Whenwillitstop1 So many of these people live in predominantly white middle class areas, they are usually white women, know no black people, would actively cross the street to avoid a 'scary black man' in a hoodie etc.
Surely they live in those areas because of the "middle class" aspect, not because they are actively avoiding black people? Obviously income is linked to race due to racism, but it's not the same as accusing them of hypocrisy for wanting to live somewhere nicer for reasons nothing to do with race.
Knowing no black people would follow from living in white areas, to some extent - but again, it's not the same as activey refusing to know black people, more just who they come into contact with.
As for women crossing the road to avoid a scary hooded man - that's because men are, overall, a threat to women. It's not about skin colour, it's the male aspect that's scary. Similarly, I wouldn't blame a black man for crossing the road to avoid a scary white man in a hoodie...
These just don't seem like evidence of "hypocrisy". The lack of social contact between "races" is a complex issue, I don't think it can be reduced to blaming individuals in these circumstances. And I'm especially concerned about the "black men vs white women" type argument that seems to be appearing in general, where the "whiteness" of the woman is considered but the "maleness" is not. It's white men who murder black people, white men who hold the majority of power.
It pisses me off, it's all virtue signalling bullshit. So many of the right on Twitter 'activists' don't even know any black people and live in the Fucking Cotswolds with mummy and daddy.
Isn't it good that people who don't have direct contact with the issues at hand at least care, or are interested? I suppose where it becomes a problem is when they try to speak for black people. They should be using their privileged position to centre black voices.
SimonJT As an Asian man the biggest threat to me is a white person, so I’m aware that if I was for example on a tube late at night and there was a carriage with a white woman or a group of white men I wouldn’t be comfortable choosing that carriage as I would be putting myself at risk.
Genuine question - what threat do you think a white woman poses to you? (I assume you are talking about direct threat, rather than being a cog in a racist machine.)
In that situation, I (a white woman) would probably choose another carriage to avoid you, based on your maleness. Similarly I would avoid the group of white men in your example. I would feel there was a potential risk because of how men treat women. So I understand your desire to avoid risk, and how it feel to have to do that, but find it frustrating the way white women are held to account for male violence.
I think someone people think unconscious bias is racism, it isn’t and I think that stops people talking about it. Bias is caused by racism as society as a whole is racist, but the bias we all have is so deeply ingrained it becomes part of us. Where as racism is an active choice that we can turn off if we choose.
YY. One of the reasons I find George Floyd's murder so horrific is that it goes way beyond these unconscous biases. I know biases can affect life-or-death split-second decision making, but this was just so... blatent. Intentional. I'm ashamed to say it took this to make me realise just how bad things are.