This week, I chose to write my post about the Washington Post article written by Rebecca Hains. This is a different kind of reading than what we normally have assigned to us and I found it to be a very intriguing topic. In this article, Hains talks about how when white people are called out for racist remarks or actions, they tend to get defensive and begin to explain all the reasons they can't be a racist person. I think that this is an important action of white people to notice in general, but Hains takes this topic even farther by now explaining what white people can do when they are called out for being racist. As hard as it might be to admit, white people living in the United States are living with implicit biases that unfortunately, we cannot control. The article states, "The United States was built on the enslavement of black people, and some forms of structural racism persist in our laws and culture. If you grew up in the United States, you were socialized within this system" (Hains). I think she states it very well in that quote, explaining that even though most people don't intend to be racist, part of our upbringing and the social structure of our country contributes to us slipping up. But as the article explains, even when someone slips up and says something that come off as being racist, there are actions they can take in order to acknowledge and learn from their mistakes.
I think that this is a very important article for me to read as a white person. I know that I am nowhere near perfect, but the fact of the matter is that no one is. This is why understanding these concepts are extremely important for our society today. I need to be aware that at any moment, something I say or do could be checked by those around me and if or when the time comes, I need to react calmly and acknowledge my wrongdoings. I feel that many people struggle with accountability. In a topic such as this, a white person is unable to argue their point of whether something comes off as racist or not because they are not the minority being discriminated against. One cannot argue someone else's feelings regardless of their intent. In this scenario, a person needs to just allow the other person to feel what they feel and the one who was called out now can use this interaction as a learning moment and a way for them to learn more about how to be better and avoid such mistakes in the future. I appreciate the steps that Hains gives for white people to follow when they are called racist. I am reminded that there are certain things in this society that I must unlearn in order to become a better ally and friend.
Hains, Rebecca. “Perspective | Dear Fellow White People: Here's What to Do When You're Called Racist.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 23 Aug. 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/dear-fellow-white-people-heres-what-to-do-when-youre-called-racist/2019/08/20/6e31941a-beda-11e9-b873-63ace636af08_story.html.
Hi Grace,
ReplyDeleteI also chose the Washington Post article to write about for the blog post this week. I really like the summary you gave of the article especially where you talk about people slipping up and making these types of remarks without even knowing sometimes. A lot of times, people are unaware of implicit biases that they might hold on to until they make a remark that brings it to light. We like to think that we do not make biases or prejudices against people but as unfortunate as it is, it is very hard to avoid them. I think it is interesting that sometimes it takes a slip up or unintentional comment to come from us and a peer to call us on it in order to learn and grow from these experiences. As uncomfortable or embarrassing as it could be, we can have good conversations from them especially if we use the suggestions that Hains provides in the article.
I also found this article really important to read and understand being a white person. I found it helpful to learn how to handle these types of situations if they happen in the future because too often, they are handled poorly. We have to really emphasize the idea that we can never fully understand someone else's feelings or experiences as our own especially in regards to race. I think it would be interesting to look into how a person of color might respond to this article. As a white individual, I found it to be helpful but other people who may have experience in these situations may think differently or suggest other, better ways of handling it.
Hey Grace,
ReplyDeleteI also decided to write about Rebecca’s article for this week’s blog post. I really liked your thoughts on the unconscious remarks people make that are racist. I think this ties into my blog post about how these unconscious biases are slipping into the technology we use in our everyday life. I basically talked about how much facial recognition software and essential algorithms in Twitter and Google have racist tendencies. Even though we have acknowledged that these things exist, there is not much being done about it. I think this ties into your thoughts on accountability. I agree that society needs to hold itself accountable for concepts of racism. I think this goes for a general social way and the technology we use. Once we grasp the concept, we will be able to learn, making common spaces better environments. I would also argue that fixing technological racism issues will allow society to fight racism and become better allies with marginalized groups.