There’s something insincere about any repentant admission that says, “Yes, I’m guilty—and so are you.” I do not admit to being a racist, and neither do I think most Americans—white or otherwise—are. Many are racists, but most—or even, all? Contrary to the popular Evangelical party line these days, that cannot be established. It is not enough to point out that racism is sin, and as such, it comes from the fall of man, which affects us all. All are sinners, but not all are racists.
Some good Christian black leader, whose article I’ve since lost track of, has explained that black people view things from a racial/ethnic solidarity—that when one is unjustly treated, all feel the pain. This, I think, illuminates the differences in thinking and explains why most white people just don’t get it when it comes to racial reconciliation. Simply put, white people (especially Americans) have generally left behind whatever racial/ethnic solidarity there was among us in generations past. We just do not think that way about the race to which we belong—at least, not most, since there are and may always be some who are racists. I don’t think Dr. Martin Luther King has been given enough credit, even by African-Americans, for the depth and breadth of the changes he helped achieve in our society. His campaign was directed toward changing the way that the mind of the white person (the oppressor at the time) works. His righteous rhetoric was like a sharp blade that served to start the process of cutting the ties of racial solidarity held by white people and by which they held themselves apart from and superior to black people. As Dr. King famously taught, a man should not be judged by the color of his skin but by the content of his character. Rather than preserving any racial solidarity, such ideals strove toward atomization—the dissolving of all identity except the individual identity. It is a prescription intended to bring about Dr. King’s “dream,” but it was prescribed for the oppressive race.
Fifty years later, and that atomization of racial identity among white people has become reality for the majority. Whenever the continuing existence of racial injustices or abuses are pointed out to the average white man, he usually responds defensively and from an individual perspective, “I’m not guilty of any of that.” The current frustration that many black people feel toward such unresponsiveness of the majority of whites is—I think—a side effect of the good course of treatment prescribed by Dr. King and imbibed by the “white culture” of America. The atomization of identity among whites has been achieved, for the most part; and now, the white man no longer judges even himself by the color of his own skin, but resists any charges that are not in accord with the content of his own character. Efforts to load racial blame, guilt or responsibility onto the shoulders of all white people find that the yoke of racial identity (or solidarity) has been broken and so such a load finds little on which to attach.
This is not to say that there are not still serious problems with abuse of the black race in America; but rather, it is to say that such abuses are not by the majority. And that majority finds it difficult to feel guilt for what the minority perpetrates (or for what the majority perpetrated in past generations). Indeed, we find it antithetical to the anti-racial thinking that we have become accustomed to. Racism is bad, we all agree—and instances of racial abuse, whether by individuals or by unjust systems, should be corrected and justice upheld. But if racial reconciliation requires all whites to admit being racist, or for individuals to acknowledge a guilt for the crimes of the race as a whole, then it will be an uphill struggle that unwittingly seeks to rebuild what was torn down (at such a high cost) by the civil rights movement thus far. Racial/ethnic solidarity among white people was not a good thing, and should not be promoted, even for ostensibly good reasons of aiding in racial reconciliation.
One more thought (added 1/10/15): There are evangelical leaders, both black and white, who are ineffectively pushing for whites to dive into this racial reconciliation idea. Appeals to conscience based on the guilt of the white race will not be effective. An appeal to sympathy based on the plight of the black race would be more to the point and more effective.
Ken, very good points.
Thanks, Les.
” Rather than preserving any racial solidarity, such ideals strove toward atomization—the dissolving of all identity except the individual identity. ”
Bingo!
Those who are in a position of relative power, influence, and privilege do not naturally sense the same drive to group solidarity as those who are not in this position. What we all need, as followers of Christ, called to love our neighbor as our self, is to seek to, as much as possible, see and feel from his/her perspective. Just as Jesus left heaven to become one of us, we should seek to identify with and understand the plight of our fellow man born into circumstances different than our own.
Amen!
“Just as Jesus left heaven to become one of us, we should seek to identify with and understand the plight of our fellow man born into circumstances different than our own.”
David, It is more like “understand the plight of a fellow ‘group'” which seems to be the point of the post.
Lydia: You’re right, we are being enjoined to empathize with a group, because that is how they see themselves (if Ken is right). But to insist that they stop thinking like a group is to essentially say, become more like us (white, individualistic people). That seems to me to just be another form of superiority.
The abuses that happen, if they are racial abuses, are against the group—against individuals for being members of that group. When a group is oppressed and abused, they tend to stick together and maintain the group identity—and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, for members of the majority race to embrace and maintain a group identity is to embrace the role of oppressor group. Most whites reject this role and the group identity that goes with it. Just as it would be helpful for whites to better understand the the solidarity with which black people suffer racial abuse, it would… Read more »
Ken: I disagree there is not solidarity among white people. Women for example are a solidarity group, men are a solidarity group. This is among whites. Women fight as a whole group for women’s rights. When abuse happens to a woman no matter what country or ethnicity we as women suffer and rally with them to stop the abuse.
It is groups that have gotten things changed as far as society thinking, church thinking, laws etc. SBCToday is a solidarity group made up of white fundamentalists for example.
Debbie,
Groups that suffer tend to have a group identity and group loyalty. Whites do not generally suffer as a group. When I read of a white man killed by a black police officer, my reaction is “Thank God the officer was not hurt.”
True enough, Ken – should we encourage or discourage “loyalty” to any group that seeks to divide the body of Christ – no matter the basis for the loyalty?
In fact, are we learning that Americanism is a barrier to the gospel and unity of believers?
Why is it acceptable to decry abject loyalty based in patriotism but it is not acceptable to decry abject loyalty based in skin color?
I don’t think we should discourage loyalty to the group when that group is or has been oppressed, such as black people. Group identity is the natural result of oppression. The way to eventually eliminate group identity is to fully eliminate the oppression.
A. Will that ever happened this side of heaven?
B. How is dent made in it when so much is argued to be oppression even when it’s clearly not (or at least not proven to be) – even to the point of ignoring uncomfortable realities of the situation in order to force it into the oppression motif.
Debbie,
SBCToday is made up of a group of White fundamentalists????
lol
Good grief.
David
Tarheel, You asked, ” A. Will that ever happened this side of heaven?” No, but worthwhile progress can be made. “B. How is [a] dent made in it when so much is argued to be oppression even when it’s clearly not (or at least not proven to be) – even to the point of ignoring uncomfortable realities of the situation in order to force it into the oppression motif.” People are human. When they have been abused, they can be extremely sensitive toward even the hint of such things. Of course, there will be those who stoke the fires unnecessarily,… Read more »
Debbie: Are you working toward greater black representation in leadership in your church?
Ken,
Reasonable explanation, on the surface. I will need to keep that in my mental files and mull over it some more. Thanks.
David,
I appreciate your comment at 10:05 EDT above. I think you would agree that Jesus calls us to be in solidarity with our fellow man regardless of ethnicity or race.
Ken,
Yes, indeed, I do. I also think that He has a special place in His heart for the oppressed and downtrodden, whether the cause of their oppression be due to their ethnicity/race or to something else. And that, as His followers, we should do likewise.
Amen David.
Ken, “An appeal to sympathy based on the plight of the black race would be more to the point and more effective.” Thanks for this post. It is always good to have a window into the minds of persons whose perspectives, viewpoints, background & life’s history, are majorly different from yours. I actually agree & embrace as I understand it, most of what you’ve said here. The appeal to the White race on the basis of sympathy with regard to Black plight I believe are well intentioned words, but, a huge misunderstanding of what most Blacks & White evangelicals who… Read more »
“It is not sympathy we are asking for, but equal treatment.”
A white man with a pellet gun was shot by police just last week….in San Francisco. Also, it happened within seconds of one of the officers seeing the gun.
When persons (no matter their skin tone) point a gun that look real at cops – it likely will not end well for them. I think this happens pretty much across the board.
Got a link? Details, man!
“A white man”….not a 12 yr old boy?
yes, it was a white man…not sure why that matters? Now age is a factor?
Surely you understand that a child (although 12 almost 13 is not exactly an infant) can kill too.
Again, tell me how long should officers wait once a weapon is seen before they react?
I would think that a 12 year old is old enough to know better than to menacingly brandish a weapon and certainly should know that dropping it instead of pointing it is wise when officers arrive.
He did not point it at them. Watch the video.
Anyone who wants to argue that certain officers or acts were racist (or defend against that argument) is free to submit an article to Mike or Dave for publication. But such arguments do not really apply to this particular discussion.
Sorry, Ken – I was typing that last response when you posted that.
Point taken.
You really cannot see what he does…I think the statements of both officers though state that he reaced for it – whether that ended in his pointing it or they shot him before he could retrieve it – changes little in answering the questions; “would a reasonable person act similarly” and “would a reasonable person fear for his life.” Also, I am not sure that either (that he pointed it, or reached for it) changes the standard police protocol. I ask again (third time at least) …how long should officers wait before firing once a weapon is seen and either… Read more »
Tarheel: It helps to tell the whole story. The man was a threat and had suicide notes in his phone and to police. Totally different circumstances from the one Dwight is speaking of.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-san-francisco-officer-involved-shooting-fake-gun-20150105-story.html
You already have equal treatment from the majority of whites, and in the law itself. You may appeal to sympathy, which is simply love of humanity and caring for the plight of those less fortunate, or you can appeal to a sense of justice. But to enlist the majority of whites to force change on the minority who still abuse, you cannot effectively appeal to a sense of guilt.
Ken,
“You already have equal treatment from the majority of whites, and in the law itself.”
This is a true statement.
BTW, good article and thoughts in your OP.
” Racial/ethnic solidarity among white people was not a good thing, and should not be promoted, even for ostensibly good reasons of aiding in racial reconciliation.”
Question. Would you argue the same for other skin tones/ethnicity?
See the comment above at: January 12, 2015 at 1:19 pm
You already have equal treatment from the majority of whites, and in the law itself.
That is not true Ken. It’s certainly better than it was in the past, but we have a long way to go before minorities have equal treatment. That is where it does begin with individuals as does any movement.
I didn’t say that the black race is treated as a whole equally with the white group, but that equal treatment is mandated by law and that the majority of whites treat black people equally with whites. As long as there is a minority of whites who treat blacks unfairly, then there will not be equal treatment of the group as a whole. But to whom should they address the demand, “We want equal treatment, not sympathy”? if not to that minority of whites that treat them unfairly?
Look around in the SBC for example Ken. Where are blacks treated the same as whites. As I said it is better, but we are not there either individually or as a group.
…and there it is….Debbie never misses an opportunity to bash the SBC.
Debbie, The proper, colorblind question is NOT where are blacks treated the same as whites, but where is mistreatment of others in the SBC, and what can be done about it. Racism is an act of the heart and mind, but equal treatment, to not racially biased, can not just be manufactured by a group so that LOOKS reign. I mean, you LOOK at stats and say there is not enough blacks in places of power, so that means blacks are discriminated against. So three guys or gals apply for a job, and one of the three is black. A… Read more »
Yes Tarheel, where it is needed I do. There are a lot that has been improved over the last several years, but a lot that needs improved. We are closer to a Christian organization than we ever have been, but we need a lot of improvement in this area of race.
Our apology back in the 90’s and early 2000’s was just the beginning.
I mean, you LOOK at stats and say there is not enough blacks in places of power, so that means blacks are discriminated against. So three guys or gals apply for a job, and one of the three is black. A white person gets the job, was the black discriminated against based on his color? What false witness you bear by assuming it is so. The other white person failed to get the job because he was not as qualified, but the black person because he was black? That is wrong Debbie. Ugh yeah Mike. I look at stats a… Read more »
I am not even sure what that means, Debbie… “closer to to Christian organization than we have ever been.”
What specifically is necessary for an organization to be a Christian organization? Sinlessness? Perfection in all areas? Or just perfection in what you determine?
“To deny that it is discriminatory is either discriminatory in and of itself or ignorance, something I would not accuse you of being. ” So, in your worldview Mike is either a racist or a dummy…of course not that you are contending he is either (although you clearly just did.) I happen to think his analogies are good…as there are many (like yourself) who assume that because a back person is not hired – it must be because of discrimination – his example points out that there are lots of factors that go into a hiring decision where there are… Read more »
Debbie,
Just a quick statement from any Statistics 101 class:
Correlation does not prove causation.
Tarheel: To be like Christ.
Just a quick statement from any Statistics 101 class:
Correlation does not prove causation.
In most scientific studies I would agree, but what other logical answer is there in this case Ken? It’s certainly not due to lack of SBC minorities, we have plenty of them, just not in any significant SBC positions. It is a one or two here or there deal. So what is the logical and true reason behind it Ken? I would be interested to know your answer.
I just think in this case it’s common sense logic Ken.
Debbie: I do not have the “true” answer, but neither do you. “True” answers have to be proven and we do not have enough information to do that. As for the “logical” answer, I believe it has to do with the”old boy” network. People tend to hire who they know and like, not just in the SBC but in all organizations. That is not in and of itself racial discrimination. If I were an excellent candidate for a high SBC position, I probably would not get it and a factor would be that they do not know me. As for… Read more »
‘I didn’t say that the black race is treated as a whole equally with the white group, but that equal treatment is mandated by law and that the majority of whites treat black people equally with whites. As long as there is a minority of whites who treat blacks unfairly, then there will not be equal treatment of the group as a whole. But to whom should they address the demand, “We want equal treatment, not sympathy”? if not to that minority of whites that treat them unfairly?” This is the point I was trying to make on other blog… Read more »
http://www.christianpost.com/news/a-new-era-in-the-sbc-fred-luter-paves-way-for-diversity-76995/
http://imb.org/updates/storyview.aspx?StoryID=12015#.VLVDM8nKDUg
http://www.sbc.net/cp/ministryreports/pdf/sbcec/AA-AdvisoryCouncilSBCReport.pdf
Ken: You are telling me that we don’t have enough information. Sure we do. Fred Luter did when he was President as the above links show.
Ken: I gave 3 links that show we do know the real answer. The post is currently in moderation due to the 3 links. So I will quote from the African American Task Force 2014 given to Frank Page page 39. Not specifically point number 2. The task force report link is in my post which is in moderation right now. The figures in the table are based on available Annual Church Profile data. The financial data includes African, African American and Hait ian churches combined. There is a clear pattern of continued increases in Great commission giving by SBC… Read more »
That should read “Note specifically point #2.
Debbie:
I will review tour links when available.
I inadvertently left off point #4 from the 2014 Task Force Report, it was an oversight on my part. 4) Many high profile negative written and media positions espoused by SBC leaders, pastors, and educational institutions not based in a biblical worldview but conservative political ideology. The most interesting document from the links I gave is the 2014 African American Task Force Report which is several pages, but it includes a lot of information and could be used as an only source to make my points. In this document is the SBC history of African Americans as well as just… Read more »
Debbie:
I was able to find the 2014 task force report. While the data show an increase in black church membership and giving, the 4 points on page 39 are “observations” (a few examples would have been nice), not conclusions based on the objective evidence. The recommendations of the report are good in regards to increasing black representation in SBC entities, but I saw no tangible (or anecdotal, for that matter) evidence of racial discrimination. The task force report is in fact nothing more than opinions.
Ken: If this document doesn’t convince you, nothing will. We agree on the recommendations, which hopefully will be put into force, but we disagree on the implications of this document.
Your statement again leaves me very concerned, but more convinced of the blindness among some in the SBC. Willful blindness.
Debbie:
We all have our opinions. Mine is willful blindness and yours is seeing racism in every situation.
It might be helpful to call one Ken P., and the other Ken H.
Debbie, I didn’t say that instances of racism could not be found, nor that instances of high-profile racism or racism by some people in key positions could not be found—or even that instances of institutional oppression could not be found. It’s not that I necessarily accept all your examples as correct. Some may be debatable. But my purpose in writing the article above is not say that many individual examples of racism do not still occur. But rather, that they are not true of how the majority of white individuals think toward race (black or their own); and further, that… Read more »
Dwight,
The facts are that twice as many White people are killed by Cops than Black people. That’s just the fact of the matter.
Your friend,
David
Let’s not forget another fact, if we must talk about police and shootings: MANY cops are killed by criminals. If it were not so—if there were not many cops to stand in the gap, then many, many more common citizens would be killed by criminals.
I say again – BB guns can kill. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/03/21/florida-boy-10-dies-after-brother-accidentally-shoots-him-with-bb-gun/ It is not fair to purport that somehow a BB gun that looks real and is in fact not a toy – but a weapon – constitutes being ‘unarmed”. Not to mention the case Dwight refers to he ignores the menacing actions of the young man with the gun – and the fact that the boy removed the orange tip from the gun in an obvious make people think it was real – the sa thing for him – two armed cops thought it was real and took defensive measures costing… Read more »
Attempt to justify this all you like, but it was an intemperate, and unjustifiable act. That 12 yr old lost his life simply because the cop, who had a checkered history, did not properly evaluate the situation before he pulled the trigger. A special prosecutor is reviewing this case. I pray that it leads to justice this time. It is not against the law to play with a BB gun in a park. Therefore, u cannot reasonably justify shooting someone for doing so. That’s why we are not asking for sympathy, but, for this kid to be treated the same… Read more »
Lead to justice this time?
Sure seems like you have already determined what that is.
You keep saying “2 seconds” – questions –
1. Just how long do you think it takes for a person to get off a round in the direction of police officer?
2. How long should officers “wait” in the face of a drawn weapon pointed in his direction in order to demonstrate the temperance you are suggesting? Until a shot is actually fired?
“checkered history” doesn’t go far enough. This officer was found incompetent in numerous ways and had been turned down by several police departments, removed from one, before being hired by Cleveland. His record indicates someone who was not emotionally stable, demonstrated no ability to keep his composure under even simulated stress. Then he gets in a real situation, guns down a boy within seconds of arriving, and people defend his actions as justified despite a video which gives no indication of a threat to the officers.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/01/09/1356660/-The-outrageous-tragic-hiring-of-Officer-Timothy-Loehmann-by-the-Cleveland-PD
Wow. I did not know all that Chris. That is some intense stuff – perhaps (likely based on what I read) he should not have been a cop. I also think that if all this proves true and Cleveland did not check him out properly – and he exhibited these same attributes in Cleveland – then they are in trouble. Perhaps there should be a trial dealing with that aspect – certainly a civil trial maybe even involving the city and police department. The police chief and Human resources department have some answering to do. (It is possible that this… Read more »
“It is not against the law to play with a BB gun in a park.” In Virginia it is illegal to brandish a gun in most public places including city parks…and it ought to be anyplace. (open carry laws do not even allow for brandishing/waving it around) Menacingly brandishing a weapon in public is against the law anyplace I would think (and that is exactly what this kid was doing). BB/Pellet guns are not toys. It should be common sense to not play with weapons in a park. There are reasons pellet/air/BB guns look like real guns – they ARE… Read more »
My father was a police officer, killed in the line of duty right before I turned six years old (his death brought about by other white men). So you know what my view will be no matter what. Nonetheless, for this discussion, it will not be helpful to argue the details of any particular police shooting, since the most you might prove is that those officers involved were racist, and not that the majority are racist. I do not disagree that there probably are systemic problems of abuse and discrimination against black people. But these do not come from the… Read more »
An article on racism entitled “Why most whites just don’t get it”; well there you go.
Expecting some people in a Twitter world to substantively engage an argument might be hoping for too much.