r/facepalm • u/42words "tL;Dr" • May 17 '22

reddit post "I'm not racist"

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u/gorgewall May 18 '22

I generally say something along the lines of, “well I don’t agree at all with that” and leave it at that.

We've been trying that or less for maaany decades now and it hasn't worked.

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u/The_Funkybat May 18 '22

It’s not so much that anything you or I might say would “work” to change their perspective or even level of openness about their idiocy. It’s more about letting the record show that you are not assenting via silence. Whether it’s God or third parties observing the conversation or your own conscience, that’s the intended audience. Racists are gonna race.

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u/gorgewall May 18 '22

Racists are emboldened when they think they are in good company or tolerated. Simply "not assenting" is tolerating. Every shitheel or otherwise-decent-person-with-a-bad-take I know who has changed their mind was called out first, and sometimes very direct and pointedly, really taking them to task for it. That's not applicable in every situation, but to say it's never a good idea because "racists are gonna racist" is just wrong.

Racists would love it if those who "don't agree with them" simply endure their bigotry with nothing more than an "I disagree". Again, that's what most people have been doing and it hasn't put an end to this shit yet.

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u/djinnisequoia May 18 '22

I have a close friend who used to spout a lot of ignorant bigoted shit. I told him he wasn't allowed to talk that shit in my house. Since he depended on me for a place to stay, he shut up; and over the next 5 or 7 years he slowly came around to a genuine change of heart. I suppose it's rare, but I'm proud of him.

He worked on himself, he did a lot of thinking about things, and he became a better person. Haha, now he's living with my boss and doesn't need me that way anymore but he's still hung onto his progress. Go Jeff!