AmaryllisTV

abagond:

Ilyka’s observations about the way in which the empathy study was reblogged kind of proved that whites do in fact lack empathy for people of colour: whites cut out Zuky/Kai’s account of suffering racism at the hands of white people, people of colour did not:

ilykadamen:

zuky:

laughingluna:

Some White* people are idiots, generally suck, and do lack empathy for POC - anyone who knows me knows I’m the first to criticize stereotypical White idiots like the BMX wannabes/Neo-nazis from my old high school days, but not all White people fit this [stereotype]** and shouldn’t be pushed into the generalization based on the findings from a Canadian study containing 30 White college students. What kind of sample size is that to make such a bold generalization? The researcher in me is asking for a large sample size; more demographic information being collected to see if other factors correlate with the lack of empathy; and demanding validation by having colleagues repeat the experiment before taking a finding from one study and applying it to a total population. Plus, until this study is replicated in the States as I suggested in my opening paragraph most people won’t stop to read the results and contemplate what that means to them and their daily lives.

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*I typically don’t identify myself as “White” as I feel it’s a fallback identity for people who either don’t know their heritage or don’t feel the need to affiliate with their cultures. For me, I have always identified myself as English, French, Irish, and Erie/Erielhonan. If people need one answer I say “English” as I was actually born there, lived there, and am still a citizen.

**I don’t make generalizations about groups of people rather I base any feelings I have towards a person is based on that individual’s personality and attitude. I give what I want back; I expect the same from other people although in my life experiences, most of the people I encounter do not reap what they sow.

You are white. If you haven’t figured that out yet, let’s just say you have some ways to go in understanding the construction of race in modern society.

As for satisfying “the researcher in you”, the study is here (pdf) for you to refute. I encourage you to go ahead and school the editors of this internationally prestigious scientific journal who don’t grasp scientific methodology and statistical significance.

This is a narrow study on a specific neural response which proves nothing, but which has triggered interesting discussions, not least of which is the eagerness of white people to dismiss it.

You know what goes nice with a glass of wine?—An open hand strike with a standing ovation.

It’s been interesting watching this link go all over everywhere.  Interesting because as it was first starting to travel, you posted (and this was about the time I realized I needed to back off the Tumblr or get fired, unfortunately) about your experiences with white people … damnit, I CAN find this … yeah, here!  (Ooh, bless you for having extra-find-y archives!)

But from that point, the reblogging split, and if I can be forgiven the generalization:  People of color tended to reblog the link to Restucture WITH your additional commentary; white people tended to reblog it without.

As just occurred above.

And no white person, including myself, said, “Damn, Kai, whether you felt hurt by it or not, that is some BULLSHIT that you underwent corporal punishment at school in a state and an era that were supposedly dead set against that practice, and I am so sorry that happened to you.  I am so sorry that Rwanda was just something that happened far away, to people who weren’t people, really.”

That is:  In a massive link-reblog about whether whites feel empathy for people of color, there was next to no empathy expressed to you by white people that I could see (but again, been trying lay off Tumblr.  And then again-again, I never said I was succeeding too well at it).

Apparently, it was more important that I know exactly which flavors of vanilla individual white posters were.  So on that:  From now on I am not Ilyka, White Lady.  No!  I demand to be addressed as Ilyka, Bitch Daughter of Viking Rapists, Conquistador Bloodletters, Irish Drunkards, and No-Dental-Hygiene-Havin’ Chinless Limey Colonialist Fuckfaces.

Because THE SUN NEVER SETS ON THE EMPIRE OF MY ASS.