By Steven Shults
With the rapid growth of hate groups, and their increasing volume (online and off) I think it’s important to look at the bigger picture. When we fail to call out racism for what it is, it emboldens hate groups and their members, and it makes life harder and more dangerous for the targets of racism (and other forms of hate) when those who promote hate are not called out for it.
Trump + racists playing the victim card + people on the left criticizing others on the left for calling out racism for what it is = ever-increasing growth of hate, in individuals and in groups.
I fully agree that saying “You are a racist” is not constructive, in any scenario. But saying “What you just said sounds racist to me, is that the way you intended it?” is vital. Laughing nervously and changing the subject emboldens racists. Telling someone they are wrong to point out racism not only emboldens racists, but also shames and suppresses people who want to counter racism, and can turn allies into apathetics.
White people calling out other white people for racist behavior and hate speech is the only way to keep racism in check. Same with homophobia: straight people calling out other straight people on homophobic behavior and hate speech is the only way to keep anti-gay hysteria in check. Same with sexism: men calling out other men for objectifying and/or misogynist behavior and speech is the only way to keep it in check.
Outside of interpersonal behavior, it is important to be able to call out racist behaviors for what they are. For example: “The alt-right is peopled by virulent racists, xenophobes, anti-semites, homophobes, and misogynists” is an accurate statement. If we can’t say that, we can’t counter it and keep it in check. The statement hurts no one’s feelings, because the people it describes are proud to wear those labels. (If that sounds hard to believe, spend a little time reading posts on sites you can find by Googling for lists of alt-right / white nationalist websites. It won’t take long to see what I mean.)
The Southern Poverty Law Center would not be very effective if it called hate groups “Organizations with some members who occasionally say racist things or may hold some racist beliefs” instead of calling them what they are: Hate Groups.
I am much more concerned about the oppression, fears, and dangers experienced by the victims of hate than I am about the feelings of the perpetrators of hate. I won’t look for common ground with someone who actively seeks to oppress and harm those they deem to be inferior. I cannot be a good ally to those who are oppressed if I’m too concerned about the feelings of their oppressors. I am not powerful enough to convince bigots to be kind or to make them realize we are all equal, no matter how much common ground can be identified.
Trying to convince racists they are wrong only makes them dig in deeper. Only a racist can decide to try to change. The will to change cannot be forced on them, or coaxed from them. That’s their own responsibility. It is the responsibility of those of us who oppose hate and oppression to be allies in the continuing struggle against hate and oppression. Telling our allies to stop calling groups of racists “racist” only shames the ally, while emboldening the racists and strengthening the false narrative in which the racists claim themselves to be the victims.
You don’t have to read minds to know someone is a racist when you see the tweets like Jeffrey Goldberg described in his NPR interview ( https://goo.gl/BXq87Z ), or the similar vitriol on display on alt-right / white nationalist / neo-nazi websites, or the racial and misogynist slurs and chants shouted at Trump rallies, worn on their t-shirts and written on the signs they carry. That is not mind-reading, that’s just calling it what it is.
Pingback: The Unconnected | Wade's Wire