Shredded Cheese
Why I hate it when other white people say the phrase: “I’m not racist”
Because I still am one. Because it never goes away. Because as a white person, I have absorbed messages for my entire life that I am better than the majority of people on earth, I have absorbed messages telling me that the only lives worth caring about are the ones belonging to those with pale skin. Every day of my life, I absorb more messages that tell me that. Those voices in my head are pretty loud.
There is no “delete” button for that.
What can happen is that the voices of people of color can be louder. If you really listen, if you commit yourself to looking whiteness in the face for what it is, you can hear other voices, voices screaming out their own humanity in the face of white supremacy. They shout pretty loudly.
But the racism is still there. It always will be. It never goes away. You can fight it, but you are never absolved.
As soon as you say: “I’m not racist” you wash your hands of any further responsibility to fight those messages that tell you that white skin makes you better, that anyone without it doesn’t deserve empathy or human dignity. As soon as you say “I’m not racist” you commit yourself fully to racism.
Yup.
Read.
hey fellow cispeople
could we please stop talking about transpeople’s genitals like it’s any of our goddamn business
it’s rude and creepy and unnecessary, and if you don’t want to be reduced to your pee holes to validate your gender, stop expecting them to
i like my men like i like my coffee: bitter and cold
i like my men like i like my coffee: i fucking hate coffee
Choosing who does and doesn’t get to be a woman based on your outdated philosophy is misogyny, straight up.
White people
You know specifically why we don’t use terms like “some” or “many” white people when we talk about whiteness?
Because white people, tripping on that “pats on the back 4 me, I am perfect and did no wrong, it is OTHER people who are bad and racist, lol I rool” entitled center-of-the-world bullshit, will EACH read the “some” and “many” as a “phew, they AREN’T talking about me”, and commence to scream and ask for cookies or become complacent with their shit and think they’re absolutely fucking golden.
Oh, and also and because regardless how radikul they are, all white people still have privilege and internalized bullshit no matter what, and THE LEAST they could do is carry that burden, the fucking LEAST. Like, I will never fucking understand how to them, it is A MORE PRESSING AND DISTRESSING ISSUE that they get accused of being racist or having privilege than the actual real burden of being discriminated against and subjugated in a supremacist society. OK listen, your children might get shot and killed in the streets, BUT YOU SAID ALL WHITE PEOPLE ARE JERKS SO I’M GOING TO FOCUS ON THAT, WAHH.
Like, that is THE EPITOME of entitled, privileged whiteness that we talk about. Come on, son.
(I work in a Coffee Shop. I was on break in the lobby when a couple walks in. Directly behind them is a cute little boy in Batman costume.)
Me: “Oh my God! It’s BATMAN!”
(The boy stops, strikes a pose and starts looking around menacingly. After a few seconds, he approaches the counter.)
Mother: “Jeff, would you like a chocolate milk?”
Boy: “I am not Jeff. I am The Batman.”
Mother: “The Batman, would you like a chocolate milk?”
Boy: “Yes. Yes, The Batman would.”
(The couple pays while the boy sits down with his chocolate milk. He keeps a stern look on his face as he sips the drink.)
Boy: *sips* “Gotham is safe.”
pah:
I see a #FF0000 door and I want to paint it #000000
This is another American myth – that people want to really believe right now that only dollars matter. Because not only does it allow the collusion of people of color with the perpetuation of white supremacy, or women with the perpetuation of patriarchy it also creates a culture where there is no moral or ethical valuation that you can bring to bear upon anything ‘cause the assumption is that we all share the common morality of the dollar which is, get as much as you can as quickly as you can by any means necessary.
“
| — | @bellhooks |
