mysticofworlds’s answer to “I was not a fan of the hate u give because I felt it was kind of racist towards white people and th…” > Likes and Comments

As you mention in your comment, If you heard someone say "all white people are evil," yes, that is a prejudiced statement to make. And it might hurt to hear, or make you angry. But it is not racism. It is not racist because as white people, our hurt feelings do not compare at ALL to the historical and present-day disadvantages that Black people continue to endure, especially in the US. Look up redlining and the paper bag test as just two examples.

If someone is biased or prejudiced against white people, that is a *reaction* to the harm and fear they've experienced from living in a society that treats them differently for not being white. It is not racism because the white person in this scenario, like myself, has benefitted from living in a society overwhelmingly and historically governed by white people. Our founding fathers and the majority of our present-day lawmakers are white. Non-white ethnicities in America have therefore had to live in a society that has never given them a voice, or anywhere near equal representation in government.

So even if someone says something that sounds anti-white, it still doesn’t take *anything* away from the privileges that white people are born into and too often fail to recognize.

@Molly Well, I respect your opinion. But again, I do not believe that the definition of racism is power + privilege. I believe in the dictionary definition that is racism = prejudice against someone for their race. I do believe there are different types of racism- indivdiualized vs institutionalized- and that white people, or any race at the top of whatever society they're in cannot be institutionally racist. But that does not mean, to me, that there are races that cannot be individually racist. If a minority is calling white people all devils and acting as though their race is superior, I call that racism.

Also btw- I'm not white, I'm a minority. Please don't assume I'm white.

"It is not racist because as white people, our hurt feelings do not compare at ALL to the historical and present-day disadvantages that Black people continue to endure, especially in the US. Look up redlining and the paper bag test as just two examples."

Those examples you mention are INSTITUTIONALIZED racism. Redlining is a racist practice reinforced by racist institutions and people.

I'm also not here to play the oppression Olympics. I'm not saying white people's experiences are worse than or equal to minority experiences. There's no bar to racism in my opinion- there's different levels, sure, but no hard line saying "oh this isn't as bad as this other form of racism, so it's not racism." Like, if someone steals a few dollars from someone else vs someone murders another person- yea, okay, the murderer committed a far graver offense. It doesn't mean the thief did not commit a crime.

I did not assume you were white. However I can see how you might have thought that by my use of the first person plural, which I meant in the sense of myself and other white people.

Look, you can argue over dictionary definitions or you can look at what has been happening ~in real life~ in the USA and other colonized countries for centuries and centuries. I'm also not sure if you've read the full definition of racism.
From Merriam-Webster: :"the systemic oppression of a racial group to the social, economic, and political advantage of another."

Yes- any person of any color can be prejudiced toward a person of another color. But that's not racism. Just like stealing a few dollars is not murder, as in your example. One is far graver than the other.

So use the word "prejudice" or "bias" instead of "racism" if you really want to keep talking about it for whatever reason.

The Hate U Give is in NO WAY "racist" toward white people. If you didn't enjoy the book, that's fine. But if what you got out of it was that it was mean to white people and that the child main character was too childish, then you missed a lot.

Just wanted to make this clear: I NEVER SAID THUG WAS RACIST. I even said at the end I did not see any racism towards white people in the book at all. I said that I believed that one can be racist against any group, but that I didn't think that was present in THUG. If you meant this toward the original questioner, then I apologize.

Again, you fail to realize I think that there are different types of racism. I realize there is SYSTEMIC, INSTITUTIONALIZED racism. The examples you gave are systemic racism and I don't believe that happens to white people. I don't believe white people can be institutionally racist because these institutions were built upon oppression of minorities and provide white privilege. I am talking about INDIVIDUALIZED racism, which I believe is merely rooted in prejudice. Now, there may be different reasons why someone acts in a racist manner. Sure, maybe a minority says something racist in part because they're angry at all the discrimination they face, but I don't see that as not being racist. Again, there are different levels of racism to me. But just because one type may be worse doesn't mean I would think that another type is not racism. You don't have to agree. I still respect your opinion even if I don't personally agree. If you want to call it prejudice, go ahead. But please don't expect everyone else to.

And Merriam Webster is not the only dictionary. There is not one singular definition of racism, believe it or not. The idea that racism can only come from privileged groups is based around one study. It is not a fact. I don't abide by the newer idea that all forms of racism is rooted in systemic power, which I know is unpopular on some sites like this one. But I stick by that opinion nevertheless.

I think you have the idea that there are no tiers to racism and you believe in Oppression Olympics. Again, I think that racism has different levels, but I still view all of that as racism. I don't think you quite got my example. Just as I would call people that stole something and people that murdered someone both criminals, even though their crimes are of varying degrees, I would call someone that murders someone because of their race and someone that calls another person a slur because of their race both racist, at least in that particular instance. I recognize that these two are not the same, but I believe that both people exhibited differing degrees of racism. I am not here to argue whose experience is worse.

Lastly, you do not need to tell me, a minority myself, how difficult minorities have it. I live that reality every day and I already said I am not here to play the game of oppression or talk about whose experience is worst. I already recognized there are different LEVELS of racism. I am merely saying that I believe anyone can be / act racist, but that not all forms of racism are equal.

Okay. You're a non-white person yet you're going on about dictionary definitions and how you believe white people can be victims of racism. This is a non-issue. It's not worth your time nor anyone else's.

By the way, dictionaries in use today were created by white men and their editorial boards still lack diversity today. So one should not assume all dictionary definitions are neutral or free of bias. Language is constantly evolving. :)

"Okay. You're a non-white person yet you're going on about dictionary definitions and how you believe white people can be victims of racism. This is a non-issue. It's not worth your time nor anyone else's."

I wasn't trying to make it out to be an issue in the first place, you're the one that came in trying to argue and trying to convince me that my opinion is wrong. And just because I'm a minority doesn't mean I have to support a specific stance. Many of my other minority friends have a similar outlook. I don't have to support every single new "progressive" idea about racism just because I'm a minority. And again, I'm not arguing about who experiences the most racism. I'm merely pointing out that I don't personally agree with the idea that minorities can't be racist.

I am aware that there are problems with the dictionaries and their boards. There are also issues with some of the people that believe minorities can't be racist- many of these ideas are being used, for instance, to gaslight Asian Americans. Stuff like "well black people aren't racist at all, there's no need for them to apologize" when a black person attacks an Asian. And vice versa. Language is always evolving, sure, but this is not a case where it has been agreed upon that racism is based in power structures, not just racial prejudice. Again, this is an opinion that not everyone agrees with. Maybe that definition of racism will become the official one in the future, maybe it won't. Just because right now there are some people picking up on it does not mean it will become the accepted definition for everyone now or in the future.

you are the problem. You're dancing around the issue. Just because you don't like the answer lol You are def. part of the problem. Racism exists and white people don't like that their quite literally the cause of it and are now dealing with the effects of their racism. It uncomfortable for everyone. So buckle up and continue learning how to fix the problem. Quit dancing around the issue. Minorities cannot and will never be racist. Due to many minorities PAST experiences with racism. people have EVERY RIGHT to night like white folks . White folks just don't wanna hear that. All in all, get over it and educate yourself. You are not a victim.

I completely agree with you and I'm black. White people don't face the same problems as poc but it's not impossible to be racist to them.

Also idk why people say things like "poc voices should be heard" until that poc has an unpopular opinion, then everyone wants to bash and silence them.