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    Alana Hadid’s response to the question ‘Why is it becoming normal to be racist towards white people?’: “This is hard to comprehend for some reason, but as someone who is white and Arab. Let me say this slowly. The people who hold the privilege cannot experience racism.”
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    Alana Hadid’s response to the question ‘Why is it becoming normal to be racist towards white people?’: “This is hard to comprehend for some reason, but as someone who is white and Arab. Let me say this slowly. The people who hold the privilege cannot experience racism.”


    Alana Hadid’s response to the question ‘Why is it becoming normal to be racist towards white people?’: “This is hard to comprehend for some reason, but as someone who is white and Arab. Let me say this slowly. The people who hold the privilege cannot experience racism.”

    Posted by Visible-Objective-48

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    33 Comments

    1. Magomaeva on

      Here’s a definition from the dictionary :

      Racism : “a belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race”.

      *hope that helps*, lanzybear

    2. Discussion-is-good on

      That is not the definition of racism.

      Not that I agree with the bait question being asked.

    3. boricuaspidey on

      That’s fine if Heather were talking about systematic racism. Racial prejudice is still, by definition, racism. I think she said a whole lot of nothing but people will clap. ETA: I don’t like people like Heather either btw

    4. Skadibala on

      Bait question.

      But is also so stupid that some people genuinely believe that people can not be racist towards white people.

      My ex girlfriend’s mom has really fallen into the alt right hole and she once shared an article that called it “reverse racism” when a white person experienced racism. The article was not making fun of “reverse racism”, it was dead serious.

      But the articles just showed examples of normal racism, just aimed at white people.

      Edit: just incase people think I agree that reverse racism should be a thing. I think the term is stupid and I laugh thinking that people are going around calling it that.

    6. amateurish_gamedev on

      As someone who’s Asian, non-white and a neutral, let me say this in normal speed. Yes, yes you can.

      Racism is discrimination or prejudice based on race. What she was talking about is systemic racism. Racism itself is simple.

      Please treat each other with respect, no matter their race. If we all could do that, that would be awesome.

      Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

    7. Butthole2theStarz on

      There’s the actual definition of racism and then there is the newer, incorrect one that sprung up about a decade ago that she is parroting

    10. adamcmorrison on

      I made stuff up that isn’t correct using incorrect definitions. Hope that helps.

    13. ughdrunkatvogue on

      There’s a very specific type of person who uses the phrase “hope that helps”. Like the moment you read that you have that person 100% figured out.

    14. iki11dinosaurs on

      So happy no children have been left behind the last couple decades and everyone has been taught the nuances of these subjects in school 😄

    15. Tsarinya on

      I’m confused – for a while now the discourse online has been you can’t be racist to white people. I’ve been told this on Reddit. But from the comments this seems to not be the case?

    16. TinyM0ushka on

      You know anytime someone says “I’m gonna say this slowly” that they are just going to say something condescending.

      Anyone can experience racism, just like anyone can be racist.

    17. MysticalNinja187 on

      I’m kinda tired of splitting hairs over what is and isn’t racist based on skin colors. We can talk white supremacy and privilege all day. But a kid getting bullied at school because he’s white – is racist. It may not be systemic, but it’s racist. Yes there are a zillion more examples of that being done by whites to POC.

      I’m just tired of splitting hairs and doing gymnastics for what is just bad human behavior. There isn’t an economy for racism, and if there is, it really shouldnt matter if you’re on the receiving end of it. It’s such a toxic conversation when we start comparing it

    18. BowToLadyDiplomat on

      Alana, girl, reading your own definition would have made you realise that you are wrong.

    19. Vegetable-Kiwi-4675 on

      I think I get what she means, but someone can be racist even if they don’t have proximity to power. They can treat someone differently simply because of their race. Also, I hate how these types of comments are a ragebait gift to right-wingers. A female model with opinions?! Jesse Watters is going to have a stroke.

    20. FunctionTBD on

      I’m curious (like actually genuinely) – when white peoples say they experience racism what examples from your lives are you drawing on? What do they/you experience as racism? I am not white and have never seen anything irl that I’d describe as racism happening against a whites person so I truly am open to trying to understand it’s just that I don’t have any real world experience with it.

      I’ve seen comments on the internet that I’d definitely categorize as discriminatory towards white people so i’ve always assumed that when white people talk about experiencing racism IRL they’re just talking about basically experiencing what I see on the Internet, but in real life being said to them. I’ve also heard of Eminem growing up in a Black community being physically bullied by Black children for being white so I imagine maybe that happens to others but I’ve never heard somebody that I know who is white recount that experience so from my understanding that’s not like a widespread experience?

    21. Rooster-Jazzlike on

      Ahh more non academics talking about systemic racism without realizing there’s also racism that isn’t systemic

    23. kcamps on

      What are these comments lol
      Alana Hadid’s response is right?? I don’t know how anyone is disagreeing with such a benign and commonly accepted take?? This was posted an hour ago and the thread is already flooded with ‘of course white people experience racism’. Dead internet for real.

    24. grannystew_ on

      The only thing I want to comment on is “Hope that helps”. I hate this phrase more than a can of Diet Coke. And I **hate** Diet Coke. One can have said something as simple and as accurate as 2+2=4, but if they end it with “Hope this helps”, I’m immediately irritated.

    25. metdear on

      I’m sorry, but this is such bullshit. Racism is racism, no matter how high and mighty you make it sound. What the respondent is arguing is institutional racism, not individual. 

    26. Shegotquestions on

      There’s such a thing as racism that’s not systemic racism lol. There’s a reason why systemic racism has an extra word 😅

    28. rutfilthygers on

      I wish people would stop acting like the things they heard in a Sociology 101 course in college, or worse, from someone else who took a Sociology 101 course in college, were the gospel truth.

      This 2016-ish definition of racism is totally unhelpful. If someone hates me because I am white, that is a racist belief.

    29. Nimue_- on

      “hey you should just accept people treating you horribly because of the system we live in!”

      Sounds familiar

    30. _autumnwhimsy on

      So, I genuinely hate when this conversation moves out of academic spheres because the context is removed. People that use the sociological definition as the default conflict with people that use the dictionary definition as the default.

      But the fact of the matter is, if a physicist gave an in depth definition of what physics is and how it encompasses energy, force, and all these other things…. and then @ GuzDaddy47 on Twitter pops up and says “well actually physics is just the scientific study of matter”, who’s definition should we prioritize?

      The dictionary definition is the word at its face value with 0 context. when you add the historical and global context, you get the sociological definition and context is kinda what makes words word.

      I get why Alana was flippant. Its REALLY annoying to stuff like this constantly. And we seem to understand why men going “white men are now victims in todays society” is sexist incel redpill content but there’s a disconnect when talking about white people despite it being…the same thing. because we’re talking about society “normalizing” something, we get to use the sociological definition and fact of the matter is, society hasn’t made it acceptable to be racist towards white people because white people are still the dominant power structure (even in homogenous countries but that’s a longer essay!)

      there’s a lot more that i can say on this but yeah its a valid school of thought that the internet bastardized and Alana isn’t wrong.

    31. forrealthoughcomix_ on

      Hard disagree on this.

      Anyone can experience racism. Anyone can be racist. Racism is prejudice and/or negative behavior to another based on race.

      Now the people in power (white folks for the sake of this conversation) might not be as impacted by racism but that doesn’t mean it’s not racism.

      For those hung up on the power dynamics, sure white people have, as a class, more socioeconomic and political power in the west, but what about individual power dynamics. What if I — working class white guy who is 5’10” and 150 pounds — am in Seattle and I encounter Marshawn Lynch — a multimillionaire, famous, intelligent former NFL player who is absolutely massive in physical stature and is basically royalty in Seattle — and he were to attack me for being white? (He never would. He’s a darling. Sorry Marshawn!) in what way do I have more power than him? I don’t.

      There are class and socioeconomic power dynamics and there are individual, situation specific power dynamics. To say the race of one person presupposes power over the race of another person in every situation is, I believe, its own form of insidious racism that robs non-white people of agency and of potential as a form of prejudice.

      Edit: a couple typos

    32. ThePenIsntMightier on

      The initial question not expressing upset about racism, JUST racism towards white people, is sending me into fucking orbit

    33. BlueFlamingoMaWi on

      Racism is prejudice based on race. Power and influence are irrelevant. Mainly because attributing power and influence to an entire race treat those people as a monolith and is giving the same as saying “Jews control the banks”.