I think there's a difference between "being a (capital-R) Racist" and the notion that we all have tendencies/biases/dicomforts that could be labelled as 'racist'. I think we fear what we don't know, what's different from 'us'... I can't help but have a Western-centric lens on the world around us, right? "Female cirumcision" makes me very mad and I get on my righteous feminist bandwagon about it - I think, in some way, my reaction to a cultural that I don't know/understand/live could be construed as 'racist'. (Or, maybe chopping girls' clits off to prevent them from feeling pleasure/enjoying sex/ensuring fidelity is just plaing Wrong (if you believe in such absolute notions - not sure that I really do).. Anyway, t'was an example, and this rant is now O/T)...

Just my 2 cents...

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persephone_qd says: "by refusing to acknowledge your white priviledge". Check out "White Priviledge: the Invisible Backpack" at http://www.uakron.edu/centers/conflict/docs/whitepriv.pdf. There is no reason to monsterize racism, it is a fact of life which hopefully people are working on to minimize the impact of what they can't hide from.

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I deny that I refuse to acknowledge my white privilege.

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I don't know about you - but I didn't grow up in a land where those assumptions were real. About the only "privilege" I ever knew was to have people afraid of me because of my gender. I've usually been a "visible minority" - and still am in my current home (Surrey).
Add to that, folks of "my kind" in my area are usually considered criminal and/or trouble of other kinds... *shrug*.

I think that whole "white privilege" only really exist for people who grew up in the "middle class" (or higher). But what do I know?

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The fact that you may have been exposed to other forms of prejudice doesn't invalidate any of the other points about racism. The fact of the matter is there are plenty of reasons why people might stereotype or discriminate against you and they all suck. Futhermore, it's not a contest of who is more oppressed. Everyone deserves compassion and justice provided we choose to create it.

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I have a problem with that form of prejudice where I'm assumed to have any kind of privilege - whether it be for my skin colour, gender, hair colour or whatever. It's sexism and racism too.
This is why I still consider that concept of "everyone's a little bit racist" to be rude. I also consider assuming other prejudices from me to be inappropriate.

My way of dealing with it is to just not deal with barriers - and to - if I ever encounter it - deal with the problems face on.
I also face it by TAKING pride in my family and family connections - and in taking pride in my own appearance. I also rather enjoy when others take pride in theirs and it's fun to compare notes and see if there's any points where we meet up.

And yes - I agree. Everyone deserves compassion and justice. I'll do what I can to create it.

But none of that "political correctness" crap. Self effacing, self esteem destructive and identity destructive solutions aren't in my book of "ok".

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By this comment, I'm guessing that you're white -- correct me if I'm wrong, and also ignore most of this reply. :)

So, the problem with that is you'd be unlikely to notice any privilege associated with your race. I'm reasonably "aware", and even I rarely realize when something is a privilege. It's nothing to do with you, it's not like we *take* white privilege... it's simply there.

As an example... take a look at this video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=17fEy0q6yqc

One other thing -- caucasians are not a minority in Surrey by a long shot. The split is roughly 60/40, and the 40% includes all visible minorities -- asians, east indians, blacks, etc. The second largest visibly ethnic group in Surrey is east indian, at about 35%.

The assumption that white is a visible minority in Surrey in itself could be construed as racist.

Having racist thoughts or racist misconceptions isn't necessarily bad in itself -- it's normal. Not recognizing that they exist... that's a lot worse in my books.

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So I've got a privilege for having two eyes and legs then? Same thing? (it had better be or it's more racism).

I have difficulty with "race" but I understand "family" and "tribe".

I'm Dutch (and Russian Mennonite). I'm also Canadian. As near as I can tell - of everyone else who either came here or was born here - that means it's home. I'm however not from this city - I'm from the deep country and that makes me an outsider where ever I go. Outsiders have no rights or privileges as far as locals are concerned. I've tried to learn local languages as best I can. Most folks here speak English or French so I learnt those. Neither are my native tongue (however I learnt them young).

re: Surrey comment. First: It's a really big city and I don't know most of it. Second: that point's been brought up to me a couple of times (IN HUMOUR) it's never mattered. It seemed to matter for this conversation but I guess it doesn't. All I know is that I can't talk to anyone in my first language (a blend of Dutch and German) - but hey - it's not like ANYONE speaks it around here. It's been so long that I don't even know if I speak my first language anymore - and English - while a nice "common tongue" - is so very, very confusing.

I have (some) red hair (I have two colours of hair - unless I dye it or the like that gets me in trouble sometimes). My dad's last ex had red hair. When she was in Poland that meant that people could come up and hit her for no reason whatsoever.
People used to hit me for no reason as well. Could that be why?

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I'm not a huge fan of the word "race" either -- we're all a part of the same human race. However, it's got a generally universally understood connotation, so I go with it, even if it's not terribly accurate.

As for privilege for having two eyes & legs... talk to someone who *doesn't* have two eyes or two legs and see exactly how privileged you are that you do. It's not racism, because... well, it's got nothing to do with where you came from, unless you came from the one-eyed-one-legged planet. :) Those who don't have all the default parts sure get discriminated against, though.

I often have oddly colored hair as well. And yes, I get discriminated against for it. No, there's no good reason for it, yes it's still discrimination. But none of that erases the fact that there IS a white privilege, and you do benefit from it. Even if you get discriminated against for other reasons, you still benefit from white privilege, whether you want to or not.

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I'll tell you this:
there IS a white privilege, and you do benefit from it
I'll believe it when I see it.

I'll grant privilege for being western Canadian (we're so bloody lucky here it isn't funny)
I've seen enough of the US - and some other parts of Canada - to know that we're in a Hel of a good part of the world.
If my family were first nations I'd probably claim otherwise though - like a lot of the folks I grew up with - as that's one area which is ... fubar. But that's as far as I go with that.
however all white meant was being called "stupid white boy", "white trash" and ending up homeless because everyone else has more support than I.
What part of that's a privilege?
It meant I got put to the back of the line
stopped by police while walking down the street (or was that because I'm male? have long hair? something? who knows?). Randomly beaten up (but under that since I never learnt reason I never did figure that out). Assumed to be guilty of at least carrying drugs - and checked.
Again - what part of privilege is that?

And then to get some racist crap about "white privilege" shoved down my face and used for MORE reasons to make me feel like a useless waste of life?
Racism is bloody poison that should be wiped - like anything else that easts the souls of those who believe in it. The best way to rid it though is not to support it with more racism (see: "white privilege") but instead to not erect artificial barriers. I don't know or care what my own family's skin colour is - let alone my friends and coworkers. and THAT is how things should be.

(I haven't the foggiest how to deal with gender differences though. There's a heck of a lot of weird psychological and social patterns to that - that I can see - but don't have an answer for. That's a different fight entirely).

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As for privilege for having two eyes & legs... talk to someone who *doesn't* have two eyes or two legs and see exactly how privileged you are that you do. It's not racism, because... well, it's got nothing to do with where you came from, unless you came from the one-eyed-one-legged planet. :) Those who don't have all the default parts sure get discriminated against, though.
Granted. 100%. But it's not quite a fair comparison - as about the only thing skin colour seems to affect (from what I can tell) is sun tolerance - of which I have none. (not quite as severe as albinism - but close). I can't go out into the sun without being covered... which is pretty normal for "redheads" as I understand it.

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Ditto. British mutt, got the irish sun sensitivity bit... :) Sadly, didn't get the red hair to go with it. Lots of freckles, though!

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*heh* I got it from my Dutch family... but apparently it's from the Swedish branch back a few generations. I ended up with blonde hair - but a red beard. And freckles - lots of them. Cheers!

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Okay. :)

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Could anyone give me an example of how I, Colin, am racist?

Short answer: no.

Long (but probably still incomplete) answer:

The notion that "everyone is a little racist" is not about one individual's actions as much as it is about the system and about systemic training. Basically, we all grow up within a racist (and sexist, and classist, and homophobic) society and cannot help but be influenced by that, in our subconscious feelings and reactions.

Also: "If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem" is another part of this. If you do not challenge every racist statement, you are part of the racism. So, to give a local example: to be non-racist, you should engage every person who says "Richmond drivers suck!" (which we all know usually means "Chinese drivers suck") and challenge their statement with notions of systemic barriers to learning versus innate ability. It is also important to note that "positive" statements like "all Japanese students are good at math" needs to be challenged as well.

Also: You are a white person. You cannot erase your privilege as a white person; neither can I. Because you are white, you have certain advantages that you cannot give up easily - even if you want to - so you are a part of the racist system, and you benefit from it, whether you want to or not.

To give another example: When GLBT community was fighting for the right to marry in this country, many straight couples decided to ally themselves by choosing not to marry. This was the straight people's attempt to surrender their own privilege. Of course, a straight couple who lived together during that time were declared "common law" and would receive all the benefits of marriage anyway, so the attempt was not entirely successful or well-received (for many other reasons too).

So, there you go: four years of a Women's Studies minor condensed into four paragraphs!

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The notion that "everyone is a little racist" is not about one individual's actions as much as it is about the system and about systemic training.

I have been systematically trained to not have racism in me.

Basically, we all grow up within a racist (and sexist, and classist, and homophobic) society and cannot help but be influenced by that, in our subconscious feelings and reactions.

Many people respond to such a society by becoming anti-sexist, anti-classist, and anti-homophobic, right down to their subconscious.

Also: "If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem" is another part of this.

I am part of the solution. I challenged a racist statement just today. I don't believe that I have to personally challenge every racist statement made. I'm not the racism police, just a decent guy.

It is also important to note that "positive" statements like "all Japanese students are good at math" needs to be challenged as well.

I totally agree.

Also: You are a white person. You cannot erase your privilege as a white person; neither can I. Because you are white, you have certain advantages that you cannot give up easily - even if you want to - so you are a part of the racist system, and you benefit from it, whether you want to or not.

What about the non-white people who don't benefit. They're also part of the system. Are they to blame as well.

Yes, I unwillingly benefit from white privelage, but I'm not the privelage police either. I'm not part of the problem on this one either; I'm part of the solution.

To give another example: When GLBT community was fighting for the right to marry in this country, many straight couples decided to ally themselves by choosing not to marry. This was the straight people's attempt to surrender their own privilege. Of course, a straight couple who lived together during that time were declared "common law" and would receive all the benefits of marriage anyway, so the attempt was not entirely successful or well-received (for many other reasons too).

If this is an analogy where homophobia is filling in for racism, I think it's a good analogy, but I don't see any evidence that the people involved had homophobia in them. It sounds like a lot of people went out of their way to try to be part of the solution.

Four years of a Women's Studies minor condensed into four paragraphs!

Brava! You should write the brouchure for the program.

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If I post about this tomorrow, can I quote your comment? I like it the most so far.

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"Three or four people responded to my last post with "I agree with Rosie".

Could anyone give me an example of how I, Colin, am racist?"

I read those people's comments as saying that everyone has at some point in their life had racist thoughts or done something that could have been construed as racist. I did not think that those people were saying, "Colin, you *are* a racist!"

No one else is in your head. No one else knows all your thoughts. But I agree with Rosie too. I know that I have had thoughts that were absolutely terrible and I would never share them with anyone. I would not advocate anyone thinking like that. But I can't deny that I have had those thoughts and so I couldn't in clear conscience say that I am not a racist.

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I have sympathy for your situation.

I do deny that I have had similar thoughts. I do say with a clear conscience that I have no racism in me.

I didn't think that those four people were calling me a racist personally. I thought that they were saying that everyone is a racist to some extent. I disagree with that assumption.

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No, because I can't read your mind. :)

Or alternately, yes, because you're human, and it's part of being human to categorize things that are different as "other" and to make unconscious judgments.

But "racism" isn't black & white (hah hah) -- it's open to interpretation. Take a look at feminism (I use as an example since... well, that's the easiest "non-privileged group" I can claim to be a member of) -- I don't see porn as automatically sexist & oppressive against women. Lots of women do.

Moreso, as a white male, you're not exactly in the best position to make said interpretation -- and as a white chick, neither am I. I have a *little* more wiggle room to make interpretations about sexism, but that doesn't mean that any other woman will agree with me either.

I don't think you're going to start lynching people because they're from a different culture, but I also don't believe that *anyone* can be a member of a human society without learning racism to a certain degree.

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I also don't believe that *anyone* can be a member of a human society without learning racism to a certain degree.

Well, I've certainly learned what it is. I've also learned why I shouldn't do it and how to not do it.

I don't think that categorizing necessarily entails judgment.

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Not what I said at all.

But in the end, you've got your ideas, and we're unlikely to change them via an online discussion, and I'm not particularly convinced you're looking for anything other than validation of your non-racist ways which is, in the end, something I think is absolutely, 100% impossible -- if only because what one person thinks isn't racist, another person will take offense to. Like I said -- racism isn't black and white. It's all sorts of shades of gray.

so ... I'm bowing out. :)

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Just ask the nice folks at Avenue Q.

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hah! I love this. Long version, with cute animation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdG_AOG1hS8&NR=1

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*grin* That is cute!

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That was brilliant. And the red headed monster was really hot.

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That is funny.

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I once read/heard/whatever somewhere, that maybe even the fact that you recognize different races makes you a racist because you acknowledge that they are different.

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That depends on what differences you acknowledge. If I, a white guy, look at a black guy and say to myself, "Hmm, that guy is black, because he has really dark skin and [insert other common African physical characteristics]," I don't think that I'm being racist. Now, if I went on to think, "...so therefore he is in some respect inferior to me," then that's being racist.

And even then, a bit of racial profiling can be a good thing. For example, when entering the home of an Asian friend I generally automatically remove my shoes at the door, because most Asian cultures consider that to be polite. In non-Asian friends' homes I might remove them, or if I don't feel like bothering, I'll ask what the house policy is. One could make the argument that it's really cultural rather than racial profiling, but the way I distinguish between them is by racial physical characteristics.

Moreover, everyone I know is perfectly well aware of their own racial background. To continue with the Asian example, the DM of my Sunday night D&D game is Asian. He occasionally makes jokes about Asian culture and/or the interaction of Asian culture with "white" Canadian culture. It would be awfully silly for me to say "Oh, you're just the same as us!" because clearly, he isn't. He looks different and he has a different cultural background. He's neither better nor worse, and he's got the same rights that I do. *shrug* It doesn't come up in 99% of our interactions because it's irrelevant unless something explicitly related to his race and/or culture comes up. He's just a cool guy who happens to be different in some ways that don't affect his coolness nor my ability to have a friendship with him.

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excrement.

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I don't really have anything to add, and I don't have the energy to get into a long discussion. But people are mentioning "white privilege". What if you are half white, half something else? Just a thought!

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Yeah that's one of my points as well.

The argument seems to be: You (white guy) live in this system that has white privelage. Therefore, you are automatically racist in a way.

Well, I don't think that's true, and even if it is, what about the people who are not white? They also live in this white privilege system. Does that make them automatically racist as well?

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IGNORE the last post, computer fuck up. I deleted it. Here it is again. FF

***********

Denying, or not knowing you have "White Privlege," does not make you a Racist. For Goddess sakes! There's only a tiny minority of people who are University Educated who would even know that term existed, so please, come down of the Elite, "I am Superior," tower.

Colin...there is alot of Bullshit that goes around this kind of thing, and it has to do with, quite frankly, people who care more about placing themselves in an elitist, "I'm better then..." position, viewing themselves as "Superior," ((as in white superiority)) albeit they say it's something else. But they are mainly liberal, privledged, white people who are doing this, I think there is an arguement to be made it's a liberal form of White Supremacism. "We're smarter, more educated, less ignorant, know the proper words, never say anything out of line, better then you folk, who know nothing, therefore, we claim authority over you to tell you how to walk, talk, act, in our society."

It's a brilliant move, if you look at it as an act of White Power. The Liberals scare people into being so afraid to speak, cause they speak, and the conservatives swing in on their white horse, saying, "See, told you those People of Color (POC) Homosexuals, Transexuals, et all were a threat to you."

Absolutely brilliant move on the part of the white privledge elite who are the beneficiaries of a political, social, etc. power structure based in white, heterosexual, able-bodied, supremacist ideology.

Here's what we used to talk about 15 years ago, when...we actually used to sit down and talk to each other, across different cultures, orientations, etc. about these things. In the open. Queers called it, "Living an OUT life." What we most afraid to say, we said, what people were most afraid to face, us, we forced them to face. What caused each of us, fear, shame, might get us expelled from "polite," society, what caused society anxiety, made the status quo shutter, we...OUTED.

And it wasnt' just us. The Incest Victims Came Out, The Women being Battered by their Spouses came out, the mothers of gays who couldn't help it, they didn't want their son to be gay...Came OUT, etc.

We used to talk about "Internalized Racism." We used to also talk about "Internalized Homophobia," "Internalized Sexism,Biphobia,Transphobia,etc."

Using Homophobia as an example, we distinguished between:

HOMOPHOBE: Someone who thought gays were evil, bad, wrong and expressed it, and more so, thought it was OK to say these things, also thought it was ok, right, just, "moral," to tell other people to fire us, deny us housing, beat us, kill us.

HOMOPHOBIC BEHAVIOR: You average person who isn't a homophobe, but has been taught that gays are wrong, bad, inferior, and so does homophobic behavior, like saying gays bring AIDS, cause they know no better and who have been taught they are a threat to straights, their society, way of life, children, etc. And therefor...FEAR them. We understood these people weren't evil, just...average folk who'd never met a gay person, and believed what they'd been told by their teachers, parents, preists, etc. We understood we needed to attack their FEAR of us, NOT their ignorance. And in Canada, we've done that. These people still have internalized homophobia, they are still, 99.5% ignorant of our day to day lives, our history, our culture, our movies, etc. but...they don't fear us and they no longer DELIBERATELY enact homophobic behavior against us, believing it's "right," and "acceptable."

INTERNALIZED HOMOPHOBIA: Those Liberal folks, who don't think gays should be denied jobs, housing, their children, spousal support, the ability to walk down the street holding hands with their girlfriends in public safely but, for example...

Wonder why all those dykes have to "look like men," and couldn't they just try to dress a little more feminine? OR

Wonder who is the "man," and who is the "woman," because they don't get that there isn't a woman, there are just two males, this is not two males enacting a heterosexual relationships, it's two males enacting a homosexual relationship, there is NO "woman," in a gay male relationship. *rolls eyes*

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*sigh* again, ignore other post, not sure what's happening here.

**********

Are these all homophobic comments? YES. Is she a Homophobe? NO. She might be. If she thinks saying comments that hurt, harm, or incite violence/hatred towards gays, definately. If she's not even aware she's making a homophobic comment, because society has told her that these are okay comments to make, she's ignorant, what she's saying is causing harm to the gay person who is hearing this comment, but...she's not doing it intentionally, etc. She's not even aware.

If she does it, repels in shock, then she's aware, and blurted out internalized homophobia. If she then says she hasn't done that, or attempts to make excuses for it, now...she's adding insult to injury, because she's more concerned with making herself look/feel better then making the person she's injured feel better, safe, respected, etc.



HETEROSEXUAL PRIVLEGE: you walk anywhere with Sabrina, you stop, you give her a kiss on the mouth, you go on. It never once occurs to you that I for example, even with my legal rights, am constantly checking my environment, to see if its safe for me to kiss the female I'm walking with. Even just a pec. You have privledge. You can kiss your girl (assuming it not groping, tonguing making out)) and not even think about if it will impact her physical, emotional or psycological safety.

There is BIO and Rascals you can go and Play at. And you don't worry about whether a man will come up and grab your ass, cause you know it won't happen. I on the other, think about it all the time. And so maybe, has Sabrina. That's "Het Male Privlege." You don't have to think about this occuring, it's assumed that it won't occur. Sabrina, if that guy does grab her ass, it will impact her totally different then it will impact me, simply because, she's used to having a male hand on her ass. This might be a nonconsensual hand on her ass, but it's not completely out of her day to day norm, "male hand on her ass." YOur hand is on it many a time. Me, it's completely out of my "norm." I haven't had a male hand on my ass in almost twenty years. I'm at BIO and it...scares me. It scares me to the point that I don't go there alot, the thought that some asshold might put his male hand on my ass. If I get angry, if I react in a way, even straight girls think is "extreme," will it be understood how great an offense this is to me, how it's literally a sexual assault in my eyes? How it is so completely out of my norm, that I no longer even have to self defense skills to deal with it, in a casual, "appropriate response," kind of way, like Sabrina would do? Do you even realise that these are the kinds of thoughts that go through my mind, or do you and everyone just "assume," that because YOU feel safe with me, I...Feel safe with YOU? That's "Heterosexual Privlege." It doesn't occur to you that I might feel unsafe with you, cause after all, your a nice, non-homophobic man. Right? But...

The very fact that it doesn't occur to you, that you don't know enough about my day to day experience, to understand that there's a good chance, as a dyke, I'm not going to feel safe with you, even if I smile politely, even if you TELL me I'm safe...is a..Homophobic ACT in MY eyes. Because, I"m sitting here thinking, "If your so QUEAR...how come you DON'T know this? How come you DON'T realise this?

This is 'How to show a Gay Person Respect 101. How can you call yourself my Ally...and not even know that just cause you tell me I'm safe...don't mean I feel safe, or believe I am safe? That I'm watching your actions, your words, how you treat me, what you talk about, to see if you really ARE safe, to see if BIO really IS a place I feel safe to take my clothes off at, etc."

(con't)

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A person of color, most likely, is experiencing a similiar kind of reality. A white person says, "I'm not a racist," and then does what to her is an obvious, blatant racist act. Making a statement, "black haired nappy ho," is gonna be viewed by her as an obvious racist statement.

The fact that she is demanding his job for it...is a hint of very, very unsafe, and untrusting, and unbelieving she is right now, in regards to not just this guy, but the company he works for, society at large. She doesn't just want to hear that this guy isn't a racist, she wants someone to show her that they understand how she is experiencing this comment, not just how offensive, but how...frightening, how threatening it is to her, when she hears some white guy make a comment like this in front of millions without thinking.

She doesn't know if he's a card carrying member of the KKK or gives money to the NAACP, has a black wife and black kids. She knows nothing about him, except that he makes a comment like this, on his show, without seeming to even be aware of how threatening it is to her. He doesn't in her view care. And...

She experiences Stupid White Men/Women making comments like this, every single day, on the bus, at school, at work, in the public bathroom when she's doing her bodily functions. She's experiencing it every day and yet THEY aren't even aware of what they are saying or the cumulative impact of it on her. They don't have a clue how much their internalized racism, not deliberate, no intent to harm, is actually harming her. And perhaps...

She's damn tired of these white folks not having a clue. She's thinking, "If you're so Anti-Racist...how come you don't know how this is gonna impact me? How come you ain't got a clue? How come you're not aware of your privlege? Not aware that my day to day experience isn't yours? Not aware that just because you think you aren't racist, you know your intent is true...that I know that? Cause...I don't. I can't know that. I can't assume that. That's not the world I live in. I can't just get into the car with some white guy cause he says, "don't worry, i'm not a racist, I'm not gonna take you to where my white brothers are hanging out, waitng to get some of that nice black pussy..." because he SAYS he's not gonna do that. Cause...that's exactly the kind of thing...A RACIST would DO. To get me INTO that car! If you're not racist...how come you don't know that?"

To HER, the very fact that you don't know this stuff, will signal that you probably are a racist. Even when you think your signaling that you are a friend.

I want to commend you on having the strength of character and self esteem and strength in general to be willing to ask this question. The fact that you even asked...is more then most white people ever do. Or, straight people for that matter. *wink* Sorry for my book! But, it's not just for you! *hugs*

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Hey, I'm here via donnaidh_sidhelinking me, so I hope you don't feel that I'm overstepping.

I can't outright answer your question because, well, we obviously don't know each other outside of seeing comments here and their on DS's LJ. But I do know a little bit about privilege, which seems to be the topic of conversation here, and would like to point you to a post I wrote called Check my what? which discusses the intersection of privilege and gives advice on what to do if you are in a situation where you have a privilege that others do not.

I would also highly recommend reading Conversations with my Man which, while it specifically addresses male privilege, can be used as a stepping stone to understanding what people say when they talk about people with privilege being racist, sexist, and what have you.

And, finally, although this isn't directly related to privilege, reading it might help you to understand how people who generally discuss privilege mean one thing, but the people reading it who have the privilege being discussed often take away another (with the addition of feeling as if they are being accused of having bad intent or of being an asshole): The impossibility of dialogue.

Anyway, thank you for providing me the space to discuss these issues on your journal even though I was not part of your intended audience. I wish you the best of luck in dealing with the issues at hand.

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I do know a little bit about privilege, which seems to be the topic of conversation here

That does seem to be the topic. I didn't write about that, but it's teh interweb and discussions quickly get off topic.

You know if "having racism in you" means the same thing as "living in a system that favours a certain group of people", then the term racism has become too broad to have any real meaning.

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You know if "having racism in you" means the same thing as "living in a system that favours a certain group of people", then the term racism has become too broad to have any real meaning.

I think it's more that we need to acknowledge that living in a system that favours certain groups of people means that, especially if we are part of said privileged group, we cannot escape internalizing some of the oppression (such as racism).

I am staunchly anti-racist and I do my best to be an ally, but at the same time I recognize the racist things I have said and done in the past, and I acknowledge that racism is a part of who I am because I was raised in a world where "racist" is the default. It may not be the "let's lynch those n-words" level of racism, but casual racism is still racism.

I hate that there's a part of me that's racist. My whole life is devoted to fighting for equality, the purpose I feel I have on this earth is to help bring about equality, and yet I am racist. My knee-jerk reaction to people of colour speaking out about their issues is to be defensive, and to be angry or jealous or dismissive. Do you have any idea what it feels like to be so staunchly anti-racist and yet to know that there is a part of you that will always be racist?

But part of being an ally is acknowledging my privilege and not letting it get in my way. It would be so easy for me to throw up my hands and say, "Well, I'm racist so I may as well just revel in it!" or, more likely, to say, "Well, there's nothing I can do about it, so I should just stop trying." But being an ally means not taking the easy road. It means calling out others even if that means you get other racist white people leaving abusive comments (yes, that happened to me... just yesterday, actually). It means accepting that you may be implicated as racist, or be included in a sweeping statement that is anti-white, or any number of things that can hurt.

This isn't a judgment on you or your situation; like I said in my previous comment, I'm not in a place to judge that. This is me sharing my feelings and my story in the hopes of helping you gain understanding to what Rosie may have been thinking and feeling when she wrote what she did. I could, of course, be completely off base -- as could the others talking about privilege -- but even so, I think it's an important thing to think about and discuss.

And, I guess, the other thing I would like to say that, even if you accept the premise that all white people are a little racist because of the nature of being white, that doesn't mean that white people are inherently bad. And, certainly, I wouldn't think to call you "bad", especially since, being affected by her words, you came to your own journal and asked others to help you find some perspective on the issue, rather than doing what many, many people do and simply outright say, "You're full of crap; there's nothing in my own behaviour that I need to think about."

In the end, what I think I'm trying to say in my longwinded way is that the most important thing in all this is not whether or not you're racist, but rather how well you can consider the situations and feelings of others such as people of colour, and whether or not you are willing to, at times, privilege their opinions and experiences over your own. Because if you find that you're willing to do that (or continue to do that, if you do so already), then it doesn't matter if you carry within you a part that's racist or not, because the way you express yourself to the outside world will be anti-racist.

Does that make any sense? o.o;;

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I believe you when you say:
I hate that there's a part of me that's racist. My whole life is devoted to fighting for equality, the purpose I feel I have on this earth is to help bring about equality, and yet I am racist. My knee-jerk reaction to people of colour speaking out about their issues is to be defensive, and to be angry or jealous or dismissive. Do you have any idea what it feels like to be so staunchly anti-racist and yet to know that there is a part of you that will always be racist?

No, I don't know what that feels like because I don't have that reaction. It sounds like you are moving towards being racism free. My claim is that with help from many sources I have already acheived that goal.

being an ally means not taking the easy road. It means calling out others even if that means you get other racist white people leaving abusive comments (yes, that happened to me... just yesterday, actually).

Well good for you for speaking up knowing full well that it would cause you grief.

It means accepting that you may be implicated as racist, or be included in a sweeping statement that is anti-white, or any number of things that can hurt.

Sure, but I still don't have racism in me.

I could, of course, be completely off base -- as could the others talking about privilege -- but even so, I think it's an important thing to think about and discuss.

I'm happy to discuss it as long as my position is taken seriously.

And, I guess, the other thing I would like to say that, even if you accept the premise that all white people are a little racist because of the nature of being white, that doesn't mean that white people are inherently bad.

I totally agree with that conclusion; however, I disagree with the premise.

it doesn't matter if you carry within you a part that's racist or not, because the way you express yourself to the outside world will be anti-racist.

I totally agree with you here as well, but I still don't have any racism in me.

Does that make any sense? o.o;;

It's an internally consistent argument that stears clear of obvious fallacies.

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