I see so many people whining about how “everything is racist these days” and “people blame white supremacy for everything.”
Yeah. That’s because racism and white supremacy are infused into everything in our country—we’re just starting to acknowledge it.
And by “we,” I mean white folks. The vast majority of people of color in America already know this to be true and have always known it to be true. White Americans, by and large, have been ignorant, oblivious, or in denial about how America’s legacy of white supremacy impacts us.
There’s a reason for this.
We cannot separate our most celebrated history from white supremacy in any sort of honest way. And that’s really uncomfortable.
White supremacy built this country. Our founders wrote racism into the Constitution. Our economy relied on the violent oppression of people of color.
This is our history. The great men—and yes, they were great in many ways—who established our republic were mostly overt or passive white supremacists. Even our beloved Lincoln, who opposed slavery, was a white supremacist who didn’t believe in equal rights for black people.
That sucks. We like the feeling of pride and patriotism that comes with what we were taught in school. We love hearing about the brave souls who fled tyranny and founded a new nation built on freedom and the idea that “all men are created equal.” We like that simple story.
The fact that slavery directly flew in the face of those freedoms, and the fact that they really meant “all white men are created equal,” feels gross. Icky. Yuck. So we ignore it. We downplay our foundation of white supremacy. We say “that was in the past, it doesn’t matter now.”
But practically every socioeconomic disparity between whites and minorities can be traced back to white supremacist policies and practices.
We could talk about the psychological and economic effects of hundreds of years of slavery, and we should. But we don’t even have to go back that far. Modern history offers plenty of examples of white supremacist laws, policies, and practices. This is stuff that happened during my parents’ lifetime.
Both of my parents are still living, and they aren’t even that old.
Segregation, redlining, public housing policies, unjust lending practices, etc. were all based in white supremacy and happened during current Americans’ lifetimes. And they still impact non-white communities today. (Some good reading on that here: (link: https://democracyjournal.org/magazine/46/racism-didnt-stop-at-jim-crow/) democracyjournal.org/magazine/46/ra…)
And that’s just the big stuff that impacts groups of people. We haven’t even gotten into the individual effects of white supremacy.
When kids of all races look at a poster of U.S. presidents, they see a sea of white faces with one lone face of color. That means something.
It means the power in this country has always been held by white men. That’s reality. But it didn’t just happen that way—that power was purposely and systematically maintained by white men and withheld from others. Again, this is simple reality. There’s no disputing this fact.
So, the message we get simply by looking at a poster of our presidents is that white = power. (Also male = power, but that’s another discussion.) It’s a visual representation of historical white supremacy that also reinforces the notion of white supremacy. Weird, right?
People point to our one non-white president as evidence that racism is over, but what his lone face did was bring the racism that white folks imagined had disappeared after the Civil Rights Movement back into the light. It forced us to look at it. It forced us to talk about it.
The constant racist attacks on that president should have made it obvious that racism wasn’t dead. The rise in blatant white supremacist activity as a reaction to his election should have been a clue that we’re not past it.
Racism lives, not because we talk about it too much, but because we still haven’t talked about it enough.
White folks largely don’t like to look at or talk about how much white supremacy has impacted us because it means that we have a role and responsibility in dismantling it. It’s far easier to pretend it doesn’t exist.
It’s far easier to say, “That’s just white guilt,” or “I don’t see color” or “The law says we’re all equal now,” and ignore the fact that there are people alive who used whites-only drinking fountains.
It’s easier to pretend that Civil Rights laws changed everyone’s hearts, despite the fact that a good portion of the country (and lawmakers) opposed the Civil Rights Act.
The roots of white supremacy are still enmeshed in our society, in our politics, and in our daily lived experiences as Americans. To pretend that isn’t true is dishonest.
So yeah, the reason “everything is racist these days” is because we’re finally having the conversations we always should have had. About how racism manifests in both overt and subtle ways. About how most race-related issues in America actually do go back to white supremacy.
You can rant about everything being about race. You can keep trying to deny that white supremacy is a much more abiding influence on our society than is generally acknowledged.
But these needed conversations are going to keep on coming. Hop on the train or move off the tracks.
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Comments 26
The problem is this: if you begin the day by acknowledging that your country, your society, and people of your ancestry are particularly egregious, this is a sure route to self-doubt, impotence and societal failure.
What’s true at the personal level is true at the national. What well-meaning liberals do not seem to realise these days is that democracies thrive or fail on the basis of national stories. This is doubly so in republics like the US, where there is no apolitical figurehead to unite people in place of a monarch. In the end, stories are all we’ve got as a glue to cement us together as a society. If that story says that our democracy is rotten to the core, then how do we expect anyone to retain enthusiasm for democracy itself? As history shows time and again, as soon as a republic does not believe in itself and its ideals — that it is better than the tyrannies and autocracies surrounding it — that republic succumbs very quickly to autocracy itself. The riots that have recently erupted across the United States, the new and unaccustomed boldness that characterises dictators around the globe, attest to the breakdown of the Western democratic order which is being accelerated by these self-inflicted wounds.
dear white liberals, you don’t know anything about racism. stop acting like you do. it’s insulting to non-whites and just makes you look like a complete fool. thanks.
Don’t conveniently overlook the fact that WHITE women have played their part in erecting white supremacy as well. Behind the lynch mobs was some white woman pointing a finger at a black man/ woman. The suffragettes who could’ve used the same voice for a vote played little to no part in speaking for civil rights outside of what affected themselves. Planned Parenthood was founded by a genocidal white supremacist. We as white women have to acknowledge our part as well and stop conveniently excluding the role we played as well.
Vicki, most white Americans in history never came within 100 miles of any black individual in their entire lives.
Most never saw a black person in person in their entire life for them to be pointing any fingers toward, you silly hen.
You made a lot of very valid points. However, the everything is racist thing isn’t just about having the right conversations. If you go on Twitter, TikTok, Reddit or another platform with lots of kids or just angry people, and you can comment something random that has nothing to do with race, like, “I just took a shower,” just anything random and not even a bit malicious or aimed at anyone. You will get at least a few people that will comment something to twist anything you say around, and they will say it’s racist. It’s weird. I’ve literally had this happen to me a bunch of times on TikTok and just said that’s enough of this ridiculous app.
The things you’ve said: I would have to agree. Growing up with mixed family, you see that disgusting hate all the time. But I will say that nowadays, people are just being argumentative, have some other issue that makes them want to twist otherwise innocent and unrelated words into things they’re not, or they’re just racists themselves. Which makes me think of something funny I hear a lot nowadays: “black people can’t be racist.” Lol. Stop. Maybe not against other black people? But you better believe every race had racists. If my life was on video, I would rewind for proof hahaha.
It’s all disgusting and hateful no matter what. But people really need to stop pretending that everything everyone does in life is because of racism somehow. That’s an unrealistic and irrational generalization, just as racism is. I think a lot of that may simply be that person’s insecurities when they read into something that’s not there. So tiring to even discuss drama. I’m all done for this lifetime haha!
This post is a complete joke. If there’s somewhere not to learn your history it’s here. Utter garbage. Neglecting the fact that Jefferson himself was scared off of writing into an amendment that “all men created equal”meant slaves as well. Out of fear of offend the southern colonies at the time decided against it. Despite the fact he was a slave owner himself it shows how complicated this really was. Then again democrats have been trying to atone for their past racism for over a century now. Ironically they still behave like they own black people.
Eh not exactly. I’m a Democrat, and I think it’s crap, too, so… Not all those that vote Democrat are the same or believe AND think the same things, as it is for every other large group of individuals. Both parties have their straight up weirdo extremists that believe ridiculous garbage, but that doesn’t mean that everyone is the same as them.
The thing is, too many people are complaining that “everything is racist”.
This anti-racism campaign has indeed, jumped “multiple shivers of sharks”
I summarize here.
https://groups.google.com/g/talk.politics.guns/c/1q_VILz3TQc/m/ZKzsl703BQAJ
Another white apologist spewing in accurate and divisive nonsense. The history of this country has almost zero impact on the lives of most people TODAY. If we want to reexamine history to expose the racism that existed I am all for it. But to continually tell the white children of today that they are somehow given an upper hand, and therefore responsible for the plight of people of color is flat out wrong. The only privilege that exists in this country is that which is based upon financial status. As a white person who was raised dirt poor I can attest to the fact that I had no opportunities that my black or brown friends didn’t have.
I will agree with that. Mostly. I’m white. My family has always been in straight up poverty. We do get treated like garbage. It’s more about class.
The thing is, the whole white privilege thing – it’s still real lol. If I were a black guy and grew up the same way and gone through all the same craziness in my life, then I’d be locked up a LONNNG time ago. But I’m a white person, I’m a female, and I’m not awful looking, and I’ve most DEFINITELY been treated differently than black people would’ve in a ton of situations. People look at me and saw a little white girl. Aww how innocent lol. Ok if ya wanna think that let’s go with it. I’ve gotten out of a ton of things because white cops are extra nice to pretty white girls… Especially when they look at you and have no idea you’re from the hood and they’re just reading a book by its cover. Lol. It’s messed up. But I’d DEFINITELY be in jail a long time ago if I wasn’t some little white girl lol. That’s white privilege. It’s not an insult. It’s a real thing. I never got why people don’t understand it. It’s pretty simple.
just because I am born white, I am a racist? How do I argue with that? I can’t and that is the point. Even though I support, appreciate, and honor all walks of life. Critical Race Theory is only punishing our children who had nothing to do with it and now are being predetermined by there skin color. Isn’t that racist? Pretty sure we have civil rights in this country, we could all do better but how about focusing on poverty, healthcare, living wages, elder care, the disabled? Wouldn’t that help us all? The greed and corruption of our polotic and media are out of hand. Not all white people should be called racist just for being white, ever. That is what got us in this mess in the first place.
Amen!!!!
Isn’t it fantastic how Karen’s with no degrees, and no knowledge, can espouse nonsense to make themselves feel superior to others. It seems to me that she’s the white supremacist.
Oh really and how would you like to be called names? Disagreeing with someone is not racist. Everyone has a voice and should not be punished for an opinion, pretty sure if she would of been white and disgruntled there would of been no issue. She married a prince seems like she is doing pretty well for herself!
And see… she didn’t even say anything racist. You just proved her point. Lol.
Btw…I know so many people with degrees that don’t have any sense at all, believe in conspiracies, etc. Lol. A college degree does not equate intelligence.
The reason everything is deemed racist anymore is because weak minded individuals are being given a platform to speak (ie social media). The real truth is that we all have the same opportunities in this country. You can go accomplish your dreams OR you can dwell on things that happened generations ago and blame that on your failures. The race of past Presidents doesn’t inhibit your ability to get a student loan and start your lifelong journey of success.
Wow lol. Not at all. Not everyone can do the same stuff in life bc you did or someone else did. That’s the most moronic thing that I hear people say. Grow up in poverty without any opportunities, then let’s talk.
Hi could you add American white people to this story? Thanks lol
It’s crazy, right?? Lol but as usual, in the comments is where you always find the real crazies. Lol. I can point to everyone on here that has only seen diversity on television with the token black or something. Sheltered, small ideas. Gotta love the comments section.
Who listens to some white women with no training blather about things she know little about?
You think people need training to write an article about how they feel? No. They don’t need training to be knowledgeable about topics, either. You do realize that you can learn outside of a school, right?
Anyway, she’s literally agreeing with the same exact arguments that black people make, yet she’s getting attacked? And by both black and white people… Smh people are ridiculous these days. Hahaha.
You don’t know what she knows.
That statement sure does show your racism by intentionally referring to her as not a woman but a white woman. Lol. The hypocrisy is funny. Meanwhile, her article it’s on the side of black people. You must have read it, I guess. Go get that training.
White supremacy built this country. Our founders wrote racism into the Constitution. Our economy relied on the violent oppression of people of color. I don’t believe that you have actually read the Constitution of the United States. Many history scholars believe that slavery would have been wiped out even without the Emancipation Proclamation. What built this nation is actually a hatred of oppressions. However, this is not to say that America has not it’s share of really messed up ideas. The easiest way to stop racism is to stop being racist and stop thinking that any and every disparity is because of racism. All people in the United States need to do is to work hard and stop believing that someone is holding them back. The idea that someone is holding any one back is simply not true or a good way to see the world.
PS. from the sound of it you don’t like the fact that you are white. However, this type of self-hatred is a form of racism. Please love your self and be the change that you want to see.
No. Just no…lol. Black people are held back, and so are the very poor, including white people. Don’t argue it, because I lived it. Lol. It’s true. If that fact offends you for some reason, then that’s a personal issue with you.
Lol @ she hates being white. Maybe she thinks racists are disgusting. Lol only a true racist would ever say that mess. Ew. Lol.