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[Viewt]

Editorial by Ijeoma Oluo at The Establishment.

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 you’ve always been here — but you’ve been spotted, and I have some homework for you, because you’ve missed A LOT and we don’t have the time to go over it all together. I’m glad you are here (I mean, I’d really rather you arrived sooner and I’m 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 — I’m starting off with blanket assumptions about you and that doesn’t feel good; you literally don’t have to tell me about it, I’m quite familiar! But seriously, you are probably white or white passing (yes, I’m 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 let’s just stick with new white folk). I’ve written down this handy list of things that you’ve missed so far that you’re 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 you’re 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 it’s the decent thing, but I won’t lie - there’s 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.” It’s an embarrassing and petty thing to admit, but it’s there, and it’s not going to get better if I ignore it.

See, when people say stuff like, “I’m done talking about these issues with white people” or “Straight people don’t understand XYZ,” I feel a little hurt and defensive, because I feel like I’m being thrown under the bus as part of that group when I’m 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. I’m an adult capable of rational thought, so I know that this person doesn’t mean ALL white or ALL straight people. And if I truly feel like this characterization doesn’t apply to me, then I should be mature enough to move on without needing them to qualify their statement with “…except for Viewt.”

2. I’m 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 wasn’t coddled, I should be angry about the experiences that got them so frustrated that they’d 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, I’d be much angrier, more cynical person. But because of the fortune of my birth, I have this privilege. If you’re white, you have it, too. So let’s stop pretending it doesn’t exist, and put it to good use. As the article says:

Your privilege is the biggest benefit you can bring to the movement.

No, I’m 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 it’s a weapon that POC do not have. You have access to people and places we don’t. 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 won’t 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, I’ve come to understand just how important it is to listen instead of lecture, and to think about the big picture before squabbling about something that’s maybe-kinda-offensive to me as a white guy.

What do you guys think?

 

[Viewt]

Perhaps the evening crowd is interested?

 

[Tye The Czar]

Thanks. Read and shared.

 

[CarpeDeezNutz]

I'm a brown dude and have known white guys hated by other white people for hanging with us, and honestly vice versa, shit changes when you get older though. I think I understand what you are getting at.

 

[andythinkpad]

The author spent half of the article establishing moral high ground. We already know you can not shame people into voting your way.

And I am not white. According to her, I am not the target of the article.

 

[Terrorblot]

I keep flipping back and forth from agreeing with the article and sentiment 100% and being a little put off by how aggressively hostile it is to people that are just trying to do the right thing? It isn't very persuasive, but maybe it shouldn't be.

 

[Mr. X]

I keep flipping back and forth from agreeing with the article and sentiment 100% and being a little put off by how aggressively hostile it is to people that are just trying to do the right thing? It isn't very persuasive, but maybe it shouldn't be.

Truth hurts sometimes

 

[ahoyhoy]

Truth hurts sometimes

Truth is you won't get anywhere with voters 100% shaming them.

Lot of white snowflakes out there that need a bit of coddling too.

 

[Vicetrailia]

Truth is you won't get anywhere with voters 100% shaming them.

Lot of white snowflakes out there that need a bit of coddling too.

This is about the allies, and it doesn't shame them, it actually puts them in touch with the realities of the fight. I agree with everything, including the education section at large.

I also joined a women's huddle, and as a male I'm going through the same thing. My unexamined privilege and sexist programming. And I've already messed up one time I can remember, but at the end of the day all of this holds true and I'm owning it already helping to make a difference.

 

[TheChuggernaut]

As a white dude, yeah this all checks out.

I've always thought one of the biggest problems of "woke" white people is that they take shit so fucking personally.

Like if someone generalizes and says "white people" it's makes them fly into rage. It's this weird thing where we have trouble imagining that something ISN'T about us individually.

I can almost guarantee that someone is going to read this post, and go "What?! I don't do that! Why would you assume that? Is it because I'm white? You're the real racist!" Despite the fact the people having their entire race generalized is something POCs have had to deal with their entire life.

It's not about you. If you aren't guilty of something that someone says white people are guilty of then that's a good thing. Look at other white people and see if it's a common problem among them. No one is talking about you. This movement isn't about making you feel better.

 

[The Gorby Congressmanz]

Did we forget black people voted for trump which may have likely given him mich and penn?

 

[Hubbl3]

Did we forget black people voted for trump which may have likely given him mich and penn?

Don't even try to act like he's in office because of black people.

The one demographic that decidedly said "no thanks"

 

[Vicetrailia]

This is why I'm glad there are events like this where I livehttps://m.facebook.com/events/274769059612585

And I shared this with the committee. It's effective.

 

[Big Baybee]

Did we forget black people voted for trump which may have likely given him mich and penn?

lol

 

[royalan]

I keep flipping back and forth from agreeing with the article and sentiment 100% and being a little put off by how aggressively hostile it is to people that are just trying to do the right thing? It isn't very persuasive, but maybe it shouldn't be.

Even the OP addresses this:

See, when people say stuff like, “I’m done talking about these issues with white people” or “Straight people don’t understand XYZ,” I feel a little hurt and defensive, because I feel like I’m being thrown under the bus as part of that group when I’m 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. I’m an adult capable of rational thought, so I know that this person doesn’t mean ALL white or ALL straight people. And if I truly feel like this characterization doesn’t apply to me, then I should be mature enough to move on without needing them to qualify their statement with “…except for Viewt.”

2. I’m 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 wasn’t coddled, I should be angry about the experiences that got them so frustrated that they’d 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, I’d be much angrier, more cynical person. But because of the fortune of my birth, I have this privilege. If you’re white, you have it, too. So let’s stop pretending it doesn’t exist, and put it to good use. As the article says:

 

[EdibleKnife]

Did we forget black people voted for trump which may have likely given him mich and penn?

It's astounding that this is what you decided to divine from this article.

Don't even try to act like he's in office because of black people.

The one demographic that decidedly said "no thanks"

Can't be restated enough. At this point, people are just accusing black people of not working hard enough to stop white people from shooting themselves in the foot.

Anyway, thanks for the article. And I can say that the last two sections are some of the most important in all of the piece but I wanted to particularly focus on:

Free, individualized education is not a thing we do anymore.
I know you would prefer a nice, safe sit-down with someone who would patiently walk you through all of this, but we have millions of people we need to get right and an entire system of White Supremacy to fight. We do not have the time or energy. Also — that ”free labor from POC" thing is kind of how we got into this mess. The questions you are asking have already been answered by POC — some of whom have already been compensated for their time and effort. Google is your friend. If we have to live it, the least you can do is Google it.

Dealing with this is one of the most exhausting parts of being in a marginalized group race and sexuality wise. The idea that education is my duty as a minority and that to shirk it somehow means I'm just breeding racism or ignorance makes me furious. I'm willing to play teacher when I feel like it but at this point I just assume people who expect that of me aren't coming to the table with any kind of honesty. There are thousands of people from every marginalized group that have participated in education for centuries about their struggles and they should be the first sources people go to if they honestly want to change.

I keep flipping back and forth from agreeing with the article and sentiment 100% and being a little put off by how aggressively hostile it is to people that are just trying to do the right thing? It isn't very persuasive, but maybe it shouldn't be.

People are being aggressive because they have to be. Aggression is what you need to grab your life and your rights back from the people who hope to rip them away. Despite what many might say, being a minority is stressful and fighting for rights is taxing. If you are eager to actually do the right thing, it shouldn't matter if people are being "nice" to you or not. As a man, letting "Male Tears" mugs or "lol misandry" memes put me off when the actual struggle of feminism is about a woman's right to bodily autonomy and social respect means I have my priorities out of whack.

 

[Lois_Lane]

Did we forget black people voted for trump which may have likely given him mich and penn?

Where the fuck is this stupid talking point coming from? I need a link. because newsflash!

Black
People
don't
vote
Republican

We haven't voted Repub in mass since the grand switcheroo between parties. White people need to stop trying to offload their century defining L.

 

[rjinaz]

It's astounding that this is what you decided to divine from this article.



Can't be restated enough. At this point, people are just accusing black people of not working hard enough to stop white people from shooting themselves in the foot.

Anyway, thanks for the article. And I can say that the last two sections are some of the most important in all of the piece but I wanted to particularly focus on:



Dealing with this is one of the most exhausting parts of being in a marginalized group race and sexuality wise. The idea that education is my duty as a minority and that to shirk it somehow means I'm just breeding racism or ignorance makes me furious. I'm willing to play teacher when I feel like it but at this point I just assume people who expect that of me aren't coming to the table with any kind of honesty. There are thousands of people from every marginalized group that have participated in education for centuries about their struggles and they should be the first sources people go to if they honestly want to change.

It's amazing (not actually) that's what he got from the election. It's always some how the Black person's fault even at 8%.

Not all White people voted for Trump so stop blaming us!

8% Black voted for Trump so that's why he won!

 

[Ashes]

Comes off as very patronising. I reckon a lot of people will leave at the door. But this is something worth looking over:

"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 won’t 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."

Don't even try to act like he's in office because of black people.

The one demographic that decidedly said "no thanks"

Pretty much.

 

[Fergie]

Did we forget black people voted for trump which may have likely given him mich and penn?

This was posted by someone else in that Merkel thread too.

Good riddance.

 

[Viewt]

Oh wow! I thought this topic had completely died.

Truth is you won't get anywhere with voters 100% shaming them.

Lot of white snowflakes out there that need a bit of coddling too.

You're not wrong that shame isn't the most effective path to getting people to vote a certain way, but I don't think that point applies in this context.

Firstly, this isn't about voting - not directly, anyway. This is about addressing people who consider themselves allies, and making sure that when they're out there marching, or in town halls, or taking part in discussion groups, that they leave their ego at the door and recognize what's come before them and the experiences of other groups. Anyone who this article would apply to is already voting Democrat, I'd imagine. This isn't a plea to Republicans - at least, that's not how I read it.

Secondly, I don't think this is here to shame anybody. I think it's just a no-nonsense explanation of reality. And considering what's at stake, I can't blame the author for speaking from a place of frustration. But again, I don't feel ashamed when I read it - just a little shaken outside of my comfort zone where everything's phrased pleasingly and appealingly.

 

[Glass Rebel]

I agree with the article. I think it was always kinda apparent for me because I grew up as a semi-visible but still White minority in Switzerland. I've certainly felt discriminated against because of my ethnicity but at the same time I've seen how people of colour have it obviously more difficult. When you're sort of smack dab in the middle of everything, you see glimpses of both. Knowing what I want from my allies, helped me (I hope) become a better ally myself.

 

[PBalfredo]

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 you're 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 it's the decent thing, but I won't lie - there's 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." It's an embarrassing and petty thing to admit, but it's there, and it's not going to get better if I ignore it.

See, when people say stuff like, ”I'm done talking about these issues with white people" or ”Straight people don't understand XYZ," I feel a little hurt and defensive, because I feel like I'm being thrown under the bus as part of that group when I'm 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. I'm an adult capable of rational thought, so I know that this person doesn't mean ALL white or ALL straight people. And if I truly feel like this characterization doesn't apply to me, then I should be mature enough to move on without needing them to qualify their statement with ”...except for Viewt."

2. I'm 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 wasn't coddled, I should be angry about the experiences that got them so frustrated that they'd 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, I'd be much angrier, more cynical person. But because of the fortune of my birth, I have this privilege. If you're white, you have it, too. So let's stop pretending it doesn't exist, and put it to good use. As the article says:



Ultimately, when it comes to the fight for racial injustice, I've come to understand just how important it is to listen instead of lecture, and to think about the big picture before squabbling about something that's maybe-kinda-offensive to me as a white guy.

What do you guys think?

OP, I think your post about this article is 10x better than the article itself. At some point the article seems to have crossed the line between being real about the situation so people don't have the wrong expectations going in, and just plain venting about the frustrations of having to deal with Johnny-come-lately, which isn't very useful for an article with "Welcome" in the title. You're right that we should acknowledge the stumbling blocks so we don't get so busy stumbling over them that we lose sight of our goal.

 

[Syncytia]

The issue with this write up, to me, is that it doesn't really give you anywhere to go. So for someone who really is 'new' to all of this, or for the first time actively interested, I feel she should give just a little more guidance other than "google it."

Your privilege is the biggest risk to this movement.
That’s right: the biggest risk. The compromises you are willing to make with our lives, the offenses you are willing to brush off, the everyday actions you refuse to investigate, the comfort you take for granted — they all help legitimize and strengthen White Supremacy. Even worse, when you bring that into our movement and refuse to investigate and challenge it, you slow down our fight against White Supremacy and turn many of our efforts against us. When POC say, “check your privilege,” they aren’t saying it for fun — they are saying it because when you bring unexamined privilege into anti-racist spaces, you are bringing in a cancer.

This except is a perfect example of what I mean. Yeah, it's true and there's nothing wrong with it but for a white person who has just gone through their life so far with no concern about their whiteness, I feel this would mean nothing to them. Think of yourself as a white person, who after the election is saying "Wow, Obama becoming president really did nothing for racism in this country, in fact it seems to be way worse now with Trump," and perhaps also thinking, "Wait, this country was never not racist." To that person, they may not (probably invariably do not!) know what their privilege is and it's manifestations in their day to day life. They probably see racism as this distant thing that exists in other parts of the country, but not where they live. They would say to themselves, "My community isn't racist, I haven't seen racism around here."

From my personal experience, it took months of conversations with my dad to explain institutional racism and structural violence against minority groups. It can be a very abstract thing for people, especially if they've spent most of their lives in majority white communities.

So what are these offenses people are willing to brush off and everyday actions that people are not introspective of that the author mentions? To someone who hasn't been actively interested in racial issues and is new to this, they won't know what those things are. They will continue to commit those offenses and actions without knowing it, and without knowing they need to investigate themselves.

Decent article, but not really something I would share on Facebook mostly because for most of my friends, this wouldn't be new information, but just a little because if any conservative friends read it, we all know what their reactions would be.

 

[leroidys]

I keep flipping back and forth from agreeing with the article and sentiment 100% and being a little put off by how aggressively hostile it is to people that are just trying to do the right thing? It isn't very persuasive, but maybe it shouldn't be.

This is actually one of the less hostile things I have read by her.

It's not that I don't agree with her premises and understand her frustration either. But the constant regression towards shaming and berating people, I think, is counterproductive.

 

[Stinkles]

Did we forget black people voted for trump which may have likely given him mich and penn?

I'm going to read your post history to see if you're Jokes McGee or something way weirder.


EDIT: My god. As bonkers as it was in politics, his video game posts were even weirder.

"Microsoft is working on optical discs that can actually include extra RAM in the data."

 

[Messofanego]

More affluent minorities who don't feel the brunt of racism day in day out because they live in privileged places can start to act ignorant towards these issues because they're just abstract rather than a reality. So even minorities have to check their privilege sometimes.

It's true that when white people find a social cause worth joining into or they find trendy/cool, they bring it to the mainstream and change starts happening quicker because their opinions are validated more. As long as you can get white people who can take a little bit of criticism here and there for some faults instead of getting reactionary about some choice words, you're a step closer to victory.

 

[sugarhigh4242]

This article is maybe helpful for white allies entering social justice spaces (pfft let's be real, twitter threads), but doesn't say shit about the social construction of race itself. "POC" is not a biological category and neither is white. Both were created by the rulers in class societies to facilitate exploitation.

Here's Stokely:

 

[PastorOfMuppets]

Where the fuck is this stupid talking point coming from? I need a link. because newsflash!

Black
People
don't
vote
Republican

We haven't voted Repub in mass since the grand switcheroo between parties. White people need to stop trying to offload their century defining L.

Seriously. If the Democrats should do anything about the minority vote, it's doubling down. The black vote is the most reliable vote they have, they just need to put forth an effort into getting suppressed voters and non-voters to vote. And same with the Asian-American and Hispanic community. Both are fast growing communities in America and both have become MORE Democratic over the years. Only 30% of Asian-Americans in 1992 voted for Bill Clinton. Now it's completely flipped in 2016 and while Asia-Americans have become a bigger part of the population. Same thing with Muslims-Americans, Muslims used to be a reliably Republican voting bloc prior to 9/11. Guess what happened.

These are the numbers for white people dating back to 1992:

• 2016 Clinton - 37%
• 2012 Obama - 39%
• 2008 Obama - 43%
• 2004 Kerry - 41%
• 2000 Gore - 42%
• 1996 Clinton - 44%
• 1992 Clinton 39%

Source

I don't buy this bullshit from white people that if we had only shut up about "identity politics" that Hillary might have won the election. I'd say about 75-80% that Democrats do get will probably always be there. 10% are probably legitimately undecided - they're morons and are completely fickle and unreliable. The remaining 10% that were swayed by Trump are racists. These aren't the people Democrats should be going after. Fuck'em. If I a Democrat running in 2020, I'd go out to places black neighbourhoods and Muslims neighbourhoods in Michigan and get those people out to vote for me to try and appeal to the dumbest and/or most racist part of the country anymore.