meta, racism
there's nothing white people can add to discourse about racism
this was something we had to realise a long time ago
so shut up and listen to POC
especially the shut up part
they are the ones who should speak on racism, not white folks
you can't add anything to this discussion because it's not yours, you aren't affected to be honest, /they/ are
you might mean well but you're not helping
meta, racism
It isn't an easy thing for white people to be told "you're not the victim here," because a lot of people want to have sympathy and solidarity.
Sympathy and solidarity are fine but be mindful you are not experiencing any of this directly.
They are.
And be mindful the racist system benefits you on their backs.
In that context, what could you possibly say? That it's fucked up and wrong? No shit it's wrong. But if you're not directly affected, you can't say much more than that. Even if you heard it from a POC, point people to them, don't pretend to be enlightened and that you're doing a good thing for them, that's what colonialists do. You're silencing them to say your piece instead.
re: meta, racism
There is one thing white people can do though and it is to draw attention to a little-known injustice from POC/ethnic groups that have low to no representation in the place they're at. But, that discussion without a POC voice to point to is incomplete at best. Otherwise, your perspective will always be second-hand, and no matter how good your intentions are, you're bound to get it wrong, or worse, sound like you're talking over someone who desperately needs a voice. Give them a megaphone, don't just read what they wrote and repeat it.
meta, racism
meta, racism
@alexandria @Elizafox I think of it like talking about climate change when you don't really know anything about climate science
Or fighting fires when you're not a firefighter
Or really anything you don't actually have real knowledge about
(And in this case, the only real way to get that knowledge is to have lived that experience)
(And I think the same goes for sexism, ableism, etc. etc.)
meta, racism
meta, racism
meta, racism
@Elizafox I'm starting to think Mastodon is really a far left social platform. Kind of like that other platform...
meta, racism
@jordan31 @Elizafox "White people" and some stuff .. feels wrong. It's still prejudice. People aren't allowed to have an opinion because of who they had no choice in being? I'm not white/am a minority; my parents literally survived a war and poverty .. and I don't agree with this anti-white mindset .. or anti-anyone really. You can listen and have opinions. You need to have both. One-directional hierarchies are part of the problem. Once y is on top, is x bad?
meta, racism
meta, racism
best things white people can do:
1) listen
2) tell other white people to listen