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No one knows who, in that crowd that day, were Bernie supporters and who were there to learn about SS and Medicare, but it certainly hasn't stopped certain people from using it to their political advantage. Bernie must scare them to death. The most appalling aspect of this is that they're politicizing something as important as black lives to denigrate one candidate in favor of another. It's disgusting.
and I just don't see it stopping.
Hell I respect the Occupy movement. But today some rep offered up an open letter to Sander's supporters repeating them memes based on distortions of act, and it is just so damned tiresome!
You should post this as an op. Well said. Thank you!
I've probably missed threads which provide a background to this (though I fully recognize it's about what happened in Seattle), but on the face of it, the words do matter. And, in my experience as someone who has been immersed in racial and social justice pretty much my whole life, it's maddening.
I grew up with and have known flat-out white racists my entire life; I'm like a bloodhound, I can spot it very, very quickly. It is much more prevalent -- throughout the entire country (and world) -- than many people seem to realize. I'm not talking bias, something we all likely have to varying degrees, but racist beliefs and behavior. Bottom line: They are indeed white supremacists because they absolutely, positively view white people as superior to everyone else. Not only black people but brown people, Asians...everyone. It is a spectrum of dislike though, with the darker one's skin, the greater the dislike. Even if they feel Asians are, in general, of superior intellect, for example, they still feel overall superior and that the US belongs to them. Trump is tapping into all of this very effectively.
It used to be that I could have a fairly rational conversation referring to their "racist behavior and worldview." They would readily admit that they believe they're superior to anyone of color. They were okay with the term racist, but "white supremacist" evoked images of the KKK which seemed to turn them off (honestly, why, I'm not sure now that I think about it because their views are completely aligned with the Klan).
Anyway, when Obama came along, Rush & Co. effectively brainwashed these people into believing that they're no longer racist. We -- liberals -- are the true racists.
Now, that said, I have definitely experienced liberals/progressives/Democrats who hold, often subconsciously, feelings of white superiority. Quite a few definitely still have a blind spot as it concerns the realities of white privilege. I can't gauge what the approximate percentage is of liberals who hold such views but I'd guess that it's more than we white people think but less than people of color think.
But in trying to get people to wake up -- whether it's the outright racist/white supremacist or the liberal who refuses to accept that white privilege is real -- the words REALLY get in the way.
I wish we could come up with another lexicon to allow for more open discussion. White privilege and white supremacy turn soooooooooooooo many people away from even listening that I admit I do try to stay away from them, even though they are very accurate in many instances.
I'm chiming in here in the hope that perhaps we can develop a more effective way to discuss these issues without trigger words causing people to turn away from the get-go. But, for now, I got nothin'.
(Edit to add: After rereading this, white superiority feels much better than supremacy and I think it would at least allow for discussion, even if someone denies they feel that way.)
This entire blog post is great discussing these terms, though it doesn't help me in my own struggle in discussing this more effectively:
(My aha moment comes at the end)
Don't you feel that this IS indicative of feeling superior?
I appreciate your post, btw.
Having been immersed in this for so long, when people say similar things as you describe re: schools and such, at the heart of it I happen to believe that it does come down to people feeling superior.
Granted, we can feel superior for a multitude of reasons (our level of education, for example). It isn't that we dislike "the others," but it does mean that we feel superior.
I feel this can be very true of someone who doesn't want their children to go to "bad" schools, which are "bad" because of poverty...and it so happens that most of the students are students of color. (I think some people CAN make the distinction, recognizing the systemic, racist history which has led to a school or area being "bad" and have no bias against people of color but don't want their children in harm's way or undereducated, but I think most people develop a knee-jerk reaction and DO start to view non-white people as inferior in some ways, even if they're not aware of it.)
I think I just had an aha moment.
Charges of racism and bigotry and supremacy imply that racists, bigots, supremacists DISLIKE The Other. I don't think that's always true. I think the charges of paternalism reflect this. Many people of color perceive the admonitions "now isn't the time," "BLM is shooting themselves in the foot," etc., etc. as white people feeling entitled to set the narrative. That entitlement indicates a feeling of being superior. It doesn't mean the white person doesn't like The Other based on their skin color, but they do feel superior and entitled to set the narrative.
Just as very often men do the same thing to women. There isn't dislike, but there is a feeling of superiority.
And when someone feels superior to another based on skin color, that's white supremacy.
As an aside, I always try to be careful to distinguish racist/bigoted BEHAVIOR or views versus someone who has clearly, repeatedly and consistently exhibited these views and then referring to them as a racist/bigot.
this isn't easy. It's very complex. Each person is unique, with unique perspectives, experiences and personality type.
That's why I definitely want to find flexible ways to encourage meaningful listening and meaningful dialogue. And unless I know someone fairly well, I will continue to be very careful about calling them a racist or bigot or whatever, but instead try to point out how something they may have said or done -- a one-off perhaps -- could be perceived as such.
We rarely know what is in the mind and heart of another and, as you said, people are often not honest with themselves about that, let alone others. When these horrific murders of young black people became mainstream news, beginning with Trayvon, I didn't focus on Zimmerman's or Darren Wilson's intentions in the moment they killed those young men; that's so hard to prove, though we can certainly make assumptions. Instead, my dialogues were focused on others' reactions to those events; you know, the whole "thug" narrative if the victim is of color versus "troubled" if white.
Words really do so often get in the way from the very start, preventing such dialogue.
But, again, I agree with you very much.
While I don't dispute what you said and agree that racial and economic justice are intertwined and that both should be aggressively addressed with an eye toward systemic reform, when people feel a literal target on their back each day due to their skin color and the skin color of loved ones and friends, that is a matter of urgency -- an urgency that single-payer healthcare and increased minimum wage won't solve quickly enough.
I feel it important to acknowledge that poverty -- regardless of skin color -- is also resulting in death, right here in the United States of America.
I take a triage approach. Which groups of people are in the most daily danger of death and critical injury and dehumanizing suffering in a way we can act on NOW?
I think all people who are homeless fit that description as well, but that is where the classist/capitalistic aspect of our institutions must be transformed as we take direct grassroots action to the best of our abilities. Racism is a separate foundational element in our systems even though, again, they are intertwined.
Hope that makes sense.
and institutionalized racism is a myth?
the "final word" on the matter? 
Try the dictionary, Mr. Cuss -- It's a tad more reputable.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/privilege?s=t
I do wonder if the confusion stems from the idea that when whites deny being "privileged", some
believe they are denying that PofC, especially African-Americans. are disenfranchised, and it certainly does
NOT mean that at all. Anyone with two brain cells knows that, and most (fox news watchers excepted)
will readily admit it.
The funny thing is, the 'white privilege" meme is relatively new. African-Americans, to the
best of my memory and I am in my middle sixties, generally claimed, justifiably, to be the
victims of bias, discrimination, prejudice, racism, whatever, so I'm not sure why turning
the focus on Whites, defining them as "privileged" rather than themselves as disenfranchised,
is suddenly so important.
I guess it doesn't matter. If it is to say the poor aren't living white privilege or in that category, I understand.
There is no lack of "feelings" on the other side of this argument, either. In fact,
the suggestion that there might be, is downright laughable.
As if the economic status quo is not itself racist.
Luckily, next to no one pays any attention to your posts, or your deception might be a problem.