I was on Twitter and I engaged with a leftist regarding the issue of systemic racism. This is an edited conversation because Twitter is a garbage medium for debates. Here is where it is at so far. She is a writer on her own blog:

http://thecontroversialchristian.blogspot.com/

Sarah:

Rush did nothing to improve the lives of people of color or the marginalized and instead created a business model of making hate acceptable. Call it CRT. Call it Jumanji for all I care, but we all know it ain’t the fruit of the spirit.

TheSire:

Systemic racism isn’t really an issue in this country. In fact, the only groups that CRT proponents care about are those that are often fine. Ignoring major situations around the world.

Casey Freeman:

So when Black people have been telling us there is systemic racism for hundreds of years maybe we white people should perk our ears and actually believe and listen to them.

Are you white? If you so, then you couldn’t possibly speak with any authority on whether or not Black people experience systemic racism. Only Black people can speak about their experiences. That should pretty common sense.

It doesn’t hurt when you get kicked in the balls right? I mean it doesn’t seem that bad. I mean every man in the world could tell me differently but really I just don’t get it. I reason that I just don’t believe you so it must not be true.

TheSire:

I always take people’s words for it. If they say it, then it must be true with no ability to doubt or question the veracity of their beliefs. That’s how reasoning works. There’s no possibility of change or nuances that might be applicable.

Are you intelligent? If so, then you shouldn’t make these silly arguments. People speak about the experiences of others all the time. You just did without realizing it.

Experience isn’t some infallible tool to allow anyone to believe whatever they want.

I have good reason to suppose that most claims of “systemic racism” are a meme. They are often disproven/mistaken, lies, or misinformation. So, I’m not ignoring it but classifying things appropriately.

Casey Freeman:

We’re not talking about one or two Black people or one or two stories. Black people from all backgrounds consistently have the same message. But yeah we shouldn’t believe them. We as white people definitely know about their experiences better than they do.

So let me understand what you are saying. Even though millions of Black people have said since the beginning of American history that we have systemic racism problem in this country, you don’t believe them because you don’t see it as a white man.

Got it. So Black people have an experience but you as a white man know better about their own personal experience. That’s all I needed to know.

TheSire:

It’s like you’ve never interacted with those that disagree. Let’s distinguish times. There is no modern systemic racism (in the united states). There have been instances in the past and even in the present in other countries. Like China that you do not care or think about.

There are black people that don’t agree with you. Get outside your bubble. The racism of the left is the racism of low expectations and uniform black experience. You also keep creating threads. Is this a tactic to not be addressed?

Casey Freeman:

Let’s pretend racism just stopped during the Civil Right. Just all of the sudden poof, MLK came and he magically healed the US of its racism. Even in this fictional US, we would still be facing the consequences of the previous 150+ years of oppression by Black people.

Sure. Candace Owens. Voddie. There are twins I can’t remember their names. They are white people’s favorite Black people. I’ve heard what they have to say. And all the Black people I know, respect, read, listen, and learn from don’t have very nice things to say about any of them.

TheSire:

We don’t owe anything to the systemic racism of the past. If we start off with that assumption, then you need an argument that we have to make those that have repented of sins of their fathers have to pay the crimes of their fathers.

They’re not blacks you find relevant but they represent many African Americans that agree. You’re referring to the Hodge twins.

Casey Freeman:

And “there have been instances in the past” Um no! There were entire systems to keep Black people oppressed. You need to do a little history lesson on all that this country did to keep Black people down. Are YOU intelligent?

TheSire:

Instances of systemic racism in the past. Pay attention. You racial cultists never read.

Casey Freeman:

Instances? We’re still saying instances? So Jim Crow laws were just instances? Voter suppression was just an instance? Redlining? Those pesky little instances. Yeah just a handful of minor problems there

I love the cult reference. It’s so funny coming from a Trump loving racist.

TheSire:

It’s funny, you set your own parameters to contradict them a minute later. Those are instances. That’s what it means to be “systemic racism” is just an instance of it. Just like a triangle is an instance of a triangle.

I thought we were starting with the idea these laws ended with the advent of the Civil rights movement. If you wish to argue they continued then that’s your burden but that’s changing the parameters of the conversation.

You are a cultist. I’m not a racist according to my own worldview. In fact, I think black people are useless unintelligent helpless creatures. But your entire case will be that they are those things. Racism in my worldview is the idea that another group of people is inferior (in a sense as a human individual) because of some biological feature. The irony is that the leftists like yourself have produced such things:

Casey Freeman:

You need reading comprehension skills. These were things that happened before the Civil Rights movement. My point is that those things happened. And even if the world instantly became not racist the effects of those things would still be present.

Furthermore, racism didn’t just stop in America. Please educate me since you are clearly so much more educated on Black people’s experience than other Black people or myself- when did systemic racism end in America? When would you say that stopped?

I know you’re racist by the fact that you think you know more about their experiences than they do. My entire case is built on no such thing. Black people are immensely strong and courageous. They’ve overcome so much. I am in awe of the strength b/c I couldn’t do it.

TheSire:

The effects of racism still existing aren’t the same as saying that certain people ought to atone for the actions of their predecessors. You have a burden to suppose that we ought to do something about it.

You’re conflating notions that aren’t identical. Systemic racism is a different notion than racism. The former doesn’t exist anymore, but the latter isn’t debatable.

It is not racist to think you know something another group does not. If you were familiar with the history of ideas, then this wouldn’t even be questioned. We often understand that ideas are held by groups of people. If the idea is wrong, then the group that holds it is wrong. It would be racist to imply that they couldn’t know such because of their skin color. That isn’t my position. Many white people agree with me that they don’t experience a government suppressing black people. You think you know more than all of them. You must hate white people.

Casey Freeman:

I’m prejudiced against many white people. I don’t hate them. But since I am a white person I can speak with more authority about what white people experience. I however, cannot in any way speak about what Black people experience. How arrogant to assume otherwise

TheSire:

There is no white experience. There are experiences of many white people. You need to show why they are culpable of systemic racism and that they ought to do what you think to fix it. Secondly, you act as if though you provided yourself some criterion for discussing other people’s experiences. But if I can’t know whether black people are being truthful or not regarding their own experiences, then why suppose you can know anything about another person’s experience? Thirdly, I’m also white, so I know you’re not an expert on the white experience. I know white people do not generally oppress black people. Why should we privilege your perspective of white experience over mine? You’re really a subjectivist.