The Official Racism Thread Social • Page 7

yeah, which itself gets into questions of how we train police (as i understand especially in Liang's case there were a lot of loopholes/straight up cheating found in his training?), how our culture glorifies the use of guns/violence, etc.

 

An eye opening statistic I saw on ABC was that in 2015 there were 990 fatal shootings by officers, while in the past 10 years only 54 officers had been charged and of those 54 only 11 convicted in the United Stated. Which means in 2015, only 4-5 officers have been charged and only 1 was convicted (statistically speaking) of approximately 82.5 fatal shootings, meaning 95% of fatal shootings are deemed justified and not worthy of charges, mind boggling.

As far as the racism aspect, despite our best efforts, we are 50-100 years away from the start of true equality as many of our parents and grandparents remember when de jure segregation was a normal part of society 50 years ago. Why is that important? look at the ages of our Supreme Court Justices, they were 29, 17, 32, 27, 10, 15, 11, and 5 years old the year de jure segregation was made illegal, which means half of them most likely have strong memories of it and know/knew people on both sides that supported and opposed it. This current school year NY is trying to integrate schools and reduce/end de facto segregation which plagues the city. Which is something that is going to take years to do, just look at the end of de jure segregation and how far we've come. Progress is slow, as shown by the debate of displaying the confederate flag. But progress none the less.

I've been to parts in the south that if it wasn't for the modern technology and clothing you would of thought you had time warped to the 1950's or earlier.

 

So there's an officially approved (not that it really matters) Snapchat filter for 4/20 that puts Bob Marley's face over yours. People on Twitter are calling it blackface, which I guess it is. Seems like it's going to be a flashpoint today.

Anyway... I'm not offended, but understand that some people actually are offended. And I'm at a loss. Should I agree with the crowd that this is offensive, even though I don't personally care? Should I just shut up and wait for an issue I care about?

Can someone please educate me about this, and about social media advocacy in general? Sometimes it feels really tiring to see 20 news stories about controversies that seem really slight. But I also feel like a dick for typing that, because someone somewhere is actually hurt.

 

This is an important thing in day to day race issues. I say sympathize with those that are offended, don't participate in it since you sympathize with the victims, and look into some history as to why this is a big deal for people.

 

as long as you don't say " this doesn't matter talk about something important " it's fine I think, you don't need to have an opinion on everything which I know is how it feels , so I'd say the latter

 

Asian-American Coalition Issues Powerful Statement About Peter Liang's Sentence of Community Service

 

Yeah Bob Marley filter caught me off guard.

In terms of teaching oppression, I have two female professors of color who have taught me more about the subject than literally any other teacher I've had. I don't necessarily think it would have been as effective with a white male, but it depends on how they tackle the subject/how aware of their own positionality they are. I speak on racism and oppression to my predominantly white students, often times using first hand accounts of the oppressed rather than attempting to talk for them, but it's clear that the lessons would carry more weight if taught by someone in the marginalized group willing to share their experiences. Simply put, I'm the only one in the school willing to talk about the topic so rather than not talk about it at all, I acknowledge my privilege and frame my discussion around it.

 

Bob Marley's estate approved the filter themselves but I'm sure people will still be up in arms about it to get their fix.

 

That's pretty condescending. A fix? Really? Come on man.

 

Regardless of the interactions of the estate, I wouldn't dismiss or belittle people's complaints. Not a good look.

 

I should have worded my post better but on a serious note:

How do you you feel about being offended "on behalf" of other people?

 

I think when you draw that arbitrary line and begin to argue about something completely removed from the situation, you belittle the actual point. Arguing about people being offended, or being offended that people are offended or complaining about people being offended is absolutely pointless and does more harm than good.

Arguing "on behalf" could take on many points. I teach children of color who may be offended or hurt by something. Many people have friends or family who are of a different social or cultural group than they are. Are they not allowed to be offended? What's the point in arguing that? It becomes an echo chamber with no end. You cannot qualify levels of being offended, or how much someone should be offended, so why even discuss it?

That's the problem that many (almost always white) comedians face when they speak out against "outrage culture" or w/e. They're usually mad at other white people for getting mad, but they completely neglect the original argument about racism or homophobia or sexism or whatever it may be. It completely shifts important conversations to a conversation driven and controlled by a white person.

 

I find it weird when people say that I'm being offended when I am talking about certain issues or that I "find it offensive" like it's some kind of personal preference, as if what I'm talking about exists in a vacuum and disregards the whole scope of society. By putting the burden on me it takes attention away from the fact that the issue at hand is racist, sexist, or whatever form of bigotry. The more I think about it, the way the word "offensive" is used, it's basically a placeholder for whatever form of bigotry is being addressed. Sames goes for the phrase, "PC.''

I also understand that this doesn't actually answer your question.

 

@OhTheWater I like how we basically come to the same conclusion.

 

I am left trying to figure out how this isn't a logical fallacy. When did shitty actions, such as black face, become legitimate once a person of color endorses it?

 

Understanding that slavery was a relationship in which black bodies were sources of the accumulation of money makes it pretty gross to see Harriet Tubman put on our currency.

 

Move Over, Andrew Jackson. Harriet Tubman Is Coming to the $20 Bill.

 

Still feels not right

I don't think any faces should be on money. I'm more glad they're getting rid of a genocidal lunatic.

 

Apparently, the cops shot a dog in my mothers neighborhood right in front of the children that owned it.

 

Yikes, what a way to create a resentment of police early on.

 

@OhTheWater are you starslight

 

Yes

 

How Two Harvard Students Are Revolutionizing the Way You Shop for Nude Clothing

 

Bled Fest diversity - Fusion Shows

So my questions, which I’ve never answered for myself to a place where I’m truly comfortable, are this:

IS THERE A RESPONSIBILITY ON US OR OTHER EVENT PRODUCERS LIKE US TO EVEN PAY ANY ATTENTION TO RACES, GENDERS, ETC.? IS THERE A QUOTA? LET’S JUST ROLL WITH AN ESTIMATE OF 10%. IF 10% OF APPLICATIONS REPRESENT MINORITIES, SHOULD I BOOK 10% OF ACTS FEATURING MINORITIES? 15%? 20%? SHOULD WE SPECIFICALLY ATTEMPT TO GO OUTSIDE OF WHO SUBMITTED AND THE AGENTS WE WORK WITH (DEFINED EARLIER AS ALMOST ENTIRELY WHITE MALES) TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE’S A FAIR % OF MINORITIES REPRESENTED? AND WHAT’S FAIR? DO WE FOCUS MORE ON RACE AND GENDER THAN WE DO ON SKILL, PROMOTIONAL VALUE, ACHIEVEMENT, PROFESSIONALISM, ETC.?

It goes back to my early college years. Did U-M need to make special circumstances for those minorities who weren’t given the tools at birth to BECOME a top-notch student?

 

So, the onus is on people of color, then? Also, I love the recourse to parsing the percentages of different groups, as if to say, it is too hard to have a balanced and intentionally diverse show. Intentionality is important and yes, some white male bands might not make it on the list as a result. This is better than de facto segregation.