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John McWhorter: The Neoracists

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121–130 of 261 posts

Re: John McWhorter: The Neoracists

#121

I've watched a number of his videos where he talks about the new religion of anti-racism. He is tremendously eloquent and intelligent. >We need not wonder what the basic objections will be: Third Wave Antiracism isn’t really a religion; I am oversimplifying; I shouldn’t write this without being a theologian; it is a religion but it’s a good one; and so on. Yet here he is saying it's not a religion. I believe his thou…

> Yet here he is saying it's not a religion.

He’s explicitly listing objections that he expects to hear, not contradicting himself.

Re: John McWhorter: The Neoracists

#122
post #109
post #31

Question, because I dont know. Do identity politics help or hurt racism? My knee jerk reaction is that is highlights differences and can cause folks to dig their heels in on issues surrounding race/gender/sexuality/ . However pretending that all of these sorts of differences dont exist seems a bit naive at best and boneheaded at worst. What is the path forward? How do you integrate different races/cultures/etc in a t…

From a european perspective there is currently no nation more divided that the USA in terms of culture and politics. In france, equality means making nation-wide republican programs where everyone should be treated the same at all part of society. This is a bottom up approach. In this US, equality means there are grants for women, black, disabled, asians, mulims, jews, blinds, deafs, natives... and pretty much none f…

> In this US, equality means there are grants for women, black, disabled, asians, mulims, jews, blinds, deafs, natives... and pretty much none for white people. Or it's Positive Discrimination. Pretty much everyone is doing stuff for its own group, AGAINST the other groups.

If you want evidence of this look at how COVID vaccines are discussed in the US media. The constant refrain isn't about getting the vaccine out to as many people as fast as possible, it is about getting it out to this or that minority group.

Re: John McWhorter: The Neoracists

#123
post #2

It is important to note that this article was written by a black man, a contributing editor to The Atlantic. John McWhorter is not a MAGA hack. That being said... This article is the very definition of a straw man. Absolutely no one subscribes to the position it critiques. On the other hand, a fair number of people (including myself) subscribe to the position that, although things are not nearly as bad as they have b…

> This article is the very definition of a straw man. Absolutely no one subscribes to the position it critiques.

The article critiques a position that consists of multiple beliefs. While it is true that ~nobody subscribes to all of them, each individual belief is very well-represented amongst the "anti-racists." As a consequence, to anyone under attack by a Twitter mob, the situation looks exactly as McWhorter describes: you're being hit from all directions by the entire span of mutually contradictory nonsense.

Re: John McWhorter: The Neoracists

#124
post #77
post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then, with respect, you are not listening to and understanding the people to the left of you. They deny that there is a mere undercurrent of latent intentional bigotry by those in power (racism). Rather, they affirm that America is a system of power and social relations that keep the underclass just as effectively subjugated as slavery, without the need for intentional bigotry. And they intend to undo it. George Wash…

Reference(s)?

To which proposition?

Re: John McWhorter: The Neoracists

#125
he refutes gentrification by describing what gentrification literally is. It specifically is about the generous amounts of money that drive up general cost, gentrification doesnt occur when its broke/non influential white people, its just a white person that lives in the neighbor hood.

Re: John McWhorter: The Neoracists

#126
post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are two references in the TFA. Both of them are books. I haven't read them, so I will concede that these two books endorse the point of view being described. However, McWhorter makes the claim that third-wave racism is mainstream . The existence of two books endorsing a point of view is not evidence that this point of view is mainstream, or even widespread. If it were, then flat-eartherism would be mainstream.

>I haven't read them, so I will concede that these two books endorse the point of view being described. Better yet, read them! They answer your question. >The existence of two books endorsing a point of view is not evidence that this point of view is mainstream. Since "mainstream" is a judgement call, I don't think anyone can directly demonstrate that to your liking. If you're genuinely curious about this subject, th…

> Better yet, read them! They answer your question.

What question is that? I don't see how reading these books could possibly persuade me of anything other than there are two people who espouse some overly extreme ideas with regards to racism. And I will happily concede that without reading them. So I was wrong when I said that "absolutely no one" believes this crap. Two people believe it. Maybe even 100. Maybe even 1000.

But McWhorter claims that third-wave anti-racism is mainstream (his word) and so far I have seen zero evidence of that.

Re: John McWhorter: The Neoracists

#127
he refutes gentrification by describing what gentrification is. It specifically is about the generous amounts of money that drive up general cost, gentrification doesnt occur when its broke/non influential white people, its just a white person that lives in the neighbor hood, gentrification isnt even about race.

Re: John McWhorter: The Neoracists

#128
John McWhorter [1], together with economist Glenn Loury [2], describe themselves as the black wing of the Intellectual Dark Web (IDW) [3]. One can argue that he and Steven Pinker make up the linguistic wing of the IDW and both are cultural treasures. This article is an excerpt from his new (release date?) book, The Elect: Neoracists Posing as Antiracists and their Threat to a Progressive America.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McWhorter

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Loury

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_dark_web

Re: John McWhorter: The Neoracists

#130
post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my reading of the article, (not sure if you've had the pleasure) McWharton was describing the caricature that is presented in pop culture. Yes, I find the savior complex condescending and dismissive of individual agency.

I got that but the problem is that caricature is only presented in some views of pop culture. The Obamas, Kamala Harris, Beyonce, Viola Davis, and Chadwick Boseman are pop culture. Anyone who chooses to present the pop culture caricature described by McWhorter is making a racially-guided editorial decision.

I thought the passage was valuable because it made a point about individualism. If conservatives or liberals believe in that caricature, then the article is challenging their perception.
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