(ThyBlackMan.com) Bro. Dyson,
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You enjoy much respect in the Black community, and along with that respect comes responsibility. So please use your position in the community to help teach our people to think efficiently, and with precision. Here’s the position I recently took with one of your adherents:
Being a racist is a state of mind, so it doesn’t require control, all it requires is ignorance. According to your logic we also have to say that a Black person can’t be a sexist, a homophobe, a xenophobe, or an asshole either, because he doesn’t control the system.
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The point that you SEEM to be TRYING to make is that Black people don’t have the power to EXPRESS their racism as effectively as White people, because we don’t have the power to employ INSTITUTIONAL racism. But to extend that to say that Black people can’t be racist AT ALL, is not only a gross corruption of common sense, but it defies the very definition of the word. It’s what’s called a “factoid” – a lie that’s been told so often that people began to accept it as fact.
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It’s one thing to express your views, but when you do that, you should make every effort to express them with precision. Don’t try to redefine the English language to mean what you want it to mean; the only thing you accomplish in that way is, instead of helping people to understand your point of view, you cause them to dismiss you as an idiot, so you’re defeating your own purpose.
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Now, I said that I was done with this discussion, but the only reason that I decided to make this final comment is because I love Black people, so I hate to see them make a damn fool of themselves. Personally, I don’t care what you believe, but I hate it when Black people make comments like the one under discussion and I have to look at the smirks of satisfaction on the faces of White bigots. Because whenever Black people make ridiculous statements like the one above, it tends to reinforce the position of White bigots that Black people are just a bunch of ignorant and undereducated fools.
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Have you ever noticed how when the news media wants to interview a Black person they often seem to look around for the most ignorant, inarticulate, uneducated Black person they can find? Well, they’re looking for people who will say EXACTLY the kind of thing that we’re discussing here. They’re looking around for someone who will validate their position that Black people are stupid.
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I don’t like seeing that, and I don’t like seeing Black people being used in that way. That’s the one and only reason that I’ve wasted even one brain cell on this silly-ass discussion. But now I’ve done my part, so the rest is up to you. I’m done with this.
“Eric, who is responsible for crafting the dictionary definition of racism? As you correctly state Eric, bullshit in, bullshit out. Dr. Neely Fuller’s stance regarding what constitutes a racist/racism closely mirrors that of Dr. Dyson and Dr. Anderson. Do you submit they too are full of lies?”
The handful of so-called “learned” individuals who are going around spewing the message that Black people can’t be racist is doing much more harm to the Black community than good. First, their position is a corruption of common sense and defies the very definition of the word, and secondly, it antagonizes potential allies by sowing division during a time when the poor and middle-class, of every stripe, are in dire need of unity to fight off the neo-fascist agenda of the corpo-Republican alliance.
The English language is what it is, and so is the definition of racism. As for who compiled the definitions in the dictionary, that’s irrelevant, because the dictionary doesn’t DETERMINE what the English language is, it merely INFORMS us of how the English language is used. So the fact is, the “learned” gentlemen that you cite are not only either lying, or grossly out of touch with reality, but again, they’re doing the Black community a horrible disservice.
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During WWII, even the United States and the Soviet Union had sense enough to put their differences aside long enough to fight off Nazi fascism, but these so-called learned individuals have obviously learned absolutely nothing from history. The current GOP represents nothing short of creeping fascism. They don’t care any more about poor and middle-class White people than they do Black people. So instead of people like Dyson stirring division among the poor and middle-class, they should be educating the public to the dire need for us to come together to fight off a common and insidious foe.
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So the bottom line is, by going around spewing the myth that Black people can’t be racist, they’re placing they’re desire to gain personal street creds above what’s in the best interest of the Black community. How do I know their motivation? Because the message they’re spreading has absolutely no remedial value to current conditions in the Black community. It goes a long way towards hurting us, while on the other side of the ledger, it serves no useful purpose. What benefit do we derive by saying that Black people can’t be racist? The only purpose it serves is to turn off potential, and badly needed, allies.
If you pay close attention to the foundation of this article, you can see that it’s centered around debunking Neely Fuller Jr. & Dr. Frances Cress Welsing’s working definition of racism/white supremacy….Until I hear Eric Wattree challenge either one of these two people in person, phone conversation, or radio talk show, on their definition of racism/white supremacy, Eric Wattree will be considered the unseen chained watchdog for R.W.S….He like anyone else has the same opportunity to challenge Mr. N. Fuller, Dr. F.C. Welsing, Prof. J. Smalls, Dr. L. Jeffries, Dr. M. Baruti, Dr, M. Ani, Dr. N. Akbar, Dr. U. Johnson, or any other black scholar that is has dedicated 30+ years of work fighting against the “system of racism/white supremacy”.
We need to focus our attention on the future of our youth . Teach them knowledge of the truth of our wisdom and understanding that as a race a community we have unite . Take Pride being AFRICAN blood .
I totally agree that anyone, including black folks, can be racists. It’s important to have honest discussions about racism and how corrosive it is. However, that can only be done when we acknowledge the reality that one can also be white and experience racism at the hands of someone who is not white. We are justifiably frustrated with those outside our race who either deny or trivialize our experiences with racism, and honesty should compel us to acknowledge other peoples’ negative experiences as well. I totally agree that everyday Americans of all races are having to contend with fascists mainly within the GOP who are trying to reduce us all to a state of affairs where there are the very wealth few with the rest of us in poverty. That’s why we need as many allies as possible in fighting them.
I agree with you on this one Eric. The term racism has been so misused, used out of context, etc. that is has effectively turned, in my opinion, to verbal propaganda that is often used to obfuscate legitimate racial debate and action.
That is why I prefer to use terms like White supremacy, or hegemony to more accurately define the systemic injustices that occur between the dominant race and Black folks.
Basically, we have put all the words in the same category –>prejudice, bias, bigoty, racism. I think because of this we have lost the important nuances between each term.
For example, is racism the act or the belief system. Can I be a racist in belief but not act? Or is racism also manifested in some form of action?
My point is that our condition is unique in the history of the world and therefore we need to be able to adequately and intelligently define it in the context of America and the dominant group in the best way possible.
The way we use the term ‘racism’ now does not do a good job at that.
Black ppl can be racist and have hatred towards whites, Mexicans, and other nationalities. I hear it in everyday conversation with some black ppl.
Why do blacks and whites have to come together and agree that Jesus wasn’t white and blonde? If white ppl believe that Jesus is white, so be it? They’re gonna believe whatever they want, right?
Shouldn’t the bigger obstacle be for ALL black to believe that Jesus wasn’t white but black like them? Isn’t there a description of Jesus in the Bible stating that he had hair of wool and skin of bronze? Black church folks should realize that’s a black man. But for whatever reason, black ppl can not visualize a mighty and powerful man as Jesus being black.
I remember discussing this with a few church ladies and they frowned up their faces as if the thought of a black Jesus was revolting.
Before black and white people can talk honestly about race and racism
we must both acknowledge the widely promoted lie that
Jesus Christ was white, blond and blue eyed and the inference
that therefore God must be. Then we can talk as equal human
beings and children of the Almighty. Otherwise we’re wasting
our time and nothing will change and Sunday will continue to be
the most segregated day of the week.