Stop doing racist shit. Seriously. Please.
Racism is tricky business. Most people want to avoid being called racist. In fact, it seems that most people would rather avoid being called racist than avoid doing racist shit.
I tend to avoid calling people racist. I like to start with “That shit was racist.” But, when multiple interactions result in the same racist shit being lobbed at me, I jump off the HMS That Shit Was Racist and board the USS Yo Ass is Racist.
Here’s a short video explanation:
Dude has some good points, yeah? Still, to help navigate these muddy waters, I decided to tweeted some tips of my own. Take a look at this Chirpstory [which may disappear because Chirpstory is a fickle bitch]:
A lot of you “progressives” out there have a race problem. I know, I know, you don’t want to hear it. ”UNPOSSIBLE!,” you say. But you do. And the more you ignore it, the worse it’s going to get. So let’s talk about that for a moment.
Some of you say or do racist shit — like:
- “resenting” black Obama supporters; calling Obama supporters “Obamalovers”;
- lauding an op-ed from some crank (Westen) in which he brings his “medical training” to bear in a psychopolitical diagnosis of Obama and then tops that off with a bunch of factless bullshit; but who cares! It’s in the New York Times, dontcha know!
- repeatedly writing posts in which you claim to know what Obama really wants, or how he really feels, or why he’s really doing X, Y, or Z (aka Miss Cleo-ism);
- referring to Obama as “Wayne Brady,” or “gangsta,”;
- suggesting that Obama is less of a man, a pussy, spineless, testicle-less, and/or a puppetmaster to [insert white man, e.g., Rahm Emanuel or 99.9% of Republicans];
- implying or outright telling black folks or suggesting that black folks support Obama “no matter what” because he’s black;
- pointing out Obama policy positions with which you disagree, assuming black folks necessarily agree because they’re black — and, like, Obama is too lol! — and then making snarky comments like “But it’s okay if a black president does it”;
- assuming you know anything about the political persuasion of black people you’ve never met “If Obama were white, you wouldn’t be this supportive of his policies.”
- setting up twiggapuppets: Twitter accounts with photos of black folks as your avatar, with profiles that say stuff like “Chicago Gangsta Trippin in the Heezy Gin N Juice” and then pretending to speak from a black perspective — “Dang, yo! How come my homeboy Barry ain’t closed Gitmo yet?”
- pretending for the first time in your life that you’re really distraught about the state of the black community: Why is the unemployment rate so damn high? Oh my stars, there are so many black men in jail! I’m verrah concerned! “Ver ees Obama on dees?” [say it in a Greek accent, get Sheila Johnson to translate];
- telling black people to step outside their ethnicity in order to assess the President’s “effectiveness”
Yesterday, after multiple interactions with Anthony Noel, I called his ass racist based upon my personal interaction with him over a period of months. I think most people would agree that assessment is correct.
As for the folks referenced above (and we all know who they are), I don’t give a rat’s ass whether they are Racist or not. I don’t win a prize when I effectively label someone A Racist. I want them to stop harming this country and the people who live in it. That’s what I care about.
What I care about is that they have respect not only for this country, and for themselves, but also for their audience who has to listen to the Professional Left call out racism on the Republican side, knowing that the Professional Left knows or refuses to acknowledge that those same problems exist within themselves.
The clock is ticking and the train is moving along without you. You’re a small group of people with very loud mouths. But there are a lot of us who may not have the platforms you do, but by the hand of Thor, we’re going to make as much noise as possible where we can. On Twitter, on blogs, wherever. You can either further ensconce yourselves in your factions, or you can actually LISTEN TO WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING TO YOU.
When you claim that it’s time for a Serious Conversation About Race and then continue to do nothing, know that with every moment that passes, I care less and less about anything that you have to say. You don’t get to say or do or write racist shit, entirely ignore it when people call you out about it, play the victim, and then pretend to want to have a conversation with me about anything. And you certainly don’t get to crow that my refusal to engage you is evidence of your victory.
No.
It doesn’t work like that.
Look, I know that you can ride out a 4-8 year Bachmann presidency. I know you’ve got a nice job, and a nice health plan, and a nice 401k. But you know what? A lot of people don’t.
Think about that for once, would you?
In my view, you can feel prejudiced/racist, or think that way.
But, you should not act that way. Think clearly before you act, Develop the self awareness that making invidious distinctions on the basis or race, creed or religion in infair and harmful. Moderate your words and deeds.
Subject your illogical/untrue thoughts and feelings to reality testing.
If you do not want to change your thoughts and feelings — at the very least, moderate your beavior.
Maybe I’m being naive again, but hopefully as they change their behavior the thoughts and feelings will follow suit.
Seems to me white professional progressives have had a metric fuck-ton of time, money, and resources to try to “be the change they want to see” in the world. Yet where have they been at building that broad-based grassroots coalition they always claim they want?
Students for a Democratic Society? Folded up and went mewling into the night after Nixon got elected.
Air America? Nice idea, but it didn’t work.
Meantime, activists from marginalized communities — black, Latino/a, Asian, women, disabled, GLBTQ — figured out how to work both within and without the power structures as they exist to make pragmatic gains in civil liberties and visibility for their issues. They saw the vacuum of leadership that the white leftie dudes from the sixties left in their wake and they stepped up their game and actually transformed society — gay marriage, ADA, Title IX, on and on and on and fucking on. Lots still to do? Of course. Always. But because people who work on these issues know that it’s always a case of “after mountains, more mountains,” we don’t whine and piss our pants if we don’t get everything right away — “not in one year, or even one term.” We celebrate the victories and prepare for the next battle. Because that’s how being a grown-up fucking WORKS.
And yet — some white leftie privileged dudes still act as if they are the ones who should naturally lead the movement and make the decisions because, because — fuck if I know. Certainly can’t be on the basis of the oh-so-stunning victories they’ve had in the past.
So the first black president comes in and gets what they’ve been screaming about (steps to strengthen financial regulation, universal healthcare, trying to put some teeth back in the EPA, etc.) and because he makes the White Professional Leftie Dudes look bad by comparison, they project THEIR failures onto him. You say “Obama hasn’t done enough to close the gap with rich and poor?” How did that gap get there in the first place, assholes? Because you were too busy whining and crying and enjoying your privileged positions sniping on the sidelines instead of getting into the nitty-gritty and tedious work of building real grassroots organizations, as opposed to pathetic Twitter Pity Parties with barely more than two dozen followers.
Sorry, but this shit chaps my ass. I’ve sat in too many meetings where somebody who hasn’t put skin in the game decides to show up and start bloviating about how we’re doing things wrong, we have to do it HIS way (and it’s usually — not always, but usually — a dude of the white persuasion) or we’re bound to fail. Or worse — we’re sell-outs.
To the many white brothers out there who HAVE been working hard for years on anti-racism and feminism and workers’ rights and immigrant rights and all the rest of it — you know who you are, and you will always have my thanks. To the ones who think “Vote Every Four Years and Then Scream Real Loud When You Don’t Get Everything You Want” adds up to a viable electoral/legislative strategy for “true” progressives, eat shit.
And I’ve also sat in meetings where, as a white feminist, I’ve had my eyes opened to my own privilege by women of color who have different takes on an issue or strategy or priority. Is being reminded of that privilege fun? Not really. But neither is being discriminated against or marginalized.
Kerry, I would marry you if I could. Hot damn!
I love this comment so much that I want to take it out back and get it pregnant. And I’d even pay child support!
just wow. amazingly awesome comment. after mountains, more mountains. i think i may get a tattoo of that.
abl, this is one of my favorite posts thus far. a lot of people think they are incapable of being racist, but their definition is so weak that nothing (except violence) is truly racist. then again, a lot of people are stupid, but it is no excuse.
thanks brian!
Y’know, occasionally I’m guilty of not taking your word for it. I think “Hmm, maybe she’s taking this a little too far.” The more you turn out to be right, the more I realize exactly how dumb I was for thinking that. Very dumb. I’m new to this, so I guess it’s easier for me to convince myself (somewhat naively) that some white people can be reasoned out of their denial or even outward racism.
You should never take my word for it. You should question everything and just interpret the information in front of you. I’m glad there are folks new to political junkiehood who are willing to try to understand what I’m saying even if they don’t agree. :)
Don’t worry. I won’t. ;) It’s just getting easier to see why you deal with these people the way you do.
So, I said this the other day:
“Which leads me to this thought. Let’s say that the most we liberals can hope for in our current political climate is to elect a smart, level headed but mostly centrist Democrat – that no one genuinely to the left of the political spectrum really has a chance to be elected president these days. What if that center-left Democrat – good, but not great, policy-wise, but capable and competent – is, in fact, the best we can do? Doesn’t it at least mean something that this center-left President overcame the absurd racial double standards that still exist in this country? Isn’t that a victory we should celebrate and work to preserve?
“If that’s all we can hope for, policy-wise – a smart, capable, competent moderate Democrat – maybe we ought to do everything we can to make sure that he is successful, if for no other reason than to tell everyone who still clings to those racial double standards: We can beat you anyway.”
I guess in Mr. Noel’s world that makes me a racist too.
We are all racists now.
Word. As the kids say.
Pretty sure it’s a law that only we white folks get to decide what’s racist and what’s not.
It’s worked very well for us for quite some time now. I’m really not sure why anybody would wish to change that system.
All of the remarks shown above are, objectively speaking, racist/prejudiced. Those remarks describe the person making them. In one way do they describe Obama.
I do not require any thing from Mr. Noel. If he wishes to call me a racist: “Call me amything but late for dinner.”
Dave von Ebers post makes sense to me.
Politics is the art of the possible, and people who have views that are congruent 75% of the time should be able to cooperate. Unless you are someone who does not ‘work well with others’.
Wa-hoo-fuckin-wah, sister!
I’ll be honest, unless it comes in a form that is explicit, I try to avoid accusations of racism because they refute that with the argument that “anyone who criticizes Obama is racist”, which is of course not true b/c there are things to reasonably disagree on. But there is something ugly there sometimes ad it’s a wonder why certain things are hyperbolized (i.e. schedule-gate for jobs speech) and others (i.e. Killing Bin Laden) are belittled. It’s gotten to a point of irrational hate and it’s disturbing.
Also the accusation of him being “ball-less” and a “pussy” I would say is quite misogynist as well. You are only strong if you have male genitals is what they are saying. It doesn’t even matter if you supported Hillary Clinton in the primaries, what you said was sexist.
Also, if you get called out on racial comments, don’t refute that with “I voted for Barack Obama in 2008″. It’s the equivalent to saying “I have a [insert ethnicity] friend”. I could talk about the fact that 1/3 of white democrats openly admitted to having negative views about black people, but 60 percent of those people supported Obama not just in the general, but also in the primaries. It doesn’t change anything.
You can just hear it.