Post ATsplxDuA25WMEeR96 by atompunkray@kolektiva.social
 (DIR) More posts by atompunkray@kolektiva.social
 (DIR) Post #ATsfbCa3iu79GDFQlU by mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io
       2023-03-22T15:49:27Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       If I say, "America should work on being less racist." Most US folk agree. 👍🏿 Black US folk love that I say this! But some US folk say, "Why are you attacking America?"If I say, "The tech industry should work on being less racist." Most tech workers agreed. 👍🏿 Black tech workers love it. But some tech workers say, "Why are you attacking the tech industry?"If I say "Scientists should work on being less racist." You already know what happens next. 🤷🏿‍♂️
       
 (DIR) Post #ATsfbFjjzMdp36nhlw by mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io
       2023-03-22T15:56:50Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       I need y'all to understand something. I have cops and chiefs of police that follow me on social media. I have venture capitalists as well. You see how I speak about the racist harms of those systems. I don't pull punches. I give it uncut.I get less precious "Wah! Why are you attacking us!" comments and replies from those groups. Seriously. Check my mentions for complaints from cops or VCs. I've said this before, and it's still true.
       
 (DIR) Post #ATsfbIxK1KHt26B5rE by mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io
       2023-03-22T16:04:12Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       Occasionally I'll get a correction in the DMs, so I know they're lurking 👀"SFPD doesn't do that anymore. We've improved the policy, but it's still bad. Your point still stands" sort of thing. Or "Numbers for Black women founders are higher if you consider startups with any Black women founding team member instead of only Black woman CEOs... but not by much. So valid point."But I don't get the "Why are you attacking us!" pearl clutching at nearly the rate. And my criticism is much sharper. 🤷🏿‍♂️
       
 (DIR) Post #ATsplwdkKTAGY5jYmm by dierksen@hachyderm.io
       2023-03-22T16:04:26Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @mekkaokereke I appreciate your framing of "be _less_ racist": it's not telling people "you and people like you are racists", it's "whatever level of racism you hold, you should decrease it".Years of bad-faith arguments (i.e. "how dare you accuse me of being a racist") lead to lots of people seeing racism as a binary state, rather than a whole spectrum of issues.
       
 (DIR) Post #ATsplxDuA25WMEeR96 by atompunkray@kolektiva.social
       2023-03-22T18:47:50Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @dierksen @mekkaokereke you’ve put into words something that I’ve been trying to articulate for ages. The second you say someone is not 100% free from racial bias, it’s like in their brain they act as if they’ve been compared to a Klansman instead of listening to what was actually said. 9 times out of 10, at least in todays day and age most of the time what’s being said is something with more nuance than “you are racist because you’re a member of a violent murderous hate group”
       
 (DIR) Post #ATsplxni0ujC9HP1xA by williampietri@sfba.social
       2023-03-22T19:10:47Z
       
       0 likes, 1 repeats
       
       @atompunkray@dierksen @mekkaokereke Yeah, I think that's part of how it works. I grew up in Michigan thinking that racism was something that happened in the south. It took me too long to realize it was all around me. And within me.Not seeing the problem is an easy way to not have to solve the problem. Especially when it benefits you.