Local view: Structural racism in America (Duluth News Tribune)

[Progressive Realist]

The Un-Fair Campaign helps shift conversations about racism from individual attitudes and behaviors toward a structural analysis of the privileges white people in this country have received. Although social grouping, hierarchies of power and wealth, genocide and the theft of indigenous land all were common throughout human history, America did something unique. We invented new racial categories with zero genetic basis but with unprecedented significance in determining life chances.

more: http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/239583/group/Opinion/

Thoughts?

[patrick1]

The Un-Fair Campaign helps shift conversations about racism from individual attitudes and behaviors toward a structural analysis of the privileges white people in this country have received. Although social grouping, hierarchies of power and wealth, genocide and the theft of indigenous land all were common throughout human history, America did something unique. We invented new racial categories with zero genetic basis but with unprecedented significance in determining life chances.

more: http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/239583/group/Opinion/

Thoughts?

How is the bold section even close to uniquely American?

[Jacobtm]

The Un-Fair Campaign helps shift conversations about racism from individual attitudes and behaviors toward a structural analysis of the privileges white people in this country have received. Although social grouping, hierarchies of power and wealth, genocide and the theft of indigenous land all were common throughout human history, America did something unique. We invented new racial categories with zero genetic basis but with unprecedented significance in determining life chances.

more: http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/239583/group/Opinion/

Thoughts?

How is the bold section even close to uniquely American?

It isn't, but that's no reason to act dismissive of the problem of institutional racism.

It's weird to me how people want to pretend race doesn't exist. It's simply untrue, ask an anthropologist. There are thousands of genetically identifiable races, far more than just the few that are popularly recognized.

The fact that there are different races is no basis for racism, discrimination, hate, or anything like that.

I understand that some people who want to see racism go away think it's easiest to say that "race" doesn't exist and therefore we're all the same, but that's a blatant lie, and arguments built on lies don't hold.

Racism is, in a way, hard-wired into people. We're tribal by nature, and tribes survived best by looking out for "us" and being wary of "them". But we are supposedly civilized people, and should be able to treat "them" no differently than we do "us".

To face up to the reality that we all are different, and then treat your fellow man as a brother shouldn't be too much to ask.

Isn't there something about that in Christian creed anyway?

[Sibboleth]

It's weird to me how people want to pretend race doesn't exist.

That would be because it doesn't.

It's simply untrue, ask an anthropologist.

wtfwtfwtf

[Ghyl Tarvoke]

The Un-Fair Campaign helps shift conversations about racism from individual attitudes and behaviors toward a structural analysis of the privileges white people in this country have received. Although social grouping, hierarchies of power and wealth, genocide and the theft of indigenous land all were common throughout human history, America did something unique. We invented new racial categories with zero genetic basis but with unprecedented significance in determining life chances.

more: http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/239583/group/Opinion/

Thoughts?

How is the bold section even close to uniquely American?

It isn't, but that's no reason to act dismissive of the problem of institutional racism.

It's weird to me how people want to pretend race doesn't exist. It's simply untrue, ask an anthropologist. There are thousands of genetically identifiable races, far more than just the few that are popularly recognized.

The fact that there are different races is no basis for racism, discrimination, hate, or anything like that.

I understand that some people who want to see racism go away think it's easiest to say that "race" doesn't exist and therefore we're all the same, but that's a blatant lie, and arguments built on lies don't hold.

Racism is, in a way, hard-wired into people. We're tribal by nature, and tribes survived best by looking out for "us" and being wary of "them". But we are supposedly civilized people, and should be able to treat "them" no differently than we do "us".

To face up to the reality that we all are different, and then treat your fellow man as a brother shouldn't be too much to ask.

Isn't there something about that in Christian creed anyway?

That's complete nonsense - in fact the non-existence of race is one of the major bedrocks of modern anthropology. There is 'genetic ancestry' but that shouldn't be confused with 'race'.

[Rhodie]

I find the tone of the latter part of the article slightly sinister. What do these aggressive policies actually involve?

[ilikeverin]

The Un-Fair Campaign helps shift conversations about racism from individual attitudes and behaviors toward a structural analysis of the privileges white people in this country have received. Although social grouping, hierarchies of power and wealth, genocide and the theft of indigenous land all were common throughout human history, America did something unique. We invented new racial categories with zero genetic basis but with unprecedented significance in determining life chances.

more: http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/239583/group/Opinion/

Thoughts?

How is the bold section even close to uniquely American?

It isn't, but that's no reason to act dismissive of the problem of institutional racism.

It's weird to me how people want to pretend race doesn't exist. It's simply untrue, ask an anthropologist. There are thousands of genetically identifiable races, far more than just the few that are popularly recognized.

The fact that there are different races is no basis for racism, discrimination, hate, or anything like that.

I understand that some people who want to see racism go away think it's easiest to say that "race" doesn't exist and therefore we're all the same, but that's a blatant lie, and arguments built on lies don't hold.

Racism is, in a way, hard-wired into people. We're tribal by nature, and tribes survived best by looking out for "us" and being wary of "them". But we are supposedly civilized people, and should be able to treat "them" no differently than we do "us".

To face up to the reality that we all are different, and then treat your fellow man as a brother shouldn't be too much to ask.

Isn't there something about that in Christian creed anyway?

That's complete nonsense - in fact the non-existence of race is one of the major bedrocks of modern anthropology. There is 'genetic ancestry' but that shouldn't be confused with 'race'.

This is another one of those rare issues that Gully, Al, and I are in complete agreement on.  I mean, the fact that "race" is a modern idea doesn't mean that you can't have racism, just like the fact that "airplanes" are a modern idea doesn't mean you can't be afraid of planes; it just means that, in the Western world, we happen to define in-groups and out-groups using the word and concept "race" rather than (or "in addition to") any of the many other ways we could slice and dice humans.

[shua]

By depersonalizing white privilege and structural racism we neutralize their threat to ego and identity.

Racism is not just an act of hatred and it is not something that we can choose as individuals to avoid. It is a fact of the world in which we live.

You can't "depersonalize" it, because we think and acts as persons, not as structures.  This project aims to remove all agency and responsibility from individuals, and treats them as passive members of racial groups. Institutional structure can impact relations between people of different races, but you can't solve racism by that way alone.

Criticizing "white privilege" is a threat to ego and identity in itself.  It's a horrible term that you can expect to end dialogue for the vast majority of white people. Instead of focusing on the deprivations against blacks caused by injustice, it focuses it's ire on the (often imagined) success of white people. Yes, tell those impoverished Appalachians, or the boy being bullied for not being macho, or the man in a psych ward, just how unfair it is that they received privileges based on their race.

[bigbadgerjohnny]

The wages of whiteness is death!