#NotRacists Be Like: The Top 10 Phrases Used by People Who Claim They Are Not Racist

[ismnotwasm]

This is not about racists. This is about not-racists. You’ve seen them before: the special class of white people who say racist shit and do racist things but declare themselves the “least racist person you know.”

Their racism isn’t always intentional. Sometimes it is a byproduct of privilege, sometimes it is a deflection, and sometimes it is caused by the vapid, shallow inability to care about or understand anything that they don’t agree with because they are the majority.

The population of not-racists is steadily growing. Not-racists voted for Donald Trump. Not-racists say that kneeling for the flag means you want to slit the throats of veterans. Not-racists believe in Blue Lives, White Jesus and black-on-black crime. So we decided to do a countdown of the 10 most popular phrases so that you can easily identify not-racists, or play a game of not-racist bingo in your spare time:

10. “Why must everything have to be about race?”

One of the most used ideas in the not-racist handbook is that talking about race creates divisiveness. The theory rests on the premise that the more people point out racism, the more ... umm ... I really don’t know how the second part works.

More:https://www.theroot.com/notracists-be-like-the-top-10-phrases-used-by-peop-1819142064?utm_source=theroot_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

[leftstreet]

1. DURec

That was awesome!

Thanks for posting

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. Where's the lie. K&R.

[sheshe2]

3. Michael Harriot

Always nails it.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. K&R

And thanks for posting that!!!!

[ismnotwasm]

5. I like it a lot

[BumRushDaShow]

10. #1 on the list is hilarious!

[Proud liberal 80]

6. I like these

Found in the comments:

“What about black on black crime?”

“Slavery’s been gone 150 years...”

“Affirmative action is racist”

“So black people can say it, but I can’t?”

#alllivesmatter

“I support their cause, I just wish they’d find a better way”

“Relax, it was a joke”

“MLK said we should care about what’s inside...”

“Call the police if you need help”

“Everyone has the same opportunity in America”

“Why can’t you people get over it?”

“I never owned slaves.”

[BumRushDaShow]

11. That's a perfect list too!!

Thank you for getting those out of the comments!

[brer cat]

7. Harriot is a supremely gifted communicator.

Always truth, always delightfully expressed.

K&R

[EffieBlack]

8. Awesome and perfect! K&R

I am laughing out loud - TOO funny because it's ALL true!

"Who are these black men and women dating these clueless white people and leaving them as unwoke as they found them?"

[Ms. Toad]

9. Serious question -

4. “Go back to Africa!”
Not-racists believe that America belongs to them and that whiteness endows them with the power to excommunicate the offenders of their country at will. This, too, is white privilege.

Everything else I've heard come out of the mouths of people who claim not to be racist. i.e "not-racists."

Do people who actually believe they are not racist really say, "Go back to Africa?" (I know people use that phrase - I'm just surprised to find something so blatantly racist included in a list of things not-racists say.)

[BumRushDaShow]

13. That used to be a rallying cry at one time

but it seems I haven't heard it much anymore because someone finally got through to them that the majority of AAs here today had ancestors who were here before Ellis Island even existed, let alone well before the ancestors of most of the Euro-descended Americans yelling that crap got off the boat.

[Ms. Toad]

15. In general, yes -

but was it actually uttered by people who claim not to be racist?

[BumRushDaShow]

16. The term is "Not-Racist"

not "not racist". I.e., those who claim to not be racist but really don't get that they are.

[Ms. Toad]

19. I get that -

Not sure the hyphen matters, but whatever.

Every other one of the 10 phrases I've heard uttered by not-racists.

I can wrap my mind around how they could say the other 9 phrase and still argue they are not racists. I just can't picture those same people saying "go back to Africa." (Which is a very common phrased used by full-blown racists.)

I get the concept - I'm just at the "one of these things is not like the others" stage, and I'm seriously asking whether/how someone who is not-racist could maintain that status while uttering a blatant, objectively, racist comment like, "Go back to Africa."

[BumRushDaShow]

20. It could be they didn't think to use one of the items compiled in post #6

from commenters.

"Go back to Africa" was still probably the most common thing uttered in old-school terms as code talk that was less offensive then "N-word leave my country". The other things are more modern code talk.

[Ms. Toad]

23. Thanks.

That makes a little more sense

[MrScorpio]

32. I have been told to go back to Africa by people like that

It was funny, one particular fool didn’t say “Africa,” per se, he told me to go back where my ancestors came from.

He left a door open, so I walked through. I told him that my ancestors were English, Irish, African and also Native American. Which meant my roots in this country go further back than his own. After a lengthy discussion where I documented my Native American heritage, another poster pointed out to him that I handed his ass to him.

Of course, my detractor never got it that he’s a racist piece of shit. They never do.

Did I mention that this asshole was also a fan of George Zimmerman?

[Ms. Toad]

42. Did he have an explanation for how telling you to go back to where your ancestors came from

could be anything but racist?

[MrScorpio]

43. No, he didn't

Here's the thread in the Disc. https://www.discussionist.com/1015805461

[IronLionZion]

37. There are long-time liberal DUers with high post counts who believe Americans are white

while firmly believing they are not racist. They have told me I'm stealing jobs and my loyalties are to another country even though I was born in America. #PerpetualForeigners

[Ms. Toad]

41. I'm sorry to hear that. n/t

[EffieBlack]

12. "I don't care if they're black, white, purple or green"

As soon as you get past black and white and start running through the color wheel, I can tell what time it is ...

[BumRushDaShow]

14. Ha!

That just reminded me of something my mom used to say - "Don't define me. I'm not a green or purple or polka-dot person".

[greyl]

17. Reminded me of Mitch Hedberg, RIP.

"Oh hold on now. Purple or green? Ya gotta draw the line somewhere."

[Proud liberal 80]

18. Another one is

“Obama has made race relations worse”

[ismnotwasm]

21. I heard that one from people who surprised me

Didn’t expect it or see it coming, but there it was.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

22. That one's very popular among racists and not-racist-racists. . . . nt

[Elwood P Dowd]

39. Heard that one a couple of times. When I ask them to give me the list of Obama

actions that made race relations worse, the response is usually a blank stare and changing the subject. All they know is the original talking point that probably came from Hannity or Limbaugh.

[Mountain Mule]

24. K&R! nt

[MyOwnPeace]

25. I feel like..........

a babe in the wilderness! NEVER heard of Michael Harriot.

Quite the eye opener - great read.

Thank you SO much for the post!

[MrScorpio]

26. I have dealt with people like that plenty of times

Sometimes I wondered if they knew what they were actually saying. So I told them and most would still double down.

The question that usually stopped them in their tracks would be when I’d asked them why should I accept and validate all the negative shit they’d say about black people when they have been black a single day in their lives.

[ismnotwasm]

33. I find weird versions of them

We were talking about yoga, just in passing for a brief moment for instance. I was telling a co-worker that I had read an article about Hindu and westernized yoga as cultural appropriation. She said “Italians think espresso is cultural appropriation” I replied mildly that “I think it was from a spiritual point of view” she said “Italians are spiritual about their coffee” At this point, I realized what she was objecting to, was the term “cultural appropriation”—which is a fairly typical knee jerk response from white people actually.

She had not said one single thing that was overtly racist, But I know my fellow white people quite well. It was there.

[ProfessorGAC]

27. That Was A Fun Read!

Guy is a good writer!

[Ferrets are Cool]

28. I've heard most of those more than once.

[47of74]

30. Yeah me too

Hell of it is that if a person truly wasn't racist they wouldn't have reason to trot out any of these excuses.

[Ferrets are Cool]

31. And then there are the really scary ones who don't even try to hide it. nt

[Skittles]

29. pointing out racist sterotypes is not racism in itself

[Hekate]

34. KnR

[Lithos]

35. It's a very good article

Sad it will go unnoticed by those who need to read and grok it the most.

[TygrBright]

36. I LOVE IT! If "wypipo" is the plural, can I be a "wypip"? n/t

[ThoughtCriminal]

38. "Nobody is less racist than me"

Yeah. Right.

[Xipe Totec]

40. I take exception to #9; I did date a black lady

In the 70's when I was in college.

You have to understand that I was at a campus that was 90% Mexican-American, 10% Anglo, and the only black students were on some kind of academic or sports scholarship.

So, to actually date an African-American on this campus was a mark or privilege.

She was lovely, a couple of years older than me, and she actually kissed me on one of our dates when I took her back to the dorms.

I've often wondered what ever became of her.

[moriah]

44. I'll try explaining why, please anyone correct me if I'm wrong...

... but there's two issues with mentioning your dating past as some measure of proof you're not racist.

First, there were a hell of a lot of racists screwing black women during slavery. It's the primary reason there were so many mixed people before abolition. Obviously one can have intercourse with or date a person and not actually respect them -- happens all the time, actually. Not saying that's how it was with you and the lady in your past, of course.... but while obviously black people didn't smell quite as bad to Thomas Jefferson as he publicly said they did, black vagina didn't cure him of racism. Actually, his use of those women for that purpose highlights his racism.

Second.. there *is* that history there -- that white people weaponized interracial relationships from our position of power, with black women being raped for profit since kids of slaves were slaves and black men getting lynched on a white woman's word that she felt at all threatened. It's not like it was ever dangerous for *us* to date outside our race, yet "not-racists" often talk of having a past interracial relationship like it was an experience worthy of being labeled a Profile in Courage. So a white person essentially bragging about a sexual conquest of a black person doesn't exactly show we've outgrown that privileged view of interracial relationships.

[Xipe Totec]

45. Here's the problem I see with this logic

If you've dated a black person and you mention it then you're racist.
If you've dated a black person and you hide it, then you're embarrassed, so you're racists.
If you've thought of dating a black person but didn't do it, you're a racist.
If you would never consider dating a black person then you're a racist.

Seems like a no win.

[moriah]

46. Hmmm.

1) If you mention it if asked if you've dated interracially, no. If you mention it when confronted about something else you said/did that made you seem racist, or use it to establish your "credentials" as a person who isn't racist... crossing the race line isn't a "get out of racism free" card.

2) If you hide it when asked about interracial relationships, yeah. If you elect not to use it as a defense to seeming racist in another way and instead listen to why someone is offended, discretion is the better part of valor.

3) If the reason why was because they were black, yeah.

4) Probably. Of course, if the reason is that you're asexual and would never consider dating anyone, or truly think you'd never date again if your current spouse dies, no.

----

This actually seems rather logical to me, but maybe I'm dense. I've wondered if the fact I've never dated outside of my race wasa sign of racism in myself, and tried to seriously examine it, but I think it's more likely that no black guys have ever shown interest in me that is the explanation. When I look at how my relationships have started, the guy (or girl) always approached me first.

I *am* a self-hating ginger on those lines, though -- I've said many times I'd really not want to breed with another redhead. I want to give kids at least a 50/50 chance of not needing sunscreen on a road trip to deal with the sun coming through the windows. And I have never been attracted to a redheaded guy. Ever.

[IronLionZion]

47. It's great to date someone

but not to use it as evidence to prove something about you. That's the difference.