I recently saw a popular Christian apologist post the following image on Facebook. He's also been making posts sympathetic to if not in support of BLM.
Let's take a comparison:
Asian-Americans hear similar things. You're a banana or Twinkie. You're fresh off the boat. No but where are you really from? Well of course you're good at math and science. You all look the same. And so on.
Asian-Americans face systemic racism in college admissions. For example, see the Harvard law suit which may go all the way to the Supreme Court.
Yet, are Asian-Americans going around demanding the cancellation of every movie or series with yellow face racism? Supporting a Marxist-influenced organization like BLM? Justifying the destruction of property? Tearing down railroad tracks from the First Transcontinental Railroad because Chinese immigrants were literally treated like pack animals? Using Japanese internment camps like Manzanar as a modern rallying cry against the evil US government?
Should Asian-Americans be doing these things?
I think other racial/ethnic groups could say similar things too (e.g. Latinos, Indigenous Americans, Jews, underprivileged whites). Where's the massive public outrage and support for them? Why aren't CNN and MSNBC covering their plight as much as BLM?
Ah, yes, words are violence. State action is violence. Me burning down a building is not violence.
ReplyDeleteThings are quite absurd. A coworker responded to someone's (probably poorly worded) post that mentioned that black people aren't unique in being enslaved in the past. His response was to say that could get him fired (because, I guess, companies are our new moral arbiters?).
2020 has me going https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgqRis_czYg
Lol, me too! :)
DeleteI feel more like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG7LjVCj50Y
DeleteThat's a good one too! :)
DeleteI guess my fear is we're living in a time period where the entire nation could be swept up and (God forbid) eventually governed by a minority of secular bullies and revolutionaries, viz. leftists, Antifa. That would destroy the fundamental structure of our government that's been in place since 1789.
As one said elsewhere:
ReplyDeleteBlack Fruit Pastilles Matter.
That's my slogan and I'm sticking to it. You can bang me up. I'll do the bird. These fruit pastilles are under-represented in fruit pastilles packets and, quite frankly, it is a complete disgrace. All the other colours generally get to mix with their own kind, but you will invariably see only a relatively small number of black fruit pastilles in a packet. And don't get me started on the tubes, where you'll be lucky to find one black fruit pastille. It's not on. This is 2020. Something has to change.
BFPM
Lol, Danny. :)
Delete'Asian-Americans face systemic racism in college admissions.'
ReplyDeleteHow one defines 'systemic racism' is important, Hawk. Your example appears to be extremely narrow and outside of 'the system.' One cannot speak for the US, but one is willing to bet one's last pound note that, along with the UK, there is nothing intrinsic to the system in the US that serves to discriminate against blacks/minorities based on the characteristic of race. The UK has specific laws protecting individuals from such discrimination:
https://www.gov.uk/discrimi...
The claim of 'systemic racism' is patently false, and utterly absurd.
One does not deny the reality of individual cases of racism, juat as one does not deny individual cases of sexism, ageism, or whatever. But let's drop this 'systemic' garbage, for crying out loud.
I'm mainly just trying to respond to leftists on their own terms. That is, if leftists say there's systemic racism, then what about systemic racism against Asian-Americans in college admissions? Why do leftists ignore Asian-Americans, but not blacks?
DeleteThat said, I think American conservatives do generally believe there is at least racial discrimination against Asian-Americans in college admissions. People like Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro, and Dennis Prager have argued the same. See this video and this video for example.
Hawk--
DeleteWhy grant undue attention to BLM?
1. Because the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
2. Because nothing excites the Democratic voting base more than white guilt. And white guilt is strongest across the black/white divide.
3. Because it's one of the easier ways to paint conservatives with the "racist" brush.
Why not Asians? Because they're successful, non-violent, and hard to dislike. They don't vote Republican, but neither do they kick up a fuss. They don't bring your property value down when they move into the neighborhood.
Same thing goes for Jews. Plus, with Prager, Levin, and Shapiro in the mix, it's kind of hard for the MSM to see them purely as allies.
There HAS been a lot of pro-immigrant agitation against Trump. So the Hispanic card is fully in play.
The lowest of the low have nothing to offer anybody. No financial contributions, few votes, no visibilty. Reservation Native-Americans, Appalachian whites, illegal Hispanics, and Mississippi Delta blacks are probably as low as it goes. But all of the uproar is directly related to politics, not compassion.
Black Lives Matter (the organization) is "mean and evil through and through" and deserves our disdain. However, those in poverty, often through little fault of their own, do not. Republicans have brought disrepute down on their own heads by paying no attention to groups in misery simply because these groups do not typically vote GOP.
Systemic racism may be being greatly exaggerated, but remnants can be found. Minorities still have valid grievances. Nepotism and "good-old-boy networks" haven't gone anywhere. Still alive and very much kicking. We also need equity in sentencing and in access to bond and diversion programs. (I'm far less sure about getting rid of qualified immunity and the like. Cops can't do their jobs without appropriate protections.) Senator Tim Scott, of South Carolina, may be the most balanced voice I've heard of late.
I just about wince when I hear Evangelicals pray for "racial reconciliation" these days. Is that really what is needed? The split is over ideology, not skin color. What we need is to liberate people from Liberation Theology. Like Gandalf releasing Theoden from the clutches of Wormtongue, the church must stand her ground, must stride forward, must reclaim her prophetic voice. Far too many "Evangelicals" are being seduced by the "woke" crowd. SJW's are making genuine justice scarce. For once, I'd like to see BIBLICAL justice "roll down like waters."
Danny--
DeleteI know that progressives don't bother to define "systemic." But having been dirt poor pretty much all my life, I think I understand what they're getting at.
One doesn't need to have discriminatory laws on the books to lack access to a redress of grievances, to lack resources, to lack clout, to lack advocacy. A law's being on the books doesn't mean that it will be fairly and uniformly administered.
I have been regularly discriminated against...and with impunity. My guess is that the phenomenon doesn't really have much to do with race and is mostly a question of class. People like to kick other people when they're down. Brown or tan or a very light beige. It doesn't matter. You're going to end up black and blue. I have been cheated by courts and harassed by cops and fired from jobs for discriminatory reasons (e.g., age, hailing from a different region of the country). I lost a major educational scholarship because I was an Evangelical.
At any rate, what I think the term "systemic" indicates is a pervasive hopelessness when it comes to the use of resources...which other, more connected, individuals CAN rely on.
I think those with talent and spunk, raised in the absolute lowest reaches of the economy, can aspire to about as much upward mobility as they care to work toward. But that DOES NOT MEAN that there are no systemic impediments for anybody.
Lots of good points, Eric.
DeleteI agree the Republican establishment should pay more attention to groups that don't typically vote GOP.
I also agree systemic racism is exaggerated. I'm simply using the language of the left to attack the left. I think it'd be better to talk about racial discrimination in most cases.
I think there's a good chance many Asian Americans can be won over to American conservative values given how much overlaps with their values. Not a majority, of course, but more than in the past. Although there probably aren't enough Asian Americans in the US to make much of a difference in most national elections. Maybe I'm wrong.
I too "wince" when I hear conservative evangelicals talk about "racial reconciliation" and the like. To say the least.
By the way, I should say, I think talk about racism in the US is itself exaggerated. Sure, we have our problems, but in terms of both historical and contemporary terms, we're easily one of the most racially tolerant societies in the world. Lots of leftists don't know what real racism is.
DeleteEric,
Delete'One doesn't need to have discriminatory laws on the books to lack access to a redress of grievances, to lack resources, to lack clout, to lack advocacy. A law's being on the books doesn't mean that it will be fairly and uniformly administered.
I have been regularly discriminated against...and with impunity. My guess is that the phenomenon doesn't really have much to do with race and is mostly a question of class. People like to kick other people when they're down. Brown or tan or a very light beige. It doesn't matter. You're going to end up black and blue. I have been cheated by courts and harassed by cops and fired from jobs for discriminatory reasons (e.g., age, hailing from a different region of the country). I lost a major educational scholarship because I was an Evangelical.'
1. Of course, no system is perfect, and there will be unfair and unjust situations. That's a given. One would be willing to bet that the 'redress' issue is more often than not a case of people not having the will to do the legwork. That's somewhat understandable, but you cannot lack the will and at the same time 'blame the system.'
2. You talk of your personal experiences, and one has had similar experiences, especially concerning the police in the UK, but that's not becauae of 'the system' but rather their own egos and, ironically, their lack of understanding of the law. Here's a good channel to view if you want to see example after example:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUSL8poMxM_uXWzWExJaY-w
'At any rate, what I think the term "systemic" indicates is a pervasive hopelessness when it comes to the use of resources...which other, more connected, individuals CAN rely on.'
That's an interrsting understanding of the term. Unfortunately, organisations like BLM and their obsequious cheerleaders are using 'systemic' in the 'traditional' sense when they speak of 'state-sanctioned violence and anti-Black racism' and 'the rampant and deliberate violence inflicted on us by the state':
https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-we-believe/
Their claims are absurd, and ought to be laughed out of existence. We need strong leaders who will mock and deride these claims; they deserve nothing but contempt.
Hawk,
Delete'I'm mainly just trying to respond to leftists on their own terms. That is, if leftists say there's systemic racism, then what about systemic racism against Asian-Americans in college admissions? Why do leftists ignore Asian-Americans, but not blacks?'
I see. Thank you for clarifying. I apologise for not seeing that.
'That said, I think American conservatives do generally believe there is at least racial discrimination against Asian-Americans in college admissions. People like Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro, and Dennis Prager have argued the same. See this video and this video for example.'
Indeed, but it is unlawful.
In the UK we have a positive discrimination / positive action distinction:
https://coodes.co.uk/blog/positive-discrimination-and-positive-action-why-employers-need-to-know-the-difference/
This does not mean that some companies are not producing 'quotas' looking to place minorities in positions regardless of qualifications, or lack thereof, but 'the system' does not sanction such discrimination. Indeed, it *specifically* deems it unlawful.
In the UK, if any group can feel hard done by, it's indigenous whites. Yet as a white man, I cannot rationally claim there is 'systemic racism' against whites, even though whites get a rough deal at times. To do so would be to reason fallaciously by equating the system with *errant parts* of the system.
Danny--
DeleteYes, but sometimes "unfair and unjust situations" happen one after another after another. And sometimes, as I have done, one pushes back and pushes back and pushes back up the chain of command...and gets slapped down and slapped down and slapped down. I'm highly educated. I do the legwork. It doesn't matter. One lets it go.
I don't know how it is in the U.K., but here in the states laws are not written in such a way as to be clearly understood. Administering agencies appear to develop their own operating policies independent of "the law." They are a law unto themselves, accountable to no one.
I think you're probably right. I don't think it's so much a sinister and tyrannical plot from on high to subdue us. It's the inherent clutter and incompetence of bureaucracy.
But it's a minefield which can only be navigated given the requisite financial resources. Still, it isn't built for the rich. It isn't built against the poor. It just ends up subjugating the poor.
The law should be there to serve even those without the will to push back. Depression or senility or "working three jobs to make ends meet" or "having six small kids to look after" shouldn't nullify one's citizenship.
When it comes to BLM, we are of one mind. I have nothing but contempt for the organization. A friend of mine assured me that BLM can be far different on the grass roots level. I don't care. The KKK used to pass out Bibles and buy groceries for poor widows.
But the use of the term "systemic racism" is not limited to Black Lives Matter and Antifa and the like. So I have tried to read between the lines. And I do think that some are using it of a culture saturated with obstacles set against the thriving of the poor. It doesn't have to be intentional to be misery inducing.
It needs to be dismantled. And all of us should agree to do so.
Thanks, Danny! Yeah, I agree it's unlawful (and unethical) to racially discriminate against Asian-Americans in college admissions.
DeleteI guess it's difficult for me to understand what's happening in the UK because I'm not British and don't closely follow what's happening in the UK, but I'm definitely against any kind of racial discrimination, whether white, black, yellow, brown, leprechaun green.
And leftists in the US don't seem able to accept that white people can be racially discriminated against too.
Hawk--
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately. Asian Americans are concentrated in extremely "blue" areas: the Left Coast, NYC, Chicago.
They are, however, more drawn to Evangelicalism than most minorities. So that might be an entrance point for leaving socialism.
(The MSM tends to divide white Evangelicalism from black Evangelicalism. I'm not even sure we can talk about a "black" Evangelicalism. So much heterodoxy and syncretism. I'd love to take my kids to minority churches, but finding any that are solidly orthodox is nigh unto impossible.)
Good points, Eric.
DeleteI'm not sure what you mean about Asian Americans leaving socialism. At least to my knowledge, most aren't socialist, per se, at least in the official sense of the term. I presume most Asian Americans would support once-democratic Hong Kong over communist China, for instance. Although I assume first generation Chinese immigrants from mainland China would not.
However I do agree many Asian Americans are leftists, pro Bernie Sanders, pro AOC, etc. (Of course, that's true of many if not most people in those extremely blue states, not just Asian Americans.) I think leftists are effectively socialists waiting in the wings, as it were. If that's what you mean, I definitely agree.
Hawk--
DeleteYes, that's all I meant.
Hawk--
ReplyDeleteYes, one of the most racially tolerant societies the world has ever known. Many, many American blacks could sell all they have here and live overseas as kings. Then again, I live in a poor, majority-black village...and parts of town look thoroughly third world.