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The outcomes have been underwhelming because we (at least, the US) haven't actually been doing this, and we've just found new and arguably worse ways to maintai
by deepl_derber 4y ago
The outcomes have been underwhelming because we (at least, the US) haven't actually been doing this, and we've just found new and arguably worse ways to maintain deeply racist policies.
- rayiner 4y agoIf what you say is true, books like “how to be an antiracist” would include examples of these “arguably worse” mechanisms to maintain inequality. They don’t contain such examples. Indeed, a central premise of Kendi’s book is that affirmative measures are required because simply “not being racist” doesn’t work.
- tptacek 4y agoWhen you say "books like _How To Be An Antiracist_", you mean... bad books, right? Why would you expect bad-faith actors like Kendi to do better?
- barry-cotter 4y agoWhat’s your disagreement with Kendi and those like him? What changed?
- tptacek 4y agoNothing's changed. I think Kendi is an ideological grifter. It's frustrating to see "normie" anti-racism, of the "BLM lawn sign" variety, tainted by association with him.
- random314 4y agoWhat are the examples of ideological grift? I just found out about Kendi through this comment thread and a simple Google search didn't yield anything.
- rayiner 4y agoI don’t think he’s a “grifter.” Kendi thought is just the logical combination of three mainstream progressive ideas: 1) (a) The history and experience of Black people in America is sui generis and (b) justifies responses that don’t need to be generalizable or measure up to ordinary standards of procedural fairness. 2) the “bootstraps”approach of Kendi’s parent’s generation has failed. 3) bureaucratic institutions operated by well meaning credentialed people can solve every problem. Really, the only area where I substantively disagree with him is (3)—the white people in charge of bureaucratic institutions will inevitably use any special powers given to them to advance their own economic and cultural interests.
- tptacek 4y agoI don't want to get too far into it, so I'll just say: 1. Virtually nobody with a BLM lawn sign believes this: https://twitter.com/DrIbram/status/1302724276412387334 https://twitter.com/DrIbram/status/1302724276412387334 2. I can't do any better than Kalefa Sanneh at pointing out the incoherence of Kendi's professed world view. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/08/19/the-fight-to-redefine-racism https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/08/19/the-fight-to-r...
- wizofaus 4y agoBut how convincingly does he make that case? It seems to be that while we're obviously a long way from a truly race-blind world, someone belonging to a minority ethnic grouping has a much better chance of succeeding in most careers in the average Western country today than they would have 50 years ago. I struggle to believe that's largely due to the weird sort of "anti-racism" Kendi promotes.
- deepl_derber 4y agoI don't see how this follows from what I said at all.