Editorial by Ijeoma Oluo at The Establishment.
I found this to be a really interesting and thought-provoking editorial. There are a lot of different points addressed, but the main one seems to be this: If youre a white ally in the fight for racial injustice, you (and by you, I mean I) need to leave your (my) ego at the door.
To elaborate, I want racial/sexuality/gender equality because its the decent thing, but I wont lie - theres a small part of me that craves validation for that choice. To borrow a phrase from people of color, I occasionally feel like I should be commended as one of the good ones. Its an embarrassing and petty thing to admit, but its there, and its not going to get better if I ignore it.
See, when people say stuff like, Im done talking about these issues with white people or Straight people dont understand XYZ, I feel a little hurt and defensive, because I feel like Im being thrown under the bus as part of that group when Im actually on the right side. But when I dig further and do some introspection, I know that this reaction is bullshit for two reasons:
1. Im an adult capable of rational thought, so I know that this person doesnt mean ALL white or ALL straight people. And if I truly feel like this characterization doesnt apply to me, then I should be mature enough to move on without needing them to qualify their statement with except for Viewt.
2. Im not focusing on the real injustice. After all, those statements come from insane frustration that I have no frame of reference for. Instead of being angry that my white fragility wasnt coddled, I should be angry about the experiences that got them so frustrated that theyd make that statement.
What I do now is, when I see a person of color, or a gender/sex minority, or another person of an oppressed class say something impassioned or incendiary that offends me, I take a minute and think, If I was in their position, would I feel differently? And the answer is usually no. As a straight white man, society allows me to feel outraged and righteous and loud without attributing labels like uppity or bitchy and such. If I had to deal with a tenth of what some of you deal with, Id be much angrier, more cynical person. But because of the fortune of my birth, I have this privilege. If youre white, you have it, too. So lets stop pretending it doesnt exist, and put it to good use. As the article says:
Ultimately, when it comes to the fight for racial injustice, Ive come to understand just how important it is to listen instead of lecture, and to think about the big picture before squabbling about something thats maybe-kinda-offensive to me as a white guy.
What do you guys think?
Are you still reeling in shock at the presidential election results? Are you pulling at your hair wondering, How did this country get so racist?? Are you posting statuses about how it is now time to come together to fight racism in the face of current political threats? Have you found yourself saying, Well, at least this administration is waking people up.
Hi! I see you there! Welcome to the anti-racism movement. I know you were kind of hoping to sneak in the back of class in the middle of this semester and then raise your hand in a few days to offer up expert opinion like youve always been here  but youve been spotted, and I have some homework for you, because youve missed A LOT and we dont have the time to go over it all together. Im glad you are here (I mean, Id really rather you arrived sooner and Im a little/lot resentful at how often we have to stop this class to cover all the material for people who are just now realizing that this is a class they should be taking, but better late than never I guess) and I know that once you catch up, you can contribute a lot to the work being done here.
If you are just now feeling the urgency of the need to fight systemic racism, chances are, you are white. I know, I know  Im starting off with blanket assumptions about you and that doesnt feel good; you literally dont have to tell me about it, Im quite familiar! But seriously, you are probably white or white passing (yes, Im aware that Ben Carson and Lil Wayne exist and some people of color are capable of holding on to baffling amounts of denial, but I do not have whatever power it would take to break through that level of delusion so lets just stick with new white folk). Ive written down this handy list of things that youve missed so far that youre going to need to catch up on, on your own time. This knowledge and preparation will not only make your fight against racism more effective, it will allow us to continue our progress as you catch up.
I found this to be a really interesting and thought-provoking editorial. There are a lot of different points addressed, but the main one seems to be this: If youre a white ally in the fight for racial injustice, you (and by you, I mean I) need to leave your (my) ego at the door.
To elaborate, I want racial/sexuality/gender equality because its the decent thing, but I wont lie - theres a small part of me that craves validation for that choice. To borrow a phrase from people of color, I occasionally feel like I should be commended as one of the good ones. Its an embarrassing and petty thing to admit, but its there, and its not going to get better if I ignore it.
See, when people say stuff like, Im done talking about these issues with white people or Straight people dont understand XYZ, I feel a little hurt and defensive, because I feel like Im being thrown under the bus as part of that group when Im actually on the right side. But when I dig further and do some introspection, I know that this reaction is bullshit for two reasons:
1. Im an adult capable of rational thought, so I know that this person doesnt mean ALL white or ALL straight people. And if I truly feel like this characterization doesnt apply to me, then I should be mature enough to move on without needing them to qualify their statement with except for Viewt.
2. Im not focusing on the real injustice. After all, those statements come from insane frustration that I have no frame of reference for. Instead of being angry that my white fragility wasnt coddled, I should be angry about the experiences that got them so frustrated that theyd make that statement.
What I do now is, when I see a person of color, or a gender/sex minority, or another person of an oppressed class say something impassioned or incendiary that offends me, I take a minute and think, If I was in their position, would I feel differently? And the answer is usually no. As a straight white man, society allows me to feel outraged and righteous and loud without attributing labels like uppity or bitchy and such. If I had to deal with a tenth of what some of you deal with, Id be much angrier, more cynical person. But because of the fortune of my birth, I have this privilege. If youre white, you have it, too. So lets stop pretending it doesnt exist, and put it to good use. As the article says:
Your privilege is the biggest benefit you can bring to the movement.
No, Im not just talking nonsense now. Racial privilege is like a gun that will auto-focus on POC until you learn to aim it. When utilized properly, it can do real damage to the White Supremacist system  and its a weapon that POC do not have. You have access to people and places we dont. Your actions against racism carry less risk.
You can ask your office why there are no managers of color and while you might get a dirty look and a little resentment, you probably wont get fired. You can be the real Americans that politicians court. You can talk to fellow white people about why the water in Flint and Standing Rock matters, without being dismissed as someone obsessed with playing the race card. You can ask cops why they stopped that black man without getting shot. You can ask a school principal why they only teach black history one month a year and why they pretty much never teach the history of any other minority group in the U.S. You can explain to your white friends and neighbors why their focus on black on black crime is inherently racist. You can share articles and books written by people of color with your friends who normally only accept education from people who look like them. You can help ensure that the comfortable all-white enclaves that white people can retreat to when they need a break from identity politics are not so comfortable. You can actually persuade, guilt, and annoy your friends into caring about what happens to us. You can make a measurable impact in the fight against racism if you are willing to take on the uncomfortable truths of your privilege.
Ultimately, when it comes to the fight for racial injustice, Ive come to understand just how important it is to listen instead of lecture, and to think about the big picture before squabbling about something thats maybe-kinda-offensive to me as a white guy.
What do you guys think?