OPINION: The hate has always been here. But now it’s boiling over, and it’s become more socially acceptable to let white-nationalist, misogynistic, even murderous flags fly (by Jenn Jefferys/TVO)
OPINION: The hate has always been here. But now it’s boiling over, and it’s become more socially acceptable to let white-nationalist, misogynistic, even murderous flags fly (by Jenn Jefferys/TVO)
The article might not be about that person you are replying to in particular, but the subject of the article is “white men.” The language the article uses implies that every single one of them is being infected with hatred, and we know that is just factually incorrect.
The mayor of my small rural town participated in our Pride week, he is a cis/straight/white male that I don’t need to feel afraid of.
As a mixed race(Métis) Canadian living in the UK. It’s been really fucking weird, back home I’m pegged immediately as being part First Nations. Here I’m just another white guy, and it’s really been a huge adjustment. Gotten into an argument with a Afro/Caribbean/Brit during one of the lockdowns about standing inches away from me with their mask off and coughing on me.
And when they said: You fuckin white people…
I was like, Holy shit, I’m no longer seen as a person of colour.
It really fucked with me for a few weeks.
It’s faux pas to even defend yourself, or question the framing of a dialogue or call out legitimate direct discrimination. If you think labeling an entire group as the evil enemy is going to make the bad actors or moderates in the group more likely to align with you, you are an idiot. On Reddit I moved to the leftist subreddit /r/onguardforthee when /r/Canada became too right wing and I’d started to see directly bigoted comments more often.
I got banned from the new subreddit for saying “hey maybe calm down with the direct racism and sexism here. We should be better than those we criticize.”
If you’re defending “the bad ones” you’re the enemy.
I’ve been thoroughly egalitarian and anti-bigotry my entire life. I’ve also been beaten until my eyes were swollen shut in school by people I didn’t know, and punished for “instigating with racist language” that I would never use because the older two kids knew it would get them out of trouble. I was just waiting to get into the library to read a book.
I’ve been accused countless times of racism working in retail because of things I had no control over. (Shout out to my old manager Om for calling out their bullshit)
I’ve been told in no uncertain terms by another manager that I would not have been hired if they were there at the start because they “do not hire men.”
I’ve been told countless times I should not even be allowed to speak or have an opinion due to the body I was born into. That any action I take is directly unfair or harmful regardless of my intent or reasoning. I don’t define myself or others by their bodies. Nobody chose their body.
Etc.
Would you think defending this sort of behavior really helps to reduce bigotry?
It’s really just making me hate all of humanity. Everyone is terrible and being reasonable is an unforgivable sin on every side.
No nuance is allowed. If you don’t agree with incredibly broad generalizations, you are evil. American history and culture is globally applicable and enforced.
I just want people to stop judging and mistreating others for things they have no control over. I guess I deserve to be hated or mistreated for that alone.