I would think (feel free to smack me if I'm wrong) that a group of mostly-White people should be able to cover many racism 101 questions, but probably not post regular intro-to-racism discussions.
At some point, the 101 level has to be cover-able by people who aren't part of the unprivileged group, in *every* category. A person who's got privilege has to be able to say, "this is how you learn to spot your own privilege; these are the hot topics & buzzwords to watch out for; here's a list of common newbie mistakes." Followed by, "and if--WHEN--you need more than that, head off to some of this list of not-101 sites."
I'd feel comfortable pointing out that coach Imus' use of the phrase "nappy headed hos" was *incredibly* racist, and that insulting Black people's hair is a lot more racialized than a similar insult directed at a White person. (Like, oh, accusing guys of having "dirty hippie hair," maybe.) I don't need a solid understanding of exactly why to say "don't do that. Don't do that *more* than you wouldn't insult someone for having 'dirty stringy fry-cook hair,' because it's not the same kind of insult at all."
I wouldn't feel at all qualified to explain why, or how hurtful it is (other than the general "some people are more bothered than others, like with any insult"), or decide what action should be taken. That's out of my range of experience. What I can do is say, "this topic is racially charged in a way that many White people don't realize."
That's what I expect "101" to cover: what are the issues, how do you learn to recognize them, where can you find out more. "Why these-and-not-those are the issues" and "what to do about them" aren't (IMHO) 101 topics.
I don't want to push "cover the racism 101 issues" on the few people of color in the comm, and don't want to ignore them entirely on the grounds that "we're not qualified so we won't deal with those issues." Being willing to say "we can recognize some of the problems; solutions are probably going to have to come from elsewhere" might be our best way to deal with that.
And again -- if I'm missing important aspects, let me know.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2010-10-12 11:52 pm (UTC)At some point, the 101 level has to be cover-able by people who aren't part of the unprivileged group, in *every* category. A person who's got privilege has to be able to say, "this is how you learn to spot your own privilege; these are the hot topics & buzzwords to watch out for; here's a list of common newbie mistakes." Followed by, "and if--WHEN--you need more than that, head off to some of this list of not-101 sites."
I'd feel comfortable pointing out that coach Imus' use of the phrase "nappy headed hos" was *incredibly* racist, and that insulting Black people's hair is a lot more racialized than a similar insult directed at a White person. (Like, oh, accusing guys of having "dirty hippie hair," maybe.) I don't need a solid understanding of exactly why to say "don't do that. Don't do that *more* than you wouldn't insult someone for having 'dirty stringy fry-cook hair,' because it's not the same kind of insult at all."
I wouldn't feel at all qualified to explain why, or how hurtful it is (other than the general "some people are more bothered than others, like with any insult"), or decide what action should be taken. That's out of my range of experience. What I can do is say, "this topic is racially charged in a way that many White people don't realize."
That's what I expect "101" to cover: what are the issues, how do you learn to recognize them, where can you find out more. "Why these-and-not-those are the issues" and "what to do about them" aren't (IMHO) 101 topics.
I don't want to push "cover the racism 101 issues" on the few people of color in the comm, and don't want to ignore them entirely on the grounds that "we're not qualified so we won't deal with those issues." Being willing to say "we can recognize some of the problems; solutions are probably going to have to come from elsewhere" might be our best way to deal with that.
And again -- if I'm missing important aspects, let me know.