[corporatejay]

Originally Posted by wittynickname

Imagine how exhausting it is to be the groups that are constantly targeted by that racism?




Lost cause. West Virginia is never going to vote Democrat, it doesn't matter who the Democrat is or what their promises are. Just like California is never going to vote Republican, no matter who the Republican is.




But white people are the ones who still hold the majority of the power and the wealth. Most of Congress is white men. Most of the House is white men. Only the Supreme Court has any real diversity (and much of that diversity comes from Obama appointees). The Forbes 500 is dominated by white people and men.

Sure, other races can be racist, but they don't hold the power to really do anything about that racism. On the other hand, racists in positions of power in the government can restrict minorities' access to voting, which minimizes their voice and further stymies their power in this democracy. They can unfairly punish minorities for crimes that whites often get a slap on the wrist for. They can pull over black drivers at an inordinate rate compared with whites.

That's the difference between white racists and others. White racists have power.



Yes, that's a good summation of how I'd view "racist beliefs." That inherent belief that black people are less intelligent, more violent, less cultured, etc. Even if it's ignorantly, or even if it's just so ingrained in your thought process that it's practically a subconscious reaction. It's still there and it still exists.

I'm guilty as much as anyone, I most certainly have racist thoughts that will pop up from time to time. I think that anyone who insists that they don't is lying to themselves and everyone else. We were all raised with certain prejudices, and we all have to fight against them.

Wisconsin hadn't gone republican since 1984 and Michigan hadn't gone since 1988. She took them for granted. That's my point.