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But as I do, please know a few things first: 1) This is not even close to the whole list. So, again, I’m glad you asked, because I really want to answer. To just “deal with it,” lest more trouble follow (which, sadly, it often does) 2) fear of being questioned or dismissed with “Are you sure that’s what you heard?” or “Are you sure that’s what they meant?” and being angered and upset all over again by well-meaning-but-hurtful and essentially unsupportive responses. There are two reasons for this: 1) because not only as a human being do I suppress the painful and uncomfortable in an effort to make it go away, I was also taught within my community (I was raised in the ’70s and ’80s-it’s shifted somewhat now) and by society at large NOT to make a fuss, speak out, or rock the boat.
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#Thats racist thats gay meme how to#
Coincidentally, over the last few days I have been thinking about sharing some of the incidents of prejudice/racism I’ve experienced in my lifetime-in fact I just spoke with my sister Lesa about how to best do this yesterday-because I realized many of my friends-especially the white ones-have no idea what I’ve experienced/dealt with unless they were present (and aware) when it happened. I truly thank you for wanting to understand what you are having a hard time understanding. I think the heart of what you’ve asked of your friends of color is extremely important and I think my response needs much more space than as a reply on your feed. First off, I hope you don’t mind that I’ve quoted your post and made it part of mine. I apologize if this comes off as crass or offends anyone. I’m not trying to be insensitive, I only want to understand (but not from the media). So that I may be enlightened, can you please share with me some examples of institutional racism that have made an indelible mark upon you? If I am to understand this, I need people I know personally to show me how I’m missing what’s going on.
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I’m not saying I’m colorblind, but whatever racism/sexism/other -ism my life experience has instilled in me stays within me, and is not manifested in the way I treat others (which is not the case with far too many, I know). Despite my treating everyone with respect and humor my entire life (as far as I know), I’m somehow complicit in the misfortune of others. By not being able to fully put myself in the shoes of someone from a background/race/religion/gender/nationality/body type that differs from my own makes me part of the problem, according to what I’m now hearing. To all of my Black or mixed race FB friends, I must profess a blissful ignorance of this “White Privilege” of which I’m apparently guilty of possessing. I feel compelled not only to publish his query, but also my response to it, as it may be a helpful discourse for more than just a few folks on Facebook. Yesterday I was tagged in a Facebook post by an old high school friend asking me and a few others a very public, direct question about white privilege and racism.