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Name: Antony Loewenstein
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Sunday, January 29, 2006

About race

Tim Wise, Znet, January 27:

"If you're looking to understand why discussions between blacks and whites about racism are often so difficult in this country, you need only know this: when the subject is race and racism, whites and blacks are often not talking about the same thing. To white folks, racism is seen mostly as individual and interpersonal - as with the uttering of a prejudicial remark or bigoted slur. For blacks, it is that too, but typically more: namely, it is the pattern and practice of policies and social institutions, which have the effect of perpetuating deeply embedded structural inequalities between people on the basis of race. To blacks, and most folks of colour, racism is systemic. To whites, it is purely personal.

"These differences in perception make sense, of course. After all, whites have not been the targets of systemic racism in this country, so it is much easier for us to view the matter in personal terms. If we have ever been targeted for our race, it has been only on that individual, albeit regrettable, level."

1 Comments:

Blogger psydoc said...

Explain that to white welfare recipients who live next door to black welfare recipients. It will be the whites who will point to the instiutional rather than personal imbalance in what is available.

But of course middle class white apologists rever really dig too deep for these painful details.

Monday, January 30, 2006 6:54:00 am  

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