Kinja reply list

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Tool of the MatriarchyMichael Harriot
2/28/19 8:05pm
If I hear “I had sex with a black person!” as “proof” the person isn’t racist, I point out many slave owners routinely raped their slaves. It rarely goes down well.
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  Old white guyTool of the Matriarchy
  2/28/19 10:04pm
  The Liam Neeson defense!
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  Baldwin'sApprenticeTool of the Matriarchy
  2/28/19 10:58pm
  To this very day, I would imagine that a pretty healthy percentage of those encounters are still either involuntary or not free-of-charge.
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loracksMichael Harriot
3/01/19 8:24am
Do all white people wear ASICS? They make the fugliest shoes. Except for their Onitsuka Tigers, and they’re uncomfortable as hell.
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  Kyo Soma A.loracks
  3/01/19 8:53am
  Saw one this morning wearing them. But it was just one, don’t know if they all wear them. I thought it was new balance?
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  SarDeliacloracks
  3/01/19 10:52am
  Asics tend to fit better on people with narrow or flattish feet. (I’m “narrow.”) Same with NB. I don’t know if white people tend to have narrower feet than average, but if they did it would make sense, I suppose.
  As for how they look, well, my personal preference for style is whatcha might call “unseasoned,” mostly because I don’t have a lot of money so buying dozens of pairs of kicks to match all my various clothing choices is pretty much out of the question. Plain, bland designs work well enough with everything.
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TheBurnerFKACantHaveNiceThingsMichael Harriot
2/28/19 8:51pm
I used to be the Black best friend. I was young, lonely and had terrible self esteem. I cringe when I remember the shit they would say to me.
One time one of my friends had the audacity to ask me to come to their job to prove that they weren’t racist.
The worst thing is that I grew up in a pro black household. I don’t know what was wrong with me.
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  MisanthropicMunchkinTheBurnerFKACantHaveNiceThings
  3/01/19 11:04am
  You have my empathy. I have many white friends, plus a few Asians! How diverse! But, I’ve been lucky in that all the whites I’ve befriended have been good ones. Real honest, supportive people. They get my seal of approval.
  It’s the acquaintances that I have to look out for. The people I meet every once in a while who sometimes act in a borderline racist manner (aka “microagressions”). When I was younger, I was a lot more passive about it. The desire to not cause a scene or be “an angry black woman” was strong.
  Now I’m all about that angry black woman life. Embrace the anger, let it flow through you, young one.
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  BlackMage2030TheBurnerFKACantHaveNiceThings
  3/01/19 11:40am
  Sadly it’s shit that you get sucked into... that whole frog in a pot thing most of the time.
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Sorely VexedMichael Harriot
2/28/19 7:44pm
I’m not sure racists have any problem being racist. Their problem is with getting caught. When you put a lifetime of effort into the euphemisms, elisions, code-words, dog-whistles, know-what-I-means, etc., that are the window-dressing of polite bigotry, it must really sting to fuck up so badly that everyone looks at you and says, “Damn, that’s racist as hell!”
All the excuses they make are just attempts to slither out from under the consequences of what they’ve just revealed about themselves.
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  Baldwin'sApprenticeSorely Vexed
  2/28/19 10:56pm
  Secretly, that’s a huge part of what all the apoplectic ranting and raving by people like Mark Meadows is about. They believe they should always be entitled to a chance to go for “double or nothing”, and go back undercover after they’ve been “falsely” exposed.
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  Marshall WillenhollySorely Vexed
  3/01/19 12:40pm
  Honestly, I think it’s more that their definition of racist sets the bar too low (or high, I’m not sure how it works here).
  So if they define “racist” as the type of guy who can’t stand even being near a black person and spontaneously screams racial slurs in a constant stream every time they are within earshot of a black person, then anything less than that is not being that guy and therefore not being a racist.
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Old white guyMichael Harriot
2/28/19 10:15pm
I think there’s some you missed (I guess you had to keep it to 10):
11. I read the root, therefore I’m not racist
(Corralary, I’ve never written anything close to the crap in the mailbag, so I’m not a racist!)
12. I’ve never said the n word (that I recall)
13. I’ve never donned black face, tried to break dance or rap, or do anything else that would make one think I’m trying to pose as black
14. I’ve never touched a black womans hair, or asked to do so.
15. I think the president is NOT the least racist person I’ll ever meet.
So there you are. Racism free over here in Maryland!
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  SessoMatto (Yes, I'm really fun at parties.)Old white guy
  3/01/19 1:07am
  “...over here in Maryland!” 😂😂😂
  All that would probably count over in Virginia.
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  KnightyKnightSessoMatto (Yes, I'm really fun at parties.)
  3/01/19 8:45am
  #13 is gonna trip up a few folk in VA.
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ktfright | Kinja Neighborhood Black GuyMichael Harriot
2/28/19 8:21pm
I come across number 4 and 8 oddly a lot these days, especially when they claim that they’re free to say it, even if they’ve only previously dated a black person and aren’t currently with them anymore. A chick once said her ex-dude and her biracial kids give her a pass, and it’s in perpetuity. Uhh... come again???
This also kinda seemed a bit relevant, but I wanted to flip my office table after seeing this video of a black dude giving out passes to white people so they can have a chance to say N-word. Anything for fucking views, SMH.
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  Freak0nautktfright | Kinja Neighborhood Black Guy
  2/28/19 11:42pm
  I had to stop this video after 4 seconds as soon as he says “n-word passes”.
  I...
  I cannot.
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  iculookinktfright | Kinja Neighborhood Black Guy
  3/01/19 1:33am
  I still have no idea why some negroes feel the need to publicly attack all of us from a place where we can’t attack them back lol.
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ConstantineMichael Harriot
2/28/19 10:04pm
White Jewish people consider themselves people of color.
Some, maybe. Speaking as a white Jew, I consider it appropriate to say that we are a minority, but nothing more. I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror if I took a distinction like skin color and adopted it. I’m aware my pigment has a certain advantage to it, and I can use people’s general ignorance to leverage things that I might not be able to if my name were more ethnically Jewish or if I wore a tallis or yarmaluke.
That said, I’m acutely aware of the hate that is building more towards my people lately. I’m fortunate that where I live is a good, diverse neighborhood, but even knowing that, I’ve had repeated fears of coming home to a swastika and a slur being spray-painted on my house.
If I come upon a Jew who considers himself a POC, I’m liable to punch him in the damn mouth. That’s such a fucking stupid notion.
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  the Oldsmobile 5.7 diesel wasn't nearly as bad as you've heardConstantine
  2/28/19 11:23pm
  That said, I’m acutely aware of the hate that is building more towards my people lately. I’m fortunate that where I live is a good, diverse neighborhood, but even knowing that, I’ve had repeated fears of coming home to a swastika and a slur being spray-painted on my house.
  Butch Gay Guy here. Same deal, can confirm.
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  BiturbowagonConstantine
  3/01/19 1:18am
  I get your general point, but do be careful. There *are* POC who are Jewish, and vice-versa. Besides for the late Sammy Davis Jr., there is the example of the wife of U.S. Representative Delgado, Lacey Schwartz. I also used to know an Ethiopian Jew who is now a rabbi in NYC. Etc.
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disco_tango_whiskeyMichael Harriot
3/01/19 10:33am
8b. You have half black children.
This is actually a strange one we’re starting to see a bit more of.
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  torchbearer2disco_tango_whiskey
  3/02/19 3:00pm
  I’m surprised people don’t try to claim having non-white grandchildren makes them not racist. “I didn’t disown my son/daughter for tainting the bloodline, totes not racist”.
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  ImNotSteveGuttenburgtorchbearer2
  3/03/19 11:47am
  I witnessed that “defense” during the last Presidential election when people were trying to defend voting for Trump.
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Hello, America: Find Your SoulMichael Harriot
3/01/19 12:28am
For many white people, the have over-defined racism out of existence. The definition is so narrow that no one fits into it. Or, if they hate all people of another race, it’s because of REASON so it’s not racism. I’m not sure how to fix this problem - calling people racist DOES NOT make people understand (note: I am fully supportive of calling racists racist).
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  SessoMatto (Yes, I'm really fun at parties.)Hello, America: Find Your Soul
  3/01/19 1:20am
  I think the concept of focusing on calling out racist behavior as such, and separating it from obvious racist identity is a way forward.
  “Hey, that joke was really racist” doesn’t mean I’m accusing you of being a neonazi. Assuming for a moment that the joker didn’t intend to be racist, perhaps it can be a teachable moment.
  I have older relatives who used to say racist shit, including really dumb jokes (like Polish jokes). They also loved sportsball, so I started telling them “Fan of Team You Don’t Like” jokes instead. Same jokes. We kids eventually got them all to knock it off (with a little help from our awesome hippie uncle). They actually did use the sportsball structure instead. I doubt it made them appreciably less racist, but at least they got the point that nice people don’t talk like that. (And they didn’t say as much embarrassing shit in front of my friends!)
  This was NY so diverse people were all around. Of course, all of their friends weren’t white. Didn’t do shit to prevent them spouting racist bs. Even as a child I found it so humiliating when people heard.
  I’m sure my Italian bestie really appreciated some of their shit. (Italians were absolutely considered POC back then, and I heard random people say terrible things right in front of her.)
  Getting them to change even a little was an achievement. Come ON, Olds, gain some awareness! Catch up!
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  Constant ColorsSessoMatto (Yes, I'm really fun at parties.)
  3/01/19 4:44am
  “I think the concept of focusing on calling out racist behavior as such, and separating it from obvious racist identity is a way forward.”
  This is it exactly.
  When you call somebody racist (or homophobic, or anything really so long as it contradicts their self-image) a mental barrier goes up and at that point you are talking to a wall. Nothing is getting through.
  It’s more effective (though not fool proof by any stretch) to point out why and how a given behavior is harmful. People are more likely to remain receptive to outside thoughts when they don’t feel like they are being attacked.
  Granted, in the heat of the moment, it’s pretty damn hard to not start telling bigots exactly what they are.
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BadOmbreMichael Harriot
3/01/19 1:48am
Every time I hear a white person say the word “woke” I want to kick them to sleep.
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  ImNotSteveGuttenburgBadOmbre
  3/03/19 11:49am
  Who gave us (I am white) this terrible word?
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8b. You have half black children.