so in my experience, a lot of white people are very bad at appreciating the nuance of racial issues. which is maybe to be expected? many seem to think that everybody can be separated into broad categories of "racist" and "not racist"
and since nobody thinks they're racist, the remote suggestion that they are doing something racially insensitive or contributing to racial oppression either sends them into a spiral of guilt or an uncontrollable defensiveness
Some things are obvious examples of racism like slurs or workplace discrimination, but other things are less obvious (to white people) like saying you only date Asian girls or remarking about how a black newscaster "speaks well."
In those latter categories its common for white people to say things like "you just call everything racist!" or "why don't you focus on REAL problems" which exemplifies the lack of perspective that white people naturally have about these things
We're living in a time where regular people feel more empowered than ever to speak about their experiences. People have this idea that progressives just randomly one day started getting offended over everything.
lol no, your behavior has always been shitty, it's just that the white (cis/straight/male/etc) perspective has always been the default perspective, and POC voices have been historically marginalized.
when you wish for a return to a day "before everyone was so PC", you're essentially fondly dreaming of an unbridled white supremacy. Which incidentally, is exemplified by all of the literal white supremacists running around who say this
Sure sometimes people go overboard. We're new at this. We never got to talk before. That doesn't erase the experiences of marginalized people
Experiences which, white people almost certainly will never have, and subsequently will never completely understand
So white people, the next time someone tries to tell you about their experiences with microagressions, or tries to explain the racist history behind things you think are innocuous or normal, get over yourself for a second.
having contributed to the marginalization of people of color is almost inevitable for white people given the natural lack of perspective. same goes for other group dynamics where there is a societal power disparity. it doesn't make you a terrible person, so stop being defensive
but don't belittle people's experiences, don't tell people they aren't focusing on "real" issues. don't call people "PC". just because you don't identify with how people feel doesn't mean those feelings aren't valid
