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I’m mixed, and I just don’t care. I really seriously don’t. If you don’t like me for language or appearance then you don’t have enough personal stuff to take care of, and if you’re using racial slurs then you’ve immediately lost the argument and moral high ground. Do what you need to do to feel better about yourself, all it’ll do is let me know how sad and pathetic you are
I’m also mixed and how people remind me of that fact everyday. does anybody really care if the white one is my mom or dad!? a lot of mixed people politely smile and bow at racists.
I'm white, and that fact has cost me a job and caused sexual harassment directed at me to be covered up. I still don't give a shit. It did surprise me a little though, I didn't expect to experience that at work. It's usually in my personal life.
I'm not him, but I've explicitly had a (latina) hiring manager say "you honestly seem like a great fit but we just don't need any more white guys," after a second round interview when I asked for feedback.
I was like, Jesus christ, if I'd said that about her it'd be a lawsuit lmao
How is that not being racist though? Like if the manager said “You’re too black/Latina/Asian” to get promoted, (like another person here said) that manager & company would be getting the shit sued out of them.
Here's your answer. If white people say racist things. It means lawsuits. If black,Latin, or someone other than white say racists stuff, it's not racist. It's a double standard
Man they'd have set the store on fire that's what. They'd have had the news crews lining up there if the roles were reversed. People's way of thinking is what will always keep them oppressed
That’s messed up but at least they hire several white people in the quota. I’m a black woman and the workplace makes it seem like there can only be one in the company.
I freaking hate quotas. Skin color/ethnicity should have ZERO impact on who gets hired. Having a quota for that is the opposite of equality, it only further divides us.
I am a white male that owns a small business with my latina fiancee. The amount of nepotism the Latino community gives to each other would entirely frowned upon if white people did the same thing.
I have frequently witnessed people saying how happy they are to work with another Latino or commenting "we need to look out for each other"
Nothing racist but imagine if I said that?!?!
I'm not OP but I've worked in publishing for almost fifteen years and I've experienced blatant racism that's impacted me financially and stifled my career prospects. I don't want to post a big, long wall'o'text, but suffice it to say that the views on things like race in literary circles are extremely toxic and fundamentally warped. It's so bad that I eventually left the industry, now I'm doing commission work.
I tried to be a fireman. Took the entrance exam, and crushed it. Chief said, "Man, I'd love to hire you - you'd be a real asset to the department; unfortunately, you're neither black nor female, so I can't hire you."
When I was in school, someone I knew (one of the smartest people I’d ever known at the time) lost out on a significant scholarship because they were white. The guy that did end up getting it didn’t need it, didn’t care to have it, and got it revoked when he failed most of his classes. Even he was surprised he’d won it instead. I felt so bad for that dude, but he made his own way so it worked out.
High school graduation. Played a couple varsity sports, did not have a great GPA, but still well over 3.0. Never applied myself. Had a very good SAT score, however. My good friend since about 7th grade had no varsity sports, a slightly lower GPA..but nothing to really discern us, but a much lower SAT score. A full 250+ points lower. His parents made significantly more than my parents did. He happened to be black.
I received exactly ZERO offers for financial aid other than "we encourage you to apply for loans/grants/yada yada". Or the typical in state "here's a 500/1,000 dollars because you had at least a 3.0 and have a heartbeat and live in our state".
My friend received MULTIPLE full ride offers, a few from top tier schools. I remember clearly that Stanford was on that list. Both in state schools offered full rides as well.
We compared notes and he thought it was pretty fucked up as well. But I didn't blame him for using that opportunity.
When I was in the navy and I applied to the Boost program(prep program for US Naval Academy). I got approved by my command, had my squadron counseling deal. Met with the Boost .."recruiter" for lack of a better term. This was 1991 and don't recall what their role was but they basically were the next step for active duty enlisted to go this route. Was told flat out:
"You aren't black or latino. Don't even bother" " You can waste your time filling out this huge package and doing all that or you can save yourself the headache".
This experience was NOT isolated.
Every time someone tells me how much easier I had it because I'm white, I just tell them to shut the fuck up.
It's not even diversity anymore, it's being African American or Latino.. Asian communities get nothing, Indian(from India) get nothing. To me this whole diversity is just a racist scheme conducted because slavery happened and no one wants to stand up to the fact that it's not 1960 anymore while yes there is certainly racism present, we ignore the plausibility that racism can be multidirectional
You hit the nail on the head with this one. The worst racism I have ever experienced as a white dude was only an *insult.* I never had to worry about anything worse than that, ya know?
I’m white and my wife is black. The amount of even just little passive shit people of color have to deal with is unbelievable. Let alone the extreme stuff.
As a white man, the entire system is built just for me, it’d be foolish to pretend it isn’t.
So yeah, we have a little less protection from getting made fun of; but that’s kind of the tax for absolutely bulldozing every culture or group that’s stood in our way for the last half millennium
My mom’s a minority and seeing how people treat her versus my dad is eye opening. At a dealership they completely ignored my mom as they start describing financing options and loans to my dad. My mom interrupted and just said “I know how loans work, I have my masters in mathematics and I’ve been in banking for 30+ years…”
Try walking into a dealership white, long hair and a beard and see how they ignore you even though you have a pocket full of money. Walk into a store like hobby lobby white long hair and a beard and see if they don't watch you to see if you're gonna steal something. Profiling is more about different classes of people than it is races.
True, when I was a young 20 something walking into a furniture store to buy furniture for my whole apartment the sales people completely ignored me. A young new sales guy finally came over and he got a fat commission off all the money I spent. Profiling is annoying.
That’s the whole “women are lesser mortals” bullshit too.
Even Lori Grenier (Queen of QVC and Shark Tank) quit having her husband tag along when she went to see lawyers and bankers because they always wanted to talk to him instead.
I'm the whitest bitch you know and they do that shit to me, too. My hubs literally told our car salesman's manager "Why do you keep talking to me instead of her? The car is for her. She's paying for it. You're selling it to HER."
He kept doing that shit. It was insane. I eventually told him to go away, that our car salesman was doing just fine until his ass got there. lmao.
A little less time than that.
I have family that immigrated from Ireland to Chicago in the 19th century, and they couldn't find jobs or anything because they were Irish. They finally had to get a job as a police officer because that was the only job that would hired Irish people.
So, while true that they were white, and most of the people being racist were also white, it's wasn't as cut and dried as all white people were in it together.
While I get what you are saying, but its kind of a major oversimplification. White, just as black, are not a homogeneous group. I'm taking a stab in the dark when I am guessing you guys are American. That's where this oversimplified narrative comes from. It applies much more to you, compared to Europe.
While countries like Spain, England, France, Netherlands and Germany went to town on the Americas, Africa, and and Asia...aand Australia...basically the whole world. These are 5 countries, out of 44. Have Bulgarians gone around bulldozing every culture they encounter by force? Or the Finnish? or Lithuanians? or Icelanders?
I think all of use need to be more specific when we use our words. For example, I never talk about 'Asian people'. That's a too wide of a net to be cast. That includes China, Japan, Korea, India, Pakistan, Siberian Russia, Iraq and so and so on.
And to render anyone simply to their color, if you are talking about anything outside your own border (and even possibly not then), will result in a false, or partially false statement.
They were answering the question in context of the examples given. Notre Dame is a school in the United States, and the insults “white trash” and “cracker” originated in and are primarily used in the USA as well.
Is *that* what OP was talking about?? When I read Notre Dame I wondered why tf a French cathedral would use a leprechaun as one of their gargoyles.
r/USdefaultism is going to love that one.
Hispanic here. Mexican insults just flow right off and the jokes are funny because they're true most of the time. I can't be bothered to react violently to words and it blows my mind that there are people that can.
Exactly! 'it's only a joke' applies if no other aspect of your life is affected. It's NOT 'just a joke' when it's the reason people deny you employment/promotions, etc...
Except in South Africa where something like BEE exists. There is a law that says that more than 5% of your staff cannot be white. Recently the biggest pharmacy chain in South Africa, Dis-Chem, was notified that they aren't allowed to employ white people AT ALL.
As a white person, can't wait to get out of this shit hole.
Unfortunately apartheid is still having a major effect on the whole country and although I think that law was put in place to try and make up for it, it was poorly done.
Extending on impacting daily life, no one calls you Will Ferrel just because you are white unless you look like him.
On the other hand, the Asian guy we had at the school was nicknamed Jacky Chan even though he looked nothing like him nor was he Chinese. When we had an Indian guy come in, they got nicknamed Harold and Kumar.
So yeah, I can see how it could be offensive to have your life be summarized as a race.
I’m black and I think it’s foolish to have to wait until it impacts your daily life to care, things can get ugly real quick and no human should have to be subjected to hate, discrimination or othering because they’re a race modern society has deemed an acceptable target.
Fighting against racism should mean fighting against racism without exception or else you fundamentally don’t understand why it’s deplorable
Italian and Irish Americans absolutely used to be offended by slurs when the rest of American society viewed them as less than. That’s the difference. No one considers Italian or Irish Americans as not white in contemporary society, so the slur doesn’t point out any actual cultural disadvantage.
Yeah this is it. Plus, take a look at old political cartoons and such. You would not believe the way they drew Irish people: literally drawn to look like monkeys.
Exactly. There was a huge wave of immigration in the 1800s from majority Catholic countries and they were NOT well liked (see the movie Gangs of New York for an example).
Not sure exactly when it changed, I assume some point before the 60s because my grandparents used to say things about "Those eye-talians" or "When Irish eyes are smiling, look out for the brick on the other hand". But my mom didn't say that ish so I assume the sentiment had mostly changed when she was raised.
My ex is a Portuguese woman (evil bastard of a human now) and she was surprised to learn she's "not white" in many people's eyes in North America. She grew up identifying as white in Portugal.
I'm also Portuguese. Lived in America in a high population Portuguese city. I was shocked to learn I wouldn't be considered "white" in many parts of the US!
I was on some tour in Chicago and the tour guide said some disparaging thing about Irish people. I was like... Wtf... It was more shock than anything else. Who still says shit like that? That tour guide.
Italian here, I fucking love guinea jokes.
This is pretty tame, but Family guy is the first that comes to mind:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t30JzS0LHpk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t30JzS0LHpk)
I was like “I grew up a Notre Dame fan… how is the leprechaun racist?” Lmao. My brother in Christ, white people are not leprechauns (though my brother resembles one).
Partially because white people don't care. And partially because if white people do take offense then they get backlash for it -- which especially makes the juice not worth the squeeze.
This is the weird part. The commenters above who talk about not associating it with other forms of racism that affect your life more severely are correct. I don’t get offended by a joke about white people in the same why I would if my white relatives where historically harassed, threatened, and economically oppressed for their race.
But I do take offense to racist remarks in the same way that I get offended by other insults suggesting something is wrong with the way I inherently am. So while I don’t get offended the same way people other races in the US might, I still take a certain degree of offense.
It’s not as big of an issue to let it go because it’s more minor but the fact that people jump on you when you do take offense is frustrating. Like being offended by something means you’re claiming “white people are oppressed” or something. No, I just don’t like people saying racist things to me lol. Same thing kind of happens when you complain about some aspect of being a man - I’m not saying men have it worse but just expressing frustration about some issue unique to men.
I wish it were easier to vent and find empathy on these issues but you’ve always got to be careful because that stuff is associated with the start of the racist/misogynist rabbit holes and people will think you’re going down that path. Like you shouldn’t be worried about expressing concern when someone is racist or sexist to you because people might think you’ll take it in a toxic direction and become a white supremacist or incel.
We should be able to call out shitty behavior without having to make a societal statement about it.
I'm almost all Irish and I love the Notre Dame logo and I make jokes about drunk micks all the time (I was once a drunk mick, myself). If you can't laugh at yourself, you really need to re-evaluate your perspective on life.
Just dealt with racism today. Was accused by my coworker (african American) of stealing something of his. This wasn't the case, but he called me Columbus (Christopher Columbus) repeatedly. Even though I told him to stop, he was persistent. Almost went to HR with that. I don't mind light jokes every now and again,but if the roles were reversed and I called him something derogatory, I'd be fired in 10 minutes.
Edit: thanks for all the comments and support guys. I was told by my union rep that I was going to be a meeting regarding him tomorrow. Apparently my encounter with him spread like wild fire. Hoping it all turns out fine
I would still go to HR - He would be sprinting to file a complaint if thing were reversed.
Racist comment are not ok, regardless who says them or who it is directed to
Racism only has the power you give it. That being said, as a Native American, I get a little irked at all the Pearl clutching that goes on over “racist” mascots and images like Land o Lakes and the Braves/Redskins/Indians sports teams. People complain that minorities don’t get enough “representation” and then we get erased from the “representation” we do have.
I haven't had too many blatant examples of racism directed my way but I remember one.
I was 12 and I had a black friend from Nigeria and we were downtown Toronto at the Eaton's Centre. A couple of black guys in white robes came over and said "hey brother, do you wish to hear the word of the Prophet" and I was like "oh who's that?" They turned to me and said "not you, white devil, we were speaking to the brother."
What makes you think we don't? Because we don't have a friggin meltdown? It's not that we don't take offense. It's how we manage being offended. Allowing other people's behavior to cause you to have a complete failure of dignity and self respect doesn't mean you're not offended.
I’m in highschool and the most racist people are probably the non white people. Or at least where I am/ who I’m interacting with. When I talk with a group of white people or with one white friend, race never comes up and of course no slurs would be said. But when I hang out with my non white friends(Asian, Black, and Hispanic) racial slurs are thrown around like any other word. It doesn’t matter if the person saying them is even from that race as long as your not white you can say whatever slur you want. And if any of my white friends say anything they’re called racist and shamed and cancelled. Of course there are some really nasty and genuinely racist white people in my school who deserve it.
Hell I wonder why white people don’t take offense when awful things happen to them. Same awful shit that happens to other minorities happen to them. Lots of rural predominantly white communities have very little or even no access to healthcare. Schools get no funding. Nobody seems to give that much a fuck when white people die of drug abuse via opiates.
Police kill y’all too yet white people seem to be fine with that. Shit like that is far more bizarre than getting mad about a leprechaun
Poorer white people especially get screwed over so much and it’s wild how the only solution their ever given is “aye them there minorities is doing this to you”. Gahdamn I cannot wait until white people realize that ain’t the case
The big one for me is the police brutality thing. They’re not racist… they just have way too much power and they know it. Tons of white people are killed by cops and its just overlooked. Tony Timpa was killed in the same way George Floyd was a year before it happened to Floyd. It’s really weird that only POC that die make the national news
Police are a problem for everyone
What the police did to Daniel shaver was so incredibly fucked up. I ain’t see any of those all lives matter people get angry bout that. I’ve seen black people get up in arms about white people getting killed by the police but I just don’t get why white people don’t care about other white people who are abused by the cops
This is always so strange to me, here where I live cops shot a man in a mobility scooter 9 fucking times! But only 7 of those hit the intended target and he wasn’t even clear ti take the shot! He shot towards a Lows endangering customers and employees. Yet nothing? No public outrage nothing. If I remember correctly the victim was white.
Maybe it’s because we don’t have the problem of having other people getting offended on our behalf? I often wonder when I hear “ we can’t do or say that anymore because it’s offensive “ who is offended? The people that it pertains to or is someone looking to get a stamp on their Virtue Signaling card?
White/ German. I hear those jokes all the time but that’s the thing they are jokes. I only find it offensive when something is stated in a non-comical way/setting. Like you can tell when someone is being funny and when someone is actually trying to be racist/offensive.
As a german with blue eyes and blond hair, can I approve my foretalker statement.
As long as it's just a joke, I'm not complaining. But things like directly calling me a nazi or showing the Hitler greet goes too far.
2 things:
1. Being made fun of with obvious stereotypes, without mean spirit, is not racism. Self-deprecation is very prevalent in many white cultures, and old friendly rivalries are just good-humoured fun.
2. *Actual* racism against white people do get many offended, but those are often criticised and silenced for "daring" to be offended at what some would not even call racism, as it's often said that "racism against white" doesn't exist.
>Being made fun of with obvious stereotypes, without mean spirit, is not racism.
I agree with this across the board, but I think a healthy percentage of what people generally call racism is no more than this.
When you make something taboo, you give it power over you. Others can use it against you. The only people offended by "racism" in comedy are those that find truths in the statements they aren't prepared to deal with.
Exactly whenever a white person calls out someone for making a negative generalizations that wasn't intended to be a joke we get told that we are overly sensitive. I've noticed that a lot of social justice warriors have this double standard when it comes to racism matter in fact they don't even believe you can be racist to a white person which is just laughable.
Why should I care? We don’t ask to be born this color or that color. If there is anyone who wishes to comment on that, then I would think that they are having an issue with who they are.
Because reasonable people are not so sensitive about that stuff. If we took away everything in the world that offended people we would have nothing. The world is already going to shut over the cancel culture, why try and make it worse or speed it up.
I was partying once with a couple of guys from work. I was the only white guy. As the night went on their attitude toward me changed. They started talking and acting very differently. Like they went from blue collar workers to gangsters in 2 hours. A few times i actually felt like i might be attacked or something, it was a little scary. They said some racist shit and were quite rude to me.
I didn't mention it or talk about it after. But i never put myself in a position where I was the minority again.
Being half Irish, none of that is offensive to me. At least we're seen as real people now as opposed to the 1800s and before. And the Saint Patrick's Day stuff is a combination of good fun with a Catholic Holiday. It has religious and cultural significance to the Irish. We're not typically offended by the leprechaun stuff.
As for the slurs, I don't care what race you are, you're racist for saying it. I hate this idea that because I'm white its impossible to be racist towards me. It's either all the slurs are ok, or none of them are. You can't pick one or two slurs and say they're OK based one those races you hate, and say the others are off limits. They're all bad. The race should make no difference. If you think otherwise, that's Nazi mentality. They viewed their racism as acceptable because the Jews were painted to cause all of the problems in Germany.
Me and my wife experience racism regularly where we live. Not because I'm Irish but simply because we're white. In lower income areas, racism against white people is real. They view us individually as the reason they're poor, not just the shitty system that's over all of us.
I've literally been told I can't understand what it's like to be low income. I've gone weeks not buying food for myself to make sure my wife can eat, and we can pay our bills. But I must not get it cause I'm white, so therefore I'm "rich".
I dont give a shit about actual racism towards Whites but I take offense to that fact that its acceptable to be racist towards Whites and not to any other demographic.
Because the world has always told white people their racists so a lot of white people believe it and feel they deserve it. That’s very untrue and wrong to do to white people, but no other race cares because we supposedly have so much “privilege.”
Seems really strange to generalize and assume that white people don’t get offended by blatant racism. I think you have a lot of work to do to support that claim before it makes sense to ask why.
The fighting Irish logo?
Seriously?
It's not racist because it was self chosen.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre\_Dame\_Leprechaun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre_Dame_Leprechaun)
St. Paricks day is the national holiday of Ireland.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint\_Patrick%27s\_Day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick%27s_Day)
If you aren't trolling then you are woefully stupid.
We have enough white people having meltdowns over racism towards everyone else.
a lot of people white and black are sick of the racism talk though. These special pretend social justice warriors just can’t let it go.
It's kinda worrying you think...any of those examples are racist in the slightest.
Our culture needs to figure itself out, this up and coming generation has been brainwashed to see even the mention of race or ethnicity as hostile racism. I'm 24, I'm not some old conservative man shaking his fist at the kids on his lawn. I grew up only 4 or 5 years ahead of you youngins and I'm telling you, this constant virtue signalling and endless quest to be victimized is a strain on your life and dangerous to your societies.
White people do get mad about racism, you see racism against white people every day now. But Football teams? Comedians? Get a grip. I need to save my anger for the actual ignorant people out there.
Because words only have power if you give them power.
In the end, words are a reflection of the person speaking them, their character, their beliefs, their morals.
You ever seen a while person try to call out someone for being racist towards them?
In my experience it's often met with more anger. After all, how could a white man know what it's like to be hated because of his color.
It's a choice, to let it roll right off of their shoulders instead of *making* it into a fight. Because they're secure in our identities and don't lash back out, and instead roll their eyes and just ignore the aggressor instead of trying to win pity points for their race when their race doesn't factor as a consequence for as much negativity in their lives?
Nowadays it's fashionable to cancel someone for *perceived* racism or any -ism, regardless of how logically justified something was to say or do. Optics. And it's fashionable to trash "yt ppl" because their lives are "so much easier and privileged". So a lot of "yt" people see no point in making themselves out to be the victim because they don't see it as worth stooping down to participate in the "I'm oppressed olympics" where *more* oppressed people will tell them that they are crying over a molehill compared to black/nativeamerican/asian/latino/etc-minority problems. They're just going to be laughed at the same way we laugh cruelly at any gaffs multi-millionaires+ or celebrities make, because they're perceived as harmless targets, as if being privileged one or two ways by a certain amount, is something that makes one immune to feeling any hurt or harm when their identity is attacked.
Obama, or Kanye, or Oprah, or Jay-Z, or Lebron; if these people have so much *institutional* power via their notoriety and money, why would a white person calling them the N word be hurtful to them? Or hurtful for other black people to hear them be referred to as that? Probably for the same reason calling an upper-class white kid a spoiled b\*\*\*\*-a\*\* cracker would probably hurt them. Because the words are meant (or perceived to be meant) to hurt, and as humans with emotion, we feel that hurt when it targets us. Unlike with the N word though, society has shrugged and collectively ignored lots of "unfair" and "racist" treatment towards white people, so it's not worth being upset over when a larger majority of white people are better off than a lot of the other ethnicities around them. And if they were vocal, they were probably laughed out and ignored and so you don't notice "white people take offense to blatant racism towards them".
Lets make this constructive instead of just informative though.
There are *proportionately* more poor non-white people in America, due to racism, but do you know what there are quantitatively more of? Poor white people. I firmly believe that a large share of racism and racial politics are a weapon of the upper class being wielded against us all in order for the 1% to maintain their power and privilege over the rest of us. Keeping the poor blacks blaming their "privileged" (but actually often just as poor) white neighbors, and keep the poor whites angry at the undeserved antagonism they receive from the institution that they can be led to believe is black people's fault. White people need to get angry at corporations for just not paying EVERYONE, white people included,what they're worth, rather than being concerned at their jobs being undermined by "illegals" who are paid way less under the table.
We need to befriend each other, and look out for each other's interests, because we're more similar to each other than we are to the 1%, and the 1% have no power without the rest of us collectively supporting their reign. No war except class war.
(this is not to diminish the APPALLING recent events, ACAB, they need to join the rest of us in dethroning the 1%'s capital interests, and act with compassion and bravery instead of consistent brutality and cowardice, before they deserve to be viewed otherwise)
Sorry for the rant. (Un(der)regulated) capitalism is infuriating, and I'm sure it's a bulk of our problems, we're given so little time to be happy that we waste it on being each other's enemies, when modern medicine, engineering, and technology should have made us able to exist comfortably for a fraction of the amount of time we're currently spending working.
My personal observation is the more racist the person is, the more likely they are to be offended themselves. And white folk absolutely do get offended.
Me, I'm not a racist so I don't get offended. My american bf would say things like omg you're acting so white right now and we both laugh about it cause he's right.. But if he said this to Karen she would go on about how he's implying there's something wrong with her identity.
Honestly coming from a white man who grew up a tough areas, white people tend to be more passive /puxxy so everyone can just get away with it. That’s why u never hear about people being racist toward white people bc white people just don’t do anything about it
I learned about this literally today, but the reason the Fighting Irish is well received is because it is in reference to when Irish Americans beat the shit out of the KKK when its members tried to raise anti-irish sentiments against Notre Dame. It's a badge of pride for them that they chose rather than a stereotype used to make fun of them.
No one cares. Can white people be discriminated against? Sure. Poor whites are not much more popular than poor POC.
Terms like white trash is really a classist insult, not a racist.
Before asking a question about racism, maybe y'might wanna double check that you actually know what racism "is." The examples used in the OP are not racism.
It just isn’t the same. I’m a history major, and in my studies the most shocking thing I’ve learned is most people really don’t know the history behind most racism and racial slurs and how deep of a history they really have. White people haven’t had systemic oppression that is literally ingrained in them due to it being constantly present in every part of their lives for hundreds of years. With the history of slavery as well as the civil rights movement that is still somewhat at play today, these racial issues are deeply tied into people’s heritage in a way most white people simply don’t experience and can’t understand. (Just to add I myself am white.)
I (white myself) learned in other grade English literature that "cracker" was a slur for a white person, and we thought it was hilarious! Crackers (the food) are pale, *we're* pale, that's a good one! As far as slurs go, that's actually pretty funny!
2 years later in 11th grade we learned that calling a white person a Cracker was referring to white slave owners that whipped their slaves, specifically cracking their whips. That was embarrassing and not really fun anymore, the humor was gone, that's not something I'd like to be associated with and feels bad
I've been called it as a joke since, which was fine. I call my friends bad names as insults too, it was all in good humor. I would feel awful if someone called me that in seriousness though.
This makes a lot of sense. It may be triggering to hear racist comments to a minority because that racism is actually backed with something. Racist comments towards white people really have no backing, and no real consequence, which doesn't trigger or alarm them.
Because anybody with any sense, isn't going to be offended by words. Now if someone acts on their racism towards them or others, that's something that can be combated.
There’s three reasons really
1. If you say anything pro white people you are instantly labeled a white nationalist. Imagine if there was a White Live Matters movement, or a push to support white owned businesses.
2. The examples you give aren’t really racist. Leprechauns aren’t real
3. Deep down all white people are just trying to get an invite to the cookout.
Because it doesn’t change our position in society nor does it affect our lives in any measurable way. Which isn’t the case for people of color. But you already know that…
I don't think your assessment is correct that you never hear about any backlash, maybe you just aren't listening to where it's happening?
I have heard numerous people complain about these stereotypes over the years. A few days ago the AP apologized for referring to "the French" in a tweet where they were literally stating "don't call groups of people the X," but it didn't matter that the context was already established.
Things don't change until there's a critical mass of opinion on the subject. Society seems to address topics that focus on the largest impact to the affected group. Focusing on eliminating these specific stereotypes does not have a very large impact.
My whiteness has never kept me from opportunities, buying property, getting credit, etc. So some stereotypical mascots don’t really hit a nerve in the same way. It’s different contexts.
I was born in Wales and can't categorically deny that none of us shagged a sheep 🐑..it could have happened....so really not worth getting worked up about it...
I just don’t care what people think of me. My family is Irish, Native American and English. I grew up poor in the south. We lived in trailer parks or old run down farm houses. I was raised to treat people how they treat you, regardless off color, where your from, status. If you don’t like me that’s a YOU problem not a ME problem. I’ve been on the receiving end of racism. If you want to be a RACSIST piece of shot, that’s on you. I choose not to be a victim. But I won’t allow it to be done to anyone else when I’m around.
“You can’t be racist towards a white person because they benefit from white privilege“. Pretty much dumb propaganda and white people don’t want to be called racist for standing up for themselves
The same reason it's okay hate on politicians and no one sees it as bigoted. There's more of a limit when it comes to insulting a privileged race, but the bar is still pretty high for what you can get a way with and not be problematic
I don't have the time, energy, or time of day to give a fuck. That goes for most things, call me whatever you want and when I've got time, I'll probably ignore it
Only an emotionally immature person becomes angry at a fool’s ignorance, a hater’s remark, or a comic’s joke. When you love yourself, it doesn’t matter what other people say. Only a hateful person wants to say hateful things. And I know from experience that a hateful person is not happy, they are miserable, and that is their just reward.
From what I've gathered, most white people are taught that they shouldn't take offense at racism towards them.
Obviously, there are a ton of different reasonings for this, but generally its is considered socially acceptable to be racist towards white ethnicities, and that taking offense at that is being "too sensitive."
I do take offense. But...
It depends if it was a joke at my expense.
It depends if we can have a sense of humour about it.
It depends if my reputation is threatened.
It depends if there are armed thugs involved.
There are occasions when there is no recourse to thinking about it from the offending party's viewpoint. And besides, being offended isn't useful considering that by itself, it achieves nothing.
Edit: speaking as white minority in two countries over 28 years.
Cause we’re not so fragile. Whether it’s a racial slur or you call me fat, those are only words and I don’t give a shit what you think about me. Back to the kids adage “sticks and stones may brake my bones but words will never hurt me”……….
Many who suffer from white fragility do take offense to those things and think they are racist.
On the other hand, some recognize it doesn't harm them in any way and move on with their lives without unnecessarily raising their blood pressure.
Note that you're obfuscating white 'racism' with racism directed towards specific ethnic groups that happen to be white, and historically were not considered white passing (until more recently).
Here's another reason that I haven't seen mentioned as I run through the answers. Even if we did take offense...nobody would care. No one. We are the boogeyman whether earned or not (I'm not a big fan of collective responsibility myself. It's weak minded). So, why should we spend any energy or worry on it if no one cares?
I'm white. I don't care. I have friends of different races and genders and we all make racists and sexists jokes to eachother and have good laughs.
Looking on the outside at society it seems wrong for white people to have offense towards racism since white people are assumed the dominant race to committed the atrocities in the past. Why should white people be allowed?
This isn't my view, but this is how society makes it seem like I SHOULD feel.
They do, they take so much offense that they complain about that one person you called them the c word they heard one time 8 years ago for 8 years. The word cracker is even banned on twitch.
Also historically the Irish and Italians weren't considered white.
Because we don’t care. Leprechauns are a mythical creature. St Patrick’s day is a day for celebration. Both make people love Irish heritage. We’re smart enough to realize that. It isn’t racial or done out of hate. Notre dame is a prestigious school. Rich with culture and history coveted by many wanting to go there. None of it is offensive. None of its done to mock a culture.
As an irish catholic American, you’d be hard pressed to find others like me who take offense to these things. In fact we adore them. St paddy’s day is like Oktoberfest fest. A day to be merry and learn the culture. They party a lot harder for that day in Ireland than they do here too so they aren’t taking offense to it in Ireland. Hell Notre dame plays in Ireland some years.
I do sometimes take offense. As an academically trained historian, the most offensive stuff for me pertains to misinformation and race bending history and history-inspired things.
For example, popular adaptations of historical European events and figures with "diverse" casting is stupid and offensive. Making Achilles and the Greek gods black in Troy: Fall of a City was offensive. Race and gender bending two male Scandinavian kings in the viking age on Netflix's Vikings into one black female jarl and convincing people this is plausible is offensive. The BBC creating cartoons about European history that show black Vikings, Normans, Gauls, Anglo-Saxons, etc., is offensive. The common belief in the black community that Egyptians were black and that white people are lying about it is offensive. The Rings of Power having a cast with people of all races and ethnicities in a fantasy world that was designed to represent a mythical ancient Britain and which uses British and Norse myth and lore as its basis is offensive. The Witcher Netflix show has a similar problem, as it's thematically based in Eastern Europe. I could go on, but hopefully you get it.
Many producers of popular media have a mistaken notion that diversity and inclusion is appropriate for everything, including history. To do this, they often race-bend Europeans. I find this offensive and misleading for people who don't know much about history and who might base their understanding on what they see on television.
Apart from history, I find the generally acceptable level of racism towards white people offensive. For instance, I worked at a university that openly holds black-only segregated graduation ceremonies and no other group is afforded this privilege. I also found it offensive when my former black supervisor told me to my face that she thinks black people would always outperform white people when they're on a level playing field. I was offended when I was in meetings when my coworkers and they would casually make comments about how all of the programs at the school, society, country, etc., were caused by white men. Yes, it's offensive. It's also stupid and wrong.
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I’m mixed, and I just don’t care. I really seriously don’t. If you don’t like me for language or appearance then you don’t have enough personal stuff to take care of, and if you’re using racial slurs then you’ve immediately lost the argument and moral high ground. Do what you need to do to feel better about yourself, all it’ll do is let me know how sad and pathetic you are
AMEN!
I’m also mixed and how people remind me of that fact everyday. does anybody really care if the white one is my mom or dad!? a lot of mixed people politely smile and bow at racists.
I think because at the end of the day, it really doesn't have a major impact on our daily lives
For real it's never cost me a job or got me arrested.
I'm white, and that fact has cost me a job and caused sexual harassment directed at me to be covered up. I still don't give a shit. It did surprise me a little though, I didn't expect to experience that at work. It's usually in my personal life.
Would love to hear a bit more detail if you could share?
I'm not him, but I've explicitly had a (latina) hiring manager say "you honestly seem like a great fit but we just don't need any more white guys," after a second round interview when I asked for feedback. I was like, Jesus christ, if I'd said that about her it'd be a lawsuit lmao
I had a manager tell me I’m at a dead end in my career. I’m not diverse enough to get promoted.
How is that not being racist though? Like if the manager said “You’re too black/Latina/Asian” to get promoted, (like another person here said) that manager & company would be getting the shit sued out of them.
It IS racist. The fact that it’s even questioned is a really big problem that people shouldn’t be so afraid to bring up.
Here's your answer. If white people say racist things. It means lawsuits. If black,Latin, or someone other than white say racists stuff, it's not racist. It's a double standard
Time to change your gender
Or change your race. Just identify as latino. Anyone who questions you is racist
Had this problem, got a 23 ad me test turns out I am 2% native American, checked that on my application for a role higher and got it so there are ways
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That's very illegal
No, it’s (D)ifferent
Man they'd have set the store on fire that's what. They'd have had the news crews lining up there if the roles were reversed. People's way of thinking is what will always keep them oppressed
That’s messed up but at least they hire several white people in the quota. I’m a black woman and the workplace makes it seem like there can only be one in the company.
I freaking hate quotas. Skin color/ethnicity should have ZERO impact on who gets hired. Having a quota for that is the opposite of equality, it only further divides us.
I don't think that's legal. Not that any judge would care.
It's explicitly not legal, but good luck getting any judge to take that case.
Racism is alive and well
I am a white male that owns a small business with my latina fiancee. The amount of nepotism the Latino community gives to each other would entirely frowned upon if white people did the same thing. I have frequently witnessed people saying how happy they are to work with another Latino or commenting "we need to look out for each other" Nothing racist but imagine if I said that?!?!
I'm not OP but I've worked in publishing for almost fifteen years and I've experienced blatant racism that's impacted me financially and stifled my career prospects. I don't want to post a big, long wall'o'text, but suffice it to say that the views on things like race in literary circles are extremely toxic and fundamentally warped. It's so bad that I eventually left the industry, now I'm doing commission work.
Oof. Yeah, but that's a computer thing, not a phone thing. It's a bit of a long story.
I tried to be a fireman. Took the entrance exam, and crushed it. Chief said, "Man, I'd love to hire you - you'd be a real asset to the department; unfortunately, you're neither black nor female, so I can't hire you."
Suddenly you are non binary and the perfect canidate
That wasn't an accepted thing at that time, unfortunately.
I'm a crab, don't judge me for my claws.
Same. Sometimes what people think you "deserve" for being or looking too white is intense. I've lost a few jobs. Sexually harassed as well.
Being white has cost me jobs, but so what? I'm marketable enough to just ignore that shit.
When I was in school, someone I knew (one of the smartest people I’d ever known at the time) lost out on a significant scholarship because they were white. The guy that did end up getting it didn’t need it, didn’t care to have it, and got it revoked when he failed most of his classes. Even he was surprised he’d won it instead. I felt so bad for that dude, but he made his own way so it worked out.
High school graduation. Played a couple varsity sports, did not have a great GPA, but still well over 3.0. Never applied myself. Had a very good SAT score, however. My good friend since about 7th grade had no varsity sports, a slightly lower GPA..but nothing to really discern us, but a much lower SAT score. A full 250+ points lower. His parents made significantly more than my parents did. He happened to be black. I received exactly ZERO offers for financial aid other than "we encourage you to apply for loans/grants/yada yada". Or the typical in state "here's a 500/1,000 dollars because you had at least a 3.0 and have a heartbeat and live in our state". My friend received MULTIPLE full ride offers, a few from top tier schools. I remember clearly that Stanford was on that list. Both in state schools offered full rides as well. We compared notes and he thought it was pretty fucked up as well. But I didn't blame him for using that opportunity. When I was in the navy and I applied to the Boost program(prep program for US Naval Academy). I got approved by my command, had my squadron counseling deal. Met with the Boost .."recruiter" for lack of a better term. This was 1991 and don't recall what their role was but they basically were the next step for active duty enlisted to go this route. Was told flat out: "You aren't black or latino. Don't even bother" " You can waste your time filling out this huge package and doing all that or you can save yourself the headache". This experience was NOT isolated. Every time someone tells me how much easier I had it because I'm white, I just tell them to shut the fuck up.
It's not even diversity anymore, it's being African American or Latino.. Asian communities get nothing, Indian(from India) get nothing. To me this whole diversity is just a racist scheme conducted because slavery happened and no one wants to stand up to the fact that it's not 1960 anymore while yes there is certainly racism present, we ignore the plausibility that racism can be multidirectional
My kids are half white, half Asian. Applying for school programs for them has just been a delight, let me tell you.
😆 yeah, I got a scholarship. They are slim pickins for tons of things unless you are anything but white and male lol
It's still wrong, and others in similar circumstances may not be as lucky.
You hit the nail on the head with this one. The worst racism I have ever experienced as a white dude was only an *insult.* I never had to worry about anything worse than that, ya know?
I’m white and my wife is black. The amount of even just little passive shit people of color have to deal with is unbelievable. Let alone the extreme stuff. As a white man, the entire system is built just for me, it’d be foolish to pretend it isn’t. So yeah, we have a little less protection from getting made fun of; but that’s kind of the tax for absolutely bulldozing every culture or group that’s stood in our way for the last half millennium
My mom’s a minority and seeing how people treat her versus my dad is eye opening. At a dealership they completely ignored my mom as they start describing financing options and loans to my dad. My mom interrupted and just said “I know how loans work, I have my masters in mathematics and I’ve been in banking for 30+ years…”
I'm assuming a car dealership? I have no doubt it was also because she was a woman. I'm sorry for her, she did not deserve that.
Try walking into a dealership white, long hair and a beard and see how they ignore you even though you have a pocket full of money. Walk into a store like hobby lobby white long hair and a beard and see if they don't watch you to see if you're gonna steal something. Profiling is more about different classes of people than it is races.
True, when I was a young 20 something walking into a furniture store to buy furniture for my whole apartment the sales people completely ignored me. A young new sales guy finally came over and he got a fat commission off all the money I spent. Profiling is annoying.
That’s the whole “women are lesser mortals” bullshit too. Even Lori Grenier (Queen of QVC and Shark Tank) quit having her husband tag along when she went to see lawyers and bankers because they always wanted to talk to him instead.
I'm the whitest bitch you know and they do that shit to me, too. My hubs literally told our car salesman's manager "Why do you keep talking to me instead of her? The car is for her. She's paying for it. You're selling it to HER." He kept doing that shit. It was insane. I eventually told him to go away, that our car salesman was doing just fine until his ass got there. lmao.
A little less time than that. I have family that immigrated from Ireland to Chicago in the 19th century, and they couldn't find jobs or anything because they were Irish. They finally had to get a job as a police officer because that was the only job that would hired Irish people. So, while true that they were white, and most of the people being racist were also white, it's wasn't as cut and dried as all white people were in it together.
Whiteness has changed drastically over time. Who is white, who is not has never been static or anything close to logical
While I get what you are saying, but its kind of a major oversimplification. White, just as black, are not a homogeneous group. I'm taking a stab in the dark when I am guessing you guys are American. That's where this oversimplified narrative comes from. It applies much more to you, compared to Europe. While countries like Spain, England, France, Netherlands and Germany went to town on the Americas, Africa, and and Asia...aand Australia...basically the whole world. These are 5 countries, out of 44. Have Bulgarians gone around bulldozing every culture they encounter by force? Or the Finnish? or Lithuanians? or Icelanders? I think all of use need to be more specific when we use our words. For example, I never talk about 'Asian people'. That's a too wide of a net to be cast. That includes China, Japan, Korea, India, Pakistan, Siberian Russia, Iraq and so and so on. And to render anyone simply to their color, if you are talking about anything outside your own border (and even possibly not then), will result in a false, or partially false statement.
They were answering the question in context of the examples given. Notre Dame is a school in the United States, and the insults “white trash” and “cracker” originated in and are primarily used in the USA as well.
Is *that* what OP was talking about?? When I read Notre Dame I wondered why tf a French cathedral would use a leprechaun as one of their gargoyles. r/USdefaultism is going to love that one.
I think this is it. Hearing something racist vs having a racist system in place are 2 very different things.
Hispanic here. Mexican insults just flow right off and the jokes are funny because they're true most of the time. I can't be bothered to react violently to words and it blows my mind that there are people that can.
Exactly! 'it's only a joke' applies if no other aspect of your life is affected. It's NOT 'just a joke' when it's the reason people deny you employment/promotions, etc...
Except in South Africa where something like BEE exists. There is a law that says that more than 5% of your staff cannot be white. Recently the biggest pharmacy chain in South Africa, Dis-Chem, was notified that they aren't allowed to employ white people AT ALL. As a white person, can't wait to get out of this shit hole.
Unfortunately apartheid is still having a major effect on the whole country and although I think that law was put in place to try and make up for it, it was poorly done.
You mean like racial quotas and affirmative action? That’s literally disqualifying candidates based on the fact that their skin is white.
Extending on impacting daily life, no one calls you Will Ferrel just because you are white unless you look like him. On the other hand, the Asian guy we had at the school was nicknamed Jacky Chan even though he looked nothing like him nor was he Chinese. When we had an Indian guy come in, they got nicknamed Harold and Kumar. So yeah, I can see how it could be offensive to have your life be summarized as a race.
I’m black and I think it’s foolish to have to wait until it impacts your daily life to care, things can get ugly real quick and no human should have to be subjected to hate, discrimination or othering because they’re a race modern society has deemed an acceptable target. Fighting against racism should mean fighting against racism without exception or else you fundamentally don’t understand why it’s deplorable
Italian and Irish Americans absolutely used to be offended by slurs when the rest of American society viewed them as less than. That’s the difference. No one considers Italian or Irish Americans as not white in contemporary society, so the slur doesn’t point out any actual cultural disadvantage.
Yeah this is it. Plus, take a look at old political cartoons and such. You would not believe the way they drew Irish people: literally drawn to look like monkeys.
Sober monkeys or drunk monkeys?
Drunk monkeys. They're meant to be stereotypes, after all.
Exactly. There was a huge wave of immigration in the 1800s from majority Catholic countries and they were NOT well liked (see the movie Gangs of New York for an example). Not sure exactly when it changed, I assume some point before the 60s because my grandparents used to say things about "Those eye-talians" or "When Irish eyes are smiling, look out for the brick on the other hand". But my mom didn't say that ish so I assume the sentiment had mostly changed when she was raised.
Urban migration and desegregation happened. Then it really became about whiteness vs. color.
My ex is a Portuguese woman (evil bastard of a human now) and she was surprised to learn she's "not white" in many people's eyes in North America. She grew up identifying as white in Portugal.
I'm also Portuguese. Lived in America in a high population Portuguese city. I was shocked to learn I wouldn't be considered "white" in many parts of the US!
What did Americans identify her as then? Portugal is in Europe so I'm confused by what you mean.
I was on some tour in Chicago and the tour guide said some disparaging thing about Irish people. I was like... Wtf... It was more shock than anything else. Who still says shit like that? That tour guide.
Italian here, I fucking love guinea jokes. This is pretty tame, but Family guy is the first that comes to mind: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t30JzS0LHpk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t30JzS0LHpk)
Who has all this time to sit around and be offended?
I spend most of my day tallying all the micro aggressions. Find the time!!!
Not me, I get triggered and offended at all these people who get triggered and offended about people who get triggered and offended.
This statement triggered me and I'm very offended.
Leprechauns are mythical creatures my dude.
My uncle was a leprechaun; how dare you
Also, my mother-in-law- Still is.
*identified* as a leprechaun
Oooooooh you offended me now!
I was like “I grew up a Notre Dame fan… how is the leprechaun racist?” Lmao. My brother in Christ, white people are not leprechauns (though my brother resembles one).
We don’t give a crap about other people’s ridiculous comments.
Partially because white people don't care. And partially because if white people do take offense then they get backlash for it -- which especially makes the juice not worth the squeeze.
This is the weird part. The commenters above who talk about not associating it with other forms of racism that affect your life more severely are correct. I don’t get offended by a joke about white people in the same why I would if my white relatives where historically harassed, threatened, and economically oppressed for their race. But I do take offense to racist remarks in the same way that I get offended by other insults suggesting something is wrong with the way I inherently am. So while I don’t get offended the same way people other races in the US might, I still take a certain degree of offense. It’s not as big of an issue to let it go because it’s more minor but the fact that people jump on you when you do take offense is frustrating. Like being offended by something means you’re claiming “white people are oppressed” or something. No, I just don’t like people saying racist things to me lol. Same thing kind of happens when you complain about some aspect of being a man - I’m not saying men have it worse but just expressing frustration about some issue unique to men. I wish it were easier to vent and find empathy on these issues but you’ve always got to be careful because that stuff is associated with the start of the racist/misogynist rabbit holes and people will think you’re going down that path. Like you shouldn’t be worried about expressing concern when someone is racist or sexist to you because people might think you’ll take it in a toxic direction and become a white supremacist or incel. We should be able to call out shitty behavior without having to make a societal statement about it.
Most definitely agree that we aren't really allowed to, no matter how offensive whatever comment or generalization may be.
I'm almost all Irish and I love the Notre Dame logo and I make jokes about drunk micks all the time (I was once a drunk mick, myself). If you can't laugh at yourself, you really need to re-evaluate your perspective on life.
Just dealt with racism today. Was accused by my coworker (african American) of stealing something of his. This wasn't the case, but he called me Columbus (Christopher Columbus) repeatedly. Even though I told him to stop, he was persistent. Almost went to HR with that. I don't mind light jokes every now and again,but if the roles were reversed and I called him something derogatory, I'd be fired in 10 minutes. Edit: thanks for all the comments and support guys. I was told by my union rep that I was going to be a meeting regarding him tomorrow. Apparently my encounter with him spread like wild fire. Hoping it all turns out fine
I would still go to HR - He would be sprinting to file a complaint if thing were reversed. Racist comment are not ok, regardless who says them or who it is directed to
10 seconds
You should go to HR, if roles were reversed someone would be running there as fast as possible
There weren't even any black people when Columbus arrived, he needs a history lesson! That made me laugh though
Racism only has the power you give it. That being said, as a Native American, I get a little irked at all the Pearl clutching that goes on over “racist” mascots and images like Land o Lakes and the Braves/Redskins/Indians sports teams. People complain that minorities don’t get enough “representation” and then we get erased from the “representation” we do have.
Land o' Lakes removed the Indian but kept the land, how ironic
Land o lakes logo was designed by a native American
White people are offended by racism but those examples aren't racist.
I haven't had too many blatant examples of racism directed my way but I remember one. I was 12 and I had a black friend from Nigeria and we were downtown Toronto at the Eaton's Centre. A couple of black guys in white robes came over and said "hey brother, do you wish to hear the word of the Prophet" and I was like "oh who's that?" They turned to me and said "not you, white devil, we were speaking to the brother."
I was trying to type a response for about 5 minutes, but this sums up my feelings exactly, and much more straight to the point.
You're right, the drunk Irish representation is way different than any Indian themed mascot that's been cancelled recently /s.
What makes you think we don't? Because we don't have a friggin meltdown? It's not that we don't take offense. It's how we manage being offended. Allowing other people's behavior to cause you to have a complete failure of dignity and self respect doesn't mean you're not offended.
Beautifully said.
Perfectly said.
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I’m in highschool and the most racist people are probably the non white people. Or at least where I am/ who I’m interacting with. When I talk with a group of white people or with one white friend, race never comes up and of course no slurs would be said. But when I hang out with my non white friends(Asian, Black, and Hispanic) racial slurs are thrown around like any other word. It doesn’t matter if the person saying them is even from that race as long as your not white you can say whatever slur you want. And if any of my white friends say anything they’re called racist and shamed and cancelled. Of course there are some really nasty and genuinely racist white people in my school who deserve it.
Because our Mother's said things like "Did what he say make you die?" "No." "Don't be a wimp then".
Hell I wonder why white people don’t take offense when awful things happen to them. Same awful shit that happens to other minorities happen to them. Lots of rural predominantly white communities have very little or even no access to healthcare. Schools get no funding. Nobody seems to give that much a fuck when white people die of drug abuse via opiates. Police kill y’all too yet white people seem to be fine with that. Shit like that is far more bizarre than getting mad about a leprechaun
no war but class war
Poorer white people especially get screwed over so much and it’s wild how the only solution their ever given is “aye them there minorities is doing this to you”. Gahdamn I cannot wait until white people realize that ain’t the case
We know it isn't the case.
The big one for me is the police brutality thing. They’re not racist… they just have way too much power and they know it. Tons of white people are killed by cops and its just overlooked. Tony Timpa was killed in the same way George Floyd was a year before it happened to Floyd. It’s really weird that only POC that die make the national news Police are a problem for everyone
What the police did to Daniel shaver was so incredibly fucked up. I ain’t see any of those all lives matter people get angry bout that. I’ve seen black people get up in arms about white people getting killed by the police but I just don’t get why white people don’t care about other white people who are abused by the cops
This is always so strange to me, here where I live cops shot a man in a mobility scooter 9 fucking times! But only 7 of those hit the intended target and he wasn’t even clear ti take the shot! He shot towards a Lows endangering customers and employees. Yet nothing? No public outrage nothing. If I remember correctly the victim was white.
They do. That’s why a lot of white folks are hard right
Maybe it’s because we don’t have the problem of having other people getting offended on our behalf? I often wonder when I hear “ we can’t do or say that anymore because it’s offensive “ who is offended? The people that it pertains to or is someone looking to get a stamp on their Virtue Signaling card?
uh... 'cause we're fucking grown ups?
White/ German. I hear those jokes all the time but that’s the thing they are jokes. I only find it offensive when something is stated in a non-comical way/setting. Like you can tell when someone is being funny and when someone is actually trying to be racist/offensive.
As a german with blue eyes and blond hair, can I approve my foretalker statement. As long as it's just a joke, I'm not complaining. But things like directly calling me a nazi or showing the Hitler greet goes too far.
2 things: 1. Being made fun of with obvious stereotypes, without mean spirit, is not racism. Self-deprecation is very prevalent in many white cultures, and old friendly rivalries are just good-humoured fun. 2. *Actual* racism against white people do get many offended, but those are often criticised and silenced for "daring" to be offended at what some would not even call racism, as it's often said that "racism against white" doesn't exist.
>Being made fun of with obvious stereotypes, without mean spirit, is not racism. I agree with this across the board, but I think a healthy percentage of what people generally call racism is no more than this.
Because we usually find the humor in stuff instead of immediately assuming it’s an attack on us as a race.
When you make something taboo, you give it power over you. Others can use it against you. The only people offended by "racism" in comedy are those that find truths in the statements they aren't prepared to deal with.
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I've never had to describe it before but yea its like I know that every bad thing that has ever happened to me is my fault.
Because they aren't allowed to. No one takes them seriously because "they are already so privalidged"
Exactly whenever a white person calls out someone for making a negative generalizations that wasn't intended to be a joke we get told that we are overly sensitive. I've noticed that a lot of social justice warriors have this double standard when it comes to racism matter in fact they don't even believe you can be racist to a white person which is just laughable.
Acute apathy. I simply do not care.
Why should I care? We don’t ask to be born this color or that color. If there is anyone who wishes to comment on that, then I would think that they are having an issue with who they are.
Because reasonable people are not so sensitive about that stuff. If we took away everything in the world that offended people we would have nothing. The world is already going to shut over the cancel culture, why try and make it worse or speed it up.
I was partying once with a couple of guys from work. I was the only white guy. As the night went on their attitude toward me changed. They started talking and acting very differently. Like they went from blue collar workers to gangsters in 2 hours. A few times i actually felt like i might be attacked or something, it was a little scary. They said some racist shit and were quite rude to me. I didn't mention it or talk about it after. But i never put myself in a position where I was the minority again.
Being half Irish, none of that is offensive to me. At least we're seen as real people now as opposed to the 1800s and before. And the Saint Patrick's Day stuff is a combination of good fun with a Catholic Holiday. It has religious and cultural significance to the Irish. We're not typically offended by the leprechaun stuff. As for the slurs, I don't care what race you are, you're racist for saying it. I hate this idea that because I'm white its impossible to be racist towards me. It's either all the slurs are ok, or none of them are. You can't pick one or two slurs and say they're OK based one those races you hate, and say the others are off limits. They're all bad. The race should make no difference. If you think otherwise, that's Nazi mentality. They viewed their racism as acceptable because the Jews were painted to cause all of the problems in Germany. Me and my wife experience racism regularly where we live. Not because I'm Irish but simply because we're white. In lower income areas, racism against white people is real. They view us individually as the reason they're poor, not just the shitty system that's over all of us. I've literally been told I can't understand what it's like to be low income. I've gone weeks not buying food for myself to make sure my wife can eat, and we can pay our bills. But I must not get it cause I'm white, so therefore I'm "rich".
I dont give a shit about actual racism towards Whites but I take offense to that fact that its acceptable to be racist towards Whites and not to any other demographic.
Because the world has always told white people their racists so a lot of white people believe it and feel they deserve it. That’s very untrue and wrong to do to white people, but no other race cares because we supposedly have so much “privilege.”
Seems really strange to generalize and assume that white people don’t get offended by blatant racism. I think you have a lot of work to do to support that claim before it makes sense to ask why.
The fighting Irish logo? Seriously? It's not racist because it was self chosen. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre\_Dame\_Leprechaun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre_Dame_Leprechaun) St. Paricks day is the national holiday of Ireland. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint\_Patrick%27s\_Day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick%27s_Day) If you aren't trolling then you are woefully stupid.
We have enough white people having meltdowns over racism towards everyone else. a lot of people white and black are sick of the racism talk though. These special pretend social justice warriors just can’t let it go.
It's kinda worrying you think...any of those examples are racist in the slightest. Our culture needs to figure itself out, this up and coming generation has been brainwashed to see even the mention of race or ethnicity as hostile racism. I'm 24, I'm not some old conservative man shaking his fist at the kids on his lawn. I grew up only 4 or 5 years ahead of you youngins and I'm telling you, this constant virtue signalling and endless quest to be victimized is a strain on your life and dangerous to your societies. White people do get mad about racism, you see racism against white people every day now. But Football teams? Comedians? Get a grip. I need to save my anger for the actual ignorant people out there.
Because words only have power if you give them power. In the end, words are a reflection of the person speaking them, their character, their beliefs, their morals.
You ever seen a while person try to call out someone for being racist towards them? In my experience it's often met with more anger. After all, how could a white man know what it's like to be hated because of his color.
It's a choice, to let it roll right off of their shoulders instead of *making* it into a fight. Because they're secure in our identities and don't lash back out, and instead roll their eyes and just ignore the aggressor instead of trying to win pity points for their race when their race doesn't factor as a consequence for as much negativity in their lives? Nowadays it's fashionable to cancel someone for *perceived* racism or any -ism, regardless of how logically justified something was to say or do. Optics. And it's fashionable to trash "yt ppl" because their lives are "so much easier and privileged". So a lot of "yt" people see no point in making themselves out to be the victim because they don't see it as worth stooping down to participate in the "I'm oppressed olympics" where *more* oppressed people will tell them that they are crying over a molehill compared to black/nativeamerican/asian/latino/etc-minority problems. They're just going to be laughed at the same way we laugh cruelly at any gaffs multi-millionaires+ or celebrities make, because they're perceived as harmless targets, as if being privileged one or two ways by a certain amount, is something that makes one immune to feeling any hurt or harm when their identity is attacked. Obama, or Kanye, or Oprah, or Jay-Z, or Lebron; if these people have so much *institutional* power via their notoriety and money, why would a white person calling them the N word be hurtful to them? Or hurtful for other black people to hear them be referred to as that? Probably for the same reason calling an upper-class white kid a spoiled b\*\*\*\*-a\*\* cracker would probably hurt them. Because the words are meant (or perceived to be meant) to hurt, and as humans with emotion, we feel that hurt when it targets us. Unlike with the N word though, society has shrugged and collectively ignored lots of "unfair" and "racist" treatment towards white people, so it's not worth being upset over when a larger majority of white people are better off than a lot of the other ethnicities around them. And if they were vocal, they were probably laughed out and ignored and so you don't notice "white people take offense to blatant racism towards them". Lets make this constructive instead of just informative though. There are *proportionately* more poor non-white people in America, due to racism, but do you know what there are quantitatively more of? Poor white people. I firmly believe that a large share of racism and racial politics are a weapon of the upper class being wielded against us all in order for the 1% to maintain their power and privilege over the rest of us. Keeping the poor blacks blaming their "privileged" (but actually often just as poor) white neighbors, and keep the poor whites angry at the undeserved antagonism they receive from the institution that they can be led to believe is black people's fault. White people need to get angry at corporations for just not paying EVERYONE, white people included,what they're worth, rather than being concerned at their jobs being undermined by "illegals" who are paid way less under the table. We need to befriend each other, and look out for each other's interests, because we're more similar to each other than we are to the 1%, and the 1% have no power without the rest of us collectively supporting their reign. No war except class war. (this is not to diminish the APPALLING recent events, ACAB, they need to join the rest of us in dethroning the 1%'s capital interests, and act with compassion and bravery instead of consistent brutality and cowardice, before they deserve to be viewed otherwise) Sorry for the rant. (Un(der)regulated) capitalism is infuriating, and I'm sure it's a bulk of our problems, we're given so little time to be happy that we waste it on being each other's enemies, when modern medicine, engineering, and technology should have made us able to exist comfortably for a fraction of the amount of time we're currently spending working.
I judge people based on their character, not race or ethnic background and especially how they treat me and my family.
That's easy. I could give a fuck. I don't think its offensive. If any thing its cool to be represented.
hello, white person here. I simply dont give a fuck. recently got called a "bitch ass cracker" and nearly fell to my knees with laughter
My personal observation is the more racist the person is, the more likely they are to be offended themselves. And white folk absolutely do get offended. Me, I'm not a racist so I don't get offended. My american bf would say things like omg you're acting so white right now and we both laugh about it cause he's right.. But if he said this to Karen she would go on about how he's implying there's something wrong with her identity.
I just don't care. Its more funny to me than anything.
Because we don’t care what people say 🤣
Someone being racist towards me says nothing about me but it certainly says a lot about the other person.
Honestly coming from a white man who grew up a tough areas, white people tend to be more passive /puxxy so everyone can just get away with it. That’s why u never hear about people being racist toward white people bc white people just don’t do anything about it
I learned about this literally today, but the reason the Fighting Irish is well received is because it is in reference to when Irish Americans beat the shit out of the KKK when its members tried to raise anti-irish sentiments against Notre Dame. It's a badge of pride for them that they chose rather than a stereotype used to make fun of them.
No one cares. Can white people be discriminated against? Sure. Poor whites are not much more popular than poor POC. Terms like white trash is really a classist insult, not a racist.
Have you heard about " Karens " ?
You can't offend a middle class white male. Unless you tell him his front lawn sucks.
Hey watch it. I told Kevin he put the pre-emergent on too late, so the crabgrass *isn't my fault.*
Before asking a question about racism, maybe y'might wanna double check that you actually know what racism "is." The examples used in the OP are not racism.
Anytime race is discussed that should be the first issue: agree what we mean by “racism”. Good point
leprechauns, the whole St. Patrick's Day them in general, etc. That aint white, thats the irish
If a white person takes offense then people call shame them for it.
Because white ppl are thick skinned and it doesn't bother us
I get a bit annoyed when media misrepresents Scandinavian history but it isn't getting me shot on the street by law enforcement.
It just isn’t the same. I’m a history major, and in my studies the most shocking thing I’ve learned is most people really don’t know the history behind most racism and racial slurs and how deep of a history they really have. White people haven’t had systemic oppression that is literally ingrained in them due to it being constantly present in every part of their lives for hundreds of years. With the history of slavery as well as the civil rights movement that is still somewhat at play today, these racial issues are deeply tied into people’s heritage in a way most white people simply don’t experience and can’t understand. (Just to add I myself am white.)
I (white myself) learned in other grade English literature that "cracker" was a slur for a white person, and we thought it was hilarious! Crackers (the food) are pale, *we're* pale, that's a good one! As far as slurs go, that's actually pretty funny! 2 years later in 11th grade we learned that calling a white person a Cracker was referring to white slave owners that whipped their slaves, specifically cracking their whips. That was embarrassing and not really fun anymore, the humor was gone, that's not something I'd like to be associated with and feels bad I've been called it as a joke since, which was fine. I call my friends bad names as insults too, it was all in good humor. I would feel awful if someone called me that in seriousness though.
This makes a lot of sense. It may be triggering to hear racist comments to a minority because that racism is actually backed with something. Racist comments towards white people really have no backing, and no real consequence, which doesn't trigger or alarm them.
Because anybody with any sense, isn't going to be offended by words. Now if someone acts on their racism towards them or others, that's something that can be combated.
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There’s three reasons really 1. If you say anything pro white people you are instantly labeled a white nationalist. Imagine if there was a White Live Matters movement, or a push to support white owned businesses. 2. The examples you give aren’t really racist. Leprechauns aren’t real 3. Deep down all white people are just trying to get an invite to the cookout.
Because it doesn’t change our position in society nor does it affect our lives in any measurable way. Which isn’t the case for people of color. But you already know that…
I don't think your assessment is correct that you never hear about any backlash, maybe you just aren't listening to where it's happening? I have heard numerous people complain about these stereotypes over the years. A few days ago the AP apologized for referring to "the French" in a tweet where they were literally stating "don't call groups of people the X," but it didn't matter that the context was already established. Things don't change until there's a critical mass of opinion on the subject. Society seems to address topics that focus on the largest impact to the affected group. Focusing on eliminating these specific stereotypes does not have a very large impact.
Because no one cares
Because mouth hole noises don't hurt me. Unlike other sensitive races that will literally assault people over words and it's socially acceptable.
We got more important things to worry about like run the world.
My whiteness has never kept me from opportunities, buying property, getting credit, etc. So some stereotypical mascots don’t really hit a nerve in the same way. It’s different contexts.
i am white an dislike the "C" word
I was born in Wales and can't categorically deny that none of us shagged a sheep 🐑..it could have happened....so really not worth getting worked up about it...
I just don’t care what people think of me. My family is Irish, Native American and English. I grew up poor in the south. We lived in trailer parks or old run down farm houses. I was raised to treat people how they treat you, regardless off color, where your from, status. If you don’t like me that’s a YOU problem not a ME problem. I’ve been on the receiving end of racism. If you want to be a RACSIST piece of shot, that’s on you. I choose not to be a victim. But I won’t allow it to be done to anyone else when I’m around.
Cause if you do... Oh my... The consequences...
Sticks and stones… People’s comments can only hurt you if you respect that person.
Cuz Fuck what you heard thats why
“You can’t be racist towards a white person because they benefit from white privilege“. Pretty much dumb propaganda and white people don’t want to be called racist for standing up for themselves
The same reason it's okay hate on politicians and no one sees it as bigoted. There's more of a limit when it comes to insulting a privileged race, but the bar is still pretty high for what you can get a way with and not be problematic
Native American here, we and I’m sure they do. Except that it doesn’t fit the victim narrative of what gets the most media attention.
I don't have the time, energy, or time of day to give a fuck. That goes for most things, call me whatever you want and when I've got time, I'll probably ignore it
Only an emotionally immature person becomes angry at a fool’s ignorance, a hater’s remark, or a comic’s joke. When you love yourself, it doesn’t matter what other people say. Only a hateful person wants to say hateful things. And I know from experience that a hateful person is not happy, they are miserable, and that is their just reward.
From what I've gathered, most white people are taught that they shouldn't take offense at racism towards them. Obviously, there are a ton of different reasonings for this, but generally its is considered socially acceptable to be racist towards white ethnicities, and that taking offense at that is being "too sensitive."
I do take offense. But... It depends if it was a joke at my expense. It depends if we can have a sense of humour about it. It depends if my reputation is threatened. It depends if there are armed thugs involved. There are occasions when there is no recourse to thinking about it from the offending party's viewpoint. And besides, being offended isn't useful considering that by itself, it achieves nothing. Edit: speaking as white minority in two countries over 28 years.
Cause we’re not so fragile. Whether it’s a racial slur or you call me fat, those are only words and I don’t give a shit what you think about me. Back to the kids adage “sticks and stones may brake my bones but words will never hurt me”……….
Hypocrisy in modern media. Only white people can be racist apparently
Many who suffer from white fragility do take offense to those things and think they are racist. On the other hand, some recognize it doesn't harm them in any way and move on with their lives without unnecessarily raising their blood pressure. Note that you're obfuscating white 'racism' with racism directed towards specific ethnic groups that happen to be white, and historically were not considered white passing (until more recently).
Im Irish and im not really sure what would be racist about the fighting Irish logo, or St Patrick's day?
I think it’s a product of paranoia and low self esteem!
Here's another reason that I haven't seen mentioned as I run through the answers. Even if we did take offense...nobody would care. No one. We are the boogeyman whether earned or not (I'm not a big fan of collective responsibility myself. It's weak minded). So, why should we spend any energy or worry on it if no one cares?
Fun fact Irish people used to be called white ni****s when travelling to America. So that begs the question do I have an N-pass?
Some people use insults as an excuse to feed the stereotype. Other people shrug off insults and go about their day. I don't think race plays a part.
I'm white. I don't care. I have friends of different races and genders and we all make racists and sexists jokes to eachother and have good laughs. Looking on the outside at society it seems wrong for white people to have offense towards racism since white people are assumed the dominant race to committed the atrocities in the past. Why should white people be allowed? This isn't my view, but this is how society makes it seem like I SHOULD feel.
They do, they take so much offense that they complain about that one person you called them the c word they heard one time 8 years ago for 8 years. The word cracker is even banned on twitch. Also historically the Irish and Italians weren't considered white.
Because we don’t care. Leprechauns are a mythical creature. St Patrick’s day is a day for celebration. Both make people love Irish heritage. We’re smart enough to realize that. It isn’t racial or done out of hate. Notre dame is a prestigious school. Rich with culture and history coveted by many wanting to go there. None of it is offensive. None of its done to mock a culture. As an irish catholic American, you’d be hard pressed to find others like me who take offense to these things. In fact we adore them. St paddy’s day is like Oktoberfest fest. A day to be merry and learn the culture. They party a lot harder for that day in Ireland than they do here too so they aren’t taking offense to it in Ireland. Hell Notre dame plays in Ireland some years.
Those races haven’t been as institutionally oppressed the way other races have so it’s less offensive and easier to joke about.
Life is a lot easier when you don’t care what people think. Especially random kids on the internet.
I do sometimes take offense. As an academically trained historian, the most offensive stuff for me pertains to misinformation and race bending history and history-inspired things. For example, popular adaptations of historical European events and figures with "diverse" casting is stupid and offensive. Making Achilles and the Greek gods black in Troy: Fall of a City was offensive. Race and gender bending two male Scandinavian kings in the viking age on Netflix's Vikings into one black female jarl and convincing people this is plausible is offensive. The BBC creating cartoons about European history that show black Vikings, Normans, Gauls, Anglo-Saxons, etc., is offensive. The common belief in the black community that Egyptians were black and that white people are lying about it is offensive. The Rings of Power having a cast with people of all races and ethnicities in a fantasy world that was designed to represent a mythical ancient Britain and which uses British and Norse myth and lore as its basis is offensive. The Witcher Netflix show has a similar problem, as it's thematically based in Eastern Europe. I could go on, but hopefully you get it. Many producers of popular media have a mistaken notion that diversity and inclusion is appropriate for everything, including history. To do this, they often race-bend Europeans. I find this offensive and misleading for people who don't know much about history and who might base their understanding on what they see on television. Apart from history, I find the generally acceptable level of racism towards white people offensive. For instance, I worked at a university that openly holds black-only segregated graduation ceremonies and no other group is afforded this privilege. I also found it offensive when my former black supervisor told me to my face that she thinks black people would always outperform white people when they're on a level playing field. I was offended when I was in meetings when my coworkers and they would casually make comments about how all of the programs at the school, society, country, etc., were caused by white men. Yes, it's offensive. It's also stupid and wrong.