Racism

[StillStanding]

The POTUS has asked for a national conversation on racism. Here is a list of ground rules for white people that I read in an article. http://www.theroot.com/views/how-not...-race?page=0,1

1. Talking about race isn't racist. Don't say that. Vilifying people who discuss race and point out racism -- making them the bad guys -- is one of the ways racism is maintained. So is acting as if "blacks suffer from racism" and "whites suffer from reverse racism" are equally valid points of view.
He is saying that whites pointing out racism in blacks is what keeps racism maintained! Whites pointing out racism is not as valid as blacks pointing out racism!

2. Yep, sometimes there are different standards for black and white stuff. You are going to get a different reaction for White History Month and Black History Month. A black person making a joke about race is different from a white person making a joke about race. To accept this requires letting go of the idea that this is really simple and thinking a little deeper about context and history. Please give up on the "But what if the races were reversed?" line of thinking. That type of analysis makes conversations simple, but it also makes them totally unhelpful.
He is saying that blacks don't expect equality; they expect advantage.

3. African Americans are not monolithic. There is not one black experience or black point of view, and -- surprise -- black people are individuals who don't agree on everything and shouldn't have to answer for one another's actions, any more than white people do. (So saying a black person can't dislike the n-word because rappers use it doesn't make sense. The person who stated an objection and the person who wrote the rap don't actually share a brain.)
Agree!

4. Remember that while "race" itself isn't real, racism is, and our country's long and well-documented history with racism has very real, lasting effects. Therefore, being "colorblind" is not helpful because it cripples our ability to deal with the tangible effects of racial inequality in just about every area of life.
Once again. Not equality, but advantage.

5. Black people shouldn't have to fit your definition of what's respectable to deserve equality or justice. It's silly and unfounded to blame inequality caused by institutionalized racism on, say, sagging pants or rap music. If you want to celebrate black people who are educated and high-achieving and defy persistent stereotypes, great, but that can't be a requirement for fair treatment. We got into trouble with this type of thinking when evidence that Trayvon Martin was a normal teenager messed up so many people's impression of him as a sympathetic victim.
Shouldn't "civil respectability" be color-blind? He is saying that blacks expect more civil "grace"!

6. Don't defer to people like Bill Cosby about their theories about black people, any more than you would defer to a miscellaneous white celebrity about how white people are doing. If you need guidance, look for someone whose background offers evidence that he or she had the incentive to spend some time seeking information and thinking critically in a professional capacity about whatever it is the person is discussing.
Agree!

7. Individual racism and systemic racism are two different things. We should care about all the structures that maintain racial inequality, not just individual actors. (This is why it's not unreasonable to jump from George Zimmerman's impression of Trayvon Martin to racial profiling by police.) That said, individual acts can provide strong reminders about larger attitudes and problems. Ahem, Paula Deen. Ahem.
Agree!

8. Don't give the word "racism" so much power that you can't speak rationally after you hear it. Remember that the threshold for "racism" is a lot lower than being a member of the KKK and hating every black person you see. It means buying into and perpetuating things that support the idea of white supremacy. You can be a very nice person and still do that, even without meaning to. You can do it even if you have black friends.
I agree, although he doesn't mention the idea of buying into and supporting the idea of black supremacy as equally disturbing.

9. Resist the urge to believe and regurgitate myths about black people, even when they're promoted by black people (African Americans are all more homophobic, black-on-black crime is uniquely bad, there are more black men in prison than in college, all black women love being fat, etc.). Take a minute to challenge the things you hear many say over and over. You'll often find they don't have a strong basis in reality.
Agree, but some statistics are FACTS and can't just be ignored.

10. Finally, stop thinking about and discussing racism as something that's the problem of black and other nonwhite people. Remember that there's an ever-growing movement of anti-racist white people concerned with dismantling white privilege. When you're talking about racism, remember that it's not just bad for those whom it oppresses; it's bad for everyone because it creates an unjust society. When people want to fix racism, they do it not because they're being charitable or nice, but because they're being smart and decent.
Agree, but there is also a growing movement of anti-racist blacks who are not letting racism define who they are, and are taking personal responsibility for their future and their children's future.

It seems to me that the ground rules are that whites and other races must acknowledge that blacks deserve advantage, not equality, to other races. Am I wrong here?

[StillStanding]

Someone help me understand why its okay to have a black entertainment network, but a white entertainment network would be racist! I think BOTH are racist ideas! Then again, I'm looking at equality for all races.

[RandyWayne]

Several years ago a lawsuit was brought against the city of San Fran. The reason is that the city, in order to try and discourage kids loitering at bus stops, came up with the novel idea of playing classical music through the speaker systems. Believe it or not, it actually worked! The problem? It "repelled" more black kids than white kids! Apparently the white kids were able to tolerate the music more than blacks who only wanted gansta rap.

Don't know what came of the lawsuit, but knowing San Fran, they probably caved.

[houston]

Every month is white history month.

Give them BET. You have NBC.

[StillStanding]

Originally Posted by houston

Every month is white history month.

Give them BET. You have NBC.

Our local NBC channel has a black news anchor. What is a black person doing giving white news?

[barry72]

This thread is ridiculous. And to think I joined an Apostolic forum. God help us.

[houston]

Originally Posted by barry72

This thread is ridiculous. And to think I joined an Apostolic forum. God help us.

What a stupid, arrogant, and condescending post.

[barry72]

What I call a stupid,arrogant, condescending post are the ones above. But hey, you might have been the bigger person before you replied the way you just did

[barry72]

Of you wouldn't walk up to an African American and make these comments, don't do it on this forum. That is what I call racism. I'm simply stating that I don't think there's a place for those comments on a Christian forum.

[MarcBee]

Originally Posted by barry72

Of you wouldn't walk up to an African American and make these comments, don't do it on this forum. That is what I call racism...

But I might have done that, at least during the 8 years I spent as part of the 3% white population within a 97% black Apostolic church. Today, however, I would not do so, out of fear of violence.

BTW, there a million things appropriate to say in an online forum that one would NOT just <<walk up to>> anyone and also say. Get realistic, please.