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Continuing racefail
Mar. 25th, 2010 08:28 pmI have slowly been making my way through Racefail 09, of last year. And it is disgusting that I find on ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
fanficrants the same arguments, the same excuses and "I'M NOT RACIST STOP PICKING ON ME" attitudes that were hashed and rehashed last year brought up all over again.
Here is one statement that I found enlightening. "There ARE no races [swear] (at least that is our stance in europe, I know some us-americans heart and embrace races) so why should it matter what color I am?" I've taken out the swearword because this journal is not closed in any way, but that is otherwise the quote, word for word.
Biologically? Yes, there may not be a distinction between races. Maybe in physiology, there is no difference.
But this has absolutely no bearing on a discussion of racism, because all it does is tell people who are trying to speak up that their issues are worthless. You do not eradicate racism this way. Differences in humans may not exist scientifically, but they exist in my society, in your society. Stop trying to silence people.
It's not easy, nor is it painless to be called a racist. But maybe you ought to reflect before replying: "Am I coming off as racist? Did I mean what I say?" If what they said was untrue, move on. Don't go down in a flounce.
If you have the right to say blatantly racist statements (not the above, though it's coming close), then I have the right to say that you're being racist, and to STOP NOW. Free speech runs both ways.
fanficrants the same arguments, the same excuses and "I'M NOT RACIST STOP PICKING ON ME" attitudes that were hashed and rehashed last year brought up all over again.Here is one statement that I found enlightening. "There ARE no races [swear] (at least that is our stance in europe, I know some us-americans heart and embrace races) so why should it matter what color I am?" I've taken out the swearword because this journal is not closed in any way, but that is otherwise the quote, word for word.
Biologically? Yes, there may not be a distinction between races. Maybe in physiology, there is no difference.
But this has absolutely no bearing on a discussion of racism, because all it does is tell people who are trying to speak up that their issues are worthless. You do not eradicate racism this way. Differences in humans may not exist scientifically, but they exist in my society, in your society. Stop trying to silence people.
It's not easy, nor is it painless to be called a racist. But maybe you ought to reflect before replying: "Am I coming off as racist? Did I mean what I say?" If what they said was untrue, move on. Don't go down in a flounce.
If you have the right to say blatantly racist statements (not the above, though it's coming close), then I have the right to say that you're being racist, and to STOP NOW. Free speech runs both ways.
