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By WZ – November 5, 2013
1) Because you don’t know what that word means. I’m “touchy” about being called racist because the definition of the word – to the extent there even is one – has become completely distorted. “Racism” is properly defined as the belief that one’s race has a primary effect on one’s behavior, which may may lead to the the associated belief, that one race is better than another. Jim Crow laws segregating African-Americans and denying them access to college because of a belief in their inferiority is definitely “racist”. Domino’s not delivering to high-crime neighborhoods because too many of their vans were robbed is not racist; it’s common sense, if unfortunate. Writers like the author are so quick to label any acknowledgement of the vast cultural, social and economic differences between the races (whose very existence they deny, though obvious to the naked eye) that the word becomes shrill and meaningless. So, yes, I am “touchy” about being called a word which has basically become an epithet.
2) Because you don’t know who I am or what I believe.. I’m “touchy” because by calling me racist, you assume I harbor certain beliefs which I might not have. You don’t know me, Maybe I’m a Buddhist Monk who fought apartheid and gave my kidneys to the NAACP Maybe I’ve spent a lifetime in tolerance workshops, before becoming enlightened. But you can still call me a racist because I’m white? (This especially includes the lame “we’re all so racist!” piece that I come across, with various authors, from time to time).
3) Because you don’t get to decide who’s right and wrong. Racism is the belief that one race is better than others. Now, a person harboring a racist belief is either right, or he’s wrong. If he’s has done the research and he thinks he’s right, well, then good luck convincing him. But if you can prove he’s wrong, then he’s just wrong. Incorrect. A flat-earther. But we have tons of flat-earthers, creationists, and fundamentalist believers in many churches, and all sorts of people who are just irrefutably wrong — and we don’t have a special word for them, we just call them Idiots. And yes, a lot of evil has been done in the name of racism, but so too certain religions — so it’s not the history of the idea that offends, it’s the Idea of idea. By not making it a (subjective) question of Moral Right and Wrong, and making into a question of plain old right and wrong, you’ll get farther because you won’t be accusing them of Thoughtcrime, which is what you’re doing now.
4) Because you’re making the problem worse. ECONOMIC INEQUALITY is the root cause many of the race-related problems in America, and there’s a lot we can do about that, from fixing our schools, straightening out our economy and changing finance laws. But there are quite a few race-centric problems which are not the fault of the Establishment; abstenee fatherhood, school non-attendence, and teen pregnancy are examples of Individual Choices which are informed by a Common Culture. By blaming all the ills of minority communities on The Man, you present the idea that those effected don’t have to change their own behavior if they want to get ahead, economically.
5) Because there’s an Anti-Racism Industry that encompasses a certain swath of academia and the media who exploit “white guilt” for attention (and clicks!) or to legitimize their self-focused academic pursuits. I’m not talking about the people who are actually thinking out the inequalities and working and fighting for social change. I’m talking about people like this author,
6) Because you pretend that you or anybody else is above it. Is there a single ethnic group that doesn’t have some special pride, who think that in some way they’re not justa little bit better than everybody else? Granted, it’s bad taste to talk about it publicly , but isn’t there a reason having a creation myth where your group is somehow chosen or special is a human UNIVERSAL? Our entire inborn moral code revolves around preferentially helping those with a similar genome to us, — aka our family and clan.. Everybody from salamander on up does it. The case can be made that altruistically helping those different from us is a better plan for society, but a) I haven’t seen you make it and b) I don’t see a whole lot of people putting it into practice (like sending your own kid to public school while you send a random minority child to private school).
7) Because my experience beats your dogma. Like everyone else, I’ve had enough encounters with individuals of various races enough to notice patterns. The truth is there are often wide gaps between cultural practices, customs and values bewteen different races and cultures in our society, and these differences hold true across enough of society that stereotypes are often fairly accurate. That’s why there’s always room for them in comedy shows, jokes and TV — because there’s enough truth in them, and taboo around them, that they’re funny. I’d rather live in a world where we can be honest about ourselves and each other than one where every real discussion is bludgeoned by the shrill, invetiable cry of “racist!” The problem that arises from stereotyping is statistical, not moral: stereotypes are probabilistic; no probabilistic model can predict the behavior of an individual. The streotypes are not to blame; it is how some people use them.
6) Because when you say it, there’s a special disdain in your voice like racism is somehow worse or different from any other kind of ignorance or stupidity. Racism is the belief that one race is better than others. Now, a person harboring a racist belief is either right, or he’s wrong. If he’s has done the research and he thinks he’s right, well, then good luck. But if you can prove he’s wrong, then he’s just wrong. Incorrect. A flat-earther. But we have tons of flat-earthers, creationists, and fundamentalist believers in many churches, and all sorts of people who are just irrefutably wrong — and we don’t have a special word for them, we just call them Idiots. And yes, a lot of evil has been done in the name of racism, but so too certain religions — so it’s not the history of the idea that offends, it’s the Idea of idea. By not making it a (subjective) question of Moral Right and Wrong, and making into a question of plain old right and wrong, you’ll get farther because you won’t be accusing them of Thoughtcrime, which is what you’re doing now.
To be clear, I would like to see a thriving society where fairness and equality reign supreme. I think the whole question of Race is a tiny distraction when compared to the bigger root issue, namely the stupefying power and wealth in the hands of a few individuals and corporations, and the ensuing decay of our societal fabric that has been happening since the 70’s. I think the race stuff is, when it doesn’t have a clear plan of action, a total distraction, and hopefully this will help explain why.
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