tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post5875227467647631667..comments2024-03-06T08:29:13.333-08:00Comments on stuff white people do: fail to see how racism harms white peoplemacon dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07795547197817128339noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-61172502673463603942010-01-15T01:39:10.073-08:002010-01-15T01:39:10.073-08:00Both Frederick Douglas's Autobiography and LBJ...Both Frederick Douglas's Autobiography and LBJ's "We Shall Overcome" speech to Congress in 1965 more than a century later argue against racism because racism hurts Racists. They hurt themselves inside when they act out against Blacks. When Racists perpetrate evil against Blacks, the bitterness expressed splashes back and corrodes their souls.<br /><br />Excerpt from LBJ's speech 03/15/65<br /><br />But even if we pass this bill, the battle will not be over. What happened in Selma is part of a far larger movement which reaches into every section and State of America. It is the effort of American Negroes to secure for themselves the full blessings of American life. Their cause must be our cause too. Because it's not just Negroes, but really it's all of us, who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice.<br /><br />And we shall overcome.<br /><br />As a man whose roots go deeply into Southern soil, I know how agonizing racial feelings are. I know how difficult it is to reshape the attitudes and the structure of our society. But a century has passed, more than a hundred years since the Negro was freed. And he is not fully free tonight.<br /><br />It was more than a hundred years ago that Abraham Lincoln, a great President of another party, signed the Emancipation Proclamation; but emancipation is a proclamation, and not a fact. A century has passed, more than a hundred years, since equality was promised. And yet the Negro is not equal. A century has passed since the day of promise. And the promise is un-kept.<br /><br />The time of justice has now come. I tell you that I believe sincerely that no force can hold it back. It is right in the eyes of man and God that it should come. And when it does, I think that day will brighten the lives of every American. For Negroes are not the only victims. How many white children have gone uneducated? How many white families have lived in stark poverty? How many white lives have been scarred by fear, because we've wasted our energy and our substance to maintain the barriers of hatred and terror?<br /><br />And so I say to all of you here, and to all in the nation tonight, that those who appeal to you to hold on to the past do so at the cost of denying you your future.<br /><br />This great, rich, restless country can offer opportunity and education and hope to all, all black and white, all North and South, sharecropper and city dweller. These are the enemies: poverty, ignorance, disease. They're our enemies, not our fellow man, not our neighbor. And these enemies too -- poverty, disease, and ignorance: we shall overcome.BigGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-36495677162154694902009-11-13T12:18:24.096-08:002009-11-13T12:18:24.096-08:00"Is it worthwhile to encourage white people t..."<b>Is it worthwhile to encourage white people to also think of white racism in terms of the harm that it does to themselves and other white people?</b>"<br /><br />This is such a superficial question, since racial constructions and racism aren't just about skin color or even the politics of one identity. Racism is also about sex, about power, about money -- if there's anything we covet or desire, racism's linked to it somehow, as is any oppression or marginalization. In my dialogues with my white friends, I've found that it can be easier to make them understand racism and racial constructions from that perspective. It's easier for a woman to understand racism when you can tie it to sexism, easier for a poor man when it's linked to classism. Thinking in systems rather than trajectories changes everything. <br /><br />That said, I also often find in dealing with people (and not just white people) that there's an assumption that all oppressions are equal, and too often people who have never understood oppression try to claim all of it once you show them how they are affected by it. Certainly men are affected by sexism, but not to the extent that women are; certainly whites are affected by racism, but not to the extent that POCs are. The difference, I think, lies in helping people understand that understanding oppression -- or just that you're being marginalized through one of the Isms -- doesn't give you leeway for victimhood, but calls you into responsible behavior, that you respond to that oppression with life-giving action, you make connections and build relationships meant to counter those oppressions. Too often we get stuck in the victim-role. That's what we need to work on when we raise the racial consciousness of white people. Yes, oppression hits you, too: what are you gonna do about it?Barbarahttp://xeniainstitute.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-5838021758258738682009-11-07T10:55:57.335-08:002009-11-07T10:55:57.335-08:00Yes, yes yes!Yes, yes yes!whatsernamehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15731411057968563416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-89503139170357802352009-11-04T19:53:13.769-08:002009-11-04T19:53:13.769-08:00@ Elsariel
And yours, even more so.@ Elsariel<br /><br />And yours, even more so.Lxyhttp://asianamericanmovement.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-76343978379422837872009-11-04T06:24:55.997-08:002009-11-04T06:24:55.997-08:00@Lxy
Thank you for your response. It's been ...@Lxy<br /><br />Thank you for your response. It's been most instructive.Elsarielnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-16317906261246988912009-11-04T05:43:49.307-08:002009-11-04T05:43:49.307-08:00Robin - I'm not sure you understand. If you ha...Robin - I'm not sure you understand. If you have relatives in a foreign country, you have far more of an ethnic identity than I do. I have no foreign relatives that are close enough to friend on Facebook. I'm not sure I have any ancestors who came here after the Civil War, even. When people talk about white-bread Americans, they mean people like me.<br /><br />You know, it occurs to me that my very existence as a completely (as far as I'm aware) white person from a long line of born and bred Americans could be called a "distortion" in Macon's terminology. After all, how could someone like me exist if not due to racism?<br /><br />This is the true depth of the problem. Whiteness is a real identity for some of us. It's bred into us - it's not something that was recently imposed on us, somehow painted over another truer identity. You can't just peel it off and reveal your true self. The history of colonization, slave-owning, white flight - that's my own personal history. And I'm pretty sure I'm just one of millions.<br /><br />I hope that wasn't too much of a tangent. But you can perhaps see why I think telling white Americans that racism is bad because white spaces are "distorted" or because it whitewashes your real identity might be the wrong tactic for a lot of people.bluey512noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-35178478473291354742009-11-04T02:40:19.842-08:002009-11-04T02:40:19.842-08:00@Elsariel:
Like most White progressives (sic), yo...@Elsariel:<br /><br />Like most White progressives (sic), your whining defensive response is funny as hell. <br /><br />And it's an example of how White "anti-racists" share the same underlying mentality that pro-racist Whites more openly flaunt, whenever White authority or legitimacy is questioned. <br /><br />Who says there's any real difference between the vaunted "White anti-racist" and White pro-racist--except for the political mask the former wears?<br /><br />Go and read the article "The White Anti-Racist is an Oxymoron" that I linked to:<br /><br />http://www.nathanielturner.com/whiteantiracistsopenletter.htm<br /><br />It calls out "White anti-racists" and their self-serving political agendas and behavior. In particular, refer to the "economy of gratitude" section.<br /><br /><i>I agree that white power and dominance will end only with people of color taking a stand. Though, you seem to imply that PoC will then be the dominant ones and white people will be underneath. (If that's not what you're implying, then my apologies) I don't think that's a good way to think, either. We should all have equal opportunity and privelege. There shouldn't be one race above another. I thought that's what anti-racism and racial equality is about.</i><br /><br />This is another classic behavior of White "anti-racists." Thinly disguised fear (or paranoia) about how White people will somehow "be underneath" racial minorities, if your system is ever destroyed.<br /><br />In other words, the White oppressor psychologically projects his own oppressive instincts onto those beneath him--fearing that he (horror) just might get a taste of his own medicine someday.<br /><br />But this is just another pathetic pathology of European American culture and identity in general.Lxyhttp://asianamericanmovement.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-18540721172364042932009-11-03T22:20:19.894-08:002009-11-03T22:20:19.894-08:00@RCVDBard: You're right, and that's a good...@RCVDBard: You're right, and that's a good point. Progressive laws *do* occasionally get passed. (We'll ignore the jerkassery involved in the subsequent revoking of Prop 8, because in general, your point still stands.) There are indeed occasions when the dominant class does the right thing. <br /><br />Of course, to get to that point requires achieving that critical mass - there needs to be a certain number of people who are intelligent and enlightened enough to force reform of the current system. That's part of my goal in participating in blogs like this and trying to educate other white people; the more of us who become educated about these issues, the closer we'll get to achieving that critical mass. <br /><br />(The other part of my goal is to reduce my negative impact on PoC by being more aware of my own actions/thoughts/speech. And while I wish I could say "eliminate" rather than "reduce", I have to be realistic and acknowledge that no matter how educated I may get, it'll still be intellectual understanding rather than having lived it, and so I will still say and do stupid, privileged things, despite my best efforts not to.) <br /><br />@bluey: I hear you re: lack of ethnic identity. I too have at least four different white ethnicities in my background. What I've done is pretty much just choose the one that I have the most of (by blood, I'm 50% Italian) and tried to learn about it as much as possible (for example, I'm learning Italian, and have connected with family members in Italy on Facebook and such). I find that this makes me feel more connected to my own family history, kind of like I know where I come from (somewhat). <br /><br />I don't think ethnic or racial identity is necessarily a bad thing - they can be divisive forces, but so can many other aspects of our identities. Ideally, it should be something that those of us (who want to) can use to enrich our lives, by giving us a sense of connectedness to our past, and belonging in the current time. I think part of the problem is when we're reduced to *just* our ethnic and/or racial identity - when that becomes the major factor for how people see us and treat us.Robinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08775402675080387821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-81855391405606258452009-11-03T18:55:45.219-08:002009-11-03T18:55:45.219-08:00Of course I read it. I don't misunderstand yo...Of course I read it. I don't misunderstand you, and I realize that that quote is, in terms of truth value, just about equivalent to what you said.<br /><br />What I'm saying is that if you talk about racism explicitly in terms of how much it hurts white people, it sounds stupid, but if you talk about it in terms of how it hurts us as human beings (in relationships) or as Americans, it might sound more appealing.<br /><br />Yes, all-white spaces are very often that way due to racism. But when you say that all-white environments are <i>distorted</i>, well, that's guaranteed to put a few white backs up. People will think you mean that white people are by nature distorted and incapable of creating wholesome spaces by themselves. I can sort of see how you might explain it in a non-insulting way, but that isn't it.<br /><br />My main point is that on the whole, talking about racism in this way is likely to be counterproductive.bluey512noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-77413740343420435012009-11-03T18:05:01.092-08:002009-11-03T18:05:01.092-08:00bluey512 wrote,
It hurts us as human beings, and ...bluey512 wrote,<br /><br /><i>It hurts us as human beings, and it hurts us as Americans, but it doesn't hurt us as white people.</i><br /><br />Did you even read the original post?<br /><br />And why do you think all-white spaces aren't distorted? They're never an accident, because they're brought about by de facto -- and if you dig deep enough -- deliberate exclusion of non-white people. In other words, by racism. How is that not distorted?macon dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07795547197817128339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-44635221964022224972009-11-03T17:34:52.881-08:002009-11-03T17:34:52.881-08:00RVCBard, many much more progressive laws have also...RVCBard, many much more progressive laws have also passed. And a lot of people in the dominant class have done things like fight for the Union in the Civil War, pass laws, risk political capital, vote for POC, etc. I'm not saying any of us deserve cookies, I'm just saying we're not all complete scumbags. If we were, this would be a much whiter country than it is.<br /><br />As for whether it's a good idea to appeal to the self-interest of whites... well, only if you do it right. Racism does get in the way of personal relationships, and it prevents us from working towards common goals as a united America. I think those are some very concrete, easily understandable, emotionally appealing things that just about everyone can agree on.<br /><br />A lot of the other things you mention, however, are pure nonsense and/or insulting. All-white spaces are distorted? Very insulting. Racism keeps us from being our best selves? Please.<br /><br />I also dislike this idea that whiteness takes away our ethnic identities. What's so great about ethnic identities anyway? They certainly haven't caused less strife than racial identities. Besides, some of us don't have a coherent ethnic identity to claim. Personally I have five different white ethnicities in my background, and those are just the ones I know about, and although they can be entertaining to think about, they're all completely irrelevant to my life. Whiteness is the closest thing to an ethnic identity that I have.<br /><br />So basically no, I don't think there's a lot of value in focusing much on how racism hurts white people. It hurts us as human beings, and it hurts us as Americans, but it doesn't hurt us as white people.bluey512noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-76267925040021609562009-11-03T14:51:08.002-08:002009-11-03T14:51:08.002-08:00When has a dominant class ever said, "You kno...<i>When has a dominant class ever said, "You know, we should really get off these people's backs and give them rights equal to ours, because it's just the right thing to do"?</i><br /><br />A little off-topic, but this is exactly why Prop 8 passed.RVCBardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06481089855894764409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-40345060469849174082009-11-03T14:18:58.068-08:002009-11-03T14:18:58.068-08:00Yes we need to encourage white people to think abo...Yes we need to encourage white people to think about how racism harms them. Most white people don't think about racism much and become blind to it. When they connect to it personally, they are more likely going to pay attention and be motivated to call it out when they see it (as well as change their own behaviors).<br />I know there is a lot of worry that this type of discourse will end up replacing the discourse of minorities. I understand that concern and this would be a major problem if it happens. But we really need three different types of conversations to be taking place. We need minorities talking among themselves about how to better their communities, and gain the power/recognition they deserve. We need whites talking amongst themselves about how racism affects them, why it's wrong and what they can do about it. And we need minorities and whites talking to each other about how to understand one another and treat each other with respect. Anything less than this is incomplete, and will leave pockets of racism to go unchecked.Alyssahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03953288901348296994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-20769581496369576672009-11-03T13:57:00.395-08:002009-11-03T13:57:00.395-08:00@Robin
Thanks muchly for the clarification.
&q...@Robin<br /><br />Thanks muchly for the clarification. <br /><br /><i>"I wouldn't say that that extends to it becoming a system of oppression over white people, though. I think Lxy's specifically referring to the system, not the people."</i><br /><br />This, I can agree with.Elsarielnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-7180453866611641182009-11-03T13:12:43.632-08:002009-11-03T13:12:43.632-08:00I agree with a lot of what Lxy's saying, perso...I agree with a lot of what Lxy's saying, personally. It's part of the reason I prefer to say "I'm in the anti-racism movement" on the rare occasions when it comes up, rather than saying "I'm anti-racist". How can I be anti-racist? My psyche was partially formed by racism. I'll spend the rest of my life unlearning it, and I still won't fully get there. And I continue to benefit from the system each and every day. (I also like this article from Resist Racism on that topic: <a href="http://resistracism.wordpress.com/2008/04/05/why-i-hate-white-anti-racists/" rel="nofollow">Why I Hate White Anti-Racists</a>.) SO while I'm moving toward that goal, I'm nowhere near reaching it.<br /><br />As for his/her point that rebellion will be necessary, and the oppression of PoC will only end over the carcass of White America - yeah, I don't see a logical problem with either of those. When has a dominant class <i>ever</i> said, "You know, we should really get off these people's backs and give them rights equal to ours, because it's just the right thing to do"? It doesn't happen. People have to get upset, people have to agitate, people have to make it so uncomfortable or untenable for the ruling class, that the ruling class is forced to give concessions.<br /><br />What I hope is that we can achieve those goals *without* the use of armed revolt or bloodshed, because if we do, *everybody's* going to get hurt. I'm hoping we can achieve the goals of forcing the system of white oppression to back off through the use of protests, economic force, raising the consciousness until we hit a critical mass that allows us to really start getting things accomplished, etc.<br /><br />But notice that I said above "forcing the system of white oppression to back off" - not "forcing the system of white oppression to disappear". I don't think it's possible to make it voluntarily disappear. It has to be dismantled for that to happen. (Or as Lxy might put it, it has to be murdered. Until it's a carcass, it's going to keep walking along, trampling everything in its path.) <br /><br />The system of white oppression is a lot like an overbearing parent that refuses to accept that their child has grown up, and is still constantly setting rules and enforcing limits on other adults. You can tell your parent to back off, and sometimes this will even be partially successful. But ultimately, the only thing that really ends their intrusion into your life is their passing. <br /><br />I wouldn't say that that extends to it becoming a system of oppression over white people, though. I think Lxy's specifically referring to the system, not the people.Robinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08775402675080387821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-39106338494091654902009-11-03T06:52:48.641-08:002009-11-03T06:52:48.641-08:00Lxy said...
"Anti-racism has already become ...Lxy said...<br /><br /><i>"Anti-racism has already become just another non-profit industry for Whites to colonize. Who's promoting their books, websites, and speeches off the back of "anti-racism"?"</i><br /><br />So.... white people shouldn't get involved with anti-racism activism? It's not okay for a white person to educate other white people about racism? What should we do then? Nothing? Sounds like a case of damned if we do, damned if we don't.<br /><br /><i>"White power and dominance ain't going to end with the good deeds of the Benevolent White Progressive. They will end because people of color brought them to an end--prolly over White America's carcass."</i><br /><br />I agree that white power and dominance will end only with people of color taking a stand. Though, you seem to imply that PoC will then be the dominant ones and white people will be underneath. (If that's not what you're implying, then my apologies) I don't think that's a good way to think, either. We should all have equal opportunity and privelege. There shouldn't be one race above another. I thought that's what anti-racism and racial equality is about.Elsarielnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-11826147174785083932009-11-02T23:30:22.668-08:002009-11-02T23:30:22.668-08:00@AE
Are you a White male?
You act like one. The...@AE<br /><br />Are you a White male? <br /><br />You act like one. The stench of White entitlement is reeking.<br /><br />One thing that Whites--especially the White male--cannot stand is to have their sense of racial entitlement challenged or better yet shot down. <br /><br />In this particular case, AE doesn't like interrogation of so-called "White anti-racism", whose interests it serves, or its political (il)legitimacy. All this wrapped behind a lot of P.C. anti-racist phraseology.<br /><br /><i>"Who, in particular, is doing that? If any of the commenters above, how so? If Macon D, by doing one post on this topic out of hundreds, how so, given that it's one post on this topic out of hundreds?"</i><br /><br />What is the very premise of this thread again? What White people have to gain. It's all about White self-interest that frames this so-called anti-racism debate. That says it all. <br /><br /><i>"I can see how that could happen, but are you saying that therefore, whatever they have to say in an anti-racism mode should be ignored?"</i><br /><br />Wake the hell up. It's already happened. Anti-racism has already become just another non-profit industry for Whites to colonize. Who's promoting their books, websites, and speeches off the back of "anti-racism"?<br /><br />Racial minorities in America should trust White "anti-racists" like they trust scam artists like Bernie Madoff. <br /><br />But that's White Progressives (sic) for you.<br /><br /><i>"Nah. Just trying to suss out where your own sneering hostility is coming from."</i><br /><br />Nah. You confused. You need to "suss out" why you're so hostile to having so-called "White anti-racism" and its politics questioned. <br /><br /><i>"I do believe that, it's obvious to me. For one thing, I read this blog, where the posts continually make that blatantly obvious. I also move about in the world with my eyes open, where it's also obvious, to any white person with open eyes. And with a raised consciousness, a state I strive for in part by reading this and other anti-racism blogs, and in other ways. I've actively curtailed my participation in white supremacy, in countless ways, actually. You seem to doubt it's possible for a white person to do that. <br /><br />You sure got that right. Again, that's now obvious to me, and I now work against it, out there in meat space. Do you?"</i><br /><br />You don't get it. White power and dominance ain't going to end with the good deeds of the Benevolent White Progressive. They will end because people of color brought them to an end--prolly over White America's carcass.<br /><br />Any change in America has always come through rebellion and revolt--often armed rebellion and struggle.<br /><br />Just remember the 1960s and 70s. It was really the urban rebellions from Watts to Newark--not singing "We Shall Overcome" with White liberals--that compelled White America to make political and economic concessions.<br /><br />That will be even more true today.<br /><br />The fire next time. It will rage. <br /><br />The White Anti-Racist is an Oxymoron<br />http://www.nathanielturner.com/whiteantiracistsopenletter.htmLxyhttp://asianamericanmovement.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-43876930237070295172009-11-02T19:40:22.070-08:002009-11-02T19:40:22.070-08:00"What do you think? Is it worthwhile to encou..."What do you think? Is it worthwhile to encourage white people to also think of white racism in terms of the harm that it does to themselves and other white people?"<br /><br />Only judiciously. <br /><br />I can see some tactical instances for it, e.g., deconstructing for white people the connection between racism and classism in health care reform debates.<br /><br />Otherwise, this isn't Anti-Racism 101 stuff. A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing, I guess. I think it'd backfire more often than not, exactly as the post suggests by encouraging white people to make everything about themselves. <br /><br />However, seeing how racism harms white people is important for white people who want/need/are preparing to take their education on matters of race to the next level. <br /><br />Ugh, as I'm writing this, I'm also changing my mind. I was about to make a point about white parents of multiracial (POC and white) children** needing to think about these subtleties so that they can help their children negociate the internal conflicts of their (possibly multiple-) racial identities. Which made me think, don't we want to motivate ALL white parents to teach their children about the complexities of racism? Seeing how racism harms white people is at least better than letting white people pass on ideas of "reverse discrimination" or "colour-blindness" and such garbage.<br /><br />Okay, I'm about to jump back on the other side of the fence. White people who haven't yet invested enough in how racism harms POC and begun to own their own role in white supremacy and to own their privilege - those white people aren't capable of seeing how racism harms white people in any kind of responsible manner. Thus it is dangerous to focus their attention on it.<br /><br />** Case in point - I'm making this about myself, the white parent of biracial children.Karen Lnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-71858860090504682202009-11-02T12:48:10.341-08:002009-11-02T12:48:10.341-08:00I think one of the ways racism really effects whit...I think one of the ways racism really effects white people is in interpersonal and often times romantic relationships with POC. I think too many whites let race get in the way of really getting to "understand" their friends of color. To the extent that the race of their friend's particular group is feared by whites, many will back off from meeting a friend's family or joining them in a non white environment. Also, often times, when a POC tries to enlighten said white friend about issues in their community or about how they REALLY feel about things, whites can often get "freaked out". They usually view "race issues" as a combative subject while to POC they are an intrinsic part of life. <br /><br /><br />In the arena of romantic relationships, I feel that whites let sexual stereotypes and social taboos guide their way through interracial relationships, if they even venture their at all. I can only guess at what is is the white sexual psyche, but what manifests itself is often an unanswered curiosity about other races and their sexuality (as if it was a monolith). Other times, a white person may be attracted to a person of color who is in their social circle/daily life (pupil/co-worker/neighbor) but b/c the white community is so saddled with social rules, etiqoettes and taboos, the white person saddles these upon them-self and lets them hold him/her back from seeking out a POC romantically. (unless the pairing is white approved and socially acceptable based on a number of factors like WM/AF). Ideals of white purity and supremacy are subconscious echoes telling whites to stay to their own kind.What probably starts out as a lustful infatuation or simple affection or attraction left unexplored (ie a guy never goes up to a black girl he like and says hi because black women are loud and crazy, angry and abrasive) can lead anyone to miss out on great opportunities romantically and socially. Whites are not the only ones who are apprehensive about these things, but I think it is more pervasive than is talked about.BlkSmarTeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03927491067161534228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-40568809617564379922009-11-02T06:40:04.719-08:002009-11-02T06:40:04.719-08:00The fact that Whites are even trying to aggressive...<i>The fact that Whites are even trying to aggressively make their interests central in this discussion reveals the bogus nature of their self-styled anti-racism.</i><br /><br />Who, in particular, is doing that? If any of the commenters above, how so? If Macon D, by doing one post on this topic out of hundreds, how so, given that it's one post on this topic out of hundreds?<br /><br /><i>White people will try to colonize the anti-racism industry--just as surely as they colonize every aspect of society.</i><br /><br />I can see how that could happen, but are you saying that therefore, whatever they have to say in an anti-racism mode should be ignored?<br /><br /><i>Your sneering hostility tells me that I must have hit too close to home for you.</i><br /><br />Nah. Just trying to suss out where your own sneering hostility is coming from.<br /><br /><i>And if you don't believe Whites benefit from White supremacy, you are living in the White Lie world.</i><br /><br />I do believe that, it's obvious to me. For one thing, I read this blog, where the posts continually make that blatantly obvious. I also move about in the world with my eyes open, where it's also obvious, to any white person with open eyes. And with a raised consciousness, a state I strive for in part by reading this and other anti-racism blogs, and in other ways. I've actively curtailed my participation in white supremacy, in countless ways, actually. You seem to doubt it's possible for a white person to do that.<br /><br /><i>Just check out America's criminal injustice system, which massively imprisons people of color disproportionate to their numbers.</i><br /><br />You sure got that right. Again, that's now obvious to me, and I now work against it, out there in meat space. Do you?AEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-62991644232912768892009-11-02T05:52:06.839-08:002009-11-02T05:52:06.839-08:00@ AE
I'm calling out phony White progressives...@ AE<br /><br />I'm calling out phony White progressives and apologists who try to make White self-interest the center of "anti-racist" debate. It's called consciousness raising.<br /><br />The fact that Whites are even trying to aggressively make their interests central in this discussion reveals the bogus nature of their self-styled anti-racism.<br /><br />White people will try to colonize the anti-racism industry--just as surely as they colonize every aspect of society.<br /><br />Your sneering hostility tells me that I must have hit too close to home for you.<br /><br />And if you don't believe Whites benefit from White supremacy, you are living in the White Lie world.<br /> <br />Just check out America's criminal injustice system, which massively imprisons people of color disproportionate to their numbers.Lxyhttp://asianamericanmovement.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-15197064755171554942009-11-02T05:32:34.848-08:002009-11-02T05:32:34.848-08:00It's ultimately up to racial minorities to bri...<i>It's ultimately up to racial minorities to bring an end to White power and dominance.<br /><br />I expect nothing positive out of Whites as a class, including self-styled "anti-racist" Whites.</i><br /><br />So tell us, dear Lxy/self-styled detractor of self-styled "anti-racist" Whites, what sorts of positive things are you yourself doing to bring an end to White power and dominance? Besides, that is, leaving cynical broadsides at the tail-end of comment threads on "anti-racist" blogs?<br /><br />And btw, racism does harm white people too. It's not "handwringing" to point out that it's in their own interests as well to fight white supremacy.AEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-11596623441775213002009-11-02T04:08:38.813-08:002009-11-02T04:08:38.813-08:00"The problem with that in my opinion though i...<i>"The problem with that in my opinion though is that it continually puts the emphasis on white folks feelings and life being the center. People just dont hold people of color's lives as equal and I dont think that saying "how does this affect whitey" every five seconds will do anything to hurt white supremacy."</i><br /><br />All the handwringing about if and whether Whites will oppose White supremacy (not just racism) only reinforces White dominance as the center of the universe.<br /><br />To be frank, I think that White people are increasingly politically irrelevant.<br /><br />They have demonsrated that they act according to their own predatory interests time and again.<br /><br />It's ultimately up to racial minorities to bring an end to White power and dominance.<br /><br />I expect nothing positive out of Whites as a class, including self-styled "anti-racist" Whites.Lxyhttp://asianamericanmovement.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-38527813725967982992009-10-30T17:10:31.375-07:002009-10-30T17:10:31.375-07:00"If you have additions to the above list, ple..."If you have additions to the above list, please let us know in a comment -- are there other ways that white racism costs or harms white people?"<br /><br /><br />Racism is economically harming the white class (really all) today.<br /><br />Racism ultimately leads to discrimination. When a class is left out of fair economic opportunities, they will stay or become underpriveledged. <br /><br />Education is always touted as the equalizer for equal opportunity. But historically the poor and/or minorities have subpar facilities, programs, and teachers. <br /><br />After WW1 the GI Bill benifited only the "whites". This caused many to purchase homes and build equity. When the raoring twenties came - they benifited the most.<br /><br />These and many more historical examples are why there are big pockets of brown and black skined people who are in poverty/or underpriviledged. <br /><br />Attempts to level the generations of racism/discrimination resulted in some "racial quotas".<br /><br />Ignorance today is where people believe there is no more racism, just "reverse racism". <br /><br />Reality is "whites" (we all really) are paying economically for past racism through "racial quotas" and "wellfare" (subsidizing the poor who live in poverty)<br /><br />Health care is another cost!<br /><br />Great Quote on your blog<br /><br />"The white community's first racial victim is its own child."<br />--ThandekaJaimenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-80550197998555730962009-10-30T13:48:42.725-07:002009-10-30T13:48:42.725-07:00People tend to think in zero-sum terms, which real...People tend to think in zero-sum terms, which really apply only in very limited situations, frequently transitional ones. I remember people getting upset when certain single-sex colleges went co-ed, because it was suddenly "twice as difficult" to get in if you were the original sex catered to. Mathematically, of course, that was more or less true. But in a few years the admissions rates stabilized and people got used to them. Over the whole population, having fewer men educated at Amherst or whatever truly isn't that significant. <br /><br />HelenHelennoreply@blogger.com