Interesting Statement on Racism

[aurora]

I am white and have never been called the n word, but I could see how this is possible.

I'm still trying to digest the subtleties about racist vs. prejudiced from the other thread, though.

[aurora]

To be fair though I've also never had someone else call me racist, so I'm only imagining what I would feel in the moment in either case.

[gpw]

I can see the rationale behind it. However, the n word has been around a lot longer and was used to oppress and entire race for hundreds of years. White people may *think* being called racist is akin to a black person being called the n word, but I just don't buy it. The n word is too steeped in history to ever be on par with another "insult."

I feel like I'm not articulating myself well. It's another case of white people thinking they know, but they just can't know. They just can't.

[twohearted]

I don't really know what it feels like for a black person to be called the N word, but I think there would be a large element of defensiveness with being called a racist. I'm not sure there is an equivalent.

[katfco]

To some degree, I think you're right, that the vehemence of the response is as strong, but I think for someone being called a racist, it feels like a personal attack, whereas the n-word carries with it a whole host of other implications--not only is it a personal attack, but, as gpw said, it's such a historically loaded word.

Calling someone a racist means you're saying they, personally, are a bad person. Calling someone the N-word is saying what you think, not only about that person, but also about black people in general. It's a cultural and group insult.

I think the reactions are also connected to things we've discussed here before, that, because of white privilege, white people tend to think and respond as individuals, whereas black people, because of the centuries-long oppression, are more likely to feel things on a broader scale and to recognize the implications to the group and not just the individual.

So calling someone a racist is saying, "You personally are a bad person and have chosen to be so." Calling someone the N-word (I think, obviously I can't say from experience, just from listening and observing), is saying "You and your people are less than and there's nothing you can do about it."

[decemberwedding07]

When I was a cashier, my register's check verification system denied a check written by an AA customer. I told her I couldn't accept her check. She said I was racist. I started crying. I don't think I can understand what it would feel like to be AA and called the n-word, but I don't think it's the same as what I experienced. I was just really hurt. I had been called a lot of things by that point in my life, but I'd never been called a terrible person.

I guess it's that racist people are terrible people because of the things they do. Any racist person can make a commitment to change. I really believe that. You don't have to stay racist. Being called the n-word seems so much worse because it's someone telling you that you are fundamentally, at your core, "less than" simply because of how you were born.

I guess the best comparison I could come up with would be a woman being called a "stupid c-nt" and a man being called "sexist." I think the former would be much more hurtful.

[borinquen57]

Aug 30, 2015 14:34:38 GMT -5 katfco said:

To some degree, I think you're right, that the vehemence of the response is as strong, but I think for someone being called a racist, it feels like a personal attack, whereas the n-word carries with it a whole host of other implications--not only is it a personal attack, but, as gpw said, it's such a historically loaded word.

Calling someone a racist means you're saying they, personally, are a bad person. Calling someone the N-word is saying what you think, not only about that person, but also about black people in general. It's a cultural and group insult.

I think the reactions are also connected to things we've discussed here before, that, because of white privilege, white people tend to think and respond as individuals, whereas black people, because of the centuries-long oppression, are more likely to feel things on a broader scale and to recognize the implications to the group and not just the individual.

So calling someone a racist is saying, "You personally are a bad person and have chosen to be so." Calling someone the N-word (I think, obviously I can't say from experience, just from listening and observing), is saying "You and your people are less than and there's nothing you can do about it."

I agree with this word for word!  

[omgzombies]

I think the fear is different too. You may be called a racist, and have a strong negative reaction to it, but the sort of people I know of that would call someone the N-word as an insult are also the sort of people that would threaten and perhaps follow through with physical violence. Most people aren't worried about their own personal safety if they're just being called a racist.

Obviously this excludes people who use the word to take ownership of it, that's a whole different ball of wax.