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Are You a Racist or a Bigot?
At the Diaspora Museum here in Israel, I saw a video of an Ethiopian Woman, and this was her story:
As a child, her mother deserted her with no explanation. Understandably her sense of abandonment was overwhelming. She waited for her mother to return; she checked every woman on the streets to see if one might be her mother. She never saw her again. When she came to Israel, she continued relentlessly to search for her mother. In the meantime, she became a sculptor, married, and had a family.
She said that once she became a mother herself, she stopped looking for her mother, although many of her sculptures represent her mother; when she sells one, she makes another to replace it. In telling her story, not once did she claim racism, although Ethiopian Jews are known to be victims of racism in Israel. She knew she was entitled to choose her view of the world.
After reading @thomasanger’s recent post, @hypatia’s recent post and the comment that @rodin made about racism on her post, I began to contemplate what it means to be a racist and to be a victim of racism. I’m white, and the fact is that I do notice if people are different races; I grew up around white people and notice differences. So what? Even if I had a negative internal reaction to a person for whatever reason, is that racism? I think that Progressives would say yes.
But this is a definition of racism: prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior. The key words in this definition are directed against. Although the thought police would say otherwise, I am entitled, as a human being, to think whatever I wish about any other person. Now a Progressive may say, if you think that way, you will act that way. Says who? I might want to punch a person who calls me a racist, but common decency and common sense prevent me from doing so. The point I’m trying to make is that I don’t necessarily act as I think, but I act as I choose to act.
Which brings me to my next point. I can’t prove that all Progressives are racists (although I would suggest that their policies toward blacks are just that) but they are, by definition, bigots. The definition of bigots is intolerance towards those who hold different opinions from oneself. And conservatives are subject to their bigotry. I would add that they are entitled to feel however they wish, but as soon as they verbally attack us as homophobes, racists, islamophobes, and so on, they are acting as bigots. A Progressive may tell you that their accusations about us are not bigotry, but they meet the definition perfectly. If you look at the definition of bigotry, it doesn’t say except for conservatives.
Just as the Ethiopian woman described above refuses to let the racism and bigotry toward her detract from her life, I won’t let the bigotry of Progressives tarnish mine. But I also won’t stand by silently any longer. I will simply hold up the mirror, and point out that they are demonstrating the hatred of bigotry. How would I do that?
Let’s say a person initiates the usual invective against conservatives/Republicans. I would very calmly ask the person if he or she realizes that those comments meet the definition of bigotry: a bigot is intolerant toward those who hold different opinions of oneself. I suspect, for starters, that would stop the ranter in his or her tracks. Then I might say, look, I’m not a racist, and I would like to think you are not a bigot, so let’s call a truce and talk about something we can agree on without attacking each other. What do you say?
I’m not looking to pick a fight. But if someone makes an anti-Semitic comment, or an anti-Israel comment, or an anti-black comment, or any other racist or bigoted comment, I wouldn’t stand by. I would need to speak up, calmly and assuredly. It is a matter of principle.
We can certainly differ on policies and philosophies, but I don’t think it serves anyone to attack people because we disagree with ideas. We all share this planet and go through similar struggles with life; let’s allow not just for the diversity of cultures and races, but for the diversity of ideas, too.
So what do you think?
Published in Culture
I have asked someone their ethnicity many times in the past. I have a strong curiosity for knowing where people come from and what they are. I hate that it can be interpreted to be rude or worse. I’m really just fascinated with people. I’ll probably still go for it and prepare for the worst. We can’t walk around on pins and needles.
I am so grateful to all the people who are challenging me!! It is a wonderful education and is helping me analyze my ideas and approach carefully.
First of all, I have to admit it is difficult to argue with your points. But what if my purpose is different? What if I keep asking them to substantiate their arguments? For example, if I said, what makes you think that I/all conservatives are racists? They might answer that I was born with white privilege. I could then say, what does that mean? And so on . . . I don’t have to deny being a racist, but I can dig down and courteously ask them to define their points. Either they will end up going in circles (which I can point out), or they will get angry at me and stomp off. The point is that I want them to do just that: they may hold on to their beliefs, but there will be a dent in their ideas because they don’t make sense. If enough of us did that, that dent might become a tiny breach. And every breach becomes an opening to potential reason. Or they will simply stop talking to conservatives. Yes, they will continue to meet in their little enclaves, but they won’t have their discussions around me.
As I said, earlier, I do notice race. I notice if a person has beautiful hair. I notice when a man is bald. I notice if a person has beautiful eyes. And I notice race. I also notice that as a human being, that person has potential, opportunities to flourish. If they are motivated, it might be extremely difficult or hard work, but they can actualize their dreams. They just have to persist, rather than expect it to be given to them.
I do that too, UC! An accent, hairstyle, last name–I’m always curious about a person’s origins. And I think most people appreciate that I’m curious. I often will guess at their origins, but I do this carefully–I could end up naming their country’s arch enemy! And I won’t be intimidated to stop doing it, either!
I think I would love to live in that World. However, the charge of Racism along with a few others, is the modern equivalent of being accused of witchcraft. It is practically irrefutable because any evidence to the contrary has been ruled out of order by the ‘woke’ crowd. That is the real reason conservatives seem so weak keed in their responses, I think. That said, I very much agree that some strong, well reasoned, response is called for and sorely needed. And I think your response is excellent.
My personal story as a Boomer is this: I was raised by great Christian parents who had fully bought into the false narrative very loosely based on O.T. verses that black people were ‘supposed’ to be the servants of white people. I was taught this fallacy from an early age and only rejected it when I investigated it for myself in my High School days. This doesn’t make my parents bad people nor does it make me a Saint, it just creates a problem for me as I continually have to re-evaluate my ‘feelings’ toward people with skin darker than mine. I have sometimes found myself having a negative initial reaction to someone based on that difference and have had to correct that attitude within myself. I’m neither proud nor ashamed of it, it just happens to be something I have to deal with. Most of the time though, nearly always, I’ve been able to reserve judgment until I know a person, white, black, green or blue. I try to like everyone and really do try to learn from everyone. Some people make that exceedingly hard. I’ve known a great many people on both sides of that scale of every possible shade of skin color.
What we attempted to do was not to pass on those negative stereotypes to our kids. I think we succeeded pretty well, partly because Mrs. OS didn’t get the same negative messages from her parents.
Now, how can we learn to live together? By all taking personal responsibility for our own actions and attitudes, not blaming others for our failures and foibles, not looking for scapegoats nor to be scapegoats. It will not be easy, partly because so many, ‘leaders’ want to keep the pot stirred for their own aggrandizement. But it is sorely needed.
Again, I think your approach is exemplary.
After moving from Oklahoma to Kentucky we have been asked many, many times where we are from. Why is that so different? People are just being friendly and this is one way to start a conversation. Some folks just need to learn how to give others the benefit of the doubt.
It may be a distinction without a difference but I’ll ask someone who appears to be from another country how they came to be here. That usually leads to an interesting story of their life journey so far. I’m much more interested in how they’ve developed as a person than where they originated even though that obviously has something to do with how they’ve become who they are. It isn’t the whole story, not by a long shot. And I usually find that this approach helps put people at ease. Everyone is interested in someone who has a sincere interest in hearing their personal story.
I don’t do this because I’m intimidated from taking any other approach but simply because I’ve found it to be effective.
Yes, I take blame/credit. I like to play with words.
Just for fun, here is a story posted today: Portland City Club Quashes Addiction Report Because ‘Every Member of the Committee Was White’
The short summary is a public volunteer group associated with government solicits participation in a study group. People volunteer and spend hundreds of volunteer hours interviewing people in the field and reading the published literature, but the organization that solicited the volunteering won’t publish their results because it turns out no person of color volunteered to conduct the study.
Thank God Louis Pasteur was a person of color. Oh, wait.
That would be the last time I’d volunteer. Oh man. . .