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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Why does everyone freak out so much about being referred to as racist?  I'm a white person and I seriously don't get this.  There is so much "OMG this book is offensive because it says I'm racist" or "OMG that person suggested that I'm racist just because I'm white, how dare they?"

Seriously, what's the big deal?  We all pick up a ton of racism just from living in a society that had racism baked in for centuries, and so virtually all white people are racist to some degree or another.  Pointing out that you're probably racist is just saying, "Hey, you're probably contributing in some way to making life harder for people of color, and almost all other white people are too.  Can you please pay some attention to how that's happening and try to improve?"   It seems like the reaction should be, "Whoa, that sucks for people of color.  You're right, it seems important for me to do my best to look out for and improve on the ways I've picked up racism so I cause less harm to people of color."

Where does this "how dare anyone suggest I'm racist?" reaction come from?  Why do you care that people think you're racist-- do you think they're accusing you of being a terrible person or part of the KKK or something?  What's so controversial about the assertion that all or almost all white people are racist?  Do you get this freaked out when people point out other kinds of commonly-held biases in society, like sexism or ableism or the way that people tend to value conventionally attractive people over less attractive people?

(I realize it is ironic to be raising this on this thread because I gather that the book in question would give me some more insight on this question of why y'all are so terrified of/furious about anyone calling you racist, but I am curious to hear it from your own mouths...) [/quote]

How is it helpful? Being called a racist suggests that you willfully believe others are less than you just because of the color of their skin. This effort to redefine it to also mean the unintentional biases that we absorb from living in our society takes none of the sting out of that term.

Do people throwing “racist” around want to help drive constructive change or just to lord others’ unintended mistakes/missteps over them. Kind of seems like the latter from your PP. If we instead focus on HOW to best drive change we’d be using an approach that does not try to intentionally offend the people you are coaxing you change right off the bat. [/quote]

NP and it would really upset me to be called racist because I have black children as a white woman.  I know I have unconscious biases to work on but racism is a belief that another race is inferior, and I certainly would be offended if someone was saying I think my children are inferior to me.  Obviously this comes from an emotional standpoint but it also would make me very defensive and unlikely to listen to the individual calling me racist.[/quote]

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