I'm ashamed of my race (white)

[cilla4progress]

Too much?

It's how I feel.

[unblock]

1. I'm not ashamed. I don't feel I have much in common with white supremacists.

I'll try to be sensitive and aware of my privilege, but the shame is all theirs.

To the extent I feel shame, it's for my personal decisions of not doing enough. But I'm not going to feel shame for the actions of others fighting for something I don't believe in just because my skin tone is similar.

[yewberry]

2. Don't be.

That's not the point, and it's not helpful to anyone.

Understand your privilege-- you didn't earn it, true, but you also didn't ask for it. Call out racism in your life when you see it. Don't expect BIPOC to explain it to you. In conversations about race, listen more than you speak.

Shame doesn't help, and it fuels right-wing talking points about being "proud white" people.

YMMV.

Signed,
just another white woman

[Behind the Aegis]

6. Brava!

Also, statements like that (the OP) take away from the affected minorities, by, again, making it about white people.

[cilla4progress]

12. This is harsh.

I didn't say it as a statement.

It's my truth.

I admitted it knowing I would get blowback.

But I still thought I was safe here.

[Behind the Aegis]

19. It may be harsh, but it, too, is truth.

How are you "unsafe"? There was nothing even resembling a threat in my post. What was in my post was very specific to your comment.

[cilla4progress]

20. Safw to speak my truth and fear

without judgment! Without suspicion.

Oh nevermind....

[Behind the Aegis]

22. Then feedback is not what you wanted.

So, yes, continue, by all means.

[cilla4progress]

26. Ok.

I'm ashamed of my race (white). I'm ashamed of NA genocode. I'm ashamed of slavery and structural racism. I'm ashamed of colonization. I'm ashamed of white supremacy and supremacists. I'm ashamed of my white privilege. I'm ashamed of what is going on rn in the streets of Kenosha.

Though I have not directly participated ‐ they are done for my benefit as a white person.

See. Not so hard.

[cwydro]

25. Oh, come on now.

[cilla4progress]

15. Thank you

for sharing your wisdom, non-judgementally!

[DavidDvorkin]

3. That makes no more sense than being proud of your white race

You don't deserve blame or praise for what other people who share your skin color have done.

[Skittles]

13. THANK YOU

yes indeed

[abqtommy]

4. There's only one race, and that's The Human Race. This is scientific fact, Jack. Any differences

in skin color, eye/nose shape are local ethnic adaptations. Prisons throughout the world hold real
criminals of all ethnic groups. I hate the history of many white people who have done evil but I'm not
one of them. I'm proud to call my black and brown brothers and sisters members of my human family.
Together we can make our family function in a positive manner again! We accomplish this be refusing
to be a "racist"/ethnic/gender/ageist bigot. Now let's get to it!

[Bettie]

5. I kind of feel like I need to find a way to work

on the problems in the white community.

Sadly, I don't speak to most of the horrible ones in my life anymore.

[qwlauren35]

7. I will remind you.

Biden is white. Warren is white.

You stand among a race of people that include both good and evil.

Don't be ashamed.

Just decide to live up to a high personal standard... and fuck everybody else.

[cilla4progress]

14. This is helpful.

Thank you.

[ace3csusm]

8. Dont Be ashamed of your race, its who you are as a person that makes you regardless

of color skin...Be proud of being a good moral person and stand for right from wrong Kind of like Captain America...

[Solomon]

9. Lol. You didn't need to add the white in parenthesis. We understand how you feel.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

10. Don't waste your time being ashamed. Work to dismantle white supremacy instead.

[Shaddox]

11. It is too much. I'm a brown guy. Just be a good person. That is all we can do.

[cilla4progress]

16. Appreciate the generosity

in the comments here. And suggestions!

[GulfCoast66]

17. Ashamed? Really. I am only ashamed of things I have personally done

Or not done.

I my opinion that makes as much sense as being proud of being a white person. I’m only proud of my personal accomplishments or those of my wife.

But hey, to each their own. You feel like you feel.

[jmg257]

18. Yep - too much. Nt

[Kaleva]

21. That assumes that races have certain unique negative traits.

[betsuni]

23. Europeans came to this country and either inadvertently or on purpose wiped out the native

populations, dragged people over from Africa like animals to do the work for them, cut down forests and killed off the buffalo and plowed up the prairies, made money and property and fame a religion. There's a sort of cultural poverty, an anti-intellectual selfish greediness that happened in America. It's embarrassing.

[Raine]

24. There's no sense in feeling shame about something other then a wrong that you

yourself committed. 🤔

[muriel_volestrangler]

27. The good news is that 'race' is not a useful classification

The bad news, for people like me (White Anglo Saxon Protestant, by upbringing if not current religious group) is that it's my culture and heritage that is more responsible for attitudes like Trump's and his supporters than just about everyone else. OK, at least at my country and ancestors were on the right side in WW2, but "at least we weren't the Nazis" is weak stuff.

[cilla4progress]

28. I appreciate the dialogue here.

I knew my post would be controversial. I also value DU as a place where we can expose our fears, vulnerabilities, and yes, even shame.

Thank you for your great reflections and ideas!