warmed-over soapboxesclever would be nice

Hitting the fan, deconstruct’d

§ July 23rd, 2009 § Filed under politics § 3 Comments

The following assertion was made on a discussion on racism and immigration I’ve been active in:

I think the word “racist” should be banned. Apparently only white’s [sic] can be racist. Blacks and [L]atinos can call whites all kinds of names and disparaging remarks but it is only racist when white folks use those kind of words. It is time we move on.

Let’s break this down a little bit, just for funsies:

I think the word “racist” should be banned.

With one of those necessary laws of which there are not too many in America? One which would counter that freedom we were given in the constitution . . . dammit, which one was that, now? the right to bear arms . . . no, that’s not it . . . speedy trial? well, there might be a trial involved . . . Oh! I remember! FREEDOM OF SPEECH. Which you are EXERCISING by making that ridiculous statement.

Apparently only white’s [sic] can be racist.

Er, sure. See, I thought you were being sarcastic until you followed it with such compelling evidence:

Blacks and [L]atinos can call whites all kinds of names and disparaging remarks but it is only racist when white folks use those kind of words.

Here’s the thing, lady: You’re white. I’m white. It’s pretty fucking easy being white in America: we get our own neighborhoods, our own cities and towns, our own states, almost. We walk around and everyone looks like us. We talk and everyone sounds like us. We think and, well, that is where we diverge, because if I ever think the way you do, I hope it’ll be followed by a long walk off a short plank.

Suffice it to say, I vehemently disagree. Racism is racism, and it is wrong, no matter who perpetrates it. It’s just a helluva lot easier to dismiss it when you’re rarely, if ever, the victim of it and when you may have, however unintentionally, benefited from it.

It is time we move on.

I don’t think you mean “move on” so much as you mean “ignore this.” You only want to “move on” because this is uncomfortable and you don’t want to let it penetrate your tiny little world. These issues must be addressed — we have to understand racism in its many forms — in order to move on in a productive manner. That is what I tried to do when I agonized over how to clearly and succinctly explain what I thought and engage others in what they thought — however clumsy, however useless, however pointless my efforts may have been.

*

Unfortunately, I know snarkiness will get me nowhere, and my ethos is exhausted, so I’ve bowed out of the conversation. I did not respond to her, or those who followed and expressed their agreement. I’m not sure I can convey how disappointed I am in people who hold views such as hers, and even moreso in my own inability to get through to them.