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by SidiousL
3253 days ago
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What's the damage? The damage is that racism is evil irrespective of who the racist is (and yes, black people can be racist too, as any reputable dictionary should be able to prove to you). And every instance of it should be denounced, especially the more egregious ones like this one. You can say, there's no problem, she doesn't have any power. I would counter that it's not true. These people have large followings and many apologists (like yourself). And even if it were true that she had no power, her hate should be confronted. People should learn the limits of good behavior in civilized society. You say this is not about instilling guilt, because the author said so. I will put it to you that even if it was not her intention (and I'm not so sure about that), it might still end up happening (if you want to understand the kind of effect such accusations, even when only implied, can have on people, read [http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=2119]). When I read "you are the problem" it sure sounds like an accusation to me (and a pretty serious one at that). And this accusation is surely bigoted when you apply it indiscriminately to a whole class of people. |
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But... why? You're not giving an example of any damage other than abstractions like "evil". Did you lose your job? Do you fear for your safety? Are you being unfairly judged? Did you have an unfair disadvantage under some minority group?
To quote a well-known feminist, men are afraid of being laughed at, but women are afraid of getting killed.
> These people have large followings and many apologists (like yourself)
But our power isn't comparable. We can write a few blog posts or HN comments. White men make the hiring decisions. This is not the same kind of thing.
> if you want to understand the kind of effect such accusations,
Sorry for not responding earlier to the Scott Aaronson blog post, but it's a bit long. I just read a bit bit of it, I'm not sure what part of that story you're referring to.
You can understand being part of a problem through no fault of your own, right? That's what I was trying to convey with the traffic analogy. To quip, you're not in traffic, you are traffic?