Reply #66: we all discriminate [View All]

[Two Americas]

We all discriminate all of the time, and it is not necessarily a bad thing. Can not a woman who is being abused by her husband discriminate and prefer to discuss it with a woman rather than a man? How would that harm or oppress men? Escaped slaves needed to discriminate and be much more cautious around whites. Did that harm whites or oppress them? Was that unfair to whites? Was the anger, fear, and resentment that Black slaves felt toward whites "reverse slavery?"

You are talking about people's personal preferences and feelings and ignoring power imbalances. Racism is a different subject, and if we leave power out of the discussion it is impossible to talk about racism at all.

Victims have every right to discriminate against their persecutors and abusers and choose to reject them and not associate with them. That is not "reverse persecution."

Prejudice and discrimination are an effect of racism, not a cause. First came the oppression and exploitation and enslavement, then came the negative stereotypes.



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