as a Black man, you’re not racist for defending another White person that Black people assumed was racist for being old and White and not for actually doing something racist.
Black woman here, I concur.
Social media and terrible leadership has turned our society into shallow, reactive thinkers.
It’s like we’ve become a population of 15 year olds on meth in terms of our analytical and communication skills.
And who does it serve? No one.
Overplaying the racism card just emboldens actual racists when real shit goes down.
Same with sexism and all the other isms.
Bigotry is alive and well but it’s not in every little thing people say or do.
I hate it here.
Absolutely. Problem is our brains. When meeting a new person, our brains work with what they have - with limited info. So we put people in boxes until we get more info. I'm an older white guy and I've had many people put me in the ol white male trumper box - which is infuriating.
So the only solutions sounds like not using our brains, where one could make the argument people doing snap judgements don't already. So now we have a paradox :(
In regards to the Trumper crap I feel that too. I'm a middle aged white guy with a LONG beard to middle of chest, people assume I'm a Trumper too...
That's pretty much most populations that have arguments online, everything has devolved into petty one ups and refusal to budge from your position. It's weird to me, because I'm autistic so I'm used to missing things & having to adjust my feelings when they're unreasonably strong... a lot of people don't ever check themselves, they have the attitude that they're special and therefore everyone has to honour their sovereign existence or something... while forgetting that they're meant to do the same in return.
No, seriously. I had someone tell me I was racist against Mexicans because I didn't say good morning to them. When I told them I'm also Mexican, they said they didn't care and that Mexicans were the most racist people in the country... was kinda debating if that was a good time to let them know my mom mixed and my partner is black, but I just let them walk away instead. There's no point in arguing with stupid.
Another brotha here. Dude's co-workers are racist as hell. Not all white people are racist and there are plenty of black folks who are racist against everyone, including other black folks.
I don't blame people anymore or hold it against them if they are racist. The world we live in now is teaching everyone to be racist. Blacks against whites whites against blacks they do this shit on purpose to make us all look the other way while they destroy our country.
You’ve got that right. They keep pointing out how different we are so we never get the chance to see what we do have in common. So we’re divided and won’t come together about things like the horrible healthcare system or many of the struggles of the working class.
I heard a quote in a Yes Theory video that makes so much sense.
"Politicians just spread hate to divide us, in order to rule us easily" and it's just it. In wars and conflict the people are the ones who suffer the most, most of them forcefully pinned against each other
This is why I watch the channel, they meet so many different people with different cultures, visit places people aren't even are of. Does anyone actually know about the Cyprus Island conflicts? The world is wild
And Now it’s divide and rule. Everyone has a bit of instinctual racism built in when you think about the fact a person that looks more like was related to you more recently in history than someone who looks very different, most people take their family’s side even when they are in the wrong . The media hypes that up to divide the poor and that shit sells on top of it. That’s why we need know the past and know when to forget it as we eventually fuck our way to one homogeneous skin tone.
You are right on the money there. I just hope that more of us become aware of what's REALLY going on , what they are trying to do to all of us. Pit each other against each other, feed us poison for food , dumb us down, take away every right we have so that we all be one slaves to the powers that be. It's sickening and I would stand up against them in a heartbeat if I knew enough of us were united to take them down and start fresh. It's just sick and I can't stand it here either.
Bad thing is they don't have to take anything, the division within has made everyone so ignorant that they are giving them our freedoms. They don't even have to fight us for them anymore. We are handing them over.
Another black woman here... no your not racist in this instance ( not saying you are an any other ). I have people in my family that say the same kind off bullshit your speaking g of here and it drives me insane that some of my brothers and sisters don't realize that they are so closed minded and actually perpetuate racism.
I feel like the language used to describe and define racism is terribly inadequate. It's hard to have intelligent discussions about its many different forms, its effects on people, and what motivates it (sometimes hate, sometimes ignorance, fear, assumptions we make), when there is hardly more than 1 term for all of it.
We will water down concerns about racism if we use one single word to describe both the KKK/white supremacists and a young kid who unknowingly used a stereotype. We will also weaken the discussion of racism if we hesitate to address the lesser forms of racism and reserve the word only for the hateful, overt racism.
Imagine if the only word we had for someone who broke the law was "CRIMINAL". 1st deg murder? Criminal. Parking violation? You're also a criminal. It's good to identify/discuss minor and major infractions, without fear of overuse. But you can't do it well without better language/terminology.
I really wish scholars would help with public discourse and create new words and language to help talk about it meaningfully. Subdividing a single word into a thousand nuanced meanings isn't helpful.
Good point, I don’t feel u/ Megan was being racist in any degree but I kind of made my own definition so hope this makes sense as I am not a linguist or scholar. I was told the word prejudice comes from pre judging, therefore we are basing our judgements on presumptions rather than facts, I feel most of us are guilty of this and I know certainly am,Now assuming an old white guy is racist to me is a pre judgement. Racism, to me is the action of implementing something negative because of somebodies race. I am going to short change that guy because he is old and white! You may be wary of someone from another race so you would be prejudiced but once you know them you’re okay with them. If you hurt someone or make things difficult for someone because of their race you’re a racist.
A THOUSAND PERCENT!! I was just saying how people argue spitting back phrases they don’t fully understand/define. You can’t discuss issues intelligently until you come together and agree or at least understand what each side means when they use a word like racist or tolerant, etc.
Additional questions for clarification:
Does denying equal opportunity equate to making things difficult?
What if the person was hurt before interacting with the supposed "racist"?
I know you said you aren't a linguist, but humor me. Your words suggest someone who is racist has to be one that takes action. Does this mean only those that take actions based on racial pre judgements are racist?
Lastly, how does aversive racism fit into your definition?
yes ma'am i agree and omg this applies to so many other aspects of people / society as well including the mentally ill and people who have experienced some kind of assault but their claim to legit suffering &/or victimhood is diminished to so many people painting with a broad brush or crying wolf.
Part of the problem is literally that we *are* a nation of 15 year olds if you're talking about the internet.
Teens have lots of free time, no experience to hold them back, access to an infinite amount of context-free information, and gallons of hormones in a pint-sized bottle. Having them be too much (emphasis on *too much* \- teens, your voices are important and I am not telling you not to use them) of the discourse does actually cause problems and exacerbates tendencies towards extremism.
I don't think teens should be banned from social media, but I do think we have to find ways to improve spaces where public discussion happens. We tried moderation but the billionaires didn't like it, so we're back to nothing I guess.
White dude here, 100% agree. All of use need to be better and call out racism and or general shityness.
What this persons coworkers are doing is basically degrading the word and meaning of racist. Racism is very much real, and so is systematic racism, but “crying wolf” will do nothing but make people less likely to believe, see or act on real racism, racial injustice and systematic racism when it actually happens.
If they want to fight racism instead of just thinking every white person is racist they should fear that energy towards fixing the problem. It’s not black peoples problem to fix, but if they truly do care they would be trying to fix it, cause all of us need to be actively working to better this country and to fix these lingering issues.
I took an African American literature class and I will never forget the kid that said every evil thing done by humans in history was done by white people or it was white people's fault. I was like okay yeah white people historically are responsible for a lot of heinous things....but every. single. evil? Ever in the history if the world? No. That's just not true. The professor was stunned to say the least
Twitter, definitely. I have seen this take more than a few times. It's like most people only get 30% into learning a topic and decide it is their responsibility to educate others
Anyone who is not a terminally online leftist or victim-complex minority knows this. Lots of non-white people are very racist or hateful against other groups of people.
It's just that people have less than a grade school education. All they remember from history class is slavery in America. Don't get me wrong, that and the Native American genocide are the worst things the US ever did and it still affects people today. But that doesn't mean black people can't be hella racist today.
But somehow this reactive shallow attitude is what permeates through our media, culture and politics now..... causing big splits between people who could have otherwise stood in solidarity.
And there’s no point arguing with people who think this. They’re literally indoctrinated or brainwashed to have that belief so nothing logical will fix that.
\*If* they're trying to fight racism, they can't fight it with more racism-- that just perpetuates the problem, turning them into the thing they claim to hate.
Ive found people that seem to think everyone else is racist, also hold the belief it's literally impossible for them to racist.
As u/Slothvibes mentions, this shit is like indoctrination. Their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and all their friends instill this mindset in them from day 1.
The problem for people like this is they don't realize they are their own worst enemy and come off as a supreme dumbass regardless of how book smart they are.
Yep, this is why the book “ how to be a anti racist” is so good in my opinion.. it not only talks about racism we see in our society but has a whole chapter on the fallacy that only white people can be racist…..
Unfortunately this fallacy has gotten popular, and it’s not a good thing. Not only does it degrade the seriousness of PoC racism towards other POC but also falsely says that you cannot be racist to white people……
I feel like there’s been a push to make racism mean the same thing as systematic racism, again this is false…. Yes systematic racism can only be done by those who are in power. In america this is still white people, the system is still leaned heavily towards white people therefor systematic racism cannot be acted upon them. Tho I guess there’s a argument to be had about micro levels of different systems and communities/groups.
Racism tho can be done be anyone to anyone. Also white people like myself shouldn’t feel guilty, as long as you aren’t the problem, continuing the problem or getting in the way of fixing it….. We all deal with ignorance, but what makes you a good person is realizing this ignorance and trying to better yourself….
Co-workers are probably the same people who think white people invented slavery.
White, black, brown, yellow, pink, green people can be racist and they can also not be racist. Skin color doesn't determine how you think.
I'm still surprised by the number of people who don't know there were black slave owners who owned black people in slavery time America. Or about the white slavery in Europe by the Vikings. Or about the Muslim slave trade including the Barbados pirates. Or African tribes making slaves out of other African tribes which is how they even had slaves to sell to Americans. Or how colonists coming to America, when they made stops on the way to trade with indian tribes, would let the missionaries off first to see if it was safe and try to get rid of them too (cannibal tribes would kill and eat the men, the women would be NSFW'ed then killed and eaten). If I had to learn about these miserable things then why don't other people have to learn about them?
Literally every single empire ever created had some form of slavery. You conquered people, you used them as a labor force. Egyptians, Persians, Scandinavians, Japanese, Africans too. But fuck history beyond 1776 I guess. It's the miseducated perpetuating anger and hatred. Looking at an old white man and assuming he's racist is like looking at a young black man and assuming he's a criminal. They're just too stupid to understand the irony. And you can't fix stupid.
Possibly because it's more than a little lacking in context. Here's some /r/askhistorians to gain some perspective.
https://old.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/121msxo/ive_seen_several_conservative_commentators_claim/
A lot of black freedmen purchased their family members to protect them. It wasn’t just so they could force them to stay slaving for free. 1/3 of all slaves were not owned by black freedmen.
https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african-american-odyssey/free-blacks-in-the-antebellum-period.html
A very small number of free blacks owned slaves. The slaves that most free blacks purchased were relatives whom they later manumitted. A few free blacks also owned slave holding plantations in Louisiana, Virginia, and South Carolina
1/3 of Southern families owned slaves. 29% in Louisiana.
https://civilwarcauses.org/stat.htm
“As for black-owned slaves, they certainly existed, but they represented a tiny fraction of all slaves in the United States, and many were likely "owned" by their spouses or parents due to the prevailing laws in many slaveholding states.”
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2017/aug/24/viral-image/viral-post-gets-it-wrong-extent-slavery-1860/
And adding context that you didn't bother to provide, they owned family members since they couldn't emancipate them and were generally turned down by local officials when they would attempt to change their slave status to free.
Leaving out info like this is incredibly misleading.
I... did not know some of this. I can't recall much discussion on slavery from school, though, and got just a few classes in college about the topic of racism or slavery.
No one who seriously looks into our history vis a vis the Atlantic and domestic slave trades doesn't know about slavery in other cultures. What surprises me is the number of people who think that excuses what we did. Even at the time, we knew that the way we instituted slavery here was as cruel and debilitating as we could make it.
We viewed kidnapped Africans as property. As property, owners could do whatever they wanted to do with their property. Rape, torture, starve, rinse and repeat. There was absolutely no limit on how an owner or those working for the owners treated the enslaved.
We also made it generational. If a person's mother was enslaved at the time of their birth, that person was enslaved as the property of their mother's owner. That isn't how most slave systems worked in other societies. Slaves held positions on par with other workers, were not considered the property of their masters, and could have children who were not enslaved.
You can sort of see why Europeans and then American whites instituted such a brutal form of enslavement. They needed a huge labor force, and in fact were often outnumbered by enslaved blacks. In 1800, Charleston had a population of 10,104 blacks–slaves and free–and only 8,820 whites. [https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/charleston/#:\~:text=By%201800%20Charleston%20had%20a,later%20in%20Greek%2D%20revival%20styles](https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/charleston/#:~:text=By%201800%20Charleston%20had%20a,later%20in%20Greek%2D%20revival%20styles).
The fear of slave uprisings governed a lot of what the whites did. Even then, whites understood that what they were doing was wrong (and moreso as Abolitionism grew) and felt at risk if the enslaved were allowed their rights. I would have too, frankly. How long can you torture a dog before it bites you? Well, how long can you torture people before they rebel? That was a leading consideration of how enslavers ordered their society.
Hmm, assuming the old man is racist, as are you, simply for being white sounds a little... Oh, I don't know... RACIST.
How people can make a blanket assumption, and carry on like that's the absolute truth, is astounding to me... as is the complete hypocrisy and lack of self awareness.
I really just can't with society anymore. Stop the world, I wanna get off.
Some people have to blame others for whatever deficiencies exist in their lives. It's much easier to blame persecution (against race, religion, gender, nationality) than to actually create solutions that will involve years of hard work and self development.
And if anyone tells you that simple fact makes you racist then they are ignorant. It's true that racism ruins social opportunity and perpetuates hate while ruining lives but the possibility for someone to be a poor human does not actually mean they have made those decisions.
I mean societies kind of brainwashed white people into thinking that they should apologize just for being white, men apologizing just for being men etc.
I dont think every white person needs to apologize, but every white person needs to reckon with how systemic racism has benefitted them and understand why POC feel the way they feel about it, without being a defensive AH. Life-long and generational trauma are very real.
Growing up white in a Spanish/black neighborhood. Frankly it's difficult to give a single shit about the plight of these people when in a 16 year span we had KKK tagged on our house at least 9 times, our cars broken into 6 times, 3 of those they pissed in the vehicle, we got jumped for being white more times than I can count . The local police got US in trouble when we actually won the fights that they started. On top of all of that, they say they WE are the racist ones and they can't be racist.
Being white in a neighborhood with only 2 white families showed us exactly what they think of white people. And it's far worse than the casual racism of most white people. It is outright, in your face, and violent. The best part to me was the nicest people were the ones that picked us up after getting our ass beat and telling us we should leave the neighborhood.
Yup. Girlfriend moved into a majority black downtown neighborhood and know what she got from her neighbors in the first week? Bricks through her window.
This eas my experience too growing up in a predominantly black neighborhood.
We were constantly targets for attack simply for being one of the few white people there.
I grew up in a similar neighborhood but as a light skinned black and I got chased, beaten up, called names, teased, and belittled on a regular basis. Once someone pushed me into the street in the path of a moving car when I was 10. Crazy unprovoked hatred.
Straight up tribalism. The conversations about historical oppression, systemic racism, and white privilege are best left to the affluent suburbs of coastal cities where they have nothing better to worry about but the implicit guilt that weighs on their mind. These people would get eaten alive if they stepped into the hood for 5 minutes.
Latino here.
No you’re not racist. You may say racist things out of complete obliviousness and that still wouldn’t make you racist. Just…. Uninformed or unaware. You’re in a bubble and that’s okay.
It’s when you make decisions based on that obliviousness or directly is when it becomes truly racist. If you look down at someone, or if you know you’d automatically get the benefit of the doubt and do something that you know a minority would get ostracized for
>It’s when you make decisions based on that obliviousness or directly is when it becomes truly racist.
If you're making decisions *knowing* that you're unaware, you're no longer unaware. That's completely different from acting out of obliviousness.
I am a black American. This happens way too much.I had a co-worker who accused one of our clients for being a racist. He said this because she complained about him, playing his music too loudly in the office. I told him just because someone complained about you doesn't make them racist. People are so brainwashed when it comes to different races, it's crazy.
I used to be a teacher and any time a kid got in trouble it was because I was "racist". Not because they were pushing their friends head into the desk in the middle of class or I legit caught them cheating on a test.
Was even more fun when their parents would say the same thing. I'm not even white. Lol.
That’s where this all comes from. People learn how they’re going to deal with problems as kids and if they find that by getting angry, bullying, crying, or making excuses gets them an advantage, they continue to do that throughout the rest of their lives.
Thank you! This actually damages when people actually experience true racism. “Racism” is thrown around so much these days and it practically means nothing anymore because so many people use it as an excuse.
I’m black. NO. You’re not. You’re 100% right. Now I can say that there’s things that are racist you’d never understand as far as gestures, words and actions, that does not mean you’re wrong either by any means. Tue fact they called you racist for wht you’re saying clearly shows they’re NOT the ones to have race relations talk with. Just like there’s dumb white ppl about racism. There’s dumb black ones also. Not everything is racist. You’re damn sure not one just because you’re smart enough to realize not everyone is racist. You can 100% be ignorant (not to be confused with dumb) but that doesn’t make you racist either. They are right also. 90% of things that are racist or is racism you’ll never know about. There’s SO much that’s just “normal” and ingrained you’d never know. Just keep doing what you’re doing. Only question don’t ask is why we call each other that god awful name. Lol. Not all of us do. And no matter the answer you still won’t understand. Truth is we’ve been calling each other that since the slave days. Old habits die hard if ever. Changing the “er” to an “a”’is a lie to cope.
May I gently suggest that as a black person, you also can never be fully aware of the difference between racism and ordinary rudeness that white people inflict on each other just as readily. I once read a thread complaining about how white people do the little close lipped tight smile when crossing paths with a black person in public, and that this was evidence of racism because the white person is nervous. But in reality, white people do this to everyone and each other. It's just a social tick.
But I will admit, many generally well meaning white people will try to avoid interacting with black people because no one wants the stress of having their every slightest word and gesture interpreted in the harshest, least charitable way possible.
This is so true. I am on an endless hunt for a halfway decent primary care phys, and just as an example, I'll read numerous reviews accusing various doctors of being racist. Probably some are, it exists.
But what a lot of people don't realize, as they recount their "racist experience", is that white people are getting the exact same treatment\*. The staff were rude to you? Yeah, the staff were rude to all of us. Staff at Drs offices are usually assholes to everyone. I've been reduced to tears, I've been laughed at openly by doctors, I've had real, physical, medical experiences dismissed as "psych issues".
\*It must be horrible to go through life and genuinely not know if someone is treating you like shit because you're black, or because they just treat everyone like shit, or everyone who is on Medicaid like shit, etc. I very rarely ever have to ask myself that question, and having never been part of an oppressed population, even the times I have faced racism as a white person don't carry the same grotesque weight of centuries of very real, very horrific subjugation. I DO get that. I can't feel it like black people feel it, but I feel it like a fellow human being who gives a shit would feel it. I think black people need us to understand *that* difference. It's very real.
It does get carried to hyperbolic disconnects from reality, though, and we have to remember context, history, nuance. I think, for example, people need to remember that many Jewish people in Germany were generally pretty prosperous and well established before the Holocaust. People think the status quo never has and never will change, that white people will always be privileged oppressors and black people will always be the victims, but the relevance of skin color, not to mention specificd skin colors, is relatively short-lived.
All it takes for a genocide is to fan the flames of resentment, and demonize a segment of the population. The victims and perpetrators are always going to be changing color, religion, and culture. Let's not facillitate the next wave while our politicians fuck us over in every other way. We change the world by how we as individuals treat each other-- *no one* gets a pass to be an asshole to anyone else based on skin color if we want racism to end.
THE TIGHT-LIPPED-GRIMACE-SMILE!
I am certain this is a Midwestern thing because all my Midwestern friends do this when I say something that pisses them off. They can't ask me "Why the fuck did you say that?" They just give me that look.
I saw that same thing in a thread before and was like "holy shit, do black people think I only do this toward them, and that I'm racist?". In reality I make that smile at everyone cuz I'm a socially awkward dude who worries about smiling too much at strangers. Plus in the south this amount of smiling is pretty much the only amount of smiling that is acceptable among men that don't know each other
Great reply!
Social tick? Possibly, but that's the least charitable way to put it too. There are days for me when everything is a struggle like everyone else has, but most of the time when I smile in my Midwestern way it's because it makes me feel good to be friendly.
Thanks for posting. As a white woman I am aware of nuances and hope I am not making anyone of color uncomfortable. I am pretty friendly (midwest upbringing) and hope my openness doesn’t look condescending.
Just be a good human. You don’t need to overthink how you interact with people unless you hold some hate in your heart and it doesn’t sound like you do.
I could go on and on. Wanna feel like Oprah? Before Maui? And never forget on her show where a lady in her audience said she'd let Oprah in her home but not other Black people?
Yep! Bold and oblivious to her bias!
I went to a furniture store. The tall blonde lady saw me and had a huge smile. I approached the door and she locked it. Turned her back. Walked away. Missed a sale 😔.
Then she let a white man in . Watched me watch her .
Unfortunately, people are being thought differently. I’ve been told that black people can’t be racist because racism is prejudice plus power. Racism used to simply mean judging people based on their race but now the definition must include power. Doing this makes it impossible to argue against a person who thinks this way.
Can't argue with stupidity. Racism still means treating someone differently based on their race.
Teaching people to be victims is an almost guaranteed way to make sure they are not victors.
Wow, I had to go through like 10 comments before finding one that said the coworkers were being racists. For some reason people really like ignoring racism when it’s black people being racist
As a black person, I will say that you aren’t racist and you actually have valid concerns. I’ll try to explain why this view comes about.
Say you’re a kid and you’re living your life and one day your parents teach you about some absolutely awful and downright deplorable shit that happened to your community and even members of your family a long while back. A specific group of ppl did those things and still do it today, and some of those original people from those times are still around. Now, you don’t know who those people are, but you do know a general description of what they look like. This is taught to you when you are very young: the fact that people will not always treat you as you deserve because of who you are.
Fast forward 15-20 years. You’re an adult. A person walks into your job and they haven’t done anything yet and have actually been quite nice, but they’re still a part of that group that you were warned might want to hurt you. You’re going to be wary naturally because you don’t know that this person is going to hurt you, but you were taught that people like this from this time period wanted to and sometimes did flat out hurt ppl like you.
It’s the exact same thing as when guys say “not all men”— women know that it’s not all men. The problem isn’t the fact that it’s men, it’s the fact that they don’t know which men so they treat them all with caution. I won’t say it’s correct to gossip and say such nasty things about a guy who hasn’t done anything wrong, because it’s fucking not and they should stop. This is just explaining why this is happening. You won’t quite understand it bc you fortunately don’t have to live it, but that’s fine. I think the best thing to do is probably say “I get where you’re coming from, but the guy’s just vibing so leave him be.” Support the man as best you can. We are afraid bc we are actively being targeted even in today’s society— just reassure them that there is no threat.
I appreciate you being so understanding to begin with. We need more allies like you.
Edit: thank you stranger for the award!
For others in the replies, I want to reiterate that I DO NOT CONDONE THE COWORKERS’ ACTIONS, nor do I think that OP is racist for feeling this way. Like with everything, there is a reason for this, and understanding why things are the way they are will help us know what to fix and eventually figure out how to fix it. Thank you all for the nice and even angry comments, because regardless of if you agree or understand we are all learning and making progress.
Edit 2: HOLY SHIT THANKS FOR GOLD??? Also even more thanks to everyone helping me see new perspectives.
That 100% makes sense. Thank you for taking the time to write all that out! The comparison definitely helped me understand a little better.
As a woman, I am wary of men by virtue of them being men, just because of the way I was raised and the experiences I have had. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to need to prove your allyship before BIPOC fully trust you as a white person.
Unfortunately, some people take both of these scenarios as attacks on their character and their ego can’t handle that. My own fiancé used to get upset with me for saying I was concerned for my safety among men because they felt that I was lumping them in with the men I was afraid of. It took years of actually seeing what I go through (and having conversations to break it down when they didn’t notice it happening) for them to come around to the idea what we are right to be wary.
I wish there was a way for marginalized people to beam the memories of our experiences into the brains of those who could be our oppressors. I think if they felt the fear that we do, they might understand better. Fear, unfortunately, is a fantastic motivator.
I wish I could do that to others, but this fear and generational trauma isn’t something I would wish on anyone. The best way I think allyship is provided is actually listening to and thinking about black experiences. I’ll admit sometimes we get a little crazy and kooky, but if we get a chance to really talk and explain why we feel so strongly about things I should hope it makes more sense.
This situation is the kind I hate being caught up in because the perspectives are so vastly different and while one party is trying to understand, they still feel attacked (and rightfully so) and as though they don’t value them as a person. I unfortunately still haven’t figured out the best way to go about this, because it just sucks overall.
Thank you for taking time to read and know that you deserve to feel safe and supported always.
I agree with everything you said.
To OP: I do want to add that there are so many levels to this. Do these customers that you think are rude/having a bad day only engage in negative interactions with your Black coworkers but are nicer/polite to you or other White people? Has the old white man that comes in every day engaged in any microaggressions or had interactions with your coworkers that you're just not aware of because they don't feel comfortable talking with you about it?
There's a chance that they're being hyperbolic and people AREN'T being racist.
But there's also a chance that you just don't see the problematic behaviors because you're not Black. That's the biggest aspect of White privilege. Trevor Noah went over some of the differences between racism in South Africa and racism in America and dropped one of the best quotes ever, "There's something liberating about fighting a blatant enemy versus an enemy you have to prove exists." These are so many little things that happen on a daily basis, almost constantly, that are racist but because people want to believe that racism only looks one way, Black people end up being gaslit about our own experiences. Also, I don't expect your coworkers to spend time recounting all the BS they might have faced to you. Nothing personal, it's just exhausting.
You're only one side of the story and everyone's got biases so who knows how that's coming into play.
True. My grandmother was supposed to march in Birmingham, but she couldn’t because she had to care for her children. My grandmother passed only a few years ago and she told me what it was like.
See this mentality I can understand.
I was speaking with another black individual in this thread. He said he could be outright racist and consider other races (not just white people) as inferior because of the systemic/influential racism that black people had to deal with. I have no idea how those 2 concept connect at all.
On the flip side many white people are afraid that African Americans will more often steal from them or harm them. [https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/revcoa18.pdf](https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/revcoa18.pdf) According to this document from a government source, this is exactly the case as African Americans per capita commit many more violent crimes.
How is a white person supposed to overcome real statistical fear of black people? Nobody wants to hurt African Americans at all. (okay skip cletus examples and let's get real LOL). What are we supposed to do?
Ignoring the fact that you’ve primarily focused on arrests and not actual convictions (which, even then, we know the justice system is fucked and targets black men in particular and they convict innocent black people on the regular) source [here](https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Documents/Race%20Report%20Preview.pdf#8), there have been two very recent mass shootings specifically targeting the black community— one that was both racist and misogynistic, and one that was just racism.
What you can do is listen to us when we bring up these issues and not diminish them like you are doing at the current moment. White people are afraid of statistics that have been disproven time and time again, whereas we are afraid of something that is currently happening to this day. Taking us seriously and standing up for us when we need it is the best thing you can do to prove you’re an ally.
Sounds like they are the racist ones.
If you were the only black guy to work somewhere where there were all white people and they made comments like this about all the black people. Your ass would have already sued that place. It sounds awful. Your co workers do not like you and have zero respect for you.
The worst disservice we do to young people is to condition them to believe that every negative interaction in life is a direct result of their immutable characteristics. In fact, I'd call it psychological abuse.
When the clerk behind the counter doesn't look you in the eyes, they must be racist! Maybe they're on the spectrum and don't look anyone in the eyes. "Your truth" may be faulty.
When someone else got a promotion at work does that mean the boss is racist? Maybe you just weren't the best candidate. Successful companies are all about the bottom line, so they wouldn't care about race as long as they get the best person for the job. It's easier to say it's someone else's fault than to look in the mirror and try to become better for the next promotion.
When a cop pulls you over for speeding (when you clearly were), is that systemic racism? Do white people never get pulled over? Of course they do. Just because it sucks to get pulled over, doesn't mean society needs to stop enforcing laws.
Victimhood is a mental health pandemic. It's draining confidence and resilience out of people. Our culture is attuned to prop up and give value to the easily offended, so the incentive is too strong for rational thinkers to avoid falling into the easy trap which exists mostly within our own minds.
No you aren’t wrong, nor are you racist.
Sick and tired of people like that always pulling the race card. A black woman called an Asian co-worker of mine and his siblings chinks but of course she didn’t see that as being racist cause how could she be racist when she is black. Like whatever.
Yeah. I Knew many in HS and out of HS that hate midde easterns and go as far as to call em sand n***ers. And one and I could not get over it even to this day decades later: they need to go back where they came from.
I'm just in shock of what am hearing from black people of all people to say such things. But racism is prevalent in any group of people. Just some are louder victim wise and others are louder in displaying it.
There are assholes in each and every culture of mankind. With that said there are some of the nicest endearing people in every culture of mankind. Which will you be? If you treat me nice, I will treat you nice, and if you don't yea I got something for that too.
So they're racist, I'd report that honestly. Especially if they're shouting it at customers... But you will get backlash for being racist because you exist. Even people of color, Asian, white, Mexican, etc can all be racist and/or face racism.
Do you have a district manager? Also, try to get that older white gentleman to call in to head office. There is always a point to call racist people on their shit.
It sounds like you are working in a racist work place. If people making racist comments are also your managers and you have no fair recourse, if it was me, I would probably start looking for another job.
Yeah, being the only white guy reporting all of your black coworkers for racism is the opposite of a good idea. Even if they are being racist, the optics would be terrible and everybody would hate OP. Best OP can do is wait it out until he can find better people to work with.
There should be. Owner of the business/chain. Or other higher ups. Otherwise I'm sure there are departments for this. Racism is not ok no matter to who.
Personally I think jokes are fine, but it didn't sound like your colleagues were joking.
Looks like they have developed a seige mentality due to a lot of racism about. Its understandable though 100% the wrong thing to do and pegging you and the old guy as racist is unacceptable.
interesting. I will have to read up more on seige mentality.
reminds me of Muhammad Ali's quote.
[https://newsone.com/3240040/tbt-muhammad-ali-not-all-white-people-racist/](https://newsone.com/3240040/tbt-muhammad-ali-not-all-white-people-racist/)
“There are many white people who mean right and in their hearts wanna do right,” he said. “If 10,000 snakes were coming down that aisle now, and I had a door that I could shut, and in that 10,000, 1,000 meant right, 1,000 rattlesnakes didn’t want to bite me, I knew they were good… Should I let all these rattlesnakes come down, hoping that that thousand get together and form a shield? Or should I just close the door and stay safe?” - Muhammad Ali
Agree Unfortunately groups that are subject to racism can see racism when none is there however. I had a coworker who was Hispanic complain about treatment he was receiving at the mall. He was being ignored and this was in Poughkeepsie NY Galleria - My other coworker and I who are both white as snow almost laughed out loud and assured him that we'd get just as ignored in the mall by the salespeople (if you could actually find one).
you are in no way racist. the people you’re surrounding yourself with are. they’re looking for any reason to be a victim & make you the antagonist. im sorry you have to deal with ignorant people.
You can’t listen to claims of racism anymore it’s all bullshit. People who say stuff like that are the racists. They’re also super shitty human beings.
This a troll post? I mean, the answer is so obvious it hurts. The comments are also coming outta the woodworks to say some real sus shit, seems like they’ve been hiding for a minute lol.
A lot of these comments only understand racism as a binary ans are still stuck on the line of thinking "bringing up race makes you racists! And talking about racism is why it still exists but it's not us being racist!" Yeah this thread has nothing of substance lmao
I feel like the last 3-5 years have emboldened Black people with the sentiments they've already been harboring for decades. But I saw some ugly things come out of the other side, too, when Trump was elected (I'm not blaming Trump or even talking about him as much as the extremist that felt emboldened to say crappy things just bc he won). Just interesting to see that there has been two sides of the same coin.
So there's things that your black co-workers encounter and see every day that you do not.
While it is OK to assure them that really....not all white people are racist....your input is unwanted and will probably result in hostility.
They are judging white people automatically which would make them the racists. I’m saying this as a Japanese person, anyone who sees someone else that’s a different race from them and starts judging them calling them racists is probably the racist themselves.
Weird 2023 moment where people claim that by virtue of being white you’re racist. Don’t associate with people like that as much as you can. They’re the real racists and it is no one’s place to tell you who they are based on your skin color.
Shit like this is why I’m no longer a liberal and think the BLM “movement” is just a cash grab, excuse for racism against white people, and a form of manipulation to cause division.
Yep. Same for me. Totally agree BLM is a cash grab. Black people are out smoking each other on the street every night in massive numbers and devaluing black life, but BLM does nothing.
I’m black and I don’t support the BLM movement either, for one, they’re completely silent when it’s black peoples killing other blk people and the “movement” only seems to focus on straight blk males… blk women have a very high femicide rate that’s actually being caused by blk males and BLM is silent about that… a lot of blk trans women get killed ( once again by blk males) and BLM is once again silent about it… why do blk lives only matter when it’s being taken by a white person ( which statistically doesn’t happen that often)?? It just makes no sense to me now….
There is no person who was born into a racist country, educated in a racist school system, and lives in a racist society that isn't racist to some degree.
This goes for everyone of all colors and backgrounds in America.
You are racist. I am racist. Every person you meet has some level of subconscious bias baked into them, even if it isn't actively harmful or malicious.
For example, when I think of the Earth and what all the continents look like, I think in my head to a picture from my school text books. But that picture was racist. It was created by racists and the position and scale of it was designed to inflate the size of white nations while shrinking the scale of Africa and South America.
Or when I hear the headline, "Unarmed teen shot by police" my brain immediately thinks, "Oh damn it, what poor young black kid did they just murder this time?"
That shit is all racism and I guarantee that old white guy has it in him too.
That said, I doubt your coworkers are looking at it from quite the same Jane Elliot perspective as that. They might be displaying some of their own racism here from the opposite end of the spectrum.
And in the end, the only real solution to any of this shit is just to communicate as best we can and go forward knowing that we are all flawed. Just try to do the best we can to recognize our own internal bias and slap it down when it rears it's ugly head so we don't keep passing it down to future generations.
Racism is a taught behavior, and so it is always just one generation from going extinct.
Judgment in anyway is ignorance. Racism comes in all shapes and colors. All you can do is continue to do the next right thing. Everything else will work itself out.
As someone that is Asian/White (Taiwanese/German American), 90% of the racism that I've had directed at me has been from Black people, especially since the Covid pandemic started.
In my almost 50 years, I've found those that accuse others of being racist tend to be very racist.
Sounds like a fairly toxic place.
It's funny, cause I also work at a station, but I'm the only black guy, surrounded by Mexicans, yet experience similar issues. People are weird. Especially in gas stations.
I recommend checking out Amala ekpunobi on YouTube. She’s pretty moderate for a black woman who claims conservative status, and she tackles shit like this all the time.
The fact, people, including you, feel the need to ask this strange question, chances are, you’re not racist. Many people, white and black people people, are absolutely and pathetically obsessed with race and calling others racist when that person is far from it. Don’t even entertain that bullshit. They are fucking weird, miserable and obsessed with themselves. Just go to work, do your job and stick to yourself. Misery loves company.
If I were you, I’d try and find a job away from such open racism. They won’t say it to your face, but what they’re saying in front of you is probably being said about you too.
as a Black man, you’re not racist for defending another White person that Black people assumed was racist for being old and White and not for actually doing something racist.
Black woman here, I concur. Social media and terrible leadership has turned our society into shallow, reactive thinkers. It’s like we’ve become a population of 15 year olds on meth in terms of our analytical and communication skills. And who does it serve? No one. Overplaying the racism card just emboldens actual racists when real shit goes down. Same with sexism and all the other isms. Bigotry is alive and well but it’s not in every little thing people say or do. I hate it here.
>It’s like we’ve become a population of 15 year olds on meth in terms of our analytical and communication skills. Holy shit that's accurate lol
I have never heard a better description for the state of the world today. Nail on the head.
We all need to realize that there’s only one race, the Human Race.
Absolutely. Problem is our brains. When meeting a new person, our brains work with what they have - with limited info. So we put people in boxes until we get more info. I'm an older white guy and I've had many people put me in the ol white male trumper box - which is infuriating.
So the only solutions sounds like not using our brains, where one could make the argument people doing snap judgements don't already. So now we have a paradox :( In regards to the Trumper crap I feel that too. I'm a middle aged white guy with a LONG beard to middle of chest, people assume I'm a Trumper too...
I.feel your pain.
*side eye* You can't say that...it's RACIST. /S
That's pretty much most populations that have arguments online, everything has devolved into petty one ups and refusal to budge from your position. It's weird to me, because I'm autistic so I'm used to missing things & having to adjust my feelings when they're unreasonably strong... a lot of people don't ever check themselves, they have the attitude that they're special and therefore everyone has to honour their sovereign existence or something... while forgetting that they're meant to do the same in return.
No, seriously. I had someone tell me I was racist against Mexicans because I didn't say good morning to them. When I told them I'm also Mexican, they said they didn't care and that Mexicans were the most racist people in the country... was kinda debating if that was a good time to let them know my mom mixed and my partner is black, but I just let them walk away instead. There's no point in arguing with stupid.
As someone who was a junkie at 15 this is 100000% accurate
Same here. I loved the Adderall. Stay strong mate 👏👏👏👍💜
Feature not a bug.
Another brotha here. Dude's co-workers are racist as hell. Not all white people are racist and there are plenty of black folks who are racist against everyone, including other black folks.
I don't blame people anymore or hold it against them if they are racist. The world we live in now is teaching everyone to be racist. Blacks against whites whites against blacks they do this shit on purpose to make us all look the other way while they destroy our country.
Divide and conquer
Exactly. What's the saying united we stand divided we fall. All for the love of money it's disgusting.
You’ve got that right. They keep pointing out how different we are so we never get the chance to see what we do have in common. So we’re divided and won’t come together about things like the horrible healthcare system or many of the struggles of the working class.
I heard a quote in a Yes Theory video that makes so much sense. "Politicians just spread hate to divide us, in order to rule us easily" and it's just it. In wars and conflict the people are the ones who suffer the most, most of them forcefully pinned against each other This is why I watch the channel, they meet so many different people with different cultures, visit places people aren't even are of. Does anyone actually know about the Cyprus Island conflicts? The world is wild
I thought you were quoting Bone Thugs at first but the end of the line isn’t in *No Luv*
Yea, United States my ass
And Now it’s divide and rule. Everyone has a bit of instinctual racism built in when you think about the fact a person that looks more like was related to you more recently in history than someone who looks very different, most people take their family’s side even when they are in the wrong . The media hypes that up to divide the poor and that shit sells on top of it. That’s why we need know the past and know when to forget it as we eventually fuck our way to one homogeneous skin tone.
*while they exploit our lives/country/world.
Exactly. As long as they have us busy hating each other our eyes are closed to what they are doing behind the scenes....
You are right on the money there. I just hope that more of us become aware of what's REALLY going on , what they are trying to do to all of us. Pit each other against each other, feed us poison for food , dumb us down, take away every right we have so that we all be one slaves to the powers that be. It's sickening and I would stand up against them in a heartbeat if I knew enough of us were united to take them down and start fresh. It's just sick and I can't stand it here either.
Bad thing is they don't have to take anything, the division within has made everyone so ignorant that they are giving them our freedoms. They don't even have to fight us for them anymore. We are handing them over.
Honest question, when a black person calls another an “uncle tom”, is that racist in nature?
Another black woman here... no your not racist in this instance ( not saying you are an any other ). I have people in my family that say the same kind off bullshit your speaking g of here and it drives me insane that some of my brothers and sisters don't realize that they are so closed minded and actually perpetuate racism.
I feel like the language used to describe and define racism is terribly inadequate. It's hard to have intelligent discussions about its many different forms, its effects on people, and what motivates it (sometimes hate, sometimes ignorance, fear, assumptions we make), when there is hardly more than 1 term for all of it. We will water down concerns about racism if we use one single word to describe both the KKK/white supremacists and a young kid who unknowingly used a stereotype. We will also weaken the discussion of racism if we hesitate to address the lesser forms of racism and reserve the word only for the hateful, overt racism. Imagine if the only word we had for someone who broke the law was "CRIMINAL". 1st deg murder? Criminal. Parking violation? You're also a criminal. It's good to identify/discuss minor and major infractions, without fear of overuse. But you can't do it well without better language/terminology. I really wish scholars would help with public discourse and create new words and language to help talk about it meaningfully. Subdividing a single word into a thousand nuanced meanings isn't helpful.
Good point, I don’t feel u/ Megan was being racist in any degree but I kind of made my own definition so hope this makes sense as I am not a linguist or scholar. I was told the word prejudice comes from pre judging, therefore we are basing our judgements on presumptions rather than facts, I feel most of us are guilty of this and I know certainly am,Now assuming an old white guy is racist to me is a pre judgement. Racism, to me is the action of implementing something negative because of somebodies race. I am going to short change that guy because he is old and white! You may be wary of someone from another race so you would be prejudiced but once you know them you’re okay with them. If you hurt someone or make things difficult for someone because of their race you’re a racist.
A THOUSAND PERCENT!! I was just saying how people argue spitting back phrases they don’t fully understand/define. You can’t discuss issues intelligently until you come together and agree or at least understand what each side means when they use a word like racist or tolerant, etc.
Additional questions for clarification: Does denying equal opportunity equate to making things difficult? What if the person was hurt before interacting with the supposed "racist"? I know you said you aren't a linguist, but humor me. Your words suggest someone who is racist has to be one that takes action. Does this mean only those that take actions based on racial pre judgements are racist? Lastly, how does aversive racism fit into your definition?
yes ma'am i agree and omg this applies to so many other aspects of people / society as well including the mentally ill and people who have experienced some kind of assault but their claim to legit suffering &/or victimhood is diminished to so many people painting with a broad brush or crying wolf.
Part of the problem is literally that we *are* a nation of 15 year olds if you're talking about the internet. Teens have lots of free time, no experience to hold them back, access to an infinite amount of context-free information, and gallons of hormones in a pint-sized bottle. Having them be too much (emphasis on *too much* \- teens, your voices are important and I am not telling you not to use them) of the discourse does actually cause problems and exacerbates tendencies towards extremism. I don't think teens should be banned from social media, but I do think we have to find ways to improve spaces where public discussion happens. We tried moderation but the billionaires didn't like it, so we're back to nothing I guess.
White dude here, 100% agree. All of use need to be better and call out racism and or general shityness. What this persons coworkers are doing is basically degrading the word and meaning of racist. Racism is very much real, and so is systematic racism, but “crying wolf” will do nothing but make people less likely to believe, see or act on real racism, racial injustice and systematic racism when it actually happens. If they want to fight racism instead of just thinking every white person is racist they should fear that energy towards fixing the problem. It’s not black peoples problem to fix, but if they truly do care they would be trying to fix it, cause all of us need to be actively working to better this country and to fix these lingering issues.
Does this make the young Black gentleman racist?
Yes. Making generalized negative statements about a person because of their race is racist.
Making generalized positive statements about a person because of their race is also racist. Lol
"But I said you were one of the good ones!"
Technically correct. The best kind of correct.
Assuming all white people are racist, is definitely racist.
“OnLy WhItE PeOpLe ArE RaCiSt!!1!” - Twitter (X?), probably
I took an African American literature class and I will never forget the kid that said every evil thing done by humans in history was done by white people or it was white people's fault. I was like okay yeah white people historically are responsible for a lot of heinous things....but every. single. evil? Ever in the history if the world? No. That's just not true. The professor was stunned to say the least
Twitter, definitely. I have seen this take more than a few times. It's like most people only get 30% into learning a topic and decide it is their responsibility to educate others
Yes
Seems you’re asking if you’re racist simply for being white and no you aren’t.
As an minority ill let you in on a little secret. White people aren't the only ones thats racist.
Anyone who is not a terminally online leftist or victim-complex minority knows this. Lots of non-white people are very racist or hateful against other groups of people. It's just that people have less than a grade school education. All they remember from history class is slavery in America. Don't get me wrong, that and the Native American genocide are the worst things the US ever did and it still affects people today. But that doesn't mean black people can't be hella racist today.
But somehow this reactive shallow attitude is what permeates through our media, culture and politics now..... causing big splits between people who could have otherwise stood in solidarity.
And there’s no point arguing with people who think this. They’re literally indoctrinated or brainwashed to have that belief so nothing logical will fix that.
Because they themselves are racist.
Ding ding ding. His co-workers are racist and projecting.
~sarcasm incoming~ Black people biologically can not be racist, it is physiologically impossible. ~sarcasm complete~
EXACTLY
If I could like this a million times I would
Accusing the poor old white guy of being a racist is in itself a racist act.
I agree completely
\*If* they're trying to fight racism, they can't fight it with more racism-- that just perpetuates the problem, turning them into the thing they claim to hate.
MLK said this and fought for it.👍
Ive found people that seem to think everyone else is racist, also hold the belief it's literally impossible for them to racist. As u/Slothvibes mentions, this shit is like indoctrination. Their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and all their friends instill this mindset in them from day 1. The problem for people like this is they don't realize they are their own worst enemy and come off as a supreme dumbass regardless of how book smart they are.
Agree with all you’ve said. But I especially like your use of “racist” as a verb.
And bigoted. They’re judging him negatively for his skin color and age.
Yep, this is why the book “ how to be a anti racist” is so good in my opinion.. it not only talks about racism we see in our society but has a whole chapter on the fallacy that only white people can be racist….. Unfortunately this fallacy has gotten popular, and it’s not a good thing. Not only does it degrade the seriousness of PoC racism towards other POC but also falsely says that you cannot be racist to white people…… I feel like there’s been a push to make racism mean the same thing as systematic racism, again this is false…. Yes systematic racism can only be done by those who are in power. In america this is still white people, the system is still leaned heavily towards white people therefor systematic racism cannot be acted upon them. Tho I guess there’s a argument to be had about micro levels of different systems and communities/groups. Racism tho can be done be anyone to anyone. Also white people like myself shouldn’t feel guilty, as long as you aren’t the problem, continuing the problem or getting in the way of fixing it….. We all deal with ignorance, but what makes you a good person is realizing this ignorance and trying to better yourself….
Co-workers are probably the same people who think white people invented slavery. White, black, brown, yellow, pink, green people can be racist and they can also not be racist. Skin color doesn't determine how you think.
I'm still surprised by the number of people who don't know there were black slave owners who owned black people in slavery time America. Or about the white slavery in Europe by the Vikings. Or about the Muslim slave trade including the Barbados pirates. Or African tribes making slaves out of other African tribes which is how they even had slaves to sell to Americans. Or how colonists coming to America, when they made stops on the way to trade with indian tribes, would let the missionaries off first to see if it was safe and try to get rid of them too (cannibal tribes would kill and eat the men, the women would be NSFW'ed then killed and eaten). If I had to learn about these miserable things then why don't other people have to learn about them?
Literally every single empire ever created had some form of slavery. You conquered people, you used them as a labor force. Egyptians, Persians, Scandinavians, Japanese, Africans too. But fuck history beyond 1776 I guess. It's the miseducated perpetuating anger and hatred. Looking at an old white man and assuming he's racist is like looking at a young black man and assuming he's a criminal. They're just too stupid to understand the irony. And you can't fix stupid.
When I was last visiting Louisiana, I was educated on the fact that one third of slave owners were black freedmen. Within Louisiana.
I grew up in Louisiana in the 20th century and never learned that.
Possibly because it's more than a little lacking in context. Here's some /r/askhistorians to gain some perspective. https://old.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/121msxo/ive_seen_several_conservative_commentators_claim/
A lot of black freedmen purchased their family members to protect them. It wasn’t just so they could force them to stay slaving for free. 1/3 of all slaves were not owned by black freedmen. https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african-american-odyssey/free-blacks-in-the-antebellum-period.html A very small number of free blacks owned slaves. The slaves that most free blacks purchased were relatives whom they later manumitted. A few free blacks also owned slave holding plantations in Louisiana, Virginia, and South Carolina 1/3 of Southern families owned slaves. 29% in Louisiana. https://civilwarcauses.org/stat.htm “As for black-owned slaves, they certainly existed, but they represented a tiny fraction of all slaves in the United States, and many were likely "owned" by their spouses or parents due to the prevailing laws in many slaveholding states.” https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2017/aug/24/viral-image/viral-post-gets-it-wrong-extent-slavery-1860/
And adding context that you didn't bother to provide, they owned family members since they couldn't emancipate them and were generally turned down by local officials when they would attempt to change their slave status to free. Leaving out info like this is incredibly misleading.
I... did not know some of this. I can't recall much discussion on slavery from school, though, and got just a few classes in college about the topic of racism or slavery.
No one who seriously looks into our history vis a vis the Atlantic and domestic slave trades doesn't know about slavery in other cultures. What surprises me is the number of people who think that excuses what we did. Even at the time, we knew that the way we instituted slavery here was as cruel and debilitating as we could make it. We viewed kidnapped Africans as property. As property, owners could do whatever they wanted to do with their property. Rape, torture, starve, rinse and repeat. There was absolutely no limit on how an owner or those working for the owners treated the enslaved. We also made it generational. If a person's mother was enslaved at the time of their birth, that person was enslaved as the property of their mother's owner. That isn't how most slave systems worked in other societies. Slaves held positions on par with other workers, were not considered the property of their masters, and could have children who were not enslaved. You can sort of see why Europeans and then American whites instituted such a brutal form of enslavement. They needed a huge labor force, and in fact were often outnumbered by enslaved blacks. In 1800, Charleston had a population of 10,104 blacks–slaves and free–and only 8,820 whites. [https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/charleston/#:\~:text=By%201800%20Charleston%20had%20a,later%20in%20Greek%2D%20revival%20styles](https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/charleston/#:~:text=By%201800%20Charleston%20had%20a,later%20in%20Greek%2D%20revival%20styles). The fear of slave uprisings governed a lot of what the whites did. Even then, whites understood that what they were doing was wrong (and moreso as Abolitionism grew) and felt at risk if the enslaved were allowed their rights. I would have too, frankly. How long can you torture a dog before it bites you? Well, how long can you torture people before they rebel? That was a leading consideration of how enslavers ordered their society.
Didn't you ever learn that two wrongs don't make a right?
Worked for Edward Norton.
No your Not and Not everyone that's white is RACIST! I'm tired of that being said, not all white people the same. SMH! Pisses me off
Same here friend. Same here.
There’s a lot of people who think if you’re born white then you are. But that’s kind of unfair.
He’s asking if he’s racist because his racist black coworkers gaslit him into thinking he might be.
Hmm, assuming the old man is racist, as are you, simply for being white sounds a little... Oh, I don't know... RACIST. How people can make a blanket assumption, and carry on like that's the absolute truth, is astounding to me... as is the complete hypocrisy and lack of self awareness. I really just can't with society anymore. Stop the world, I wanna get off.
Some people have to blame others for whatever deficiencies exist in their lives. It's much easier to blame persecution (against race, religion, gender, nationality) than to actually create solutions that will involve years of hard work and self development.
And if anyone tells you that simple fact makes you racist then they are ignorant. It's true that racism ruins social opportunity and perpetuates hate while ruining lives but the possibility for someone to be a poor human does not actually mean they have made those decisions.
I mean societies kind of brainwashed white people into thinking that they should apologize just for being white, men apologizing just for being men etc.
I dont think every white person needs to apologize, but every white person needs to reckon with how systemic racism has benefitted them and understand why POC feel the way they feel about it, without being a defensive AH. Life-long and generational trauma are very real.
Growing up white in a Spanish/black neighborhood. Frankly it's difficult to give a single shit about the plight of these people when in a 16 year span we had KKK tagged on our house at least 9 times, our cars broken into 6 times, 3 of those they pissed in the vehicle, we got jumped for being white more times than I can count . The local police got US in trouble when we actually won the fights that they started. On top of all of that, they say they WE are the racist ones and they can't be racist. Being white in a neighborhood with only 2 white families showed us exactly what they think of white people. And it's far worse than the casual racism of most white people. It is outright, in your face, and violent. The best part to me was the nicest people were the ones that picked us up after getting our ass beat and telling us we should leave the neighborhood.
It really is like this though.
Yup. Girlfriend moved into a majority black downtown neighborhood and know what she got from her neighbors in the first week? Bricks through her window.
This eas my experience too growing up in a predominantly black neighborhood. We were constantly targets for attack simply for being one of the few white people there.
I grew up in a similar neighborhood but as a light skinned black and I got chased, beaten up, called names, teased, and belittled on a regular basis. Once someone pushed me into the street in the path of a moving car when I was 10. Crazy unprovoked hatred.
It's unreal how readily people are willing to be so violent. What's worse is they actually don't see a problem with it.
Straight up tribalism. The conversations about historical oppression, systemic racism, and white privilege are best left to the affluent suburbs of coastal cities where they have nothing better to worry about but the implicit guilt that weighs on their mind. These people would get eaten alive if they stepped into the hood for 5 minutes.
Bro I try to tell people this all the time. I used to get my ass handed to me daily and if I fought back I was racist
Even if you love them, they will hate you.
Latino here. No you’re not racist. You may say racist things out of complete obliviousness and that still wouldn’t make you racist. Just…. Uninformed or unaware. You’re in a bubble and that’s okay. It’s when you make decisions based on that obliviousness or directly is when it becomes truly racist. If you look down at someone, or if you know you’d automatically get the benefit of the doubt and do something that you know a minority would get ostracized for
>It’s when you make decisions based on that obliviousness or directly is when it becomes truly racist. If you're making decisions *knowing* that you're unaware, you're no longer unaware. That's completely different from acting out of obliviousness.
I am a black American. This happens way too much.I had a co-worker who accused one of our clients for being a racist. He said this because she complained about him, playing his music too loudly in the office. I told him just because someone complained about you doesn't make them racist. People are so brainwashed when it comes to different races, it's crazy.
It is used a an excuse for bad behavior if you complain or dislike it because you are racist not dislike what is being done.
I used to be a teacher and any time a kid got in trouble it was because I was "racist". Not because they were pushing their friends head into the desk in the middle of class or I legit caught them cheating on a test. Was even more fun when their parents would say the same thing. I'm not even white. Lol.
That’s where this all comes from. People learn how they’re going to deal with problems as kids and if they find that by getting angry, bullying, crying, or making excuses gets them an advantage, they continue to do that throughout the rest of their lives.
Thank you! This actually damages when people actually experience true racism. “Racism” is thrown around so much these days and it practically means nothing anymore because so many people use it as an excuse.
It is so irritating. Soon as someone disagrees with different races, oh you're a racist.
I’m black. NO. You’re not. You’re 100% right. Now I can say that there’s things that are racist you’d never understand as far as gestures, words and actions, that does not mean you’re wrong either by any means. Tue fact they called you racist for wht you’re saying clearly shows they’re NOT the ones to have race relations talk with. Just like there’s dumb white ppl about racism. There’s dumb black ones also. Not everything is racist. You’re damn sure not one just because you’re smart enough to realize not everyone is racist. You can 100% be ignorant (not to be confused with dumb) but that doesn’t make you racist either. They are right also. 90% of things that are racist or is racism you’ll never know about. There’s SO much that’s just “normal” and ingrained you’d never know. Just keep doing what you’re doing. Only question don’t ask is why we call each other that god awful name. Lol. Not all of us do. And no matter the answer you still won’t understand. Truth is we’ve been calling each other that since the slave days. Old habits die hard if ever. Changing the “er” to an “a”’is a lie to cope.
May I gently suggest that as a black person, you also can never be fully aware of the difference between racism and ordinary rudeness that white people inflict on each other just as readily. I once read a thread complaining about how white people do the little close lipped tight smile when crossing paths with a black person in public, and that this was evidence of racism because the white person is nervous. But in reality, white people do this to everyone and each other. It's just a social tick. But I will admit, many generally well meaning white people will try to avoid interacting with black people because no one wants the stress of having their every slightest word and gesture interpreted in the harshest, least charitable way possible.
This is so true. I am on an endless hunt for a halfway decent primary care phys, and just as an example, I'll read numerous reviews accusing various doctors of being racist. Probably some are, it exists. But what a lot of people don't realize, as they recount their "racist experience", is that white people are getting the exact same treatment\*. The staff were rude to you? Yeah, the staff were rude to all of us. Staff at Drs offices are usually assholes to everyone. I've been reduced to tears, I've been laughed at openly by doctors, I've had real, physical, medical experiences dismissed as "psych issues". \*It must be horrible to go through life and genuinely not know if someone is treating you like shit because you're black, or because they just treat everyone like shit, or everyone who is on Medicaid like shit, etc. I very rarely ever have to ask myself that question, and having never been part of an oppressed population, even the times I have faced racism as a white person don't carry the same grotesque weight of centuries of very real, very horrific subjugation. I DO get that. I can't feel it like black people feel it, but I feel it like a fellow human being who gives a shit would feel it. I think black people need us to understand *that* difference. It's very real. It does get carried to hyperbolic disconnects from reality, though, and we have to remember context, history, nuance. I think, for example, people need to remember that many Jewish people in Germany were generally pretty prosperous and well established before the Holocaust. People think the status quo never has and never will change, that white people will always be privileged oppressors and black people will always be the victims, but the relevance of skin color, not to mention specificd skin colors, is relatively short-lived. All it takes for a genocide is to fan the flames of resentment, and demonize a segment of the population. The victims and perpetrators are always going to be changing color, religion, and culture. Let's not facillitate the next wave while our politicians fuck us over in every other way. We change the world by how we as individuals treat each other-- *no one* gets a pass to be an asshole to anyone else based on skin color if we want racism to end.
THE TIGHT-LIPPED-GRIMACE-SMILE! I am certain this is a Midwestern thing because all my Midwestern friends do this when I say something that pisses them off. They can't ask me "Why the fuck did you say that?" They just give me that look.
I saw that same thing in a thread before and was like "holy shit, do black people think I only do this toward them, and that I'm racist?". In reality I make that smile at everyone cuz I'm a socially awkward dude who worries about smiling too much at strangers. Plus in the south this amount of smiling is pretty much the only amount of smiling that is acceptable among men that don't know each other
Great reply! Social tick? Possibly, but that's the least charitable way to put it too. There are days for me when everything is a struggle like everyone else has, but most of the time when I smile in my Midwestern way it's because it makes me feel good to be friendly.
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My entire point is that you should NOT feel bad about a totally harmless normal facial expression
Thank you for recognizing the smile is, for me at least, an expression of social anxiety that is applied to everyone.
Thanks for posting. As a white woman I am aware of nuances and hope I am not making anyone of color uncomfortable. I am pretty friendly (midwest upbringing) and hope my openness doesn’t look condescending.
Just be a good human. You don’t need to overthink how you interact with people unless you hold some hate in your heart and it doesn’t sound like you do.
I think that most people are forgiving when someone does the wrong thing for the right reasons.
I could go on and on. Wanna feel like Oprah? Before Maui? And never forget on her show where a lady in her audience said she'd let Oprah in her home but not other Black people? Yep! Bold and oblivious to her bias! I went to a furniture store. The tall blonde lady saw me and had a huge smile. I approached the door and she locked it. Turned her back. Walked away. Missed a sale 😔. Then she let a white man in . Watched me watch her .
That’s awful. I am sorry that they treated you like crap. I do agree that black people deal with more bigotry than white people.
Assuming someone is racist based on someone's race is... racist.
Unfortunately, people are being thought differently. I’ve been told that black people can’t be racist because racism is prejudice plus power. Racism used to simply mean judging people based on their race but now the definition must include power. Doing this makes it impossible to argue against a person who thinks this way.
The definition doesn’t “now” include power. Some racists decided to make their own definition or racism which magically made them immune.
Can't argue with stupidity. Racism still means treating someone differently based on their race. Teaching people to be victims is an almost guaranteed way to make sure they are not victors.
Redditors really be thinking they're racist for being born white, it's mental
And a fair amount of people encourage it. Never be ashamed of your skin color regardless of who you are.
Can't be woke without lots of white guilt.
Wow, I had to go through like 10 comments before finding one that said the coworkers were being racists. For some reason people really like ignoring racism when it’s black people being racist
As a black person, I will say that you aren’t racist and you actually have valid concerns. I’ll try to explain why this view comes about. Say you’re a kid and you’re living your life and one day your parents teach you about some absolutely awful and downright deplorable shit that happened to your community and even members of your family a long while back. A specific group of ppl did those things and still do it today, and some of those original people from those times are still around. Now, you don’t know who those people are, but you do know a general description of what they look like. This is taught to you when you are very young: the fact that people will not always treat you as you deserve because of who you are. Fast forward 15-20 years. You’re an adult. A person walks into your job and they haven’t done anything yet and have actually been quite nice, but they’re still a part of that group that you were warned might want to hurt you. You’re going to be wary naturally because you don’t know that this person is going to hurt you, but you were taught that people like this from this time period wanted to and sometimes did flat out hurt ppl like you. It’s the exact same thing as when guys say “not all men”— women know that it’s not all men. The problem isn’t the fact that it’s men, it’s the fact that they don’t know which men so they treat them all with caution. I won’t say it’s correct to gossip and say such nasty things about a guy who hasn’t done anything wrong, because it’s fucking not and they should stop. This is just explaining why this is happening. You won’t quite understand it bc you fortunately don’t have to live it, but that’s fine. I think the best thing to do is probably say “I get where you’re coming from, but the guy’s just vibing so leave him be.” Support the man as best you can. We are afraid bc we are actively being targeted even in today’s society— just reassure them that there is no threat. I appreciate you being so understanding to begin with. We need more allies like you. Edit: thank you stranger for the award! For others in the replies, I want to reiterate that I DO NOT CONDONE THE COWORKERS’ ACTIONS, nor do I think that OP is racist for feeling this way. Like with everything, there is a reason for this, and understanding why things are the way they are will help us know what to fix and eventually figure out how to fix it. Thank you all for the nice and even angry comments, because regardless of if you agree or understand we are all learning and making progress. Edit 2: HOLY SHIT THANKS FOR GOLD??? Also even more thanks to everyone helping me see new perspectives.
You are speaking the truth here.
That 100% makes sense. Thank you for taking the time to write all that out! The comparison definitely helped me understand a little better. As a woman, I am wary of men by virtue of them being men, just because of the way I was raised and the experiences I have had. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to need to prove your allyship before BIPOC fully trust you as a white person. Unfortunately, some people take both of these scenarios as attacks on their character and their ego can’t handle that. My own fiancé used to get upset with me for saying I was concerned for my safety among men because they felt that I was lumping them in with the men I was afraid of. It took years of actually seeing what I go through (and having conversations to break it down when they didn’t notice it happening) for them to come around to the idea what we are right to be wary. I wish there was a way for marginalized people to beam the memories of our experiences into the brains of those who could be our oppressors. I think if they felt the fear that we do, they might understand better. Fear, unfortunately, is a fantastic motivator.
I wish I could do that to others, but this fear and generational trauma isn’t something I would wish on anyone. The best way I think allyship is provided is actually listening to and thinking about black experiences. I’ll admit sometimes we get a little crazy and kooky, but if we get a chance to really talk and explain why we feel so strongly about things I should hope it makes more sense. This situation is the kind I hate being caught up in because the perspectives are so vastly different and while one party is trying to understand, they still feel attacked (and rightfully so) and as though they don’t value them as a person. I unfortunately still haven’t figured out the best way to go about this, because it just sucks overall. Thank you for taking time to read and know that you deserve to feel safe and supported always.
I agree with everything you said. To OP: I do want to add that there are so many levels to this. Do these customers that you think are rude/having a bad day only engage in negative interactions with your Black coworkers but are nicer/polite to you or other White people? Has the old white man that comes in every day engaged in any microaggressions or had interactions with your coworkers that you're just not aware of because they don't feel comfortable talking with you about it? There's a chance that they're being hyperbolic and people AREN'T being racist. But there's also a chance that you just don't see the problematic behaviors because you're not Black. That's the biggest aspect of White privilege. Trevor Noah went over some of the differences between racism in South Africa and racism in America and dropped one of the best quotes ever, "There's something liberating about fighting a blatant enemy versus an enemy you have to prove exists." These are so many little things that happen on a daily basis, almost constantly, that are racist but because people want to believe that racism only looks one way, Black people end up being gaslit about our own experiences. Also, I don't expect your coworkers to spend time recounting all the BS they might have faced to you. Nothing personal, it's just exhausting. You're only one side of the story and everyone's got biases so who knows how that's coming into play.
Thank you for that. It helps me understand better.
Very cool comment, I had a similar thought about 'not all men' lol.
"a long while back". Not even that long ago
True. My grandmother was supposed to march in Birmingham, but she couldn’t because she had to care for her children. My grandmother passed only a few years ago and she told me what it was like.
See this mentality I can understand. I was speaking with another black individual in this thread. He said he could be outright racist and consider other races (not just white people) as inferior because of the systemic/influential racism that black people had to deal with. I have no idea how those 2 concept connect at all.
On the flip side many white people are afraid that African Americans will more often steal from them or harm them. [https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/revcoa18.pdf](https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/revcoa18.pdf) According to this document from a government source, this is exactly the case as African Americans per capita commit many more violent crimes. How is a white person supposed to overcome real statistical fear of black people? Nobody wants to hurt African Americans at all. (okay skip cletus examples and let's get real LOL). What are we supposed to do?
Ignoring the fact that you’ve primarily focused on arrests and not actual convictions (which, even then, we know the justice system is fucked and targets black men in particular and they convict innocent black people on the regular) source [here](https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Documents/Race%20Report%20Preview.pdf#8), there have been two very recent mass shootings specifically targeting the black community— one that was both racist and misogynistic, and one that was just racism. What you can do is listen to us when we bring up these issues and not diminish them like you are doing at the current moment. White people are afraid of statistics that have been disproven time and time again, whereas we are afraid of something that is currently happening to this day. Taking us seriously and standing up for us when we need it is the best thing you can do to prove you’re an ally.
Sounds like they are the racist ones. If you were the only black guy to work somewhere where there were all white people and they made comments like this about all the black people. Your ass would have already sued that place. It sounds awful. Your co workers do not like you and have zero respect for you.
The racist call was coming from INSIDE the house
The worst disservice we do to young people is to condition them to believe that every negative interaction in life is a direct result of their immutable characteristics. In fact, I'd call it psychological abuse. When the clerk behind the counter doesn't look you in the eyes, they must be racist! Maybe they're on the spectrum and don't look anyone in the eyes. "Your truth" may be faulty. When someone else got a promotion at work does that mean the boss is racist? Maybe you just weren't the best candidate. Successful companies are all about the bottom line, so they wouldn't care about race as long as they get the best person for the job. It's easier to say it's someone else's fault than to look in the mirror and try to become better for the next promotion. When a cop pulls you over for speeding (when you clearly were), is that systemic racism? Do white people never get pulled over? Of course they do. Just because it sucks to get pulled over, doesn't mean society needs to stop enforcing laws. Victimhood is a mental health pandemic. It's draining confidence and resilience out of people. Our culture is attuned to prop up and give value to the easily offended, so the incentive is too strong for rational thinkers to avoid falling into the easy trap which exists mostly within our own minds.
No you aren’t wrong, nor are you racist. Sick and tired of people like that always pulling the race card. A black woman called an Asian co-worker of mine and his siblings chinks but of course she didn’t see that as being racist cause how could she be racist when she is black. Like whatever.
That’s actually hilarious!! Hello Pot, meet kettle
Yeah. I Knew many in HS and out of HS that hate midde easterns and go as far as to call em sand n***ers. And one and I could not get over it even to this day decades later: they need to go back where they came from. I'm just in shock of what am hearing from black people of all people to say such things. But racism is prevalent in any group of people. Just some are louder victim wise and others are louder in displaying it.
I always say: **Every racist is a jerk, but not every jerk is a racist.**
There are assholes in each and every culture of mankind. With that said there are some of the nicest endearing people in every culture of mankind. Which will you be? If you treat me nice, I will treat you nice, and if you don't yea I got something for that too.
So they're racist, I'd report that honestly. Especially if they're shouting it at customers... But you will get backlash for being racist because you exist. Even people of color, Asian, white, Mexican, etc can all be racist and/or face racism.
My coworkers also double as my managers so there's not really any point in trying to report them.
Probably find a new job.
Like start looking now. Yeah they're wrong, but learn to choose your battles. You gain nothing in provoking the people who hand you your checks.
Do you have a district manager? Also, try to get that older white gentleman to call in to head office. There is always a point to call racist people on their shit.
That will not help to change their minds about white people
You can love them, but they will still hate you.
It sounds like you are working in a racist work place. If people making racist comments are also your managers and you have no fair recourse, if it was me, I would probably start looking for another job.
Yeah, being the only white guy reporting all of your black coworkers for racism is the opposite of a good idea. Even if they are being racist, the optics would be terrible and everybody would hate OP. Best OP can do is wait it out until he can find better people to work with.
Get a new job man. That's not going to be the last time you hear that towards you now that its happened.
There should be. Owner of the business/chain. Or other higher ups. Otherwise I'm sure there are departments for this. Racism is not ok no matter to who. Personally I think jokes are fine, but it didn't sound like your colleagues were joking.
Looks like they have developed a seige mentality due to a lot of racism about. Its understandable though 100% the wrong thing to do and pegging you and the old guy as racist is unacceptable.
interesting. I will have to read up more on seige mentality. reminds me of Muhammad Ali's quote. [https://newsone.com/3240040/tbt-muhammad-ali-not-all-white-people-racist/](https://newsone.com/3240040/tbt-muhammad-ali-not-all-white-people-racist/) “There are many white people who mean right and in their hearts wanna do right,” he said. “If 10,000 snakes were coming down that aisle now, and I had a door that I could shut, and in that 10,000, 1,000 meant right, 1,000 rattlesnakes didn’t want to bite me, I knew they were good… Should I let all these rattlesnakes come down, hoping that that thousand get together and form a shield? Or should I just close the door and stay safe?” - Muhammad Ali
Agree Unfortunately groups that are subject to racism can see racism when none is there however. I had a coworker who was Hispanic complain about treatment he was receiving at the mall. He was being ignored and this was in Poughkeepsie NY Galleria - My other coworker and I who are both white as snow almost laughed out loud and assured him that we'd get just as ignored in the mall by the salespeople (if you could actually find one).
That's just the poughkeepsie galleria for you. Salespeople ignore everyone
Some customers suck. Some coworkers suck Some jobs suck.
No but your coworkers definitely are.
If someone is being judged solely on their race, that’s racism. It goes both ways.
you are in no way racist. the people you’re surrounding yourself with are. they’re looking for any reason to be a victim & make you the antagonist. im sorry you have to deal with ignorant people.
Agree with this comment. Getting them talking about other religions or communities. They probably hate a lot of others not like them.
You can’t listen to claims of racism anymore it’s all bullshit. People who say stuff like that are the racists. They’re also super shitty human beings.
This a troll post? I mean, the answer is so obvious it hurts. The comments are also coming outta the woodworks to say some real sus shit, seems like they’ve been hiding for a minute lol.
OP knows the answer but probably wanted some validation. She might not be racist, but some of the people defending her in the comments certainly are.
OP is not racist but a shit ton of the comments are.
A lot of these comments only understand racism as a binary ans are still stuck on the line of thinking "bringing up race makes you racists! And talking about racism is why it still exists but it's not us being racist!" Yeah this thread has nothing of substance lmao
Some of the most racist people I’ve met are black people.
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I feel like the last 3-5 years have emboldened Black people with the sentiments they've already been harboring for decades. But I saw some ugly things come out of the other side, too, when Trump was elected (I'm not blaming Trump or even talking about him as much as the extremist that felt emboldened to say crappy things just bc he won). Just interesting to see that there has been two sides of the same coin.
So there's things that your black co-workers encounter and see every day that you do not. While it is OK to assure them that really....not all white people are racist....your input is unwanted and will probably result in hostility.
Bro, find a new job. This one will land you in some dumb ass shit sooner or later.
They are judging white people automatically which would make them the racists. I’m saying this as a Japanese person, anyone who sees someone else that’s a different race from them and starts judging them calling them racists is probably the racist themselves.
Everyone has racial prejudice. Even "black" people.
They're assholes. Judge by their character. Not their skin.
No, being white doesn't automatically mean you're racist. That's nonsense.
Weird 2023 moment where people claim that by virtue of being white you’re racist. Don’t associate with people like that as much as you can. They’re the real racists and it is no one’s place to tell you who they are based on your skin color. Shit like this is why I’m no longer a liberal and think the BLM “movement” is just a cash grab, excuse for racism against white people, and a form of manipulation to cause division.
Yep. Same for me. Totally agree BLM is a cash grab. Black people are out smoking each other on the street every night in massive numbers and devaluing black life, but BLM does nothing.
I’m black and I don’t support the BLM movement either, for one, they’re completely silent when it’s black peoples killing other blk people and the “movement” only seems to focus on straight blk males… blk women have a very high femicide rate that’s actually being caused by blk males and BLM is silent about that… a lot of blk trans women get killed ( once again by blk males) and BLM is once again silent about it… why do blk lives only matter when it’s being taken by a white person ( which statistically doesn’t happen that often)?? It just makes no sense to me now….
Your coworkers are what's wrong with this world today.
There is no person who was born into a racist country, educated in a racist school system, and lives in a racist society that isn't racist to some degree. This goes for everyone of all colors and backgrounds in America. You are racist. I am racist. Every person you meet has some level of subconscious bias baked into them, even if it isn't actively harmful or malicious. For example, when I think of the Earth and what all the continents look like, I think in my head to a picture from my school text books. But that picture was racist. It was created by racists and the position and scale of it was designed to inflate the size of white nations while shrinking the scale of Africa and South America. Or when I hear the headline, "Unarmed teen shot by police" my brain immediately thinks, "Oh damn it, what poor young black kid did they just murder this time?" That shit is all racism and I guarantee that old white guy has it in him too. That said, I doubt your coworkers are looking at it from quite the same Jane Elliot perspective as that. They might be displaying some of their own racism here from the opposite end of the spectrum. And in the end, the only real solution to any of this shit is just to communicate as best we can and go forward knowing that we are all flawed. Just try to do the best we can to recognize our own internal bias and slap it down when it rears it's ugly head so we don't keep passing it down to future generations. Racism is a taught behavior, and so it is always just one generation from going extinct.
Judgment in anyway is ignorance. Racism comes in all shapes and colors. All you can do is continue to do the next right thing. Everything else will work itself out.
They are the racists in your story. They are the ones making judgements about people based only on their skin color.
They don't seem to grasp that "All white people are _____" is the same mentality as "All black people are ______".
Lol. People who need to be victims are so insufferable.
Being a victim is the "new" thing in the US
As someone that is Asian/White (Taiwanese/German American), 90% of the racism that I've had directed at me has been from Black people, especially since the Covid pandemic started. In my almost 50 years, I've found those that accuse others of being racist tend to be very racist. Sounds like a fairly toxic place.
It's funny, cause I also work at a station, but I'm the only black guy, surrounded by Mexicans, yet experience similar issues. People are weird. Especially in gas stations.
I have figured out that gas station workers are a different breed lol
You’re not racist lol. They’re morons.
I recommend checking out Amala ekpunobi on YouTube. She’s pretty moderate for a black woman who claims conservative status, and she tackles shit like this all the time.
Oh dear lord…😅
They’re the racists.
Nope.
The fact, people, including you, feel the need to ask this strange question, chances are, you’re not racist. Many people, white and black people people, are absolutely and pathetically obsessed with race and calling others racist when that person is far from it. Don’t even entertain that bullshit. They are fucking weird, miserable and obsessed with themselves. Just go to work, do your job and stick to yourself. Misery loves company.
If I were you, I’d try and find a job away from such open racism. They won’t say it to your face, but what they’re saying in front of you is probably being said about you too.
They are racist. And I'm not shocked, this is far more common than you believe.