Quote:
Originally Posted by wittynickname
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.
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No, rich people hold the vast majority of power and wealth. These happen to be predominantly white, but it's obviously false to equate skin color with wealth or power. If they all died tomorrow and left their fortune to black people, would black people as a whole suddenly be responsible for ending racism? Of course not.
A tiny minority of the population that is very rich and happens to be mostly white and asian for historical reasons have the power; some of these people are racist.
The rest of the white people have no more real power than their black neighbours. The white man in wisconsin has no more sway over the powerful than the black woman in michigan. Both may be equally racist, and equally powerless.
The individuals with the power are responsible to do what they can, regardless of their race. The current breakdown of race of people in power favors white people, but were it different, the responsibility would remain with those with the ability to do something. Claiming that others are morally responsible and legitimate targets of discrimination because they share a skin color or some other trait with the majority of people in power is obviously wrong.
The argument that because the majority of rich people in America are white, therefore the poor white man in Georgia is somehow has more power and moral responsibility to fix racism is one of the stupidest arguments I've ever heard, common though it is. It's self-evidently false, but a perfect example of the problems with identity politics. When identity becomes more important than good policy, no-one wins.