On race.

[deathchibi]

Oh boy. I've been reading a bit and it sort of hit me how easy it is to unintentionally racist and treat people badly. Even if it seems on the surface that you're an 'ally' or 'color blind'. I'm leaving this one public, just because. But either way, since I can't clean until my vacuum gets here - I had time to sit and think. And think. In my closet

Comments

[socksofjello]

Not sure if I'm qualified to reply to this, but I'll relate what I've picked up on this topic:

The only thing you can really do is own your privilege and do your best to teach other privileged people to do the same.

Listen. Learn. Educate yourself and others. Speak up when someone's offensive or abusing their privilege; remaining silent is the most harmful thing you can do as an ally.

You've already got a lot of this down, so I'm probably just preaching to the choir.

On the topic of appropriating culture...I'm not that learned on this concept, but I feel that so long as you feel genuine interest and aren't half-assing your own education then it's okay. The main problem is when white people pick and choose what they want to learn and then parade it around as fact.

I'm probably wrong, though. Do you have any blog posts you've read on the topic? I'd be interested in hearing more.

[deathchibi]

I like Abagond and hey, I'm learning a bit too. So far I've noticed the big thing is don't randomly pick and grab at people's culture thoughtlessly.

[katieupsidedown]

I get kind of sick about people and blogs talking about privilege and trying to make me feel bad for being born white. I can't control what society I was born into any more than anyone else can, and I think it's fucking pointless to feel bad about that.

Be nice to the people that are nice to you. Be aware of different cultures and be willing to adapt for them if you need to. Don't immediately assume you should adapt because it's condescending, and don't ignore the differences completely because it's insensitive.

EXPLORE other cultures to understand them. This includes trying new food. Liking Thai food is not racist. Having a friend offer you Pad Thai and going "EW OMG YOU EAT THAT, THAT IS SOOO WEIRD"? Is kind of racist.

"White privilege" is probably my second biggest pet-peeve PC term right now... right after "ableism" which I do not want to get into right now because I'm not entirely sober but ugh.

[deathchibi]

Yeah, that's sort of why I mentioned that white guilt really didn't do anyone good, nor does feeling like my existence and birth tramples someone else's. I don't deny that I might have certain advantages because of race, but it's not like I /ask/ for them. I turn in my resume, I pay for things - same as anyone else. I think this is the result of sleeplessness combined with too much blog reading. Derp.

[aadf]

"We had diseases and guns. That's how we came to power. How could I be proud of that? What kind of monster would I be? Even gunpowder that we so happily turned against other humans - we stole /that/ from the English."

Iroquois version.

"We had chariots and bronze swords. That's how we came to power. How could I be proud of that? What kind of monster would I be? Even bronze that we so happily turned against other humans - we stole /that/ from the steppe tribes, who got it from the Assyrians*." *=Or maybe Hittites or something, I can't remember which.

Ancient Shang China version. I could go on, but the point is made. You are responsible for yourself, not the things your ancestors did that everybody else's categorically engaged in too.