Race, Religion, and Not Being the Bad Guy

[feotakahari]

 I’m someone who complains a lot about Christianity, which means I hear a lot from Christians who insist they’re not like those other Christians. Those other Christians are bigots and hypocrites, but not them! And they’re not doing anything to harm me, so why am I saying all this stuff about “Christians” like it applies to all Christians?

Personally, I’m past the point of caring. When I interact with people who’re talking in terms of what Christian moral values ask of them, those interactions are usually negative for me and my friends. If you’re not causing harm to me or my friends, you’re probably not someone who’s pushing Christian moral values in my direction without prompting, so I’m not really interested in whether you’re a Christian or not.

But I also sometimes look at a news site for black people. The news site tends to talk as if the only people in the world are black people and white people, and white people are all complicit in hurting black people. Even news stories about white people trying to help combat racism against black people are framed as the white person wanting attention and brownie points rather than really caring about black people. 

When someone (usually a self-described white person) posts that not all white people are like that, the usual response from regular posters is that they don’t care. Their interactions with white people, even white people who claim to be against racism, are often based in bigotry, paternalism, and condescending compassion. If you say you’re a white person who isn’t bigoted, your statement doesn’t do anything to reduce the bigotry they encounter every day.

To be honest, spending any amount of time on that news site pisses me off. I’m of mixed heritage, but most of my experiences with other people are in the context of them thinking of me as white. I’ve had almost every form of white privilege that’s available to someone of my socioeconomic status. But I don’t think I’m as bigoted as they say white people are, and I feel frustrated that there doesn’t seem to be anything I could possibly do to not be seen as part of the problem.

If there’s a distinction I can make, it’s that I don’t care one way or another whether you wear a cross or go to church on Sunday. It’s not directly relevant to me, and I won’t make a big deal out of it unless you get in my face by trying to make me act like a good Christian. But I’m not sure that’s enough of a distinction to keep me from being a hypocrite.