if you're a white person who still frames racism as some secret truth that people hide in their hearts waiting to be discovered instead of as a system of power expressed by actions and choices made every day, small and large, well, i have some bad news for you
this framing enables white people to feel victimized, to do nothing beyond asking themselves: am i a bad person? could i possibly be racist? (lol no one answers "yes")
it's not just ignorant. it's actively harmful. it perpetuates the kind of reactions you see when white people lose their fucking minds when someone suggests they are racist, as though it's some incontrovertible truth and they've been falsely accused
honestly, for white people, moving beyond this extremely superficial way of looking at racism is not just good for the purpose of counteracting systemic racism (important!), it's also freeing. you are free to try your absolute best, own your fuckups and learn to be better
as a white person, you no longer just pass or fail at racism. you don't have to selfishly fret over being falsely accused of some dark hidden truth. when you stop obsessively centering your own whiteness you'll learn a lot
you'll also be open to helping dismantle an entrenched system of white supremacy which is what your "not being racist" energy should actually be aligned toward
if you are a white person who has any questions about this, i am happy to chat with you!
also yes this was initially about bernie's comments 👀
