Why Is Anti-Racism So Hard?

[Redbaron]

I wasn't really sure if this belongs here or in Politics. Since both areas seem to be intermingled in this article, it could be either (or both). However, since Relgion and Faith is closer to the top of the list....

An article follows, that refers to themes raised in a children's book that Senator Ted Cruz singlehandedly lifted to best seller status. The article lists nine themes raised by the book in question. How do you react to the contents of the article?

Why Is The Christian Right So Scared Of Teaching Antiracism?

During the congressional hearings for Supreme Court nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Republican Senator Ted Cruz (Texas), brought into question the judge’s

www.patheos.com

 

[BetteTheRed]

Good article. But the wrong people are reading it, and the right people won't.

 

[paradox3]

Before being too critical about those who claim they "don't see color" please remember that this is what anti-racism initiatives once taught us. When was that? The 70s perhaps?

I think there has been a trajectory from "not seeing" through acceptance to celebration.

 

[BetteTheRed]

I think that "don't see colour" thing only works if you live in a truly egalitarian society, where all shades of white to olive to ruddy to brown to black are about equally represented, and no single group is dominant. I remember hearing stuff like that growing up, in the 70s, but the thing is I lived in a small city of maybe 25,000, and there were TWO black families (one of them it turns out was Guyanese/Portuguese) and one Indian family. And an Egyptian boy joined our Grade 7 class. There was one Chinese-Canadian takeout. The bulk of the city were white, drank too much, worked hard (it was a factory city back then) and voted solidly Conservative.

 

[jimkenney12]

I do not know of many people who do not need to at least read what was shared in the article. I admit it was helpful to me with some of the statements that were there and Jamaicans, Indians, and Indigenous people have been mentors and friends for me for five decades.

 

[Mrs.Anteater]

Not very useful to me. Talk about racism with non-whites? Really? Without any reason for it? Are you talking to coworkers about their being gay without any reason for it? I think that could be quite annoying to the non-whites. I picture people talking to me about being an immigrant when they notice my accent. I’ ve been here 20 some years and have dual citizenship. I really don’t want to make smalltalk about my personal experience of that.
If you have a close personal relationship to non-whites- go for it, that would be part of it,otherwise, personal experiences have a value and a depth to it that do not qualify for small talk at lunch breaks.

 

[jimkenney12]

I think it is more about not opting out of discussions about race if others start one.

 

[Pavlos Maros]

I know you all are mostly Canadians, but racism is prominent fixture of the USA, I not saying it is the only place that is racist, But even how it refers to it's population is racist. Nowhere else in the world do non whites have an emphasis on their identities. The French don't call their blacks afro-french or their Asian populous asian-french, in the uk we are all British regardless of ethnicity.
Americans calling their non whites afro-americans and latin-americans are emphasizing their difference with a huge label.
That is what they need to stop doing. In order to combat the inherent racism within there society. My two pen'th.

 

[Carolla]

Talk about racism with non-whites? Really? Without any reason for it?

Oh I think there is an abundance of opportunity to discuss, if white folks can even see them. In 'hospital-land' we had a very racially diverse staff - who often were targetted by patients & family in overt and sometime 'polite' ways - microagrressions or sometimes big way - refusal of care due to colour of skin of the staff person or even the doc. Being present in those interactions was always a way to have conversation. Calling out people who make racist (or sexist, or other 'ist') jokes - can open conversation.

I think the linked article makes a good point re the systemic nature of racism - we who are white are largely unaware of the myriad of discriminatory system issues. Here's a TINY example recently seen in our news - here in Ontario hairdressers are required to be licensed. Many people receiving hairdressing/barber services in Ontario are black. The hairdressing schools and the licensing exams do NOT include anything about how to care for the hair of black people - although it is vastly different. The curriculum & exam are Eurocentric. There is a push now to change this so it is not a discriminatory system.

The book "How to Be An Anti-racist" by Ibram X. Kendi is definitely worth reading. He speaks with really clear examples about racism within current systems in the US. It's accessible reading - each chapter deals with a different issue. This thread is making me think I may need to revisit it.

 

[Mendalla]

I know you all are mostly Canadians, but racism is prominent fixture of the USA, I not saying it is the only place that is racist, But even how it refers to it's population is racist. Nowhere else in the world do non whites have an emphasis on their identities. The French don't call their blacks afro-french or their Asian populous asian-french, in the uk we are all British regardless of ethnicity.
Americans calling their non whites afro-americans and latin-americans are emphasizing their difference with a huge label.
That is what they need to stop doing. In order to combat the inherent racism within there society. My two pen'th.

I would add that this whole desire/need to label people based on race creates problems for those of mixed race who cannot be easily labelled. My son is mixed Anglo-Canadian and Chinese heritage and his partner is South Asian so how the hell is a simplistic "you are an x" labelling going to handle my grands, if any happen. They'll have a family tree that hits three different cultures and races in only two generations back.

And don't worry about us being Canadians. We know that we have our own issues, some similar to those of the US, some more particular to us. In Canada, racism against Indigenous people tends to be more prominent than racism against Black or Hispanic persons, for instance, though there's plenty of the latter, too. BLM happened here for good reason.

 

[revjohn]

Anti-racism is hard because racism is so bred into us.

The institutions of our governance give us our identity. Removing components of those institutions (and thus our identities) will be interpreted as self-injurious when we undertake it ourselves and injurious when others insist that it must be confronted.

We know racism to be evil.

We resist thinking of ourselves as bad people.

Therefore we refuse to accept that racism influences our thinking in anyway. This allows racism to hide and not be rooted out.

 

[paradox3]

Looking inside ourselves is extremely important IMO. Racism can lurk in very subtle ways sometimes.

 

[Redbaron]

Indeed, they can be subtle... thus the term 'blind spots,' where we don't actually realize it until it pops up before us.

 

[Pavlos Maros]

Anti-racism is hard because racism is so bred into us.

Us being who? Speak for yourself.

We know racism to be evil.

We resist thinking of ourselves as bad people.

Therefore we refuse to accept that racism influences our thinking in anyway. This allows racism to hide and not be rooted out.

Only if we are indoctrinated to believe it. Children don't know what racism is, until they are indoctrinated with it.

 

[Mendalla]

Children don't know what racism is, until they are indoctrinated with it.

The problem is that our society has that indoctrination built in to some degree. Maybe that's less so over there, but in North American society, prejudices and misunderstandings are often subtly built-in to media through tropes like "magical negro" and "white saviour" or by politicians raving about how this group or that is "cheating society" or even "a risk". Even if we don't teach our children racist ideas, or teach them quite the opposite, the other messages are out there. And social media haven't helped as waves of misinformation flood FB and other sites, as we saw with anti-Chinese prejudice during COVID. So it's not enough to not indoctrinate them, we need to take positive action to make sure they understand the mixed messages they hear online and in the media. And we need to rein in those messages. Saying that, for instance, Chinese people spread the virus should not be considered free speech, it should be treated as destructive, socially detrimental hate speech and ruthlessly banned.

Humans do seem to have a natural tendency to prefer people who are like us. That's the root of ableism, racism, and a bunch of other destructive "isms". We can overcome that, but that does not happen passively. I married a woman from another race, my mixed race son has a partner from another race again, and I have hired one of the most racially diverse teams at our corporate head office, but I am also still the guy who once got yelled at by his mother for calling an Asian person I saw on the street a "chink". I learned not to be a racist a**hole through positive engagement and by discovering the inherent worth and dignity (to drop a UU phrase) of everyone I met, not just because I was never "indoctrinated".

 

[Pavlos Maros]

As a child our door was always open to all and sundry, no matter what colour of creed. My group of friends consisted off Turks, Indians, Jamacans Trindadians, Italians, Irish, Polish, and Yiddish. None of us ever used racist slurs. My first kiss was with a jamacan girl and the first girl I ever saw naked was Indian. There is so much beauty in all people. Why some have to spoil it I have no idea. Clearly they must be jealous. There can't be any other reason. Diversity is the spice of life. (And yes my doors are always open.)
I've never understood bigotry of any sort. But I know that religion breeds a lot of it. It is one of the reasons I have a deep disdain for it.

 

[revjohn]

Us being who?

Us being we.

Speak for yourself.

"Us" typically includes me. As does "we." If racism was simply a "me" thing it wouldn't get to the systemic level that it has.

Only if we are indoctrinated to believe it. Children don't know what racism is, until they are indoctrinated with it.

I agree with that.

Of course, systemic racism simply affirms our personal racism, and the system passes it along even if we don't have children of our own.
Within a Canadian context, our Residential School system was an attempt (not purely religious though religions agreed with the dominant white thought of the day) that the First Nations people needed to be elevated to a White European standard. Left as they were they were savage and little better than animals. While we have left (for the most part) such thinking behind the systems we created still do not value indigenous or aboriginal thought as being on par with White European norms.

 

[Delightful Life]

Thanks again Dread Coffee Pirate

(This has been difficult for me. It requires me to think in a more structured way that isnt my natural state)


Defining terms is best esp in these situationds?

Antiracism

Ibrahim Kendi, the main inventor of the concept, defines it thus in his book "How to be an Antiracist":

"The opposite of “racist” isn’t “not racist.” It is “anti-racist.” What’s the difference? One endorses either the idea of a racial hierarchy as a racist, or racial equality as an antiracist. One either believes problems are rooted in groups of people, as a racist, or locates the roots of problems in power and policies, as an anti-racist. One either allows racial inequities to persevere, as a racist, or confronts racial inequities, as an antiracist. There is no in-between safe space of “not racist.” The claim of “not racist” neutrality is a mask for racism. This may seem harsh, but it’s important at the outset that we apply one of the core principles of antiracism, which is to return the word “racist” itself back to its proper usage. “Racist” is not—as Richard Spencer argues—a pejorative. It is not the worst word in the English language; it is not the equivalent of a slur. It is descriptive, and the only way to undo racism is to consistently identify and describe it—and then dismantle it."

(And remember to plug in the new usage of racist here...)

In 1997, he formed the Antiracist Research and Policy Center.

Their tenets:
"Acknowledge that the problem is caused by policy, not people.

Acknowledge that racial inequity is intersectional.



Find out which specific policies are causing inequity.



Come up with new antiracist policies to replace them.



Determine which individuals or groups have the power to put antiracist policies into place



Educate the public about specific racist policies and antiracist replacements



Connect with antiracist policymakers to get the new antiracist policies implemented



Get rid of racist policymakers by asking antiracist policymakers to force them out of office



Make sure the new antiracist policy is having an equalizing effect.



If the new policies aren’t working, look for new policies, not new people.



Keep an eye on policymakers to make sure no new racists policies come into effect."

In the same book he talks aboot what are and arent racist policies:
"A racist policy is any measure that produces or sustains racial inequity between racial groups. An antiracist policy is any measure that produces or sustains racial equity between racial groups. By policy, I mean written and unwritten laws, rules, procedures, processes, regulations, and guidelines that govern people. There is no such thing as a nonracist or race-neutral policy. Every policy in every institution in every community in every nation is producing or sustaining either racial inequity or equity between racial groups."

Ok. So with the definition he has upped the definition of CSJ racism to now there is a black and white, binary. There is no maybe or it depends or situational or indeterminate--there is only being racist or not being racist. And we all know where binary choices and thinking leads to.

Notice he uses the term dismantle. Since there is only racism and not racism, then any policy not following his def is something to be potentially dismantled. And the policies include unwritten laws. I would guess that would mean "whatever we think is problematic"

And in his view every policy in every community in every nation is either racist or not racist. Nothing in between.


I hope this helps clear things up and helps people to better able to wade through this very abstruse and complex set of ideas lol

The article you posted? My fav part is where they essentially say "hate the sin, love the sinner."


Whew. That was challenging. There is a kind of beauty to these interlocking concepts. How the sum is greater than each individual bit.

Blessings to you all on this fine Sunday :3

Side bar: he is also ok with discrimination. He says "The only remedy to racist discrimination is anti-racist discrimination. The only remedy to past discimination is present discrimination. The only remedy to present discrimination is future discrimination.”

 

[Delightful Life]

So anyhew (said the master stonemason to the junior),

Some commentary


Ibrahim Kendi also has a children's book. "Antiracist Baby". Its goal is to teach "babies" to be antiracist. There is no neutrality. As per his usage in my post, above.

So you can understand why some people would have concerns.

Esp. before the children learn critical thinking skills (which reminds me of my mother's culture where they believed that it was best to not teach their children religion and to let them come to that decision when an adult).

The USA has too much polarization and I think it cant be fought by adding more (thru such binary concepts as antiracism).

(I however think the book banning and CRT etc banning is, while understandable, wrongheaded. If schools etc want to teach it let them...but let parents etc have a choice and teach EVERYTHING and don't dumb it down...so that students can make an informed decision...)

Coming soon I will introduce y'all to a fine hoopy frood who from my perspective is doing a good job at combatting USA racism. And he has a sense of humour :3

Blessed Monday to you all.

 

[Luce NDs]

Somebody said racism is just theory that no one has proof about it ... few ask as they fear the answer!

Black could be turned into another shade with proper toasting ... then so could white, red, yellow, brown and yellow ... thus the pits of the thing ...Thus scorching those thoughts ...