Quote:
Originally Posted by taxwonk
I found it offensive. I don't think the way she says I think. I don't do the things she says I do. Far from looking for a pat on the back, I try to spread the effort around. So, I guess I have to conclude she judged me, without even knowing I exist, purely by the color of my skin.
But what other people think of me is none of my business.
You know, as I read that last sentence, I think I am beginning to get more of a feel for what you're saying. I can say that some black woman thinks I'm just a racist in denial is offensive, but I don't have to really worry about that. That street doesn't really run two ways.
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You may not think the way she says you think, but I'll bet you know people who do.
I like her article. It's meant to make people think. It's meant to provoke.
There is shame in being white. There is shame in being a lot of things. And we white people can't distance ourselves from the indelible stain of race, from that original sin, no matter how hard we try. The whiteness seeps into us. We can't avoid it. It comes in what we eat, what we read, who we talk with, where we live.
And sometimes we just try not to deal with it. Which is worse, and a big contributing factor to the 75% of whites not having any black friends (even on the internet?!). Race can make white people uncomfortable, because it reminds them of their bad side. So white people hang with white people because it doesn't remind them of how white they are. Coping mechanism.
Best thing about what has been happening in the streets lately. Angry white people. Because we should be angry about race. We white people may not be afraid, but we should be angry.
