Receive, Reflect, Work to Change

[LOIE]

I see a lot of comments about things said by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., many of which are negative. Some folks seem to think that because he is a black man, of course, he is going to say good things about black people and bad things about white people. Some people only want to hear from someone that looks like them.

Here are a few quotes from white writer/activist Tim Wise: "The power of resistance is to set an example: not necessarily to change the person with whom you disagree, but to empower the one who is watching and whose growth is not yet completed, whose path is not at all clear, whose direction is still very much up in the proverbial air.”

“The irony of American history is the tendency of good white Americans to presume racial innocence. Ignorance of how we are shaped racially is the first sign of privilege. In other words. It is a privilege to ignore the consequences of race in America.”

“In other words, government had always been big for people like us, and we were fine with that. But beginning in the 1960s, as people of color began to gain access to the benefits for which we had always been eligible, suddenly we discovered our inner libertarian and decided that government intervention was bad,”

White writer and educator, Robin D'Angelo said: “The problem with white people, is that they just don’t listen. In my experience, day in and day out, most white people are absolutely not receptive to finding out their impact on other people. There is a refusal to know or see, or to listen or hear, or to validate.”

"In my workshops I often ask people of color "How often have you given white people feedback on our unaware yet inevitable racism? How often has that gone well for you?" Eye-rolling, head-shaking, and outright laughter follow. Then I ask, "What would it be like if you could simply give us feedback, have us graciously receive it, reflect, and work to change the behavior?" Recently a man of color sighed and said, "It would be revolutionary." Then I ask my fellow whites to consider the profoundness of that response. It would be revolutionary if we could receive, reflect and work to change the behavior.

Anyone ready for a revolution?

 

[Darkwind]

Have you always been a racist, or was it taught to you?

 

[1srelluc]

 

[MaryL]

Have you always been a racist, or was it taught to you?

Hmm. You DO have proof of your allegation, right? Say, if I allege you are a arsonist or a serial killer, then I have to provide evidence. Where's YOUR evidence?

 

[Darkwind]

Hmm. You DO have proof of your allegation, right? Say, if I allege you are a arsonist or a serial killer, then I have to provide evidence. Where's YOUR evidence?

Do you see this symbol. " ? "

It denotes an interrogative statement. <-- That means its a question.


What allegation are you talking about?

 

[MaryL]

Do you see this symbol. " ? "

It denotes an interrogative statement. <-- That means its a question.


What allegation are you talking about?

Really? You know, the "How long have you been racist" question of yours, Einstein. That " ? " is meaningless.

 

[Darkwind]

Really? You know, the "How long have you been racist" question of yours, Einstein. That " ? " is meaningless.

It is not. It is a heads up that I see through the propaganda and indoctrination and then requires the OP to justify the position staked out.

You see, the part of the OP that says, "The irony of American history is the tendency of good white Americans to presume racial innocence.", is right out of CRT philosophy..

 

[MaryL]

I see a lot of comments about things said by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., many of which are negative. Some folks seem to think that because he is a black man, of course, he is going to say good things about black people and bad things about white people. Some people only want to hear from someone that looks like them.

Here are a few quotes from white writer/activist Tim Wise: "The power of resistance is to set an example: not necessarily to change the person with whom you disagree, but to empower the one who is watching and whose growth is not yet completed, whose path is not at all clear, whose direction is still very much up in the proverbial air.”

“The irony of American history is the tendency of good white Americans to presume racial innocence. Ignorance of how we are shaped racially is the first sign of privilege. In other words. It is a privilege to ignore the consequences of race in America.”

“In other words, government had always been big for people like us, and we were fine with that. But beginning in the 1960s, as people of color began to gain access to the benefits for which we had always been eligible, suddenly we discovered our inner libertarian and decided that government intervention was bad,”

White writer and educator, Robin D'Angelo said: “The problem with white people, is that they just don’t listen. In my experience, day in and day out, most white people are absolutely not receptive to finding out their impact on other people. There is a refusal to know or see, or to listen or hear, or to validate.”

"In my workshops I often ask people of color "How often have you given white people feedback on our unaware yet inevitable racism? How often has that gone well for you?" Eye-rolling, head-shaking, and outright laughter follow. Then I ask, "What would it be like if you could simply give us feedback, have us graciously receive it, reflect, and work to change the behavior?" Recently a man of color sighed and said, "It would be revolutionary." Then I ask my fellow whites to consider the profoundness of that response. It would be revolutionary if we could receive, reflect and work to change the behavior.

Anyone ready for a revolution?

It is not. It is a heads up that I see through the propaganda and indoctrination and then requires the OP to justify the position staked out.

You see, the part of the OP that says, "The irony of American history is the tendency of good white Americans to presume racial innocence.", is right out of CRT philosophy..

Good post.

 

[MaryL]

I see a lot of comments about things said by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., many of which are negative. Some folks seem to think that because he is a black man, of course, he is going to say good things about black people and bad things about white people. Some people only want to hear from someone that looks like them.

Here are a few quotes from white writer/activist Tim Wise: "The power of resistance is to set an example: not necessarily to change the person with whom you disagree, but to empower the one who is watching and whose growth is not yet completed, whose path is not at all clear, whose direction is still very much up in the proverbial air.”

“The irony of American history is the tendency of good white Americans to presume racial innocence. Ignorance of how we are shaped racially is the first sign of privilege. In other words. It is a privilege to ignore the consequences of race in America.”

“In other words, government had always been big for people like us, and we were fine with that. But beginning in the 1960s, as people of color began to gain access to the benefits for which we had always been eligible, suddenly we discovered our inner libertarian and decided that government intervention was bad,”

White writer and educator, Robin D'Angelo said: “The problem with white people, is that they just don’t listen. In my experience, day in and day out, most white people are absolutely not receptive to finding out their impact on other people. There is a refusal to know or see, or to listen or hear, or to validate.”

"In my workshops I often ask people of color "How often have you given white people feedback on our unaware yet inevitable racism? How often has that gone well for you?" Eye-rolling, head-shaking, and outright laughter follow. Then I ask, "What would it be like if you could simply give us feedback, have us graciously receive it, reflect, and work to change the behavior?" Recently a man of color sighed and said, "It would be revolutionary." Then I ask my fellow whites to consider the profoundness of that response. It would be revolutionary if we could receive, reflect and work to change the behavior.

Anyone ready for a revolution?

I open to the fact that despite all the social programs to help poor blacks, they STILL refuse to acclimate and indignantly dig in their bootheels and refuse to change. And this strange deeply embedded poor black cultural "persecution complex" IS the crux of the problem here.

 

[LOIE]

Have you always been a racist, or was it taught to you?

Since you do not know me, let me give you a little information. I was born in the state of Kentucky in 1950, but spent much of my childhood in Missouri. My "stubborn-as-a-mule" father said things like this: "Those n______ want everything handed to them on a silver platter." "Look at em sittin on the porch. They don't even want to work." My Christian mother told me: "Black people need the gospel too, dear, but we just can't associate with them."

So I got a very early education on racists stereotypes. Fortunately, I grew up and met some black people who contradicted every stereotype I'd heard. Fortunately, I developed my own mind and chose not to "parrot" what I had heard as a child.

To your question - I do not consider myself a racist, although some misguided people tried in vain, to make me one.

 

[LOIE]

It is not. It is a heads up that I see through the propaganda and indoctrination and then requires the OP to justify the position staked out.

You see, the part of the OP that says, "The irony of American history is the tendency of good white Americans to presume racial innocence.", is right out of CRT philosophy..

That part was a quote from Tim Wise, who has been an anti-racist activist for many years and has written many educational books on the subject. From Education Week, the definition of CRT is: "an academic concept that is more than 40 years old. The core idea is that race is a social construct, and that racism is not merely the product of individual bias or prejudice, but also something embedded in legal systems and policies.

A good example is when, in the 1930s, government officials literally drew lines around areas deemed poor financial risks, often explicitly due to the racial composition of inhabitants. Banks subsequently refused to offer mortgages to Black people in those areas."

I understand that CRT goes beyond the tendencies of individuals to an entire system in which racism is embedded. Individuals can easily claim innocence, but there is much evidence that race was a social construct and was and is still used to disenfranchise black people.