A Response Towards "Racist Stereotyping" of White Culture's Racism

[Shiranu]

Great post going around right now that I thought I would post here. The title is admittedly click-baitish... but I couldn't think of a more accurate title. It's slightly long but you cant really explain such an important concept in two or three sentences. It's a response to Kendrick Lamar's "racist stereotyping" of white people and them feeling offended by it.

[Sal1981]

Hmm, let's see what Neil deGrasse Tyson has to say, about something tangentially related to this:

http://www.upworthy.com/neil-degrasse-tyson-reveals-that-hes-been-black-his-whole-life-hilarity-and-wisdom-follow

Basically, he says that he encountered more roadblocks because he was black to become an astrophysicist than what a white person or female would, and he experienced one time he got stopped at a store because he was black.

So, yes, there certainly are roadblocks in the way - but is the way to remove them the right one?

No one is denying that matters of race are in inequality. It's just the way some people go about trying to solve them that I find distasteful.

[drunkenshoe]

It's just the way some people go about trying to solve them that I find distasteful.

So basically, you are just offended.

[Blackleaf]

I disagree. Being neutral is a perfectly valid option. There are millions of problems in the world. Is any one person capable of actively contributing to the solution of every problem? It's impossible, and unreasonable to expect anyone to try. People will help with whatever issues personally feel passionate about, and I think it's very arrogant to expect everyone else to care about the same things you care about.

As for Kendrick, he's just making things worse, encouraging the division between blacks and whites by being the very kind of person he claims to hate. Nobody is going to sympathize with him. Rather, his hateful attitude will just inspire more hate from his audience. It's counterproductive and hypocritical.

[Sal1981]

It's just the way some people go about trying to solve them that I find distasteful.

So basically, you are just offended.

Of course. Their methods are counterproductive.

[Shiranu]

As for Kendrick, he's just making things worse, encouraging the division between blacks and whites by being the very kind of person he claims to hate.

I must have missed where Kendrick hates white people because they are inferiour and wants to destroy their culture because it is disgusting to him...

Nobody is going to sympathize with him.

Obviously :P. That's why he nearly matched Michael Jackson's 13 Grammy nominations with his heavily socially conscious works. Or his music is chanted at BLM rallies. 

To Pimp A Butterfly netted Lamar seven Grammy nominations this year (out of a total 11 nominations). Lamar took home four awards before the show began, and picked up another award for Best Rap Album at the beginning of the show. The project is up for Album of The Year, the last award of the night.

Rather, his hateful attitude will just inspire more hate from his audience. It's counterproductive and hypocritical.

Except not.

It's like saying N.W.A. was going to start violence against police and whites for calling out the violence they received at the hands of the police and whites... or how we idolize MLK and demonize Malcom X... it's all fear-mongering B.S. to discredit an artist's experiences because he presents it how he saw it and not the picture-perfect family-safe white man idealized version of what a "civilized nigger" should be saying.

[drunkenshoe]

Guys, this is not some issue people can solve by trying to make other people happy. You cannot do something real about this without getting offensive in the real world. What is he going to do? Hand out roses, play songs and declare the day black-white hugging day? Talking about how bad is racism? Petitions? What?

These are all done. Countless of times. Everything that can be done gracefully and peacefully has already been done decades ago. And people are angry, because nothing changes. Of course they are going to get offensive, because nothing manage to penetrate the racism.

What do you expect him to do so it would work?

I personally find white people being offended by this very white and nothing else. Please get offended a little. 

[drunkenshoe]

Of course. Their methods are counterproductive.

As far as I remember you are not white. I don't get most of your reactions. It feels like everything that has a protest and resistence against traditional norms, rules agitate/offend you. It's the dynamic of protest.

E: I am trying to get your perspectve, don't get offended. 

Do you find Richard Dawkins offensive? Honest question.

[gentle_dissident]

Growing up in the middle of Oklahoma, I thought racism was dead. I've been around black people and mixed couples all my life, and no one's acted differently to anyone. I recently met this black girl from Arkansas. She sees racism here where it doesn't seem to be. She's a little high strung. Maybe people were reacting to that. We're pretty laid back here.

The good ole USA did nuke tests on the Marshall Islands from 1946 to 1958. The majority of the displaced Marshallese Islanders, it seems, got shipped here. I keep thinking that it's their custom to be rude, but I'm told by others that they just hate Americans. I should tell them that I didn't bomb their islands. I keep trying to connect with them. I think I'm making progress.

[FaithIsFilth]

Kendrick is right. The whites with power do hate his people and are happy to see them remain pretty much enslaved, in poverty and in jail. America was not built for blacks. There are a few politicians like Bernie Sanders or Ron Paul that will stand up for them, but the rest really don't care about blacks at all. It's understandable that black people would want justice for Eric Garner and people like him, but I don't think enough time is spent talking about ending the war on drugs and improving education. You're not going to get justice for all these black people shot by police. We can talk about fair or not fair, but it would be stupid for those in power to start sending a bunch of police officers to jail. They don't want to hurt morale among police, cause less people to sign up to be police officers, and they like having a corrupt police force that lacks sympathy for the common man. All of this benefits the government, so this is not changing. Getting body cameras on cops is a good thing, but you're still probably not going to be seeing that many more cops going to jail because of them.

So yeah, blacks certainly have reason to be unhappy and speak up about it. There's no doubt about that. I still think there's way too much black vs white stuff in the media these days. I think the government wants blacks and whites to hate eachother, so they are pushing this divide and conquer black vs white bullshit in the news non-stop. Everything these days is black vs white. You can't escape it. Even the Grammys, Oscars, and MTV awards is now all about black vs white. Fucking great. You have all these feuds now between black celebrities and white celebrities, and black actors boycotting the Oscars. The more division there is, the better off those in power are.

I really don't like when some liberals claim that it's not possible for black people to be racist, or for women to be sexist. Black people should be discouraged from hating all white people, just like white people should be told it's not ok to hate all black people. How are race relations going to improve when you have black parents teaching their children that's it's not humanly possible for them to be racist against whites, and then you have a bunch of liberals supporting that position? When you have black parents telling their kids not to play with white children or to be their friends? This attitude is not helping anything, and is only doing harm in my opinion. When someone says only white people can be racist in America, I see that as apologising for hatred. What ever happened to "Judge by the content of their character, not the colour of their skin"?

[aitm]

When I lived in my home town, I knew racism first hand, we didn't allow blacks in town, I never saw a black person until I was 14 at a Tigers Baseball game. When I went to college, black people were everywhere! Racism has died! Racial equality exists in the world! When I move to Florida, I worked with black people, wonderful, funny people. Eventually many worked for me, I had families for dinner, we boated together, I proclaimed to myself that racism had died and I was quite pleased with my role in it. Then I moved to Lubbock Texas…H O L Y F U C K!

"here is the list of people I think we should hire"
"okay.,,hmmm this guy here, is he black?"
"Uh-yeah that guy is"
"We don't hire niggers".
"Uh….what?"
"Nope"

"Pilter Plumbing gave us a pretty damn good price on the school job, I am writing their contract today"
"No, Pilter is a bunch of niggers, we aint' using niggers, all the rest of the subs will walk off"
"C'mon, thats ridiculous"
"Nope"

" We can't have a black guy as a superintendent"
"why not the guy is good and know his shit?"
"no subs will take orders from a nigger"
"oh c'mon, if they see he knows…"
"no"

yeah, quite the eye opening experience.

Most white people wanted all blacks to be the Huxtables…in Lubbock they wanted all blacks to be Kunta Kinta.

[chill98]

Most white people wanted all blacks to be the Huxtables…in Lubbock they wanted all blacks to be Kunta Kinta.

yeah, but in Lubbock, dont they feel that way about yankee's also?  I ain't so sure its just a race issue in Lubbock.

[aitm]

Nah, the Yankee's were driving the economy. Ain't never seen a real cowboy bar where 98% wear big old belt buckles and not one of can sit on a horse much less ride one.

[Shiranu]

Nah, the Yankee's were driving the economy. Ain't never seen a real cowboy bar where 98% wear big old belt buckles and not one of can sit on a horse much less ride one.

This. I think without being to the "developed South" people don't realize how redneck in name only Southerners tend to be. Even many redneck jobs now are much closer to whte collar than blue collar.

Texas at least in many ways could pass for a New England state with a different pair of pants and a little more open bigotry. Even the southern drawl is disappearing, thank God...

[mauricio]

I disagree. Being neutral is a perfectly valid option. There are millions of problems in the world. Is any one person capable of actively contributing to the solution of every problem? It's impossible, and unreasonable to expect anyone to try. People will help with whatever issues personally feel passionate about, and I think it's very arrogant to expect everyone else to care about the same things you care about.

As for Kendrick, he's just making things worse, encouraging the division between blacks and whites by being the very kind of person he claims to hate. Nobody is going to sympathize with him. Rather, his hateful attitude will just inspire more hate from his audience. It's counterproductive and hypocritical.

Basicaly this. The only response to this type of hatred and unreasonableness is to say: no, you are wrong. If you want to talk about racism we can do that but you are just wrong on that one statement being an objective reality. A lot of bullshit in that comment trying to somehow make kendricks words acceptable based on some collectivist narratives and unfounded claims it is intellectually flawed and morally selective. The world is much bigger than kendrick lamar and his personal struggles. We cannot abdicate to unreasonableness, hatred and falsehoods no matter how much understandable it is for that person to feel or think that way. Ultimately if as that poster says black people get more and more radical they are only gonna get scalation of violence where the first thing that will die is reasonable and sensible solutions. It might even be that it already died from what you see from BLM protests and rhetoric. We have to stop this hyperbolic rhetoric and talk firmly but with politeness, reason and evidence. That also neccesitates the intellectual destruction of attempts to subvert reason and science with dishonest post modernists tricks and socjus propaganda.