Okay, White 'Murrica....

[Davka]

True story, but while every race can be racist, I'm not particularly worried about racist statements about whites because I know they'll never impact politics, in fact, there's no political party that has, as an ideology, to kick out everyone who isn't white (at least a party that has minimal credit)... Usually racism is a reference to discrimination against people of colour because they are the minority in the west (for now) and it's far more common; everyone can be racist, anyone, but not all racist behaviour impacts social institutions equally.

I'm addressing this on a personal, and not a social, level. I'm tired of being assumed to be a racist because I have white skin. The question may have been a joke, cool ... but Gawdzilla's point stands nonetheless, despite appeals to social impact, etc. Racist is racist -- even in jokes.

I'd imagine that most black folks are pretty tired of being assumed to be X because they have dark skin. Probably a lot more tired than you are.

I doubt that many people automatically assume you or I are racist simply because we're white. If I were black, however, I'd be leery around white people I didn't know, at least until i could get some kind of read on them. Just like gays spent decades staying closeted until they knew it was safe to come out. Except black folks don't have the luxury of keeping their skin color on the down-low.