Current Events > Is this tweet racist?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Lmfao, no. Also "caucacity"

---

CyricZ posted...

The American slave trade.

"C'mooon that was a million years ago!"

The Jim Crow era.

"C'moooon that was my grandpappy."

Modern racial systemic biases in business, government, and authority.

"C'moooon you can't hold ME responsible for that."

Oh so... you're "one of the good ones"?

The reason these things keep being said, the reason why these arguments keep happening, is because we're not out of the woods on racism yet.

The war on drugs. Incarceration. Felony inability to vote. These systems are still in place.

It's not enough to say "I haven't done anything racist". It's necessary to recognize that these racist systems exist and join in on demanding their shutdown, because they won't go away on their own. They won't go away if we just look away and just focus on ourselves and our own lives.

And if your contribution is to look at statements like this and say "how dare you accuse ME", then do you really think you're looking for a solution, or are you just looking for people to be quiet and not bug you?

...I'm curious, what have you done? Besides, you know, post on the internet. Are you in the 'hur dur I recognize it' group, thus absolved of all past transgressions?
---

Slayer_22 posted...

Besides, you know, post on the internet.

CyricZ is a longtime member of the gamefaqs community and has made many quality FAQs on this website and you will treat him with respect thank you.

---

Slayer_22 posted...

...I'm curious, what have you done? Besides, you know, post on the internet. Are you in the 'hur dur I recognize it' group, thus absolved of all past transgressions?

I donate my money and time to various causes and I've marched in protest.

Not that I even need to respond to bad faith garbage like this. When you engage in "Oh and you're so perfect" rhetoric, what do you really have to argue with at the end of the day.

---

Yeah it is. People don't realize you can say something true and still have it be racist.

Every race of people have committed awful acts in general, admittedly with less global impact. Humanity in general loves to commit atrocities on itself.

Not to mention you can easily blame people for these things when they had absolutely nothing to do with it. Mass generalizations about any race tend to be discriminatory in general and only help perpetuate more hate.

I can do it to you because your great great great great grandpa did it to my great great great great grandpa

---

CyricZ posted...

And indeed it seems that's all some people will be doing. Checking off the box for today, as it were.

But not you, you'll be calling out "real" racism not present in the topic.

CyricZ posted...

Yes, it's direct to white people. I recognize that. Guess what? I can take it. It's harsh, but I'll deal with it.

I'm not going to take my ball and go home because somebody got harsh.

If all it takes for you to stop being anti-racist is a tweet like this, then did you ever really care about being anti-racist? Do you require every person of color to be nice to you first?

I would never call myself anti-racist. My standards are pretty basic, basically be a decent person, treat people with respect and so on. I wouldn't extend it to "if you want to truly be a decent person, you must activelycombat people you see as indecent, otherwise you aren't really decent, and in fact contribute to continued indecency, thereby making you indecent". I sure as hell wouldn't apply such thinking by race, either.

Nothing about any of this has anything to do with me changing or being made to be anything. I have no idea where that shit came from. This fucking tweet is a "gotcha, white people" and you're talking about fighting systemic oppression.

I'll assume you already know you being white doesn't add weight to your opinion.


---

CyricZ posted...

Not that I even need to respond to bad faith garbage like this. When you engage in "Oh and you're so perfect" rhetoric, what do you really have to argue with at the end of the day.

"'Oh and you're so perfect' is bullshit but blaming people for the actions that dead people in the past who were the same skin color or sex is fine "

okie dokie

---

CyricZ posted...

I donate my money and time to various causes and I've marched in protest.

Not that I even need to respond to bad faith garbage like this. When you engage in "Oh and you're so perfect" rhetoric, what do you really have to argue with at the end of the day.

Yeah, actually. Practice what you preach. A lot of people act like they're above others simply just because of the anonymity of the internet. Taking someone on what they say on a video game forum...yeah, hard sell, that.

That being said, why does that mean it's entirely okay to blame an entire race, in a blanket statement, on actions of ancestors that have nothing to do with them?

Oh, and hey, he accused people with a blanket statement of these things because he was accused with race baiting himself.

Hey, should we hold every race accountable for the sins of the father? Because trust me, if we did, everyone would want to kill everyone lol.
---

Yes, its racist

---

shnangyboos posted...

I would never call myself anti-racist. My standards are pretty basic, basically be a decent person, treat people with respect and so on. I wouldn't extend it to "if you want to truly be a decent person, you must activelycombat people you see as indecent, otherwise you aren't really decent, and in fact contribute to continued indecency, thereby making you indecent". I sure as hell wouldn't apply such thinking by race, either.

I mean, if you want to be a good person you probably should actively support changes that you believe fix bad things if possible. And if you believe it's the right thing to support. Or maybe I'm not sure what you're trying to say
---

shnangyboos posted...

I would never call myself anti-racist. My standards are pretty basic, basically be a decent person, treat people with respect and so on. I wouldn't extend it to "if you want to truly be a decent person, you must activelycombat people you see as indecent, otherwise you aren't really decent, and in fact contribute to continued indecency, thereby making you indecent". I sure as hell wouldn't apply such thinking by race, either.

Yes, I'm getting that. You care about you and how you specifically are seen. If something occurs that is beyond you, you are not obligated to care about it.

And yet here you are in this topic. The Bishop didn't address you personally, yet here you are taking his words personally.

Nothing about any of this has anything to do with me changing or being made to be anything. I have no idea where that shit came from. This fucking tweet is a "gotcha, white people" and you're talking about fighting systemic oppression.

Because you're staring at the text of the tweet and refusing to think about what's beyond it. Again, you're taking it personally without realizing it's not even about you specifically.

I'll assume you already know you being white doesn't add weight to your opinion.

Did I ever suggest it did? I'm literally just talkin' here.

---

Yes

CyricZ posted...

Yes, I'm getting that. You care about you and how you specifically are seen.

Says the guy that jumped to defend himself lol.
---

Slayer_22 posted...

Says the guy that jumped to defend himself lol.

Says the guy who specifically attacked me also lol.

---

CyricZ posted...

Says the guy who specifically attacked me also lol.

Yup, you are 100% accurate in that assessment. Though, wouldn't call it attacking.
---

CyricZ posted...

Because you're staring at the text of the tweet and refusing to think about what's beyond it. Again, you're taking it personally without realizing it's not even about you specifically.

to be fair, it wouldn't be a stretch to think that the twitter user would discount any white person's opinion, utilizing the same logic in the tweet

MachineJaipur posted...

to be fair, it wouldn't be a stretch to think that the twitter user would discount any white person's opinion, utilizing the same logic in the tweet

Have you tried, or are these assumptions?

---

CyricZ posted...

Have you tried, or are these assumptions?

Assumptions because usually people who use the "Race did thing in the past so you, as a member of said race, can't have an opinion on X" aren't too discerning in the application of that logic

It's funny seeing people who never ever acknowledge the existence of racism in other contexts call this out with clear voices and moral certainty. I wonder what the difference here is????

---

Deliberately obtuse?

---

Yeah, it's really no different than the arguments of people who try to call black people innately violent.

CyricZ posted...

Yes, I'm getting that. You care about you and how you specifically are seen. If something occurs that is beyond you, you are not obligated to care about it.

And yet here you are in this topic. The Bishop didn't address you personally, yet here you are taking his words personally.

I know you think child trafficking is wrong. I doubt you're actively doing anything to combat child trafficking. You only aren't doing anything to combat child trafficking because it doesn't directly affect you. You don't care about child trafficking. This is made worse because you are a man, and men are responsible for child trafficking. Replace child trafficking with whatever bad thing you aren't actively combating, and thus are contributing to, and man with whatever group is most responsible for the bad thing.

CyricZ posted...

Because you're staring at the text of the tweet and refusing to think about what's beyond it. Again, you're taking it personally without realizing it's not even about you specifically.

In what way am I taking it personally? I couldn't give a shit less if this dude hates white people to his very core. The tweet is racist, and the people who claim themselves to the most against racism, like you, just can't say it, or don't even think it is. That's my entire position on the tweet. There is no "beyond" it in regards to this topic.

You said "I'm white and it doesn't bother me". You clearly thought it added something.

---

I was told this can only be racist if the account owner literally thinks white people should be enslaved.

---

IfGodCouldDie posted...

I mean they are attributing things done by dead people to a whole race of people that include people fighting for equal right

True.

Im also wondering how in the Hell some people can give caucasity a pass, when its obviously a race baiting tactic.


---

shnangyboos posted...

I doubt you're actively doing anything to combat child trafficking.

It's funny you use this issue in particular because I actively donate to this particular charity and I could show you the receipts:

https://polarisproject.org/human-trafficking/

But to address your broader point of trying to cheapen my contribution to this topic because you don't think I'm perfect enough to address every single problem in society, I can still at least choose to not be part of the problem. I can choose to not try to justify my inaction. I can choose to not shame others for their action.

shnangyboos posted...

There is no "beyond" it in regards to this topic.

Because you refuse to engage in it. What you've shown so far in this topic says to me that you believe the rules are set to this tweet and this tweet alone and there's nothing further to the issue. Thing is you KNOW that there's more to the issue. You've been taught that from a young age, and yet still you're far more comfortable placing this in a vacuum so you can be righteous in calling it racist.

And furthermore, challenging others to call it racist before you believe them worthy of your attention. "If you're so good, then call this tweet racist! I dare you!"

And you'll note I've neither called this tweet racist or not. I've refused to answer the question, because it's a bad faith question. It's yet another way for white moderates to tune out the systemic racism in their lives by pooh-poohing and finger wagging at activists for "going too far" or "being just as bad". "Both sides!"

---

Lorenzo_2003 posted...

True.

Im also wondering how in the Hell some people can give caucasity a pass, when its obviously a race baiting tactic.

Personally? I thought it was kind of funny.

---

CyricZ posted...

I can still at least choose to not be part of the problem. I can choose to not try to justify my inaction. I can choose to not shame others for their action.

But you're perfectly fine with someone shaming others, regardless their actions, with skin color alone?
---

Slayer_22 posted...

But you're perfectly fine with someone shaming others, regardless their actions, with skin color alone?

As a white person, I accept that shame. Because I have a responsibility to it like any of us. I do what I can, but I could still be doing more. I could be out volunteering instead of playing video games on a Saturday, or arguing with CEfolk.

I've long accepted the shame of being an inheritor to a legacy of the subjugation of a population of humans based on their skin color stretching centuries.

I'm not going to cry foul having been reminded of it.

---

superman 2000 posted...

You're welcome. I look forward to your reply.

@superman_2000
All right. So the basic thing to keep in mind at all times is that there's a historical disparity between minorities and white Americans. This isn't just because of slavery and segregation, there's systemic issues like how certain cities designed ghettos for minorities to live in and they were banned from living in white areas. Even as discrimination on race became illegal on paper, there's still HOAs and the like to maintain it while providing other excuses for declining a person the ability to buy a house or rent somewhere.

Moving on, there's also the importance of generational wealth. A family that struggles will have kids who are statistically far more likely to struggle. Likewise, a family that lives comfortably and has money to send their kids to college will raise the kids chances of living even more comfortably and having even more wealth... Plus inheritance and the like, which given the housing market basically means giving the kids or grandkids a huge leg up with what was a modest investment at one point, and it's only growing more extreme.

That all in mind... The tweet points out things that white people have historically done against minorities. Those crimes are what went on to create the disparities described above.

To a privileged individual, they might think that they worked hard and went to college and earned their successful job. But it's ignoring the generational advantages that they have been afforded, as well as other general systemic ones that are still in place. It is anything but, of course.

As such, while they might not realize the advantages they have had or the systemic benefits they've received, they would not consider those things to have any racial aspect to it or any connection to those historical events.

Which is to say, that for someone privileged to say that something that has very strong racial aspects to it is race baiting, would be the very height of folly. And that's usually what is the case when people throw out the term race baiting, because they don't realize that something is far more racially involved than it seems at a cursory glance from so high up the social ladder.

And that's why what the tweet says is correct and not racist. Because it's not racist to acknowledge the privilege or at least, lack of social and systemic disadvantages, that a white person has.

Or tl;dr everything is far more involved than it seems, race affects a lot more than what people might think

---

Not at all.

---

CyricZ posted...

As a white person, I accept that shame. Because I have a responsibility to it like any of us. I do what I can, but I could still be doing more. I could be out volunteering instead of playing video games on a Saturday, or arguing with CEfolk.

I've long accepted the shame of being an inheritor to a legacy of the subjugation of a population of humans based on their skin color stretching centuries.

I'm not going to cry foul having been reminded of it.

So you're saying everyone should accept what their ancestors did and live in the shame of that?

Well, fuck, might as well go shit on the sons and daughters of serial killers. Those guys must be total scum to you!

You shouldn't be shameful of your skin color. Skin color shouldn't matter. Who you are as a person, and the good you do in the world is what matters far, FAR more.
---

Slayer_22 posted...

So you're saying everyone should accept what their ancestors did and live in the shame of that?

Well, fuck, might as well go shit on the sons and daughters of serial killers. Those guys must be total scum to you!

You shouldn't be shameful of your skin color. Skin color shouldn't matter. Who you are as a person, and the good you do in the world is what matters far, FAR more.

What you do with shame is your own business.

Personally I think "accepting it" transcends "living in it". Like I'm not lying in bed crying because of the atrocities of the American white man, but having been made aware of it, it is part of me, and shapes how I act in my life, in particular what I support and what I reject.

And realizing that the ability to live my life on my own and separate myself from the problems around me is something I have been privileged to receive, in part because of my skin color.

It's not shame for my skin color. It's shame for my heritage and the culture that arose from it.

---

Slayer_22 posted...

So you're saying everyone should accept what their ancestors did and live in the shame of that?

Well, fuck, might as well go shit on the sons and daughters of serial killers. Those guys must be total scum to you!

If the daughters and sons are also serial killers then of course

You are acting like racism doesn't exist anymore lol

---

CyricZ posted...

But to address your broader point of trying to cheapen my contribution to this topic because you don't think I'm perfect enough to address every single problem in society, I can still at least choose to not be part of the problem. I can choose to not try to justify my inaction. I can choose to not shame others for their action.

You're injecting so much shit to the topic, including the broader race issues, and are just like "you just can't see it". Yes, there are broader issues with race. Those broader issues have nothing to do with whether this tweet is racist. And the bullshit you're peddling is that by not actively combating the bad thing, you're contributing to the bad thing. If there's a bad thing out there that you aren't actively combating, you're contributing. It's your basic level thinking brought down to what seemed to me to be even more basic, but you somehow(not actually) thought it was a personal attack to shame your contribution to the topic, which has been to talk about anything other than the topic, and for not fixing society, yet I stated earlier I don't believe people have an obligation to actively combat things they think are wrong. As far as justifying your inaction, if I ask you why you aren't actively combating this bad thing, and you tell me why, you're justifying your inaction.

If 60% of your personality is being against racism, then you not calling out clear racism, and in fact ignoring it entirely and bringing up other racism for whatever reason, is you being bad faith with how against racism you are. It's even worse because your whole fucking position is we need to be calling racism out, yet here you are calling out entirely different racism. Now imagine you are the activist fighting racism, and you use racism to argue your position.

You apparently think calling out racism from someone not white hurts the fight against systemic racism, that calling this racism is tuning out systemic racism. That's complete nonsense.

It's goddamn gold that you have the caucasity to call me the righteous one here.

---

gunplagirl posted...

Which is to say, that for someone privileged to say that something that has very strong racial aspects to it is race baiting, would be the very height of folly. And that's usually what is the case when people throw out the term race baiting, because they don't realize that something is far more racially involved than it seems at a cursory glance from so high up the social ladder.

This is the crux of it, and yet it is still wrong to generalize that as "white people".

---

CyricZ posted...

I've long accepted the shame of being an inheritor to a legacy of the subjugation of a population of humans based on their skin color stretching centuries.

Fuck, I wish I had seen this before I responded. This shit is on another level of embarrassment.

---