I agree with you on the point you made in a comment above that visibility is important. People who look non-white will be recognized as such always.
There's also the point that there's a history of PoC being servants of white people. So it's even more important to consider implications that they're there to do something for white people. Would it be nice to have them answer our stupid questions? Yes of course it would be FOR US. (I'm sure many do, in fact there have been many recent posts that DO explain 101 stuff or at least many link collections of old stuff, and that's really nice of the people who put in the effort.) But it also gives the impression that PoC are under some obligation to answer white people questions, that their opinions have no value as long as they aren't explained to us or put in white terms.
There's also the issue of the shit PoC have to put up with daily. I found this post http://academic.udayton.edu/race/01race/racism10.htm great for explaining the impression Blacks get from Whithes that SAY they're not racist, because they think they aren't.
I also agree with you on the tone issue. I've been thinking a lot about a study I read about recently about impressions of strengh in people in leadership positions. When men got angry they seemd strong, when women got angry they they lost control. Women were percieved as more capable when they remained calm. I think this can be extended to PoC.
I've been reading Race Fail here and there. I'm sure I haven't reas everything, but I never got the impression that it was a flame war. Here's another summary: http://logophilos.net/blather/?p=1162
For the discussions of privilege in general that have been going on this is a good summary: http://community.livejournal.com/debunkingwhite/794697.html#cutid1
no subject
There's also the point that there's a history of PoC being servants of white people. So it's even more important to consider implications that they're there to do something for white people. Would it be nice to have them answer our stupid questions? Yes of course it would be FOR US. (I'm sure many do, in fact there have been many recent posts that DO explain 101 stuff or at least many link collections of old stuff, and that's really nice of the people who put in the effort.) But it also gives the impression that PoC are under some obligation to answer white people questions, that their opinions have no value as long as they aren't explained to us or put in white terms.
There's also the issue of the shit PoC have to put up with daily. I found this post
http://academic.udayton.edu/race/01race/racism10.htm
great for explaining the impression Blacks get from Whithes that SAY they're not racist, because they think they aren't.
I also agree with you on the tone issue. I've been thinking a lot about a study I read about recently about impressions of strengh in people in leadership positions. When men got angry they seemd strong, when women got angry they they lost control. Women were percieved as more capable when they remained calm. I think this can be extended to PoC.
I've been reading Race Fail here and there. I'm sure I haven't reas everything, but I never got the impression that it was a flame war.
Here's another summary:
http://logophilos.net/blather/?p=1162
For the discussions of privilege in general that have been going on this is a good summary:
http://community.livejournal.com/debunkingwhite/794697.html#cutid1