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ameliarose · Joined: 17 Feb 2011 Posts: 24

As I read tonight's passage I was really stuck on being accidentally racist by saying something where you are unaware of the racial implications. I personally feel like this is really hard because thinking back I have probably contributed to this hidden message racism. There are times when I am with one of my very close friends who is black and we will start saying things like "well you do that cause you are black," or "you are so white (or hispanic depending on the action)." Even though we are joking around it still contributes to the cycle of racism. I think everyone does though. I don't mean this as an excuse for my own behavior but I truly think that every person has been prejudice.
On another note I was reading shari's post about "what is race" and I wanted to ask a question as well. What is racism? This if the classic argument I have with my friends out side of class because at CSW I have been taught that racism is to be discriminatory toward a racial group by the group in power. This means that in America at least only white people can be racist because in the U.S. white people are the dominate racial group. I know soooo many people disagree with this but I wanted to see where you guys stand on the issue because personally I agree with that definition.

liddyhelmus · Joined: 03 Nov 2011 Posts: 1

I think the biggest barrier to addressing these microaggressions is guilt - if you directly call someone out for saying something offensive, their first reaction might be a defensive one because it is difficult for them to accept that they may have been hurtful. If you are born into a group that has been the historical oppressors (i.e. white people), then often, from birth you are told that one of the worst things you can possibly be (or appear to be) is racist, so the prospect of seeming that way can be scary.
In terms of what defines racism, I think that racism is any action, comment, etc. that is based solely or largely on the perceived race of the person it is directed towards. That means that for me, a comment made by a black person about how all white people are a certain way is just as racist as a comment from a white person about black people.

JasonJeong · Joined: 20 Oct 2011 Posts: 13

I think what Amelia has presented is a perfect example of microaggression. Regardless of one's intentions, there may be times when one overlooks the weight of our words. And although the effect of one's words might not be so damaging, it definitely does contribute to racism (to stereotypes as well)

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