BlackPerspective.net
Discussing the Diaspora as seen through an internal Black lens
The Race Card
September 25th, 2007
The term “race card” the vast majority of the time when used, is used in order to not have to deal with race and racism; and to dismiss the concerns of people who’ve had race used against them. The only time that term maybe can be appropriately used to me is when someone is crying wolf; even then with it’s evolved connotation, I couldn’t really say it’s appropriate. But white people use it to deflect from the issue anytime they don’t want to have to acknowledge a racial issue. The term is used mostly in a racist manner on their part. It’s the same old trick used by white people to try to call Black folk racist for pointing out white racism. They used to do it to the likes of Marcus Garvey and Malcolm X all the time; they just didn’t have the term “race card”, yet.
To review: The use of the term “race card” is a racist attempt to dismiss people affected by racism out of hand, allowing the user to not have to think about race; for the purpose of maintaining the racial status quo.
Those who are not affected by racism don’t have to think about it; and most of them choose not to. But understand that people you hear dismiss racial concerns of others, out of hand, without consideration of the issue, do not want racial harmony; they just want the Negroes, or whomever not to complain. And they want white people to maintain their place of privilege. This includes many, many liberals. Condescending white liberals are the worst racist.
This is not to say that every time a Black person, or whomever, says something is racist, that it is; but if one dismisses the possibility out of hand, and does so as a matter of course; it is clear that their motivation is to maintain the social status quo as is, and that they want racism to thrive.
I find Black people who accept “playing the race card” as a legitimate term, have assimilated into white supremist thinking, and in a number of cases, are so eager to show they’re not like those other ” bad angry Negroes” (again, a stereotype and ideology that they have accepted from white ideology), they must show their separation by embracing supremist and racially dismissive terminology and thinking. I would hope such persons would begin to take a more critical and analytical look at such things, and not swallow whole the ideology of the mainstream white paradigm.
In his book 21st Century Africa: A Paradigm Shift, Dr. Wosene Yefru enlightens us that paradigm = epistemology(thought process) + canon(sources recognized as credible information). If either our epistemology or canon are external derived, rather than internally; we have a false paradigm. We must think for ourselves, not parrot white people, and build a sound paradigm with which to operate from.
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12 Responses to “The Race Card”
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Yobachi Boswell is creator and publisher of BlackPerspecitve.net. I’m a writer, activist and political watcher based in Nashville, Tennessee. I’ve also been know to do some spoken word and MCing in my day.
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I agree with this 100%.
I can’t stand the “race card”. It is used as a way to dismiss completely legitimate claims of racism.
I’m glad you both understand.
I couldn’t agree more
D. I agree the race card is a term designed not just for the people who say it to be dismissive, but also for their audience. It is one of the fallacies of logic. In a time where our society prefers not to think for themselves, research for themselves, and choose for themselves, fallacies like the “race-card” become fundamentals of thought. The “race-card” coin’s power isn’t just dismissiveness, but it is in the reactive-devaluation of the legitimate issues facing minorities in any society. Throughout our history coins such as communist, uncle tom, insurgent, carpet bagger, etc have provided people a vehicle of circumvention, and it isn’t until we value critical thinking that we can begin to effectively combat these fallacies.
Signing Off
Be easy or Be out, but don’t just Be.
Good analysis Rob. It seems to play into our fast food, sound bite society. It’s as if thinking is tabo.
What up Brown?
Yes, I agree. The whole notion of “playing the race card” is symptomatic of either the denial that racism exists (taking the charitable view), or the maintenance of dominance. Or both. It certainly is a denial of another’s perception and experience, which is unacceptable. But it’s always easier to clutch at the decaying remnants of old belief patterns than it is to free one’s mind and hear what another is really saying.
“But it’s always easier to clutch at the decaying remnants of old belief patterns than it is to free one’s mind and hear what another is really saying.”
Excellent statement Leslie. You hit it right on the head.
I don’t think I’ve ever used the term and couldn’t agree more.
Your comments do not work for your current post.
My take on quote self labeled Progressive Bloggers has always been that they are just there and for the most part do not provoke change nor in many cases have any desire to do anything that would really help implement it. Very similar to many academics I know, not all certainly, Academians do their thing, try to maintain their position to the world as a whole but in reality like to maintain their self made status quo just as progressive bloggers do. Rarely giving it up for real change unless the outcome is certain and it gives them some notoriety.
I think you’re right in your comparison of such bloggers to academics.
But I’m more concerned about the expressed attitudes, than I am about whether they blog about it or not. The attitude is that what’s happening to the Jena 6 is justified; and the ignoring of all the context, ignoring the all around culpability, and the lack of realization of the long standing disproportional in prosecutorial discretion and selective enforcement; and how that phenomena is playing out in this case. Especially when we’re talking about Louisiana, routinely one of he most egregious offenders; and with the racial status quo context of this particular case.
Suggesting that race baiting is not real is naive. People often use race as a crutch to situations that are not racially motivated.
An example of that is that people who are against illegal immigration and have seen the effects it has had on their community, are often called “racist” for the reasons to hush them and keep them from expressing their views on social issues.
Yes, there are uncountable claims of racism that are true, but there are also many claims that are unjustified and are meant to hush a persons free speech and put them in the shame corner.
I didn’t suggest race baiting doesn’t exist, I specifically said
that “This is not to say that every time a Black person, or whomever, says something is racist, that it is”.
I would also highlight though, for you where I continued “but if one dismisses the possibility out of hand, and does so as a matter of course; it is clear that their motivation is to maintain the social status quo as is,” This is
the gist of my contention.
As Rob J notes above, being able to simply throw out that phrase is used as a substitute for any thought or consideration of the issue being brought up.
I agree that claims of racism are some times misused, sometimes innocently because the person making the claim just doesn’t know what they’re talking about,
as most people like to speak on most things without knowing what
they’re talking about; and sometimes as a way to deflect (normally
from something shitty they’ve personally done) Nonetheless their
is a great swath of the majority race all to eager to dismiss nearly any claim, and never take a critical look at the issue of race, how it manifest itself
(beyond white sheets or someone being called nigger), how it permeates society, and how it affects those who it’s most used against.
Hell, there’s a big contigent right now maintain that hanging nooses is a joke, a prank, no big deal, freedom of speech, etc. – check this from my personal expierence with the noose threat after the Jena march, and the Police Chief’s response: thejena6blog.blogspot.com/2007/10/nooses-are-not-prank.html
I guess we were just being over-sensitive and playing the race card again.