Racial posts

[Anonymous]

Has there been an uptick in racial posts, or am I only just noticing? A thread about the Kardashians dating black guys or one complaining about a dog in a Disney show "acting black" seem totally unnecessary and unlikely to add to any discussion.

[jsteele]

I think all of social media has seen an uptick in posts dealing with racial issues. Whether it is the #blacklivesmatter movement growing out of the police shootings of black men or the things related to the Confederate flag, all of social media is inundated. DCUM is no different. However, I am attempting to keep the gratuitous stuff off. Against my better judgement, I left the Kardashian thread because, while it is not a question that I would ask -- nor one that I even care about (indeed, there is nothing about the Kardashians about which I care) -- it is not a racist question in and off itself. However, I have removed specific posts from that thread. I didn't know until now about the dog post and will have to go look for it. Please report posts that you think are racist. I might not agree with you, but I would rather have too many reports than too few.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:I think all of social media has seen an uptick in posts dealing with racial issues. Whether it is the #blacklivesmatter movement growing out of the police shootings of black men or the things related to the Confederate flag, all of social media is inundated. DCUM is no different. However, I am attempting to keep the gratuitous stuff off. Against my better judgement, I left the Kardashian thread because, while it is not a question that I would ask -- nor one that I even care about (indeed, there is nothing about the Kardashians about which I care) -- it is not a racist question in and off itself. However, I have removed specific posts from that thread. I didn't know until now about the dog post and will have to go look for it. Please report posts that you think are racist. I might not agree with you, but I would rather have too many reports than too few.

I haven't read the Kardashian thread, but I find the title in itself racist. I think the question it asks is challenging, not in an intellectual way, but in a socially unacceptable way.

[Anonymous]

I was thinking the opposite. There was a time when every couple days there was a new thread race baiting or oddly fascinated with race.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:
I haven't read the Kardashian thread, but I find the title in itself racist. I think the question it asks is challenging, not in an intellectual way, but in a socially unacceptable way.

How would you react to a post titled, "Why does [famous man x] only date blonds?" In those terms, the question can be a bit intellectually challenging. While one answer could simply be "personal preference", there is a lot of cultural promotion of blond women as the epitome of beauty. So, a preference for blonds could be due to assimilation of cultural values or even a sort of status seeking (e.g. trophy wives). Theoretically, a preference for black men could also be as simple as personal preference, or more complex than that. I suspect that while any complex answer would be intimately tied to race, it would not necessarily be racist (though perhaps impacted by the racism ingrained in our society). However, the topic can be discussed in a non-racist manner -- though that is asking a lot based on what we frequently see in this forum.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I haven't read the Kardashian thread, but I find the title in itself racist. I think the question it asks is challenging, not in an intellectual way, but in a socially unacceptable way.

How would you react to a post titled, "Why does [famous man x] only date blonds?" In those terms, the question can be a bit intellectually challenging. While one answer could simply be "personal preference", there is a lot of cultural promotion of blond women as the epitome of beauty. So, a preference for blonds could be due to assimilation of cultural values or even a sort of status seeking (e.g. trophy wives). Theoretically, a preference for black men could also be as simple as personal preference, or more complex than that. I suspect that while any complex answer would be intimately tied to race, it would not necessarily be racist (though perhaps impacted by the racism ingrained in our society). However, the topic can be discussed in a non-racist manner -- though that is asking a lot based on what we frequently see in this forum.

Your last phrase says it all really. I think I am finding it racist because i know it will be a provocative thing to write here - and will probably incite racist responses. Which seems to have been the case...