an angry, privileged group of "activists" (both black and white). "Racist" is a word used to control, manipulate and oppress white people into accepting the ridiculous. I absolutely do not respect that word and teach others not to respect it. Black people (or "some" black people) are angry, cannot move on (it is too profitable and also too much fun) and want payback. I will not set up my children to think they owe ANYONE ANYTHING or to think that ... they need to be some racist fighting do-gooder simply because of their white skin. Even if they are not "all white" I will not check those stupid Marxist government tick-boxes that put the drones into neatly organized catagories that favor particular ones. It will be their character and values that deals with every situation they are in, not some programmed buzz words, tick-boxes or tippy-toeing with their words around blacks or anybody else.
This "white skin privilege" concept is Marxist bullshit used to divide people even more than they are now, and I will never believe it to be anything less than leverage and manipulation; it is a tool to be used by people who cannot but fail. Where is white skin privilege when you need to walk through a downtown area or deal with mostly black government employees who despise you for being white? It is akin to any kind of "privilege" ... ethnic groups prefer their own. Jews hire Jews, and Jews also screw Jews (Madoff). Same with Italians, Arabs, Irish, Cubans, you name it.
This blog is so biased it's pathetic.
Wow, Anonymous (why DO most of the people who leave comments like yours do so anonymously?). Thanks for the load of "proverbial mierda." If this blog is so completely worthy of dismissal, why has it struck such a nerve with you? (That's what the Marxists call a "rhetorical question.")
ReplyDeleteThank you for baring your soul like that, nestra2121.
As for me, I'm not racist, but when I see a white person I'm nervous that they're going to think, speak and act as if their being categorized as "white" has nothing whatsoever to do with how they think, speak and act.
"I am not racist but I notice that the NBA is made up primarily of African American men."
ReplyDelete"I am not racist but I notice that black people -on average- are better then white people at rapping (as measured by record sales)."
"I am not a racist but I notice that women who self identify as african american are more likely to be single mothers then those who self-identify as white."
I am not a racist but...
These statements (in descending order of offensiveness I imagine) are not racist -per se- as you could explain the higher proportions of black nba players or single mothers based on cultural/discrimation and whatever other factors you care to bring into play. You could argue, for instance, that the different outcomes has nothing to do with inherent racial differences, but rather because issues of culture and historical and present discrimination which need to be worked on. But are they racist without such a discussion? Well no, but any white person who said such things would probably be afraid of being seen as racist. But the problem is, there are outcomes like these that are 'racially identifiable' (at least as far as self identification goes) and white people (at least well trained ones) are not good at discussing race. Furthermore, it is difficult to say discuss things like black men in the nba without launching into a long, arduous discussion about culture, history etc (and opening up that conversational door is not always pleasent, as I recently discovered my Uncle believes that the reason African Americans are statistically over-represented in some sports is because of selective breeding on the part of slave owners).
So perhaps, in addition to the reasons mentioned earlier, white people use 'I am not racist but...' when they want to point to, or identify something that has strong racial correlation but don't want to, or haven't been taught to actually talk about race.
But I agree that the reason it is used the majority of the time it's just a ritualized and wholly ineffectual knee jerk verbal defense when a white person wants to say something racist.
ugh, i hate that phrase. it's a conversational red flag, and my entire body tenses up whenever i hear it, in anticipation of the awkward silence in my immediate future.
ReplyDeleteso i'm not trying to defend the practice, BUT (see what i did there?)... i wonder if people who say this are trying to draw a distinction between being racist and acting racist? as if to suggest (a la "with all due respect...") that what is about to be said is an exception to their nature rather than a general rule of it, but it's just so true it would be irresponsible to deny it.
ironically, in doing so, they're asking their audience for the very consideration they refuse to give the group they're about to stereotype: "what i'm about to say is an isolated incident that shouldn't be extrapolated to apply to my overall character, even though what i'm about to say makes use of stereotypes extrapolated from isolated incidents."
and what's especially sad about it is that even if they're drawing an appropriate distinction between their actions and their being, and deep down they don't assign value to one race over another (which would be a remarkable accomplishment for any of us), it doesn't matter. it doesn't matter because their actions are what affect people, not their being. and then it's time for this conversation.
heh. as soon as i saw that card on postsecret i knew i'd see it again soon :)
I read a whole thread on a micro-lending site, on the topic, "I'm not sexist so why did I just notice that all my loans are to men?"
ReplyDeleteThe idea that you can be racist (sexist, classist, homophobic...) by accident is a big revelation to a lot of people. It isn't part of mainstream progressive discussion.
haha, I'll use that "I'm not a violent person, but slap/punch." Now that's a funny retort.
ReplyDeleteI always add right before they finish the sentence with the following:
"But, you're say something racist/sexist/anti-Semitic/homophobic/fill in the blank."
It usually throws them off guard.
In my Psych 101 book this was the example they gave of a disclaimer phrase.
ReplyDeletefromthetropics
ReplyDelete1.
I thought we went over this? You know those circles you draw in logic class to demonstrate inclusiveness? Not being nice is the big circle, racism is one of the small circles inside.
2.
So if it could not be applied to 'pretty much any group' would it then be nice? Don't you just mean, not being nice is not being nice? *refer back to 1
I know this blog concentrates on white people but i've seen the phrase used by blacks too. I was sitting with some of my friends (she was one of their friends i just met) and she said, "No offense and i'm not racist but white guys are so easy to keep in line."
ReplyDeleteI was certainly offended to an extent but i, as a white progressive, knew that it wouldn't be my right to respond to what she said. It may seem weak to some but to build a bridge someone has to be the support that they walk over. That's where us anti-racists come in.
DrSpam
ReplyDelete"...and deep down they don't assign value to one race over another ... it doesn't matter"
Unless, of course, you care to use definitions correctly.
Really the same could be said for the title of this blog (and I know that you've said the additional title says otherwise but that's not what sticks out). Such as "I'm not racist but.....here's stuff white people do, I mean some white people." It's not much different than what he said, "some have good judgment but some are nuts". Should he have said it? Hell no but it seems to me that it didn't stick out in his mind that some are nuts would take precendence over some have good judgment in the same way you thought your title wouldn't sound generalizing.
ReplyDeleteMarcon,
ReplyDeleteRegardless -- as I like clarifications and all. So, were I to whisper to you, on walking into a bar and seeing a room full of hot chicks... 'I'm not a sexist, but ...I always feel intimidated when walking into a bar full of rather good looking girls.' Would we deem that sexist -- or just being insecure? -- had you to choose, would you advise I psychoanalyze my gender schematas or, rather, get out a bit more?
"Why don't you call blacks out when they say stereotyping bullshit, Macon?"
ReplyDeleteHm. Hmmmmm. Why ever should that be? I could be wrong, Anon, but it seems to me that if you look at the top of the page, where the blog title is posted, you might find a little clue you can use to to answer this question yourself.
I've always lived in the South, and you did get one thing right: "I'm not racist, but" is code for both "I am a racist" and "You are a LIBERAL ELITIST RACE PIMP, so I'm going to blame my racism and denial of white privilege on you. When you react with 'But that IS racist,' I get to call you a sick angry Marxist instead of doing some healthy introspection."
Before you start your "sheltered" bullshit with me, my town is majority African American. I started school at the tail end of a big foofooraw (rock throwing, bomb threats) over integration in my state. I got pushed around in junior high for being white--and I still have enough sense to see the blatant, obvious, unmissable privilege enjoyed in the US by white people. No experience one person has is enough to cancel that out: the plural of "anecdote" is not "data."
@anonymous
ReplyDelete>I thought we went over this?
Errr, who's 'we'? There's hordes of anonymouses on this blog.
>So if it could not be applied to 'pretty much any group' would it then be nice?
Of course not.
>Don't you just mean, not being nice is not being nice?
Of course yes. Apologies for being careless with my words. Replace 'is not a very nice thing to say' with 'is not a very logical thing to say' (and therefore though the person saying it may think it's true/a fact (i mean, how can it not be true if it can be applied to every group?) it's actually racist/not nice because you're judging people based on their 'race' instead of as individuals) and it might be closer to what I was trying to get at.
Does that sound better to you/make more sense for you?
I want to second what @Sarah is saying. Discursive buffers like "I'm not a racist, but" or the others she lists are used to create some social comfort for people who want to indicate they know what the norms are around certain attitudes and behaviors, and they are going to violate those norms in order to say what they really feel.
ReplyDeleteThose kinds of statements are red flags. They reveal how we are "stuck" with dialectics that pit anti-racism or inclusiveness against honesty and authenticity.
I think the real choice is between embracing compassion and serving the needs of a rigid, terrified ego.
I see it and hear it all the time. I'm not buying it.
@anonymous
ReplyDeleteI just remembered why it sounds like I was being careless with my words. I was trying to avoid the 'r' word. I was thinking 'is a racist thing to say' but tried to soften it with 'is not a nice thing to say', but obviously the replacement phrase didn't work.
downaround, who ever claimed you should be such a wimp? (white anti-racists serving as the bridge people walk all over . . . say, that sounds really, really familiar!)
ReplyDeleteChuck, you wrote,
So, were I to whisper to you, on walking into a bar and seeing a room full of hot chicks... 'I'm not a sexist, but ...I always feel intimidated when walking into a bar full of rather good looking girls.' Would we deem that sexist -- or just being insecure? -- had you to choose, would you advise I psychoanalyze my gender schematas or, rather, get out a bit more?
I would deem you sexist for describing grown women as "chicks" and "girls," but that's neither here nor there, and it's especially not "here," as in, relevant to this blog on common tendencies among white people. The parallel you're trying to make is also useless in another sense -- while white people often preface their racist statements with "I'm not racist, but . . .", men almost never preface their sexist statements with "I'm not sexist, but . . ." The former is an observable, analyzable, group-related tendency, while the latter is a symptom of your refusal to listen and learn from what this blog post and other commenters here could help you understand about your own common white tendencies.
All of that said, yes, I think if white people got out more among black people, they'd feel less intimidated. I have nothing to say about you and your own insecurities around women.
"Dear anonymous ranter who is steady defending their white American privilege. You have been invited to the Annual Buffoons United Convention. Dress code must consist of a white robe, crucifix and triangular face cover. Please do not forget your wooden crosses, paraffin, matches and nooses. Due to race discrimination laws, we will not be able to lynch actual blacks. Thank you." What a disgrace of a human. The anger in this person's post is indicative of someone who has been disenchanted and removed from their pedestal of privilege. How tragic. People as this are the very reason blogs such as Macon have to exist. A pure example of the evil of the white superiority complex!
ReplyDelete@downaround
ReplyDelete>"No offense and i'm not racist but white guys are so easy to keep in line."
Even if we don't consider whether that's a racist statement or not, there is something inherently wrong with what that person said. Why in the world does she feel that men need to be 'kept in line' in the first place?
Besides, you can easily turn that statement around: 'Are you saying that white guys are more decent/considerate?' Surely, she won't like that version of what she just dished out.
A few years ago in New Zealand we had another variation on the theme when the then leader, Don Brasch, of a right wing political party (accused of formulating policies which would be to the detriment of our first nations people) insisted over and over again, "I'm not racist, my wife comes from Singapore".
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, it seemed he showed his Singaporean wife scant respect when it turned out he was involved in an affair with a white woman.
@macon
ReplyDeletethis is semi unrelated, but your response to chuck's sexism made me go "awww." i certainly appreciate when men call it out as they see it...
Thanks for the encouragement, FilthyGrandeur. I usually make a point of calling guys on that, those two terms especially. They're infantalizing -- I mean, "hot chicks"? As in, "baby chickens"?! Sheesh.
ReplyDeleteFromthetropics
ReplyDeleteAnonymous is chuck form before.
"because you're judging people based on their 'race' instead of as individuals"
This is what I am calling you on. So I want you to consider it. Clear definitions allow you to develop clear philosophies.
There are several theories often presented. Originally it was 1)racism is (explicitly) holding one group as 'being' inherently better than another or acting so. This was expanded to 2) racism is holding one group as being better at 'doing' one thing or another, because this is a subtle or unconscious for of 1.) This then morphed into: 3) racism is any holding of one group being better then another, regardless of intent. Next, the in vogue 4) racism is any generalizing from group to individual, involving racial groups (implicit: generalizations from group to individual are bad). And of course, the even more fuzzy 'institutional racism' of 5) racism doesn't matter about what you do and think, but it is about how other people are affected by relative social prestige/affinity, ect.
(obviously, you can rephrase this as a progressive evolution and refinement of the concept, if you wish)
Think it over an let me know which you agree with and if you want we can discuss the relative merits/problems of such a view.
The question of how people relate to their group and in what sense can we speak of them in terms of this, is complex. And going with one way or another, has larger social implications. And the difference in theories might explain some of why 'X doesn't see this as Y.' Anyway, think about it and let me know.
definitely. i tune people like that out. i've had people refer to me as a "girl" and i just look at them and point out that it's disrespectful. i don't enjoy being dehumanized, or infantilized.
ReplyDeletesadly i think it's got more of an impact if a man is correcting another man on how to address women...
but anyway, i think that chuck's sexist argument has no merit. no one prefaces a sexist statement with "i'm not sexist, but" since sexism is so acceptable. but then again, so is racism--but i think we're aware of the pervasiveness of racism at least to the point where some white people will say the "i'm not racist but" crap. since i don't really have anything to add to the conversation that hasn't already been said, i'll share my favorite "i'm not racist, but" sentence:
"i'm not racist, but why isn't there a white history month?" uttered by a racist white kid at my liberal arts college...whatevs dude.
Marcon,
ReplyDelete"The former is an observable, analyzable, group-related tendency"
I am glad that, unlike fromthetropics, you agree with me that we can talk about and analyze people (individuals) in terms of congregate group tendencies -- regardless if we deem them pro-social or asocial.
I am also glad you agree with me that it is silly to see every 'difference' in group tendency in neutral light, but rather judge it in terms of the social context and our hopefully reasoned personal biases. For example, you could equally characterize various forms of 'racism' as 'in group altruism,' but choose not to.
Regardless, the point which you missed was being intimidated. If I am intimidated by girls, is that sexism or being un-exposed; if I am intimidated by black-american chicks who are in an "observable, analyzable, group-related" way more assertive then say Japanese chicks -- is the treatment anti-racial psychotherapy or 'dude,
lighten up, you need to get out more and experience different stuff'
Here is your conversation:
"What's wrong? Why are you playing crappy?"
"I just feel intimidated here"
"Oh, why"
"You know..."
"NO, I DON'T 'know'"
"Well, I'm shy around girls.."
"What do you mean? You're not at home?"
"It's different, you know.."
"NO, I DON'T"
(Whispering) "They're black, you know they can be uh..you know.."
"NO, I DON't"
(whispering) "They're kinda aggressive.."
"WAT!! How Can You..."
---Interlude: 3 hours of anti-racism intervention --
"So now can you restate that?"
"Ok, I'm intimidated because I am shy and sheepish relative to women who happen to be black"
"And what else"
"...And I harbor deep bigoted tendencies, which lead me to characterize actions relative to myself"
"Ok, now that we started..
End
My Conversation
"What's wrong? Why are you playing crappy?"
"Damn dude, these black chicks are F-in aggressive"
"Hmm... (calling out) 'Yo,
girls, after the game, Chuck needs a little &$#% to get his edge off"
End
churck, you should take your comedy act on the road -- I bet you'd make a fortune.
ReplyDeleteAnd you know what you should call your act?
The ARISTOCRATS!
What those white people are really saying, as far as I can tell, is "I wouldn't burn a cross on anybody's lawn but I just have to share this racist thing with you."
ReplyDeleteBecause that's what we think "racists" are; people who join the KKK. Anything but US.
Chuck said: “I am glad that, unlike fromthetropics, you agree with me that we can talk about and analyze people (individuals) in terms of congregate group tendencies -- regardless if we deem them pro-social or asocial.”
ReplyDeleteUh, what? If I was incapable of making any generalizations, then why do I even bother reading this blog?
The problem with your generalizations is that it incapacitates you from seeing past your stereotypes and judge people of another group as individuals. E.g. You said “Asians are quiet.” An Asian person (who has a lot more experience interacting with Asians one-on-one and in groups than you) comes along and tells you that’s not quite accurate. They’re quiet in certain situations, but they’re not overall quiet, just like anybody else. Yet, you defend it saying it’s based on your observations. The assumption there is that your observations are naturally neutral/objective. My observations tell me Asians tend to be quiet when faced with a white person (and I’ve just made a generalization there) like yourself because their opinions don’t get taken seriously anyway. So why bother?
>"I'm not racist, my wife comes from Singapore".
Hahahaha. So what’s he saying? That Singaporeans and first nation New Zealanders are one and the same? And he’s assuming (mistakenly) that Singaporeans are incapable of ALSO being racist toward the indigenous population.
Prejudice is a learned art. If the dominant group is prejudiced towards the indigenous population, then chances are the new migrants will also pick up that same attitude within a span of one or two years. (Not that I'm saying she is, but just that his statement makes little sense.) Prejudice isn’t that difficult to learn. Unlearning it is though.
My theory about this is that they want to say what they want while saving social face, thus they point out that they're not bigoted or anything, but this observation really needs to be shared with everyone. After all, noone wants to be a racist, and we're all good people here. What I'm about to say might indicate to a random observer that I think malevolently towards these people, however, because it clearly generalises and makes stereotypes, and probably puts that group in a bad light. So, as a disclaimer, I shall just let everyone know that I don't mean that group any ill will, but this is just an observation I wanted to share. Because Racism is bad, and proves you don't like those people, but I like those people, and do not wish others to get the wrong impression about me.
ReplyDeleteThis view, naturally, contains a very naive view of racism, as so often happens.
Personally, I've always felt that if you have to say "I'm not racist but...", you should think long and hard about what you were about to say, but that's just me.
I agree with you, a lot of people seem to do that. I'm gonna have to say that it's ignorant to accuse only white people of doing it though...I know plenty of black and asian people who also use the term.
ReplyDeleteI think people use the term because they have noticed something interesting and/or unusual about a race other than their own and would like to discuss it with whoever they're talking to, but are scared of being labelled as a racist the mometent the word 'black' 'asian' or 'white' is spoken.
For example:
Person A is wondering why it's so rare to see a white person with fuzzy hair.
Person A: 'I'm not racist or anything, but you know white people?'
Person B: 'Don't be racist!'
Person C: 'Shuddup person B, he said he's not trying to be racist. Yeah person A, what about them?'