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Can only white people be racist?

By Staff 3 years ago

Defining and detecting “racism” is difficult. If I have negative thoughts about racial groups, but never express them or act on them, am I racist? If I’m an editor at a publication that publishes personal essays about life experience, if I primarily publish minority authors because I find the minority experience to be a rich subject for description, am I racist?

These questions could go on all day, with any one of a number of tricky edge cases illustrating that racism is a somewhat foggy concept, despite its perennial place in the national discourse. As a result, the divergence in extant definitions of “racism” is striking.

Currently, there appear to be two competing definitions of racism vying for mainstream popularity. The first is a classical, limited definition of racism: explicit prejudicial acts towards a person based on their (real or perceived) biological grouping. The second is inflected by concepts of social justice and power struggles: Racism is the exercise or expression of racially prejudicial societal power.

Under the second definition, it’s coherent to at least claim that white people are the only racists in America, because white people arguably hold the most institutional power. As Rohn Kenyatta writes in Black Agenda Report : “Racism, inherently, implies power; Black People in America have virtually no institutional power.” Similar claims are advanced by social justice oriented associations like the Alberta Civil Liberties Research Center , whose page links to other examples.

Now, the case gets thornier once we proceed to the individual level: If I’m a black judge and I’m racist towards a white convict, don’t I have institutional power? Does my grouping really matter in that case? Nevertheless, you could sensibly claim that whites have the plurality of institutional power, and thus inflect the justice system in ways that benefit their interests.

However, why muddy the waters by adding all of this conceptual weight to the word “racism?” Why not introduce another term to the lexicon and leave the original word alone? (Some progressives have done this by distinguishing “structural racism” from the plain article.) It seems like there’s only one practical reason to do this: to demonize a group of people because some of them hold the majority of institutional power, and excuse everyone who isn’t in that group. In other words, to make white people the bad guys.

Under the common-sense definition, matters are simpler. It is manifestly untrue that only whites commit racist acts in America. Beyond small-scale everyday racist incidents that go unrecorded, we can point to historical events like the 1991 Crown Heights riots , in which black residents violently retaliated against the local Jewish community after a local Rabbi accidentally struck and killed a black child with his car. A more recent example comes from 2017, when four black youths in Chicago tortured a white peer while chanting “F*** white people” while streaming the event on the Internet.

So, ultimately, the evaluation of this claim is simple. If you want to claim that anti-white racist acts don’t count as racism, then you need to radically change the definition of racism to villainize white people and excuse everyone else from culpability. But if you’re using plain language, everyone can be racist. And since racism only goes down, bigotry up is tacitly allowed, fostering division. The addition of the power dimension for racism has taken the eye off the legitimate inaccuracy and fallacy of bigotry. Since only whites can be racist and all whites are racist, anti-racism means anti white by these definitions

What do you think?

Do you think "having power" is required to be racist?

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58 comments

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0

With systemic racism, there is a dominant racist power dynamic: white supremacy. It's dominant because white people are the majority in population, wealth, and power, and they have written and preserved white supemacy (which, to state the obvious, causes harm to tens of millions of people) in the private and public policies and practices of this country since its inception. Yes, Black people can be racist against white people, but it does not have the same effect as anti-Blackness, because they are on the underside of that power dynamic. Moreover, the system actually incentivizes colorism--anti-Blackness by Black people.

In that case, places like Baltimore, Detroit, New Orleans, etc, should be largely free of racism and have thriving communities of color yes?

@AnomalousAnon1 Your point does not follow from the fact that systemic racism exists. The opposite, actually.

@WilyRickWiles That is because the idea of systemic racism is not prevalent in the US if it exists at all outside of any small, hick towns or inner cities.

When was the last time you were in West Africa? (I was there about three years ago and systemic racism remains prevalent there)

The fact is that extreme (and often ignorant) prejudice is exhibited around the globe, systemically in some locations. Live in any of those nations for a while, then come back and tell me how evil the US is.

You want social justice for slavery? Go fight for the forty some odd million slaves living in the world today. I would introduce you to the families of some, but their families were killed, and only those taken as slaves were kept alive, though doubtless, some would likely have preferred death.

You expect me to feel bad about the "racism" and "oppression" of "people of color" who by all standards, enjoy a better quality of life in the US than they do virtually anywhere else in the world? Not going to happen.

You find instances of racism that you can quantify, identify and that we can fight against, and yeah, I will stand next to you and help you to fight it. You want me to ignore reality for some fantasyland delusion? Not going to happen.

@AnomalousAnon1 Is this a fantasyland delusion to you (policing)? [washingtonpost.com]

@AnomalousAnon1 How about this (housing)? [wbez.org]

@AnomalousAnon1 How about this (education)? [news.wttw.com]

@AnomalousAnon1 That's just the last 50 years the created the status quo. I didn't even get into any workplace matters, banking, healthcare, private real estate, city planning of urban slums, etc. And of course people like MLK Jr. talked plenty about the problems before that. We had a consensus to address it, but white people threw a fit and Nixon stopped it in its tracks

@WilyRickWiles Statistically, and based on a per capita equation, white people are still more likely to be shot during an interaction with cops. Fact. (If you want to argue against qualified immunity, and holding cops to a higher account given that they are "endowed" with special rights and privileges in contradistinction to the Constitution, you have my support)

The problems you mention regarding education and housing are just as prevalent in the Appalachian mountains and many rural areas largely populated by white families and has everything to do with poverty and nothing to do with race. (Granted, this is still a problem that needs to be addressed, but not along mere racial lines that disenfranchise an equally large portion of the nation)

If the same democrat party that is so fervently supported by the American Communist Party, the People's Worker Party and other socialist and communist movements, had been in control, how long would it take to do away with the problems for all people? How long for people of color? Detroit has been run by democrats for decades, as have other cities. Given that the democrat party has ruled for decades, should social justice not be thriving in these areas? Should systemic racism not be anything but a memory?

In short, if your solutions are so great and do away with these problems, you should be able to give me an example of where they have been effective, especially if the policies you ostensibly support given your avatar, have been in place literally uninterrupted for decades. .

And curious, why no comment about entire villages being killed in order to enslave the young girls living there if you are so concerned with racism, slavery and social injustice?

@AnomalousAnon1 "Statistically, and based on a per capita equation, white people are still more likely to be shot during an interaction with cops."

No, statistically, there are more white people than Black people, therefore in absolute numbers more white people are shot by cops, but they have a lower probability of being shot by cops, because more Black people per capita are shot by cops.

@AnomalousAnon1 "The problems you mention regarding education and housing are just as prevalent in the Appalachian mountains and many rural areas largely populated by white families and has everything to do with poverty and nothing to do with race."

Yes, there are racial AND class disparities in this country and that is a reason for interracial working class solidarity. Only the elite in both parties benefits from racial division. Take it from the late Fred Hampton.

@AnomalousAnon1 "If the same democrat party that is so fervently supported by the American Communist Party, the People's Worker Party and other socialist and communist movements, had been in control, how long would it take to do away with the problems for all people?"

The Democrats are neoliberal. Privatization, austerity, disinvestment, and hard-line policing don't breed social justice. Socialists oppose them but recognize that they are slightly less bad than Republicans.

@AnomalousAnon1 "In short, if your solutions are so great and do away with these problems, you should be able to give me an example of where they have been effective, especially if the policies you ostensibly support given your avatar, have been in place literally uninterrupted for decades."

My avatar is a bit of a provocation, but what I'm really arguing for is social democracy, which has elements that have worked and continue to work here and across the globe. You presumably just prefer to uphold a false precarity in working and marginalized people's lives in order to boost the profits and social status of large corporations, the elite, and those in their patronage.

@AnomalousAnon1 "And curious, why no comment about entire villages being killed in order to enslave the young girls living there if you are so concerned with racism, slavery and social injustice?"

Why haven't I heard you comment on the case before the Supreme Court that threatens to shield US corporations from liability over complicity in child slavery? Probably because you still don't understand systems--all you see is color.

@WilyRickWiles You presume far too much while knowing very little, if anything about me at all.

Though in the interest of curiosity and hearing you out, please give me an example of where social democracy has worked. Please however, refrain from using the largely Nordic countries as by their own volition they are not socialist, and they also remain largely homogenous, which seems to be a point you are arguing against.

Per capita - Statistically. Yes, it remains true that a white person is more likely on a per capita basis, to be killed than a person of color will. At least according to the figures released by the FBI. Perhaps you have a better source for statistics.

And again we agree on the Establishment Elite and the American Aristocracy fighting to divide the people, and here you are walking right in willingly allowing we the people to be further divided, granting them more room. Why should I limit it to a single cause however, when there are a great many causes that adversely impact all of us as citizens? Is voting for someone "not as bad" ever going to provide viable solutions when they all work for the same monied interests? Change will only happen when we stand together.

May I suggest rather than seeking out the extremes, try working towards the middle, finding common ground, uniting with all people of all classes and all races and all colors, and standing together against quantified acts of oppression that adversely impact us all. You seek out race as your cause du jour or primary choice, rather than focusing instead on oppression that impacts an entire nation. Curious.

@AnomalousAnon1 My WaPo link had a number of studies showing Black people were more likely to be fatally shot by police. I'm guessing the FBI data shows the same--please show your source.

Social democracy means a mixed economy. Much of the developed world has government run healthcare. The US has it for retirees and veterans. The US also has a government-run postal service and a pension-like program in Social Security. It had more such programs in the past.

Even "libertarian" Singapore has a mixed economy, e.g. with highly-subsidized housing.

You're already familiar with the Nordic countries.

I'm sure you're familiar with the historical successes of Russia, China, and Vietnam.

Brazil had great success reducing poverty with its Bolsa Familia program under Lula.

Bolivia was an incredible economic success story under Evo.

Where socialism has failed, it has often been on the receiving end of US sanctions, coups, death squads, and bombings. We're still learning about what happened in places like Indonesia and Latin America.

Moreover, today much of the US and by extension world capitalist economy operates almost like a centrally planned economy but with privatized profits. Multinational billionaires rule rather than government officials, creating incentives at odds with people and places. The model of authoritarian corporate firms is practically mandated for publicly traded businesses. Banks, private equity, and corporations are capitalized by the Fed. Mass media is funded to produce state propaganda. Public research is sponsored and private research is subsidized. Defense companies operate on a contract basis for the federal government. And the system continues its increasing consolidation, platformization, and financialization.

I voted for La Riva by the way, though I did so understanding how our two-party system worked. I still wanted Biden to win, because it was the least bad of two possible outcomes.

I am working to find common ground, but I'm afraid it's not in the interest of capital to compromise with the working class. And I don't think the political center is where you probably think it is.

I speak about race because that is the topic here. Racism is a function of class oppression and not understanding it, unpacking it, and understand history makes it very difficult to find common ground with people who have been racialized and marginalized. The division has already been done and trying to understand what, why, how, for whom, and what solutions are needed should not be taken as further division.

@AnomalousAnon1 I admit that I crossed a line in impugning your beliefs, but that is because I generally assume bad faith around here. Apologies if I was wrong.

@WilyRickWiles

First allow me to address the corporate use of slave labor ... which occurs in countries like Vietnam, China, and other formerly communist nations. Yes, China claims to be communist, though like the others you mentioned in a separate portion of your comment, they only enjoyed those reforms after they began allowing portions of their economic systems to become more capitalist. If we still had the original founding documents, and still followed the structure as established, corporate charters would be withdrawn and the corporations legally shut down when they violated the laws. Apple, Nike and other corporations that scream about how much they promote social justice while at the same time exploiting and slave labor around the world. If you want to stand together and fight these injustices, all we have to do is go back to the original founding structure of the US. Their corporate charters should be pulled, but this is disregarded as an option, despite still being part of the law. Corporate and banking interests have bought and for politicians like so much political commodities openly traded as if they were on the stock market. I see no historical evidence that this practice ends with communism or any other regime. This also has nothing to do with color either, much less me caring one whit about color, class, race, proclivities or any other aspect of the personal lives of others that has no bearing on my life. If someone wants to dress up as a and live their lives like a , I do not care. If they want to force me to call them a or to allow them to urinate on my lawn, I have an issue with that.

Source: fbi.gov

Please show me where any of your suggestions other than the postal are constitutionally allowed? The powers of the federal government are mandated to be few and well defined but have been perverted as they continue to unlawfully usurp more powers. I would have no issues with such programs being implemented at the State or local level, as these would be both constitutional and more directly accountable to the people. Whether you are aware of it or not, the way the nation was established, you would have been perfectly legal to build your communist utopian dream at the local level the way our nation was founded. In fact, it was actually done, with a major communist influx into the US by communal socialist followers of Fourier (Fournier?) The German efforts were a little more successful than the French attempts, the Germans leaving legacies such as New Braunfels, Luckenbach and other communities in Texas. The republican form of government is only mandated at the federal and state level, but again, if any of these programs were implemented locally, I would certainly support them. Coming from a bloated and inefficient federal body exceeding its lawful authority, and using it to oppress the people, not so much.

US actions are not limited to sanctions, but again, this comes from a federal body that has far exceeded its lawful restrictions. Then again, I see this same behavior from other nations as well, most notably at present, the Chinese doing the same thing that America did back in the day with its one-belt, one road policies. (Read confessions of an Economic Hitman for that and I would also recommend the writing of Dr. Alfred W. McCoy) Do you think they will suddenly change their ways? Do you believe any national or federal government will suddenly wake up and become benevolent? Do you think Biden is going to wake up one day and return everything to the way it was built? Federal districts, the th Amendment, US citizens instead of denizens of the independent but united States, perversions of the commerce clause, unlawful usurpation of power, the bankruptcy act of 98, HJR2, these are the same problems in whatever form faced by many nations, not just in the US. These are global concerns faced because of global finance, not because of anything that resembles capitalism any more than it does your version of democratic socialism.

Finding common ground and mutual benefit is the precise purpose of a truly capitalist society, though what we have is not a free market society, not a capitalist society, nor even an oligarchy, but rather a system of corporate and mostly financial interests, seeking to take over the world. Crazy conspiracy talk though, right?

Again, these are not problems unique to the US, though the US people seemed, until recently at least, the best hope the world had. That aside, focusing solely on a single subject is not seeking to find common ground by any stretch of the imagination. I agree about the importance of understanding history and what goes on behind the scenes in government, but do you honestly believe that the proverbial (financial) powers that be will allow any government to suddenly wake up benevolent and focusing on the needs of the people?

Race was the topic of the original post, and as you may have noted, I too am concerned with the history and the future of our reality, and I do believe our conversation has exceeded the somewhat, or comparatively at least, restricted views expressed in the original post.

How well do you know the history? How far up out of the rabbit hole will you dare to venture? By focusing on any singular subject in a complex and systemic issue, you are allowing the chasm to widen, accomplishing nothing in terms of bridging it. Find people of differing views, and see how many have the testicular fortitude to address the systemic nature of the problems, and to determine viable and meaningful solutions. That is the only way anything will ever change for the better. And for the record, I would rather have a meaningful conversation and not apologies. Despite the fact that the majority of the world remains willfully ignorant and apathetic, does not mean everyone does.

*white supremacy. It's dominant because white people are the majority in population, wealth, and power, and they have written and preserved white supemacy (which, to state the obvious, causes harm to tens of millions of people) in the private and public policies and practices of this country since its inception

@WilyRickWiles Why are Asians and Jews more successful than Whites, in majority-White countries, if #WhiteSupremacy is an institution in such countries? Are Asians and Jews simply better at defeating White Supremacist policies? How can we teach disadvantaged groups how to defeat White Supremacy like Asians and Jews do? Or is White Supremacy just a really ineffective policy?

@ZuzecaSape There's a history of different ethnicities becoming white, e.g. the Irish through policing and intermarriage. That has happened with Jewish people, to some extent with Asians (though they certainly don't have much power in this country), and it is starting to happen with Latinos. But only enough will be integrated into the white supremacist project to maintain their hold on power.

12

And even if it did, we've had a black President, a black Attorney General, there are black Governors and many black Mayors and we have many blacks in Congress and state legislatures. Not to mention black Police Chiefs, black Generals and black leaders in medicine, academia and technology.

So, there is LOTS of blacks in charge of the institutions that were historically claimed to be seats of racial suppression.

@TheMiddleWay Percentages mean nothing, for example, we've had no women Presidents despite women being 51% of the population.

When you get to the top of any career, or industry, you have to understand the decades that took to get there. And the foundations necessary to help build a career. Pelosi has been at the top of the Democrat party for years and decades as part of the leadership - though never ran for President. Blacks have represented Republican districts for more than 100 years, not so much Democrat ones.

Just because a group has existed doesn't mean that it should be perfectly, or even close, to being represented in a group. I'd wager that blacks do not equal 13% of doctors....here, let me check...

....why 5%. I wonder why? Maybe because education is FROWNED upon in the black community?

The percentage of any group relative to their population size is not a good indicator of 'sufficient diversity' when many other factors go into the makeup of a group....

@TheMiddleWay Oh, I don't know. I know there is more flour than eggs in a bread recipe - doesn't mean I should add more eggs, or take away flour. You do understand the physical density of the specific fruits has an impact on the fruit salad? Too many apples to bananas results in a 'harder' salad than the reverse?

Relative merit, relative interest, relative innate skills can all have an impact on relative diversity, depends on the issue.

I live in a senior complex with 91 others - it is 70% female and 30% black. Both higher percentages than the surrounding community. There are NO women that are interested in politics. None of the blacks are engaged (I asked about a dozen the names of our Senators or Congresswoman, none knew. I asked them to name the Presidents of their adult lives, none could. Granted such questions might be too simplistic, but then they all voted for Biden so I asked them to name a position Biden had - this was over the summer into the fall. None could except a general - he cares more and is smarter.)

I will take Baltimore as an example:

Black or African American: 62.46%
White: 30.45%

Of Baltimore City’s 39 High Schools, 13 had zero students proficient in math.
Digging further, we found another six high schools where one percent tested proficient.

Those numbers were from 2017, but a report for 2019/20 indicated that the overall percentage of 14% for the high schools was up to 17%.

I have argued for years that the number one indicator for student success was: parental involvement regards of school performance. I stand by that argument.

I AM making a broad generalization about black commitment to education - I don't see it in the overall community. In some parts, yes, but not overall. BTW, I would point you to the Dalton School issue currently going on in NYC.

Disparity in population is not evidence of inequality. It MIGHT be. It is simplistic to suggest economic issues are driving the disparity. I used the refugees from SE Asia in the 70s into the 80s as my example: they lacked knowledge of the language, they were generally from uneducated/unskilled populations, they were placed into poor communities with marginal schools yet by the first generation they dominated high school achievement in their communities and the State of California. Education was paramount to the families. I made similar arguments about the black communities in Chicago that surrounded the University of Illinois at Chicago, where I was a student in the late 80s. I was raised on the Southside of Chicago, attended city public schools.

Nearly all of under- and low-performing Chicago high schools are on the South Side and sit in or border the city’s poorest census tracts [the black neighborhoods]

There are examples of blacks succeeding despite having come from low income/poverty level families in cities.

Last point - I am NOT interested in diversity for diversity's sake. I don't believe it has any impact on the quality of an organization. I am the first generation of immigrant parents and fully support LEGAL immigration as beneficial to our Nation (skimming the cream of the crop of other countries might not be good for those other countries, but great for us!).

@TheMiddleWay >I would hardly consider 0.5% of our presidents or 2% of our current governors (for example) as being black as a metric by which to claim we've surpassed racial suppression

Good point. Which makes me wonder why Jews are constantly pressing the narrative that they're oppressed when they're arguably the most over-represented ethnic group in high-prestige, high-earning, -high-power fields such as politics, finance, media, medicine, science, and law.

Why is that? Isn't the fact Jews represent 2% of the US population but 6% of Congress, 8% of the Senate, 15% of the cabinet, and 22% of the Supreme Court an indicator that antisemitism is practically non-existent?
[jta.org]

@TheMiddleWay At what point does anecdotal become data?

Like studies showing women make less than men, the devil is in the details. Diversity doesn't, by itself, change the dynamics of an organization...

@TheMiddleWay I accept that diversity matters in a corporation - and can lead to more profitability, less so at the board and customer facing positions - where innovation drives profitability. More diverse thinking in innovation is highly desirable. As an econ major with heavy stats background, I understand the problem with studies (similar to our discussion on modeling) - but don't discount the effort made to quantify human behavior....

@tracycoyle "....why 5%. I wonder why? Maybe because education is FROWNED upon in the black community?"
Exactly. Black people used to even joke about that very issue before it wasn't PC to joke about that stuff, or to point out their own failings. But that is not White People's fault, and I'm tired of being blamed for their issues.

If education is frowned upon in the black community, how does that make me racist if I don't want my kids to go to school with other kids whose goal is to NOT learn, or not hire a black person who is uneducated or unqualified? Lower our standards? Really?

If this were a group of white people we were talking about it would not even be a topic of conversation. It's obvious you shouldn't send your kids to school with problem kids, your kids won't learn. It's obvious you don't hire someone not qualified for the job.

I'm not going to sacrifice myself or my kids just to look PC or to make black people feel better about being where they are. I will continue to live up to the standards that we've created and the standards that have built a Nation, or I should say, the standards that have built the entire 1st world.

8

My own experience has taught me that racism itself definitely knows no race; it can affect anyone of any race. For example, for part of my childhood I was a member of the only white family in an all black neighborhood. There were a couple of old white ladies that lived in the area, but we were the only other white people, and we were the only family. I and my three siblings lived with my father there, and later with my father and stepmother, and I often experienced attacks against me simply because I was white. I was called every name they could think of (the terms honky and cracker being prominent ones), and I was often threatened and sometimes assaulted. Groups would often follow me home from school deriding and threatening me. On at least one occasion a very large group surrounded our house throwing rocks at the house and shouting threats at us, but, thankfully, the police were able to disperse them before things got really bad. This was during my formative years in the early seventies, but finally my father and stepmother were able to afford to move us away from there and into a better neighborhood and school system.

Sadly, I was eventually bused right back into an even worse situation that I had previously left behind, and I ended up being one of a very few white kids in an all black school, at which I once again experienced being on the receiving end of racism. Now, I'm not saying that I never saw any racist words or actions from white people toward black people during those years. My own maternal grandfather could be a pretty racist guy. My father, however, would not allow any racist attitudes in our family. He had been an ardent supporter of MLK and the Civil Rights Movement, and he constantly pointed out that we could not judge a whole race because of the actions of a few. One of his very best friends was a black man, a man who often took me and my siblings on outings so that my father and stepmother could be alone together. He was kind of like an uncle to us. We also had many good black friends in our church, which uniquely (at least at that time) had a mix of both white and black families. Anyway, my experience taught me that racism existed among both white and black people (as well as among other groups) and that there were also very good people -- people who are not racist -- among other races as well. So, I know quite well that it is not only white people who can be racist. The very notion is one of the more stupid lies I think I've ever heard. All people are sinners, and all sinners are capable of just about any sin, including racism.

Oh, and by the way, NO ONE liked forced busing! At least not that I can recall.

@KeithThroop I'm sorry you had to endure that.

@ZuzecaSape That video certainly brings back memories of the time.

@KeithThroop I'm sorry. 🙁

@ZuzecaSape I appreciate the sympathy, but I'm quite fine. I have gotten past the problems I experienced growing up. I now find the memories more helpful than hurtful for the most part.

@KeithThroop Forgiveness frees us from the burden of resentment.

I, on the other hand, am happy to bear that burden for the sake of the survival of my Volk. If it had been a sacrifice that bore the fruit that was intended (i.e., racial harmony), I could let it go, but our goodwill has only been repaid with animosity and spite. I, for one, have no qualms returning the sentiment.

@ZuzecaSape You raise good points. For my part, I have forgiven past hurts and moved on, but I do understand that we cannot simply overlook continued spiteful and unforgiving behavior from others involved.

Thank you for sharing your personal experience. I have been there from the black perspective when other black people unprovoked ridicule white people in a whole and I dislike it. I have also been around black people who didn't not care what you looked like. Like you said, it goes both ways.

I think my current issue is that it is perfectly acceptable within the black community to say whatever hatred you want about another race and no one will call you out on it in fear of being called a racist. I am hoping for this type of mindset to one day disappear.

I can't remember who said it but the one was something like "Racism was on life support but people are trying to resurrect it". The issues of the past are for the most part long gone because we've progressed past that point....it's just that some people want us to keep living in the past so they can manipulate and manufacture victims.

5

Institutional power is the basis of racism?
The highest institutional office in the United States is President.
The President of the United States was a black man for 8 years.
During those 8 years only black people could possibly be racist.
Now, only orange people can be racist...

5

Just remember that white, mentally challenged homeless guy being beaten by the black cop in Baltimore is oppressing that cop.

When someone tries to convince me that such absurdities are in fact real, and fail to see the hypocrisy or idiocy of their comments, it is challenging to find logical or reasonable common ground to commence an actual conversation.

Unless someone is arbitrarily redefining words to control the conversation, anyone can be racist.

"Unless someone is arbitrarily redefining words to control the conversation, anyone can be racist."

That is exactly what is being done. "Control the conversation," to the extent that no discussion is permitted questioning the redefinition of words. To the extent that even discussing certain topics gets you censored, if not banned, from certain social media sites.

The woke progressive narrative is not an invitation for discussion, but dogma for which there is only strict compliance or heretical disobedience. Witness woke progressives like JK Rowling or Sarah Silverman, people who drank deeply of the Kool-Aid, but erred in stepping one toe out of line and were cancelled for their troubles. 99.9% adherence is NOT strict compliance, and so the wokerati punished them.

4

BLM calls for the death of white people because they are white, is this not racist? and if it is then the question has been truly answered has it not?

3

I’m reality, biases are characteristic of all humans. In the fantasy world of woke-progressive thinking, however, whites, especially American whites, are the only group deserving of condemnation.

Robin DiAngelo is getting rich saying all whites are racists, even if most of them lack the self-awareness to realize it. DiAngelo and other woke-progressives, hard-pressed to find instances of real racism, have instead “invented” completely new forms of the scourge, like unconscious bias, and structural or institutional racism. Conveniently, all of these are invisible and impossible to disprove. We just have to take their word for it.

The sad truth is that the black community has always been mercilessly exploited, not by some secret army of southern supremacists, but by woke academics like DiAngelo, who traumatize young blacks by feeding them a steady, frightening and false message of helpless victimhood.

3

Any person who has had experiences with people of other races is going to have opinions about people of those races. We build associations based upon our experiences and observations of people of different races. Those experiences and observations cause a certain amount off pre-judgment when we meet or see someone of that race. Thus we all are ""racist" to a degree.
Any who deny they are at least somewhat racist are not aware of their own biases.

3

I believe that all races can be racist. One current example is Joe Biden's choice for the DOJ Civil Rights Division leader: Kristen Clarke. Kristen Clarke is a black woman who was president of the Black Students Association at Harvard. In 1979, she co-authored a letter to the Harvard Crimson saying that blacks are superior in both physical and mental abilities, because of the melanin in their skin. This debunked theory (which still has followers to this day) is called the Melanin Theory. Joe Biden is a white man who has supported policies that have harmed black people, such as the Biden-Roth which he co-sponsored in 1977. Joe Biden did not want black students to attend white schools; so he said he was against buses being directed to transport black students to better schools in predominately white neighborhoods. I am thinking that Joe Biden is attempting some sort of "reparations" appointing a black racist as the Department of Justice's head of the Civil Rights Division.

Those that yell racism are the most racist!

3

Coming from a South Asian & completely non-white background there is one thing I'd like to address and that is the title 'Can only white people be racist'?
My reply to this is a massive NO, and I have come across plenty of non-white people who are racist-towards another group, be it white, or non-white.
Nobody can ever convince me that only white people are racist, and I have never believed such nonsense in my entire life.
If we're going to talk about 'whites must be racist' due to the power they hold, due to their positions within society, due to all the priveledges they've been given, then we might as well nit-pick and spend our entire lives seeing every-damn-thing as racist.
Asian people live in western countries and many of them are in high paying jobs, it's the norm for Asian parents to want their children to go to University and obtain degrees and obtain higher paying jobs.
Power struggles are going to be there, if you allow them to enter your life.
Some people like to complain about USA being racist and people of colour struggling, well makes me wonder...
If America is (or was) as racist as people claim it is/was then answer me this:
Why then was Madam C. J Walker (a black lady) the first female millionaire in the USA, despite being made an orphan and with very limited choices in life?
She worked her way up-which shows determination, perseverance, discipline and a willingness to succeed.
If she'd held limiting beliefs, such as those supported by BLM, she probably wouldn't have gotten to where she got to!

3

I guess nobody here has ever seen nor heard of incidents where "Teens" (code for Black people) rampaged through county fairs, beaches, shopping malls, upscale places of restaurants attacking and harassing, terrorizing as many White people as they can. They beat, verbally attack, steal things like purses, watches, wallets - basically they blitz "White places" with intent and they terrorize all in the name of asserting their perceived justification for having been slaves...ridiculous.

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Every human being is racist. I am racist, I don't want to be, I try not to be, but it is there. I am an old white male who was brought up in an all-white, non-ethnic suburban neighborhood. Anyone displaying ethnic behavior or look were immediately seen as being suspicious. And so it goes with all human beings that are brought up where the people who look like, dress like and act like them are what is right and anything outside that norm is somehow not quite right. (Look at those stupid people on the other side of the river. They wear their baseball caps backwards, not bill forward as things should be.)

It is a hangover instinct from our hunter/gatherer days where it allowed our group to better survive. We have developed too fast to grow out of it yet.

@Pand0ro Would you care to explain why the Black-White achievement gap has persisted in spite of a half century of intensive economic, educational, and social interventions to bring Blacks up to speed?

@ZuzecaSape Because the dominant culture, no matter what race, makes sure that a sub-culture does not have access to the same opportunities. We of course have laws that state that everyone is equal before the law, but it is obvious that things don't work that way in everyday life. In most societies the sub-culture becomes involved in criminal enterprise because that is where there is money available to them. I am in no way excusing the sub-culture for criminal behavior. There is no quick and easy fix. The best way would be for the sub-culture to accept the surrounding conditions and form groups that inspire discipline to help raise the standards of their community without relying on the behavior of the dominant culture.

@Pand0ro How do you explain race tendencies that transcend cultures and continents? Is White Supremacy to blame for Africa's failure to thrive? If so, why does only Africa fail while Asians and Jews thrive in this allegedly environment of global #WhiteSupremacy? Could #AsianSupremacism become the White Supremacy of the 21st Century?

@ZuzecaSape I don't know which things you are talking about meant to bring black students "up to speed." School choice is one area where black students have not been given the same opportunities as white students. Joe Biden is against school choice because he is against using buses to allow school choice for black students (Biden-Roth 1977). Jim Abourezk, a Democrat, penned a book about a decade after leaving public office that detailed the battle over busing sponsored Biden and Roth (a Republican) and how Abourezik ultimately defeated the . School choice should be one area that Democrats and Republicans support, IMO.

@JChaknova Busing is only a small part of the problem. The ugly fact is there is strong racial division in America. It is mainly the white culture that is causing it in their refusal to recognize that everyone is equal before the law. Certainly not all white people but enough to drive the dysfunction of racism. We are stuck with de facto segregation that will not change for a long time. I would like for some charity or organization to build a fund of a few million dollars and go to black community leaders to set up a pilot project where the leaders work out how best that money can be used to secure and economically revive a black neighborhood. No connection with the government, strictly directed by residents and leaders. There is too much headwind to be able to rely on the government.

@JChaknova I support vouchers for private education in place of public education.

@ZuzecaSape You should be able to figure that out by yourself. Everybody has equal opportunity and is equal before the law, on paper. Why do people interviewing for a job often get passed over for job when they are found to be black. After centuries of segregation in fact and de facto blacks have been forced to live in separate communities. Those black people who have broken out of the cycle are few and not representative of the overall trend. Would a famous wealthy black athlete be welcome in a white gated community? Probably. Would his trainer be welcome there? Probably not. Most black people are still being blocked from full participation in life. It is one of the reasons why there is so much crime in their communities. That being said protests and insistence on white communities to change their behavior are useless. There will have to be a movement in the black community to repress crime, make education and achievement a prime goal and attractive to young people. The impetus must come from within the community and not rely on white support.

@Pand0ro >There will have to be a movement in the black community to repress crime, make education and achievement a prime goal and attractive to young people.

I agree, but that movement doesn't need white people or white communities to do that.

3

Idi Armin Took power in Uganda in 1971.
He is believed to have massacred 300000 civilians while in power.
He killed those who were not of his tribe.
For his special enemies he had their heads frozen so he could lecture them on their failings.
He also hated the chinese. The lucky ones got out.
He is in a . He hates others in other groups. He hates others of differing ethnicities. All his makes him a racist and monster
Anyone who discriminates by race is a racist. Makes no difference what race they are.
Armin also discriminates by group. Also an evil thing. It gives those full of malice the opportunity to bring harm to others while claiming to fight the good fight.

3

Complaints of racism in America is about 150 years too late. Even during the 60's civil rights movement, there were more whites who agreed with MLK, with many joining the marches, so there's that. Look at the blacks in SA today killing off white South Afrikaaners, by the way. Here the blacks are the racists, and it is institutional, as the Black SA government is pushing for it. I'm Filipino, by the way, all the way from the 🇵🇭

In South Africa the leaders of the #EFF & the #ANC (Mandela's terrorist org) government are turning a blind eye to the brutal murders of whites because they are white!

These "leaders" who refer to whites are racist!!

#StopTheWhiteGenocideInSouthAfrica

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No I do not think so in where I live people have met are so nice in the United Kingdom. Its basically all about treating people respectfully equally and fairly.

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Only the gullible or simply uninformed will let racism be thought of in terms of "critical-race-theory." Such thinking is not critical because it does not examine itself; it's not theoretic because theory directly implies the need for proof and objective verification; it's not about race except as an object manipulated by "societal power." But this re-definition allows racist behavior to be acceptable, political enemies to be smeared, and low information voters to be swayed. It is a tool of propaganda and political control.
We should also note that the only power it does not object to is the power its proponents seek--a very convenient rhetorical property for totalitarians to own. To be explicit, racism is a set of behaviors not an intellectual construct. Critical Race Theory is based on a lie, and is unworkable and damaging.

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A ridiculous supposition. I am white and have traveled extensively, and live in "multicultural" Australia. I have experienced racism towards myself from Asian, Arabic, Aboriginal and African-cultural groups in my own home country, in addition to experiencing racism towards myself and my partner while traveling in India.

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Merit is the way to go. A person's ability, their demeanor, their intelligence, their intent, the way they connect. Lets try an experiment. Hide a person's skin colour and interview them based on their ability to communicate effectively, their intelligence etc. Take skin colour out of the picture entirely. Then no argument can be made about racism.

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Racism is one form of bullshit that is used to control. Find any group and you will find bias toward other groups. I will defend my family before I help others.
As for the rest some people are worth knowing and some not.

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Simply asking this question is complete idiocy.

Racism is unfortunately a fairly natural human condition. It has always existed in some form. In the current society we are getting extreme and unchecked racism from certain segments of the black community who have been given the OK to do so much of the media and certain politicians. When that happens it can only awaken an enhanced racism on the part of targeted whites against blacks as a due matter of course.

Racism can only be tackled in America when the media and the Holywood luvies and the politicians start punishing racists across the board and not just vilifying the white people who are under current social attack. Otherwise it's fair game on all fronts. Racism will always be here so long as you allow it, and enforcing idiotic and untrue BLM rhetoric only supports and encourages it.

Only a condition that is born and bred in the USA. No other country goes on so much about this topic.

2

I love my Volk. I've been told that makes me a racist because I hate those things that threaten my Volk. If my love for my people is racism, then I'm gladly racist.

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"Why not introduce another term to the lexicon and leave the original word alone?"

This is the crux of the argument. It is not by accident that critical race theorists chose to redefine an existing term rather than invent a new one; they WANT the confusion that doublespeak causes, because they know that resistance to being called racists plays into the narrative that whites actually ARE racist and as such, intentionally refuse to give up their "institutional power."

Conversely, telling non-whites that they are incapable of being racist socially frees them from the consequences of committing acts of bigotry towards whites, the result being more anti-white rhetoric being openly spoken and written about.

The question we should be asking is, "what end are critical race theorists hoping to achieve through this confusion?" I think it's too simplistic to assume that they believe a Marxism is a panacea for all the social issues plaguing non-whites (as well as many whites); the historical evidence simply isn't there. There is no successful model to follow. So what is the end goal then?

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It really does come down to the definition. If we are talking the USA, and institutionalized racism, then yes it really only applies to white people, because they are the majority and have power and privilege. Just as saying if we are discussing institutionalized sexism in the USA, it only applies to men. USA institutionalized religious bigotry - only Christians.

If we talk about the "ism" in general, as in racism is being prejudiced based on race, then yes any race is capable of being racist towards another.

Institutionalized racism is a farce!
It is a way to pretend a of people have guilt because of their race. And that view is blatantly racist.

It really does come down to the definition ... or people arbitrarily and selectively changing definitions in order to fit any given circumstance and bend it to fit their "argument" when reality is not on their side.

Apparently institutionalised racism is simple a fallacy.
Only Democrats and Progressives believe in it to support their wacky opinions.

@JacksonNought I'll pose the same question to you that I did to @WilyRickWiles

If institutionalized racism exists, why are Asians and Jews more successful than Whites, in majority-White countries, if #WhiteSupremacy is an institution in such countries? Are Asians and Jews simply better at defeating White Supremacist policies? How can we teach disadvantaged groups how to defeat White Supremacy like Asians and Jews do? Or is White Supremacy just a really ineffective policy?

Do you have any concerns about Asian Supremacy?

@ZuzecaSape Jews are white.

@JacksonNought We disagree on that. I used to believe Jews were White, until Jews started saying they weren't White because being White no longer conferred the privileges it used to. You of all people should know there's a healthy debate in the Jewish community about whether Jews are White.

However, you and another Jew I know claim Jews are White. That's fine with me. Jews can call themselves anything they want. I side with the Jews who say they aren't White.
[forward.com]

@ZuzecaSape as a Jew, I identify as White. When there is an ethnicity section on a form, there is no "Jew" box to check. I've never come across a Jew (at least an American born Jew) who doesn't identify as White - just anti-Semites who call Jews non-White in order to "other" them and keep their racial purity / white supremacy free of Jews. Not accusing you of that, just saying that has been my experience. And even if Jews don't consider themselves White in a technical capacity, they are still "White-passing" meaning they will be perceived as White and given similar privilege. Obama is technically White, as he is half, yet his whole life he has been perceived as purely Black. I have a friend who is mostly Italian, with some Native American ancestry, but he looks like he is Black and is perceived as such. Institutionalized racism isn't always strictly genetics - it is also how you are perceived.

I ask you to watch these videos to see how Institutionalized Racism, even if not in in the letter of the law today, still causes impacts today.

Even our current president has been part of a lawsuit in the 70's for taking measures to prevent renting to Black people.

@JacksonNought If there were a "Hebrew" box on the census, would you check it?

>>I've never come across a Jew (at least an American born Jew) who doesn't identify as White

I have, but not personally. I had a Jewish acquaintance I once asked point-blank if Judaism was a race or a religion and he said, "Both." (he was orthodox, if that matters). Since then I've come to understand #Judaism as an "ethno-religion".

My beef with Jews calling themselves White is rooted in the #MyFellowWhitePeople meme, in which Jews admonish Whites - as "fellow white people" to do something that is arguably disadvantageous to Whites, then are later found to disavow their previously professed White identity. If you want to identify as White, be my guest, but backing out of that identity when it's inconvenient - saying, "Oh, I'm not White! I'm Jewish!" - is disingenuous at the very least, especially if one has used that "white" identity to cut down their "fellow" Whites.

I'll watch the videos.

@ZuzecaSape yes, Judaism is both a religion and an ethnicity. Anyone can practice the religion of Judaism, just as anyone can practice Christianity. Anyone can even be culturally Jewish - if your parents convert before you are born, you are technically considered a Jew through heritage, just as being adopted by Italian parents can make you raised with Italian culture, regardless of your actual bloodline. And then Judaism, or "Hebrew" is an actual ethnicity with unique genetic markers. I am one of the whitest people you can come across, but my DNA test came back 100% Ashkenazi Jew.

There could be Jews considered non-White, depending on other factors and darker skin tones (perhaps Jews currently born in Israel even), but most I would still consider White or at least White-passing. I would disagree with people like the one you posted saying they are not White... though I understand his context - it was mostly White Christian Anglo-Saxons who came to America and stole the land from Native Americans, whereas many Jewish Europeans came after while fleeing persecution. Though he is still White.

Perhaps it is a problem of being lumped in completely with all White people, as White Jews are considered a minority which faces oppression compared to White Christians, especially in America and Europe with anti-Semitism, but that does not change the fact that they are still White.

@JacksonNought I'll have to do some deeper investigation into #redlining. I have a hunch the video is glossing over details to push a narrative. For instance, ostensibly redlining was a means of determining the level of security for real-estate investments. Given POC were likely the lowest wage earners, it serves to reason areas predominated by POC would be redlined as these were the lowest income and most likely to default. 1:55 says people in redlined districts weren't any more likely to default, but maybe they didn't default because lenders were extra careful about lending to only the best candidates in redlined areas. When Freddie Mac started lending willy-nilly, it resulted in the subprime mortgage crisis. Maybe people in redlined districts didn't get loans because they couldn't afford homes. Also, it doesn't seem like ending this practice did much to improve the situation. Segregation is still rampant and formerly redlined districts still impoverished. 🤷♂️

I'm just spitballing because the video isn't intended to answer questions like these as much as it's intended to push a narrative.
[en.wikipedia.org]

As for the second video, why is desegregation the goal? I think originally it was thought that the reason POC weren't achieving as much as Whites was because they didn't have access to the same schools and resources Whites did in racially segregated neighborhoods. So we forced integration and what changed? Not much. Many immigrants lived in and preferred ethnic enclaves where there was safety and community. It should come as no surprise that Blacks congregated together in cities during the Great Migration to facilitate safety and build a unique identity. I would argue that actually worked. Black-only universities, schools, and communities were means of building themselves up. Money stayed in the community. Wealth was generated. Then well-meaning (?) outsiders pushed integration. Some ethnicities (e.g., Asians) did really well. The Black community, however, fell flat on its face. People complain about #WhiteFlight, but I would argue #BlackFlight - enabled by desegregation - drew more money out of the Black community than anything else. Affluent Blacks moved to White neighborhoods and the money that circulated in the community during segregation vanished.

So, I guess you could say I have my doubts about the narrative being pushed in those videos. If people want to integrate, let them; but if they want to remain separate, allow that as well. Neither should be forced.

@adriaan23 No, it's exactly not about individual guilt. It is about a system that works in a discriminatory manner.

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We need to accept that hurting someone’s feelings which constitutes the most common accusations of racism depends on how sensitive is the person complaining. Films like Gone With The Wind that have been banned or as we say cancelled may be hurtful to overly sensitive people. It will be impossible to ban or restrict films, books or words based on perhaps someone could be offended. Racism in truth is physical or financial harm inflected with malice.

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I don't think racism is only a trait of the people of European/Caucasian aspect. In fact, white people, to called them in that way, are quite neutral in that aspect now.

Let me give a couple of examples of flagrant racism in the black communities.

White and Asian men and women usually can date outside of their communities without much backslash from their communities. Conversely, it is globally accepted in the black communities that is natural to ostracize black men dating women of European or Asian ancestry. Usually black women cannot even do that without being expelled out of their families. This for me is not only an accepted form of racism, but promotion of racism as a cultural trait.

Another symptom of the same racism becomes manifest when one realize that, unlike at USA, people in UK speaks with the accent of their social economic group and not of their race, if that exist at all. The very idea that black communities have a parallel culture and language, independent of the rest of the USA, spells a form of racism disguised as self-isolation.

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Racism can only originate in the mind. What is racism? It's any individual acting on the premise of race alone, however that term is defined by that individual.

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