Just sayin'

[yendi]

If you're, say, a football player, and want to convince me that you're not a racist pig, saying so is a lot less convincing than, you know, not acting like a racist pig. And going on record throwing threats involving the n-word at people falls is the sort of action that will convince me you are racist.

Comments

[miss-lisa-ma.livejournal.com]

I remember reading this someplace, and I don't know if it's true generally, but it struck me as a possibly worthwhile tool in conversations about racism.

The writer observed that certain white people claim "I'm not a racist" because they don't perceive themselves as feeling emotions of hate or prejudice. People of color and other allied witnesses talk about racism in terms of the impact of the action, regardless of the emotions or intentions surrounding it. Thus, this guy probably believes he's telling the truth because, as far as he's concerned, "being racist" is harboring a level of recognizable emotion that he's not recognizing.

Yet another benefit of privilege: Believing you're not racist because you don't feel certain emotions or hold deliberate opinions, ignoring the actual impact of your actual actions in the actual world on actual people.

[yendi]

*nod* I've seen that before, too (including from some notable racists in the sci-fi field). they focus on the literal meaning of the word, as opposed to the consequences of their actions (this also applies to a lot of misogynists).

[miss-lisa-ma.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah. Intent is not magic, kids. If you stomp on my toe and break it, it's no less broken if you stomped on it accidentally instead of deliberately. I might be less angry at you, but I'm no less injured.