But…

  • quackers@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    37
    ·
    1 year ago

    Thinking the color of your skin has anything to do with anything is an easy way for me to not take anything you say seriously. The inequality is class based, not race. But keep spouting off about how whiteys are the devil and creating more racists of all colors. Both of these sides serve the ruling class by distracting us from the real issues.

    • pomodoro_longbreak@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      16
      ·
      1 year ago

      It’s mostly white people. I’m white. I know these people. I’ve been this person. Yes I agree, there is a meta inequality based on class outside of race. Just like there is “colourism” within non-white communities. These are all valid struggles that are worth fighting, and don’t detract from other battles. They’re in fact necessary skirmishes in a larger war (for universal human dignity, flourishing, whatever you want to call it).

      Pardon all the violent analogies. The people at my work have infected me with this way of speaking.

        • pomodoro_longbreak@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          9
          ·
          1 year ago

          You’re right in that it is racism as well, and rooted in it. Though it is different in kind, and anyone who hasn’t experienced it personally should be careful not to redefine it out of existence. So just like all robbery is theft, being robbed is an instance of theft that can feel very different from other kinds of theft.

          Actually I’ll just let Alice Walker do the talking:

          Colorism, […] “prejudicial or preferential treatment of same-race people based solely on their color.” It is not racism although there is a clear relationship.

          • Skates@feddit.nl
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            1 year ago

            Imagine if a white person would need to choose between a black candidate and a white candidate for a job, and they choose the white candidate saying “well obviously I’m going to choose someone my own race” - what kind of mental gymnastics are you or Alice there gonna do to explain how that’s colorism, not racism?

            • Deuces@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              3
              ·
              1 year ago

              That is racism. Colorism is far more common in Asia than in the west. When two Han Chinese people apply for the job and they hire the lighter skinned person you can’t call it racist as they are literally both the same race. So it instead falls under colorism. In the end of the day, as long as you recognize that both are bad it doesn’t really matter what you call it, except that it makes it easier to communicate with others.

        • masquenox@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          1 year ago

          the word you’re looking for is racism.

          I think it’s best if you stop right there and not say anything else, okay?

          • FontMasterFlex@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            1 year ago

            I think it’s best if you stop trying hide behind coded words and bending things to fit your narrative. Racism is racism as much as you want to try and think otherwise. I thought people wanted to get AWAY from fascism with reddit. it’s alive and well here on lemmy too.

            • masquenox@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              1 year ago

              trying hide behind coded words

              So you are so bereft of any real knowledge on the subject matter at hand that you just assume colorism is some kind of dogwhistle for white supremacism?

              Again… perhaps it’s best if you stop right there.

              • FontMasterFlex@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                2
                ·
                1 year ago

                assume colorism is some kind of dogwhistle for white supremacism

                you’re putting words in my mouth. you’re the one assuming. colorism is a thinly veiled word for racism. no idea where you came up with the white supremacy thing.

                • masquenox@lemmy.world
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  2
                  ·
                  1 year ago

                  no idea where you came up with the white supremacy thing.

                  Again… you don’t seem to understand the subject matter, Clyde. There is only one kind of racism - it’s white supremacism.

                  You do understand what race is, don’t you? You know - that thing that didn’t exist until white supremacists invented it?

      • quackers@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        1 year ago

        I would agree with that, but the meme is essentially implying that white people’s opinions don’t matter.
        This is the exact type of stuff that fuels more racism on the right.
        How do you expect to fix inequality by treating people unequally.

        • pomodoro_longbreak@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          1 year ago

          implying that white people’s opinions don’t matter

          I’m a white person and I definitely did not read that into it. What it literally says is that if you play devil’s advocate for your own amusement, on topics that you don’t have any stake in, without any intention of learning, then you’re behaving insincerely. And that’s bad.

    • Zacryon@feddit.de
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      1 year ago

      The inequality is class based, not race.

      Can you provide sources to back that up? (Genuine question, idk what science currently got to say about this.)

      • quackers@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        That’s hard to do because it’s a very broad statement. What I would need to send depends on which parts of your beliefsystem are incomplete or incorrect. Or i’d be writing a two hour essay combining facts and conclusions. I’ll try to keep it short.

        You can easily conjure up statistics to back the claim that black people generally are poorer, and this does have a race-based history. However, underneath that is the class inequality, which because of the historic race inequality, means a lot of people of color being in the lower class.

        At this point in time, inequality between the ultrarich and poor (of all colors) is broadening faster than ever. People looking for someone to blame. Media directs them in one of two directions, both incorrect.
        a) The problem is migrants and communists who want to destroy tradition because they want free money.
        b) The problem is racists and bigots who just love to hate for the sake of it.
        These two factions are set up against eachother, reinforcing the need for the other’s existence.
        Now that’s not to say both sides are equally incorrect, don’t get me wrong. But for the most part, neither of them acknowledge the issue of corruption in government allowing things like lobbying and gerrymandering which essentially provides a way for cooperations and money interests to have bought and paid for politicians on both sides. Since the system is inherently set up for money to have different objectives than commoners, we get eaten.

        This is the underlying issue causing race issues in the first place. Tribalism is exploited by these people because commoners want answers they’re not getting. It happens on both sides and it does not address the underlying issue.

        Yes, racism exists, and it should be addressed. But you cannot fight racism with more racism. You attack the problem at it’s root instead.