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When I was a kid, one parent use to say a certain racial group was lazy, another was “trouble” and once said I should only date white boys bc if I dated outside the race, white boys wouldn’t want me anymore. I was 11. I grew up thinking it was normal to hear things like this 1/x
I have 4 parents. Two of them believed this. One has come a lot way but I know harbors prejudices still. It’s really embarrassing to hear them talk and hard to know me and my siblings received messages like that throughout our entire childhood. Racial slurs were common. 2/x
These people are obviously white trash and had a lot of problems, but on the surface you wouldn’t know. Middle class house in a safe neighborhood, dress normal, no confederate flags or racist tattoos. I’m so so so lucky I had another household that taught me that was wrong 3/x
But my half siblings didn’t. So so so fucked how common and widespread that is. How hate is taught so early to children who don’t have the tools to wade through those messages and evaluate them. I try to check myself and I worry there are thoughts and feelings 4/x
That linger that I can’t control. I really try to just try others the way I want to be treated, to be kind and respectful. I’m furious at those parents for ever exposing me to those ideas in the first place. I want to talk about racial issues to other white ppl through 5/x
A lens that maybe they’ll identify with, but I also don’t know what my place is. I think I could be effective in helping white people to see their viewpoints are wrong and they might listen to me the way they wouldnt a POC ...but I also want to let POC talk. 6/x
I would be really interested to hear what POC have to say about white people talking about issues that affect them in order to reach and deradicalize other white people x/x
