Everyone - please stop using the term "racist" to describe anyone who discusses race

[EffieBlack]

The term "racism" describes a very serious and insidious form of racial animus and oppression. Your continued use of the term to describe everyone and everything connected with any discussion of race dilutes the meaning of the word and undermines serious discussions about the issue. People can be prejudiced - and we all are - some of us may be much less than sensitive, some may even hold bigoted views. But using "racist" so freely and unthinkingly does great damage.

Racism is simply defined as "a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others."

Others have defined it as, "the predication of decisions and policies on considerations of race for the purpose of subordinating a racial group and maintaining control over it." (Charles Hamilton and Stokeley Carmichael)

or "a system that with ruthless intentionality oppresses, represses and commits cultural genocide against people of color but particularly black Americans. It is manifested in all of the primary social, economic, educational and political institutions in America. Oppression puts a people down, repression keeps them down and cultural genocide infests their lives with pervasive nihilism. It kills their spirit and strips them of hope."

Racism is NOT every discussion about race or a pride in one's own racial heritage. And pointing out bias or discriminatory treatment or disparate impact or behavior is definitely not racism.

So, please people, stop throwing around this term so willy nilly. It has a very distinct meaning and the casual use of it to describe people and behavior does nothing to advance any true understanding of the very real problems, problems that are directly caused by a legacy of racism in this society, that we as a nation are trying to overcome.

[Maddy McCall]

1. Thank you.

Bout time someone took a moment to post this.

[Jed Dilligan]

2. I don't know...

I've never seen non-racists discussing their "White Pride."

But I get your drift.

[EffieBlack]

4. There is a considerable difference between discussing "white pride" and "black pride"

Primarily because of the history, purpose and meaning behind it. A majority race, who is and has always been in control of the country, whose race has always been seen as superior, whose heritage has always been viewed and treated as THE nation's heritage, has no reason to go around talking about "white pride" except as a means to continue oppressing others - and that's just the context in which it has always been used.

On the other hand, when a race of people have been stripped of their freedom, dignity and heritage - systematically, purposefully and for the sole purpose of enabling their degradation and subjugation - there is a great need and valid purpose for that people to reconnect to their heritage, their dignity, their history and, yes, their pride. So when those people talk about "black pride," it has an entirely different meaning and purpose than the promulgation of "white pride."

There's a difference. And we know it.

[Jed Dilligan]

8. It also has to do with black people having common history and heritage

The only thing white people have in common is that they are not considered non-white.

[XemaSab]

36. I think it's a little more subtle than that

I've got Swedish Pride, German Pride, and Irish Pride, and I think all those are totally fine, but "White Pride" is a code word for something different.

[EffieBlack]

41. You're exactly right!

[DemVet]

37. Nope, there is no difference.

The term "black pride" is just as racist as "white pride."

[EffieBlack]

42. It's very sad that you do not understand the difference and even sadder that you don't

seem interested in trying to understand - and therefore are only helping to exacerbate the problem that I describe.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

44. And what do you think about the phrase "black is beautiful."

:eyes:

[NOLALady]

49. Why do you think EffieBlack is wrong?

[emilyg]

5. how about non-racists

discussing their "Black Pride."

[Jed Dilligan]

9. see above

[pacalo]

31. ...which brings us to part 2 of Effie's request: Please stop making allegations

without providing a link to actual remarks made. Would you be able to show us where the term "White Pride" was used at DU? If not, I'd have to consider your claim baseless.

[Breeze54]

3. I love intelligent people with common sense!

This needed to be said. Thank You! :D

:kick: & Recommended!

[tammywammy]

6. Recommended

:)

[BenDavid]

7. The "good" democrats want Obama and the "evil" Democrats

want Hillary? Does anyone recognize this party?

If only those whites-only Clintonistas would stop their evilness!! Whites-only Clintonistas hate democracy, fairness and people of color!! This is the kind of crap that is now on this forum....and more:
"the corrupt party hacks"
"a wholesale revolt"
"robbed of their votes"
"Hillary forces stole the nomination"
"pound hard on the skulls of the creatures"
"they really care about far more is power, control and their own egos"
"who wanted to make a name for herself"

I forget - which party is the party of hate?
Why can't Obama voters just prefer their guy? Why do they turn Hillary into some baby-eating anti-Christ?

[EffieBlack]

10. Please stay out of my threads. You have absolutely nothing worthwhile to add, so you're just wasting

space.

Take your ignorant crap somewhere else.

Thank you.

[NanceGreggs]

12. What you said, EffieBlack ...

... not only in your OP, but especially what you've said to this poster.

[H2O Man]

19. I so wish

that I could nominate this single post.

Thank you for your contributions to DU.

[pampango]

20. You got the last heart I had to give for that response.

:)

[EffieBlack]

24. That's sweet - thank you!

[leftynyc]

34. Yeah, what could a man

with a name like Ben David and an avatar of a Jewish star know about bigotry and hatred anyway? I see you disagree with him but honestly, that was just stupid.

[EffieBlack]

35. This has nothing to do with his name or his avator

It has everything to do with his posts.

[fishwax]

13. why do people pretend the ugliness is all one-sided

:shrug:

[Adsos Letter]

11. Are you familiar with "Racism: a Short History" by Fredrickson?

Really opened my eyes on the broader usage and context of the term.

[Usrename]

14. Is there really a race card, or is there just the accusation of playing it?

If you are a person in a group that is being discriminated against, and you notice the discrimination, and you speak out, you become open to attack for playing the "race card".

Is there a better way to hide one's own bigotry from oneself? Accuse the object of the bigotry of something that is much worse than being a bigot; accuse them of pretending to be harmed, accuse them of feigning injury. In that way the moral superiority of bigotry and hate can be maintained, the conscious high ground can be won.

This same accusation will also be used by some people framing arguments against affirmative action, pretending to speak for a level playing field, yet willfully ignoring all evidence that the playing field is not level by any honest standard.

In many cases, people are simply covering their fears. Most often those fears, or xenophobia, I believe are natural artifacts of evolution, no more significant than being right or left handed, or having blue eyes. It is how this fear is vulnerable to predation upon the human psyche by folks with nefarious purposes that is the most dangerous. I think it's one of the easiest ways that there is to manipulate the masses.

That's why it is always appropriate to speak up strongly whenever racism is even suspected. If it's a bad, much can still be learned from an honest discussion of what signs are there and why those signs are suspect. This really shouldn't be seen as crying wolf, when nine out of ten times it's a real wolf.


I highly recommend an article by Tim Wise, What Kind of Card is Race
http://www.counterpunch.org/wise04242006.html

[EffieBlack]

18. Excellent post - such a clear explanation!

Thanks for the recommended reading. I will check it out.

[NOLALady]

50. Of course there's a race card.

Two of diamonds.

[ruggerson]

15. Great point

thank you. :)

[usregimechange]

16. Good rule

[McCamy Taylor]

17. Um.. I thought "racist" meant anyone who criticizes Obama. That isn't what it means?

Thanks for the correction. I wonder where I got that idea.

[EffieBlack]

21. Racist has also been used to describe people who support Obama, as well

It's flying around every whichaway. But that's completely beside the point of this thread.

So your attempt to score political points by making snide comments about other DUers with whom you may disagree, is not only inaccurate, it's pretty useless to this discussion.

[apnu]

22. Good point, the same goes for the word "hate"

That gets tossed around too. "Hillary Haters" being the most seen right now. Come on, does anybody actually HATE Hillary Clinton, around here? I don't think so.

I also think your same argument works for the use of "sexism" too.

[TalkingDog]

23. And as a finer point, please stop conflating bigotry with racism and prejudice

The last two are a subset of the first.

Bigotry means (1) stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one's own. (2) actions, beliefs, prejudices, of a bigot. (3) to be so emotionally or subjectively attached to one's own beliefs as to be unthinkably hostile to all others who disagree.

I can be bigoted against people who are atheist or christian or muslim or pastafarians
I can be bigoted against global climate change proponents or deniers
I can be bigoted against Calico cats or people who don't find sculptures of Justice with her breast bared offensive.

I cannot be racist against any of the above.

Racism is a subset of bigotry. Being a bigot does not automatically make you a racist.

I can prejudge people whose intellectual, spiritual or other aspects of their worldview differ from my own.
I can prejudge people based on their appearance: including skin color, genetic heritage, gender, clothing (or lack of), adornment, size and type of car/house and how they choose to maintain them.
I can prejudge people regarding how they choose to act in my presence.

I also cannot be racist against any of the above. Prejudgment is not racism. It is a subset of bigotry.
A bigot can prejudge based on any number of things, including race and/or gender.

When you call a bigot a racist because you don't understand that they are NOT the same, it makes you look ignorant and undercuts any argument you might have, regardless of how valid it might be.

When you use the terms racist and prejudice interchangeably, you want to make sure you are discussing race in the first place.

And the only reason I'm posting this is because I've seen some interesting postings here and on other left leaning boards that, seemingly randomly, interchange all three terms.

We aren't Freepin' Morans, people. We are capable of using the language correctly.

*** Bonus Points***

The last sentence included: Bigotry, Racism, Prejudice? I will accept answers in terminology or essay form.

[EffieBlack]

25. FABULOUS! Thank you! nt

[ellacott]

26. Thank you so much for this post.

I've been trying to same the same thing but you articulated it much better.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

27. I only use it where it applies

Like when some moron says "blacks are marginalizing themselves by voting for Obama".

[EffieBlack]

29. That's ignorance and perhaps bigotry, but not racism n/t

[poppysgal]

28. That is right

Thank you for pointing out a very important point.

[Adelante]

30. Thank you, EffieBlack

Every discussion of race and every discussion of gender is not racism or sexism. We're being choked with isms in this primary, because one candidate is black and the other is a woman, and too often misapplied isms at that.

[judaspriestess]

32. Thank you

:thumbsup:

[ellisonz]

33. Spot on.

:thumbsup:

[sampsonblk]

38. K & R

[bicentennial_baby]

39. I only reserve it for people who claim that Obama

is "inciting a race war", which a certain DUer has done repeatedly... :puke:

[EffieBlack]

40. That's not racism. That's hyperbole - that may or may not be based on prejudice or bigotry . . .

But it is not racism.

[bicentennial_baby]

45. It was more than that...

Trust me...The general consensus, pre-lock, was that the OP was a a racist piece of tripe.

[Bluenorthwest]

43. Best thread of the week

Effie, thanks.

[4themind]

46. Thank you very much for your post effie-nt

:)

[Chovexani]

47. Amen.

Too bad this will sail over the heads of those who most need to hear it.

Edit to add that if I hear ONE MORE PERSON use the term "race card" I'm going to pull a Remy LeBeau and start throwing exploding race cards at people.

[EffieBlack]

48. I hear you! n/t

[rasputin1952]

51. Every group of people, regardless of national heritage, has been

subjugated and enslaved at one time or another. History is replete with the domination of one group over another since that dawn of history. The groups change, Persians/Greeks; Romans/Europeans; Jews/Egyptians; Chinese/Mongols; Japanese/Koreans...the list goes on forever.

The one thing that many people have realized, is that one human being owning another human being is about as inhuman as one can get. No person or group has the "right" to own another person or group.

Today, in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and South America, there are still forms of slavery, both outright and veiled. We should be focusing on the freedom of those oppressed by slavery, in any of it's forms, we should, quite simply eradicate it from the earth.

[EffieBlack]

52. You're right - but while we work to eradicate it, we need to stop misapplying the concept n/t

[rasputin1952]

53. I agree wholeheartedly...

:)