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In fact, the message coming through loud and clear is that if you are accused of making racist statements, the very worst thing you can do is defend yourself. Just put the cotton in your mouth and listen.
As much as I hate having to say this sort of thing, I'm a female POC (can't be many of us left!) and I thought Maysie's method of intervention was...unhelpful.
I am white with Anglais, Francophone, Norwegian,Dutch, and Native North American thrown in for good measure. And I don't mind being scolded for using racist terms when, in fact, they are racist terms.
It's the condemnation and suspension followed by running away and chickening out from defending their reasons for accusation and issuing suspension which I find unjustifiable and cowardly. This is not useful. In fact, I think that condemnations by random decree are more typical of white imperialist mentality than anything.
Although I did not deliberately set out to do it- in fact I usually say next to nothing on the subject, and tend not to even read what is on the board...
I am making the case here that people accept the rules whether or not they fully understand them.
I want to make sure that is understand as the main point I would like to make, before I delve into the territory of being snarky, grump, and "I dont care what you think" about racism.
Most of you really do not seem to really grasp how ENORMOUSLY FRUSTRATING it is to deal with white people and their racism in liberal and leftie groups. I'm sure you get that it exists, but you really have no idea of the depths.
You can never win at bringing it up. All the 'losings,' all the things you let go by wordlessly as you stew, all the utterly STUPID things people say that sound so stupid even the umpteenth time you heard them.... it takes a toll, to say the least.
And being human, as we all are, it requires coping strategies. Because it does you no good to refrain from banging your head against the wall in public, if you go and do it in your own head.
And one of the strategies is be grumpy and snarky. It even has a rational benefit to it for the 'collective experience'. I have talked to individuals at great length about racism. I cant always be into it, but I can pick my times and have a reasonable expectation we'll get somehwere, the other person and I. I've never been good at the group situations. And that is true of most people presented with the dilemna- it is very unlikely to go well if you decide to dive in.
Snarky and grumpy is a happy medium of making the best of an impossible situation. You can't do the ideal, but at least you can put a marker out there. And maybe it has a cumulative beneficial effect. It is certainly no worse than doing nothing. Because the chance that it will make people feel bad- more like a certainty- is piffle compared to the damage of just letting it go by. Which is the "I really dont care what you think" part comes in.
jesus christ youre full of shit.
.
Things have obviously gotten out of hand. Is there anyone left who can shut down this thread.
Unless you're in a position to decide which organizations do or don't qualify as progressive, you're in no position to say that.
And by the way, is Malcolm white? I actually have no idea. If I were a moderator, I would hope I wouldn't care. If you're suggesting that in order to moderate this board you have to know the colour, religion, ethnic background etc., of everyone who posts here and take all of it into consideration with every moderating decision -- congratulations, you've just made the job impossible.
Actually, me too. But it might be worth examining since so many others believe it's more serious.
Just don't criticize actually existing racist-imperialist agencies of the mostly white dominated military dictatorship in Warshington and London and Berlin and Paris etc, and youre good to go on babble. That's what I've come to understand from the politically partisan moderation.
Closing for length. It will take some time to respond to the comments on this thread. I'm not sure that everyone is being heard, mods included, but it doesn't serve much purpose to get a growing index of who disagrees with whom. We are reading this, but I think a break from this discussion would serve everyone.
I already addressed about Maysie being cowardly and running away.
And since I am now repeating what I said before, it must be time to depart this discussion.
I already addressed about Maysie being cowardly and running away.
And since I am now repeating what I said before, it must be time to depart this discussion.