Happy Reading, You Racist Bastards

[images73]

This quarter I have discussed multicultural education a great deal in all of my classes, and I also had one entire course devoted to the subject. I don’t know how much the average white American thinks about racism--I suppose it depends on your location, attitudes, awareness, etc. Anyway, due to these classes, I’ve thought about it more than I

Comments

[virtuolie]

I disagree with 2 things from your post:

First, I don't think the steps of dealing with race are really steps--they're more like categories. I think it's overly idealistic to say that people will (or under the right circumstances would) evolve to be more accepting of other races and to reject racism. That may be a better attitude, but it's not necessarily a more adaptive attitude, and people's attitudes evolve based on their experiences. Someone could be raised to love all races and then hate blacks later on because the are gang-raped by blacks in prison.

Second, I think the privelage list is racist. To say that people of a particular race will necessarily have a different set of staple foods or will have their own music is making huge assumptions.

You can tell Andrew, Kelly, and I are all from the Deep South, as it is our inclination to be defensive about racism. :)

[tilga]

explain "defensive about racism"

[virtuolie]

You know, defensive: all 3 of us talked about either why it didn't apply to us or why it was flawed.

[tilga]

saying "defensive about racism", though, sounds as if we were defending racism.. like we actually condone it

[images73]

Actually, I would disagree that the phrase "defensive about racism" implies that you are defending racism. While I think I got some answers I would describe as "defensive about racism," I did not think at all that any of you were trying to defend the idea of racism and that it was okay. Maybe you're just being defensive :P (Or is this not a good time to make a joke? I'm trying really hard not to offend, simply to provoke).

If racism is a bigger issue in the south, then that is even more reason to reflect on your views...and again, not just about black people.

[tilga]

let's say i'm "being defensive" about my man or my job or whatever.
that typically means that i am defending my man/job or that i am defending my views/actions/etc.
that's where i'm coming from on that one. it was just a weird sentence to me.

(Or is this not a good time to make a joke? I'm trying really hard not to offend, simply to provoke).
that rhymes!
/swoon.
not only are you awesome, super smart & you love kids... you are also a poet.
ok, that's it!
i'm coming to OH! =p

[images73]

I didn't even realize it rhymed! I'm a poet and didn't know it.

I think we're all being a little crazy about this whole defensive phrasing thing. But if we're crazy about everything else, why not this? :)

[tilga]

insanity is much more interesting, anyway.

again, some (if not most) of my posts are at least half in jest.
as am i. always.

[virtuolie]

If I had said "defensive *of* racism" that would have meant you were defending racism. Learing English like a white person is advised :P

I don't think the the racist things were about who you are--black on the inside--but rather how most other people treat you--like the white person you are on the outside. As Eddie Murphy so eloquently demonstrated in his SNL short film, if a black person put on make-up to look like a white person, they'd be able to get a lot of privileges from white society.

[tilga]

meh. i don't know. maybe that's how you yanks say it.
i don't think i've ever uddered the words "you're being defensive of your car".
that just sounds retarded coming out of my mouth.
usually it's, "girl, you're being awfully defensive about Steve - what's really going on?" ;)

meh. i don't know. maybe i just need a super hot married OH teacher to help me further my studies in English/grammar. *giggle*

how can you tell, though, if a person is discrimiating against you based on your clothes or your skin? either way, it's discrimination. economic status & skin color - both would be very difficult for me to change any time soon.

[images73]

I agree that it's hard to separate the elements of discrimination, and really we don't do that in the real world. Our views about different types of people all mix together to form some sort of melded set of ideas. One set informs or affects another set and so forth until everything's connected. We don't operate on a normal basis by reacting with just one schema in our head.

[images73]

I think the phrase "hot for teacher" applies to you. All your flirting and giggling is going to my head. :)

[tilga]

*flirt, flirt*

*giggle*

;)

[images73]

I agree with your ideas about the steps, and maybe that was just my error in using that term. They were presented to us in class as steps, but I definitely think you're right about being able to (or forced to, in some casees) bounce back and forth between categories

[virtuolie]

I'm glad you agree with me regarding my entire response, and that you cow your intellect to mine with regard to racism. You should feel welcome to ask me anything about racism, and I will give you the right answers, and I know you will accept them without question

[tilga]

your 2nd paragraph is complete gold. i agree 100% with everything you said there

paragraph 3 makes me feel more comfortable with feeling my white guilt. everyone here does assume white ppl are racist.. either from white ppl telling us racist black jokes or from black ppl & they way they treat us.
i bet that's really why i hang out with black ppl - they are not typically racist. b/c of what they deal with incessantly, they do not just others on their appearance/skin color. ;)
that's more what i mean by "real".