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In reply to the discussion: Opinion: Portland's protests were supposed to be about black lives. Now, they're white spectacle" [View all]Blue_true
(31,261 posts)I disagree with other Black people that say it is not our jobs to explain things to White people. If a White person is seriously working to understand our experience better, it helps us to explain the intricate aspects of our experience to that person, why we may see a sales person saying may I help you in a vastly different light than a White person would, or why we get nervous in the presence of a White police officer, even when we are innocently going about our normal business. Explaining and having the White person absorb that explanation, ask more questions and go off and do more self study, is valuable in the fight against systemic racism, IMO.
I honestly dont like seeing White people act like their Black associates or friends, it simply comes off as contrived. My life experiences are vastly different from those of a White person, even a White person that had similar and has similar economic circumstance as me. What I prefer to see is a White person make a true effort to understand why I dont see rather common events in society the same way they do. They dont have to fully agree with my responses and prescriptions, but it is nice when they come up with workable approaches to problems that I and them can use to solve those problems in a way that is fair and Just to everyone.