Whitesplaining

[Vitaphone Racing]

Whitesplaining is a new, hip term used to refer to cases of people of racial privilege explaining things which they don't seem to experience nor totally understand, usually in a condescending and confident manner. The more observant among us will note the strong similarity between this word and mansplaining.

An issue of "whitesplaining" was raised at the VMAs (The VMAs are a convention for famous people where public feuds can be explored and the limits of social taboos can be pushed. Fun fact: The VMAs originally started out as an award for music videos) where Entertainer A (black) called a Entertainer B (white) a bitch because of B's comments regarding A's political activism earlier on. This sort of got me thinking about it. Essentially, A takes quite an aggressive approach to her political activisim which didn't seem to gel well with B, who told her how she should properly fight oppression. A then told her to get fucked.

As somebody who is not white, I'm glad to see that the wider society (the white part at least) might start to understand that everything is not always their fight and that racial minority groups are not stupid nor do we need your advice. I appreciate that a white person giving the advice about the best way to deal with racial prejudice might be done out of kindness, but the fact is that it's often seen as condescending and otherwise wholly unnecessary. At the very least, we've been dealing with this stuff long enough to know how to cope with ongoing discrimination in the best manner for us, we know what works and what doesn't and we know there's really only so much a person can take before polite responses and calm are no longer a reasonable option.

Even if you can't do anything else, please understand that it is extremely insulting to speak with confidence or authority on a matter which you have comparatively no experience in. A white person does not understand what it's like to live as a black person in a country where being black is a disadvantage. You just don't. So maybe try not being so overconfident. Not try to tell us how it is. Instead of telling us how we should be polite, how we should try to be the bigger person and how we should try to let it go, maybe you could try to shut the fuck up? Or even, here's a fucking idea, try telling the people who are the REAL PROBLEM what they're doing wrong?

What's your view on whitesplaining? You experienced it? Do you do it? Are you enraged by another tumblr word on this forum? Tell us your beef.

[Yorkvale]

Not a thing, and anyone reserves the right to give advice. It can be good advice, it can be bad advice from whoever it comes from. Race doesn't play a factor in the quality of a human being or his judgement.

[Braberland]

Whitesplaining?

You progressives are really ignorant of what the fuck is going on in non-America. I think "Whitesplaining" isn't even a worthy issue past decades. Go back in the past and live in Rhodesia for a month, then travel back and shut your mouths about "Muh evil whitie" because I'm getting sick of it. Love it or leave it.

[Vitaphone Racing]

Not a thing, and anyone reserves the right to give advice. It can be good advice, it can be bad advice from whoever it comes from. Race doesn't play a factor in the quality of a human being or his judgement.

That's cool and all, but if you were to walk into a brain surgery and give advice I'm pretty sure you'd get laughed at and have your intelligence verbally attacked. That's because anyone reserves the right to have an opinion, including the surgeons who you're bothering.

Thanks to whitesplaining, I'm now able to explain in one word why I'd laugh at and insult you if you, as a presumed white person, would enter a discussion about the discrimination which minority race groups face.

It's a great word and a great thing. It's been made a thing and cannot be unmade. I'm looking forward to using it alot in the future.

[New Grestin]

Whitesplaining: Because sometimes, the universe has a fantastic sense of humor.

So, by being white, I cannot comment on incidences of racial discrimination and be taken seriously.

Which is, in a twist of irony, discrimination in it of itself.

Logic is nice.

[Rangila]

Whitesplaining?

You progressives are really ignorant of what the fuck is going on in non-America. I think "Whitesplaining" isn't even a worthy issue past decades. Go back in the past and live in Rhodesia for a month, then travel back and shut your mouths about "Muh evil whitie" because I'm getting sick of it. Love it or leave it.

This.

I'm getting fucking sick of it too.

"a white person does not understand what it's like to live as a black person in a country where being black is a disadvantage."
Yes we do. You drone on about it so f*cking much that it's drilled into our heads. Quit making up stupid f*cking things that further demonise white people who try to show support for your damn movement.

[New Scarlettopia]

"Whitesplaining" now huh? I wish so-called activists spent more time out in the world dealing with real problems instead of sitting around on their computer coming up with new terms and hashtags for what they perceive as the latest "microaggression" to "oppress" them. We might actually make some progress that way.

Thanks to whitesplaining, I'm now able to explain in one word why I'd laugh at and insult you if you, as a presumed white person, would enter a discussion about the discrimination which minority race groups face.

Because white people can never be a minority and will never experience discrimination because of their skin colour, right?

[Yorkvale]

Not a thing, and anyone reserves the right to give advice. It can be good advice, it can be bad advice from whoever it comes from. Race doesn't play a factor in the quality of a human being or his judgement.

That's cool and all, but if you were to walk into a brain surgery and give advice I'm pretty sure you'd get laughed at and have your intelligence verbally attacked. That's because anyone reserves the right to have an opinion, including the surgeons who you're bothering.

Thanks to whitesplaining, I'm now able to explain in one word why I'd laugh at and insult you if you, as a presumed white person, would enter a discussion about the discrimination which minority race groups face.

It's a great word and a great thing. It's been made a thing and cannot be unmade. I'm looking forward to using it alot in the future.

Well social issues are no where near as linear in scope as a brain surgeon's education and experience is. However, if I was a bio-chemist and I walked into the emergency room and told the surgeons something about how fast the body creates some sort of chemical and how they can incorporate it into the surgery that would be helpful advice. I can have information necessary to a certain field without being in that field. In regards to racial issues sometimes a community is rather benefited when other groups tell them how they are perceived and what they can do, in their eyes, to improve that perception.

I have many black friends that never really had to deal with any of that racial prejudice nonsense, and I'm sure there are many that have. All in all, I think Martin Luther had a pretty good idea on how to go about solving racial issues and Malcolm X didn't.

I'm Hispanic btw, and I don't really have any problems in my life associated with my race at all. In fact I fit in with the "white community" pretty well. And I think many white persons, black persons, Asian persons can give synopses on the "Hispanic community" pretty well, maybe even more so than some Hispanics.

Being cultured and socially aware has nothing to do with your race. And just because you are of a particular race doesn't mean you understand the struggles, causes, or implications of many people of your same race. And some people not of your race CAN have that understanding.

[Ostroeuropa]

First, don't coin more slurs. It's counter productive in more ways than one. If that's whitesplaining, then clearly whitesplaining is fine and sometimes necessary to combat racism, so there is no problem.

Second, while I appreciate the sentiment, white people discussing race issues with eachother is basically essential for race issues to be known about by white people, especially due to ghettoization/white flight problems meaning many white people simply don't have connections with ethnic minorities. It's possible that they are not talking to you when they say it.

Third, positions of power in institutions and the media are dominated by white people and always will be in some countries due to demographics, that's before you even get into racism making it worse. Creating a stigma against white people discussing what racism is, how it works, how it feels etc, will result in most people in a position where they can maybe effect change on the issue no longer having a say. It's possible that they are not talking to you when they say it. Whitesplaining becoming a thing will just cause a chilling effect.

Fourth, sometimes a member of a minority is simply wrong in how to fight racism. Sometimes they need to be told you disagree with them and why.

Fifth, ugh, identity politics bullshit. Do you want a monologue or a dialogue, because only one of those is going to work if you're trying to actually change how people think.

[Ifreann]

Whitesplaining: Because sometimes, the universe has a fantastic sense of humor.

So, by being white, I cannot comment on incidences of racial discrimination and be taken seriously.

Which is, in a twist of irony, discrimination in it of itself.

Logic is nice.

Not taking people seriously when they presume to offer advice from a position of ignorance is totally the same as racism. In fact, it's worse. You're the real racists, liberals.

[The Armed Republic of Dutch Coolness]

"white people aren't allowed to talk about X!"

Above is perfectly fine.

"brown people aren't allowed to talk about X!"

Above is racist.


I'm all for equality, but this shit is just silly, at best.

[Ostroeuropa]

Whitesplaining: Because sometimes, the universe has a fantastic sense of humor.

So, by being white, I cannot comment on incidences of racial discrimination and be taken seriously.

Which is, in a twist of irony, discrimination in it of itself.

Logic is nice.

Not taking people seriously when they presume to offer advice from a position of ignorance is totally the same as racism. In fact, it's worse. You're the real racists, liberals.

"Black people should shut the fuck up about how to get white people to stop being racist, it's something they know nothing about. When a white person tells them how to get white people to not be racist, they should listen and stop blacksplaining."

It's utterly ridiculous SJW bullshit from the standpoint theory being taken seriously instead of an objective reality.

Clearly, blacks know fuck all about how whites act/think etc.

(See how standpoint theory can just be flipped to make an utter farce out of whatever the person using it is arguing for? That's because it's complete horse shit.)

The only point it proves is that the person arguing it is being self-centered at the time and thinks their perspective on reality is the right one regardless of what anyone else says, and nothing other people can contribute is worth their time.

For one thing, the perspective of white people on racism against black people is fucking necessary to hear in order to understand racism against black people. It's all data points, and while it may not represent black peoples experience, it allows us to view the disconnect between those experiences and analyze why and how it occurs and shit. Understanding the nature of white peoples view of racism on black people let's us know which areas need more publicity and shit, for one thing.

all this standpoint theory bunkum came about as a result of a narcissistic gender movement obsessed with their own genitals, if it infects the racial equality movement too that one will become as much of a farce as the gender one.
Don't let it happen.

[Mysterious Stranger 2]

Identity politics are so 2010.

[Tule]

You know, I always presumed you were white.

This is quite eye opening and I'm rather embarrassed. I'd like to apologize.

[New Grestin]

Whitesplaining: Because sometimes, the universe has a fantastic sense of humor.

So, by being white, I cannot comment on incidences of racial discrimination and be taken seriously.

Which is, in a twist of irony, discrimination in it of itself.

Logic is nice.

Not taking people seriously when they presume to offer advice from a position of ignorance is totally the same as racism. In fact, it's worse. You're the real racists, liberals.

"You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain"

I feel this is appropriate.

This is why being a moderate, non-frothy mouthed liberal makes me sad sometimes.

[The Armed Republic of Dutch Coolness]

Not a thing, and anyone reserves the right to give advice. It can be good advice, it can be bad advice from whoever it comes from. Race doesn't play a factor in the quality of a human being or his judgement.

That's cool and all, but if you were to walk into a brain surgery and give advice I'm pretty sure you'd get laughed at and have your intelligence verbally attacked. That's because anyone reserves the right to have an opinion, including the surgeons who you're bothering.

Thanks to whitesplaining, I'm now able to explain in one word why I'd laugh at and insult you if you, as a presumed white person, would enter a discussion about the discrimination which minority race groups face.

It's a great word and a great thing. It's been made a thing and cannot be unmade. I'm looking forward to using it alot in the future.

So, you basically found a fun little word to use to tell people you're a racist. Way to go!

[Eastern Equestria]

Fifth, ugh, identity politics bullshit. Do you want a monologue or a dialogue, because only one of those is going to work if you're trying to actually change how people think.

This. So much this.

[Vitaphone Racing]

It really is quite simple. People of all races are encouraged to discuss racial issues with one another. In fact, that's what raising an issue with "whitesplaining" encourages. In encourages real dialogue, understanding and discussion. It discourages attempts of people with a lack of understanding to wade into debates with authority, to comment on things they are largely ignorant about and yet remain largely unsympathetic with the true feelings of the movement.

A text book example is somebody, let's say they're white, telling a person (black) to stop getting angry about their treatment if they want an improvement. That shows that the person is unconcerned with the discrimination, as they aren't helping to do anything about it, that they're not sympathetic as to understand why he is angry, and that they're confidently assuming that being polite will work and not considering that the person angry may very well have been polite before in this situation without result.

To claim that "whitesplaining" is an attempt to shut white people out of debate topics is plain wrong. It just shows how much of a persecution complex some people have; to criticize their involvement is taken at the extreme. Yes, I used hyperbolae in an earlier response; sue me if you didn't get that.

"Whitesplaining" now huh? I wish so-called activists spent more time out in the world dealing with real problems instead of sitting around on their computer coming up with new terms and hashtags for what they perceive as the latest "microaggression" to "oppress" them. We might actually make some progress that way.

I'm intrigued. Please tell me what you do out in the real world.

[Olivaero]

Funnily enough the word means I can't say whether I think the word is a good word or not doesn't it?

[Ostroeuropa]

It really is quite simple. People of all races are encouraged to discuss racial issues with one another. In fact, that's what raising an issue with "whitesplaining" encourages. In encourages real dialogue, understanding and discussion. It discourages attempts of people with a lack of understanding to wade into debates with authority, to comment on things they are largely ignorant about and yet remain largely unsympathetic with the true feelings of the movement.

A text book example is somebody, let's say they're white, telling a person (black) to stop getting angry about their treatment if they want an improvement. That shows that the person is unconcerned with the discrimination, as they aren't helping to do anything about it, that they're not sympathetic as to understand why he is angry, and that they're confidently assuming that being polite will work and not considering that the person angry may very well have been polite before in this situation without result.

To claim that "whitesplaining" is an attempt to shut white people out of debate topics is plain wrong. It just shows how much of a persecution complex some people have; to criticize their involvement is taken at the extreme. Yes, I used hyperbolae in an earlier response; sue me if you didn't get that.

"Whitesplaining" now huh? I wish so-called activists spent more time out in the world dealing with real problems instead of sitting around on their computer coming up with new terms and hashtags for what they perceive as the latest "microaggression" to "oppress" them. We might actually make some progress that way.

I'm intrigued. Please tell me what you do out in the real world.

I've seen how mansplaining is used to shut men out of gender discussions.
Why would this be any different?

You think race activists are inherently more mature and less bigoted than gender ones?
Fuck no.
You'll still have a bunch of idiots running around using what amounts to an ethnic/gendered slur to shame people out of contributing.

[New Grestin]

I'm intrigued. Please tell me what you do out in the real world.

Disregarding your hilarious attempts to justify discrimination, please, tell me what you're doing to stop discrimination.

Cause' from what I see, comrade, you're not helping by coining new, discriminatory terms.

[Vitaphone Racing]

"Black people should shut the fuck up about how to get white people to stop being racist, it's something they know nothing about. When a white person tells them how to get white people to not be racist, they should listen and stop blacksplaining."

Unless you subscribe to some theory where race affects how your brain processes information, you know this not to be a direct comparison.

The only difference between a white person and a black person in society is how they are treated by everybody else.

[Arlenton]

There is a lot of racism in this thread, when are you crackers gunna learn your place?

[Conserative Morality]

It's sad that speaking from a position of falsely self-assured superiority has gained yet another name to it.

Here I thought we might be growing past the whole "I know everything and you know nothing" idea.

[Behinaye]

This is the stupidest thing I've ever read. Whitesplaining is a term used by butthurt Social Justice Wackos who drink their period blood and dye their hair 50 shades of purple. The white race has been proven time and time again to be intellectually supreme.
Sources: One and Two