When Everything Is Racist All Anti-Racism Is Arbitrary And Capricious

     The usual rejoinder to “when everything is ______” is usually “than nothing is”. However in reality, the actual response is far more insidious. In reality, when everything is racist, just as when everything is a crime, actual enforcement based on what is convenient at the time, and who is chosen as the villain du jour is based on whoever just happens to seem useful at the time. This is, of course, antithetical to the idea of equal treatment under the law, but when everyone is a criminal, enforcement will always be discriminatory.

     Nothing is innocuous or innocent. It is all a question of if you bring the attention of those with actual institutional privilege and actual institutional power to yo or not. Beria’s quip about if you find him the person he will find you the crime is quite salient and frighteningly true. A simple accusation does not need to establish guilt, as guilt is assumed regardless of accusation… only prosecution of guilt is the open question of “who’s next?”.

     One of the recent examples of presumed acts of racism to be prosecuted in the realm of wokeness is the phrase “Work hard. Be Nice”.

“Yes, working hard and being nice is now a hallmark of White Supremacy.

“On Wednesday the charter school organization The Knowledge is Power Program, commonly know as KIPP, announced that it will be retiring the slogan ‘Work hard. Be Nice.’ as school officials believe the phrase is counterproductive to abolishing systemic racism.

“Richard Barth, KIPP Foundation CEO, said in a press release that after a letter from KIPP Co-Founder Dave Levin about the ways in which the organization can change its culture, he decided to axe the slogan as it ‘diminishes the significant effort required to dismantle systemic racism.’

“‘Over the last few weeks, we have all been working hard to turn words into action, recognizing that there is still much more work to be done to eliminate any practice at KIPP that furthers systemic racism, anti-Blackness, and inequities experienced by our students, alumni, families, teachers, and staff,’ said Barth.”

A few weeks ago, Dave sent a letter to all KIPP alumni, and I shared my thoughts with all KIPP staff; both acknowledged the ways in which the school and organizational culture we built and how some of our practices perpetuated white supremacy and anti-Blackness. pic.twitter.com/UsgWn5AW7R

— KIPP Schools (@KIPP) July 1, 2020

     Being against racism is not being “anti-racist”. Though being not racist does indeed marginalize, denormalize, and push-aside actual racism, all this is not what “anti-racism” means. “Anti-racism” is a term that requires one to accept, whether they realize it or not, that everything is racist and that only a fundamental transformation of America (and more broadly Western Civilization) could ever be acceptable, and through dishonest fallacies the enemies of American civilization turn our strengths into vulnerable targets.

This is what happens when you combine the Motte & Bailey Fallacy with the False Dilemma Fallacy and turn it into a Shibboleth for totalitarianism. https://t.co/yzn9glmncG

— This Ain't The Summer Hat of Love (@ThePoliticalHat) July 4, 2020

     Hide.

     Or escape.

     Or both.

     Because sooner or later you will be targeted and you will either bend the knee and suffer, or be crushed or suffer.

     This will not end well.

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