The Racists Think I’m One Of Them

[MattSh]

Maybe this has been posted before. But I haven't seen it and I'm sure many others haven't either...

I’m a bleeding heart liberal white woman from a suburb of Chicago. I work in a professional job. I’m not on government assistance. And many white people – racist white people, the people with attitudes about the poor, those on government assistance or young black people having babies out of wedlock…those people often think I’m one of them. They think I’m one of them because I’m white, because I don’t live in poverty, because I belong to what’s left of the middle class, because we’re a two-income family. Maybe look tolerantly upon my liberalism because they figure it’s just some form of being a white apologist.

I went to a barbecue over the summer. When I got there, the first thing I saw flapping in the summer breeze was a Confederate flag. The gathering was filled with white people, with a few Hispanics thrown in for diversity – and nobody except me batted an eye, nobody except me made mention of this symbol of yawning racial divide. They invited me, and without apology subjected me to a tangible symbol of racism. They thought I was one of them. When I left, however, after just a few minutes, they had figured out I wasn’t.

A white woman I know was recently complaining about registering her child at school, and she was describing a rude woman who stood in line with her, “Of course, she was black,” she said in disgust. Of course, I said sarcastically, no white person would ever be rude in a line. She continued talking, ignoring my comment…and it dawned on me. She thought I was like her. She thought I was one of them.

I’ve had white acquaintances complain that they can’t get in to colleges because the blacks and minority quotas have taken their places. I’ve had white acquaintances complain that they can’t get the jobs they want because blacks and minority quotas have taken their places. They complain to me. They think I’m one of them.

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/09/23/the-racists-think-im-one-of-them/

[Brickbat]

1. I think one problem "our side" has is that we expect people to get it when we are snarky, sarcastic,

funny and/or oblique in our callouts. "Of course, no white person would ever be rude in a line" just isn't enough for people to get. You have to stop them and say, in all seriousness, "What? Wait, wait a minute. What did her being black have to do with it? Wait, no, stop a second. I'm curious why being black had anything to do with it."

[abelenkpe]

2. Recently on Pinterest

A white upper middle class housewife posted an offensive rant about women driving up to collect their welfare checks in BMWs sporting new hair weaves and painted nails. I was shocked at how many people were agreeing with her and defending her comments against me when I responded:

"You are aware that the majority of welfare recipients are white, yeah? And your little work of fiction isn't bigoted at all, is it?"

[JoePhilly]

3. I'm a white guy in my 40s and this happens to me too.

I have an old group of friends who are white, we went to school together way back when. When I see them, they'll talk about some one we knew who is now in jail, a drug attack, writes bad checks and steals from friends. These are all white guys we knew way back.

The failures of those old friends are all seen as individual events. Such failures are then not attributed to all white people ... these are the "exceptions".

However, if the person who has "failed" is a minority ... the "instance" becomes an example of a broader pattern that applies to all minorities.

When I pointed this out to them ... you would have thought I farted in church. How dare I suggest such a thing!!!

They don't see themselves as racists because in their minds, these are facts, not bigoted stereotypes.