To think the world has a big white supremacy problem?

[GardenVariety]

Is anyone actually surprised that this has happened? It is shocking and sickening, but let’s face it, it has been so acceptable for so long to vilify muslims, to abuse muslims, to attack muslims - politicians have made careers out of this. Is it any wonder that yet another white supremacist has murdered muslims and has received praise for doing so by keyboard warriors on various platforms.

I (and most muslims in the West) have been dealing with the aftermath of 9/11 by being held responsible for every terrorist atrocity. Dealing with knee-jerk reactions and responses became the norm for me since then. Every terror attack, grooming ring, extremist preacher became my responsibility to explain, condemn and apologise for. I was asked why muslims don’t put double-page ads in the paper to apologise and condemn. I was told that I shouldn’t be surprised at the hostility towards muslims because the few give everyone a bad name.

So here I am, wondering if those people (all white) who were quick to vilify my religion and me and demanded an apology and explanation for the latest newspaper headline will now explain today’s headlines to me. Will they explain why white people do this? Will they give me a full breakdown of his manifesto, explain each name listed on the white terrorist’s guns, explain the choice of music on the video, explain why he filmed it, explain why he had so much support (white terrorist supported by other whites, therefore all whites must be terrorists) and take out ads in national papers apologising for being white. After all it was a white person who did this and just like all muslims were held accountable, will all whites be held accountable too?

You’re not responsible Tinkerbell. Anyone who said you are is an idiot.

Dreadful things happened and have happened. On an individual basis though most of us are no more responsible for the past than anyone else, just as I am not responsible for the neanderthals, who bred with my ancestors, dying out or antying my Protestant ancestors did to my Catholic ancestors in the 1500s etc. That does not mean we should not all try to help ensure everyone is treated equally of course and that is where we get an issue as some religions do not treat the sexes (or gay people) equally and nor do some cultures so we get caught between a rock and a hard place on that kind of issue at times.

Aboriginal Australians want, and have indeed received, an apology for the past. A bit meaningless in my view from someone who had nothing to do with it. It’s a gesture and nothing more,

Death toll is now at 50.

No Dutche. It’s like the stupid sins of the father idea. God help me if that was true.

Yet the riches of the father (the absolute undeniable head-start of being born white) are just fine to soak up

Garden, I was just reading an article about who some of the victims were, and with their photographs. It brings it home.

"if those people (all white) who were quick to vilify my religion"

I think after this weekends atrocity that is a very offensive/racist comment to make.

Unfortunately however I notice a tendency for some white women, including on this thread, to try and deny the role of women in white supremacy, both historically and today. I agree with you about this. Although most of the studies of white supremacist females are American- as there's more research funding available- there are a number of articles about the US, UK and Europe. A sample:

www.marieclaire.com/politics/a24163/white-supremacist-women/

democracyjournal.org/magazine/47/women-can-be-racists-too/

www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/11/conservative-college-women-university-of-north-carolina-republicans

Meet the Feminist White Supremacists abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=90982&page=1

www.nybooks.com/daily/2018/12/13/american-women-of-the-far-right/

www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/internet/2017/08/we-need-talk-about-online-radicalisation-young-white-women

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/jan/29/from-le-pen-to-alice-weidel-how-the-european-far-right-set-its-sights-on-women

www.marieclaire.co.uk/reports/far-right-millennials-507601

Thanks Tinkerbell for so perfectly demonstrating the attitudes and beliefs found within a culture in which white supremacy thrives. I’m Aboriginal Australian. The terrorist atrocity in Christchurch was perpetrated by a white Australian. He developed his racist attitudes here and he was radicalised here by attitudes that were imported to this country with colonisation and which are rampant throughout the western world. I’m so angry right now.

OP, YANBU. The world absolutely has a white supremacy problem.

Sending love, solidarity and support to everyone affected, directly and indirectly

I do get your point OP however there is a slight difference here. The terrorist attacks by Muslims are being done in the name of Islam. I think it's fair enough therefore that there is an expectation that the Muslim community voice their condemnation. Particularly as in certain Mosques it is seen to be promoted and cultured. If this attack happened in the name of Christianity it would absolutely be my expectation that the leaders of that religion vocalise their condemnation also. This attack is different because whilst absolutely a terrorist attack it has not been committed as a result of an affiliation to a particular religion or group.

I didn't say that. I said that if something is being done in the name of a particular group it is not unreasonable to expect others in that group to condemn it. All religious doctrines can be and are interpreted in different ways by different people you can pretty much twist anything to fit your aims (and in the past Christians have done the same). If someone went into a temple and killed people in the name of Jesus I would expect that every Christian leader and the community should be very vocal about their condemnation for it.

No it is not bloody reasonable to expect Muslims to voice their condemnation. Islamic terrorists do not represent Islam any more than the piece of rubbish who killed so many innocent people represents white people. That's the kind of thinking that fuels Islamophobia which at its most extreme manifests itself in actions like Friday's massacre.

Happier ever after, I’m not sure if you think my comment was directed to you. It was to dozydotes

Tinker bell you are spot on about the widespread misunderstanding of Islam. Dh is Muslim and was just saying the other day how many Islamophobes think they know all about Islam and know bugger all.

Islamophobes are indeed ignorant about Islam. As am I. Well, I know a tiny bit about it but not much at all. I do know a fair few Mosley’s whom I cannot imagine ever harming anyone. All the Mosley’s I know actually. Peaceful, hardworking and simply get on with life.

I guess Muslim people get asked to condemn Islamic terrorists because they choose to adhere to the same religion that the terrorists use to justify their activities.
White people don't choose to share the same skin colour as white supremacist terrorists.

I think your missing my point Eliza. Firstly you are correct Muslims do not need to apologise - they have done nothing wrong, but I do think it's reasonable to expect a condemnation for a terrorist attack committed in the name of Islam. With the Muslim terrrorist attacks each attacker absolutely does affiliate himself with a Islam and is very vocal that the actions he is taking are in the name of that religion. If this NZ attacker had suggested his attacks were affiliated to a particular group or belief it is my view that the group should not apologise but they should certainly say this is not what we believe and we utterly condemn.

Okay. So radical Moslems are correctly understanding the teachings of Islam? Okay then.

Was this directed at me Tinkerbell? I didn’t say anything remotely like this.

Sorry dozydotes. Indeed you haven’t . Not sure who it was directed at now🤨. Not sure I would describe myself as a white supremesist or what I have said that would indicate that I think myself superior to any other race. Whatever. Pretty nasty slur of someone you know nothing about.

We have a white supremacist problem.

And it makes me feel embarrassed to be white.

I also feel uncomfortable around many POC because of what they may or may not be thinking as they walk round the same places I do - whether they're walking round on edge, or worried about being targeted by people, and many other reasons.

I'm just terribly ashamed to be in this position of privilege which I feel I have as much right to as every person on the planet, but that many people on the planet do not get a share in.

I am so obsessed by foreign cultures and language and the difference in buildings there and here, etc. I'm a polyglot who wishes to visit as many different places with different languages as possible, before I die.

And then there's these arsehole white people I share the skin colour of, who would put every non white, non English speaking, non Christian person in a ship to a far away place.

I just don't understand why people can't grow up and 'just get' that we are all different and that's fine and to leave people be.

I just don't understand why people can't grow up and 'just get' that we are all different and that's fine and to leave people be

Its not that simple. We need to have laws that treat us as if we are all the same.

In the U.K. we do have such laws. Unless you can educate me examples where we don’t?

In Australia, our laws apply equally too, as they should. We have pretty robust projections from discrimination too.