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Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race,
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Michele Kabata
Hi Ian, I think the book was written for someone just like you.
Shelli
This answers my question about whether your previous answer to the question, "I am white; would reading this book be an act of cultural appropriation?" was an insightful clapback to the asker.
It was not.
It was not.
Gerd
If you care to better explain yourself, i.e. what sort of racism you see there used to answer racism, we might have an answer for you.
Heather Killeen
It is not racism for a Black person to not want to explain the history of racism to white people. It is not racist to get tired of explaining racism to white people who ask for an explanation, but then play victim or act like, "omg, I'm so shocked and traumatized by the real history I just learned! This is awful! I am mad! I am a good person! I did not own slaves!" The point is, if you had cancer, and everyone asked you to explain cancer and how having cancer feels (and it feels pretty bad), but then the asker acts appalled at the answer, goes on about how HE couldn't imagine having it, he can't deal with your having cancer, he's just SO SAD right now, etc. - wouldn't that piss you off? What if non-cancer havers went around going, "I didn't give you cancer. Don't talk about this to me."-does that make sense?
You may not have learned American history in its entirety. Learn it. And even though YOU may not have owned slaves, YOU may not have enforced Jim Crow laws, these institutions are in our recent past, and are still affecting people today.
You might want to learn as much as possible about Black history, and what was denied to Black people even after slavery and segregation ended. It's not pretty, and it's not easy to swallow. It needs to be learned and discussed.
Most importantly, just because a Black person doesn't want to answer your questions, or explain racism to you, or even THINK about white people for any reason, that is not racism. White people go around living in a white world all the time without thinking about Black people. Like, imagine watching TV from its invention, all the way thru the 80s, and NEVER seeing a person who looks like you on tv? Imagine never seeing Black actors in a movie? It was like that for a LONG TIME.
I highly recommend finding out what "the veil" is, maybe watching "13th," learning about Jim Crow laws, and reading Richard Wright's autobiography. Black people doing things without considering white people is NOT racism.
Race is made up, anyway. Ain't no race but the human race. Ethnicity exists, but race-scientifically NOT real.
You may not have learned American history in its entirety. Learn it. And even though YOU may not have owned slaves, YOU may not have enforced Jim Crow laws, these institutions are in our recent past, and are still affecting people today.
You might want to learn as much as possible about Black history, and what was denied to Black people even after slavery and segregation ended. It's not pretty, and it's not easy to swallow. It needs to be learned and discussed.
Most importantly, just because a Black person doesn't want to answer your questions, or explain racism to you, or even THINK about white people for any reason, that is not racism. White people go around living in a white world all the time without thinking about Black people. Like, imagine watching TV from its invention, all the way thru the 80s, and NEVER seeing a person who looks like you on tv? Imagine never seeing Black actors in a movie? It was like that for a LONG TIME.
I highly recommend finding out what "the veil" is, maybe watching "13th," learning about Jim Crow laws, and reading Richard Wright's autobiography. Black people doing things without considering white people is NOT racism.
Race is made up, anyway. Ain't no race but the human race. Ethnicity exists, but race-scientifically NOT real.
Kumari de Silva
It brings to light the vast inequities and makes people question their assumptions, beliefs and interpretations
Maelanie
Maybe these quotes by James Baldwin will shed some light
“There are so many ways of being despicable it quite makes one’s head spin. But the way to be really despicable is to be contemptuous of other people’s pain.”
And…
“It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.”
And…
The victim who is able to articulate the situation of the victim has ceased to be a victim . . . she has become a threat
“There are so many ways of being despicable it quite makes one’s head spin. But the way to be really despicable is to be contemptuous of other people’s pain.”
And…
“It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.”
And…
The victim who is able to articulate the situation of the victim has ceased to be a victim . . . she has become a threat
Moon flower
Excellent question indeed and still no one has been able to answer. Do not pay for trash racism literature.
Steve Dykstra
Excellent question Ian. I notice that nobody was able to answer.
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