Posted on 11/15/2012 5:12:47 PM PST by Altura Ct.
Once again, an article about racism wasn’t well received by the McGill community. What a surprise…
Particularly, I’m talking about some of the comments made in regard to the piece, “You are racist” (Guillermo Martínez de Velasco, October 18, Commentary, page 7), in reference to the author’s definition of racism: “…assuming anything about anyone based on a perceived deviation from a racial norm known as white.”
Some of the comments took issue with situating racism within whiteness. Replies questioned examples of intra-racism: racist acts amongst and within racially, ethnically, or nationally homogenous or similar spaces, and historical racism against fellow white bodies (re: persons of Irish, Italian, and Jewish decent). They also questioned the author’s lack of statistical evidence (of racism).
I want to focus on these three arguments to directly show that this article’s definition of racism was just too perfectly stellar for words.
Before I begin, however, I want to address the reoccurring “racism is a social construct” notation made by many. Ain’t it great? Some few individuals have taken one or two sociology courses and have determined that race is a social construct. Let me give you a round of applause….
Race, however, is more than just a social construct; it is also an identity. It is one that people not only subscribe to but see as a way of self-identifying. Emphasizing that race is a social construct, in the ways that many of the commenters did, is exemplary of the exact type of racism the author describes. Identifying and emphasizing the social construction of race, as a white person, is an example of your white privilege. You see race as ‘firstly’ a social construct because you are white and don’t have to think about race and the implications of race in your everyday life in the same way, and to the same immediacy, as racialized people. Race, whether a construct or not, is manifested in one’s cultural practice, embodied experience, identity, and life. Wanting the author to stress the socially constructed nature of race invalidates the intricacies and impacts of race in the lives of us, racialized (and racially politicized) bodies, and validates your lack thereof.
Now let’s get back to it.
First, intra-racial racism: “What about racialized bodies that enact racism against one another? They aren’t white, so how is that racism (under that definition)”* is usually how the rebuttal followed.
Whiteness, as the author clearly explains, is the norm. It is how society functions, exists, sees, and defines itself. And by society, I am indeed making reference to transnational societies that have, in any way, come in contact with whiteness and white societies, be it through colonialism, imperialism, genocide, globalization, developmental aid, technology, et cetera.
To better understand this, let’s use an example of intra-racial racism: say, shadeism. The modern forms of shadeism – intra-racial/ethnic discrimination based on a person’s shade tone, most often dis-privileging darker skinned people – are found in cultures, nations and racial groups globally. These include black, South Asian, East Asian, Latin American (and even, believe it or not, white) communities. And although this is intra-racial and occurs within homogeneously racial and ethnic groupings, it is still in line with the definition presented by Martínez de Velasco. It is because whiteness is the norm that shadeism (or intra-racial racism) exists and occurs. Light and lighter skinned people within the North American context are most explicitly valorized, given aesthetic privilege, and possess great amounts of social capital in their ability to navigate spaces much easier than those of darker complexion because they are aesthetically closer to white. Simply, whiteness, even in examples of intra-racial racism, is still the traceable root of the racism because, as the norm, it superiorizes those who are closer to ‘white(ness)’ and inferiorizes those who aren’t. Please remember this as we move to the second point.
Second, anti-white racism: “Racism happens to white people. What about that?”*
Indeed, what we know to be racism has happened to particular white bodies throughout history: for example, to people of Irish, Italian, and Jewish descent. But let me begin by saying, white people, in case you forgot, are racialized too. You have and will always be racialized. But it is whiteness’ ability to exempt itself from racialization that makes it so crafty in its ability to normalize and inflict racism upon the Other.
Anti-white racism still happens because of whiteness. And while anti-white racism has been predicated on so many factors, understanding that the act of racialization and racializing white peoples – such as Jewish people – was a central element of anti-white racism is key to understanding my point: white groups were racialized and declared Other.
Let’s take Italian-Canadians/Americans for starters. The historical criminalization and problematic conflation of this group to criminal, ‘mafia’-related activity is one example of this racialization. These stereotypes have had a longstanding history within visibly racialized groups, especially within the North American context. Criminalization acts as a tool for hyper-visiblizing specific marginalized bodies/groups. Black, Latino, Filipino, and brown bodies are examples of how groups/bodies have been coded as criminals for centuries and subsequently targetted (e.g. racially profiled, demonized, et cetera). To put it simply, the criminalization of peoples is an example of how racialization and racism happen.
Irish racialization occurred in a different form: moral-elitist demonization, if I can coin such a term. Several writers on anti-Irish racism detail how the British demonized the Irish, characterizing them as dirty, drunk, lazy, and violent while defining themselves as civilized, morally pure, and industrious. Now, doesn’t this remind you of something? Perhaps colonialism and the same racist colonialist tactic used by the British to racially differentiate and hierarchize themselves as superior to the people of Africa, the West Indies, Latin Americas, et cetera? I think so.
Jews were also racialized and, as such, experienced racism. While some Jewish people experience enormous amounts of white privilege as many of them are white (let’s not get that twisted), anti-Semitic racism existed on account of their racialization. Jews, during the Holocaust, were allegedly said to be racially distinguishable from ‘pure’ whites. Racist distinctions based on physiognomic features that characterized them as different from the desired Aryan race parallels colonialism(s) transnationally and is an example of racialization at its most basic level. Recall the colonial practices of racist, white, anthropological pseudo-science that sought to highlight the physical differences between the black African and white European populaces in hopes of strengthening their claims to racial superiority. Same tactics as those used against the Jews, no?
In all three examples, whiteness takes different forms, but always remains the central point (or norm) from which racism occurs. Whites, who are not criminals, dirty, lazy, or drunk and whose physiognomic features are ever-so flawless, become the picture of (racist) perfection. The Irish, Italians, and Jews, on the other hand, are constructed as the antithesis and, poof – there you have it, my friends, racism.
Third, statistical evidence: “Can you please provide statistical evidence for your experiences of racism?”*
How better to answer than with a whole lot of ‘fuck no’s’ and a side of, ‘sit yo ass down!’
This urge white folks have to demand statistical proof of racialized people’s experiences of racism is laughable at best. Racism is multifunctional and multidimensional. It is systemic, institutionalized, embodied, subtle, experiential, overt, everyday, infrequent, and so much more. So to ask me for proof of racism is, number one, racist, and two, ain’t never gonna happen, like ever. So please, I beg of you, stop asking for such absurdity.
*All quoted comments are paraphrases of actual comments directed to the article, “You are racist.”
“Okay, I’m white so I am racist. I’m stuck with that. Now what.”
Exactly my thought. Screw’em.
God, that was tedious.
If racisim is what whites do, then what is it called when nonwhites do it? It does not have a name. We should give it one.
>>Okay, I’m white so I am racist. I’m stuck with that. Now what.
Just enjoy your life. Be proud of your whiteness. If they mention slavery, just say that you’ve never met a slave or a slaveowner. If they mention that you don’t understand something because you’re white, smile and say, “You are correct....and I don’t give a damn.” If they physically attack you, draw your weapon and aim for center mass until they stop attacking.
Whatever traces of white guilt I may have had ended last week.
Can we name it after you? Beefism!
If the very act of being white is going to be deemed racist, then it’s important to embrace our racism. We think like white people because ... WE’RE WHITE PEOPLE!
Embrace it and feel guilty no more.
You're Racist!
:Yawn: "Whatever, honey child."
If I am really feeling nasty the answer is a shrug and, "So?"
It blows their mind.
The opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference.
Show them your indifference.
And be prepared for fits of apoplexy
beefism - that’s actually more apropos that you might think at the outset! Perpetually offended people tend to have a beef with everything in sight and equate all of that anger as having to do with their race’s perceived downtrodden state.
Unless one is white they can never truly understand the stigma a person that has experienced “beefism” feels.
Now we have our own victim class..
Where my free $hit at?!!!
Another thought - this 'whiteness' thing might explain why Arabs hate Jews so much. Jews are not only white/white but many have blue eyes. Never thought of Israel's problems as racism - but might be possible.
Indeed. You got it, what I failed to see at the outset. So ‘beefism’ it will be! (All earthshaking discoveries have been accidental, yes?!)
Fo’ real! Lol!
Platitudes have killed us.
Some races sure seem to do better to me than others
I mean can you name one country not “white” or “oriental” that prospers by our old standards...the standards back when we cared you know?
Don't say Chile..I've been there many times...try telling most of them they are not “white”
It's not because of kinky hair or dark skin etc etc
But it's because of something that can be loosely identified by geographic group evolution of peoples...
isolation...tropical Africans...and what not
could say the same as why say Franks progressed as Caucasians yet Khazaks not as much
or Manchurians and Japanese but not Muongs or Filipino tribals
or Lebanese traders over Berber wanderers
or Ashkenazim Jews over say Yemeni Jews
or German rocket scientists over isolated mountain US folks
and some groups simply lag at large...tropical Africans and Amerindians..and my wife is part Eastern tribe (see my homepage..daughters are half Brasilian too while we are at it) and I am literally a descendant of Rolfe and Pocahontas...we are not sensitive about it
ignoring plain evident truths about how some groups outperform and generally simply behave and self govern better than others...our immigration policy prior to 1965 actually took that into account...then it reversed and set quotas higher for non whites
is how we committed national suicide
it's too late now to change demographics short of politics by other means
but we can pretend
oh and btw...race sure matters physiologically...no question of that...but..lol...we kid ourselves that while all manner of skin, hair, muscle development, blood profile, testosterone, reproductive apparatus like birth canals, cranium circumference means and bone density differences are somewhat defined by races that by some miracle we all have the exact same brain
hilarious huh?
you can go ahead Doug and call me racist...hell...ping the mods...been done before
but I got news for ya...it's all too damned late...too much naivete and weakness and this crazy need to believe in the culture of sameness while every single minority bar none believes the exact opposite
I have watched folks spout platitudes about race here for so long and swoon over socialist Viet Kong loving martin Luther King, Obama supporter Colin Powell, RINO Condi and now Mr Amnesty Rubio for so long just because they were perceived as non white that frankly my dear...I don't give a damn any more
We let the foxes take over the henhouse over racial guilt...none of which I had obviously...and I am pissed off that the stupids gave away my country...the one my ancestors died for over the past 4 centuries
Robbed by interlopers and their Quiisling helpers in the white liberal community...
Jeremiah Wright was right...the chickens have come home to roost
The primitives are gonna make the white race pay
Camp of the Saints is no longer just fiction
I come from a near Freedom Rider background in a nuclear over race state (Miss)...I feel like a dumbass now I can tell...though I knew what time it was 30 years ago...when many here are just waking up to the near post white reality
I salute you
man...if every cracker in America had the same attitude
we would kick their ass politically
and many of “them” would say “hey, I'm switching my wagon to the other team of horses”
but as long as whites play patsy we lose
I mean...I know minorities..especially blacks and some latin sub groups...married into latin culture and am from a 40% black state
Black man respects strength..not pasty silly white men who let their wife drive the Prius and spout race platitudes’
I have had threat of violence candid talk in close quarters with black men over this crap...they might told me I was a bigot...like they weren't in their delusion...but they would always coach that with the declaration that I was not a racist..and we worked conflict out..or occasionally fought over it
I can;t blame a black man today..he sees white men as weak but with an advantage...I'd be resentful too..most white guys today are wussies..and they scream for their black warriors every football game to live through vicariously’ but most have never had to be hard...Mommy fixed it for em
strange to me...wasn't like that when i grew up
the Hispanic quandary is different...no such thing as Hispanic uniformity and many are as white as my alabaster scarred up corpse
we have just allowed our culture to define all minorities ..and I do mean all...as victims
and they all eat it up
even some women and religious minorities like Jews and...good lord...even Muslims ( Jews are like women to me...I absolutely adore them and their wit and acumen and seek their company but they infuriate me)
I feel like I am living in some Lewis Carroll laudanum nightmare where reality has been inverted over race
and so damn quick
I had hoped we had a couple more election cycles
next they take Texas...lights out party is over then as Dandy Don said
hell man...even the damned Cubans...our resolute latino block went 50/50 for Obama
can it get any worse...oh yeah..just wait
I don't think most Peace Corps freepers really have much contact with non whites
seemed that way to me here from day one when Memphis Belle (exit via the bolt) scolded me back in 2000 that the only way for racial healing or peace was for whites to be browned out via sexual intercourse by white women and men of color...like she was hoping for that..when I protested she threw me a Clarence Thomas not good enuff for your daughter strawman
on a conservative forum
now 12 years later...are we still playing nice?
Our way of life is open to anyone who wants to share traditional values and believe America and the West is not one big crime against humanity..but it is cutting along lines no one is willing to face and our so called leaders ..feckless Chamberlains they are...are surrendering faster than MSLSD can broadcast their last utterance
One of the finest examples of double-speak I have ever seen. I particularly like the assertions that anti-white racism is due to white racism, and that asking for any kind of evidence of racism is, in itself, racist. Got just about everything covered there.
FU, Sistah.
Gots nuthin to do with race.
Beefism!
I was not sure at first what you meant by that, but given the dictionary definition:
1. (intr) Slang to complain, esp repeatedly
It might not be a bad choice. Beefist. Beefism. Short. sweet. No racial connection. They might try to make one like the “water buffalo” incident a few years ago, but it would be a stretch.
With the internet, it is easy to start a neologism. Just start blogging it. Update dictionaries and so on. Before you know it, you have created a new word.
We stand like a deer in the headlights in these language wars. We need to go the offensive.
BTW, ‘beef’ refers to my initials, BF.
I still say it.
“(All earthshaking discoveries have been accidental, yes?!)”
Supposedly ScotchGuard was discovered accidentally. That’s pretty earthshaking (I think).
You get the credit though, you coined the term :)
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