3 ms·

I wouldn't say everyone is racist, by that definition. If you want to and are working to change or get rid of these systems, then you are not racist.

Swizec 6y ago
I think it’s more complicated than that based on some of the diversity books I’ve read. For example I wasn’t even “white” until I moved to USA a few years ago. Took me 6+ years to even grok how “white” works and what it means but I’m told I was racist all along. And yeah sure I want the system to change, but honestly I have enough work with being an immigrant without inherent rights. Hell I’m technically a visitor so I don’t even have immigration rights yet. This is not my fight to fight ... but folks say that makes me racist and privileged and how dare I. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- rayiner 6y ago
  I wasn't a "person of color" until 2009! (I distinctly remembered when it happened. I was reading ad copy about my law school, and saw that our incoming class was 30% "people of color." I had never seen the term before, and was confused by what it could mean, until I realized they were grouping all non-white people together.)
  - SpicyLemonZest 6y ago
    It includes some white people too! No Latino would think for half a second before identifying me as white, but because I'm also Latino, I end up as a "person of color" whenever these statistics are aggregated. And this isn't a minor edge case - something like 10% of the US population is white hispanic.
refurb 6y ago
So whether you’re racist is determined by whether you are “working to change the system”? What does that mean? If I do yes to BLM does that mean I’m not racist? What if I speak in support of BLM? Is that a blanket dispensation against being racist?
- Miner49er 6y ago
  Idk, I'm just trying to logically apply the definition. I don't think you could say Malcolm X, John Brown, or MLK are racist for example. It's at least possible not to be racist by their definition.
DenisM 6y ago
That reminds me of "war to the death" - the only way you're not the enemy of the people is if you give up everything you had actively join the fight on our side. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decree_of_War_to_the_Death https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decree_of_War_to_the_Death

Swizec 6y ago

I think it’s more complicated than that based on some of the diversity books I’ve read. For example I wasn’t even “white” until I moved to USA a few years ago. Took me 6+ years to even grok how “white” works and what it means but I’m told I was racist all along. And yeah sure I want the system to change, but honestly I have enough work with being an immigrant without inherent rights. Hell I’m technically a visitor so I don’t even have immigration rights yet. This is not my fight to fight ... but folks say that makes me racist and privileged and how dare I. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

rayiner 6y ago
I wasn't a "person of color" until 2009! (I distinctly remembered when it happened. I was reading ad copy about my law school, and saw that our incoming class was 30% "people of color." I had never seen the term before, and was confused by what it could mean, until I realized they were grouping all non-white people together.)
- SpicyLemonZest 6y ago
  It includes some white people too! No Latino would think for half a second before identifying me as white, but because I'm also Latino, I end up as a "person of color" whenever these statistics are aggregated. And this isn't a minor edge case - something like 10% of the US population is white hispanic.

refurb 6y ago

So whether you’re racist is determined by whether you are “working to change the system”? What does that mean? If I do yes to BLM does that mean I’m not racist? What if I speak in support of BLM? Is that a blanket dispensation against being racist?

Miner49er 6y ago
Idk, I'm just trying to logically apply the definition. I don't think you could say Malcolm X, John Brown, or MLK are racist for example. It's at least possible not to be racist by their definition.

DenisM 6y ago

That reminds me of "war to the death" - the only way you're not the enemy of the people is if you give up everything you had actively join the fight on our side. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decree_of_War_to_the_Death https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decree_of_War_to_the_Death