Bristol Post apologises for 'Faces of Evil' front page 21 years ago

[HoratioCuthbert]

I also think it helps with the 'what about the black people who are racist towards Asians' line of argument. Well they are are also embedded in those social structures. None of which of course absolves people of their racism. We do have agency, albeit constrained by those structures.

I do think however that it is not really possible to break people down into rasicists and non-rascists*. People tend to be more complex than that with a range of beliefs, sometimes contradictory ones. And even those of us how see ourselves as anti-racists are quite likely to subconsciously carry some racist ideas with us.

* In a theoretical sense at least, in day to day life its oftern necessary.

No it didn't at all, particularly given the whole point of your story was that you don't experience racism on a daily basis.

The idea that black people can't be racist is on a par with black people can't swim. It assumes or imposes something on them due to their skin colour - an inability to exploit existing unequal power relations to their advantage or to develop unequal power relations to their advantage. The world is full of black leaders and their followers doing exactly that. The idea is analytically useless and politically poisonous.

Very well put.

 

[HoratioCuthbert]

Basically in certain contexts, like American immigration, the Irish and other groups like the Italians were in pretty much all aspects very much considered 'other' (by WASPs) and thus about as 'white' as the Chinese. Maybe not using explicit labels of colour, but in treatment at the very least. Not sure how helpful it is in a modern discussion though.

Never mind modern, as I understand it Pippintook is either Irish or lives there, and it sounds just as WTF in Scotland. Why are we discussing US demographics here? Whyyyyyyyyyy

 

[Athos]

It's a deliberate attempt to suggest that Mation is someone who uses derogatory, racialised pejoratives.

But no real surprise given the snake-like, shit stirring, nasty piece of work that he is. He'll do anything for attention.

I've not suggested any such thing. Your lie that I have is the only shit-stirring here.

I really don't want your attention. I've told you before that I find your continued, obsessive personal abuse creepy.

 

[Mation]

The idea that black people can't be racist is on a par with black people can't swim. It assumes or imposes something on them due to their skin colour - an inability to exploit existing unequal power relations to their advantage or to develop unequal power relations to their advantage. The world is full of black leaders and their followers doing exactly that. The idea is analytically useless and politically poisonous.

You're absolutely right that there is nothing inherent in white people that makes them racist or in black people that makes us not; we're all capable of exploiting people and unequal power relations. But the systems are just not in place on this planet for black people to systemically oppress other races and never have been.

Basically in certain contexts, like American immigration, the Irish and other groups like the Italians were in pretty much all aspects very much considered 'other' (by WASPs) and thus about as 'white' as the Chinese. Maybe not using explicit labels of colour, but in treatment at the very least. Not sure how helpful it is in a modern discussion though.

I just mentioned it to indicate that whiteness is a concept.

 

[TopCat]

The idea that black people can't be racist is on a par with black people can't swim. It assumes or imposes something on them due to their skin colour - an inability to exploit existing unequal power relations to their advantage or to develop unequal power relations to their advantage. The world is full of black leaders and their followers doing exactly that. The idea is analytically useless and politically poisonous.

The whole concept is relished by people to excuse shit behaviours.