Posted on 11/29/2014 4:26:55 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Yet another side effect of the Ferguson unrest was the inevitable calls for how we really need to have a national conversation on race. (You can read some of my previous thoughts on the value of what the media considers a national conversation here.) As I watch the attempts at such debates taking place not only on the small screen, but on blogs and comment sections around the web, I detect a growing sense of frustration on both sides. There are sizable groups of progressives who seem sincerely interested in convincing everyone that pretty much all of these problems – as well as much of what’s wrong with the rest of the nation – boil down to latent racism and endemic white supremacy. This is frustrating to some people who feel that the rules should apply evenly to everyone and that life in a free society comes with an inherent expectation of personal responsibility. For their part, the progressives appear to be frustrated when some of their debate opponents opine that robbing stores and attempting to beat up police officers can lead to bad results even if your skin is bright pink with chartreuse spots.
But the conversation really screams to a halt when the more conservative crowd runs into somebody like CNN author and religion blogger John Blake. Rather than yelling about it on one side or the other, or even trying to grasp what the other party might be trying to say, Blake jumps on the shiny new bandwagon of forgiving everyone who doesn’t think they are a racist because, well… you probably just don’t realize you are and you don’t know any better.
[I]t doesn’t wear a hood, but it causes unsuspecting people to see the world through a racially biased lens.
It’s what one Duke University sociologist calls “racism without racists.” Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, who’s written a book by that title, says it’s a new way of maintaining white domination in places like Ferguson.
“The main problem nowadays is not the folks with the hoods, but the folks dressed in suits,” says Bonilla-Silva.
“The more we assume that the problem of racism is limited to the Klan, the birthers, the tea party or to the Republican Party, the less we understand that racial domination is a collective process and we are all in this game.”
Let’s see… in this caring, open minded, helpful analysis where he’s just trying to have an honest conversation, how many people could a quote from Bonillap-Silva offend in just the opening salvo?
People who wear suits. Check. Birthers. (Read as anyone who opposes Barack Obama for any reason here.) Check. The Tea Party. Check. The rest of the Republican Party. Check.
Hoo boy… that’s a great starting point. But to get the full flavor of how far off the beam this train of logic goes, you need to read the lengthy descriptions of each of the three phrases that often crop up when whites and racial minorities talk about race, and why using them proves you are a racist, albeit perhaps an unintentional one.
‘I don’t see color’
‘But I have black friends’
‘Who you calling a racist?’
The full definition behind each of those three statements – and their deeper meaning for the racisty racists who say or imply them – is probably more than enough to leave most of you shaking your heads and bailing out of any conversation with Mr. Blake. But the drilling down which follows the third is truly enough to make your head spin. Here’s just one sample.
The courts may ignore colorblind racism, but ordinary people ought to be aware of it when they talk about racism, others say. Ross, author of “Everyday Bias,” says being biased doesn’t make people bad, just human.
He says people are hardwired to be biased because it helped keep our ancestors alive. They survived, in part, by having to make quick assumptions about strangers who might prove threatening.
“We need to reduce the level of guilt but increase the level of responsibility we take for it,” he says. “I didn’t choose to internalize these messages, but it’s inside of me and I have to be careful.”
Part of being careful is expanding our definition of racism, says Bonilla-Silva, author of “Racism Without Racists.”
Racism has evolved, but our language for describing it hasn’t, he says.
You see? Your inherent, intractable bias doesn’t make you a bad person. You’re just too stupid to realize what it is that you may or may not be doing, but would probably do if given a chance recognizable by your incredibly racist subconscious. They don’t want you to feel guilty about this… they just want you to stop doing it. Even if you haven’t the vaguest idea of what it might be, and they can’t even tell you themselves, you’re clearly still doing it. So stop, okay?
And if you can’t manage to stop, don’t worry. We’re going to have a national conversation about it. Every. Single. Day.
I feel that way knowing liberals chose to target conservatives and use the force of the IRS and FBI against us because of our beliefs. When liberals did that it was against the law. But their sycophants in the press didn't care about the rights of conservatives. No blacks spoke up - they never do... they never speak up for anyone other than themselves... ever notice that? Selfish? Narcissistic?
The person who wrote this piece doesn't care about my rights - or the rights of people who are conservative.
And that's fine. I'll fight for my own rights. I'll also fight for equal rights before the law for him - and for ALL of us... In spite of that fact that he didn't speak up about conservatives being targeted.
The race card is finished for most of us. Equal before that law - yes. Period.
I'm black. You're white. Pay up.
We’re white, you’re black. We outnumber you over 7 to 1 and we’re heavily armed and grow all the food.
RAAACIST! RAAACIST! RAAACIST!
CNN authors are racist.
Fine. I’m a racist. Don’t care and feel no guilt about it.
Don’t owe them anything.
Won’t lift a finger to change anything.
Won’t hesitate to protect myself, my family or my belongings.
Will do everything I can to have as little contact as possible with them.
Didn’t used to feel this way, but I’m just tired of the entire ridiculous endless discussion of race.
Crazy. No wonder they work at CNN
...grievance-mongrel “leaders”...
Best. AutoCorrects. Ever.
YES. I’m SO sick of people telling me to “check my white privilege.” I mean, what exactly am I supposed to DO with that idea? Obviously I can’t stop being white, so that’s out. I think what it means is I’m supposed to feel horrible about *being* white because it supposedly confers superior privileges on me. So, according to that reasoning, I’m supposed to feel bad about myself for the REST OF MY LIFE.
The thing that really ticks me off about that notion is that that’s part of what black people are grousing about (not without cause), that black people have until recently been really underrepresented in the media and toys and books etc. I mean, I REMEMBER when a black Barbie was a big deal! But why do they want me to feel what they suffered with for so long? How does that help anyone?
The thing that really kills me is a good friend of mine has gotten on this “check your privilege” bandwagon. She married a Hispanic man and now has a Hispanic surname. So suddenly she’s all “check your privilege” on all her social media posts (which I hide) . . . but *I* am the one who’s been attending public meetings and actually doing *work* toward healing the white/Latino (legal ones) division that exists in our area. She posts but I do the work. Hm . . . I think I just defined Democrats and Republicans.
The libtard diatribe gets more insane each day. I laugh, but then I consider Nazi insanity.
>> “check my white privilege.”
Whenever confronted with such nonsense, beat them mercilessly... in the figurative sense... using the blunt force of common sense.
we really need to have a national conversation on race.
great! lets start with the racist blacks then I’ll think about it
There are racists in Ferguson alright, Al ‘Jew them Down’ Sharpton and Jesse ‘Hymietown’ Jackson are at the center of the rage protests.
These so-called national chats on (insert topic) generally degraded into a soliloquy of hectoring us about why we should accept the leftist view, and how we are bigots/racists if we don’t.
I used to care. Now I don’t.
My goal? My goal is to live in, work in, and play in, and visit places with as many whites as possible.
Let's assume that is true for the moment. Further, we posit that they have what I have. The question remains, do they have the skills and motivation to KEEP what I have. Because it requires ongoing effort to get and KEEP it going. The house needs to be kept up. Cars need maintenance, all od which costs money which I get by going to WORK everyday. And therein lies the rub. They don't want to work at it or anything else. We need to understand that Blacks have a median IQ of 80, and that is 20 points below the median for everyone else. The median says that 50% are above, but 50% are below.
How ironic. The Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons of the world are using racism to explain their constant use of the race card.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.