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

[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.

[vikki]

People who are more educated on the subject will probably do a better job of responding to this than I do, but here's my opinion:

First, examine yourself. Do you find you single him out for disruptive behavior, or are faster to catch him in disruptive acts than others? It might be subconscious.

Second, look at it from his perspective. Maybe previous teachers have been especially harsh on him because he's a PoC. Maybe he notices. Maybe there are certain expectations that are different because he is a PoC.

Basically the rule I'm seeing everywhere is: the PoC gets the benefit of the doubt if they say something is racist.

[bard_linn]

I might have been faster to catch him, but that was because he had a habit of acting out - a long term problem if you will.

And I do consider that. My school is primarily white, and our black population has been dropping (though all of the other groups have been growing, actually). Which is part of the reason I try to be very, very careful with how I handle it.

On the other hand, these are also teenagers. And believe me when I say that some of them will say anything to get out of doing what they are supposed to. (You would not believe some of the tales I've overheard students telling each other so they could get out of work.) I think my bottom line is that racist isn't a word we should throw around casually.

[tobu_ishi]

If someone calls you out for acting racist, you probably are.

And that's why I included the 'probably'. The word "racist" can be thrown around for the wrong reasons, like any other word. But, honestly, from how you describe the situation? It sounds like you handled it just fine.

You didn't dismiss the accusation out of hand. It sounds like you did think about it and examine your actions. And in this case, it sounds like the accusation was ungrounded (and probably a case of a teenager trying to be difficult--if it wasn't "because he was Black", he would have come up with some other protest).

The fact that you actually sat down and thought honestly about it is important, though, and laudable. What drives me mad is the people who flinch so hard away from the possibility that they never consider their own conduct, and therefore if there was a problem in this or that particular case, it never changes.

[bard_linn]

I grew up in a mixed community, and have had friends of all different racial backgrounds, and I work very hard to keep my class a safe zone - I stomp all over kids when they call something 'gay' for stupid and they know better than to even /start/ with jokes about any group. So for me, being called 'rascist' was very painful. So I can emphasize with those people who feel attacked.

I haven't read all of the posts about this incident, by the way - I'm just thinking more in general.

[tobu_ishi]

*nods* I think what we have to remember more than anything is that being called 'racist' may hurt, but it mostly hurts our pride, y'know?

Whereas being treated in a racist way is not just painful, but life-altering and frustrating, and often impossible to get away from.

It's a matter of staying humble and keeping your priorities straight. Yes, it hurts to be called racist, but. "Feeling attacked" is still less nasty than what PoCs go through, in the end.

[vikki]

This is the topic that I'm trying to address, but I find your response much more succinct.