I feel that those who are defensive about racism (usually though not exclusively wypipo in the US) are far more likely to use the reductivity of terminology to protest perceived prejudgement than have a nuanced discussion about race and racism…institutional racism, ambient racism, and personal responsibility. The problem, as with all hereditary privilege, is getting passed the mentality of “Why am I to blame for the circumstances of my birth?” to “Oh, I’m responsible for my choices made after being born on third base.”
Can some people be gotten through to? Sure, but only if on some level they want to do the work to make that growth, and unfortunately defensive people tend to be some of the least interested in doing that. At the risk of committing cliché, you can show someone the exit to the cave, but you can’t make them go outside if they don’t want to.
I’m the descendant of hostages stolen from another land.
I’m not racist; however, growing up in a racist society did have a negative impact on my psychological growth and development, and I do have to work at it consistently to fight against any ingrained prejudices that I’ve internalized over the course of my life.
It depends on how comfortable you insist on being.
My toothbrush is property I’d really rather not share with anyone else. But that’s about the only thing I think I should have exclusive use of. Everything else I supposedly own, may as well have been stolen from someone else.
The assholes who go out of their way to hate on brown people specifically for being brown, its low hanging fruit to push back on their level. Most people I know, don’t much want to ask too many hard questions about where all this abundance comes from, and who has to do without, so we can enjoy all these goodies.
So no, I don’t think its two sides to the same coin. One of those surfaces is very hard and shiny, the other surface is sticky-gooey even; it sucks you in relentlessly and there is no bottom.
I wasn’t diagnosed until I was a teenager, but I’m HFA. Growing up, this meant that to understand the world and the people in it I had to rely a lot more on deliberate analysis than intuition that most neurotypicals take for granted. This had the silver lining that I was constantly skeptical about the assumptions and expectations so much the fabric of most people’s lives. That’s why I take great umbrage at those on the spectrum who use their autism or other neurological differences as excuses for their own bad behavior.
“I’m not a racist, but I feel pretty damn comfortable flinging these tropes in the faces of others, since I myself have never been victimized in this way”
FWIW, while I recognize that definitions of racism and “a racist” vary, I myself do subscribe to the understanding that in a white supremacist society, it’s nonsensical to claim that a non-white person can be racist toward white people.
But then, I hear people non-white talk about their own “internalized racism,” or how they try to overcome inculcated racist inclinations toward members of other non-white groups. And then I usually decide to just put the “racist” label back in its drawer for awhile.
I would argue that itself is a form of racism. Passive perhaps rather than active, but still a choice.
What I mean is that I don’t think you can have institutional racism without individual racism, and vice versa, just as you can’t have a coin with one side.
Are you asking if that’s what I personally hear whenever some rando starts making disclaimers to “prove” they aren’t racist?
Oh, I didn’t think that’s what you were implying; I’m still trying to see if the term can be ‘salvaged’… and I think the answer is: only in rare, very specific instances, where the speaker has been extremely careful about their chosen phrasing.
I tend to agree with Mal, the majority of the time people who use that term are trying to reconcile their self perception as “a good person” with the fact that some of things they think and believe are not ‘good’ at all.
I think I get it, that you want to unify these two kinds of social malfunction under the same heading… but I guess I just need permission from you to just have a different idea about it. I don’t insist that you understand my position, just know that it’s different from yours.
And I’m also wondering if at least some of those who are trying to find a way to repurpose the phrase aren’t doing that very same thing.
“Virtue signaling” versus “actually trying to get through to a fellow white person” might be a useful contrast here. But the latter still seems pretty dodgy when trying to repurpose “I’m not a racist, but,” especially when doing so in front of non-white people.
To which I would reply that it’s not one’s place to decide if one’s self is good, but to behave in a way one believes is right and for others to judge each as they will. Not everyone’s judgement is equally valid and who’s judgement to heed is part of the challenge, but it’s important to listen to some criticism for any chance to grow. That’s why I find the ethos of not caring what anyone thinks facile (insert relevant Leboswki meme ).
Late to the topic, mostly because I have been letting it rattle around in my brain for a while. Any white person, especially of the SWM type, who says “i am not racist” is at best demonstrating ignorance of our society. We live in a society that is totally SWM-centric, and largely views anyone else as a variation deviating from this norm, and tries to get them to try to return to that norm. If someone suggests one of us (SWM) is acting in a racist manner, it is a far better approach to try to find out wht you have done than to get defensive. Racism is so deeply ingrained into our collective conscience that truly being not racist is an ongoing exercise in mindful interactions with every single person you meet, and it is a simple fact that mistakes will happen, and we (SWM, again) will need to accept and deal with them. It has been far too long that we (SWM) have expected POCs to be the ones adapting and dealing. That needs to stop. Am I racist? I try really hard to treat all human beings with respect, regardless of…, but truth told, i am certain that I make SWM-centric assumptions at times. I try to own these when they happen, and add to my “well, let’s not do that again” list. It’s a long list, and will get longer before all is said and done. But it is not the responsibility of any non-SWM to accommodate to me. That just cannot be anymore. Peace, love and happiness, mutants.
having lived in texas for the majority of my life and having grown and matured in a small school district from 5th grade to graduation with a cohort that was almost 50/50 black/white and especially after doing my first three years of teaching in deep east texas, i’ve developed a flinch reflex very similar to that.
i try not to make public claims about how racist i might or might not be. my belief is that my words will tell you what i’m willing to let the wider world know about me and my actions over the long run will tell you what is likely in my heart. in the end, i am the one who has to live with any discrepancy between who i am and who i aim to be. trying to spread those consequences out on those around me isn’t helping me and can only hurt those who chose to get near me.
This kind of generosity of spirit is why I already knew you don’t say shit like “I’m not racist, but…” And why I also know you’re a totally awesome teacher.
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