I tend to use "racial prejudice" and "institutionalized racism" instead, because white people get really angry when you tell them they can be racist because they have white privilege and institutional power
You said:
I am not racist
See? You proved my point. You immediately went into knee-jerk mode. You didn't consider that the meaning of the word changed, because you just don't like the word and don't want to be referred to with that word. Note that under this separate definition of racism no one is calling you a bigot - just saying that you (like most white people) benefit from a system of institutionalized advantages and privileges. That's exactly why I don't use those terms.
As for white privilege--yes, it exists, like all sorts of other privileges. It sucks, and I do not support it or let myself internalize it
I'd have to say that if you live in any Western society (most societies now due to globalization, but any Western society especially) that's probably untrue. We all internalize it; it's subtle and implicit and hard to detect.
However, "white privilege" is no fucking excuse to attack every white person who protests being stereotyped as a bigot.
There are two problematic assumptions here on your part:
1) That using this definition of "racism", and then applying it to white people, is tantamount to an "attack" on white people. It's not.
2) That using this definition of white people paints all white people as bigots. It doesn't.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2009-10-09 04:32 pm (UTC)You said:
I am not racist
See? You proved my point. You immediately went into knee-jerk mode. You didn't consider that the meaning of the word changed, because you just don't like the word and don't want to be referred to with that word. Note that under this separate definition of racism no one is calling you a bigot - just saying that you (like most white people) benefit from a system of institutionalized advantages and privileges. That's exactly why I don't use those terms.
As for white privilege--yes, it exists, like all sorts of other privileges. It sucks, and I do not support it or let myself internalize it
I'd have to say that if you live in any Western society (most societies now due to globalization, but any Western society especially) that's probably untrue. We all internalize it; it's subtle and implicit and hard to detect.
However, "white privilege" is no fucking excuse to attack every white person who protests being stereotyped as a bigot.
There are two problematic assumptions here on your part:
1) That using this definition of "racism", and then applying it to white people, is tantamount to an "attack" on white people. It's not.
2) That using this definition of white people paints all white people as bigots. It doesn't.