Ok here is something I am genuinely curious about, not trying to deny the existence of racism at all, but questions surrounding ancestry. I used to spend a fair bit of time in the USA and where one’s family is from is a legitimate topic of conversation, people might be like I’m a quarter this or half that etc etc.
Now obviously because I think we’re 87% or so white in the UK there is a natural assumption that unless there is an accent there is less of a reason to dive in, although in my experience people are often keen to talk about any Irish, Scottish or Welsh roots.
However if we’re not supposed to ask people who are BAME, where their family hails from because it’s racist you are also asking white people to discriminate on which conversations to have with this or that race, so you are boxed into racism whatever you do and if the bar for racism really is that low then I’d say any form of multi-culturalism is flat out impossible.
I dated a mixed race girl (I’m white) who is part indian, and she pointed out that she got many dirty looks from non-whites if we so much as held hands together. So what precisely was going on there? Was it racism against me or sexism against her, or both? Although I’d point out any dirty looks we’re timed so as I would be unaware of them. Was that white privilege in action?
Once comment I’ve seen repeated consistently on this thread is “I’m white so I can’t comment” and I get that people are trying to be sensitive, but isn’t that playing straight into segregationists hands? I mean if we’re truly about integration surely we need to weather some uncomfortable moments whatever race we are to get at humany goodness that lies at the core of potentially any person?
This is the thing with identity politics of any stripe it actually seems to cause or at the very least reinforce the very divisions it claims to stand against.