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In reply to the discussion: Liberal Racism: 25 Things I Learned After I Wrote About ISIS and White Racism at the Daily Kos [View all]TygrBright
(20,760 posts)This resonates for me, recalling the time back in the 1980s, when a black co-worker at one of my very first 'career' jobs (as opposed to selling t-shirts or tending bar,) explained to me why some black people felt more uncomfortable in the Twin Cities than in Alabama or Mississippi.
"Down there," he said "they don't pretend about it. They don't claim they're not racist. They know they are. Some of them are proud of it, most of them don't think about it much, a few of them are ashamed of it. But they don't deny it. Here, everyone pretends they're not racist, and tells us how lucky we are to be here instead of there.
But we still get passed over for promotion, we still get redlined out of the nice neighborhoods, we still get the 'what are you doing here' stare when we're somewhere we're 'not supposed to be.' And when you call someone on their shit, you have to sit through the long explanation about why it isn't shit."
That left the much-younger-me gasping and flailing about for something to respond with. I settled on "thank you," and went away to think about what he'd told me.
And realized that he was correct.
We all carry some kind of privilege knapsack. We just *do.* Every one of us has *some* variety of privilege by virtue of our name, our background, where we were born, where we live now, what color we are, what shape genitalia we have, who we love, what we do, where we went to school, where we work, and dozens of other factors.
If we want to be part of the solution, we have to open up that knapsack, ransack the contents, understand what's in there and why, and make systematic efforts to jettison the most toxic stuff. One of the first things to go should be the "OMG I'm so offended by your assumptions about me" defense mechanism.
wearily,
Bright