@Coloma In the future, if you want to broaden the question, you can ask your own question. But please don’t hijack my question. This question has now become All About The White People, and only one PoC has actually answered the question I asked. To be quite honest, you’ve come across as exceptionally privileged to me, to think that your opinion is just so important that you have to answer all the time, even when things aren’t about you. Your need to not only answer the question, but answer it so quickly, pretty much ruined the question.
@Adirondackwannabe It’s always going to be wrong to exclude someone on the basis of race… Anyone can experience racism at one time or another. So, a couple things. One, the social justice definition of racism (prejudice+power) tends to say that white people can’t experience racism, they can experience prejudice but not racism. Now, I don’t really want this thread to become about that definition, I think that’s another question, but I think it’s important to note how many people would say, no, they can’t. Two, yes, it is wrong to exclude someone on the basis of race. It’s wrong when PoC are excluded from being included in the default. It’s wrong when white, middle class feminists assume that getting women into the workplace will be the same for black women, instead of the same old schtick. It’s wrong when PoC are excluded from getting pardons at nearly the same rate as whites. It’s wrong when PoC are the targets of laws like Arizona’s SB 1070. It’s wrong when white people trust women of color so little that they have to try to enact race-specific abortion laws just for PoC. It’s wrong when white people complain about BET, instead of trying to get more PoC represented on big tv shows in leading roles in non-stereotypical ways.
Look, racism happens. Every day. Normally, most of it is subconscious. From people who claim they “don’t see color”, instead meaning they refuse to examine their own behavior and see oppression. From otherwise decent people. From well-meaning people, who are just reinforcing a paradigm because it’s easy. But it still happens. Sometimes, you have to point out that racism on a conscious level, and make safe spaces for those who’s voices aren’t normally heard as much (like I was trying to do here), in order to effectively combat racism.