Why do the jokes miss?



Anyone?

Believe it or not, there are some black people that don't feel they are victims of racism 24/7.

My best friend for example. I'm not going to deny she's never experienced it because she has, but when (and I will) send her this video she will laugh her ass off (as I did) how fucking stupid it is.

Why don't you show the fucking TRUTH, like the police profiling, arresting, harassing and incarcerating African Americans (along with Hispanics and other minorities) than a video that looks like a weak, fake after school special that's more like a mockumentary.

Especially not in daily life. They manifest very often in passive aggressive acts or simply acts of total ignorance. What this video portrays is how the white population can say deeply racially ignorant things without necessarily having explicit ill intent.

Very true. Which is why I'm so skeptical of those who blithely declare themselves "not racist" after little to no introspection on the subject. Even I, who've lived my whole life in a diverse area and always had an equally diverse group of friends, certainly haven't been immune to some degree of racial ignorance.

Of course racism doesn't always show as violence.

Just like some people can make mistakes, need some help and other people that are supposedly "progressive" can be completely unsympathetic idiots, don't offer help and want to call the police on them. FYI...I'm not referring to the thread about the working mother and the children at home.

I don't understand it myself; then again I'm an empathetic, non-judgmental liberal except when it comes to assholes.

This is the second time RiffRandell has attempted to post stalk me regarding my OP here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018623672

His first attempt at rehashing this post outside of the initial thread was here: http://metamorphosis.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5095900

"What's up my C...". It's okay for me to say it, my girlfriend is white.

then I think you might find it irritating after a while...

will probably tell you that it's not so much each small incident by itself, but rather all of them in aggregate. And my own perspective, as someone who's experienced bias secondhand through friends who weren't white and/or heterosexual, is somewhat similar.

of their bodies!

That being said, I worked with a young Black woman who INVITED some of her white

female co workers to touch her hair, and then she touched THEIR hair, and all of that

was fine with everyone.

I am sure you have extensive experiences in your life to justify that statement, but my guess is that you probably don't.

And you come out being offensive.

In spite of my own autistic spectrum nature, I like to believe I am not clueless.

It happens, and it's not just whites who do it.

http://www.projects-abroad.org/volunteer-projects/care/orphanage-work/volunteer-moldova/



So I guess I don't really "get" that segment. What is wrong with a black person doing volunteer work at a Moldovan orphanage and then relating her experience to a white friend?

The joke is a response to all of the white people who talk about volunteering to help the "beautiful black children." I've heard this more than once and have discussed this issue with more than one person.

There is a trend among white Westerners that volunteering or giving assistance in black communities or countries with predominantly black populations (especially in Africa) has become a sort of hobby which gives them a false sense of moral fortitude. In this hobby, black children become the toys of the hobbyist. Which is at the very heart of historical colonialism.

That's the piercing weirdness when white people bring up their charity towards black people when talking to black people. It's not about helping but maintaining the illusion of help.

and find personal satisfaction in helping orphans of all races and skin colors, I don't really see how this can be somehow made into a racial issue.

And it is not a matter of how many people volunteer (although the idea that there's a flood of Whiter Westerners into African countries is laughable). What matters is the motivation for using your help of black persons to legitimize yourself both in your own mind and among black people. Does that make sense?

This need to be the white savior is an idea that runs incredibly deep within the philosophy of colonialism.

with a genuine desire to help those less fortunate. Does volunteering in a Chinese orphanage, in your opinion, demonstrate racist feelings against Chinese people, or a "philosophy of colonialism" directed against the Chinese?

http://www.volunteerhq.org/volunteer-in-china

Is that what you want to hear?

and the desire to bolster their feelings of superiority by helping those people who they secretly considered to belong to an inferior race.

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of superficially good people?

Who preclude an argument from being valid.

I have many friends who aren't fervent bigots. Does that mean systemic fervent bigotry doesn't exist? Do you see how that becomes a ridiculous defense?

who are sufficiently racist and colonialist that it's worth it to them to spend time overseas volunteering when they could be having fun on vacation. Just because I have never encountered such a person is no proof whatsoever that such people do not exist. My anecdotal experience is worthless and meaningless because it is purely anecdotal and proves nothing. Absolutely nothing. I was wrong, and I apologize.

Such hateful actions need to stop. Their victims would be far better off if people just left them alone, perhaps they could volunteer, but only if they carefully screen the recipients to make sure they are only helping white people. The hatred needs to end. A real friend would confront them rather than allow them to continue doing such damage.

I should have used another analogy.

Your friends aren't bigots. Far from it, actually, if what you say is true about their actions. But what I'm saying is that we need to persistently check the underlying motivations for our actions, even those we think are good. Arguably, actually, especially for those we think are good. We are often less critical towards those actions we take which we deem to be morally upright.

If so, I guess there won't be too many volunteers anywhere.

By the way, I wouldn't mind in the least if a Black person wanted to touch my hair and

I worked with a young Black woman who felt the same way about White women touching

HER hair.

And even while allowing for our flaws, lots of us can still only muddle through. But the effort counts for a lot. The people in question could, alternatively, have not bothered.

To quote a favorite movie of mine, "But you gotta try. You know what I´m saying? It´s your duty.."

Sure, good intentions can lead to great harm, and the attitudes around colonialism are no joke, but I don't equate white people awkwardly demonstrating their pride for trying to do charitable work as equating to colonialism. Not in and of itself.

And also recognize that merely identifying our flaws does nothing to redeem ourselves. We have to act on this knowledge.

My comparison to colonialism is not to say that the two are equal but simply to note that similar exploitation is at the heart of both. It's the same premise as "token" black persons among groups of white people.

This sort of underlying motivation can pervade all ways of life from common social interaction to literature. James Baldwin discussed this in his critique of Uncle Tom's Cabin which was at one point considered a seminal work on race relations to which we now can say is deeply flawed.

That is in reference to a statement opposite to that, which would be, "Those little black boys and girls. They were so inspiring!"

or anywhere else, is it common to unnecessarily specify the skin color of the kids that you were helping when describing your trip to a friend?

I'm white so I wouldn't be on the receiving end of it and I don't know, but since they're making comments that are directly the opposite of stuff that's been said to them, it seems like it's something they've heard.

These comments, I thought we were the thinking party. See if you guys who don't understand why pointing out this type of behavior is important can just imagine even 3 moves ahead, THINK.

Because all white people know each other. How did they miss that one? It's an old comedic observation.

Just because Clarence Thomas is black?

Such behavior does indeed deserve to be lampooned.

And originally it wasn't totally crazy sounding. It was more like a funny exaggeration of the sad situation that a lot of blacks had little choice but to live in a de facto segregated neighborhood.

So, yeah, if someone knew that a black guy was from a black neighborhood, and asked if he knew another black guy from that neighborhood, that was one thing. The humor was as that escalated. Before long it was "You ever met Sammy Davis Jr.?"

Sigh, though given the constraints of segregation, blacks were compelled to bump into each other as they traveled.