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Ian Connel asked this question about Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race:
How is answering racism with more racism going to make things better for anybody?
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 t…moreIt 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.(less)
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U 25x33
Herman i must say the only part i agreed with was the last part, human race is the only race. first of all you didn't really answer his question, i am still ...more
Mar 04, 2022 02:07AM · flag
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Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race
by Reni Eddo-Lodge
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