Taiob Ali #MVP he/his/him
Birgit Uwaila UmaigbaI'm going to say this again - my white friends who aren't racists do not mind me talking about racism. If you find yourself disturbed by or uncomfortable with topics on racism, you may want to tell yourself some hard truths. And then, work on your findings. You may be racist.
Yosoybromero@Birgitomo I have learned so much through uncomfortable conversations and I’m grateful for that! I don’t mind talking about racism because I know it exists and I hate it!
Samantha Jones
Robert Mayfield, Ph.D ABMP@Birgitomo Agreed! also...You might be a racist if... https://happyhappyphoenix.com/you-might-be-a-racist-if/
Gary James #cyclingtweeps@Birgitomo If you willfully swerve certain topics how can you learn anything or broaden your outlook?
Kim Anez@Birgitomo some of my step kids are prejudiced and say awful things while swearing they have nothing against
Black people
Brown people
Gay people
Trans people
Furries
Angry Centrist@kimanez @Birgitomo In my experience as a very-very white guy, pretty much any statement that starts with "I'm not a racist but..." or "Not all <insert category> people..." is probably not going to a good place.
Relativisten@Birgitomo I realized that I'm was conditioned into racist thought patterns and behaviours about 10 years ago. It was a hard pill to swallow and to unlearn these takes conscious effort. I'm greatful for having friends that enlights me so I can be better and check myself. And also, teach my children better than my parents did me.
So talk away! I'm here to listen and to be your friend.
Puppymomma
Jessica Quillin@Birgitomo You should talk more and louder. I am so sorry if people are responding negatively to you discussing a critical topic openly.
Bears Shouting@Birgitomo I was very racist in my teen years. Towards Indians specifically.
I grew up with people who had this opinion. You take it on, when you're in a group like that.
As the years went by I begun to really question it's logic and constantly fell short. Eventually I realized. It took me a lot of time to not give into to that hateful little voice, but with time it was silenced.
Be curious and look for ways to humble yourself. Even in the face of an adversary, you should remain curious.
ChuffMeister@Birgitomo I’m white, I grew up in a racist society and have had racism pushed into me from every side all my life.
Parents, adults, teachers, friends, media, employers, celebrities, media every single fucking aspect of life drenched in toxic bigotry.
I am uncomfortable how much work uninstalling this nasty shit takes & that I’m programmed to fight the uninstall.
All help getting this privileged shit out is accepted with (sometimes uncomfortable) love…
And while your here- misogyny……
Parents, adults, teachers, friends, media, employers, celebrities, media every single fucking aspect of life drenched in toxic bigotry.
I am uncomfortable how much work uninstalling this nasty shit takes & that I’m programmed to fight the uninstall.
All help getting this privileged shit out is accepted with (sometimes uncomfortable) love…
And while your here- misogyny……
Clare 🐻@Birgitomo
I agree
I'm white and I think you're very gracious to talk openly about racism
I'm convinced some people interpret 'racist' in the extreme, i.e as only referring to the most hateful, overtly bigoted types
But racism is far broader and more nuanced than that, and they themselves can't/won't see how hurtful and disadvantaging the subtle biases and 'everyday' racism that you experience is
The latter is often systemic so white people seem blind to it too - it's seen as 'just how it is' because it's biased in their favour
PhoenixGroup@Birgitomo are Africans/blacks racist or just Whites/Europeans/Americans?
@edealagency Reverse racism does not exist. See below for a good read on this:
https://momentum.medium.com/why-reverse-racism-is-a-myth-c2374b8837af
Why Reverse Racism Is A Myth. It doesn't exist and it's a lie | Momentum
Reverse racism is a concept that is often misunderstood in society. It couples itself with racial prejudice to justify its existence. Society perceives it as the roles being reversed when in reality such isn't possible as racism needs to be understood from the institution; perspective.
Kjellbastian 💎@Birgitomo @edealagency isn’t it something that those in power can wield? If you go to India, wouldn’t you find racism? Or if you would go to Iran, or China? I’m not out to provoke, just wondering, and have also read about racism out of a historical perspective (a thread still pinned on my abandoned Twitter account)
Loukas (They/Them) 🏳️⚧️@kjellbastian @Birgitomo @edealagency that's not what reverse racism means; it's an accusation by white people that they are victims of racism by minorities and hence not true.
@Birgitomo @Loukas @edealagency that I agree on, but I thought the question asked maybe held more room than the answer gave
@Birgitomo This now answers my question(s) when we look at racism from the institutional and power standpoints. As a black man from Africa living in Europe married to a European, sometimes I get tired with talks of racism. In the 21st century, Africans don't treat each other right. We don't show other cultures/ races hw to treat us. Look hw Africans are being treated in Italy compared to hw rebels treat us on our own continent. I believe we need to address our own issues first if we need change
NotNowOrLaterI think most people can chew gum and walk at the same time.
If you have any issues with the continent Africa, then you should start a thread about those issues.
But those issues have nothing to do with people dealing with their own internalized racism.
There is no first in dealing with issues.
@NotNowOrLater2 @Birgitomo Sure, you are right, but in your perspective, what could lead to a change of perspective?
Because screaming racism exists isn't going to stop the exploitation and the system evolving.
So, what do you think is the right direction to begin changing the narrative?
My own opinion is the way we treat ourselves as black people.
What's your own idea?
Because screaming racism exists isn't going to stop the exploitation and the system evolving.
So, what do you think is the right direction to begin changing the narrative?
My own opinion is the way we treat ourselves as black people.
What's your own idea?
no one on this thread is screaming racism exists... most on this thread are sharing how they came to terms with their racism.
the right direction is to have the conversation and to be honest in that conversation.
if you are concerned with how Black people treat one another, throughout the diaspora, then i recommend you make that thread and have that conversation.
it really is quite simple.
antipode77POC is not a yes/no question.
There is a whole spectrum from very slight to very dark.
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/model-nyakim-gatwech-challenges-beauty-standards-instagram
“I empower dark skinned little girls who are bullied for having skin they can't change,” Nyakim said. “A little girl wrote me a paragraph thanking me for loving myself. She told me that because I love myself she started to love herself too.”
Or someone like Trevor Noah who does the The Daily Show in the USA.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevor_Noah
@antipode77 @Birgitomo I don't understand Trevoh Noah
Trevor is from South Africa. He was born during the time mixed race relations were a crime in SA. He has a Swiss father (white) and a (black) mother.
He wrote a book about his youth in township with his mother. Its title is "Born a Crime"
And he is a pretty good stand up comedian. Some of his shows are on Netflix. Youtube has a The Today Show channel. Have look.
@antipode77 @Birgitomo I know him didn't know so much you say here. I see he promotes Africans from time to time which is good but I don't know the man. Guess I need to look deep
Deb M.@Birgitomo I’m not racist! I’m not racist! I’ll be your friend! (God I hope humor translates here. If not, looking forward to my cancellation. It was a good run…)
Sapphic Hazard@Birgitomo I feel like the bare minimum that people, whether or not we believe we ourselves are capable of racism (of course we are, but I digress...), the literal least we can do as people who purport to be anti-racist is listen.
Agnieszka@Birgitomo well said.
Ro@Birgitomo OOP! Talk about it though.
Pdiag23@Birgitomo I’m looking forward to following you and learning more. Welcome!
Liza Brings@Birgitomo I depend upon you to talk about racism! Where else am I going to hear the hard truth?
AIF-Massachusetts@Birgitomo this 💯
As a corollary, many white folks who have confronted racism in themselves will feel OK admitting that they probably are a little racist and that doesn't mean they are a terrible person, it just means there's more work to do.
Growing up in a white supremacist society leaves us all with a little bit of racism from our upbringings. Part of the real anti-racism work is acknowledging that internalized racism, working through the shame, resisting the urge to duck responsibility, and actively trying to recognize and counter it in one's daily life.
Once you get used to that type of self-reflection, listening to people describe their experiences of racism starts being an exercise in sympathy, solidarity, and learning. You stop reacting to discussions of racism as if they're scary personal attacks, or at least if that is your initial reaction you're prepared to deal with those negative feelings and recognize them as the byproduct of white supremacy, before dismissing them as unproductive.
TL:DR the OP is right, it's white people's job to deal with these hangups, and doing so is anti-racist 
Fenneladon Privacyasaurus@AIF_Massachusetts @Birgitomo Agree, although I think minimizing with "a little bit" and "not a terrible person" is a cop out.
Of course we are still *very* racist, how could we not be after decades of indocrination and maybe a few years of trying to rewrite that while still in mostly segregated spaces and with the indoctrination all around?
And of course that makes us terrible people, we are contributing to and benefiting from active harm to large numbers of people - if that doesn't make us terrible, I don't know what does.
We can try to be less terrible and less racist and arm ourselves and fight against it inside ourselves, but thinking it's going to go away and we will become the mythical "not a racist bone in my body" white person is a fantasy that continues our comfort and harming others. 🤷🏻♂️
Boba@AIF_Massachusetts @Birgitomo Why do you need to add your words onto of her message and explain a white perspective instead of just boosting ?
Angela@AIF_Massachusetts @Birgitomo I feel like a big thing for me was realizing how much of my mental image of what racism looks like was built on stories and not real life experience. Sometimes totally fictional stories, and sometimes stories that are true but heavily edited and curated. That when we look at something suggested to be racist and think, no, that's not racist, it's because we're comparing it to what we think racism looks like. If we have only seen examples of racism that are, for example, large and malicious, we will reject instances of racism that are small and fueled by apathy as 'not proper racism'. Which is kind of like if you got all of your information about romantic love from Disney movies and expected real life couples to act in exactly the same way.
Myphatself@Birgitomo my partner and I just had the abolish police discussion.
"I dont think abolish is the right word. Police need to be changed into something else."
Me: "like when they morphed slave catchers to police? No, abolish is the right word."
"I dont think abolish is the right word. Police need to be changed into something else."
Me: "like when they morphed slave catchers to police? No, abolish is the right word."
Bruce Heerssen 
@Birgitomo Right? It's not the topic of racism that's uncomfortable. It's the racism.
George Dinwiddie@Birgitomo I’m not sure it’s possible to grow up white in the USA and not be racist to some degree. I’ve been working to weed it out for 60 years, and still uncover remnants. Please continue to disturb, because that’s helpful to help me continue to improve.
Frederick Lane [he/him/his]Firmly believe that we need to talk honestly and openly about all of the -isms. If you think we are somehow living in a post-racial, post-anti-Semitic, post-homophobic world, spend some time on news.google.com. It is profoundly delusional to think that there isn't a LOT more work to do.
Alice Wetterlund 
@Birgitomo and that’s a follow
Joe Beehammer (🐝 🔨)
Ed Sanders@Birgitomo life’s not all fun and games. If you can’t listen you can’t learn.
Wayne Werner@Birgitomo I used to think I wasn't racist. (and othewise bigoted)
Until I started to listen to PoC and their experiences. And I started to inspect my own thoughts and actions. Much to my surprise and dismay my thoughts, words, and actions were.
Growing up white in America makes racism very easy.
Accepting that my default is racism has given me the ability to critically examine my thoughts, actions, and words, and change to be a more inclusive person.
nico kruppeI am not black. I am not female (maybe a little bit 🤔). I am an old (by numbers 😉) white man. I am not queer. I am no refugee (except from the Gplus thing 😁). I am not homeless. I dont starve. I dont suffer from war or suppression.
And I beg all of you: BE LOUD! And we all have to stand together! ❤️
Dr. Jack Brown 
mf MD 
@Birgitomo please keep talking.
we need to hear it.
we need to hear it.
@Birgitomo Truth! I have learned so much from my conversations with my nonwhite friends. Especially, with regard to teaching my children.
Amanda B@Birgitomo 100% yes!
a bad daditude ☠️@Birgitomo Racism in all its forms is a universal evil that has to be addressed and introspected daily by every individual regardless of their own race. It is a very difficult and uncomfortable topic to talk about and think on. When we are too comfortable things start losing their importance.
Dixzy
AnnStrahm@Birgitomo well said.
ClipperChip 
@Birgitomo So, I probably shouldn't respond to this, but I'm just tired of this. It's all identity politics. I just don't give a fuck about that. Talk. Tell me what you have to say. That's all that matters.
I miss IRC. There were no avatars, no "profiles". You simply evaluated what people say. I want that back.
mrjhnsn 
@Birgitomo As a white friend of many people of color, I appreciate the conversations about racism. These conversations have opened my already quite wide open eyes even further, and help me further empathize with people I care about whom experience life differently than I ever will.
Phil #FBPE #BLM@Birgitomo It is so important to keep talking about racism. It's so ingrained in British culture of the past; keeping it in the spotlight is the only way to eradicate it.
Jeffrey Goldberg@Birgitomo there are those of us who don't mind you talking about racism but still feel a bit uncomfortable.
And we know why we feel a bit uncomfortable. Which is why we know that, among other things, we need to listen to what you say. My discomfort isn't the problem. The problem is what underlies it.
zhivi@Birgitomo I talk about racism on my posts. Feel free to join the conversation. I just followed you. Please follow back. If you don’t want to, I understand. Today I will post a #TopicOfConversation about racism. Follow the hashtag to see what we’ve been discussing.
Andrew Jon Thomson@Birgitomo with all the bad things about Twitter one of the best good things was meeting and learning about all different people and their different experiences both good and bad so I sure hope we can have that here!