Quote:
Posted by
Catsquotl
Sad how individual 2nd hand experiental stories are used to convey a see I said so feel to encompass a subcategory of people. I recently talked to someone who has been living here since 2 years as a student in University who said that even though the Netherlands are supposedly rather liberal and tolerant she has to deal with racist remarks and "jokes" uttered by fellow students and even teachers.
If and when she spoke up she was portrayed as sensitive, no fun and unsociable.
Now where have I heard that before
Well, let me ask you a question: Do you like Chris Rock? Do you think he's funny?
I do! He's genius. Love the guy. When he makes fun of white people, which he does often, no one is laughing harder than I am. I could give a f#ck. And the reason is this:
much of what he says is true! There are some truths to some stereotypes, and when they are exposed in a humorous way, you can't help but laugh. It's visceral, it just comes out of you. It's like your soul's way of applauding a taboo truth.
Do you like Dave Chappelle? He's almost universally regarded as our best living comic. And deservedly so. He's hysterical. He also makes fun of white people. Constantly! LOL. Oh, and gay people, and trans people. And women.
Relentlessly
No one is above being poked at humorously.
No one. To assume one group or another is above being made fun of is simply arrogant.
Ridicule is another matter. No one should have to endure that. If your friend is being ridiculed for her race or whatever, that's bullsh!t and it needs to stop. But if she's being humorously poked at here n there, then the best thing she should do is poke back. There is a real opportunity for growth for her there if she can manage that. Something cathartic may be waiting for her just beyond her comfort zone.
re "systemic". Well this is the problem, isn't it? No one actually knows what this means exactly, least of all the mindless mob that is endlessly droning on about it.
For me, it's Bill's first definition, mostly. That's how I think of it. Some people will also include some element of unconscious bias in there too. And there is bias, of course; there's all kinds of biases. But I don't lay them all at the feet of racism. That all needs to be delicately parsed out. But in today's social climate, trying to introduce this type of logic will only earn you the label of racist, or bigot, or white supremacist.
"Systemic racism" is a murky idea and a threat all rolled into one, in the sense that no one really knows exactly what it means, but you better f#cking agree with it anyway or you're a racist.:)