1. Just because something has emerged from western culture doesn’t mean that it’s “bad” or “evil” or even must necessarily be questioned, when something from non-western cultures would not be.
Recently, the people in Sudan who were indicted on charges of genocide charged that the ICC was a “racist” organization because it was formed by Western nations. Besides the fact that such allegations are bullshit (23 or so African countries participated in its formation), it shouldn’t matter whether that organization was formed by “western” countries or not. If you have problems with its principles then level an attack against those principles. Just because you happen not to like the fact that white people formed it doesn’t mean that it’s an illegitimate organization — it just means you’re racist.
Which brings me to my next point.
2. Not all white people are racist; not all black people are free from bigotry. This may come as newsflash to some people on the left, but not all non-white people shit ice-cream — and not all white people are evil oppressors. In case you didn’t notice, there were numerous white people who participated in the Civil Rights movement. In fact, if it hadn’t been for white people, African Americans likely still wouldn’t have any rights today. The next time someone calls me a racist because I’m white or don’t happen to support race-based affirmative action, remember that.
And as for black people somehow magically being free from racism — has anyone heard of the Nation of Islam. They believe that white people are all incarnations of the devil or some shit. Now if a bunch of white people ran around claiming that black people were the devil or something, they’d be shut down in like a week as fucking asshats. But no, instead, people like the Nation of Islam attract all kinds of white apologists who attempt to justify their racism, as if “oh, well, it doesn’t count because they were oppressed.”
Or, moving away from racism, doesn’t anyone else want to talk about Prop 8? I mean, sure a lot of it has to do with education, but it doesn’t matter how you analyze it — black people were bigots against queer people. The fact that they were uneducated doesn’t excuse it, it just demonstrates the need to reform the educational system. I don’t recall anyone excusing actions by the KKK by just saying that they’re “uneducated” — how are the actions by Black Churches Any different?
Also, just because I think your music sucks doesn’t mean I’m racist. It just means your music sucks.
3. Not all black people suffer from horrible, horrible oppression. Newsflash, people: not all black people have been called names, beaten, or lynched or even been around or near those things. In fact, there are quite a few of them who are doing quite well for themselves. This is why Affirmative Action is bullshit — or at least race-based affirmative action: there are rich-off-their-asses African-Americans who are getting into universities or who are getting jobs over equally-qualified white poor people. Do I think that white people should get jobs just by virtue of being white? No. But I do think that the fact that someone is poor means that they had to try harder in order to succeed on an equal level. If you’re rich and black, the fact of the matter is that you probably had just as many — if not more — opportunities as someone who is rich and white. But if you’re poor and white, you’ve probably had far fewer opportunities than someone who’s rich and white.
The way the educational system is set up is biased against the poor. Since it’s locally funded, and people frequently live segregated by class, poor school districts frequently face the choice of having less funding or taxing those who can least afford it even more. So while in Trenton, for example, schools are falling apart and the school can barely afford to pay its teachers, the next district over is buying new computers every year or two.
My point here is this: race and class are strongly correlated. But the oppression that is frequently faced by poor African-Americans is also faced by poor whites and poor latinos. Why should wealthy blacks get a foot up over poor whites?
4. Jewish people aren’t white. What’s fun is that for the past two-thousand years, white people — and brown people, and yellow people, and, just, well, everyone (but mostly white people) — have been trying to wipe us (i.e. Jews) off the face of the Earth.
Then, suddenly, after a last big push (i.e. the Holocaust), suddenly Jews are white. Thanks guys. I like how we became white just in time for affirmative action to be put into place. That’s awesome.
You know what college interviews were implemented right? To weed out the Jews and the gays. Then as soon as they were done with that and started to try to encourage non-whites to apply, all of a sudden OH WOW YEAH YOU JEWS HAVEN’T BEEN OPPRESSED AT ALL WELCOME TO THE CLUB. LET’S JUST IGNORE THE PAST 2000 YEARS OF US TRYING TO KILL YOU, AWESOME.
5. There are certain things that are always bad. Just because non-white, non-male, non-straight, or non-”oppressive class” people perpetrate them doesn’t make those things okay. Things such as the Haitian genocide of former slaveowners and their families is abhorrent. There is a line to be drawn between punishment for crimes and unnecessary retribution; and, further, between justified retribution and wholesale slaughter of innocents.
6. All-women’s colleges are sexist; all-black colleges are racist. No. Really. I’m really scratching my head about this one. How much did the left bitch about the fact that “oh, wah, wah, wah, all these schools are men-only, and wah wah wah we have to go to these separate schools.” Okay, so, instead, the deal is that not only can men not go to your special schools, but you also get to go to what used to be male-only schools?
And as for all-black colleges…well, wasn’t there something called the Civil Rights movement that was all about segregation? And then wasn’t there another case called Brown v. Board of Education which said that separate was necessarily unequal. So what’s the deal?
You want to have your cake and eat it too? Why can’t I go to Barnard if I want to? The fact of the matter is that it is better. But I can’t go there? Why? Because I have a penis. OMG I GUESS IM THREATENIN UR RITES OMGOMGOMG.
Assholes.
7. I can still be on the ‘left’ and believe this. Sorry, people, but just because I don’t subscribe to your bullshit identity politics doesn’t mean that you can call up the Leftist Pope and excommunicate me from the Green Party or SDS or whatever. I’m not sure where along the line the Green Party/Socialist Party/the left in general decided to sign a suicide pact by advocating entirely untenable things that are totally unrelated to economics or economic justice (I’m sorry, but what’s the deal with spelling “women” incorrectly? It’s not “womyn”. It’s women.), but I’m pretty damn sure my name wasn’t on that document.
Continued in Part II
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