Mercury Thing 05/09/16

[justaperson]

Is the Klu Klux Klan's hatred of Jews racism? Or is it "just" prejudice, because it isn't backed by institutional power (racism = "Prejudice + Institutional Power")?

[LadyObvious23]

You have no idea what antisemitism is do you? And what you're saying is absolutely trolling bullshit.

[justaperson]

You have no idea what antisemitism is do you? And what you're saying is absolutely trolling bullshit.

Ouch! I think most folks would define antisemitism as prejudice against Jews. As for trolling bullshit -- wow: this is why I stay out of politics. I realize this stuff is important to lots of people and has an actual effect on my life, but man it gets toxic fast. Your reaction reminds me of the comments section in articles on foxnews, just substitute libtard for troll.

[LadyObvious23]

And you threw ableism to the mix. You're a troll. -____-

[justaperson]

And you threw ableism to the mix. You're a troll. -____-

Um, I was trying to say that labeling me a troll reminds me of the folks who comment on foxnews labeling someone a "libtard": politics gets ugly fast. I did not mean to endorse the use of "libtard" any more than "troll".

In any case, it was a poorly chosen analogy, and I apologize for bringing this offensive term into the discussion.

[Starline]

LadyO, I dig ya, and I totally get where you're coming from, but it would be super super helpful if when you're making your points if you didn't revert to calling people insults.

I understand being frustrated, but I just gotta point this out because it's part of the forum rules. I don't want this to start encouraging other people to start making personal attacks on each other. (Especially considering the subject matter.)

[justaperson]

It's definitely not a way to convince people of your ideas...

In any case, reading over this stuff is pretty enlightening -- for what it's worth, this did a good job convincing me about racism = prejudice plus power:

http://sjwiki.org/wiki/Prejudice_plus_power

[Starline]

In any case, reading over this stuff is pretty enlightening -- for what it's worth, this did a good job convincing me about racism = prejudice plus power:

http://sjwiki.org/wiki/Prejudice_plus_power

That's actually a pretty fantastic link and it explains a lot of things succinctly. Thank you.

[gaeila]

No it doesn't. At all. Just stop. You experienced prejudice. Not fucking racism. Just shut the fuck up.

What an incredibly rude, inappropriate and illogical way to speak to another human being. "Lady" Obvious23, according to the Merriam Webster dictionary, a lady is a woman (person) who behaves in a polite way. Regardless of whatever gender you may be, you are not a lady.

"Just stop." That was my first post to this discussion--"Just stop" implies I have contributed more than one post, and linguistically makes no sense. Spouting obscenities at me and ordering me to shut up is not a useful way to conduct a reasonable discussion or debate. I am sorry and feel pity for whatever you may have suffered in your life that manifests here in a hair-trigger temper, foul-mouthed rudeness, inability to speak politely to anyone you disagree with, and responding with obscenities, insults, logical fallicies and spite instead of reasonable examples of why you might differ with someone else's opinion. However, I refuse to be treated this way and am also tired of seeing other forum posters so treated. Feel free to insult and spew a volcano of obscene language at me to your heart's content. I will not see any more of your posts. If you pm me, I will delete it without reading it. You are gone from my life.

To try to clarify my position, a large university is its own small bubble world, and is one of the epitomes of an example of institutional power. At the time I attended, TSU was making a publicized effort to attract other ethnicities besides Black people, but in practice, there was great resentment among many TSU Black people, both students and those in administrative and other positions of power, against all other ethnicities (Latino, Asian, Middle Eastern, White) who wanted to attend "their" (tax supported) college. At TSU, Black people had institutionalized power and privilege, and a significant number of them chose to use that power against other ethnicities.

I majored in Biochemistry, and only two other non-Black students in all of my classes managed to hang on through all the slights, cruelties and denial of access to resources. As a few examples, in one Biology class, we weren't allowed to try to get a microscope until all the Black students had first pick; we were denied access to paid faculty research assistant positions because there were no scholarships or funding for non-Black people--even if we had a 4.0 GPA; several high-level administrative employees made our lives miserable in many ways, from outright lying about how to get/apply for student loans, to giving us run-around information about getting transcript copies so that we wasted a few hours standing in several wrong lines that had nothing to do with transcripts; putting pointless, time-consuming hurdles in our way whenever we had to register for classes; you name it, if there was a way for these employees who were supposed to be helping us to hurt us, they used it. Racism wasn't directed against just White people. Of the other two non-Blacks in my classes who stuck it out, one was Latino, the other Middle Eastern. (I might suggest that in today's U.S., Middle Eastern people suffer even more racism than Black people. After 9/11, there was an extended period of many innocent Middle Eastern people being randomly attacked and viciously beaten, and many of their businesses vandalized in a manner reminiscent of Nazi Germany's Kristallnacht. This racism still continues, though not quite so overwhelming and prevalent as it was in the months directly following 9/11.)

Of course, not everyone at TSU was racist, There were many excellent, helpful faculty (who overruled a spiteful student counselor and helped me get registered for required classes), quite a few friendly students, etc. But there were enough racist roadblocks to cause most of the non-Black students I started with to drop out in the first year.

And of course I am not arguing that racism against Blacks and other ethnicities isn't a serious problem in the U.S., and of course in general and most of the time, Whites usually don't suffer racism in this country. But again, a large university is its own microcosm, and at TSU, Black people overwhelmingly had ownership of Power and Privilege within that "bubble world."

Am I racist? I don't think any person is capable of answering that question on their own behalf. If it were possible, I would suggest asking my Black college roommate at the University of Michigan (I have two degrees); my five Black housemates from when I lived in Atlanta; my Black childhood friends; my many Black musician friends (namedrop: included B.B. King, who was one of the coolest human beings ever to walk the earth. During his performances, he would throw the audience little plastic pins modelled after his guitar Lucille; he gave me a cloisonne Lucille pin, which usually only his band members got to have. Yes, highly prized possession.); and Black co-workers (before I was disabled). All these people I have known and cared for are the only ones truly capable of answering that question.

Also, how many racists would choose to attend a mostly Black college in the first place, and stubbornly stick it out, despite so much unexpected harassment?

Listing "credentials" is an annoying cliche, and I apologize for it. I could not think of any other way for forum readers to decide for themselves if I am/was racist, which I suppose someone may decide to pose as an issue--the logical fallacy argumentum ad hominem. Although why any racist would ever choose to attend TSU in the first place seems a fairly obvious refutation. Yes, I was treated very badly many times at TSU. No, I highly doubt it turned me into a racist. Black people are just like all other people; many are great, some are racist jerks.