bigotry

[low_delta]

I recently had a political argument with a guy on Facebook. After a while he was starting to sway me. Afterward I realized he was right, and some time ago, would have (and actually have) taken up his position. I wanted to tell him this, so the next day I went to his wall to see what he was saying. There was a statement there to the effect that black people have only themselves to blame for their situation.

I've known for some time that this guy is racist, but this was pretty blatant. I don't know how he'd try to defend himself if I called him racist, but I don't think he'd believe that he was. Well, it's racist for two reasons.

(This essay is not written to the person I mentioned, but to a broad group of people.)

First, if the only thing you ever post about a particular ethnic group is negative, you're racist. You have an agenda.

Second, all blacks are not responsible for the behavior of all blacks. More to the point, all blacks do not behave like you think they do. But because you dislike them, you're willing to overlook that. You probably believe there are "good" blacks, but you're predisposed to viewing black people negatively. You're perfectly willing to tar them all with the same brush. But it's not just blacks. You feel the same way about many groups - Muslims, the poor, women, liberals, the uneducated. You have disdain (or worse) for them, and will only see them as worthy of respect when they've proven themselves to your satisfaction. But people that you perceive are like you get a pass. They're OK until they prove otherwise.

That's wrong. You're treating people poorly based on your perception that they're not your neighbors or not American, or not human. You're not giving a basic respect to someone because you're think they're not American enough or not human enough and it's a shitty thing to do to a person. You refuse to see their humanity, and, quite obviously, this dehumanizes them. It makes it easier to see them as the enemy. They are not necessarily your enemy. But you define them by stereotypes. And this makes life more difficult for all of us.

Comments

[cynnerth.livejournal.com]

What in the world did he say that you agree with?

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

Freedom of speech issues. Remember my post about curtailing hate speech? I had meant to write a rebuttal of myself.

[ravenfeather.livejournal.com]

IMO that is the basis of bigotry in any form, perceiving ANY group as all behaving similarly. To even THINK that any group behaves in a hive mentality is a step over the bigotry line, before thought even materializes. I have very strong views on this, and I also believe that things like exclusivity, separatism, categorizing and even quotas contribute to subconscious bigotry. That is a LOT for an unaware person to dig out of their behavior. I really wish someone had the answer of how to quickly combat something that deeply ingrained.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

Here's something else he said that I agree with:

I think the NFL should just be honest and stop doing the national anthem before the games. They fined Kaepernick 10 grand for wearing the wrong headphones, so they already exercise total control over their employees.

But only when they feel like it.

What is the purpose of singing the national anthem before a game, why do we do it?

It's to unite us in celebration of the freedom we all enjoy and pay homage to how we got this way. You are, of course, free to protest this and destroy the unity, but most Americans actually understand how inappropriate this is and will hold you to account.


But he continued...

Trump asked "wouldn't you like to see a team owner fire these players disrespecting the national anthem?" My answer is yes, yes I would. Fuck those guys. I don't know what fringe bullshit you are protesting at a non-political sporting event and I don't care.

[(Anonymous)]

You stated that very well. I'm glad you reposted here. Facebook trolls made the discourse into a hatefest. LJ. Is much more conducive to thoughtful discussions. I don't friend my friends and family automatically. People I know from work almost never. Less opportunity for drama and misunderstandings.

[sirreal13.livejournal.com]

I just posted Anonymously, by accident. I was using an old device with a tiny screen and I thought was signed in.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

I thought this subject was a little different than the usual political topic, in that it was a matter of awareness. Of course, some people will get defensive and therefore won't let awareness soak in, but even then, maybe it will still have a slight effect, if only over time.