4 ms·
People supporting policies with race-specific effects don't need to be racist, but they should own up to the fact that they're enabling and extending structural
by klmadfejno 6y ago
People supporting policies with race-specific effects don't need to be racist, but they should own up to the fact that they're enabling and extending structural factors that disadvantage minority groups.
Are you racist if you oppose opening up low income housing in a nearby black community because, and only because, it would lower the value of your home and you can't afford that? No, I don't think so. But you gotta own it. Deflecting to a problem that solves poor people problem's without addressing critical issues specific to the poor black community is going to extend, or at at best ignore the unique factors that make it difficult for poor black people.
Structural problems aren't caused by people in white hoods waving tiki torches. But often they're not untangled without acknowledging that a lot of specific prior wrongs that enabled modern day imbalances need current sacrifices from the groups that benefited from those prior wrongs to be corrected.
The left is too keen to throw out the term racism for actions that don't actually imply a hatred of other races. The right is too eager to say "I'm not racist" as a defense for indulging in activities that exacerbate structural problems with plausible deniability.