EFFORTPOST Are these three people racist or not? You decide

Racism is fact of our world and we cannot escape. The question isn't whether you're racist, but rather, what kind of racist are you. Today, I'd like to present to you three individuals who have been accused of racism. It is up to you to decide if they are racist or not. Their names are

a) Thomas Sowell

b) Justine Sacco

c) Rachel Dolezal

Apologies if this is somewhat rushed. I'm tired after a day of being a wagie.

1. Thomas Sowell

The man doesn't need much of an introduction, so I'll just jump into the meat and potatoes of why he is considered a racist. Firstly, he argues that social welfare in the USA has had a dysgenic effect on African Americans.

He also poses an interesting idea that I've since given plenty of thought. He argues that yes, there are differences in the outcomes of different races. However, this is not necessarily a social injustice. Instead, it could be attributed to cosmic injustices. For example, if I am born without legs, is it an injustice you must pay for? Of course not. This may be the way to think of some of the differences between races.

This leads to some interesting conclusions:

He is LOATHED by leftists, especially white liberals who do not want a Black man spewing this kind of rhetoric. To make matters worse, he continually points the finger at liberals as the source of modern day racism.

Do you agree with this man's views? I am intrigued by his idea of delineating cosmic injustices from social injustices.

2. Rachel Dolezal

I'll briefly discuss her history. Rachel Dolezal was a Chapter president for the NAACP, and she identified as Black. She was brought into prominence when it was revealed that she has Caucasian parents. Since then, she has been ridiculed and attacked.

She now identifies as transracial, which is what I'd like to discuss. A common critique of Rachel's transracialism is that she is coming from a privileged position, and is using that privileged position to choose to claim blackness and be part of a marginalized group. According to some, this is insulting as individuals born black did not have the privilege of choosing to be in a socially subordinated group, unlike Rachel. For a summary of the arguments, I'd recommend the now highly controversial paper titled “In defence of Transracialism” by Rebecca Tuvel.

Personally, I believe her argument is sound. Self-identification should be respected, and if she relates to the Black culture, then we should accept that. Being Black is not inherently about being oppressed, so I'm not moved by the argument that she is acting from a position of privilege. Lastly, I must ask: could the same arguments not be waged against heterosexuals, the privileged norm in society, who make an ideologically influenced decision to identify as asexual or lesbian? In other words, if one accepts political sexuality, what reason do you have to not accept transracialism too?

3. Justine Sacco

It's 2013. Justine Sacco was thirty years old and a senior director of corporate communications in New York. Life couldn't have been better for her. One day, she decided to visit her relatives in South Africa (they happened to be whites who were part of the anti-Apartheid liberation struggle). Before boarding her flight, she decided to send out a tweet.

She then put her phone on flight mode and boarded the flight. During this time, her Tweet was shared thousands of times around the world, including by Donald Trump. People figured out that she was on a flight, they found her workplace and her name was removed from the site. She landed and turned on her phone. She saw messages from her friends and family:

>“You need to call me immediately.”

>“You're the No. 1 worldwide trend on Twitter right now,” she said.

People had congregated at the airport in South Africa to watch her land. Her life was over. She was hated around the world, and she was receiving death threats. You see, South Africa has one of the highest HIV rates in the world. It's one of the few countries in the world where women have higher HIV rates than men, largely due to ex-president Thabo Mbeki's AIDS denialism. Her family told her she was a disgrace.

Since then, she has managed to rebuild her life, and she has a high-flying job once again. She is the Chief Communications Officer for the dating app Match.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinesacco

In an interview for the book So You've Been Publicly Shamed, she confessed that she had PTSD from the ordeal, which I believe and sympathise with. Do you think she's racist?

Conclusion

Calling someone a racist is a bit of a Kafka trap. The more you defend yourself, the guiltier you look. As Ayaan Hirsi Ali has stated, “false charges of racism are the easiest way to enforce denial”. Have you ever been called a racist? Was it a valid accusation?