Do you ever notice that often white folks who are most skeptical of minority accounts of racism

[cui bono]

68. Same thing happens when men tell women they aren't being objectified.

Why must any white person or male - depending on the case - jump in to say something like racism or objectification of women doesn't exist when they aren't the one who would know if the other person feels that they are the target of racism/sexism. Why wouldn't they stop and think, hm... interesting that that person feels that, let me take a look at that because I never saw it that way before.

But in this white patriarchal society, whose landscape is changing, some people either feel threatened or are truly ignorant to the racism and sexism that is so prevalent.

I've said this before... here's an excerpt from a previous post of mine:

One last thing and then I have to go to bed. As a man, do you find it odd that you keep arguing against what so many women (and men) find degrading? Who are you to tell a woman that it's not degrading? Should white people tell blacks what is and isn't to be perceived as racist? And you also keep defining feminism. Should whites go argue with blacks and define racism to them? Should they go and name drop the most extreme person that most people don't agree with, with whatever motive they might have for doing so?

Why don't you allow for the fact that many women (and men) feel it is degrading to women and trust that women would know if it is or isn't? Why don't you try to be sensitive to that fact? The fact that you insist on arguing against the fact that women feel it is degrading shows that you disregard women and don't value their opinions and feelings. You are dismissing it away just because you don't want to believe it. The real issue is that most women do find it degrading and yet you want to convince them that it isn't. If you were at all concerned about women's issues you would try to understand why they think that. You appear to be more concerned that some woman is trying to take something away from you. It's not about a gender war, it's about understanding, respect and empathy, or at least sympathy.

I try to understand what it must be like to grow up black or gay in this country all the time. It's not up to me to define what is and isn't racist or homophobic, it's up to me to understand why blacks or gays feel something is racist or homophobic. I certainly don't go around trying to define it for them and tell them they are wrong to feel oppressed. If they tell me something is offensive to them or degrading to them or oppressive to them I try to understand why they feel that way, I don't go telling them they are wrong.

And that is the real crux of the situation here.