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Dear LS, I address this communication to you, in particular, as you've been one of my favorite Duers for YEARS and if I have a hope in hell of being understood by any member of this dominant community, YOU are certainly on the short list.
You declare definitively "I've met Biden and racist he is not."
Reading your MANY wonderful posts throughout the years, I have concluded that you are a 29+ white female from Delaware who is SERIOUSLY on top of our deteriorating circumstances. I will tiptoe around your sensibilities as much as I can, at the same time I must be DIRECT. So do, please, take a deep breath if anything I write below at first hits your reflexes. Then I ask, that as a longtime "internet acquaintance," you do me the respect of considering my words carefully.
As a white woman, you do not really know what racism is. You are able to empathize with certain manifestations, as the power dynamic also affects women globally. Speaking as an "alpha black female" :evilgrin: I am well-acquainted with the view and reality from the bottom of the totem-pole.
To really know if Joe Biden is a racist, you would have to be a born and bred American black woman. Why that? Many racists make "exceptions" for Asians, Latinas, Middle Easterners as they are "exotic," not all THAT dark and have "good hair" and maybe they even have a brain in their heads. Hell, THEY'RE ON MY STAFF!!! There is no worse "insult" to a white man than having a black woman publicly call his shit out. (HE is the father of my child). You may wonder why I focus on WOMEN'S perceptions and hopefully I can allude to that before I have to sign-off to go prepare my classes for tomorrow.
Here's the totem pole:
WHITE MEN
+MEN OF COLOUR
+WHITE WOMEN
WOMEN OF COLOUR
BLACK WOMEN
+ These two "groups" seamlessly change positions depending on the circumstances. Please note that in my perception, "men of coulour" DOES include black men and that the "categories" for women ARE different. Think: Patriarchy.
Racism is most accurately perceived by those affected by it. It is not just words, it's how those words are used, it's coded VERBAL and BODY LANGUAGE. It's the startle reflex if you get too close or the unspoken assumption that you're a "girl gone wild." It's noticing the difference of how those of different skin shades are treated. Having not grown up black in a white-dominated society there is NO WAY that you have developed the antennae to pick those signals up UNLESS you are identified by society as white and your beloved family members have darker skin. Even then your skills would be limited. But only THEN would you have the opportunity to witness firsthand the pain and humiliation of the "subtle digs" or the outrageous, pigeon-holing assumptions.
In America, the taboo for calling out racist behaviour and/or public expressions of bigotry is MUCH GREATER than the slurs or actions that prompt the observations. "Halfafrican" gets many :eyes: and protestations but as yet NO ONE is surrounding the studio DEMANDING the the messenger of HATRED be taken OFF THE PUBLIC AIRWAVES BECAUSE "WE THE PEOPLE" OF AMERICA FIND IT OBSCENE. If the black community were to do so you can be sure the M$M would characterize it as "Niggers running wild and loose in the streets."
Americans will criticize Germany on "free speech" grounds, that giving the salute and shouting "Heil Hitler" or denying the Holocaust will land your ass in jail. Having lived here for many years I SUPPORT THAT RESTRICTION. One is entitled to his own opinion but NOT to promulgate LIES.
Getting back to Biden. His careless expressions indicate a deep insensitivity to coded language. Indeed, his previous gaffes show that he is OBLIVIOUS to such. They also point to an attitude that the few black members on this board have clarified, over and over and over and over and over and over again, only to be confronted with disingenuous, semantic BULLSHIT.
My sincere intent is to foster a deeper understanding. My PM is open to you.
Yours in solidarity,
Karenina
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