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The “Progressive” Rebranding of Racism
The recognition of black personhood has been agonisingly slow. From savages to property, second-class citizens to token hires, we’ve consistently been seen as a little less capable, a little less civilised. Something a little less than human.
Which is why watching progressive attempts to “understand” us, is so…frustrating.
Things like the Governor of Oregon removing the requirement for high school graduates to be proficient in reading, writing, and maths, in order to “help students of colour.” Or the councillors at this youth advocacy program trying to force a black teenager to “wrestle out” racial trauma that he didn’t feel.
People like this high school teacher, who thinks that asking his students to sit quietly or follow directions is “the definition of white supremacy.” Or this tweet that claims people of colour live in “a certain kind of terror” of white people.
Every time I stumble across one of these uniquely moronic examples, I find myself asking the same questions:
Why do the most fragile, bitter, ignorant voices act as if they speak for all of us? How is it “progressive” to suggest that black children are incapable of the same behavioural and academic standards as their white peers? How, exactly, is this trend of undermining the intelligence, maturity and humanity of people of colour any better than good old-fashioned racism?
I mean, don’t get me wrong. Old-school racists have been undermining people of colour for centuries. But at least they didn’t expect us to be grateful for it.
In countless subtle ways, black and white people are taught that there’s a “right way” to be black. That there are rules and exceptions that don’t apply to any other skin colour. And sadly, the options aren’t great.
At school, kids learn that studying hard and getting good grades is “acting white" (an idea supported by “antiracist” teachings that self-reliance and rational thinking is “whiteness”).
As Michael Smith points out in his spectacularly good TED talk, Black Murder Is Normal, music executives profit from teaching us that it’s acceptable for black people, and only…
