Folks will happily admit they know less about teeth than a dentist, and then go to a dentist to get their teeth looked after. A dentist may have an undergrad degree in biology or another science. Maybe not. Spends four years in dentistry school, then another two in residency. That’s 10-11 years tops.
I’ve been a woman for 46 years, and some dudes will still tell me they know more about being a woman/what women want/my lived experience than I do.
I can only imagine compounding that with race. Misogynoir must be incredibly difficult to navigate.
[Edited. To my shame. I typed “than” not “then” in my haste.]
It’s utterly exhausting… but at least folks like yourself are aware of that intersectionality.
That gives me hope, so thanks.
Since you brought up the dentist as expert analogy, that makes me feel the need to bring up Black Girl Dangerous’ perspective on this topic, once again…
Early connection between Rep Wilson and Sgt La David Johnson makes this sad episode more infuriating.
“People don’t realize, but she’s not only a four-term congresswoman. She’s a former educator with a master’s degree. She was a member of the Florida State Legislature. And she also founded the 5,000-people Role Models program. The same program that helped a young man named La David Johnson graduate from Miami public schools to become a celebrated Green Beret. So, she’s not an empty barrel; she’s someone who deserves an apology.” — TREVOR NOAH
I did not want to negate your experience, just to remind every white people that their turn is coming fast. Which, technically, solves the problem of racism but not in a good way.
I don’t pretend to know the intent of your argument, but “poor white people have it just as bad as poor black people (or nearly so)” is both demonstrably false and a common derailment tactic to wave away allegations of both systemic and personal racism.
Well now, Jack Burton’s a good guy, but I don’t think he invented the phrase.
Still, I’d like to see Trump handle “some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues”.
I had a similar experience with the discussion about OJ. When questioning if said event or issue would have even arisen if the person in question were white. I’ll attempt give a similar nuanced answer: Yes it still would have probably been a deal. No it probably wouldn’t have been as bad.
In regards to the original event - the lady’s call with the president, out right racism or internal bias played a role. His uncouth manner, not really caring, and slovenly nature also played a role. In this case one could surmise he would have acted similarly even if she were white, but also acknowledge that he may have acted even worse because she was black. And one can certainly give it weight for how racism affected how he responded to criticism, as well as other peoples response to said criticism.
These opinions aren’t meant to discredit or down play your or for example @Melizmatic 's experiences. Nor is it (at least in my case) made to down play sexism or racism. In this and other cases I am trying to acknowledge it, while at the same time point out there are other issues as well in play where racism and sexism isn’t the only factors for what happened. But, as I said, I do think they played a bigger role in the after math and responses.
In a recent example, a gay friend of mine got called an “ugly asshole” in a parking lot recently. Now, was this because he was gay? Very unlikely (unless she has amazing gaydar). More likely he was called that because she was just a very rude person. That isn’t to say that homophobia and bigotry isn’t still an issue he has to face in other instances.
The connection between Trump’s behavior and racism is kind of like the connection between lung cancer and smoking. SOME smokers with lung cancer would have ended up getting lung cancer anyway so it’s hard to state the cause of any one case with 100% certainty, but in most cases it’s fair to surmise that a patient’s tobacco habit probably played a major role.
I think we can save some time over the next few years. All we have to do is just repeat the blanket facts for any story about Trump. i.e.
Trump displays arrogance and ignorance with his latest reality challenged gaf. President plans to double down on his gaf immediately after this story is published.
OH I am not disputing his racism didn’t play a role in this. I think that’s pretty clear. I’m through giving benefit of the doubt. He’s proven that he doesn’t deserve it.
Given his history, and his sub-par speaking ability, I’d say most likely he would have said the same or at least similar things to a white blonde women. Didn’t I read that he ended up rushing condolences out after saying had already sent condolences out to near everyone? He sucks at this.
“I’m upset, you’re confused, and the difference between our reactions isn’t just a matter of my being “oversensitive.” It’s a matter of privilege: You can learn about racism through secondhand sources, while I’ve directly experienced racism my entire life.”
I keep flashing back to a passage in Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff, when Annie Glenn is hiding behind closed doors with other Mercury wives, because her husband is in space, and there was some kind of difficulty, and now she’s afraid that VP Lyndon B. Johnson is going to invade her home with a bunch of reporters and “pour his horrid old Texas soul all over her.”
I would say that he DID do a good job of explaining what Trump was trying to say. It is ALSO true that he attacked Congresswoman Wilson in a completely unjustified way. And yes, the White House has doubled down on attacking any criticism in ways that expose an anti-democratic core.
