4 ms·

Sorry let me dig in a little more here. It's pretty common to naively think that racism in the US is treating anyone of any race differently based on their rac

Sorry let me dig in a little more here. It's pretty common to naively think that racism in the US is treating anyone of any race differently based on their race. Conservatives trot this out all the time whenever anyone treats white Americans differently. However, they're wrong, and they've never been right. Racism in the US is a pervasive caste system that places white Americans at the top, Black Americans at the bottom, and others somewhere in-between. This is why "reverse racism" is nonsensical and why white Americans don't experience racism. I understand why people want to hew to the simple definition, but sadly it doesn't really help anyone. Well, it helps people who don't want to fix racism but, that seems like a mark against it. And, for what it's worth, the Wikipedia article is super well-cited [1]. There's a lot of good info in there; it's definitely not some liberal hack job. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_racism#References https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_racism#References

subjectsigma 6y ago
I'm white, and have been in situations where I was singled out and harassed for being white, both in real life and online. I fully understand that I have never experienced systemic racism because I am part of the racial majority. But it was still hurtful. What word should I use to describe these experiences if not 'racism'? (This is anecdotal, but: Every progressive 'anti-racist' who I describe these situations to either quickly changes the subject, calls me 'fragile', or tries to argue that these experiences weren't all that bad. Not a single one, in my experience, will just level with me and say, "Wow, that sucks, I'm sorry someone said that to you." I don't think trying to explain over people how they should feel and dismissing their concerns is a core tenant of anti-racism but it sure feels like it.)
- camgunz 6y ago
  I don't think you're fragile, and I would never minimize the harassment you experienced. I am sorry any of that happened to you. You're right that it's not systemic racism but, it's still the case that no one deserves that. And I'm also sorry you haven't found sympathy in the anti-racist community. It's pretty easy to be deep in the trenches, snarky, and suspicious, and it seems like you're running into all of that.
  - subjectsigma 6y ago
    That was a surprisingly kind response. Thank you :)

subjectsigma 6y ago

I'm white, and have been in situations where I was singled out and harassed for being white, both in real life and online. I fully understand that I have never experienced systemic racism because I am part of the racial majority. But it was still hurtful. What word should I use to describe these experiences if not 'racism'? (This is anecdotal, but: Every progressive 'anti-racist' who I describe these situations to either quickly changes the subject, calls me 'fragile', or tries to argue that these experiences weren't all that bad. Not a single one, in my experience, will just level with me and say, "Wow, that sucks, I'm sorry someone said that to you." I don't think trying to explain over people how they should feel and dismissing their concerns is a core tenant of anti-racism but it sure feels like it.)

camgunz 6y ago
I don't think you're fragile, and I would never minimize the harassment you experienced. I am sorry any of that happened to you. You're right that it's not systemic racism but, it's still the case that no one deserves that. And I'm also sorry you haven't found sympathy in the anti-racist community. It's pretty easy to be deep in the trenches, snarky, and suspicious, and it seems like you're running into all of that.
- subjectsigma 6y ago
  That was a surprisingly kind response. Thank you :)