How a non-racist remark can in fact be labeled racist by a higher authority and therefore be marked as evil racism on the internet. Whether this is called the evils of internet racism or the evils of admin corruptness we will never fully understand but here below lies an adventure that one like yourself can take to explore the very foundations of the racism that plagues our internet today. Come, take my hand and together like us explore down this hole of untold mystery and by the end of this long journey, you're persona, nay, your very soul will be touched in such an untold manner that you will feel yourself uplifted to such heights that one believes an angel has made them divine.
Internet racism is nothing new. At one time, many internet users subscribed to the notion that faceless interaction would lead to a decline in racism. It was said that on the internet everybody is equal. Since we cant see each others faces, the only way we can judge others is by the content of their character. It was just another version of colorblindness. The colorblind ideology is linked to racism. My first experience with colorblind racism was on a gardening forum, of all places. And what I tended to notice was that white people didnt assume other folks at the keyboard were a multi-hued group, all of whom were equal. They tended instead to assume everybody on the other end was white. And they posted accordingly. Now you wouldnt think that a gardening forum would be a hotbed of racism, would you? But what I found was that there were so many subtle and not-so-subtle racist remarks towards people of color. (Not to mention all those other -isms.) What happened if you (I) mentioned anything? Whats the matter, you cant take a joke? Youre the real racist, injecting racism where it doesnt exist! Its not racist, you just dont understand
And then you know who the bad guy is. Its the person who points out the racism. No matter how kindly or sensitively its done. No matter how thoughtfully difficult issues are explained. Because everybody else was just having fun. Except for you. Yeah, it was the beginning of We heard it before. For the most part, I previously thought about internet racism as being fueled by anonymity. Take a look at the comments sections of news sites. Even when there is a little blip that reads something like Blah blah blah we value freedom of speech and reasoned discourse blah blah blah no racist or sexist or any other kind of ist will be tolerated. And then directly following that is usually a bunch of -ist comments. Sometimes its because free speech is privileged above preventing racist harm. But sometimes its because the racism isnt even recognized. But then came the popularity of social media sites like myspace and Facebook and twitter. Which blows my anonymity theory right out of the water. Theres been a lot of racist tweeting going on, from politicians to has-been celebrities to sportswriters. Facebook is a known site for college racists. But if the racist perpetrator attached his or her name to racism, what does that mean? Does it mean that they didnt care about it? Or that they didnt think about it? Or that they knew that within their circle everybody else would agree? Or maybe even that they were proud of it? Sometimes I wonder about the constant reinforcement of racist ideology through the internet. It can permeate your brain through the constant white framing of the media. It can attack you when youre least aware, like when you are happily reading something interesting only to be slapped by a sudden burst of surprise racism. It can be vicarious racism. It can trigger. Honestly, I think sometimes I should put a trigger warning on the whole damn thing. Maybe the open racism on the internet is a wake-up call to all of us. We thought it was about those trolls who hid in dark places. But instead we find out its everybody.
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