I have nothing to defend. I wasn't there in the days of trans-Atlantic slavery. I was in the racist south in the 70s, standing for and with black people though. The people who go on and on about white people this, systemic and supremist that can go F themselves. If it has done that to someone like me, and it has, the problem is much, much bigger than you think it is.
I don't reject the idea that white people did some awful stuff when they started buying black people from black people in Africa. The white people did X before we were born seems a bit like the Israel-Palestine rhetoric going on now and is just as unhelpful. "White [you name it]" and "holocaust" are seen as a wild card that makes hate at worst or negative attitudes at least OK.
I understand quite well that black people didn't like way it was which is why I stood with them, and still do, but they didn't openly make me their enemy. With that I can quote General James Mattis, "No better friend, no worse enemy..." Making a friend an enemy is a fool's errand.
"If it has done that to someone like me, and it has, the problem is much, much bigger than you think it is."
Yes, I absolutely agree. Again, this is exactly why I write and talk about these issues. The "antiracists" have created a monster and I don't think they even see it yet because they're too wrapped up in their own racism and self-righteousness. I see the size of the problem very clearly I think.
My entire thesis, in pretty much everything I write, is that you, and every other white person alive today, have nothing to defend when it comes to discussions of slavery or the invention of "race" or anything else other than your own actions. But that doesn't stop many white people from *feeling* defensive.I see it all the time. And as you hint at here, in a growing number of cases, that defensiveness is turning into something extremely worrying (obviously not talking about you here. I'm seeing some truly awful stuff elsewhere online).
There are many levers to pull in order to undo (or at least minimise) the damage that this "progressive" racism has caused. And one of those is to continue to pick apart this rancid idea of collectivism based on skin colour. That also means recognising that "black people" didn't make you their enemy. A small selection of idiots, many of them white, decided that picking at racial divisions could make them a lot of money.
I want to note that regarding your last sentence, while yes some want to make a lot of money (DiAngelo is now a millionaire, Kendi is doing well), I think that other psychological motives likely are more widely behind the spread of the movement. (If you were to counter that the handful having the most cultural influence were motivated by money more than anything, I have no knowledge either way on that; I'm talking about the second and third tier evangelists who are much more common).
Resentment, guilt, seeking a particular kind of redemption, the joys of feeling moral superiority, imagined solidarity with the oppressed, personal power seeking - all of these motives/payoffs are far more common among proponents and promoters of the ideology than is making a lot of money.
Critical Social Justice ideology has largely non-monetary payoffs for its adherents (who are commanded to also be its proselytizers).
Again, at the top of the influence chain, money could perhaps be a bigger factor than it is among the rank and file.
"I think that other psychological motives likely are more widely behind the spread of the movement."
Yes, absolutely true. I place most of the blame for this movement on the people (like Kendi and DiAngelo) who published and promoted these half-baked, openly racist ideas. As well as the media who sold false narratives about race-based shootings (for example) for profit.
But yes, I think many more people ran with these ideas for reasons that had less to do with profit and more to do with virtue signalling and protecting their careers.
"𝘚𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘖𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢."
I have nothing to defend. I wasn't there in the days of trans-Atlantic slavery. I was in the racist south in the 70s, standing for and with black people though. The people who go on and on about white people this, systemic and supremist that can go F themselves. If it has done that to someone like me, and it has, the problem is much, much bigger than you think it is.
I don't reject the idea that white people did some awful stuff when they started buying black people from black people in Africa. The white people did X before we were born seems a bit like the Israel-Palestine rhetoric going on now and is just as unhelpful. "White [you name it]" and "holocaust" are seen as a wild card that makes hate at worst or negative attitudes at least OK.
I understand quite well that black people didn't like way it was which is why I stood with them, and still do, but they didn't openly make me their enemy. With that I can quote General James Mattis, "No better friend, no worse enemy..." Making a friend an enemy is a fool's errand.
Sorry, you caught me on a bad day.
"If it has done that to someone like me, and it has, the problem is much, much bigger than you think it is."
Yes, I absolutely agree. Again, this is exactly why I write and talk about these issues. The "antiracists" have created a monster and I don't think they even see it yet because they're too wrapped up in their own racism and self-righteousness. I see the size of the problem very clearly I think.
My entire thesis, in pretty much everything I write, is that you, and every other white person alive today, have nothing to defend when it comes to discussions of slavery or the invention of "race" or anything else other than your own actions. But that doesn't stop many white people from *feeling* defensive.I see it all the time. And as you hint at here, in a growing number of cases, that defensiveness is turning into something extremely worrying (obviously not talking about you here. I'm seeing some truly awful stuff elsewhere online).
There are many levers to pull in order to undo (or at least minimise) the damage that this "progressive" racism has caused. And one of those is to continue to pick apart this rancid idea of collectivism based on skin colour. That also means recognising that "black people" didn't make you their enemy. A small selection of idiots, many of them white, decided that picking at racial divisions could make them a lot of money.
I am in general strong agreement as usual.
I want to note that regarding your last sentence, while yes some want to make a lot of money (DiAngelo is now a millionaire, Kendi is doing well), I think that other psychological motives likely are more widely behind the spread of the movement. (If you were to counter that the handful having the most cultural influence were motivated by money more than anything, I have no knowledge either way on that; I'm talking about the second and third tier evangelists who are much more common).
Resentment, guilt, seeking a particular kind of redemption, the joys of feeling moral superiority, imagined solidarity with the oppressed, personal power seeking - all of these motives/payoffs are far more common among proponents and promoters of the ideology than is making a lot of money.
Critical Social Justice ideology has largely non-monetary payoffs for its adherents (who are commanded to also be its proselytizers).
Again, at the top of the influence chain, money could perhaps be a bigger factor than it is among the rank and file.
"I think that other psychological motives likely are more widely behind the spread of the movement."
Yes, absolutely true. I place most of the blame for this movement on the people (like Kendi and DiAngelo) who published and promoted these half-baked, openly racist ideas. As well as the media who sold false narratives about race-based shootings (for example) for profit.
But yes, I think many more people ran with these ideas for reasons that had less to do with profit and more to do with virtue signalling and protecting their careers.