![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tyresiashttp://www.cbc.ca/manitoba/features/racism/humour_etiquette.html
As a white person it's too easy for me to avoid "race" discussions so I don't get racist assumptions, I'm unaware of holding, checked. I have issues with the article but I want to generate discussion beyond my inner monologue. Basically I can point to certain spots and know they don't seem right to me but I couldn't necessarily tell what would be a better way to go about confronting the scenarios. Also my perception of what is racism and what isn't, clearly differs from that of the author. Please remember to own your statements and challenge people's ideas not the person expressing them. Here's an extract:
An acquaintance makes a racist comment disguised as a compliment, such as telling you you're "lucky" because people of your race are "good at math" or "good at sports."
Veiled, backhanded or disguised as a compliment, racism is still racism. These sort of compliments are rarely disguised well. Often the listener ends up being doubly insulted because there is an inference that in addition to being "good at math," they are also told they're too stupid to sense the slight.
It might be difficult, but you should talk to the acquaintance in private and explain why what she said is inappropriate. She may not even realize she's been rude or racist, so bringing it to her attention might be enough to stop the comments in future.
Someone calls you a racist for using a term you don't think is racial in nature. For example, a colleague asks you not to use the word "black" in a negative sense – such as calling the 1929 stock-market
crash "Black Monday" – because it's racist.
I don't understand what is racist about "Black Monday." To me, this use of "black" refers to a storm or dark cloud, bad luck or weather and has no connection whatsoever to black people.
I would tell the colleague that I do not want or intend to offend him. Then I would ask him to help me understand why he feels the phrase is racist.
There is no question that we often say inappropriate things, but sometimes people get too defensive or take things too far. In this case, I would also want to know whether there is another issue at the root of the complaint – maybe the colleague is mad at me or someone else about another matter and looking for an excuse to vent or argue.
As a white person it's too easy for me to avoid "race" discussions so I don't get racist assumptions, I'm unaware of holding, checked. I have issues with the article but I want to generate discussion beyond my inner monologue. Basically I can point to certain spots and know they don't seem right to me but I couldn't necessarily tell what would be a better way to go about confronting the scenarios. Also my perception of what is racism and what isn't, clearly differs from that of the author. Please remember to own your statements and challenge people's ideas not the person expressing them. Here's an extract:
An acquaintance makes a racist comment disguised as a compliment, such as telling you you're "lucky" because people of your race are "good at math" or "good at sports."
Veiled, backhanded or disguised as a compliment, racism is still racism. These sort of compliments are rarely disguised well. Often the listener ends up being doubly insulted because there is an inference that in addition to being "good at math," they are also told they're too stupid to sense the slight.
It might be difficult, but you should talk to the acquaintance in private and explain why what she said is inappropriate. She may not even realize she's been rude or racist, so bringing it to her attention might be enough to stop the comments in future.
Someone calls you a racist for using a term you don't think is racial in nature. For example, a colleague asks you not to use the word "black" in a negative sense – such as calling the 1929 stock-market
crash "Black Monday" – because it's racist.
I don't understand what is racist about "Black Monday." To me, this use of "black" refers to a storm or dark cloud, bad luck or weather and has no connection whatsoever to black people.
I would tell the colleague that I do not want or intend to offend him. Then I would ask him to help me understand why he feels the phrase is racist.
There is no question that we often say inappropriate things, but sometimes people get too defensive or take things too far. In this case, I would also want to know whether there is another issue at the root of the complaint – maybe the colleague is mad at me or someone else about another matter and looking for an excuse to vent or argue.
