Blogging Against Racism Week

[sarahmichigan]

I've seen it noted in a few places that this is "Blogging Against Racism Week."

Of course, I think Racism is Bad. And I can come up with a fistful of personal anecdotes as well as statistics to counter anyone who says that racism is a thing of the past and isn't a problem today.

But there are so many issues where I just don't know what to think. Here are some issues I'm conflicted or confused about:

-Racism and humor. What's the difference between a joke about racism and a racist joke? Who's allowed to make jokes that are racially charged? Should white people lose their jobs over making racist jokes?

-Racism and "The N Word". For the most part, only white people who are rednecks (yes, I know this is a racially charged word as well- I come from redneck stock and think I'm allowed to use it) or blatantly racist use this term with any regularity these days. Should Blacks stop using it as well? Should there be MORE use of it to diffuse the charge of the word, kind of like diffusing other epithets like "bitch" or "slut" or "dyke"?

-How to talk about race. How do we start a dialogue about racism and race without ending up in accusations, shutting people down, and making people feel like they can't talk about it at all?

Maybe some of the blog posts I'll read this week will shed some light on one or more of those issues. I'm not sure if I'll post more about the topic or not; it seems like there are plenty Guilty White Liberals posting about race already.

Comments

Re: Tiresome

[bernmarx.livejournal.com]

The problem with the racism debate is that presumes to tell people how they should think

While there are certainly some vocal forces who are trying to force people to change their thoughts, the bulk of what I've seen from anti-racist rhetoric is in getting people to monitor how they speak and act. In my opinion, feel free to think that blacks make better runners, whites were made by God to dominate the globe, or that latinos are lazy and deserve poverty... but be willing to take responsibility for saying any of those things out loud, or acting as if they're true.

Going back to the Don Imus flap, I disagreed with the forces that pressured Imus's company into firing him, but on the same measure, he said things he simply shouldn't have said, and shame on him for having said them.

not disagreeing, just adding...

[sarahmichigan.livejournal.com]

People have the freedom to think and say what they want, but not the freedom to say and think them without any social repercussion, IMO.

Re: not disagreeing, just adding...

[bernmarx.livejournal.com]

Agreed. It seems to me that many people (of all races) who try to vilify PC and insist "I can say what I want" don't really want to take responsibility for having said what they wanted. Yes, there are cases where PC has gone overboard and suppressed valid debate, but I don't believe that was the original intent, and there most certainly isn't anything wrong with suggesting that people think and reflect on the possible effect of their words before they open their mouths.