2. For people who say POCs or white allies shouldn't get so offended (or look for stuff to be offended about) or be offensive (eg, pointing out someone's cluelessness, however politely or subtly), they can sure hold on to their feelings of anger and offense.
This is quote of the week material. You're completely right. It's funny sometimes that a lot of the worst emotions and vitriol don't come from PoC/white allies - but rather from clueless folks who seem to think that having their cluelessness pointed out is an affront to their existence.
I want to scream, "I didn't have to go looking for things to get offended over. They came and hit me in the face, thanks!"
Which only makes me wonder how people of color in America/Canada do not just go insane over the cluelessness.
3. I don't know that all the hand-holding in the world is going to get another person to that point until they actually sit with their discomfort for a bit, which then hopefully leads to change to be more aware of privilege and racism and how it affects them
YES. YES. YES. YES. 1000000X YES. This here. This. You are like ten times better are saying stuff than me, just so you know. Because this is precisely it.
The previous discussion went awry when a friend (if we're still friends, I dunno) who is an English professor brought up that she wants to know by somehow studying my experiences (because apparently my experiences as a white person are special? IDK) how she can explain to her students why saying "colored" is wrong.
But like you said until you make them confront and own their own discomfort and their own privilege, you can't do it. It's like teaching algebra to a dog. Until it grows a whole other part of it's brain, it can't learn algebra.
no subject
2. For people who say POCs or white allies shouldn't get so offended (or look for stuff to be offended about) or be offensive (eg, pointing out someone's cluelessness, however politely or subtly), they can sure hold on to their feelings of anger and offense.
This is quote of the week material. You're completely right. It's funny sometimes that a lot of the worst emotions and vitriol don't come from PoC/white allies - but rather from clueless folks who seem to think that having their cluelessness pointed out is an affront to their existence.
I want to scream, "I didn't have to go looking for things to get offended over. They came and hit me in the face, thanks!"
Which only makes me wonder how people of color in America/Canada do not just go insane over the cluelessness.
3. I don't know that all the hand-holding in the world is going to get another person to that point until they actually sit with their discomfort for a bit, which then hopefully leads to change to be more aware of privilege and racism and how it affects them
YES. YES. YES. YES. 1000000X YES. This here. This. You are like ten times better are saying stuff than me, just so you know. Because this is precisely it.
The previous discussion went awry when a friend (if we're still friends, I dunno) who is an English professor brought up that she wants to know by somehow studying my experiences (because apparently my experiences as a white person are special? IDK) how she can explain to her students why saying "colored" is wrong.
But like you said until you make them confront and own their own discomfort and their own privilege, you can't do it. It's like teaching algebra to a dog. Until it grows a whole other part of it's brain, it can't learn algebra.
Or, in short: what you said.