By Tiffanie Drayton | Originally Published at Clutch Magazine. September 2, 2014
It makes sense that White people use completely illogical arguments to derail conversations about racism, because the current racial hierarchy reinforces White dominance and “White privilege”– so they benefit from it. What makes absolutely no sense is large swaths of Black people co-opting illogical and fallacious claims that reinforce stereotypes and the system of racism that threatens Black, and thus their own advancement.
This happens because Black people are not spared of the propaganda used to justify, excuse and even enable racism and White supremacy. Many have internalized these notions, reinforcing self-hate/ Black hate and readily spew these beliefs when discussions about race or racism arise. This undermines our struggle and history in a way so deeply troublesome and destructive to the Black psyche and Black community. For that reason, it is incredibly important to challenge such misinformation and provide both accurate and historical explanations for the current state of the Black community.
Here are some counterarguments to the most pervasive and disturbing arguments raised by Black people in support of racism and White supremacy.
1. “If Black people did not sag their pants or dress ‘ghetto’, they’d be treated differently.”
2. “It is not about race, it is about class.”
3. “Let’s not talk about the past, slavery is over.”
4. “What’s keeping Black people down is talking about race/racism.”
5. “Black people need to stop being lazy and living off of welfare.”
The majority of Black people are not recipients of welfare and are indeed employed. Even fewer individuals are dependent on welfare, because it is nearly impossible to be. President Clinton reformed the United State’s welfare program back in 1996 with a piece of legislation called the “Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act” that imposed a five-year limitation on cash payouts to the poor and created additional requirements in order to qualify as a recipient, including proof of employment search.
6. “The Black community does not have any dignity or self-respect.”
7. “It’s Hip-hop destroying the Black community.”
8. “Slavery saved Black people from African savagery.”
9. “Black people are the number one killer of Black people. When we stop killing one another, we will be respected.”
10. “Black people need to stop blaming the ‘White man’ and take responsibility for themselves.”
When some Blacks were able to break away and form their own independent communities, some of which became very successful like Tulsa, Oklahoma (otherwise known as “Black Wallstreet”), White terrorists destroyed the city including 600 successful businesses, killing men, women and children and burning residences. By the time the government intervened, practically the entire town had been destroyed.
Today, despite attempts to own homes and start small business, Black people encounter roadblocks every step of the way. A study commissioned by the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy, found that even after controlling for credit score, Black and Hispanic entrepreneurs were less likely to qualify for loans– this inequality worsened during the financial crisis. Other studies have also found that Black families were more likely to be offered subprime, predatory loans that are easy to default on because of sky-rocketing interests rates after the first five years, despite qualifying for normal loans.
These examples speak to a system that disallows Black advancement and self-reliance, despite every attempt on the part of the Black community to realize that goal.
More By Tiffanie Drayton >>>
Tiffanie Drayton is a freelance writer focusing in race and gender issues and a proud New School University Alumna. Follow her on twitter @draytontiffanie.
This piece was reprinted by EmpathyEducates with the kind permission of the Author. We thank Tiffanie Drayton for another powerful and thought provoking essay.
“39.8 percent of Blacks receive welfare, comparable to the 38.8 percent of the White population that also receives welfare.”
JL: 39.8% of 44 million Blacks…is a much, much smaller number than 38.8% of 197 million Whjites.
welfare was created for white women during the revolution Revolutionary War their husbands were out fighting for the country (along with black men,)and were afforded the right to stay home and raise their children I.e. welfare… When black women decided to were Allowed touse welfare they were considered lazy and it wasn’t a good idea for them to stay home and raise their children. “The BLACK HOLOCAUST” a documentary on YouTube Explains this FACT!
look it up! YOU May Just LEARN Something
This is a fantastic piece! Dispelling so many of the myths that are perpetuated over and over again, The one issue I have is in about the Walmart reference in number three. I am no fan of WalMart and what the Walton family is doing to,destroy public education is on the top of a long list of evils. However, when making a statement tying the family’s wealth to the time of slavery, references are needed into,order to give this argument strength. I could not find any link with family members or the corporation with slavery. There are many corporations that do have direct ties to slavery that would have been a better choice the purpose of this article. Even in this Google search, us companies with ties to slavery, it is easy to find corporations with proven and documented roots in the slave trade and slavery itself. Bank of America, Chase, mad many other Fortune 500 companies would have been a better choice to include in this article.