Quote:
Originally Posted by Did you just call me Coltrane?
Agree. But I don't think it's necessarily fair to blame everyone else for the existence of that fear. Much of what TM said about the sources of that fear are probably true, but some of that fear is based in reality.
|
I'm not sure how to respond. Am I talking about blame or is that how you choose to view the issue? What difference does it make to me if you treat me like an asshole because you had a negative experience with a black person once? Why are we talking about me placing blame wrongly on you because of that? Seems like bullshit to me. You're still treating me like an asshole. You don't cut me slack for being a dick to you because a tall person punched me for no reason at some point in my life. Sure, there are some people who have negative experiences with black people and that may color their interactions with black people to a certain extent. But why is every black person held responsible as a group for the actions of someone they don't even know?
I believe (for example) that negative interactions one may have with a white teen jackass won't have the same impact on one's actions as a negative interaction with a black teen jackass because any negative stereotypes that are learned and cultivated (through all the items I listed in the post above) are reinforced with one or two small negative experiences.
But the issue isn't one of blame for me. It's one of acceptance. Will white people, generally, ever accept that they have these negative influences and, as a result, negative behavior? From what I see, it always turns into a discussion of trying to explain why certain behavior
might not be attributed to latent or outright racism or how they shouldn't be blamed for stuff. If they would just accept that it exists, even if it's just an acceptance of unconscious bias, then maybe they will recognize their behavior and actually try to address it.
TM
