Racism 101

Dear white people, 

Here is a lesson called "Racism 101" that I have created, because despite this being 2014, some of it bears repeating in light of recent events.

1. Please note this is my own opinion and perspective, and is not representative of any group or demographic.

2. Please note that because I'm white, probably nobody would assume or expect that I'm actually speaking for all white people, so #1 probably goes without saying.

3. Please note that that #1 & #2 are functions of a phenomenon known as White Privilege.

4. If you don't know what that means, that's okay. Lots of white people don't! That is also a function of white privilege. Because most of the people we are around are also white, we often don't even have to think about the fact that we are. We often simply equate being white with "normal". And when another white person does something we don't agree with, it is just a person doing something we don't agree with. It never reflects on or informs our attitudes about white people in general. This, too, is a function of white privilege.

5. If you'd like to better understand what that means, please read Peggy McIntosh's seminal piece "Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack", linked for your convenience here: White Privilege

6. If you begin a statement with the words, "I'm not racist, but ______", please note that anything following the word "but" is pretty much guaranteed to be racist or at the very least, racially insensitive. If you're truly not saying anything offensive, you don't have to qualify it as such. Please think carefully when making statements you feel necessary to justify preemptively.

7. Having a black friend does not automatically exempt you from being racist. It's nice that you have a black friend, and you might also actually not be racist. But those things are not mutually exclusive. It is not a way to justify whatever you might have said. See #6.

8. Being friends with a black person, or even a whole lot of black people, does not give you carte blanche to casually (in conversation, when addressing a person, or even when singing/rapping along to a song) use the N word. White men seem more likely to feel entitled to this terminology when addressing their black (or even white) male friends than women do. Regardless, I don't advise it. It simply isn't our word. In my personal opinion, there are no circumstances under which it is ever appropriate for white people to use it, and that includes the reappropriated version that ends in an "a" sound rather than an "er". Regardless of pronunciation, that word has an ugly historical context that should prohibit it from ever crossing your lips as a white person.

9. "Why can black people say it and I can't?" is not a sound question. The answer is: because everything. Please revisit all of the above, and also history.

10. When you accuse a person of color of "playing the race card", the presumed intent is to discredit their self-report of their lived experience, (which you will never share) and to let yourself off the hook for understanding it. If that is not your intention, please stop using this phrase. It's rude and lazy. Come up with another way to say, "I don't understand how this relates to race or could be perceived as racist." Nobody is going to be surprised to learn that you don't understand it, because white people never really have to wonder whether x or y outcome/treatment/action was racially-motivated. Because white privilege. 

11. I don't think you're stupid if any of this is new to you, or even if you disagree with some of it. Again, I am merely stating my opinions in the hopes that it will help ease some of the tension that's been spilling over due to the events in Ferguson of late. Please note that I am not an expert on race nor am I exempt from grappling with my own conscious and unconscious biases. I have had to ask a lot of questions and feel pretty uncomfortable, over many years, in order to even come to the rudimentary understanding I have of what some of this is really about. There are all kinds of things I don't know, and like anyone, I always have something more to learn. It is okay to not know something. It is okay to ask questions. It is okay to be ignorant, so long as you are making a sincere effort to understand and be educated. I hope this helps.