I'm having a really difficult time putting together this comment. I'm not sure how to respond to your post because I don't understand what definition of racism you're working with, but I realize I need to respond. Something is bothering me.
I understand racism as a system of oppression that doesn't just work on an individual level. It's about the privileging of white skin and the devaluing of dark skin. White privilege is a complex part of racism. As far as I'm concerned, this is something that has to be recognized when we're talking about race and racism. I think this is the generally accepted definition in anti-racist work, which I don't dissociate from fandom discussion of racism.
Under this definition, people of colour cannot be racist. Racism requires power and privilege. People of colour do not, in general, have racial power or privilege. White people do, which makes them automatically racist by virtue of this privilege. (I see a whole bunch of white readers going "WTF I AM NOT RACIST". Good luck with that: debunkingwhite). That is not to say that a person of colour is never implicated in perpetuating racist ideas or holding prejudice, nor does it mean that a person of colour cannot internalize racism.
So, I'm having problems with not understanding how you understand racism. You've mentioned that you're a person of colour, then stating that racism is your problem. I don't know if it's something I'm missing in your post, but are you saying people of colour need to look at how we're implicated in perpetuating racism? If that's the case, I totally agree.
But something still bothers me.
So, if racism isn't the problem of the people who aren't racist, and it's ignored by the people who are racist...that leaves racism as the victims' problem.
And I disagree that abuse is the problem of the victims; that bystanders have nothing to answer for.
Who are you considering not racist and who are you considering racist? Reading this sentence, I feel like you're separating "victim" from everyone else, both white and people of colour. As though white people can ever wipe themselves clean of the privilege that they get from the system of racism, and as though people of colour (those who can't pass as white) can ever gain that privilege that white people get. I just... I feel very confused, and I don't even know how to express why I feel like racism as a system of oppression is being denied. That people of colour can ever be bystanders to racism. We are the ones negatively affected by racism. We are the victims you're talking about.
I don't think we're at odds here though, which is why I'm confused about my reaction. I don't think there even exists a 'get out of racism free' card for people of colour to use. A person of colour might not be anti-racist, but of course racism is a POC problem. We have to live it every damn day.
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I'm having a really difficult time putting together this comment. I'm not sure how to respond to your post because I don't understand what definition of racism you're working with, but I realize I need to respond. Something is bothering me.
I understand racism as a system of oppression that doesn't just work on an individual level. It's about the privileging of white skin and the devaluing of dark skin. White privilege is a complex part of racism. As far as I'm concerned, this is something that has to be recognized when we're talking about race and racism. I think this is the generally accepted definition in anti-racist work, which I don't dissociate from fandom discussion of racism.
Under this definition, people of colour cannot be racist. Racism requires power and privilege. People of colour do not, in general, have racial power or privilege. White people do, which makes them automatically racist by virtue of this privilege. (I see a whole bunch of white readers going "WTF I AM NOT RACIST". Good luck with that:
So, I'm having problems with not understanding how you understand racism. You've mentioned that you're a person of colour, then stating that racism is your problem. I don't know if it's something I'm missing in your post, but are you saying people of colour need to look at how we're implicated in perpetuating racism? If that's the case, I totally agree.
But something still bothers me.
So, if racism isn't the problem of the people who aren't racist, and it's ignored by the people who are racist...that leaves racism as the victims' problem.
And I disagree that abuse is the problem of the victims; that bystanders have nothing to answer for.
Who are you considering not racist and who are you considering racist? Reading this sentence, I feel like you're separating "victim" from everyone else, both white and people of colour. As though white people can ever wipe themselves clean of the privilege that they get from the system of racism, and as though people of colour (those who can't pass as white) can ever gain that privilege that white people get. I just... I feel very confused, and I don't even know how to express why I feel like racism as a system of oppression is being denied. That people of colour can ever be bystanders to racism. We are the ones negatively affected by racism. We are the victims you're talking about.
I don't think we're at odds here though, which is why I'm confused about my reaction. I don't think there even exists a 'get out of racism free' card for people of colour to use. A person of colour might not be anti-racist, but of course racism is a POC problem. We have to live it every damn day.