The Good Darky Fallacy, common among White Americans, draws conclusions about white racism based on the few blacks they know first-hand, like at work, in their employ or under other white circumstances.
It is built on two falsehoods:
- It assumes that all blacks think alike.
- It assumes that blacks always speak their minds to white people, even when said white people could fire them or otherwise make life unpleasant.
An example: Dr Laura used this fallacy to prove that not all stereotypes are racist:
We had friends over the other day; we got about 35 people here. The guys who were gonna start playing basketball. I was going to go out and play basketball. My bodyguard and my dear friend is a black man. And I said, “White men can’t jump; I want you on my team.” That was racist? That was funny.
As if her bodyguard, someone in her pay, is going to call her out on her racism. But because he did not, she assumed she was not being racist. That is the Good Darky Fallacy.
Even outside of work most whites are so closed-minded about race and get upset about it so easily that it becomes a waste of breath. They have too many built-in defences. They make it a no-win. Even online it is largely a wasted effort (but not completely).
In these ways and others whites shut themselves off from any serious, honest talk about race with blacks. Then, partly from this engineered silence, they conclude that racism is no big deal.
This is not new since 1970 or something – in fact it was even worse in the past. In Jim Crow and slave times the blacks that most whites knew were slaves or servants. The engineered silence was deeper. Even back then whites thought that racism was no big deal.
For example, here is the New York Times in 1927 talking about the warm regard black slaves and servants have for white people in a parish in Louisiana:
Many white people in the parish have been nursed or served by the old-time “uncles” and “aunties,” and a warm regard remains on each side.
When whites do come across blacks who have either the freedom or power to talk openly and honestly about racism, such as activists, writers and bloggers, they dismiss them as radical, hostile, ungrateful, white-hating and so on. Most whites have no first-hand experience that would make them seem reasonable.
On top of that there are Good Darkies, such as Rented Negroes, who allow them to go on thinking like that. Here is Booker T. Washington in 1911 on the black activists and writers who fought for the right of blacks to vote:
Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do do not want to lose their jobs.
Because in 1911, apparently, racism was no big deal.
See also:
This is interesting, especially the way “bad darkies” are seen as violent extremes, and the way racism seems like a “no big deal”.
On the other hand, I didn’t know most of the black people are considered “good darkies” by whites. Maybe in the past, but I was under the impression things have changed. While whites still have more power, blacks are not their servants or slaves any more- they have more freedom to express their beliefs, thoughts and feelings. Don’t they?
In short, I didn’t know most of the black people your average white folks know are seen as “good darkies”. Maybe that’s not what the post was implying, but I thought whites see most of the blacks as “bad darkies”, and only a few selected ones as “good darkies”.
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Mira, I was thinking the same; most whites tend to lean on the side of “bad darkie” and see the ones they agree with as exceptions. But I think I know what the post is referring to… whites who are used to blacks that pretend that prejudice doesn’t exist. Their few black acquaintances speak for all black people.
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The post was unclear, I now see, so I have rewritten it a bit.
It is not about what whites think of blacks, but what they think of their own racism based on the few blacks they know first-hand, most often under circumstances controlled by whites, like at work.
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I noticed when white people witness a black person experiencing racism, they don’t normally say anything. I believe this is because they expect black people to stand up and make a speech about anti-racism, even if it threatens their safety and wellbeing-after all, Martin Luther King did it-ALL of us are supposed to.
I’m widely considered a good darkie until white people get to know me a little better. This is because I’m educated and well-spoken. But I know way too much about the workings of white supremacy to make most white people feel comfortable. I usually end up donning a number of labels-“bad darkie”, “black supremacist”, “Afrocentricist”, “Separatist”, “Racist”, etc.
I have a couple of white acquaintances now, but we don’t really talk about race much. We avoid the topic and enjoy each other’s company in other ways. Sometimes I wonder what they really think in their heart of hearts because we’re not that close. I cannot be close to someone who isn’t willing to learn or who does not already understand my experience as a nonwhite person. I have a youtube channel where I sometimes talk about racial issues and I feel the same way because most of my viewers are white (I can tell by their comments). Sometimes I think white people just like me because they view me as the exception (good darkie), and it makes me feel rented.
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So the one black friend that every white feather ruffler knows. He/She is just bitting their tongues I guess.
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Those pics are disturbing as they should be.
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I definitely speak out even though it does cause me nothing but grief most of the time.
Speaking up no matter how politely or gently has gotten me dismissed from one job in the past where I was working with a mostly white staff with a couple of interracially-identified members. I was labeled as an aggressive hostile black woman and no one did anything about it. Not the whites or the people of color.
I was SOL. It doesn’t stop me from speaking up and speaking out even though it only seems to makes my life with Black people (and other people of color) and whites unpleasant in general. I am learning when its practically useless to say anything and when I just need to be myself and say what I’ve gotta because I won’t be embraced or accepted no matter what I do or how diplomatic I am as a Black woman no.
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Abagond,
I am not entirely clear how the Booker T. Washington quote fit with your post. Maybe I am just reading it wrong, but I don’t get that part. Can you clarify please?
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This is a very interesting post. I have never heard it referred as “Good Darkie” before. I find it interesting that Dr. Laura cited her black “bodyguard” as proof that she isn’t racist. Your “bodyguard and dear friend”? What exactly is he going to do? Call you out in front of everyone? Speaking of Dr. Laura, I’d your take on something I wrote on the issue;
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I’m not a ‘darkie’, and ‘who you calling a ‘darkie’ lol!
There are so many disparaging and derogative racist labels’ and names for Black Americans, yikes! Soooo, when I was a toddler, I was, a ‘pickaninny’, when I got older, I ‘advanced’ to darkie(good/bad) and the ‘n’ word, and some other ones. No improvement or anything. sheesh.. Not to derail the thread, but, I saw a web site that had a list of all of the racist names for most groups, and would’nt you know it, the list for blacks was the longest. And the jokes. ‘moon-cricket’, wow!. But, sometimes I feel that, discussions like these, are powerful ways to deconstruct the white supremacist destruction, but, it’s all under cover. And, that there is no way to un-do the damage. Non whatsoever. Or, is there?
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I really don’t think of Booker T. Washington as a rented negro or an Uncle Tom, so I don’t think his quote fits there either.
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The experience I had was that my black buddies really did not like the upper class white guys and women who were trying to be their best friends. I happened to know these guys simply because we were living in the same building and spent time together, but when ever some university type of white person tried to get cozy with them in a bar or something, these guys were really annoyed.
White chicks who tried to be “colorless” were ridiculed mercilessly behing their backs and white guys trying to be “brothers” were laughed at openly. One guy actually started to talk about how he really could relate to the black experience because he knew the history of the “people”. He genuinly believed that he knew it all and this was because his studies in university where he had couple friends from Africa studying too. Finally one of the local black guys said to him: “Hey, you realise we’re not in Africa right now?”
I think we called them goodygoodies, people who want to be seen as openminded and progressive mainly among themselves. They invite one or two blacks to their parties to show others like them that hey, I have black friends, see! These are the same people who “know that they are good persons”.
Yet when they were invited to come over to our neighborhood, they were nowhere to be seen. I guess almost all black enviroment was somehow inconvinient for them. They would have had a really white experience there.
I have never felt that there are taboos or subjects I can not talk with anybody, nor I did when I was living in the States. If my friends wanted to talk about race or racism, ok. But I never pretented to be a black man nor I never claimed I knew how they feel or crap like that. But we could and did talk about race and every other issue that came to mind.
I guess me being white finn from Finland did ease up our relationship. Maybe they saw me little different from white americans. I don’t know. We never talked about that. But I never felt unwanted nor shut out by them either. I hang out with them in normal fashion. We sat front of our building bull****ing and smokin cigarettes, joking and just hang around.
When they asked me to go out with them, I did if I had the time. If I had to go to work or such next day and I could not, nobody was offended. If I asked them to go out with me, they did if they could or wanted. No problem. I also never had any uneasy feelings to be with them anywhere, in any bar, saloon, disco, supermarket, street, you name it. And they never seem to be bothered to have me around.
I have lived twice in States for few years and only once I have had problems because I’m white. One black guy had an issue with that. One. And I knew many and met more, I lived in black neighborhood, went to black bars etc, and only one guy had a problem with me.
But I saw many instances where whites had problems with my black friends. One typical situation was when me and couple guys went to this famous bookstore. We were just checking books, looking around, just like all the white customers do every friggin day. What do you know, security guard showed up. The girls behind the counter were eyeballing us. Eventually this security guard got his courage up, came over and asked my friends are they going to buy anything. They pointed at me and said: no we aint but he is. Guard was puzzled. You buing something, SIR? he asked. Yes, I might. And he walked away.
There’s the racial profiling in everyday situation. When the guard realised that I was with those black guys, he did not know how to pursue the issue anymore. I bet the girls behind the counter were just those university educated white chicks who are open minded, civilized and you know the rest. But when two black guys showed up in their store they went for a panic mode and called the security. They did not even realise that I was one this entourage!
Even when we came in together and talked to each other like friends do, they assumed that I was not with my friends. The guard did not see that when he came over. He assumed I was not part of this black invasion of the book store. Funny as hell but also very very telling situation.
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Southern White Woman,
I share your question. I had to read it through a couple of times and I’m still not sure I get it.
At first, I thought that the Washington quote represented another type of “good darkie”–one who is invested in maintaining oppression because it serves his sense of purpose somehow (i.e., it provides fodder for poetry, a reason for activism, etc.).
But that seems like a very ridiculous and racist notion in itself–that a black person would really believe that racism that hurts others somehow serves him–so I don’t think that can be it, either.
And why activists who supported the right to vote would have made such an argument is utterly confounding.
But all of this may speak to how little I know about Washington and about this particular part of American history–something I must redress.
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@ Julia, J, & SouthernWhiteWoman:
Oh Booker T. Washington–not one of my favorites.
The CliffNotes version of Washington is that he wanted Black peoples to settle for being able to go to technical school, learn a trade and work in exchange for political rights; he is normally placed opposite of W. E. B. DuBois (not a saint either). The only right he really thought Black peoples should fight for was the right to be able to work.
Correct me if I’m wrong here, Abagond.
Abagond is making a connection between the race industry argument and Booker T. Washington’s endorsement of it. As a Rented Negro archetype, Washington is saying that Black activists and writers have jobs (or are agents of the “race industry”) because their occupations keep Black people riled up or splitting hairs over their rights and other political issues.
The Good Darkie is similar in that instead of being a talking head for white opinions and power in a internally racist Black body (like Booker T. Washington), the Good Darkie acts as the friendly acceptable exception for whites by not being particularly vocal about white racism in order to keep their job or maintain social stability. *sarcasm* The Good Darkie is not like the rest of the hostile complaining Blacks. The Good Darkie is the white person’s friend because by allowing them to remain ignorant and worse by letting them think their racism is okay.
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It assumes that blacks always speak their minds to white people, even when said white people could fire them or otherwise make life unpleasant.
Sheer brilliance, Abagond.
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This is definitely true- about every instance of privilege/discrimination. The assumption that silence is compliance is especially damaging, and it’s extremely widespread.
I just really hate the way the entire bloody world is set up, because it’s basically set up to do this. Even if marginalized people do speak out- there are systems in place to silence/punish/otherwise make it so that things don’t get changed (socially, they’re “You’re just oversensitive/out to get [privilege] people/don’t understand what really happened”). And if they don’t, then their silence is taken as agreement so “See? It WASN’T bigoted because [name] never called me out on it!”. You can’t win.
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Its true that you can’t win. But I’ve been around too many Black people (and other people of color) who sit by and let racism run rampant to save their own asses (jobs social life whatever). I don’t sympathize with them for the most part.
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So it is agreed…You can’t win. *sigh*
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Didn’t mean to sound like a downer. But its true that being silent about white racism has never changed the situation. Speak out–you may lose a job or some status. Remain silent–you die inside a little bit everyday and possibly become irreparably psychologically damaged.
What you’re willing to put up is determined by what you want out of the situation when it comes to racism and relationships. Or vice versa…?
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Ms. Queenly- I don’t know how it is with PoC, my experience is with trans people so I don’t know how different it is. But if there is enough at stake (sometimes, quite literally your life) I can understand not wanting to say anything. But I agree about having little sympathy- especially if they later face problems that could have been prevented had they spoken up.
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Dreki–I definitely agree with you on the topic of the trans community.
Some circumstances can threaten your life and your health especially if you’re trans. The brutality against the trans community is tremendous. When people hear think or imagine trans/queer/gay/lesbian–its like a switch gets thrown inside their head and violence just seems to be the natural solution or eventual outlet.
I’ve had a lot of bad experiences with PoC not doing anything for the most basic and selfish reasons. Its left a bad taste in my mouth and left me unsympathetic with most of them.
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I think the Washington/Du Bois debate is overblown and both men were partially right. Du Bois is right, revolution is lead mostly by an educated elite middle class — even in so called communist countries, and that political rights are of high importance. And Washington was partial right, politics don’t mean squat if you’re poor and hungry.
But in general, the ‘Good Darkie’ thing always applies to me, because I’m clean cut and Ivy League educated. That’s until white people get to really talking to me and realize that the I’m no weak-kneed Negro simply happy ‘Massa’ let him in the big house. Then I’m just “angry”. What Black man with an iota of self-worth and love for his community isn’t angry about the state of his people?
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[…] the Korean War, and “those people,” the minorities, women, gays, and young people knew their place. The political salience of this fiction is not to be underestimated.It is the basis for the Leave […]
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“or under other white circumstances.” Okay so there are “white circumstances” where the majority are white. There are “black circumstances” where the majority are black. etc etc…. So are there “normal circumstances?” are there “human circumstances?” or maybe “just us folks?” Are reasonably honest relations possible here? there? anywhere?
Ms. Queenly said… “I’ve had a lot of bad experiences with PoC not doing anything for the most basic and selfish reasons. Its left a bad taste in my mouth and left me unsympathetic with most of them.” Really? My experiences have found that some of all of the people that I meet and myself from time to time do the same thing. Some of us just go along to get along. Something to work on….
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@LadyCracker: I’m pretty sure normal/human circumstances are generally what white circumstances are considered.
And it really doesn’t matter if a lot of people will give up liberty for temporary safety- it doesn’t make it any better. Didn’t the adults in your life raise you to know that just because everyone does it that doesn’t mean you should do it?
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I’m pretty sure normal/human circumstances are generally what white circumstances are considered.
Dreki, these words are much appreciated.
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I’m glad. I can’t really think of something that’s just “normal/human”. Even in spaces/circumstances with a white minority, it’s possible for people of color to not be safe to talk about what they want or act how they want without being invalidated or policed. In spaces/circumstances where that doesn’t happen, I think I’d call that circumstances of color (er, that is really awkward, I’m sorry if there’s a better suggestion).
Ideally the “normal/human” circumstances will be the ones where all people are safe to talk and act how they want without potential problems (so long as it isn’t in a way that hurts people, such as attacking someone)- but most of the majority groups don’t really see them as “normal” because it’s removed from what we’re/they’re used to. (we’re because I’m part of some, they’re because I’m not part of others)
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[…] “enjoyed” the work that they were forced to do. He shows that what Abagond calls the Good Darkie Fallacy truly is a fallacy. Later on he makes an incredibly important point about privilege, when he […]
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[…] talks about something that concerns people of color, what she calls the “Good Darkie [sic] Fallacy“. This is specific to people of color, but something similar happens to all marginalized […]
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Indeed, the elephant in the room in America.
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In Up From Slavery Booker T. Washington makes lots of cringe worthy statements about how good his slave master was. That book was very problematic for me. I know Washington is supposed to be recognized as a great icon in the pantheon of great black Americans, however he is not one of my favorites.
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All black Trumpanzees and Kanye West are modern day good darkies. I had to delete a former friend who was just too much of a sell out when she started making anti black statements about the murders of black Americans by state sanctioned gang members. When she called protesters in Ferguson thugs. I can’t have people like that with that type of negative energy in my orbit. So good riddance to a garbage human.
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Black Conservatives like Candace Owens and Kanye West and Ben Carson are other minstrels for the right wing and white supremacy.
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“Racism is over because i’ve never been a slave” —Candace Owens at 2019 CPAC Convention.
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