In case legacyzero's keeping up with this thread via an alt (or at you able to read GAF when banned?), or if someone with similar thoughts is reading the thread, I feel like I should address him:
I can't speak for anyone else, but I don't really give a damn if someone discussing these topics is a white man. I don't think it's practical to exclude people based on that. We have no idea what ethnicity or gender a person is when they post in this thread, and they can claim to be whatever they want. No sane person is going to be demanding photos or an ID. What I'm really concerned about is why you hold the positions you do and how well informed you are.
Casual racism and sexism - jokes and such - are the most common medium through which hateful ideas are transferred. If you're going to walk around in a white hood or cap with a skull on it, it's not easy to claim that you're the good guy or the victim, at least now that public perception has so greatly (and rightfully) demonized these things.
Having said that, I'm not going to say you're an alt right monster for liking those kinds of jokes. A certain amount of their appeal, and the reason why people can get away with them, is when the jokes are supposed to be absorbed ironically. Like, the racism itself is so ridiculous that it can be a joke in and of itself. You might even be able to enjoy that in the right circumstance - but you have to be aware of the circumstance.
If you're with close friends or family whose beliefs you're very familiar with, you might be able to make the occasional off-colour joke because you know how it'll be taken. Well, there's always a risk to be honest, but at least it's a controlled risk. If you have an audience of millions, there's no way that's going to happen. So you can stop the jokes, you can make an effort to be smarter about them so you're clearly demonizing the ideas, or you can be irresponsible so that you can keep making the same jokes you did before. Those are your options.
When you're trying to dismiss casual racism and encourage people to be more irresponsible in how they treat less privileged groups, you are trying to defend your ability to perpetuate hatred towards groups. You may not be a "real" racist, but you're still putting the enjoyment of yourself over the well-being of the less privileged. This isn't a moderate stance; it's a conservative one. It's protecting a status quo that exists to unfairly benefit one group at the expense of others.
There's nothing preventing a white person from entering this sort of conversation, but if that's the sort of stance you take and the sort of values you defend, then you should expect to be treated accordingly.
I can't speak for anyone else, but I don't really give a damn if someone discussing these topics is a white man. I don't think it's practical to exclude people based on that. We have no idea what ethnicity or gender a person is when they post in this thread, and they can claim to be whatever they want. No sane person is going to be demanding photos or an ID. What I'm really concerned about is why you hold the positions you do and how well informed you are.
Casual racism and sexism - jokes and such - are the most common medium through which hateful ideas are transferred. If you're going to walk around in a white hood or cap with a skull on it, it's not easy to claim that you're the good guy or the victim, at least now that public perception has so greatly (and rightfully) demonized these things.
Having said that, I'm not going to say you're an alt right monster for liking those kinds of jokes. A certain amount of their appeal, and the reason why people can get away with them, is when the jokes are supposed to be absorbed ironically. Like, the racism itself is so ridiculous that it can be a joke in and of itself. You might even be able to enjoy that in the right circumstance - but you have to be aware of the circumstance.
If you're with close friends or family whose beliefs you're very familiar with, you might be able to make the occasional off-colour joke because you know how it'll be taken. Well, there's always a risk to be honest, but at least it's a controlled risk. If you have an audience of millions, there's no way that's going to happen. So you can stop the jokes, you can make an effort to be smarter about them so you're clearly demonizing the ideas, or you can be irresponsible so that you can keep making the same jokes you did before. Those are your options.
When you're trying to dismiss casual racism and encourage people to be more irresponsible in how they treat less privileged groups, you are trying to defend your ability to perpetuate hatred towards groups. You may not be a "real" racist, but you're still putting the enjoyment of yourself over the well-being of the less privileged. This isn't a moderate stance; it's a conservative one. It's protecting a status quo that exists to unfairly benefit one group at the expense of others.
There's nothing preventing a white person from entering this sort of conversation, but if that's the sort of stance you take and the sort of values you defend, then you should expect to be treated accordingly.
