I'm not American so I can't comment on your country's problems, that is not an issue that exists here

There are still dramatic after-effects of systematic racism that existed for the majority of our country's history. Something that existed for 250+ years doesn't go away in 30-40. That's just now how the world works. If you're thinking it's "solved" because it's less obvious, you've got it twisted. I think our generation is less prejudiced than ever before though. We're getting there.

But some ppl are still being extra and twisting the message.

it's hard out here 4 a bitch

Obviously something that went on for 200-250 years isn't going to go away in 30-40. I agree that it takes more time, and I agree that there are still some problems to be fixed. The situation is just dramatized a lot, and this girl who wrote this article is just angry and overdoing everything tbh

It's patronizing no doubt. Africa is not a racial or ethnic identity. Africa is a geographical identity. You can be white from South Africa, move to the US and be considered "African-American". It makes no sense for people that have been here for centuries to still be geographically grouped with a land distant to their memory.

That was part of a systematic "othering" of black people in America. Nowadays it does describe the group well though. African-Americans are a separate identity from black people of other nations because of how long they were oppressed, and the unique culture/country they have been oppressed in.

It's "Dramatic" to you because I'm almost positive you've never been on the receiving end of racism. It really sucks that in 2013 you have do be searched by security because you were a black man that walked into a convenient store with a hoody on and you looked "suspicious".

There are people on both sides of this argument who do the most.

The only reason the term "African American" is used is because in the 1950s, it was generally accepted to say "Negro" to indicate a Black. Then when people began saying Black, it became "politically correct" to say African American. College applications and other forms where you are asked to bubble in your race say African American on them, because if they use the term "Black," It's "RACIST."

That's stereotypical of you to think that just because I'm not Black, that I haven't directly received racism before. I am Jewish and Israeli, do you know how many people at school have made Holocaust jokes (even when I was young, 1st or 2nd grade, and knew little or nothing about the history of it), or used different slurs, or called me "apartheid-user" because of my nationality / religion (let's not get in to those politics - focus on the topic at hand).

I'm not trying to write a sob story, but (news flash) not only Blacks or Latinos are discriminated against, and even though my skin looks White, I'm still on the receiving side of racism and disgusting stereotypes as well.

Maybe, but I was born in Africa and immigrated to the US when I was 6 and have been here for 13 years and I can't say I really identify with the "African-American" culture even though I am actually African-American.

The right way to go is to just call them Americans and begin to break down skin color barriers.

wow...talk abt reaching for the stars.

Hi

I'm from South Africa
There was some ********

That's awful. But it's extremely rare, almost negligible, in comparison to hate crimes against people of color. I acknowledge that it happened and why it happened, but I hate it when people choose to address small problems (anti-White racism, anti-male sexism, heterophobia) over large problems. These small problems are used to distract attention from the large problems. Am I wrong?

For whatever it's worth, that is legit the first time in my life I have heard about a racist hate crime against a White person. But I've heard about plenty of incidents similar to the Trayvon Martin and Emmitt Till murders. They happen a lot more often and are therefore more important.

1) Nothing about this post advocates treating people differently because of their race.

2) No, I would argue that it is not; the whole point of black people using the n-word is to readopt a word that was used to dehumanize blacks for hundreds of years. It's almost powerful; how better does one reject a word that has been so filled with hatred than to use it as part of a community's everyday language? White people using the word recalls that history, black people using it does not.

3) That's not the point. This post does not say that white people have easy lives, nor does it imply that. It's simply saying that in Western society, and in many other societies globally, that white people enjoy advantages because of their skin color. And although this post does drift towards expecting white people to feel guilty for being white, it by no means is blaming slavery on the white people of today.

4) This is true. The discussion that followed the original post regarding the true essence of racism was more referring to systemic racism in the United States, which no, whites have not experienced.

5) There is data to support that claim. You might want to do some research about that before you claim that it is untrue.

6) This is understood and has been raised multiple times in this thread. Racism is typically most associated with black people in the United States because of our history of slavery and the huge impacts that it still has today in American society. No knowledgeable person in this thread, like myself and Jameson Teqkilla, have claimed that racism is not and has not been experienced by other races. In fact, I have mentioned in nearly every post of mine thus far that racism affects people of color and not just blacks, a term which includes Japanese-Americans and Native Americans.

7) Affirmative action has become more discriminatory in regards to class than race in recent years, so no, that is not true. And furthermore, it was established to offer minorities a chance to receive the same opportunities that white people had had, after the civil rights movement of the 1960s. If you take a quick look at political offices, college attendance rates, etc. you'd find that white people have no trouble achieving in these avenues because of the fact that our society was built upon white supremacy. Even after the installation of affirmative action, minorities are still disproportionately represented in government and the workplace, and that has a lot to do with its shifting character in the last 10-15 years, something you may want to read up on. Thus, no, reverse racism is not systemically real; racism in the systemic sense, which is its sociological definition, only affects people of color in most societies globally and particularly in the United States. Yes, white people may experience prejudice and casual racism, but they do not experience systemic racism.

8) Again, I would agree that the post veers towards expecting white people to feel guilty for their skin color towards the end but overall its intention is to make it clear that white people have privilege in American society to this day that people of color do not. And while it is no excuse for the bias apparent in the latter portion of this post, the large amounts of ignorance regarding racism (like your post, might I add) can only lead one to become heated when trying to educate on the topic.

9) It's not okay and that kind of behavior should not be supported, or even ignored. However, given the history of the United States (don't you just love all the effects it has even today?), a white person making jokes about African-Americans tends to sting more than a minority making jokes about African-Americans. At face value, it is the same thing, but given the history of the United States, it becomes something much greater.

10) True, but sociologically, they are not defined as the same thing, and that is clearly the angle from which this girl has constructed her argument. The definitions of the terms is being overly stressed in this thread and by you; the major point she makes is what is truly important, and that point is quite valid. Furthermore, the fact that this post came from Tumblr is irrelevant. It takes nothing away from her argument and that is a straw man there you have constructed.

11) I'm not telling you black people have an awful life, because that's not a statement I can make. I am telling you that institutionalized racism is very, very real. Black people still don't attend college as often as white people, still don't receive equality in pay and job opportunities as white people, and still don't receive grants and loans as freely as white people do. There are a million other examples that I could provide for you to show you that the system still works against people of color. Given all the odds that are stacked against black people, a lot of these programs are conceptually quite fantastic attempts to break those barriers down. The government's handling of those programs is a discussion for another time, but in essence they are great.

12) You are referred to as white because Caucasian is not the same thing and because it does not describe all white people. Instead of being angry about being called white and using that as an excuse to call other people whatever you want (essentially fighting perceived ignorance with more ignorance), you should simply talk to people on a 1-to-1 basis and let them know how you prefer to be referred to.

13) Whether you consider the n-word to be a good word to reclaim or not is irrelevant because you are not black, sorry to say. If people of the black community believe that the n-word affords them a bit of ease with a history so oppressive then so be it. You are not to judge in that case.

The original was not about making white people feel bad and asking them to be slaves to people of color. It was asking white people to be aware that things are not as equal as most would have you believe, and to take that awareness and use it to fight ignorance that you see and hear. Consciousness is a small step to take and it has hugely positive effects.

*prays*

USE her, Lord!

Yes at this sermon

i'm over here trying to watch a documentary and HOURS after i first entered this thread people are still spitting ignorance
i've had it

I think people on both sides of the issue emphasize things that are easier to talk about/simplified, instead of having a really intense discussion about this. It's intense stuff and it's more complicated and nuaned than people want to admit.