About covert racism.

[Baitball Blogger]

It just sickens me to see how many of my Facebook friends are saying nothing about this racist president. And their silence confirms what I have suspected all along. Over the last decades, any conversation that I tried to bring up that raised the issues that are common on this discussion board were met with discomfort. People would wiggle in their chairs, try to change the subject, and one even made a cast-off comment about not wanting to go on vacation with people who make them uncomfortable.

It wasn't like they were overt racists. They knew all the correct responses, just didn't want to go there, as if racial sensitivity in the 90s and 00's meant not talking about it.

But now I see just how much advantage they gained by stifling our voices. Today we know that racism not only exists, but that it has an agenda and it definitely favors the white culture. You would think that "our friends" would finally step out of the shadows and support us. But no. They do the same thing, relying on silence to maintain their advantages. And you know that, where they give us looks of disapproval when we speak our mind, they chuckle and are amused when they are in the company of the more racists in our midst.

Jesus. It's like a light. Racists have a venue. Quite a few of "our friends" have learned to tolerate them, while they expect us to go along to get along.

One of the concepts that I have been mulling in my mind is the idea of assimilation. How much is too much? We are obviously a country in transition and maybe it's time to look at where our tax dollar are going, because I know from experience that many of my friends have learned this twisted adaptation because the jobs they work are heavy with conservative minded ethos.

[wryter2000]

1. K&R

I have spoken out in a group of white strangers about racism. Yeah, it is uncomfortable, but I usually find someone changes the subject. I don't know that I change minds, but it's still worth it.

I will say, though, as a white person...if you see white people chuckling when they hear people spouting overt racism, there is a good chance it's uncomfortable, nervous laughter. Like, "I can't believe you just said that." They don't have the courage to speak up, but it doesn't mean they agree. Of course, others may just be enjoying the "joke."

[Baitball Blogger]

2. I understand. There were just more of you in my circle when I was younger.

At least we would all laugh nervously, together.

[wryter2000]

3. We have sure slid backwards

I don't know if people are more racist now than back then or if racists just feel they have permission to show their racism. I kind of suspect the latter, but I can't be sure.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. "In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be antiracist."

Attributed to Angela Davis and others.

One of the concepts that I have been mulling in my mind is the idea of assimilation. How much is too much?

This is unclear to me. Are you asking how much assimilation is too much?

[Baitball Blogger]

5. Up to recent times, it was almost a given that ethnic people had to

assimilate in order to be acceptable enough to share in financial opportunities. For those of us who came up into primarily conservative environments, (like the military world), that may have required shedding all signs of our ethnicity to appease a racist-leaning society, which we now know was always there. (BTW, I was lucky as hell because I grew up in the Canal Zone in Panama, where the American society enjoyed the Panamanian culture. I didn't have to compromise my bi-culture heritage in my early years.)

But, since transferring to the US, I'm saying those of us who went through the process of assimilation, where blending in was the prime directive, we did little or nothing to raise conscious awareness of our ethnic differences. People just learned to accept us without the ethnicity issues. So, when the time came to stand up and speak up, the response from my friends have been more in line with, "She is acting strangely for a white person." One so-called friend made excuses to her son, telling him I was the crazy-aunt.

Many of us who are trying to speak up, not only have to deal with this anglo-minded perspective, but also other minorities who are still on that hamster wheel of assimilation. And I don't fault them for that. This is a capitalist country and we all need to find a way to take care of our families. Truth is, the one place where we seem to work well together is in the workforce where we have Federal government insuring that everyone plays fair. So it's in our communities where we should be allowed to be ourselves. But it's not working out that way. We're back in Thunderdome out here, where white nationalism has found a foothold.

[lunasun]

6. I was listening to the Family Meeting Radio show a few Sundays ago on WCPT Chicago

(https://m.facebook.com/TheFamilyMeetingRadio/)
They were saying in one discussion that there are many good white people who abhor racism
They will try to be very inclusive and raise their kids to reject bigotry and gather in places with like people socially
but they will often not inconvenience themselves in society to declare against racism . Just remind themselves they themselves are not racist but not make a comment to condemn it when in public
It would create an uncomfortable atmosphere with the other whites in public who are saying or doing racist things
If any favor or standing is going to be lost because of it , say calling out a boss or pastor, action or comment will be even less likely
In other words, at home and amongst themselves the overt racism is not there , but out in the public world they will not take steps agsinst racism , and that is where the intolerance becomes powerful and racism effective in society of silence

Then there has always been the covert white people you are talking about with a sort of subdued racism that never are the actual aggressor types but the defenders of such people( like trump) with not only their silence, but with the What abouts, Oh yeah but, don’t pay silly any attention, or Hey let’s change the subject excuses.

Both types are tolerating racism in society

[Baitball Blogger]

8. Well said.

[lunasun]

9. Good Bingo card if you are up to playing with them

Link to tweet

?s=21

[Baitball Blogger]

10. No fun to play if we all have to share the prize.

Won't be much left to share.

[ismnotwasm]

7. K&R