Comments

1. atlasien wrote:

   Great idea.

   I think a combination of blog and hyperlinked document would work best. Categories for arguments and counterarguments would be in a frame on the left side. Each argument/counterargument could be commented on (HEAVY moderation, maybe based on password-privileged commenters) and people could use the comments to give examples of how they used the counterarguments and how well the counterargument worked.

   The Glosario is a great place to start. Here’s a good list from Feministe as well that partly draws from it.
   http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2008/03/06/sixteen-maneuvers-to-avoid-really-dealing-with-racism/

   One category I’d like to suggest is the “well whites aren’t the REAL racists, what about the ____ they’re the REAL racists!” where blank is usually “Japanese” or some other Asian country. I call this the “Genghis Khan was a very bad man” defense…

   The counterargument is that this is both a straw man and a red herring. Anyone with a basic knowledge of human nature knows that white people are not uniquely racist or bad. But when the issue is racism tied to white supremacy, then raising other kinds of racism is just a distraction. If you flip it around — pretend you are talking about racism specific to Japan, and someone claims that you’re wrong because white people in America are the REAL racists — the argument would be just as diversionary and stupid.

   Another biggie:

   “How come white people don’t get WET?”

   Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 3:32 pm ¶

2. Cara wrote:

   that sound’s like a wiki, a doc….or even a book – seriously. Not a blog, becuase that gives way for the dialouge to run on into nowhere and arguments become circular, etc.

   Let me sleep on this one….I’ll get back to you ).

   Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 3:33 pm ¶

3. Monie wrote:

   Here is the problem; the people that would benefit the most from this don’t read sites like this one. They don’t go places where their crazy views will be challenged by knowledgeable people.

   They live in a world of people who see the world like they do. They don’t know history and to really understand racism is to understand history. Heck a lot of POC’s don’t get it when it comes to racism as well because they think human history started on yesterday.

   The people that make statements like ‘I never owned any slaves’ are always going to miss the point.

   In this instance aren’t we preaching to the choir?

   Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 3:47 pm ¶

4. Latoya Peterson wrote:

   @Monie –

   If you look at the examples I provide (Fem 101 and the Glosario) they are used as a place to send people who aren’t getting it. This isn’t designed for use on this site, it’s to be an external reference for people who engage elsewhere and get tired of repeating themselves over and over.

   Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 3:49 pm ¶

5. atlasien wrote:

   I see it… let’s say you’re on a video game forum, or a parenting forum, or something like that, and someone drops a racist bomb in the middle of the discussion.

   With a resource like the one above, you could almost copy and paste your response, saving you time and grief.

   I think there’s a huge value in responding to stupid racist comments. Persuading the person who left the racist comment is really the least important part. It’s more to persuade the many people who may be passively reading the thread and haven’t formed an opinion yet one way or the other. It also discourages other people from leaving stupid racist comments if they know they will be challenged.

   I try to argue back in most situations whenever I have the time, but it can quickly get exhausting, especially when you’re vastly outnumbered.

   Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 4:01 pm ¶

6. Mammith wrote:

   I think a wiki would be quite good. A glossary of terms like ‘racism 2.0′ with corresponding examples would be highly useful.

   You’d need to be careful with who you let contribute to any wiki obviously, this is the internet *rolls eyes*

   Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 4:16 pm ¶

7. Monie wrote:

   Latoya,

   Thanks, I read more of Glosario (actually I had to pull myself away from it, its great) so I get it.

   As atlasien says it will be a great resource in dealing with those brick wall racial conversations.

   Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 4:20 pm ¶

8. Brandon wrote:

   I don’t know what the best format is, but here are some “arguments” that would need to be included and addressed:

   Whites are the victims of racism because of affirmative action.

   I’m not a racist… I don’t even see color!

   I have a friend who’s ____________ .

   I’m not racist, it’s just that… (insert whatever arguments or statistics you want about black male incarceration rates, black children growing up without fathers, black welfare recipients, etc.)

   Blah blah blah illegal immigrants blah blah.

   And of course I’m sure there are many more… these are the ones I see on a lot online.

   Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 4:24 pm ¶

9. MJ wrote:

   I think this is a great idea. I think something to address is the “are you calling me a racist or do you really think xyz author/filmmaker/ etc. is a racist?” type defensiveness. And the response should be something like it’s not about YOU, it’s about broader forms of distribution that put certain things into a network of racism and help to reproduce it.

   Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 4:32 pm ¶

10. cocolamala wrote:

    just from the last couple of weeks, some basic questions were:

    i know/am poor and white, if white privilege is real what /where is my privilege?

    consise explanation of systemic racism and how it affects groups over time rather than individuals. how a legacy of segragation in schools/houses/financial lending adds up to social imbalances across whole populations rather than in every individual instance

    a separate explanation of individual instances of racism.

    why do POC need to be represented in the media anyway — isn’t that just an artificial constraint on creativity? 1) some artists are interested in realism, and 2) something about how media-fed stereotypes operate to bolster negative social outcomes in the real world (police brutality, networking, etc.) 3) isn’t a limited imagination is one that can’t imagine any characters unlike themselves?

    my wife/child/husband/bff is a person of color, does that excuse my racially insensitive or culturally ignorant opinion? it doesn’t matter who you hang around if you don’t learn from or listen to anybody but yourself

    what if that cartoonist thinks I’m calling him a racist, won’t that be mean? it’s only mean when it’s coming from me. when its coming from him, it’s not mean, it’s “free speech,” and i’m too sensitive. because it’s so bad be be called a racist, but it’s not quite as bad to say racist things.

    etc.

    Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 4:43 pm ¶

11. cocolamala wrote:

    on appropriation:

    “OMG I love your stuff! But ew!! not you!!”

    “OMG, I’m usin’ your stuff!! Nope, I never did ask how it works, or what its used for.”

    “I’m sellin’ your stuff. Everyone loves what I did with it!! [indistinct...] I heard about how y’all are struggling with those disproportionate graduation rates. Yah, I don’t want to donate this time…”

    Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 5:00 pm ¶

12. Asada wrote:

    wow
    the quote was that AMERICA is nation of cowards in regards to race. Not just whites, but the entire country.

    So some dumb-dumb decides to change is to a whites vs blacks rant!? Y

    goodness…only proves the speaker was right. I guess everyone else here who is not black or white doesn’t matter,right? Since when does America =whites!?

    Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 5:16 pm ¶

13. Katie wrote:

    On Official Shrub.com Blog (http://blog.shrub.com/) , there are some helpful 101-style questions and answers – just scroll down the sidebar on the right until you get to the Race Relations 101 and Privilege 101 sections…

    Just a thought.

    Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 5:30 pm ¶

14. Latoya Peterson wrote:

    @Katie –

    I love Andrea’s list of links (and I plan to quote her often if we do this.) But for some reason, I feel like it needs to be something bigger, with some room for explaining why this is debated…

    Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 5:32 pm ¶

15. Elton wrote:

    atlasien,

    Something brief from which we can copy and paste when we see, for the umpteenth time, the same boring racist clichés is what I had in mind.

    I just want racists to know that their statements are often unoriginal and quite easy to debunk.

    Call it a “playbook” for racism, if you will.

    And even if, in real life, racism is subtle, complex, and pernicious, I don’t want to require people to have a degree in the subject (I certainly don’t) to feel like they can say something. I also don’t want people who are part of a dominant, supremacist group to have the last word, the most words, or the loudest words.

    Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 6:04 pm ¶

16. Kat wrote:

    @Asada comment #12

    You’re right….Why is it when we talk about America, it must mean white people???

    It really isn’t white vs. black… but it always get construed that way.

    Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 6:28 pm ¶

17. Joseph wrote:

    Oh yeah. This is a book.

    I’m totally serious.

    Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 6:34 pm ¶

18. slowroll wrote:

    This would be awesome. A wiki of some sorts would probably be ideal.

    A list of common comments, each debunked. Meanwhile inside those debunkings we have links to deeper background/explanation. This background material could be assembled into a WikiBook (http://wikibooks.org).

    I really like the idea of being able to refer someone to a community-written debunking of whichever idiocy they are presenting. It definitely gets a little old having to address the same malarky over and over again.

    Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 8:17 pm ¶

19. Nathan wrote:

    @atlasien
    ‘Another biggie:

    “How come white people don’t get WET?”’

    … I’m sorry, but I don’t suppose you could elaborate on that…?

    @cocolamala
    ‘on appropriation:
    “OMG I love your stuff! But ew!! not you!!”’

    About as succinct a description as you’re likely to get!

    Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 8:28 pm ¶

20. Lorraine wrote:

    This is sort of like what I’m trying to do with my blog. Take those oh-so-common things that every white person you have ever talked to about race says to excuse some behavior.

    I think it would be good as a wikip though, personally. I also think it’s a good idea for this glossary of common arguments to be as concise and to the point as possible. Therefore, I think that unless as an anti-racist you are prepared to take about it in-depth every single time someone says one of those, well, I call them “reflect comments” or “conditioned responses”–then it would be best to refrain from using a blog to do this. Blogs are for expanding on the points the glossary contains.

    Just my initial thoughts.

    Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 8:33 pm ¶

21. MNC wrote:

    I think this a great idea. I usually get fed up and list books when I encounter the racially clueless on comment threads,etc.

    This seems much more effective.

    Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 8:48 pm ¶

22. Thea Lim wrote:

    This is a great (and also exhausting…) idea. I like the idea of it being a wiki so that it’s a community based project.

    There are lots of great books out there that already speak to this (like Uprooting Racism by Paul Kivel for eg), so it would be nice if we could somehow link to non-digital sources as well.

    My top three topics to be addressed:
    - how people can be nice, good, likeable people who are democrats and recycle, and still be racist
    - how when we’re talking about whether or not someone did or didn’t say/do something racist, what they intended really doesn’t matter and why
    - how racism in its contemporary format is f-ing complex and sneaky. it’s not always going to be as easy to spot as people spouting Nazi theory or setting fire to crosses

    I wonder if we could make it a kyriarchy wiki. Though that seems even more exhausting! But more and more I find it difficult (and maybe self-defeating) to talk about racism without also talking about gender, class, sexuality, ability…

    Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 8:51 pm ¶

23. Restructure! wrote:

    HELL YES.

    1. I think it needs to be a wiki to get it rolling. If it was a blog or a hyperlinked document, the person maintaining it would have to do a lot more work inserting everyone’s suggestions. Personally, I would be more likely to contribute if it was a wiki than a blog or hyperlinked document for which I’d have to email the administrator to correct a spelling error or fix the HTML.

    2. Include the stuff from this thread.

    3. That’s why I left Digg. That, and sexism.

    Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 9:03 pm ¶

24. Ironic E wrote:

    If I correctly recall, there was an article on Racialicious that outlined common arguments and counter-arguments to racism. Could someone please provide me with that link? I’ve searched but maybe someone who knows the site better than me (or knows the article to which I am referring) can direct me.

    Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 9:13 pm ¶

25. Restructure! wrote:

    MediaWiki is free wiki software that is used by Wikipedia, as well as Encyclopedia Dramatica and other wikis. If we are making a wiki, we should use that.

    A long time ago, I tried to use Digg for online feminist and anti-racist activism. I was getting to be one of the top Digg’ers, but then I realized that I was having the same debates over and over again with new people who thought their arguments were creative. I’m a pretty resilient person, but after months and months and months of intensity, I started to lose energy and realized that Digg was hopelessly sexist and racist. Digg has a collective memory of a goldfish, so debating in a comment thread there is pretty useless.

    I think this Racism 1o1 idea is something that will really change online debates about racism all over the web. Imagine how much time we’d save if we could just link to a page instead of spending hours writing detailed responses. Our web descendents and web inheritors will thank us for creating the resource.

    Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 9:32 pm ¶

26. Restructure! wrote:

    Also, we should include and expand upon the points in Racism 101 at Resist Racism.

    Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 9:36 pm ¶

27. Antonio wrote:

    The Angry Black Woman has some good links for this.

    Here’s one:
    http://coffeeandink.livejournal.com/607897.html

    She once posted a bingo card with inevitable arguments in discussions on racism.

    Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 10:02 pm ¶

28. ktrujillo wrote:

    - how when we’re talking about whether or not someone did or didn’t say/do something racist, what they intended really doesn’t matter and why

    You must be a better person than me because despite my experiences and my vigilance around the subject of race I sometimes screw up. I’m glad that in those moments the person was willing to take my intent into consideration and school me accordingly. That generosity of spirit, gracias a Dios, was extended to me and so the conversation continues. It’s almost impossible at times to step outside of your narrative. What a person intended can make a big difference to me.

    Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 10:22 pm ¶

29. Nelly wrote:

    With regards to common arguments, there were also at least 2 great Racefail bingo cards made when everyone first heard about the casting for Avatar.

    Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 10:57 pm ¶

30. atlasien wrote:

    I actually don’t like wikis unless they’re really well-populated and active. I’ve seen so many of them in a state of disrepair. I guess because everyone is supposed to update it, everyone assumes someone else will do the update, no one takes responsibility and entries don’t get written. I’ll just throw that opinion out there. I’ve never worked a lot with wikis, so maybe there are effective methods of combating this tendency.

    Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 11:11 pm ¶

31. Rob Schmidt wrote:

    Yes, do a wiki. I’ve been hoping and looking for something like this forever. Rather than repeating myself, I’d link to it every day.

    Clearly this is something people will drop into their blogs and websites, their responses to blog and forum postings, their e-mails, etc. No one instance will change anyone’s mind, but it should have a viral, cumulative effect.

    As for the Q&As, don’t forget the ever-popular excuse for blackface parties, the Obama New Yorker cover, etc.: We’re not perpetuating racist stereotypes, we’re satirizing them.

    Also include arguments specific to particular ethnic groups in subsections. For instance, American Indian mascots: We’re honoring you, even if you don’t consider it an honor.

    Have only a couple primary editors and keep the answers tight. The goal should be to refute each claim with as few words as possible so people will actually read the entries.

    To save time, put out the questions to the race-conscious community and ask for their answers. I’m sure we’ve all answered these questions many times. Collect all the answers and pick or synthesize the best ones. Voila…instant content without doing a lot of heavy thinking.

    Be sure to publicize the wiki when it’s done. It sounds interesting enough that I bet you could get the NY Times or someone to write about it. Giving it a catchy name will help with this effort.

    Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 11:16 pm ¶

32. Rob Schmidt wrote:

    P.S. Don’t think of this as a wiki where everyone interacts and the answers are updated frequently. Think of it as a wiki that contains the best-ever answers to racist apologists and rarely if ever needs updating.

    Someone will have to moderate the changes just as Latoya moderates this blog. If you open the wiki to everyone, including the apologists, they’ll screw up the answers and you’ll be battling over the content constantly.

    Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 11:36 pm ¶

33. Elton wrote:

    Ok, here’s an annoying racist cliché we all just witnessed on TV:

    Bobby Jindal’s response to Obama’s address
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/documents/gov_jindal_022409.html

    “With his speech tonight, the President completed a redemptive journey that took our nation from Independence Hall … to Gettysburg … to the lunch counter … and now, finally, the Oval Office.”

    Glossing over the history of American racism in a single sentence, while putting a chipper “racism is over” spin on things, is one of my biggest racism pet peeves.

    Posted 24 Feb 2009 at 11:52 pm ¶

34. NancyP wrote:

    Some parts of the country have relatively few non (white or black) people. Not too surprisingly, people from these areas tend to talk in binaries, and omit APIs, Hispanics, First Peoples, etc. from their thought processes and discussions. Not that that’s right, but it’s understandable if one is focused on local issues.

    Posted 25 Feb 2009 at 12:13 am ¶

35. Liz wrote:

    @ monie
    I think that bell hooks’ book _Feminism is for Everyone_ was for serving this exact kind of purpose–when folks who don’t know what they’re talking about need an easy primer.

    These days I think a wiki is a great start, a reference point that you can link to (as atlasien indicates.)

    Does anyone know how to find that bingo card? I’d like to keep it handy.

    Posted 25 Feb 2009 at 1:50 am ¶

36. Maysie wrote:

    Fabulous idea!

    I think a book would be wonderful, but I’m a boring print person.

    I’m envisioning three columns. The first has the dumb ass racist nonsense that we hear over and over. The second has a quick and sharp “rebuttal” that you can copy and paste as a comment or response. The third would be an “intermediate” or “advanced” analysis /explanation of where the dumb ass racist notion came from, what power and privilege implications, and list the online (and books, articles, etc) if you want to read more.

    Posted 25 Feb 2009 at 7:47 am ¶

37. rob wrote:

    It seems like quite a useful idea. As someone said above maybe the offender wont care about the response but those coming after will see it and it may well have a benficial cumulative effect. Sometimes a well written message will stay with you forever.

    The bingo card idea is rubbish though. Its really annoying if you are trying to have a serious conversation (like i was on the british thread) and somebody just chips in a snide comment about this damned bingo card. If someone is really trying to engage with a group individuals who see the world quite differently having this bingo card shit come up spoils the mood. Its actually quite offensive.

    Posted 25 Feb 2009 at 8:29 am ¶

38. Jenn wrote:

    My contributions:

    Racism will gradually disappear on its own as the older generation dies. It just takes time. (this argument relies on the narrative of inevitable social “progress.” This narrative relieves the individual of responsibility to act, and ignores most of western history)

    Using the term “illegals” as a euphemism for latin@. Generally it is used when describing a hateful stereotype which is meant to apply to all latin@s or immigrants. If challenged for employing a racist stereotype, the person insists that they are only referring to “illegals” and “illegal” is not a race.

    Also, the term “illegals” is a term to dehumanize and criminalize a really vulnerable, often exploited undocumented immigrant population. I would argue this is never an appropriate or accurate term.

    Reverse racism

    Posted 25 Feb 2009 at 11:02 am ¶

39. The Cruel Secretary wrote:

    @Maysie–I’m digging the book idea, too, but I think the book should come after the wiki/blog/hyperlink. Let’s write one thing at a time.:D And I love the idea of presenting the arguments/counterarguments in columns.

    Along with some of the great topics/memes folks have mentioned, here are some things I’d like to see addressed:

    1) Tying in with Thea’s idea about kyriarchy, the racism among PoCs–just because the racist comment/actions is coming out of a non-white person doesn’t mean it’s not racist.

    2) How “positive” stereotypes are still stereotypes–and are still damaging.

    3) A non-academic explanation of “privilege”
    and how it works with racism, which leads me to….

    4) A non-academic explanation of race and racism itself. What do we mean when we say “race” a “construct” but has very real applications and ramifications? How are we defining “race”–by phenotypes? Culture? Some other things along with these items? Something else all together different?

    5) I love the intent/result aspect of dealing with racism and appropriation. (Great call, Thea and cocomala!)

    6) The various forms of racism, from hipster to cross-burning.

    I hope this helps…

    Posted 25 Feb 2009 at 11:06 am ¶

40. ras wrote:

    I don’t comment much, but I have to add that I think this is fabulous. I like the idea of a well-maintained Wiki for easy reference on blogs (a particular parenting one comes to mind immediately for me). I would think a book should also definitely be in the long range plan.

    And for all you who have posted about being exhausted by replying to the endless racist questions and comments, particularly on various blogs, I want to say that for every idiot that’s posting maddening responses, there are other uncounted folks reading, digesting and re-examining themselves as a result. Thank you. Seeds sown and all that…

    Posted 25 Feb 2009 at 11:38 am ¶

41. ras wrote:

    I would add that a discussion of the definition of Racism as power+prejudice would be great to include.

    I see a lot of potentially productive online conversations get completely snarled and sidelined by people tripped up on that definition.

    Posted 25 Feb 2009 at 11:43 am ¶

42. PPR_Scribe wrote:

    Whatever other form it takes, there should definitely be some on-going, interactive aspect to the project. This way, examples from current events can be linked to as they happen, and changes over time can be added.

    Please no stoning–but I’d like some entries on “hipster anti-racism.” Can’t think of a better term to label it, but I describe it a kind of reaction to racism that seems to have the sole intent of demonstrating how knowledgeable and evolved the speaker is as compared to the listener. (Or–if this is not the intent–it is often the how the listener perceives it.)

    One manifestation of this, IMO, is the creation of new words and phrases that are not easily decipherable to average (and even “above” average!) folks to describe a phenomenon. Also, the inclusion of abundant slashes and parentheses and intentional misspellings in these new words and phrases.

    I say this out of love, as someone who has been guilty of this myself. (*Very* guilty, truth be told! In fact, maybe my own proposed label is an example of this?) If we are truly trying to advance the cause of anti-racism, we should keep tabs on ourselves as well.

    Posted 25 Feb 2009 at 12:05 pm ¶

43. Greg wrote:

    A couple of years ago in The Journal of Homosexuality, there was a “taxonomy/typology of homophobias” that clearly laid out 8 discrete sociocultural sources of anti-gay prejudice. Many of the sources sprang from folk theory and deeply ingrained, culturally biased perspectives on morality, gender, sex, and so on. I think it would be great to see something like this produced for racism.

    Posted 25 Feb 2009 at 12:12 pm ¶

44. saboten wrote:

    @Maysie, #36:
    The three-column format, with succinct responses in column #2 and detailed explanations in column #3, sounds like a great idea.

    Posted 25 Feb 2009 at 1:02 pm ¶

45. Katie wrote:

    @ Latoya –

    Oh, I hear you – I was just thinking that some of her stuff is a really good resource and a starting place for common arguments and rebuttals.

    This project is exciting me!

    Posted 25 Feb 2009 at 2:47 pm ¶

46. sharon wrote:

    @Rob Schmidt
    I agree with you about the Native American mascots; that Cleveland Indian logo on caps and t-shirts makes my blood boil!

    Here’s one I heard just recently:
    “My_____ friend (insert ethnicity) isn’t offended or angry, why can’t you be like him/her”?

    Posted 25 Feb 2009 at 3:17 pm ¶

47. Elton wrote:

    NancyP,

    “Some parts of the country have relatively few non (white or black) people. Not too surprisingly, people from these areas tend to talk in binaries, and omit APIs, Hispanics, First Peoples, etc. from their thought processes and discussions. Not that that’s right, but it’s understandable if one is focused on local issues.”

    Probably my earliest racism pet peeve, which is why I listed it first. I am an Asian-American born and raised in small-town Arkansas, which might be a prime example of one of those areas you mention to have “relatively few non (white or black) people,” except for the fact that Asian immigrants have played an integral “third race” juxtaposed between black and white communities in the South for centuries. Asians are reported to have even fought in the Civil War on both sides. Our history is far too complicated to detail here, but suffice it to say that we’ve played significant and racially complex roles, yet are not even considered to exist or be of any consequence by the national media. For more information, look up Shih-Shan Henry Tsai of the University of Arkansas, who provided me with some information on this topic when I was in high school.

    Also, as a quick reminder, there are Latinos in the South. As if anyone forgot.

    Posted 25 Feb 2009 at 9:09 pm ¶

48. Laura wrote:

    This is my very first comment on racialicious (which is one of the best blogs ever), but I think the idea of a wiki is so great, and I wanted to let you know.

    One thing that I think would be interesting would be on the issue of sameness vs. diversity; I feel that if people of colour organize together to claim a space different from white/dominant/hegemonic spaces (I’m thinking specifically of the new Afrocentric school that’s opening here in Toronto), there are accusations of segregation, etc; this “segregation” is then posited as an insult to the entire (colourblind) community. Is this clear?

    I also really agree with the person who coined the term “hipster anti-racism”. Exactly!

    Posted 25 Feb 2009 at 10:18 pm ¶

49. Daniel wrote:

    I guess if some of you all mentioned cliches, I question the statement of “Everyone is a little bit racist”.

    For a while, I took it as a valid quote, something to well calm down and reflect upon. Later on, it’s like there’s not much to reflect from, since many issues related to race aren’t necessary that simple. Plus, I sort of got the cue that a lot of people make this remark to really quiet down heated sentiments or as a final response to any discussion regarding racism.

    It didn’t really make sense to begin with, since the statement’s assumption would be that racism is natural, which it isn’t. Prejudices in its entire definition differ greatly beyond race, class, superficial features, etc. Instead of “everyone is a little racist”, it would probably be more accurate to say that “everyone has a dark side” or “everyone has a negative inclination”.

    Posted 25 Feb 2009 at 11:50 pm ¶

50. L. wrote:

    I love the concept! It seems like everyone else has pretty much said what I would and better than I could have.

    Hey Elton, fellow Arkansan here. IDK why, but I still get excited whenever I find out someone else is from Arkansas. And I agree with you on the fact that Asians are an integral part of the South, though I don’t know much about it. I’ll look up the person from the UofA. Thanks.

    Posted 26 Feb 2009 at 12:28 am ¶

51. Elton wrote:

    Found via Racialicious’ search function:

    http://www.racialicious.com/2008/07/14/the-new-yorker-and-hipster-racism/

    http://www.racialicious.com/2007/10/19/a-case-for-hipsters-of-color/

    Posted 26 Feb 2009 at 2:21 am ¶

52. Carmen Van Kerckhove wrote:

    Great ideas, everyone! I’m so glad you’re excited about this project.

    Latoya and I are going to continue to huddle and wrap our brains around the possibilities here.

    In the meantime, here’s a link to the bingo card post that a few people have mentioned:
    http://i-dreamed-i-was.livejournal.com/6105.html

    Posted 26 Feb 2009 at 11:11 am ¶

53. red wrote:

    @ atlasien
    “How come white people don’t get WET?”

    I’ve no idea what you’re on about. I’m assuming you don’t mean when it rains… erm, I sometimes completely miss US slang or cultural references…

    Anyway, can you explain for a Limey? Thanks.

    @ Nathan

    Glad I’m not the only one!

    Posted 26 Feb 2009 at 3:41 pm ¶

54. Latoya Peterson wrote:

    @ Red & Nathan –

    BET is a program channel that is nationally widely available in the US. It stands for “Black Entertainment Television.”

    A very consistent questioned posed is “Why don’t whites have WET?”

    These comments are posed seriously, without a discussion of the appalling decline of diversity in television programs (which, really never had record highs) and the lack of opportunities for actors of color. Depending on my mood, I’ll either explain that fact or just quip “Did you try CMT, the country music channel?” Rissi Palmer’s on CMT, Bubba Sparx is on BET – it’s pretty much a balance.

    Posted 26 Feb 2009 at 5:02 pm ¶

55. atlasien wrote:

    Haha… thanks Latoya… sorry non-U.S.-ians and non-water-repelling white people… I should have thought of that.

    The WET complaint is so common here, and so jaw-droppingly stupid.

    Another typical false-equivalency argument: “How come white people aren’t allowed to use blackface but the Wayans brothers are allowed to use whiteface in that movie White Chicks? GOTCHA!!!” As the public increasingly forgets about the existence of that eminently forgettable movie, they also seem to be dropping that argument. But the WET one stays strong.

    Posted 26 Feb 2009 at 6:18 pm ¶

56. Nathan wrote:

    @ Latoya & Atlasien

    Ahh, thanks for the heads up. Sorry, I’d never heard of the concept before. Heard of BET, but never made the correlation.

    I’d love to know exactly what segment of the market they think they’re underrepresented to the point they need their own “WET”… That really does sound like gross absurdism; hard to believe that comment would be levelled seriously.

    “Did you try CMT, the country music channel?”
    That’s gold!

    @Atlasien
    Now there’s a movie that can’t wait to be swallowed by the sands of time…

    Posted 26 Feb 2009 at 7:52 pm ¶

57. Restructure! wrote:

    For content, also add debunkingwhite: Anti-racist FAQ.

    Posted 27 Feb 2009 at 12:11 am ¶

58. Brinstar wrote:

    If you make it a wiki, you would need a large force of moderators/volunteers to stem the inevitable wiki vandalism that will arise from a project like this. It would have to be a little more tightly controlled than most wikis, because I do think you’ll have bigots trying to cause trouble.

    Posted 28 Feb 2009 at 1:00 am ¶

59. red wrote:

    @ Latoya and atlasien
    Thanks for that – makes much more sense now!

    Sounds like a close relation to “Why isn’t there a white history month?” and similar stupidities.

    Posted 28 Feb 2009 at 1:50 pm ¶