In 2019 the word “racism” is changing right before our eyes.
On March 29th 2019 the Associated Press (AP) changed its style book to say:
“Do not use ‘racially charged,’ ‘racially motivated,’ ‘racially tinged’ or similar terms as euphemisms for ‘racist’ or ‘racism’ when the latter terms are truly applicable … [using ‘racist’ as a description] need not involve examining the motivation of the person who spoke or acted, which is a separate issue that may not be related to how the statement or action itself can be characterized.”
In short: you can call a person’s actions or words racist without knowing what is in their heart. White English catches up with Black English.
That is huge:
- The AP style book is what most US journalists follow.
- The words “racism” and “racist” in White English have long turned on knowing what is in a person’s heart, greatly weakening the usefulness of the word.
It will be huger still if it becomes the common understanding of the word by lawmakers and judges.
On July 14th 2019, just last week, President Trump tweeted this about four US Congresswomen, all four US citizens, three US-born, none White:
“So interesting to see ‘Progressive’ Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly……
“….and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run. Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how….
“….it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!”
Some news outlets called this racist: AP, BuzzFeed, The Guardian, CNN, Mashable, Rolling Stone, even The Economist (right-wing) and the New York Times (mealy-mouthed). They did not hide behind Ted Lieu quotes or euphemisms like “racially tinged”. They said it straight out in their own voice, moving racism from perception and opinion (and the imagination of Black people) to description of fact.
The Economist, like the AP, seems to be changing. In 2017 it spoke of the “racially tinged violence in Charlottesville”. In 2015 they would not point out the racism of the Ferguson police department even when a US government report did.
But other news outlets still avoided using the R-word straight-out:
- “racially charged” (Wall Street Journal)
- “usually considered an ugly racist taunt” (LA Times)
- “called racist and xenophobic” (CBS News)
- “denounced as racist” (NBC News)
- “example of ‘racism'” (NPR – note the use of quotes)
Fox News, meanwhile, brought in Ben Carson to assure its viewers that Trump is not racist.
The Columbia Journalism Review noted:
“a residual, old-school squeamishness in newsrooms around charged words that – before Trump broke all the rules, at least – smacked of opinion or activism.”
– Abagond, 2019.
Sources: Google Images, CJR, Huffington Post.
See also:
- The word “racism” in: 1949, 2009
- The R-word
- The term “racially tinged”
- Was Hitler racist in his heart?
- outlets:
- Donald Trump
- Ben Carson
- Charlottesville riot
- The DOJ report on the Ferguson police
552
Perhaps the words “racist” and “racism” will evolve out of their shells into their true identity: “hatred”.
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Academic English catches up with Black English
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Reblogged this on Project ENGAGE.
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One thing that still grinds my gears is why the dominant culture can’t tell what the definition of racist is and can’t tell what is racist rhetoric when they hear it. And when they are doing and saying things that are offensive to non white people. I have read over a dozen think pieces from The Atlantic to The NY Times is what the current occupant in the White House said to the Freshmen Congresswomen racist rhetoric.
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There was an episode of NPR’s Code Switch podcast called So Now It’s Racist, with NPR editors Mark Memmott and Keith Woods. They were being very mealy mouthed also in regards to how journalists need to be careful about how they use the word “racist.” They could not say that what Trump said to the Congresswomen was racist. I was so annoyed. It seems that in this current political climate people are not calling a thing what it is. Lying, gaslighting, and deflection seem to be the order the day.
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Well like so many words that make people uncomfortable the “r” word will soon be useless!!
What is in someones heart is blood! What is in their head (brain) is the problem. Both or should I say all races have individuals that just do not like others that they define as different then themselves.
Is ‘the donald” a racist, probably; however that is not his main fault. He was a problem to his parents, his school and to many others long before he came into the presidency. He is a hard head, know it all and he fell into good times because of the political parties.
Blame the Senate for the position they have taken in supporting the activities taking place in the government. Hopefully they will prevent the president from stumbling into a war that will destroy half of mankind.
“The Donald” just chuckles as people yell at him! He is as impervious to criticism as the toughest hided animal on earth.
Do you all remember when people were saying anyone but Hillery! Well you have that anybody, enjoy!
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Read the history of Woodrow Wilson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodrow_Wilson
Remember the movie “Birth of a Nation”!
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Perhaps it’s because America especially the white normative is too cowardly and in denial about who they are in regards to the racist beliefs they have consumed. Learning how white folks don’t like being called “racist “ is like you insulted their mother, that’s so odd to me. In this political climate where the country is divided and the current administration is constantly acting out to harm marginalized groups of American citizens.
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@dorisjean: I love the simplicity and eloquence of your post. Its food for thought.
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Everyone’s a racist!
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Swimming in this gargantuan ocean whether we are here in America or globally everyone has swallowed some of the water.
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I hate the systemic racism and I hate how it allows for disparities and how the dominant culture has privilege and benefits from it at the expense of black people.
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To illustrate my point:
https://www.wral.com/duke-professor-people-not-remorseful-about-their-racism-only-about-getting-called-out-on-it/18532331/
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@ Herneith: I have been reading about this old hag At Bonefish Restaurant confronting those black women. I wonder had they been black men would that old hag have been emboldened to confront them? That old broad has chosen the hill she’s going to die on. People like that are who they are.
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@ Abagond
Does racist and racism mean whoever is in power mistreating,controlling and dominating others or does it apply to whomever has hatred in their minds for others?
Do you have to be white to be a racist?
When a black hates a white what is that called?
Is it true that President Obama’s grandfather would not allow his father to bring his white wife back to his home in Africa? if so was that racist?
Racism is not a problem of the US it is a world problem!
Are the constant disagreement between the Chinese and Japanese racial or what are they called and what is the difference between the two?
One of the major problems in the United States is poverty and the results of poverty. Many poor whites are convinced they are superior to all blacks. Is this racist or stupidity?
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Finally, even Pelosi is calling the President racist.
I know Elijah Cumming’s district inside Baltimore. I was just there in Oct 2019 during my last trip to USA. Actually also includes some middle and upper middle class neighborhoods in Howard County (the nation’s 3rd wealthiest).
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/07/28/trump-attacks-black-congressman-elijah-cummings-remarks-condemned/
I don’t know where this is going, with mainstream media and politicians using the r-word directly to the President and others.
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it’s ‘a woman called moses,’ we watched most of it, kinda funny how messed up philly is today, but that is not the point…
i was talking to her and we were talking about the slave patrols in that movie, and it came to me, like vis a vis jim crow in this thread…
it was out in the open until probably the early 1900’s and then it became the kkk and they had to put sheets on their heads, [similar to all these ‘police’ with the balaclavas etc]
idk it seemed important and true if obvious?
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@ v8driver
The Ku Klux Klan formed in the 1860s and wore disguises from the beginning:
https://americanhistory.si.edu/brown/history/1-segregated/detail/early-kkk.html
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https://blackthen.com/costume-appearance-first-ku-klux-klan-terror-group-reconstruction/
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Racist and Racism is probably going to become so over used and hackneyed that it looses it’s meaning and becomes hollow. Let’s just call it what it really is White Supremacy.
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Even the white supremacist know Trump is a white supremacist. He speaks their language.
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@solitaire ok then, during the civil war even? Hmmm…
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@ v8driver
Not during the war but soon thereafter. The official date for the formation of the KKK is 1866.
Federal troops occupied the South during Reconstruction. The Ku Klux Klan and similar groups used disguises to hide their identity because the Federals had the authority to arrest and punish them if identified. Congress actually passed some Acts specifically targeting the KKK as an unlawful terrorist organization to try to crush it.
But then that all ended with the Compromise of 1877, when the federal government pulled the military out of the South, formally declared Reconstruction over, and basically abandoned the black population.
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Interesting, there must have been a few ‘informal’ groups out there, but i suppose most military age males would have been fightingvduring the cw.
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Yesterday while watching the CBS Evening News a conversation between Ronald Reagan was featured during that segment how Regan refers to Africans as “monkeys” and saying they were not comfortable wearing shoes. You can hear Nixon snickering. I am not surprised by this. And nothing that comes out of Trump’s mouth when he is using racist invectives. Many of the POTUS were bigots.
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Typo: Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon ^^^
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Racial anxiety is what fuels people to vote for Trump. The same ones who complain they don’t like hearing Latinos speak Spanish, they hate Muslims, and are afraid of losing their place on the apex of the social hierarchy. The same one who fear the browning of America. Trump knows who his base is.
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The racial demographics of America frightens the dominant culture.
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There was a shooting in El Paso, Texas at a Walmart. The 21 year old shooter was a die hard Trump supporter and wrote in his manifesto how he hated Hispanics and didn’t like race mixing. He wrote how he was upset about Hispanic migrants coming into the country.
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@ Mary
Did the police take him to Burger King?
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@ Abagond: I don’t know.
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He wrote in his manifesto that he expected to be killed by the cops and didn’t want to be taken alive — yet somehow here he is, still breathing. Death toll is now up to 20.
If only John Crawford could have had the same treatment from the police in the Walmart in Ohio where he killed no one and shot no one.
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Some of the injured in the El Paso shooting are afraid to go to the hospital because they are undocumented. I find this to be very sad and I am disgusted how humans are being treated in America.
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I wonder if they bought him, Burger King, like they did that clown Roof.
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