the evolution of a charge: from white privilege to white supremacist

[OneGrassRoot]

2. IMHO, this is a helpful discussion... (w/edits)

I've probably missed threads which provide a background to this (though I fully recognize it's about what happened in Seattle), but on the face of it, the words do matter. And, in my experience as someone who has been immersed in racial and social justice pretty much my whole life, it's maddening.

I grew up with and have known flat-out white racists my entire life; I'm like a bloodhound, I can spot it very, very quickly. It is much more prevalent -- throughout the entire country (and world) -- than many people seem to realize. I'm not talking bias, something we all likely have to varying degrees, but racist beliefs and behavior. Bottom line: They are indeed white supremacists because they absolutely, positively view white people as superior to everyone else. Not only black people but brown people, Asians...everyone. It is a spectrum of dislike though, with the darker one's skin, the greater the dislike. Even if they feel Asians are, in general, of superior intellect, for example, they still feel overall superior and that the US belongs to them. Trump is tapping into all of this very effectively.

It used to be that I could have a fairly rational conversation referring to their "racist behavior and worldview." They would readily admit that they believe they're superior to anyone of color. They were okay with the term racist, but "white supremacist" evoked images of the KKK which seemed to turn them off (honestly, why, I'm not sure now that I think about it because their views are completely aligned with the Klan).

Anyway, when Obama came along, Rush & Co. effectively brainwashed these people into believing that they're no longer racist. We -- liberals -- are the true racists.

Now, that said, I have definitely experienced liberals/progressives/Democrats who hold, often subconsciously, feelings of white superiority. Quite a few definitely still have a blind spot as it concerns the realities of white privilege. I can't gauge what the approximate percentage is of liberals who hold such views but I'd guess that it's more than we white people think but less than people of color think.

But in trying to get people to wake up -- whether it's the outright racist/white supremacist or the liberal who refuses to accept that white privilege is real -- the words REALLY get in the way.

I wish we could come up with another lexicon to allow for more open discussion. White privilege and white supremacy turn soooooooooooooo many people away from even listening that I admit I do try to stay away from them, even though they are very accurate in many instances.

I'm chiming in here in the hope that perhaps we can develop a more effective way to discuss these issues without trigger words causing people to turn away from the get-go. But, for now, I got nothin'. (Edit to add: After rereading this, white superiority feels much better than supremacy and I think it would at least allow for discussion, even if someone denies they feel that way.)

This entire blog post is great discussing these terms, though it doesn't help me in my own struggle in discussing this more effectively:

With the term racism, there is no power structure being implied in its use. With the term white supremacy there is a power structure being implied in its use. While a person of color can be racist it's not the same as a white person being racist and/or using his or her white privilege to gain an upper hand in society. A person of color may have racist thoughts but those thoughts are rarely enacted through the power structures of our society to effect mass change and to affect other people.