whitewashing and whining.

[vikki]

Just boosting the signal on the topical subject, the recent racefail in the Supernatural/J2 Big Bang.

From one privileged white girl to another - elizah_jane talks about the importance of elucidating racism.
Like Clockwork - amonitrate talks about why the subject material is problematic and why this must be discussed

Comments

[vikki]

*nodsnods* I'm glad the links could be of help to you.

[lelek]

I know this isn't everyone's thing, but if you're interested in doing some re-education when it comes to race, I have a couple of book recommendations. Possibly little known fact: I study critical race theory. :D

So, the two books are Autobiography of a Blue-Eyed Devil by Inga Muscio, and The Heart of Whiteness by Robert Jensen. They're both by white people who are seriously legit. I could probably list about a dozen more books you should read, but those two are the ones I was told to start with and I like passing on good advice. No pressure, but if you do decide to check them out lemme know! I'd be interested to hear what you think. ♥

[vikki]

Thank you for the reading topics! I'll make sure to pick them up.

[lelek]

I'm glad! As I said, both books are good places for us white folk to start because, since they're written by other white folk, they're accessible. Then you can start getting into books by people like bell hooks and Angela Davis, who assume a more educated reader than either Inga or Jensen.

ALSO, I can't believe I forgot to link this: White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. That essay is really well-known and pretty short, but it's excellent. And online!

Um, I'll shut up and go away now before I get annoying. XD

[Edited for clarity]

[vikki]

Thank you for all this! And this link I've seen elsewhere but hadn't gotten around to reading, but it is so enlightening. Seriously. Even in talking about white supremacy and privilege I've been hard-pressed to define what that means, exactly, and this article does a great job of defining it. :)

Honestly, 'unpacking' the things that demonstrate white privilege makes me feel as though I have proper ground to stand on and work from. Of course I'm sure I'll make many more fail statements/fics/etc, but this is certainly a start in understanding my circumstances and the circumstances of others.

[dramaturgy]

Passive is such a misnomer

I tend to use the word 'latent', if that sits any better with you.

[vikki]

I like that word better. Thank you. :)

[kaitou_marina]

You know why racism as a topic sucks so bad for people like me (of privilege)? Nobody wants to be racist.

I'm trying to think of a polite way to say this, but none of this should ever be about how badly racism sucks for privileged people. Ever.

Edited because I misread something, but sentiment remains the same. It was a kneejerk reaction because I've seen way too many people being butthurt over being called racist recently, like it's the worst insult in the world.

[tobu_ishi]

*nods* I was disappointed in so many of my favorite authors during RaceFail'09. Somebody would call racism and they'd react as if they were the ones being attacked. Me, racist? How ever so dare you? I'll have you know I'm a perfectly nice person! You're just being too harsh!

Okay.

A) "Racist" is not an identity, it's a behavior. If you are being a racist, you can stop. It doesn't make you a bad person, just like sideswiping somebody's car because you were on your cell phone doesn't make you a bad person. What makes you a bad person is gunning the motor and racing away, instead of pulling over to exchange information and pay for the damages.

B) "Racist" is not an insult, it is a specific and relevant adjective. It is not like being called n***** or ch*** or any number of other epithets. It is not an attack on your whiteness, not that such an 'attack' could possibly hurt you as much as you like to imagine it would, or as much as whatever you did may have hurt somebody else

[tikimick]

You are 100% right. Thing is is that most people don't see it that way, and will automatically go on the defensive.

For me this entire thing is like a slap to my stupid white cheek. I used to be all 'man those Politically Correct kids are too politically correct! They need to loosen up!' And now I understand the PC kids knew where it was at.

[bard_linn]

"Racist" is not something you should try to disprove or escape. It's something you should try to own up to and address. If someone calls you out for acting racist, you probably are. Sit down, listen, find out what it was and then stop it.

Can I ask an honest question about this? Because this both confuses and bothers me.

The one time I was called racist in my life, I was asking a young, black teenage boy to sit down and do his work (I'm a teacher). He retorted that I was 'picking on him because he was Black'. Now, as a teacher I expect my students to sit in their seat and complete their assignments. I was not letting anyone else get away with this. The student was being disruptive. How does this make me racist?

I'm not asking to be smart or anything. I'm honestly trying to understand.

[tikimick]

Man. This is making me rethink my whole life. As a white privileged girl who grew up in a country filled with black and white privileged people (and poor Portuguese, black and white people), I'm still thinking "I'm not racist right? I make jokes but, those are just jokes! I know where to draw the line!? Don't I

[vikki]

People who are better at talking about racism than I am have said this everywhere I've seen: don't be apologist. Don't feel sorry for yourself. Suck it up, educate yourself, and don't let yourself or other people around you get away with racist language.

For God's sake, don't go talking about the subject with PoC, because they deal with it every day and they don't need you telling them about your internal struggle. What they deal with is much worse than anything we might feel about being racist.

I'm glad this post made you think, because that's what it's intended to do. Good luck! :)

A great link for further self-education.

[tikimick]

Yeah, I know. I don't feel sorry for myself really (why would I?). I just feel like an idiot for not noticing it XD I hadn't realized how deep racism actually runs in everyday life. Little things that have been put into our heads without us really taking a second look (the majority, really. Obviously there are some people who do notice). It's frustrating to actually see that most people think this way whether they notice it or not.

Also what's the PoC?

[vikki]

It is frustrating, and disheartening. =/

PoC = People of color. I am told this is the terminology that people who are not white have chosen to identify themselves by, and therefore the politically correct term.