White Privilege's Good Old Days Narrative Perpetuates Racism. Because, Of Course It Does.

[Soph0571]

That is the POINT. They love power. They love control. They desperately want to retain domination of his- story.


(as seen on the interwebs - do not know who wrote it)

All of this.

It is the same way the male pale and stale love to talk about how GB led the fight to end slavery - choosing to ignore the fact that the trans-Atlantic slave trade was seeded and perpetuated by us before America was America and the Empire was built on slavery before Wilberforce got indignant about it and forced the hand of the establishment - that had already been made rich on the back of Empire and slavery.

The winner gets to write the narrative right? And white patriarchy has written the story for the last millennia. In some ways it is hardly surprising that the self entitled racist wanker righties have a sad on about CRT etc. The rest of society is demanding that they hand over the pen of history, so that wider voices are as valued in both a historical and present day context as the gammons are. It is asking them to expose themselves to the truth of who and what white male privilege looks like - and that is some ugly shit - actual history tells us so.

As Moira Donegan put it in an article for the Guardian entitled What the moral panic about ‘critical race theory’ is about

For Republicans, the preferred narrative of race and American history is one that minimizes the harm done to Black people, overstates white virtue and insists that racism is a personal prejudice in the minds of misguided or amoral people, rather than a system that structures cultures and institutions. Racism was a problem, this story tells us (with an emphasis on the past tense) because some white people made an error; it’s not a problem any more, because those white people have been edified.
----
Maybe this is part of what Republicans don’t like about these versions of anti-racist thought: they remove white people, and white people’s feelings, from the center of the story.

After all, when racism is merely a personal idiosyncrasy, and not a systemic condition, nothing is required of white people, or of the institutions they control, except to deny that they feel hate in their hearts. But if racism is a foundational reality, and not just a personal prejudice, then much bigger changes have to be made – and more is required of white people than personal innocence.

[link:https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jun/17/critical-race-theory-republicans-moira-donegan|]
Emphasis mine

White folks have work to do and one thing we know about right wing male white privilege - working for the betterment of other has never been a strong point. Heh.

[twodogsbarking]

1. Living through historical events and later reading about them

confirms all of this for me. The military actions the US engages in should be accurately portrayed but I don't see that happening.
Thanks for posting.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. "Contrary to a common misconception, the IOC did not force Smith and Carlos to return their medals."

"I read it on the internet, so it must be true" doesn't always work.

1968 Olympics Black Power salute

{snip}

International Olympic Committee response

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Avery Brundage, himself an American, deemed it to be a domestic political statement unfit for the apolitical, international forum the Olympic Games were intended to be. In response to their actions, he ordered Smith and Carlos suspended from the US team and banned from the Olympic Village. When the US Olympic Committee refused, Brundage threatened to ban the entire US track team. This threat led to the expulsion of the two athletes from the Games.[11] However, contrary to a common misconception, the IOC did not force Smith and Carlos to return their medals.[12]

{snip}

[11] On This Day: Tommie Smith and John Carlos Give Black Power Salute on Olympic Podium. Findingdulcinea.com. Retrieved on 13 June 2015.

[12] Tramel, Berry (February 9, 2016). "Tommie Smith & John Carlos did NOT give up their Olympic medals". The Oklahoman. Retrieved June 2, 2020.

{snip}

[gordianot]

3. Want to prove White Privilege is real?

Pass a law that limits teaching history that makes old white bigots uncomfortable.

[sarchasm]

4. This!

They must really like that side of themselves, to be able look themselves in the mirror and smile, being proud of their accomplishments. It’s pure evil.

[NNadir]

5. There was an excellent discussion on CSPAN yesterday between three Generals, about Military Racism.

I referred to it over in the History group: Three Generals Reconsider Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee.

It was very much along the lines of the comments in the OP here.

[niyad]

6. Thank you for this most. Important post.

[paleotn]

7. The seemingly vast number of Karens....

is pretty good evidence that the proponents of critical race theory just might be on to something.


Interesting picture at the top of the Guardian story. "Latinos against CRT". Now that's a hoot! Sorry, Latino sign holder, but to racists you will never be white no matter how many signs you hold up and no matter how many racist ideas you support. In the minds of racists you will always...ALWAYS...be considered subservient and subordinate. It can be argued rightly I think that in places like Texas, CRT includes those of Latino descent.

[intheflow]

8. Yes, and

I don't think equating Keller with DuBois is necessarily the right spin. I mean, I learned about Helen Keller because of her deaf-blindness. I didn't learn about her socialism until grad school, when I was also learning about DuBois.