Quote:
Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall
No.
First, we were talking about how best to address white people's feelings in order to effectively move past the defensive stage so that we can effect change. If white people feel like racism is solely about a person being "bad," they will throw everything they have in their arsenal to fight that characterization. Therefore, there has been an evolution in how we approach racism so that we avoid those feelings altogether.
Second, either you believe race is a social construct or you do not. If you do, there is no point in examining how much "responsibility" a disadvantaged group has for its circumstances because their actions are necessary influenced by their disadvantages. Any discussion of a race's responsibility for their circumstances is ridiculous because if there was no such thing as racism, their circumstances would be exactly the same as everyone else's in this country. People who say shit like, "I understand that black people have had it tough, but they have to start taking responsibility for where they are at some point," are either deluded as to what has happened and is currently happening in this country or are racist as fuck.
TM
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Second issue first. That’s not how this will be analyzed.
The analysis will necessarily have to involve an examination of how behaviors and customs of the group have contributed to unique disadvantages or perpetuation of disadvantages when controlled for impact of past institutional predations.
If you think that debate gets finished by applying the analysis you’ve offered, well, you’re wrong. I don’t think that analysis would hold in examining bigotry or racism toward any group anywhere in the world.
The Harris/Klein box gets opened really, really wide. That’s perhaps necessary. But man... that’s a messy conversation.
As to white people and effect approach, agreed. That is a better approach.
