Explaining just what the Left means by “racism” can be difficult since the “academic” explanation tends to be obfuscatory, and explaining how they reach their conclusion is even more subjective since it tends to be an excuse to reach a predetermined conclusion. However, exploring this is necessary to illuminate why those on the Left believe what they do so that it can be countered.
One such insightful examination of this comes from Chad Felix Green writes about how the Left’s views can be seen as animus deriving from an intersection of ethnocentrism and colorism. It is worth reading in full.
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While racism tends to be our umbrella understanding of how the left interacts with and enforces the idea of 'race.'
The left has turned the word itself into a controversy preventing it from neutral and accurate use.
Racism is more than skin color.
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
Racism describes an understanding of distinct groups of people with restricting physical and genetic characteristics viewed from a societal perspective.
While many on the left do view racial groups in this way, what they engage in is:
Ethnocentrism
Colorism— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
Ethnocentric worldviews originate from a perspective of ethnicity as the source of truth.
Ethnicity is not limited by skin color or genetic heritage, but one of shared culture which includes food, language, style and a distinct history.
Judaism is an ethnicity, for example.
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
The left, or really progressives, argue that truth must source from ethnicity rather than objective, universal sources.
BLM views the concept of "black" as a distinct ethnicity defined by and limited to many physical features as well as history and culture.
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
Colorism, however, is discrimination based on skin color.
It originated within the black community to describe the social and intra-community benefits exploited by lighter-skinned black Americans and the additional social burden placed on darker-skinned black Americans.
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
What the left, as a whole, engages in when discussing race is discrimination based on skin color and the idea of "white" culture dominating and overriding other ethnic perspectives.
Therefore they *promote* ethnocentric expression as a response to this cultural domination.
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
Being 'antiracist' is not a practice of opposing discrimination or hatred based on skin color. It is a movement to fight the idea of white cultural domination that has diminished other ethnic cultures, identity and history by attempting to erase them and impose 'whiteness.'
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
The left restricts the concept of 'racism' to white people, globally, due to this idea of historic white cultural domination, or 'colonialism.'
Reasserting ethnic diversity in culture, which can result in dramatically different ideas of morality and justice, is the goal.
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
This is why everything from the dictionary to law and order, liberty to formal education and even the idea of objective fact are challenged as 'white supremacy.'
The left views the structure of Western society as a prison all other ethnic groups were surrounded and trapped by.
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
To be an American and to honor American history is to celebrate the cultural oppression of hundreds of years across the world in which the ethnicity of all non-white people was replaced, through force, by "white" culture, aka, "White Supremacy."
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
The right does not recognize this idea at all.
We do not see historical injustice as influencing modern culture. We think of prior conquest, globally, as the mechanism prior countries used for expansion.We recognize it was harmful for many, but understand it as universal.
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
We do not think of "white" as a people or a culture. We see distinctions between historical conquering nations.
The left sees only 'white' vs everyone else, often referred to as 'brown' peoples.
We do not see history as an advancement of 'white' culture.
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
We typically think of ourselves within the confines of a few generations. With each generation self-contained.
We see ourselves as experiencing the world as it is in our generation. We have access to the global community, therefore we think of humanity in global terms.
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
Progressivism, however, thinks in terms of historical justice.
In the timeline one people conquered another, therefore the trajectory of each is permanently altered.
One forever privileged and the other forever oppressed and disadvantaged.
Therefore it must be corrected.
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
This is a primary conflict between our two worldviews. We understand historical injustice within its own era, but we see each generation as a new opportunity for individual accomplishment and changes.
Once passed, it can never be changed. Each generation is its own master.
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
So at the end of the conversation, the left views the history of Western culture as an injustice that must be torn down so oppressed ethnicities can rebuild their societies.
The right sees everyone as modern individuals living in their own era with the power to choose outcomes.
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
What we are seeing is the left asserting this idea of 'justice.'
The Democratic party, academia, media, social media and major corporations are all influenced by this belief system. That is why they are enabling it and even championing it.
We are left out of this culture.
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
They see us as the last remnants of white culture desperately trying to keep control and they see minority members of the right as traitors to their historic ethnic cultures.
Ideas of sexuality and gender are included in this idea of white supremacy as well.
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
So while we see putting a black and brown stripe on the rainbow flag as segregation and reduction of human beings to skin color, and therefore negative, they view it as a collective revolt against white supremacy and the celebration of ethnic diversity and pride.
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
The left believes those with 'white' skin are the heirs to white supremacy and must work to dismantle the system "they" built and benefit from so that those with 'black and brown' skin can reassert their own culture and values.
Everything is reduced to ethnicity and skin color.
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
We oppose restrictive ethnocentric ideology and we oppose colorism.
We see this as the very system of racism we collectively fought against 50 years ago.
They see the Civil Rights movement as only the beginning of historical justice. We see it as the solution and resolution.
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
Racism in the progressive worldview is white supremacy which is why non-white people cannot engage in it.
But colorism is direct and neutral. It is something the left already opposes, despite viewing it, as everything, as a component of white supremacy.
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
Ethnocentrism is a challenge because it is not on its own negative.
We all view the world from what we know.
We all have an ethnicity.
The distinction is 'white' is not a sufficient description.There is no white people.
There is no white history.
There is no white culture.— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
What we, I believe, want to fight is tribalism and return to the late 20th century ideal of a melting pot of culture.
We, the right, do not want to distinguish people by skin color.
We do not want to segregate.
We do not want to prioritize one group over another.— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
We also do not wish to destroy the result of centuries of work to build a system that allows the opportunity for freedom and liberty *for all.*
We want equality.
We recognize individuality.
We celebrate uniqueness and culture.But we simply do not want a race-based world.
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 2, 2020
An example of this mindset. pic.twitter.com/npXPm7kXOe
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 3, 2020
