The modern regressive left would have us think so, but it’s rubbish.
What about the bigotry and prejudice of non-Western cultures? The evidence is overwhelming that the non-Western world contains plenty of this.
Take this actual Chinese advertisement for Qiaobi laundry detergent:
As even the BBC noted here, the Chinese seem to have, err, – shall we say? – a bit of a problem with coloured people.
But here in the West we have a regressive left that has essentially abused the word “racist” to the point where it has been grossly devalued and emptied of meaning: now good grammar is racist, yoga is racist cultural appropriation, and “culturally insensitive” Halloween costumes are racist.
This is, quite frankly, a pretty grotesque insult to people through history who have suffered genuine irrational racial discrimination.
And for the modern regressive left, *everything* is racist, sexist, and homophobic.
But it seems strangely restricted to the Western world, with a discreet veil drawn over the non-Western world.
Yikes! Chinese laundry detergent that can get the "Negra" out. Yeah, I'd say that's racist.
ReplyDeleteThing is, the list of what has been defined as racist has increased so much over the past several decades to where if applied fairly there's no doubt a lot of things in non-western cultures could be seen as racist. "If" applied fairly.
Oh come on, Kevin, you're being *racist* against the Chinese with that comment. lol
DeleteSorry, I know I should "Check your privilege, Shitlord" :D
DeleteThat ad is based on an Italian one btw, which is equally racist *but was not seen to be by many*. I'll let you google and see why.
ReplyDeleteOn the actual topic, Shelby Steele's book White Guilt has some keen insights.
This is related in a way. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/08/waitress-assaulted-on-french-riviera-for-serving-alcohol-on-firs/
I already know about the Italian ad on which its based.
DeleteAnd, yes, there may well be a profound double standard here.
OR, alternatively, we men in the West can have a good laugh at ourselves and know such an ad is just a silly piece of humour?
Your article link is, however, disgraceful and a symptom of profound problems in Western Europe.
Deletewe men in the West can have a good laugh at ourselves and know such an ad is just a silly piece of humour
DeleteImagine if the genders were reversed.
Speaking as a recent graduate I think the problem with people my age who side with the 'regressive' left aren't forced to consider alternative narratives, because the narrative they have adopted is speciously good.
ReplyDeleteAt the surface of course we should aim to be respectful to each other irrespective of creed and colour. But beneath the surface, how is partaking in another culture inherently racist?
So take the halloween (or more generally, wearing clothes from another culture) example.
At worst it might show the individual is a shallow person who took no time to even learn about the culture they "appropriate". That's not racist, that is just a shallow individual trying to imagine themselves into something interesting (for a real-life example I would point to bindi-donning festival goers).
What if someone else used the opportunity to share and teach their friends about another culture that they might not have been aware of?
Surely breaking down the barriers between cultures by involving yourself in other cultures is more beneficial than blind tolerance?
The increasingly PC culture we're experiencing prevents people my age from thinking in these terms. It also, as you've pointed out obfuscates class issues by segmenting the population into different identities, a view from which I think it is difficult to realise that some of the issues minorities are suffering from are the same issues the white-working class suffers from.