“Blame whitey” is a phrase or idea that often comes up when arguing about race in America. It is almost always a white person who says it, either straight out or in so many words. The idea is that blacks sit back and do nothing but blame white people for all their troubles, expecting a hand-out.
It is just two words, but do not let that fool you.
Here is some of what those two words do:
- By using the word “blame” it turns the tables in an argument, it points the finger back at blacks, taking the attention off of what whites do and puts it on what blacks do – or not do. It forces blacks to play defence.
- The word “blame” also says that whatever the misdeeds of whites may be, they are not the root cause of the troubles that blacks have. Just like when someone blames others for his own mess to avoid owning up to the fault.
- “Whitey” is supposed to be a racist word that blacks use for whites, their counterpart to “nigger”. The strange thing is, it is almost always a white person who says “whitey”, either directly or through lines written for television. Despite getting that wrong, “whitey” in this phrase is supposed to mean that blacks are just as racist as whites. Whites think that is a telling point, but because of the asymmetry of American racism, it is not.
- It pictures blacks as sitting back and doing nothing to better themselves, which is itself a stereotype about blacks. So “blame whitey” accuses blacks of racism while viewing them in a racist manner.
- “Blame whitey” is a case of projecting, projecting onto blacks what whites do. Like when someone tells you your faults but it sounds for all the world like they are talking about themselves. “Blame whitey” is like that.
White people blame blacks all the time for the fallout of white racism.
Like when was the last time you saw something on television that showed how racist most whites are? Almost never. White racism is always presented, at worst, as a case of a few bad apples, even though television itself is racist. Yet blacks are frequently presented as being screwed up. Like it has absolutely nothing to do with the racism American society is built on. As if people want to be out of work and want to be poor and want to get in trouble with the police. Television is constantly shifting the blame from whites onto blacks. It blames blackie, but “blame whitey” covers over all that.
So in just two words “blame whitey” does three things that whites often do in an argument about race in America:
- Say that blacks are racist too.
- Say that blacks are mostly to blame for their troubles.
- Present stereotypes about blacks as fact and insight.
Or, more generally, it is a case of blame shifting that accuses blacks of shifting the blame!
See also:
True, true like the poster called uncle milton and dedabets
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-I don’t think ur avg every day black person blames everything on whites. Just your seemingly over educated blacks and radical Afro-centrist types. An obvious minority.
-I agree. The term “wh*ty” is not common among black ppl. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a blk person say it in person. Most I’ve heard the term is from white ppl online or on tv even.
-White ppl aren’t to blame for PERPETUATING the racial inequality in America tho. I mean you can say white racism is at the root, but I would only say 20% or less of inequality can be attributed to institutional racism. A big enough number for the blaming types to focus all of their attention to, but its def not the root of PERPETUATION. Most of the rest is the culture/mentality(65-70%) too many blk folks adhere to.
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Michelle Malkin used those words against a Fox News guest during the whole Imus controversy:
http://mediamatters.org/research/200704130010
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One other thing:
I think the whole “blame whitey” thing also cheapens the statements coming from blacks in matters regarding race and racism. It’s as if to say that black people don’t know anything about racism, but whites do. So, whatever they say about whites is false, and they are not one to talk.
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Thanks for the link, bw. I knew the reason why I disliked Michelle Malkin. She is nothing but the lapdog spokesperson for white people.
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@ brothawolf:
Excellent video. Thanks.
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I know I’ll be accused of being whitewashed or bashing American black people, but here’s my view.
As if people want to be out of work and want to be poor and want to get in trouble with the police.
Lots of black people don’t have to be poor, out of work, or get into trouble.
Let’s look at so many blacks being poor. I think it’s due to poor money management most of the time. If a black couple earn a total of $30,000-$40,000 annually, they could still amass wealth if they stick to a budget and know how to manage their money. They could live in a 1-bedroom apt, have a used car, eat nutritious foods, not have cable TV (waste of money anyway), and find lots of free entertainment, which is usually better and so on. If they have discipline and do that for a period of time, they could have savings and create wealth.
This couple could supplement their salaries with small side businesses that could become full businesses for one or both of them.
Sometimes black people are wrongfully arrested, but this is not the norm. Some American black people seem to feel that they have to get into trouble with the police. They need a new attitude about these 3 areas.
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@Jorbia
Wow Jorbia. I can’t believe I am about to type this, but…
co-sign
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@Cynic–
@Jorbia
Wow Jorbia. I can’t believe I am about to type this, but…
co-sign
Believe me, I’m duly shocked!
I don’t understand why most American Blacks don’t put all of their energy into teaching each other how to do these things I mentioned instead of “blaming whitey.” If they did, their progress would be grow astronomically and they would get lots more respect. Instead, they’re stuck on blaming whitey.
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To xxxphantomxxx
True, true like the poster called uncle milton and dedabets
Well first.. the term “whitey” went out of style around the time groovy faded from regular use. Second.. there are members of every community that point fingers at some other entity as being the source of their problems. Rural White people like to complain about “the government” (and these complaints sure as hell predate Obama’s presidency..) sometimes they are right but often times they are wrong. Looking at the Cynic’s post I can probably agree with his numbers.
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To Abagond:
It forces blacks to play defense.
Why should you or any successful Black person play defense…? I don’t have to look very far to find a White person with Meth or alcohol problems… my attitude towards them is they made their (bad) choices, tough sh*t. I guarantee you that civilized Whites don’t look upon the average redneck as their brother.
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@ Uncle Milton
But on the other hand, black people won’t (generally speaking) look at rednecks as your average white. Look at what black folks (generally) call them “Hillbilly (or Redneck) @$$ed White People!” Blacks who are messing up are just “blacks” to white people, not a special type of blacks. You rarely, if ever, hear white people differentiate between “ghetto” blacks and blacks period. We’re always lumped together. This btw, is inarguable as it has been an issue with black folks for generations, and is confirmed by the endless amount of “I can’t stand how black people…” posts.
And before you say it, the whole “Don’t listen to them…” pacifism line doesn’t work, because negative opinions still effect white perceptions and is reflected in the same type of negative comments. Plus it practically excuses bad white behavior.
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@ Leigh204
I can’t stand Michelle Malkin. She’s just another “Asian Doormat for White Supremacy”, like that fool Satoshi. I’m glad that they’re insignificant to the mainstream (well…I give Satoshi a few more weeks, if people haven’t forgotten about him by now) and that their nonsense hasn’t tarnished the image of all decent Asian folks.
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I see a lot of programs on TV that deal with white racism and its effects on black people. There are movies and documentaries all over cable TV.
I think it’s racism to imagine that all people of a certain racial group are the same. It’s also racism not to admit that there are still racial barriers in our society. The fact that some schools still have segregated proms speaks volumes about racism.
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Seven % of African American men have HIV, http://www.avert.org/hiv-african-americans.htm . This is due to one reason. White men are raping us in our sleep, don’t let the media cover this up any more.
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@Abagond
a) You blacks are always on defense, even when whites not have forced.
b) Whites never has negate their forefathers have done, but is simple infantile thinking new gerenations owe something to blacks after many Afirmative actions are done.
c) “Whitey” I listen almost of the time here on Detroit. Others I cannot say here ( site’s policies)
d) Unhappiness, yes, have blacksblame whites in an un-ethic way (Black Hebrews, Nation of Islam, New black Panther Party). Do not become moreone, Abagond!
e) “Blame whitey” is a case of projecting, projecting onto blacks what whites do. Like when someone tells you your faults but it sounds for all the world like they are talking about themselves”.
Thinking about we think we incriminate blacks saying “your fault” .
WRONG. We are seeing blacks complaining all the time (even subtely)
Stop deceiving youself. Many blacks complain about whites daily, yes!
In any circunstance I hated someone because skin color, but many blacks here do such thing and I cannot even defend myself.
Grow up, abagond, get out of your littlest world, go outside to see other things than your neighborhood!!!
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@BAP If they really have AIDS something they HAS done. They used injectable drugs? They do/has done sex without condom? Or their mother have the disease?
Stop playing with a serious problem!
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There is a debate going on in some forums in a thread entitled “How do we stop legal immigration”. Yes, legal immigration – you read that correctly. I expected a little racism and some flames when I tried to show actual FACTS behind the hype. Conservatives are sooo afraid of brown people invading this country. Anyway, one of the participants quotes this white supremacist Mark Steyn. I called him out – showed a link from Southern Poverty Law Center Hatewatch had been tracking this guy.
I get accused of playing the race card! WTF. Accusing someone of playing the race card actually shuts down debate. It was like, “Hey you just played the ‘race card’ so I win”
http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=365344&page=10
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RNMatt
It happens regularly. Sometimes people do no want to hear the truth. TRuth hurts, but the reality is it is still the truth.
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When you say white people blame black people all the time, you mean all white people, right?
Sorry, just get SO confused when I read blogs like this, because I can never tell who the author is refering to when they say white people, or black people, etc. It almost feels like the implication is that all of us white people are the same.
So when you say that white people blame black people all the time, idk if you mean that one guy you met on the bus, somebody who you had an argument with on youtube, or the white kids who died in Bermingham so that you could get lunch at the same table as me.
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@ Bababadoowap
It hardly means ALL White people:
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@abagond
My bad. Just read this one post. Didn’t realize that this blog had it;s own internal logic, like a science fiction universe. That said, isn’t it a little convenient that you can lump all… oh I mean, that you can put white people, but not all white people, just an unspecified number of white people (kind of like the jelly bean jar at the county fair, just guess how many and it’s probably about right) into a group and say that they behave in a certain way?
I mean, If I write up a blog saying Mexicans love hot chocolate, and Mexicans respond by saying that they don’t like hot chocolate… not even gonna finish the comparison. It’s silly.
I mean, this is really silly. “Black people turn protests into riots as an excuse to steal” “that was just a few bad apples” “follow my links. not all black people, obviously! Strawman, strawman!
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Sheebadeebeeweboopboobopdoo
It is not a personal internal logic just common sense. For example if you see a group of white people cooking meth you will not say those green people are cooking meth. You will likely say those white people because they are white not green. Those who follow that mindset are usually the ones that are so obsessively offended that they comment in anger and lack the logic.
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@Sheebadeebeeweboopboobopdoo;
Whambaballoboobamsahabaloo!
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Actually, I chose the handle because those are genres of music that I enjoy. In fact, I scat out a couple lines whenever I have no reason to come up with anything better to say, like when picking a username handle that I won’t be using long term. That’s just something I like to do, and part of who I am.
I really don’t see how someone could possibly interpret that as being racist, unless they were really, really grasping for straws. “Inexcusable,” lol…
To address the one person who took issue with the actual point that I was raising, Sharinalr, I see what you mean, but your comparison is a false equivalence. Sure, If I was sitting at home, watching some crazy program on TLC, or some such channel, and there were white people cooking meth, I could turn to the person next to me and say “look at those white people cooking meth.” If I wrote an article saying “white people cook meth all the time,” in a similar vein to the way that Abagond has written an article saying “white people blame black people all the time” then I would be making a blanket statement about white people. These are the ideas that lead to prejudicial ways of thinking, and eventually racism.
Trying to paint one race as being morally, physically, or intellectually superior to another is the stuff of racial supremacists. It’s really that simple. There’s the real path to racism right there, and it has very little to do with the genre of music you enjoy, or what you choose as a handle on a blog.
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Soooo yeah like this site says blame whitey
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Sheebadeebeeweboopboobopdoo
It isn’t a false equivalent. The article says nothing about all white people or all the time, so this make believe article titled “White people cook meth all the time” does not match. You assume the all, which makes the problem with you and logic. Not with what was written.
Saying white people or black people etc does not translate to all unless you lack the basic common sense and ability to use reason. Just because you decided to assume the all does not mean that is what it means. It just means a hit dog will holler.
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Tedt
That actually is not what the site says. Read the article.
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Black people never asked to be colonized/enslaved by Whites.. Whites have all their wealth originating from the lands they colonized, and the people they’ve enslaved.. Black people do not originate in this society from the same place as whites, nor are we invested in Black Destruction to the same degree Whites are.. (All they have comes from Black/Indigenous/Cultural destruction.)
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