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Are ALL white people racist?

Are ALL white people racist?

  • Total voters
    84
radcen said:
Well, it's being portrayed by many (not all) blacks AND whites as solely a white problem. Created solely by whites, solvable solely by whites.
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Now that is racist!
 
shrubnose said:
A racist is someone who blames all members of an ethnic group for something that some members of that group do.
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You would not consider distrusting those of dark complexion "racist"?
 
Fearandloathing said:
The base of the question is racist. It further suggests only white people are racist, and after dealing with some of your border guards I can swear an oath that some black people are racist in a position of authority.
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If you take the broadest definition of "racism" we find so much racism in the media, political speeches or forums that goes by without much notice that it is astounding and most often has nothing to do with Blacks and Whites.
 
radcen said:
Are ALL white people racist?

Had no intention of being overly political today, then I saw this posted on Facebook. The question is simple, and for the poll I am going to only provide a 'yes' or 'no' option. If you feel the need for another option then the simplicity of the author's premise went right over your head.

Everyone is invited to partake, of course, but to be honest I don't much care what conservative-leaning people will say. I can pretty much guess that before the thread is even posted. I'm interested in what several white-progressives who seen to see racism in everything will say. Are all white people racist? Are YOU a racist?
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This is demonstrative of what's wrong with America today - an almost obsessive need to label everyone, particularly in a negative way. Here in Toronto, where I live, we have people from all over the world - about 50% of our population is non-white and first or second generation immigrant - and we don't give a flying **** about such nonsense. We mostly just revel in the differences that everyone brings to the table. The ethnic celebrations we enjoy, from all over the world, black/white/brown/yellow/green/purple, whatever, are a major part of what makes Toronto one of the most livable and lovable cities in the world.

America needs to get that giant pole out of your asses and start enjoying all life has to offer.
 
TheGoverness said:
Because there are white people out there that aren't racist.

Ex: Me.

Are you really going to sit here and claim that all members of a certain race are racist? Do you realize how absurd that is?
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You missed the sign hanging in the corner "Please don't feed the trolls"
 
Subconsciously, at least at some level? Almost certainly, and this goes for every other race as well.

Consciously/actively? Obviously not.
 
radcen said:
Are ALL white people racist?

Had no intention of being overly political today, then I saw this posted on Facebook. The question is simple, and for the poll I am going to only provide a 'yes' or 'no' option. If you feel the need for another option then the simplicity of the author's premise went right over your head.

Everyone is invited to partake, of course, but to be honest I don't much care what conservative-leaning people will say. I can pretty much guess that before the thread is even posted. I'm interested in what several white-progressives who seen to see racism in everything will say. Are all white people racist? Are YOU a racist?
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No. Half my family is white. So I know for a fact that not all whites or any other race or ethnicity in the US can be racist.
 
Surrealistik said:
Subconsciously, at least at some level? Almost certainly, and this goes for every other race as well.

Consciously/actively? Obviously not.
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The author hints at this early in her writing...
"While I will not, in my white ass opinion ass opinion, deny that other races are ingrained with this as well, I will not speak about that as it is not my right to do so."
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...so wouldn't that suggest that racism (as she is defining it) is a HUMAN condition?
 
SmokeAndMirrors said:
Nope.

However, all white people do live privilege in very basic ways, whether they want to or not, which embodies oppression.

I mentioned how this is true in a recent thread: that they are more likely to get a job, or an apartment, or have parents with generations of assets, simply for what they look like, even when competing against an equally meritorious non-white person. These are unavoidable things. But if we want to, we can convert as many of them as possible into things to fight against oppression with.

This writer in the article seems to be explaining a similar concept, but calling it racism rather than embodiment of oppression. I disagree. Often times, we aren't even aware of who is competing against us. It could be all white people, or all black people. We don't know who else applied for that job, ya know?

However, this is something you can be aware of and nip in the bud if and when it happens.
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Your first statement strikes me as ridiculously naïve. The effects of generational poverty are colorblind and I would challenge you to find some of their lives "privileged" in any way that matters to people nowadays. You shouldn't take group-level perceptions (such as likelihood of being raised in poverty) and make sweeping assumptions that encompass every individual. Many of the things you list as examples of privilege are neutered by the noticeable effects of generational poverty.
 
radcen said:
What does that even mean? I was just pointing out your illogical inconsistency. It's really a basic yes/no question, akin to "Are you pregnant?" Yes, or no. There is no, "Yes, but I can act like I'm not."
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I'm overthinking? The instinctual response or the human animal is racist/ingroup/outgroup/family/tribe first. Our cognitive skills enable most to rise above the base nature and be better than that. How about "We are all racist, and we don't have to be."
 
radcen said:
The author hints at this early in her writing...

...so wouldn't that suggest that racism (as she is defining it) is a HUMAN condition?
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Racism and fear/distrust/disdain of the 'other' whether overt or subliminal is as ubiquitous to humanity as the sex drive or any other instinct, so yes, it's absolutely a human condition stemming from evolved behaviours.
 
joG said:
You would not consider distrusting those of dark complexion "racist"?
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I said what I had to say and that's the end of it.

Believe whatever you want to believe.
 
CycloneWanderer said:
Your first statement strikes me as ridiculously naïve. The effects of generational poverty are colorblind and I would challenge you to find some of their lives "privileged" in any way that matters to people nowadays. You shouldn't take group-level perceptions (such as likelihood of being raised in poverty) and make sweeping assumptions that encompass every individual. Many of the things you list as examples of privilege are neutered by the noticeable effects of generational poverty.
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Well, no, they aren't. Even the white poor have substantial advantages over the poor of other races. Poverty is also potentially augmentable (although less and less, in recent decades in America). Race isn't. I have been about as poor as it's possible to be, and I'd still take the social experience I had over the social experience that comparatively poor black people seem to often have.

All that said, this divide between the racial poor is a handy thing for those who run the kyriarchy. Keeps them fighting with each other over basically nothing. And it would be better if communities realized that and pulled together.

I didn't encompass every individual. I encompassed a larger society which is not the product of any given individual. Also, if you're just going to spend all your time whining about how we shouldn't talk about anything sociological because "not all"-whatever, then it's impossible to talk about sociology at all. So, no.
 
TheGoverness said:
Because there are white people out there that aren't racist.

Ex: Me.

Are you really going to sit here and claim that all members of a certain race are racist? Do you realize how absurd that is?
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Well, that POV isn't just absurd but it's also, ironically, racist.
 
SmokeAndMirrors said:
Nope.

However, all white people do live privilege in very basic ways, whether they want to or not, which embodies oppression.
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Being treated, in general, with a baseline of rights is not a privilege. That's a bastardization of what a privilege means. It's not a privilege to not get pulled over for driving while white anymore than it's a privilege to not have your head cut off by ISIS.

The entire concept of privilege is a race-to-the-bottom victim mentality of you can figure out the most victimized status, as if it's some kind of badge for street cred which lets you be a disgustingly foul individual that lacks sovereignty over their own intellect.
 
Fishking said:
Being treated, in general, with a baseline of rights is not a privilege. That's a bastardization of what a privilege means. It's not a privilege to not get pulled over for driving while white anymore than it's a privilege to not have your head cut off by ISIS.

The entire concept of privilege is a race-to-the-bottom victim mentality of you can figure out the most victimized status, as if it's some kind of badge for street cred which lets you be a disgustingly foul individual that lacks sovereignty over their own intellect.
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Unfortunately, in our society it is, since some people are not treated that way.

Our society treats it as a privilege. You're right, it shouldn't be. But it factually is.

It's not about "being a victim." It's about admitting the mundanely obvious, which has been scientifically and sociologically demonstrated countless hundreds of times, so we can actually try to do something about it.

Victims don't complain about their oppression. They've had the spine taken out of them. The people who actually try to do something about this are anything but, especially in the face of a majority that tells them they're just "disgusting" whiners for daring to complain about objective and purely bigotry based disadvantages.

It doesn't matter how much intellect you have if your resume gets thrown in the trash the moment a would-be employer sees "Abdul" at the top of it, or your tenancy application gets rejected the moment they see the color of your skin. And that still happens routinely in America, and has been demonstrated in numerous studies right up to the modern day.

You not wanting to see it because you're comfortable where you are is frankly beside the point, apart from the fact that it's part of the problem.
 
Technically, the way many people see rights they are nothing but government granted privileges.
 
No, but not being racist doesn't mean you don't benefit from systemic privilege.

Everyone in the US, regardless of color, benefits from some form of systemic privilege, just some people more than other.
 
SmokeAndMirrors said:
Well, no, they aren't. Even the white poor have substantial advantages over the poor of other races. Poverty is also potentially augmentable (although less and less, in recent decades in America). Race isn't. I have been about as poor as it's possible to be, and I'd still take the social experience I had over the social experience that comparatively poor black people seem to often have.

All that said, this divide between the racial poor is a handy thing for those who run the kyriarchy. Keeps them fighting with each other over basically nothing. And it would be better if communities realized that and pulled together.

I didn't encompass every individual. I encompassed a larger society which is not the product of any given individual. Also, if you're just going to spend all your time whining about how we shouldn't talk about anything sociological because "not all"-whatever, then it's impossible to talk about sociology at all. So, no.
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Assuming your poor experience matches the poor experience of everyone else is strikingly naïve.
 
CycloneWanderer said:
Assuming your poor experience matches the poor experience of everyone else is strikingly naïve.
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Mine? I'm white, dude.

I just don't shut my ears and eyes when other people talk to me, or when extensive study makes things perfectly clear.
 
SmokeAndMirrors said:
I didn't encompass every individual. I encompassed a larger society which is not the product of any given individual. Also, if you're just going to spend all your time whining about how we shouldn't talk about anything sociological because "not all"-whatever, then it's impossible to talk about sociology at all. So, no.
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But here we're talking about individuals. Lots of individuals. We're not talking about societies when the question refers to "all white people." If you do want to talk about societies, you can't just break them into strict groups dependent solely upon skin color. That doesn't work. Poor white people in London are not like poor white people living in South Africa are not like poor white people living in Seattle are not like poor white people living in rural Appalachia. Same goes for any skin color. If you want to talk sociologically, you can't dismiss sociological variables in order to simplify everything to a single biological factor of extraordinary variability ("race").
 
radcen said:
Are ALL white people racist?

Had no intention of being overly political today, then I saw this posted on Facebook. The question is simple, and for the poll I am going to only provide a 'yes' or 'no' option. If you feel the need for another option then the simplicity of the author's premise went right over your head.

Everyone is invited to partake, of course, but to be honest I don't much care what conservative-leaning people will say. I can pretty much guess that before the thread is even posted. I'm interested in what several white-progressives who seen to see racism in everything will say. Are all white people racist? Are YOU a racist?
Click to expand...

Sorry, but this is a stupid poll.
 
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