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I, Racist


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Article: https://medium.com/@johnmetta/i-racist-538512462265

This is really difficult to discuss. But similarly--as the author doesn't like to talk about race with "White people"--I can't talk about race with Americans, which is troubling, because some of my family is American.
I've talked about this before, but moving to the US changed my view on race pretty dramatically.
If you read the article, you'll get the feeling that if you're White in the US, you are racist not because you may act unfavourably to a person of color or not treat everyone equally, but rather because "Black people" have decided you are a racist. This is the most troubling aspect of racism in the US. The author states:
I don’t talk about race with White people because I have so often seen it go nowhere. When I was younger, I thought it was because all white people are racist. Recently, I’ve begun to understand that it’s more nuanced than that.What they are affected by are attacks on their own character. To my aunt, the suggestion that "people in The North are racist" is an attack on her as a racist. She is unable to differentiate her participation within a racist system (upwardly mobile, not racially profiled, able to move to White suburbs, etc.) from an accusation that she, individually, is a racist. Without being able to make that differentiation, White people in general decide to vigorously defend their own personal non-racism, or point out that it doesn’t exist because they don’t see it.
I've talked to English people and, of course, Canadians, and the vibe you get when seeing, talking with, or dealing with a Black person, whether at a business/professional-level or not, is very different in the US. It doesn't come from within the Canadian or English, it comes from American society and that concept is imposed on all white-looking people. If you act obliviously happy or ignore it, people in American society will resent you for it. This has happened to my Canadian friends who have come here, because race dynamics are different in Canada, though some of the American-style race dynamics are seeping into Canadian culture more and more, which is, again, a really depressing thought, as a Canadian.
The author says, "Black people think in terms of we because we live in a society where the social and political structures interact with us as Black people."
And this treatment of Black people as "Black people," is almost impossible to shake off. I had to go to Metropolitan Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles this week. Obviously, I try to treat everyone equally, be kind, courteous, respectful, but the dozens of Black people there who see me get a different vibe from me, no matter how hard I try. Dirty looks. The hard man act. An act that delivers the message, "You wanna f u c k with me? You wanna f u c k with me, b i t c h?" No, I don't. In fact, it'd be grand if we could just be friends. But this type of response is seen as naive and laughable. The best solution is ignoring them altogether.
White people do not think in terms of we. White people have the privilege to interact with the social and political structures of our society as individuals. You are "you," I am "one of them." Whites are often not directly affected by racial oppression even in their own community, so what does not affect them locally has little chance of affecting them regionally or nationally. They have no need, nor often any real desire, to think in terms of a group. They are supported by the system, and so are mostly unaffected by it.
I once mentioned to a White acquaintance from Philadelphia that I hated Los Angeles and I thought of moving to Portland. She said, "Portland is nice. The Pacific Northwest is pretty. But it's not very diverse." She didn't need to say more. Unfortunately, I've been living in the US long enough now to understand the subtext. Moving to the Pacific Northwest meant supporting less diversity and turning my back on minority groups such as blacks and hispanics.
The author of this article escalates things:

But racism is even more subtle than that. It’s more nuanced. Racism is the fact that "White" means "normal" and that anything else is different. Racism is our acceptance of an all white Lord of the Rings cast because of "historical accuracy," ignoring the fact that this is a world with an entirely fictionalized history.
Even when we make crap up, we want it to be white.
And racism is the fact that we all accept that it is white. Benedict Cumberbatch playing Khan in Star Trek. Khan, who is from India. Is there anyone Whiter than Benedict ???? Cumberbatch? What? They needed a "less racial" cast because they already had the Black Uhura character?
That is racism. Once you let yourself see it, it’s there all the time.
My colleague was talking about racism and I, regrettably, said, "Why is everything about race here?" And she replied that I didn't see racism because I was Canadian and from a place where the majority is white and we mostly interact with whites, and we don't have to interact with non-whites. She hammered home the fact that the reason I don't see racism is because I was "White".
The author, again:

The system was made for White people, so White people don’t have to think about living in it. But we can’t point this out.
Living every single day with institutionalized racism and then having to argue its very existence, is tiring, and saddening, and angering. Yet if we express any emotion while talking about it, we’re tone policed, told we’re being angry. In fact, a key element in any racial argument in America is the Angry Black person, and racial discussions shut down when that person speaks. The Angry Black person invalidates any arguments about racism because they are "just being overly sensitive," or "too emotional," or– playing the race card. Or even worse, we’re told that we are being racist (Does any intelligent person actually believe a systematically oppressed demographic has the ability to oppress those in power?)
But here is the irony, here’s the thing that all the angry Black people know, and no calmly debating White people want to admit: The entire discussion of race in America centers around the protection of White feelings.
Ask any Black person and they’ll tell you the same thing. The reality of thousands of innocent people raped, shot, imprisoned, and systematically disenfranchised are less important than the suggestion that a single White person might be complicit in a racist system.
This is the country we live in. Millions of Black lives are valued less than a single White person’s hurt feelings.
White people and Black people are not having a discussion about race. Black people, thinking as a group, are talking about living in a racist system. White people, thinking as individuals, refuse to talk about “I, racist” and instead protect their own individual and personal goodness. In doing so, they reject the existence of racism.
But arguing about personal non-racism is missing the point.
Despite what the Charleston Massacre makes things look like, people are dying not because individuals are racist, but because individuals are helping support a racist system by wanting to protect their own non-racist self beliefs.
People are dying because we are supporting a racist system that justifies White people killing Black people.
The problem with all of this is that I see Blacks being racist to Hispanics, Koreans to Blacks, Whites to Asians--ALL THE TIME.
I'll quote the author again:
People of color, especially Black people (but boy we can talk about “The Mexicans” in this community) are seen as fundamentally bad. There might be a good one– and we are always quick to point them out to our friends, show them off as our Academy Award for “Best Non-Racist in a White Role”– but when we see a bad one, it’s just proof that the rest are, as a rule, bad.
Read that again and you'll notice he admits that Mexicans are discriminated against in Black communities.
And White people, every single one of you, are complicit in this racism because you benefit directly from it.
And later:

Here’s what I want to say to you: Racism is so deeply embedded in this country not because of the racist right-wing radicals who practice it openly, it exists because of the silence and hurt feelings of liberal America.
That’s what I want to say, but really, I can’t. I can’t say that because I’ve spent my life not talking about race to White people. In a big way, it’s my fault. Racism exists because I, as a Black person, don’t challenge you to look at it.
Racism exists because I, not you, am silent.
But I’m caught in the perfect Catch 22, because when I start pointing out racism, I become the Angry Black Person, and the discussion shuts down again. So I’m stuck.
All the Black voices in the world speaking about racism all the time do not move White people to think about it– but one White John Stewart talking about Charleston has a whole lot of White people talking about it. That’s the world we live in. Black people can’t change it while White people are silent and deaf to our words.
White people are in a position of power in this country because of racism. The question is: Are they brave enough to use that power to speak against the system that gave it to them? As for me, I will no longer be silent. I’m going to try to speak kindly, and softly, but that’s gonna be hard. Because it’s getting harder and harder for me to think about the protection of White people’s feelings when White people don’t seem to care at all about the loss of so many Black lives.
The problem is that to live in a safe area with clean streets in Los Angeles means living in a city where most are either Oriental or White, so I'm sure the argument can be made that I am somehow supporting a system that helps me live a comfortable, privileged life in a neighbourhood that remains oblivious to race problems.

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People are people. Just don't be a douchebag to anyone and you're good to go.

Yeah that's not how institutionalized oppression is overthrown

@ OP Good article. Racial dynamics in metropolitan cities in Canada are slowly getting there too.

Racism is so deeply embedded in this country not because of the racist right-wing radicals who practice it openly, it exists because of the silence and hurt feelings of liberal America.

the obvious black /white relations aside, I think this is very similar to the sentiments surrounding Islamophobia here and in the states

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I'm kind of expecting this to be closed;

As for the content; Racism is so stupid, we all bleed red. I've grown up around all races, creeds and sexualities(sp? XD) and my philosophy has remained the same; enjoy your life the way you want to - just don't necessarily expect me to live my life as you do.

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I'm kind of expecting this to be closed;

As for the content; Racism is so stupid, we all bleed red. I've grown up around all races, creeds and sexualities(sp? XD) and my philosophy has remained the same; enjoy your life the way you want to - just don't necessarily expect me to live my life as you do.

I met an English girl (half-black) a few months ago while I was travelling. She told me a story about when she was travelling through the old Eastern bloc, a man in Estonia actually stopped her in the streets to ask what colour she bled in all seriousness. Obviously it's a country that doesn't see many people that aren't white, but it's an odd thing to think about that there are places in the world that have such little awareness of other races.

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People are people. Just don't be a douchebag to anyone and you're good to go.

The working Canadian racist policy in a nutshell. The point being this a naïve approach to the reality of living in the cauldron of entrenched American racism.

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As a mixed race who looks predominantly white, I often have an internal struggle when hearing people speak about racism. At the end of the day, the experience of racism is so vastly different nation by nation. One of the things that really bugs me is how "races" are lumped together and generalized. Really, the issue in the USA is a class issue as much as race issue. Another huge consideration is how fresh racial equality is in US society. It wasn't that long ago that Democrat Presidential Candidate George Wallace made his famous stance blocking Black students from entering the University of Alabama and saying...

"segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever"

That was the 1960's. It's looking like the USA is still taking baby steps in regards to race equality.

Try having Jewish, 1st Nations and UK ancestry. I basically fit in nowhere. I have no family ties to Israel, I do not have a single family member who practice the religion, I am considered White by 1st Nations and I generally identify myself as Canadian. To me, I have no race. Is a Israelite white? Are Croats white? Are Southern Italians white? Are Congolese Black people the same race as Sudanese?

The global issue of racism is very complex. Each nation has it's own nuance as suggested by the article. If an African American US citizen lives in a high class neighbourhood and dresses like Steve Urkel, they are treated much differently than an African American who grew up in an economically depressed area and has not had any opportunity to raise their class status. That is why I see racism in the USA as a class issue as well.

At the end of the day, acknowledging our intolerances and searching why we have them is the best way to move forward. Blaming Blacks for crime or Whites for being privileged will only deepen the divide. In my opinion, we need to start treating the global issue of racism before we will make any headway on the racism within a specific nation. It's not just a black and white problem...pun intended.

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I said this in a previous thread involving white privilege, after someone said it doesn't exist.

The fact of the matter is that the concept of "white privilege" does exist, both in North America and parts of Europe. However, the same concept exists in other countries, but within a different race. For example, in places like China or India, a Chinese person is more likely to get a job in China than an Indian is, and vice versa. The important to thing to note is that North America is at least trying to make a conscious effort of bringing light to the issue and pave the way for the whole world.

Its not something you can go out and blame white people for, heck they're the ones that established North America and Europe, but once you open the doors to people from other countries and make them citizens, they should be held at the same regard as anyone else. Our country promotes democracy equality and all the other who-haw but don't actually live up to their own standards.

I hate the fact that humans are still stuck in a predatory mind-state...its quite pathetic, and we're not as advanced as we think we are.

The world is a selfish place, we're all a part of capitalist society with a capitalist thinking. We're selfish, greedy, and avaricious and that's the truth. It's great to see people actually trying to break the barriers and make a difference.

This is a species problem more than a race problem.

I strongly believe that the obvious hatred for white people from the perspective of a black american stems from years of being subject to the demands of a white society. Not to mention, the glorification of white history and its accomplishments.

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The working Canadian racist policy in a nutshell. The point being this a naïve approach to the reality of living in the cauldron of entrenched American racism.

I'm speaking of individuals. If everyone stopped being a douchebag, people would be better off. Of course it's more complicated and I'm not speaking about policy.

But, policy is changed by individuals. And as long as individuals are douchebags, or racists, they will craft douchebaggy and racist policies. My point being, it starts with individual people.

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In my opinion white privilege is a red herring. Only privilege exists. It benefits different ethnic groups in different areas throughout the world. Adding the adjective of colour only perpetuates the divide.

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The one thing that he seems to have missed is how white liberals are the ones by and large spear heading the "white privilege" groups to ensure white people feel bad for simply being white.

The writer also seems to miss how anyone saying I am a proud straight white man is immediately a sexist racist homophobic bigot. But a black individual can call another black individual my ****** at any time. In fact they also miss how open discrimination against the white minority is. I say minority now as by the most recent count the caucasian population of California is now 3rd after Hispanics and african americans. Terms like honky cracker pasty and the like are openly common place even on mainstream TV and newscasts and white people are told it's ok.

Drop the N bomb anywhere with a pasty complexion and BOOM...racist

For me reading articles like these is a troubling and sometimes eye opening slap in the face. As a mixed breed first nations/french canadian and scottish individual I am told frequently how I need to respect others constantly, that I am not native enough to matter, yet I am somehow white enough to feel guilt for this.

Personally...screw this writer, screw these groups and screw anyone else who tells me I should feel a certain way or respect a certain person based on their skin colour. I respect the man and the mannerism, not the colour of their skin.

If that makes me a racist too bad, screw you for telling me how I should or should not feel. IN fact, screw you for making me a "racist" in this PC world because I refuse to kow tow to every single special interest or minority group out there.

I am a very visible minority with no benefits because of it. That has helped me simply see people for who they are, not how they look.

The sooner more people start realizing this the better off we will be, but sadly too many groups are around telling people how to act what's right and wrong and what is now socially acceptable.

You cannot keep changing the dynamic of things to suit your own guilty conscience. These groups and the beliefs that somehow one group should feel bad because another group has it rough or even worse, because of what their ancestors did is disgusting and now that i am ranting I will bow the hell out of this one.

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In my opinion white privilege is a red herring. Only privilege exists. It benefits different ethnic groups in different areas throughout the world. Adding the adjective of colour only perpetuates the divide.

Basically.

If you notice, blacks who make smarter decisions in life (and thus are middle class or better, i.e. not poor) also tend not to be able to stand other blacks, nor white liberals. When you spend a good amount of time around blacks (it happens when one of your sisters is half black and you spend many years around blacks) and see how they think you realize the problem isn't really blacks, but white liberals smelling proverbial blood in terms of trying to implement policies and using black people as fodder for it.

Hence why you never see them trying to help black people in not-so-well-to-do areas straighten up.

When all of these murders in Chicago or Detroit or SF happen, you never see white liberals say anything like:

"We should encourage blacks to have more intellectual discourse"

"We should encourage blacks to act smarter"

"We should encourage blacks to build more solid families"

All you see are things like:

"See, it's guns! We should implement gun control"

Then they tell them how much they're victims and need more government to encourage keeping them right in the place they're in, rather than encourage them to be more successful.

White liberals can't be any more obvious as people who don't give a crap about blacks. As someone who actually does, I'd like to see blacks succeed rather than be stuck in this vicious circle liberals encourage of indefinite poverty and criminal behaviour.

We have ethnic enclaves in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver sure, but this is still a Commonwealth Country of British and Chrisitian roots.

We don't have the types of urban ghettos and angry black and brown people like in the US. Thankfully

This is far more a situation of self-segregation. People from India, for example, know when they immigrate that more people like them are in cities like Brampton or Markham or specific parts of cities like NE Calgary (by their own choice). So the vast majority elect to be around people more like them. Somehow, though, whites will be blamed for this, on top of that, if whites were to use the same criteria of moving to a place to be with people who look and think like them, it would be called "racist" or "bigoted".

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