it’s the same issue as the “black lives matter” / “all lives matter” distinction. On the surface, sure, “all lives matter” sounds more appealing because all lives do matter. But the point is that most people support white people, it’s the people of colour that you need to voice your support for, because they’re the ones being targeted with constant discrimination and racism.
I think back to the post about liking pancakes not meaning hating waffles. It sounds ridiculous but it’s very easy to fall into that mindset, especially in scenarios like this. “I stand with people of colour” doesn’t mean “I don’t stand with white people”, it just means “people of colour need my support more than white people do right now”.
If that sounds weird to you still, and you’d still rather say “I support everyone” that’s totally fair, but if you’re going to do that you need to be aware of the cultural meaning given to those kinds of phrases beyond what the literal words mean, as the type of people who say that sort of thing are usually saying it to delegitimize messages of support for marginalized groups, and so by saying it yourself you may end up being associated with those people as well.
We’re assuming this is in the US or a western country? Racism isn’t the same everywhere. For instance in Kenya Somalians are treated very poorly and there’s a lot of racism towards them by Kenyan natives but both are people of colour. Similarly there’s a lot of hate and resentment between Kikuyu and Luo and they will know one another easily by how they look aka their ethnicity and it’s essentially racism again but both are people of colour. Similarly a Chinese person in Japan will likely face tremendous racism yet both are people of colour. Who exactly are we standing with?
Yes sorry, I did assume a western context, that’s my bad. I’ve only ever lived in Canada so I’m not too knowledgeable on progressive movements outside of the west. I would imagine though that the best course of action would be to state your alliance with those marginalized ethnicities in those cultures. For example, if you live in Kenya and want to see Somalians treated equally there then you should express your support for the Somalians, because not expressing that support will cause others to assume you hold the culturally “default” position, which in the case of widespread discrimination would likely mean they would assume you are anti-Somalian.
Basically all I mean is that if you want to show that you don’t care about race or ethnicity then show support for whatever group needs it the most in your community. By doing so you’re showing that you’re willing to accept those groups even though they aren’t identical to you. Sure that might seem like you absolutely do care about race, since you’re supporting those groups on basis of who they are, but a truly “neutral” position doesn’t exist in situations like this, as choosing not to say anything at all is showing that you’re okay with whatever the current dominant ideology is.
It should be but I’ve met my share of people who legitimately hate the “dolphins” and have views of them as lesser beings, demons, and all around just bad if only for their race.
Sadly, yes. Some whale populations were dangerously close to collapse partly/mainly (it’s debatable) due to human actions. A lot of other maritime species weren’t thriving but with whales it was dangerously different.
For the record we did also have “dolphin friendly tuna” so perhaps my analogy needs some work…
In the late 20th century, whaling drove some species of whale into endangered status, and some nations continued to poach whales even though there was international law against it.
I didn’t say I “just” stand with people of colour, did I? Now, considering how many people at worst don’t consider people of colour to be people, or at best, just have a white-centric bias and don’t think of people of colour very often when they hear “all people”, the specific callout is very necessary. I specifically stand with people of colour, in addition to all the people who you would presumably expect Me to stand with due to being part of society.
I mean which country are we speaking of? It doesn’t make sense as a statement depending on where one is. For instance Somalians who have become refugees in Kenya are treated very poorly and there’s a lot of racism and prejudice towards them by Kenyan natives. Both are people of colour so who exactly am I standing with if I were to say I stand with people of colour? If I’m in Japan and I see a Chinese man being treated poorly just for his race then who am I standing with as both sides are people of colour. It’s a statement that assumes a particular dynamic and that may not be the dynamic that is in front of us.
The difference is that white people practically never face difficulties that are related to the color of their skin, there would therefore not be any reason to “stand with white people” except one motivated by racism.
Just as the other guy argues, nobody said anything about only standing with white people, you can assume one stands for people of all races with the statement.
Depends entirely if you are in a country of mostly white people.
Saying “I stand with the majority” comes off a lot like “fuck minorities”. While saying you “stand with the minorities”, doesn’t imply the same back since the majority isn’t at risk of being forgotten.
You can say you stand with white people, if you live somewhere central Africa. Since they are not a majority there and thus could use the support. The majority don’t need the support because they are the majority.
I hate racism and I stand with people of colour
Wouldn’t you stand with all people and not just people of colour?
it’s the same issue as the “black lives matter” / “all lives matter” distinction. On the surface, sure, “all lives matter” sounds more appealing because all lives do matter. But the point is that most people support white people, it’s the people of colour that you need to voice your support for, because they’re the ones being targeted with constant discrimination and racism.
I think back to the post about liking pancakes not meaning hating waffles. It sounds ridiculous but it’s very easy to fall into that mindset, especially in scenarios like this. “I stand with people of colour” doesn’t mean “I don’t stand with white people”, it just means “people of colour need my support more than white people do right now”.
If that sounds weird to you still, and you’d still rather say “I support everyone” that’s totally fair, but if you’re going to do that you need to be aware of the cultural meaning given to those kinds of phrases beyond what the literal words mean, as the type of people who say that sort of thing are usually saying it to delegitimize messages of support for marginalized groups, and so by saying it yourself you may end up being associated with those people as well.
We’re assuming this is in the US or a western country? Racism isn’t the same everywhere. For instance in Kenya Somalians are treated very poorly and there’s a lot of racism towards them by Kenyan natives but both are people of colour. Similarly there’s a lot of hate and resentment between Kikuyu and Luo and they will know one another easily by how they look aka their ethnicity and it’s essentially racism again but both are people of colour. Similarly a Chinese person in Japan will likely face tremendous racism yet both are people of colour. Who exactly are we standing with?
Yes sorry, I did assume a western context, that’s my bad. I’ve only ever lived in Canada so I’m not too knowledgeable on progressive movements outside of the west. I would imagine though that the best course of action would be to state your alliance with those marginalized ethnicities in those cultures. For example, if you live in Kenya and want to see Somalians treated equally there then you should express your support for the Somalians, because not expressing that support will cause others to assume you hold the culturally “default” position, which in the case of widespread discrimination would likely mean they would assume you are anti-Somalian.
Basically all I mean is that if you want to show that you don’t care about race or ethnicity then show support for whatever group needs it the most in your community. By doing so you’re showing that you’re willing to accept those groups even though they aren’t identical to you. Sure that might seem like you absolutely do care about race, since you’re supporting those groups on basis of who they are, but a truly “neutral” position doesn’t exist in situations like this, as choosing not to say anything at all is showing that you’re okay with whatever the current dominant ideology is.
Black Lives Matter is a bit like Save The Whales. It should be a given that you don’t want dolphins to be killed…
It should be but I’ve met my share of people who legitimately hate the “dolphins” and have views of them as lesser beings, demons, and all around just bad if only for their race.
Is it not a given you don’t want the whales killed or do you have to call them out specifically?
Sadly, yes. Some whale populations were dangerously close to collapse partly/mainly (it’s debatable) due to human actions. A lot of other maritime species weren’t thriving but with whales it was dangerously different.
For the record we did also have “dolphin friendly tuna” so perhaps my analogy needs some work…
In the late 20th century, whaling drove some species of whale into endangered status, and some nations continued to poach whales even though there was international law against it.
According to Wikipedia whale hunting is still an business and a controversy.
I didn’t say I “just” stand with people of colour, did I? Now, considering how many people at worst don’t consider people of colour to be people, or at best, just have a white-centric bias and don’t think of people of colour very often when they hear “all people”, the specific callout is very necessary. I specifically stand with people of colour, in addition to all the people who you would presumably expect Me to stand with due to being part of society.
I mean which country are we speaking of? It doesn’t make sense as a statement depending on where one is. For instance Somalians who have become refugees in Kenya are treated very poorly and there’s a lot of racism and prejudice towards them by Kenyan natives. Both are people of colour so who exactly am I standing with if I were to say I stand with people of colour? If I’m in Japan and I see a Chinese man being treated poorly just for his race then who am I standing with as both sides are people of colour. It’s a statement that assumes a particular dynamic and that may not be the dynamic that is in front of us.
Sure. But we’re speaking English, and in all majority English countries, white is privileged.
Are you sure about that? I can tell you first hand it can be a serious detriment or even dangerous to be white in some English speaking countries.
Naw, because if you say you stand with white people, that same person will say you are racist.
Isn’t that statement like ironically kind of racist? You’re judging the behavior of like a billion people just by the colour of their skin.
The difference is that white people practically never face difficulties that are related to the color of their skin, there would therefore not be any reason to “stand with white people” except one motivated by racism.
Just as the other guy argues, nobody said anything about only standing with white people, you can assume one stands for people of all races with the statement.
Depends entirely if you are in a country of mostly white people.
Saying “I stand with the majority” comes off a lot like “fuck minorities”. While saying you “stand with the minorities”, doesn’t imply the same back since the majority isn’t at risk of being forgotten.
You can say you stand with white people, if you live somewhere central Africa. Since they are not a majority there and thus could use the support. The majority don’t need the support because they are the majority.