I’m amazed. I’m white. Isn’t Trump only where he is because he’s white? Serial killers, billionaires etc are all white men. Slave owners were white. Your response to those criticisms is pretty awesome. Thank you for such careful analysis.
No, Trump is where he is because his father was rich. Then, he extorted more from mostly black tenants. Then, he lied about how rich he was, to borrow more. Then, he lied to pay less tax. Then, he surrounded himself with other rich white me who he could join with, to become more rich. Then, he ran for office with backing from his white rich pals... twice. Now he's returning the loans to those rich white guys, while making himself and his weird family rich, because he was voted in by a whole bunch of poor folk... and a few white rich guys.
I honestly can't think of anyone who has ever addressed whiteness in a clearer, more concise, less theory-driven way than Dr. Patton has done with this piece. Other than directing them/us back to her statement that it's not personal, it's about a system, I can't imagine how to get through to a "good white person" who, after reading this, still doesn't get it. We whites do have to get it, though; or we're not going to be of any use in dismantling that system.
The fact that a critical mass of y'all have to move past this myth of white innocence is exactly why I have no faith that it will change. The handful of white people who are willing to risk what power they have in service of ending whiteness are few and far between. They're outnumbered by the Mary's and Bernie's who need to believe they're part of the solution while amplifying the problem.
Oh I know many that could read this and still not get it. I can already hear the sirens for the tone police coming. They'll argue that Mary is right. They relate to her not to this piece. Therein lies the problem
Your unapologetic deconstruction of whiteness and white supremacy is such a gift to us all.
Even, and especially, if it makes us uncomfortable.
It is both brilliant and courageous. So much like James Baldwin. Or Mary Daly‘s writing in the early days of feminism. We are lucky you are willing to do this.
I’m new to the party. Can you give me a brief rundown on how white people treat you. The way you talk it’s as if they’re straight off the set of “Django Unchained”. Is that really your experience?
How bout this. Let me rephrase the question. On first glance it sounds like you still think slavery and racism exist like it did in the fictional movie “Django Unchained”. Please tell me that’s not so
Your comments make it unmistakably clear that, while you may have read the essay, you most certainly did not understand it. That's not the writer's fault; you have to do better. Your questions and comments are actually so random and weird (in relation to this essay) that I'm inclined to think you're just trolling.
The title of the article is “white people don’t like to be called white people” that’s not true. I’m a white person and I really don’t care if you call me white or not.
So this article did not speak to me and it also told me that the writer didn’t do enough research
That’s offensive
But let’s move on I don’t want to dwell on the negative
The fact is there are two kinds of white people: liberal whites and conservative whites.
The liberal whites are ashamed of being white so yes that’s the people she’s talking about
Perhaps the only white people she knows are liberal whites.
As a writer she needs to meet other kinds of people. ALL kinds of people
Literally lmao. How can someone read and enjoy thought provoking pieces but then bristle at such a small thing? Some people really need to tighten tf up 😭😭
Because then we would have to acknowledge, isolate and study the brutal and inhumane way they treat us and eachother. We'd have to discuss the laws, social customs and terrorism that held Jim Crow, Nazi-ism, Apartheid and Insurance Redlining in place, for decades. And we'd have to ban assault rifles and ban their young males from all gun purchases... similar to how they banned young men of color from purchasing spray paint in the 1980s. There would have to be worldwide accountability. Forget banning history books. We'd have to rewrite all of them! It will never happen in our lifetime.
That dilemma about revolution or evolution comes to my mind often these days. The former is likely to create rapid change to the way society is structured but there is likely to be lots of deaths and destruction, the latter involves bloodshed but it’s largely invisible or barely so (these are the deaths of despair and other consequences of a deeply unfairly structured system). This type of change takes a long time which I’m not sure we have due to that other crisis - climate change.
One only has to look at the two significant rises in fascism throughout the 300 year American state to know what kind of change is required to get around this continued tribal primordia of ours. And even then, it's proved to be fleeting all the same. :(
Have I lost my ever loving mind? In what universe is a "Miguel Sanchez" considered "white?" I'm old enough to remember when Latinos/Hispanics became a presence in American society. Good for them. But back in the day, they were looked down upon by whites. . . (unless my memory is completely shot) but somehow they jumped right over that prejudice and magically became white. I know they didn't have the stigma of slavery and all that nastiness/prejudice/hatred/murder thrown at them like the rest of us Black folks ...so it's interesting to me that they've taken up this "white" mantle. I would love for you - as an historian and scientist of human nature - to write a piece on this phenom. It's fascinating - everyone wants to be white but no one wants the garbage now associated with it. I'll say it here: if reincarnation is a thing, let me come back again as a Black woman. I love me some me.
Now Madelyn that is a long essay on colorism and denial. We all know what Othello was called: a Moor. The term Moreno refers to Afro appearing Hispanics or ancestral Hispanics. Why is their colorism in our community? Well that's because the African Moors conquered (as part of the Islamic Caliphate)and ruled the Iberian Peninsula (which consists of Portugal 🇵🇹 and Spain 🇪🇸) for over 700 years after kickingout the Visigoths. The Moors had preserved Western literature and history and the Spaniards learned Arabic and translated it. Invariably there was a lot of "racial mixing" on the Iberian Peninsula from other African nations before the Moors but the Moorish invasion was special because we were taught the year 1492 because of Columbus and that's because this was year that the Northern Kingdoms of Castille and Aragon had united after the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella to drive out the Moors from the Iberian Peninsula with assistance from the Portuguese who had done this earlier. The Spanish and the Portuguese drew up a treaty to split up the new world with assistance from the Pope. The Spaniards and Portuguese proceeded to mix with the indigenous tribes and their African slaves and mixed the two as well. This is why other Western European nations and later white Americans didn't recognize the Spaniards as "all white" or Southern Italians because of their well documented mixing with and being conquered by Africans. The colorism that still exists due to slavery and colonization still haunts Hispanic culture in the the Americas. The history of Argentina 🇦🇷 and Brazil 🇧🇷 are two of the most blatant examples of this. Pablo Fereire describes this phenomenon as pedagogy of the oppressed meaning that the formerly colonized and enslaved often behave and adopt some of the worst biases and behaviors of their former colonizers and enslavers. Thus racism and colorism continued even after colorism and slavery ended. We have it in the States, Mexico, the Caribbean, South America, North Africa and India which still has its caste system. Why? Because the sun never set on the European empires and making the race better meant darker hues are nothing but scarlet letters that are not to be acknowledged to outsiders. Sadly, we often don't teach this in schools to innoculate white children as well as children of color to call it wrong because we want to keep the 1492 system in place.
I've been studying why Latinos seem to be most inclined to try and become part of the ruling class rather than standing against them. I haven't yet figured out why aside from the obvious tenet that adopting the conqueror mindset is a survival mechanism, but it doesn't explain why they're actively embracing the same caste that marginalizes them.
Why? It’s about power. It’s what all immigrant groups have done when they were considered new to America. The Irish, Jews, Asians, Polish, and even Germans were othered and discriminated against….until they became accepted as white. Then they no longer experienced discrimination based on race, and they had the power to discriminate. That’s what Latinos want as well…to be considered white.
You guys are all young (I don't say that in a negative way). I was an undergrad in the late 70s-early 80s, when Reagan declared Hispanics "White". I'm sure Miguel's grandparents were so happy, and they passed that shit down the line. They also have colorism issues.
I’m of that age as well and I associated the Latino white adjacency with Cuban Americans, the first wave of them being the whiter skinned more privileged who abandoned Cuba when Castro came into power. Their influence has grown especially in the Republican party. Marco Rubio is the exemplar of the white adjacent Latino who actively maligns and oppresses other Latinos to please his white bosses.
Madelyn, as James Brown famously stated, "I'm Black and I'm proud." I share a similar pride in my identity.
It is also noteworthy that in the 2020 Census, 38.8% of Hispanics identified as White, while 34.4% identified as Some Other Race (SOR).
Also, historically, under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexicans were considered white at one point. (See Contesting Whiteness - Inventing “Hispanic” | School of Law)
Additionally, during my undergraduate legal studies, it was taught that many Germans concealed their ancestry during the Nazi era due to discrimination and hostility. This is particularly perplexing, given that some white Americans still perform the Nazi salute.
As I mentioned earlier, the concept of race was constructed by white Europeans and American colonizers. It seems the individuals that Dr. Patton schooled are unaware of their history.
Being wilfully bound by the limits of your own ignorance is hardly a counterpoint to this piece. You're really just performing the very hysterics referred to at length in the piece itself.
I call them Tio Ruckuses, after the unfortunate character in The Boondocks. They are self haters in denial.
My cousin is one. He was having a tantrum about DEI so I told him to check the right box if he thought it would help so much. I assured him it wouldn't mean shit, but he could try.
He was flabbergasted and asked what I meant, and I reminded him that we're both half Mexican.
That mirror, it fucks "em up every time.....look at the faces and bodies of some of the Republican women, the amount of botox has replaced 80% of the blood in the bodies.
I am white. I hated to be called white. Then I realised it was my fellow white people that made me hate being white. Their racism. Their "I don't see color". Their denial of their privilege. Their denial of the racism that gave them their privilege. But the truth is, we white people were, and still are, still horrible. I had to learn from black people I didnt know, what we truly did in those "golden ages" that should be called the "blood red aged". My white people didnt want to tell me. I had to learn from black people what privilege is. My white people didnt want to tell me and just told me all my disadvantages, and blamed them on others. Anything but admitting that we are, in fact, white. Can we please stop being sensitive dipsticks about this?
"We did the homework, so stop grading us." As a woman (white), yes, I did the homework and continue to learn (Dr. Patton is a great educator), but my sisters and brothers of color did MORE homework and still, a children like Timir Rice, a 12 year old in my state, are killed by police. He was as a young black boy playing in a park with a toy gun. I called out many of my "friends - white" when I talked about this and they said, well he should have known better - he was 12! Meanwhile, this white priviledge adminstration thinks men 18-24 talking on text about na*i's, r*pe, gas chambers and more are just "kids". Give me a break - it is a white problem.
When I was a kid I used to watch a lot of the news bc we ain’t had cable or whatever, I’d see the disparity in how all aspects of American culture treated Blk and brown children very, very differently than white children and couldn’t explain why. As an adult, it’s impossible not to see, but I’ve learned that whiteness always has a justification for why it abuses Blk children, if anything it’s a major American pastime. Idk if it’s unique to small town white rural America, the amount of times I’ve heard grown adults casually reference r*ping Blk kids and women and throwing their bodies into the lake/river “like we used to”. made me never forget it and have continued to be told and see and hear it as an adult. I’ve been meaning to ask others if this is unique or something they say in their homes.
I’ve heard those things. I was born in 1974, and I remember the radio station in my SC town did a news story about the black children being murdered in Atlanta. Children. Like I was. Another body was found. I started to feel sick. I was scared for the children. The next song that came on the radio was “Another One Bites The Dust” by Queen. The song is not racist, but the use of it in that moment absolutely was. The adults around me laughed because they got the joke. I couldn’t understand. They had no sympathy or feeling for those kids or their parents. The memory is crystal clear for me. It happened around the time I started to question everything my family said about black people.
I can only speak for my (white) family, but we were told to treat people of different races as equal, while still hearing a lot of what are now termed microaggressions and stereotypes. All of the really blatant racism, as well most of the more quiet racism, was mostly not discussed, but when mentioned was done by “bad people”.
I know it’s not the job of the oppressed to school the oppressors, but I thank all of you who help us white people who care to do better. Racism will only be dismantled by white people.
I live rural (not by choice) in a blue state (Illinois) and I assure you, there are more than a few bigots running around in the country areas (mostly old white men, but White Weeping Women and younger gens raised on a diet of upChuckie Jerk exist too) who will drop slurs and racist tropes into conversations as casually as the Midwest winds blow through. I've not (yet) heard that particular horrifying reference, but I don't doubt there are those who subscribe to such a disgusting mindset. (They're usually screeching about HOW DANGEROUS!! CHICAGO IS!!!!! despite the fact that most of these idiots have never even been to the city and probably couldn't find it with a map and a GPS.)
I am more pink and red in actual complexion, but as someone from OG invader stock (Mayflower, English, Dutch, etc.) I am definitely a “white guy,” and as a white person, there are structural advantages that accrue to me, which my Haitian relatives (by marriage) are systematically denied. ‘Whiteness” is however a shifting category of privilege, measured by access to white enclaves, formerly denied to people considered non-white not so long ago. People upset by being called “white” really should take a pill, or imbibe a glass of Chardonnay.
I’m feeling incredibly sad that the burden is yet again on you to explain the many ways in which Black people are harmed by white attitudes and conditioning, yet also grateful that you are willing to do so.
I deeply hope the pain of these times will encourage some positive change. Thank you for this and all of your writing.
I’m white and I call people who look like me white people and I disagree with these white people up here. And your analysis of Trump was spot on, including the fact that his cruelty is wrapped up in, nay derived directly from, his whiteness. I wish I had had time to read the comments that day, and thank you for CALLING IT OUT!
I’m amazed. I’m white. Isn’t Trump only where he is because he’s white? Serial killers, billionaires etc are all white men. Slave owners were white. Your response to those criticisms is pretty awesome. Thank you for such careful analysis.
No, Trump is where he is because his father was rich. Then, he extorted more from mostly black tenants. Then, he lied about how rich he was, to borrow more. Then, he lied to pay less tax. Then, he surrounded himself with other rich white me who he could join with, to become more rich. Then, he ran for office with backing from his white rich pals... twice. Now he's returning the loans to those rich white guys, while making himself and his weird family rich, because he was voted in by a whole bunch of poor folk... and a few white rich guys.
I’m surprised Mary didn’t say she had a black best friend.
Or: I have a biracial stepchild. 🥴
I snickered when I read your comment. Good point.
Or my grandchild is mixed.
It's coming.
I read through some of the comments here ... 😞.
I honestly can't think of anyone who has ever addressed whiteness in a clearer, more concise, less theory-driven way than Dr. Patton has done with this piece. Other than directing them/us back to her statement that it's not personal, it's about a system, I can't imagine how to get through to a "good white person" who, after reading this, still doesn't get it. We whites do have to get it, though; or we're not going to be of any use in dismantling that system.
The fact that a critical mass of y'all have to move past this myth of white innocence is exactly why I have no faith that it will change. The handful of white people who are willing to risk what power they have in service of ending whiteness are few and far between. They're outnumbered by the Mary's and Bernie's who need to believe they're part of the solution while amplifying the problem.
Point taken. I'll keep going at it/us, in any case.
Oh I know many that could read this and still not get it. I can already hear the sirens for the tone police coming. They'll argue that Mary is right. They relate to her not to this piece. Therein lies the problem
Your unapologetic deconstruction of whiteness and white supremacy is such a gift to us all.
Even, and especially, if it makes us uncomfortable.
It is both brilliant and courageous. So much like James Baldwin. Or Mary Daly‘s writing in the early days of feminism. We are lucky you are willing to do this.
Thank you for your very generous words. I so appreciate you reading and engaging with my work. Let's keep going, love.
I’m new to the party. Can you give me a brief rundown on how white people treat you. The way you talk it’s as if they’re straight off the set of “Django Unchained”. Is that really your experience?
If you are new to the party, then it’s your job to catch up.
Asking her to fill you in is just more burden. It’s not her job.
Take “white squirrels nest” advice, and read more of her work. It speaks for itself.
How bout this. Let me rephrase the question. On first glance it sounds like you still think slavery and racism exist like it did in the fictional movie “Django Unchained”. Please tell me that’s not so
I would still say it’s incumbent on us to do the work. Reading her essays will answer your questions.
Well I read a decent amount. I think she can do better
Maybe she can’t?
Your comments make it unmistakably clear that, while you may have read the essay, you most certainly did not understand it. That's not the writer's fault; you have to do better. Your questions and comments are actually so random and weird (in relation to this essay) that I'm inclined to think you're just trolling.
The title of the article is “white people don’t like to be called white people” that’s not true. I’m a white person and I really don’t care if you call me white or not.
So this article did not speak to me and it also told me that the writer didn’t do enough research
That’s offensive
But let’s move on I don’t want to dwell on the negative
The fact is there are two kinds of white people: liberal whites and conservative whites.
The liberal whites are ashamed of being white so yes that’s the people she’s talking about
Perhaps the only white people she knows are liberal whites.
As a writer she needs to meet other kinds of people. ALL kinds of people
Just read more of her essays.
Dude. Read the room. She literally wrote about people like you
Shut all the way up. I’m sick of people like you.
You’re so damn arrogant. You think you know me based on a few words on a keyboard?
That’s called being PREJUDICED
No I didn't pre-judge you. You showed who you are
That’s bull.
If you walked a mile in my shoes then judged me that would be one thing.
Heck, if you even just spent one hour with me face to face and then judged me that would be one thing.
But you make a judgement off of a few words on a computer screen?
Yeah that’s bull
https://open.substack.com/pub/drstaceypatton1865/p/john-brown-didnt-ask-enslaved-people?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=bs68n
YESSSS! If something I read makes me uncomfortable then I need to sit with it and figure out why. Not go cry white tears in Black spaces.
Yes, exactly! How can we change if we don’t sit with the ugly and uncomfortable?
EXACTLY!!!👍🏼
It’s overwhelming
If you're offended by being called "white," well, that pretty much says it all, doesn't it?
Literally lmao. How can someone read and enjoy thought provoking pieces but then bristle at such a small thing? Some people really need to tighten tf up 😭😭
Thank you!
“Jew” is also seen as offensive by Jews. Very telling.
the intergalactic fuck. Isn't there a pill Mary can take?
Must use intergalactic fuck.
i am stealing "intergalactic fuck" 😂
You and I must duel to the death for that phrase. LOL
Now now ladies, there's plenty more where that came from. lol
🤣🤣🤣 I’m concerned she might be taking too many. That shit was prize-winning unhinged.
I'd like to see her double triple up on crack. Just for funsies
You put my usual "the absolute fuck" to shame. Honored to be in your presence.
Whiteness is never more visible than when it insists on being unseen, smh.
To focus on your use of the word “white” is such a willful misreading of your piece that it’s astonishing. But I shouldn’t be surprised.
These comments are…what the fuck?
LOL. Your last sentence has me chuckling. Good morning, love.
Morning! I see the fuckery started early today!
I am at the point where I would be stunned not to see fuckery early in every day. Sigh.
You mean the fuckery actually STOPS at some point? It runs all day over here!
No, it doesn’t. It is just that some days I would just like to get through my first cup of coffee before it starts.
Because then we would have to acknowledge, isolate and study the brutal and inhumane way they treat us and eachother. We'd have to discuss the laws, social customs and terrorism that held Jim Crow, Nazi-ism, Apartheid and Insurance Redlining in place, for decades. And we'd have to ban assault rifles and ban their young males from all gun purchases... similar to how they banned young men of color from purchasing spray paint in the 1980s. There would have to be worldwide accountability. Forget banning history books. We'd have to rewrite all of them! It will never happen in our lifetime.
Truth. To reset the class system, it will require a worldwide reboot. Unfortunately, that's probably not going to happen until we fall. :(
That dilemma about revolution or evolution comes to my mind often these days. The former is likely to create rapid change to the way society is structured but there is likely to be lots of deaths and destruction, the latter involves bloodshed but it’s largely invisible or barely so (these are the deaths of despair and other consequences of a deeply unfairly structured system). This type of change takes a long time which I’m not sure we have due to that other crisis - climate change.
One only has to look at the two significant rises in fascism throughout the 300 year American state to know what kind of change is required to get around this continued tribal primordia of ours. And even then, it's proved to be fleeting all the same. :(
Have I lost my ever loving mind? In what universe is a "Miguel Sanchez" considered "white?" I'm old enough to remember when Latinos/Hispanics became a presence in American society. Good for them. But back in the day, they were looked down upon by whites. . . (unless my memory is completely shot) but somehow they jumped right over that prejudice and magically became white. I know they didn't have the stigma of slavery and all that nastiness/prejudice/hatred/murder thrown at them like the rest of us Black folks ...so it's interesting to me that they've taken up this "white" mantle. I would love for you - as an historian and scientist of human nature - to write a piece on this phenom. It's fascinating - everyone wants to be white but no one wants the garbage now associated with it. I'll say it here: if reincarnation is a thing, let me come back again as a Black woman. I love me some me.
Now Madelyn that is a long essay on colorism and denial. We all know what Othello was called: a Moor. The term Moreno refers to Afro appearing Hispanics or ancestral Hispanics. Why is their colorism in our community? Well that's because the African Moors conquered (as part of the Islamic Caliphate)and ruled the Iberian Peninsula (which consists of Portugal 🇵🇹 and Spain 🇪🇸) for over 700 years after kickingout the Visigoths. The Moors had preserved Western literature and history and the Spaniards learned Arabic and translated it. Invariably there was a lot of "racial mixing" on the Iberian Peninsula from other African nations before the Moors but the Moorish invasion was special because we were taught the year 1492 because of Columbus and that's because this was year that the Northern Kingdoms of Castille and Aragon had united after the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella to drive out the Moors from the Iberian Peninsula with assistance from the Portuguese who had done this earlier. The Spanish and the Portuguese drew up a treaty to split up the new world with assistance from the Pope. The Spaniards and Portuguese proceeded to mix with the indigenous tribes and their African slaves and mixed the two as well. This is why other Western European nations and later white Americans didn't recognize the Spaniards as "all white" or Southern Italians because of their well documented mixing with and being conquered by Africans. The colorism that still exists due to slavery and colonization still haunts Hispanic culture in the the Americas. The history of Argentina 🇦🇷 and Brazil 🇧🇷 are two of the most blatant examples of this. Pablo Fereire describes this phenomenon as pedagogy of the oppressed meaning that the formerly colonized and enslaved often behave and adopt some of the worst biases and behaviors of their former colonizers and enslavers. Thus racism and colorism continued even after colorism and slavery ended. We have it in the States, Mexico, the Caribbean, South America, North Africa and India which still has its caste system. Why? Because the sun never set on the European empires and making the race better meant darker hues are nothing but scarlet letters that are not to be acknowledged to outsiders. Sadly, we often don't teach this in schools to innoculate white children as well as children of color to call it wrong because we want to keep the 1492 system in place.
I've been studying why Latinos seem to be most inclined to try and become part of the ruling class rather than standing against them. I haven't yet figured out why aside from the obvious tenet that adopting the conqueror mindset is a survival mechanism, but it doesn't explain why they're actively embracing the same caste that marginalizes them.
Why? It’s about power. It’s what all immigrant groups have done when they were considered new to America. The Irish, Jews, Asians, Polish, and even Germans were othered and discriminated against….until they became accepted as white. Then they no longer experienced discrimination based on race, and they had the power to discriminate. That’s what Latinos want as well…to be considered white.
Yeah, that's not good. The conquered becoming their conquerors only perpetuates the cycle. As Israel is proving outright.
I'm extremely interested in this, as well. I observe this pattern in men more than women, but that's just my perspective.
It’s clearly more prevalent in men than women, but there’s a fair amount of women who fall into that backpaddle as well.
I’m so happy you saw that too. I was so confused I actually got stuck on that part of the article thinking something was wrong with me.
You guys are all young (I don't say that in a negative way). I was an undergrad in the late 70s-early 80s, when Reagan declared Hispanics "White". I'm sure Miguel's grandparents were so happy, and they passed that shit down the line. They also have colorism issues.
Felix Navidaddy!
I’m of that age as well and I associated the Latino white adjacency with Cuban Americans, the first wave of them being the whiter skinned more privileged who abandoned Cuba when Castro came into power. Their influence has grown especially in the Republican party. Marco Rubio is the exemplar of the white adjacent Latino who actively maligns and oppresses other Latinos to please his white bosses.
You know, Spain is a European country filled with WHITE ppl.
Madelyn, as James Brown famously stated, "I'm Black and I'm proud." I share a similar pride in my identity.
It is also noteworthy that in the 2020 Census, 38.8% of Hispanics identified as White, while 34.4% identified as Some Other Race (SOR).
Also, historically, under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexicans were considered white at one point. (See Contesting Whiteness - Inventing “Hispanic” | School of Law)
Additionally, during my undergraduate legal studies, it was taught that many Germans concealed their ancestry during the Nazi era due to discrimination and hostility. This is particularly perplexing, given that some white Americans still perform the Nazi salute.
As I mentioned earlier, the concept of race was constructed by white Europeans and American colonizers. It seems the individuals that Dr. Patton schooled are unaware of their history.
Being wilfully bound by the limits of your own ignorance is hardly a counterpoint to this piece. You're really just performing the very hysterics referred to at length in the piece itself.
I call them Tio Ruckuses, after the unfortunate character in The Boondocks. They are self haters in denial.
My cousin is one. He was having a tantrum about DEI so I told him to check the right box if he thought it would help so much. I assured him it wouldn't mean shit, but he could try.
He was flabbergasted and asked what I meant, and I reminded him that we're both half Mexican.
He never spoke to me again.
People can get very touchy when you make them face a mirror.
That mirror, it fucks "em up every time.....look at the faces and bodies of some of the Republican women, the amount of botox has replaced 80% of the blood in the bodies.
Laura Looney has turned herself into ghoul trying to achieve that “beauty” standard.
She has always been a ghoul at heart . Now she just matches.
Now Laura looks like she sounds- commodified. Both her looks and her ideas are off the shelf of a toxic marketplace.
Indeed. But there's no botox to fix their hate-warped souls.
You better believe it… and they will NEVER be ok with that outside ‘cause that inside is too fucked up!
I am white. I hated to be called white. Then I realised it was my fellow white people that made me hate being white. Their racism. Their "I don't see color". Their denial of their privilege. Their denial of the racism that gave them their privilege. But the truth is, we white people were, and still are, still horrible. I had to learn from black people I didnt know, what we truly did in those "golden ages" that should be called the "blood red aged". My white people didnt want to tell me. I had to learn from black people what privilege is. My white people didnt want to tell me and just told me all my disadvantages, and blamed them on others. Anything but admitting that we are, in fact, white. Can we please stop being sensitive dipsticks about this?
"We did the homework, so stop grading us." As a woman (white), yes, I did the homework and continue to learn (Dr. Patton is a great educator), but my sisters and brothers of color did MORE homework and still, a children like Timir Rice, a 12 year old in my state, are killed by police. He was as a young black boy playing in a park with a toy gun. I called out many of my "friends - white" when I talked about this and they said, well he should have known better - he was 12! Meanwhile, this white priviledge adminstration thinks men 18-24 talking on text about na*i's, r*pe, gas chambers and more are just "kids". Give me a break - it is a white problem.
When I was a kid I used to watch a lot of the news bc we ain’t had cable or whatever, I’d see the disparity in how all aspects of American culture treated Blk and brown children very, very differently than white children and couldn’t explain why. As an adult, it’s impossible not to see, but I’ve learned that whiteness always has a justification for why it abuses Blk children, if anything it’s a major American pastime. Idk if it’s unique to small town white rural America, the amount of times I’ve heard grown adults casually reference r*ping Blk kids and women and throwing their bodies into the lake/river “like we used to”. made me never forget it and have continued to be told and see and hear it as an adult. I’ve been meaning to ask others if this is unique or something they say in their homes.
I’ve heard those things. I was born in 1974, and I remember the radio station in my SC town did a news story about the black children being murdered in Atlanta. Children. Like I was. Another body was found. I started to feel sick. I was scared for the children. The next song that came on the radio was “Another One Bites The Dust” by Queen. The song is not racist, but the use of it in that moment absolutely was. The adults around me laughed because they got the joke. I couldn’t understand. They had no sympathy or feeling for those kids or their parents. The memory is crystal clear for me. It happened around the time I started to question everything my family said about black people.
I can only speak for my (white) family, but we were told to treat people of different races as equal, while still hearing a lot of what are now termed microaggressions and stereotypes. All of the really blatant racism, as well most of the more quiet racism, was mostly not discussed, but when mentioned was done by “bad people”.
I know it’s not the job of the oppressed to school the oppressors, but I thank all of you who help us white people who care to do better. Racism will only be dismantled by white people.
I live rural (not by choice) in a blue state (Illinois) and I assure you, there are more than a few bigots running around in the country areas (mostly old white men, but White Weeping Women and younger gens raised on a diet of upChuckie Jerk exist too) who will drop slurs and racist tropes into conversations as casually as the Midwest winds blow through. I've not (yet) heard that particular horrifying reference, but I don't doubt there are those who subscribe to such a disgusting mindset. (They're usually screeching about HOW DANGEROUS!! CHICAGO IS!!!!! despite the fact that most of these idiots have never even been to the city and probably couldn't find it with a map and a GPS.)
I am more pink and red in actual complexion, but as someone from OG invader stock (Mayflower, English, Dutch, etc.) I am definitely a “white guy,” and as a white person, there are structural advantages that accrue to me, which my Haitian relatives (by marriage) are systematically denied. ‘Whiteness” is however a shifting category of privilege, measured by access to white enclaves, formerly denied to people considered non-white not so long ago. People upset by being called “white” really should take a pill, or imbibe a glass of Chardonnay.
I’m feeling incredibly sad that the burden is yet again on you to explain the many ways in which Black people are harmed by white attitudes and conditioning, yet also grateful that you are willing to do so.
I deeply hope the pain of these times will encourage some positive change. Thank you for this and all of your writing.
I’m white and I call people who look like me white people and I disagree with these white people up here. And your analysis of Trump was spot on, including the fact that his cruelty is wrapped up in, nay derived directly from, his whiteness. I wish I had had time to read the comments that day, and thank you for CALLING IT OUT!