*Eyeroll*

[ravan]

From a certain non-white focused community:

Does it make me sound raceist that I don't like white people? I have my reasons not to like them....

God, damn, this just pisses me off. People rag and rag on whites for stereotypes, power games, bigotry, and all that shit, but get lumped into one great big "them" category by ethnic minorities. Hypocrite much?

Excuse the fuck out of me for not having been born with your special cross to bear, bitch! Nevermind that I have my own, including asswipes like you who just take one look at me and assume I somehow have some great privilege and advantage because I'm white.

If I have this great white privilege, where's my college degree, house in the suburbs that I own, car less than 5 years old, fat stock portfolio, and 6 figure income? Seriously, if I were a young, able bodied white male, from a rich family, I might be said to have "white privilege". But that's not me.

Yeah, some folks in some areas are assholes, judging people by their skin color, but not everyone does that everywhere. So get off the damned persecuted minority cross, we need the wood!

Seriously, if you don't like racism, stereotypes and bigotry, don't practice them yourself. What's so fucking hard about that?

Comments

[dubhain.livejournal.com]

My experience, from living in more than one ethnically diverse community where white folks did not predominate, is that the concept of racism and bigotry are taught very differently between racial and cultural groups.

White folks in the U.S. are taught an intellectual, conceptual definition of racism and bigotry: One which basically states that it's wrong to pre-judge another person on the basis of their skin color, gender, religion, &c. That definition is approached unemotionally, and from an intellectual distance.

Many non-white folks are taught to the words racism and bigotry in a practical context, as terms to define something that's being done to them. (I won't get into arguments concerning real versus perceived racism, because it's a moot point here.) They're taught, essentially" "The names for this thing that people are doing to you are 'prejudice,' 'racism,' and 'bigotry.' They all mean the same thing. They all mean that (white) people hate you because of what color you are."

Hence, when discussing racism, &c., white folks are frequently shocked by responses and statements they hear from non-white folks. E.g. "Black people can't be racist. Racism means you hate black people." (One of the most common I used to encounter.) And, of course, since racism is evil and wrong, racists must also be evil and wrong. And as everyone knows all white folks are racist....

Naturally, most white folks look at that last statement a little differently. Myself included.

I'm neither defending nor condemning any party to this discussion. I'm just making an observation based upon two-thirds of a lifetime spent living in environments where the majority of folks weren't white. It took me a while to understand that what I was dealing with were two very different understandings of the same set of words. It frustrates the hell out of me, too.

[weofodthignen]

The notion that people of color cannot by definition be racist is simply wrong. It's bigoted. Far more bigoted than "You live in the US--learn English" (which I understand most Latinos living in the US agree with).

Giving people a by on that because of the color of their skins is condescension. It's not kind, and it's not a matter of "white people being more dispassionate about these things." Prejudiced is prejudiced, Nation of Islam members standing in Times Square calling whites the devil are committing hate speech, and racism is racism. Period. What kind of favor does one do anyone by saying "Oh, you can't be expected to be rational/not a hypocrite"?

Bah. Yes, I know people get tenure for espousing this kind of claptrap. But they also get tenure for saying males are responsible for all the ills in the world. And at some institutions, for denying evolution. Doesn't mean I respect it or them.

M