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Revisiting an old topicSubmitted by Prometheus 6 on August 16, 2003 - 11:41pm.
on Race and Identity This is going to be long, because I'm prefacing the actual post with a previous posts. I need you to encounter a few concepts first so it was this or post things backward. Please note that all text contained within the brown borders is quoted, and not originally written by me. The links are still live, so you can read them in their original context if you wish … and white people can't be n-----s Later, at Mac Diva's suggestion, I rewrote it to say the same thing in a way that was a bit more palatable to the mainstream, but this is the version that Ampersand linked to, and the version that came straight from my head and gut.Turn down your verbal sensitivities for a minute. I'm gonna use some bad words. You have been warned. Ampersand at Alas, A Blog, still in deep conversation over the question of Can Men Be Feminists? quotes a comment (whew!) Men can be affected by prejudice against because they are male. This is not sexism. Similarly, white people can be affected by prejudice against because they are white. This is not racism. Sexism and racism are more than individual actions -- they are systemic. Without the systemic aspect, it is not sexism or racism, it is prejudice. I do not support prejudice in any of it's manifestations -- but I do and will recognize the difference between individual prejudice and systemic sexism/racism. and comments himself: I'd prefer to say "both people of color and whites are sometimes victims of individual racism, but only people of color experience systematic racism." I think the important distinction to be made isn't between "prejudice" and "racism," but between things that happen on a individual level and things that happen on a systematic level. and Bean and I don't disagree on substance here - merely on which words to use. In my experience - and maybe Bean has found otherwise - my wording is more useful for explaining feminist and anti-racist positions in everyday life. Most people - especially people who have never taken a women's studies class - will find it easier to understand the distinction between "individual-level racism" and "systematic racism," but will resist making the distinction Bean suggests between "prejudice" and "racism."
(Why do people resist it? Because no one likes being told they don't know what everyday words mean. To ask people to distinguish between "individual racism" and "systematic racism" isn't asking them to accept new definitions for words they already know. But to tell someone that someone who says "all white people are stupid and shouldn't be allowed to breed" isn't a racist is to tell them that they don't know what the word "racist" means. And that bugs people, understandably.) Now, I refered to this discussion before, just to say I was feeling the original comment. And I was willing to let it go at that. Ampersand made a critically important statement: "Bean and I don't disagree on substance here - merely on which words to use." Having this level of understanding make it possible to cut through the fog and find allies. But to be clear, there is a reason for the disagreement on terminology. Um, here come the bad words. There's no such thing as a Black racist, any more that there's any white niggers. You can use the terms those ways as a figure of speech, a metaphor about symbols. But each term is specific to its respective race. See, "nigger" was created especially for Black folks in the particular condition our people were in. It is historically associated with us and represents a condition and set of expectations we desperately avoid association with, or succumb to. Then you have racist … not crakka, honky or any of that other weak shit. "Racist" was created especially for white folks in the particular condition they were in. It is historically associated with them and represents a condition and set of expectations they desperately avoid association with, or succumb to. And not to put too fine a point on it, but "racist" is the only word that makes white people as crazy as "nigger" makes Black people. It makes them crazier. White people don't want to hear you talk about ANY white person being racist. They'll start telling you how many Black friends they have (I was going to quote an example from the net, but nevermind). And lets look at how Black people have dealt with "nigger." We denied it. Said there ARE no niggers. Well, you see how well that worked… The we tried to intellectualize it away. I heard people say: You dont have to be Black to be a nigger. A nigger is just a low class person. There's niggers in all races. There's white niggers, Porto Rican niggers, (that's how we used to say it back then, "porto.") Chinese niggers … Then we embraced because we couldn't escape it.
So it has gone with "racist." White folks denied it. Said there ARE no racists. Well, you see how well that worked, (though they still working on it) … Then they tried to intellectualize it away. I heard people say: You dont have to be white to be a racist. A racist is just a low class person. There's racists in all races. There's black racists , Poto Rikkin racists, Chinese racists … The Republicans are in full embrace mode.So let's recap. "Niggerism" is the degraded condition common to Black people in the USofA prior to the legal end of Jim Crow. It was forced upon the culture to make it fit the demands of a "racially" distorted economy and political system. Too many still suffer from it, and these people are called "niggers." Racism is the degraded condition common to white people in the USofA prior to the legal end of Jim Crow. It was forced upon the culture to make it fit the demands of a "racially" distorted economy and political system. Too many still suffer from it, and these people are called "racists." You may now return to your accustomed level of racial sensitivity. Thank you. LATER: I think I need to be clear. This is NOT a statement on race relations. There is NO statement on who hates or is capable of hating based on the rather ill-defined concept of race in any of this post, particularly not in the text that follows. This is all still rather polite but it's been my experience that it rubs a lot of folks the wrong way, talking about niggers and racists. That's my intent here, to rub folks the wrong way. I want y'all raw. It's the first, necessary step in my plan, which is to install a Negro in everyone's head. Black folks, of course, already have a Negro in their head, so y'all can check me if you think I go off track. Let's examine the facts here. According to the Census Bureau's Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin [PDF], six out of eight people in this country classify themselves as white. Black people are approximately 12% of the population; that's roughly every eigth person.. What I want to do is reverse the situation. Imagine that of every eight people you see in public spaces, six are Black. Your bosses are Black. Your kid's teachers are Black. You go to the newsstand and see Ebony and Savoy but not Time and People. Now, imagine that roughly one third of these Black people, that's one out of every four people you encounter lets you know, through body language, shying away or even sometimes a direct statement, that they think you are a racist bastard. These are people who don't know you and never will. But it's pretty clear—not blatantly obvious, by pretty clear—that they are uncomfortable around you. They visibly relax when you say something that indicates you're not going to invoke white privilege. A few that do know you will ask your opinion with the inflection that indicates the collective "you." A few others will occasionally squeeze their butt-cheeks tight and add a nasal twang to their voice as a sign of solidarity with you. And you know if you, even accidentally, validate those assumptions in any way you will be ostracized to some degree, even my other white people. You with me? Really? Good. You now have your own personal Negro. Feed it well and ask it questions once in a while. |
