Often people try to talk to each other about issues of racism, only to find themselves in complete disagreement. I have seen evidence in the above comments. Sparring back and forth is usually unproductive and always frustrating, as one side tries to argue that Indianna Jones is racist and the other argues that it is not. To both sides, their own idea seems obvious and their opponents’ seem alien. Both sides feel their ability to recognize obvious truths is being insulted, and their world view is belittled.

There is not easy answer to bitter arguments and web trolls, but I believe that there is a better way to discuss racism. Simply put, we have to start at the basics. We need more frequent presentation of objective facts, and less postulation on unconscious ambiguities. How can we talk about the unconscious motives of movie producers when there is so little being said about the actual state of racism in the country?

I want to be told how many more minorities are incarcerated than whites. I don’t want to be told why I have the friends that I have. I want to see scientific reports on whom are turned down for mortgages so the established ruling class benefits. I don’t want to see people blaming me for things that happened before I was born. I am interested in how many people of color are turned down from jobs they deserve. I and not interested in how even my upright actions are evidence against me. I want to know how many whites get let off with warnings from the police while blacks get ticketed.

I really and truly want to know facts about the world I live in and what I can do to make it better.

By delving deep in to judgment on how people think we alienate them. White or black. No one wants to be told by a stranger why they really do what they do. That is maddening. The facts need to be first and foremost presented to stand on their own. People need to first accept or reject what observation tells us is true. Then we can separate those who are willing to face reality from those that are suffering from closed minded ignorance.

Every one is created equal, and has the right to be treated equally. However, we do not have the right to be thought of equally; we are free to think of each other as we please. We are free to dislike and resent and unconsciously “other” anyone we like in this country, but we damn we better keep it in our own heads. If someone makes a movie that furthers the narrative of domination or adds to the discourse of imperialism, its their right to do that.

But if they act in a way that disparages their fellow man they they need to be held accountable. Lets look at the actions we can see, the tangible things that have a concrete effect. Lets do something about the injustice that occurs, that exists in our own cities and in the jurisdiction of our own courts. Lets take physical burdens away from those who are actually victimized, and need our help now. They we can psychoanalyze each other. Then we can stamp out the lingering bits of racism that may or may not be rearing their heads here or there.

But lets at least start with the big problems, the ones that we can all agree on.

Your attitude is evidence of everything this blog is about: you are racist not because you are prejudice against blacks, but because you don’t even realize that you are and are not willing to learn to recognize that you are and that everyone and everything else is as well, whether they realize it or not. You are like white people who are nice to blacks and think it is simply because you are a nice person, when really, you are only being nice to them so you can congratulate yourself by telling yourself that were nice to them just because you are nice and that you are not racist when you really are racist and were only nice to them so you could keep believing that you aren’t.

Or like someone who, in a previous post, kept putting the word “black” in quotes and didn’t even realize how patronizing this was! I realize I put “blacks” in quotes too, but I only did it for grammatical purposes, not for the purpose of being condescending towards actual black people. But then again , even that…why is even grammatically correct to put that in quotes, and why would someone even feel the need to do it, even if their intention was proper grammar? Is it because it is the word “black” as used in the structure of the sentence, or is it because they are so racist that they feel (on a deeply subconscious level) that even the word “black” should be should be segregated from the rest of the words? Even I am doing it and claiming that it is for grammatic purposes, but even if that is so, I may be subconsciously using the rules of grammar to not only hide behind my own racism, but also as a way of invoking my white privilege by propagating the rules of the language of my own racial/cultural/ethnic/nationalistic heritage which consequently, if I am aware of it, further PROVES it’s existence. My unwillingness to acknowledge such privilege is therefore now CONSCIOUSLY RACIST, which now deceives my claim of being “subconsciously racist” as a manner of defending myself (as if that makes it any better). But I digress. The fact that I would subject those around me to the conventions of my white heritage (i.e. grammatical rules) only serves as evidence which further proves the case.

Because of this blog, I now know I am a racist. I once thought I was colorblind, but I learned here that I only thought that because I was racist. I have had black friends who I thought were my friends just because I liked them and had a good time with them, but I now know that I only had them as friends to try to prove to myself that I wasn’t a racist, which by doing this, shows I am a racist. I’ve always tried to be kind and fair to people regardless of what the particulars of their skin pigmentation because I thought this is how a civilized person is supposed to act. Now, I realize that I only did this because I am a racist and didn’t want to admit to myself that I really wanted to be nicer to some than others. I don’t even really believe this statement is true, but that is because I am a racist and don’t want to admit it even when I know it’s true. A textbook case of cognitive dissonance.

One time I had really terrible service from a waitress; I thought I was angry because of the service, but it turns out that I was angry because she was black. Actually, I’ve had bad service from any number of waiters and waitresses of all pigmentation; each time it has happened I became angry. But I have learned that when the wait staff happened to be black, my anger was because they were black. I only got angry because of the poor service when the wait staff wasn’t black.

See? Even my use of the word “pigmentation” (there are those quotes again!) shows my refusal to acknowledge the black culture/race/ethnicity. And my calling it the black culture/race/ethnicity is evidence of my ignorance because I don’t even know what these people like or want it to be called. And now I called them “these people”, as if they are different from anyone else. And I used quotes again. And I claimed they are not different than anyone else, which they are. But not in a bad way. Wait…why would anyone assume I meant that in a bad way, because we are talking about blacks? Would I have said that if we were talking about whites? See? Racist.

So, David, you have a lot to learn here about racism, it’s many permutations, and your own racist attitudes. Once you have learned all I have learned THEN you will realize what horrible racial propaganda that Indiana Jones REALLY is.

Racism is so ingrained in this society that yeah, it is used in every aspect of American life, including entertainment. For you to dismiss it as if it were something completely ridiculous.

Being dismissive contributes to the problem of racism. Additionally, this site is not a place where you can try to use your white privilege to tell us PoCs to “Calm Down” just so you don’t have to feel like crap because you’re in a privileged status in this country.

Get over yourself and take your whining where it will be appreciated.

Congratulations Failure in Orlando! =)

As a reward for your failure in the subjects of geography, science, social studies, history and being an actual human you are hereby deported from Orlando–since you do not belong there quite obviously–back to whatever European country wortheless trolls like yourself originated. This can be best accomplished by Proceeding to locate the nearest and shortest pier then begin taking a long walk off of it.

Thank you for failing in your attempts at human intellect and decency as well as showing the extent of own white guilt and racism to prove how much of a failure you are Failure in Orlando. =)

Are you kidding? First, look up “vestigial” and then think of a better word.

Second, Hollywood and the entertainment industry at large being the primary modern purveyor of the mythology underlying both white privilege and, in particular, US exceptionalism, surely you don’t mean to say that “Indy” and George Lucas have not themselves had rather a solid impact even upon you–to the extent that you feel moved to come here and defend them!

You know what? Get a life. Defending Indy from his detractors is not the sort of career one should be proud of. What do you think makes movies like this so popular? Is it really that unimaginable to you that the sort of self-congratulatory white hero worship that the American entertainment industry evokes in us again and again and again would be offensive to someone who wasn’t white? Or even for someone who was white but who found mythologized racism and cultural imperialism as nauseating as the real thing, precisely because the stories we tell ourselves are what enable us to act towards the world in the ways that we do?

Educate yourself.

OR! You can stop being dismissive and condescending. Really. This is the 5th such comment I’ve read from you today and so now I’m giving you your first warning. Quit it.

You may not find media matters particularly troubling, but others do. Others understand how media portrayals affect the real world. Others pay attention to the stuff being beamed at them from the screen and use their critical thinking skills to analyze it. If you don’t, that’s fine, too. But that means you don’t get to criticize others for doing so, since you are obviously content to just let media moguls beam thoughts into your head without a barrier.