Author Topic: 4Chan's "it's okay to be white" campaign  (Read 15071 times)

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Offline Askold

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4Chan's "it's okay to be white" campaign
« on: November 03, 2017, 03:08:41 am »
So, once again, 4Chan is trying to promote white supremacism and create controversy. This time with a campaign that simply says "it's okay to be white."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/signs-saying-its-okay-to-be-white-found-at-maryland-high-school/2017/11/01/92013a26-bf3b-11e7-959c-fe2b598d8c00_story.html?utm_term=.bb9d0cd47e44

Now -obviously- there's nothing wrong with that statement itself. The problems come from the intentions of the campaign. In fact, let's take a look at their motivations and plans: https://imgur.com/a/FFp6H


See? They are actually thinking things through this time.


...Oops, your real message is starting to slip through.


...Wow, would you look at that.


...It's adorable how they assume that the average poster is hated IRL and only few of them aren't known racists who could pretend to play the straight man.




Meanwhile, this is how 4Chan responds to another message:
https://imgur.com/a/q9p9w







My take here is that the "it's okay to be white campaign" by itself is not really offensive but all the follow ups to it are and deserve criticism. Also, any criticism to "it's okay to be white" should be focused on the intentions rather than the message.

Another issue is that these days anyone I see playing the devil's advocate for white supremacists has always turned out to be a white supremacist themselves so if anyone actually is honest about their inability to understand why people who wave Nazi flags and shout Nazi slogans get called Nazis I am sorry but you are a very tiny minority.
No matter what happens, no matter what my last words may end up being, I want everyone to claim that they were:
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Offline lord gibbon

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Re: 4Chan's "it's okay to be white" campaign
« Reply #1 on: November 03, 2017, 03:13:47 am »
"Segregate by race! that's why I post images on naked Japanese women!"
Excuse me, sir, do you have a minute to talk about your lord and savior, Hannibal Barca?

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Yeah, if the pagans are so smart, why did Jesus invade Pagan-land on the back of a dragon and kill them all!

Online dpareja

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Re: 4Chan's "it's okay to be white" campaign
« Reply #2 on: November 03, 2017, 05:36:20 am »
"Segregate by race! that's why I post images on naked Japanese women!"

Quote from: Jordan Duram
It doesn't concern you, Sister, that kind of absolutist view of the universe? Right and wrong determined solely by a single all-knowing, all powerful being whose judgment cannot be questioned and in whose name the most horrendous acts can be sanctioned without appeal?

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Being required by someone else’s religious beliefs to behave contrary to one’s sexual identity is degrading and disrespectful.

Offline ironbite

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Re: 4Chan's "it's okay to be white" campaign
« Reply #3 on: November 03, 2017, 09:04:14 am »
It is amazing how these delusions and fantasies have lined up to create a truly awful world.

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Re: 4Chan's "it's okay to be white" campaign
« Reply #4 on: November 03, 2017, 09:24:30 am »
And of course, they're a bunch of weebs. Because nothing says white pride quite like the tacit admittance that you think a non-white culture's entertainment is better than you own.

4Chan should really stay away from politics and stick to shock humour.

Offline Tolpuddle Martyr

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Re: 4Chan's "it's okay to be white" campaign
« Reply #5 on: November 03, 2017, 09:32:11 am »
I just love the fact that they think they're playing sneaky, two hundred and nine dimensional chess over a public fucking imageboard!

Offline Lana Reverse

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Re: 4Chan's "it's okay to be white" campaign
« Reply #6 on: November 03, 2017, 10:40:29 am »
I just love the fact that they think they're playing sneaky, two hundred and nine dimensional chess over a public fucking imageboard!

That would be pathetic... if they hadn't succeeded. The freakouts? Played right into their hands.

How dumb do you have to be to willingly and knowingly take the bait when you have no plan and nothing to gain from doing so?
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Offline Askold

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Re: 4Chan's "it's okay to be white" campaign
« Reply #7 on: November 03, 2017, 10:51:34 am »
Except that this was a campaign by white supremacists so why is it wrong to freak out over it?
No matter what happens, no matter what my last words may end up being, I want everyone to claim that they were:
"If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."
Aww, you guys rock. :)  I feel the love... and the pitchforks and torches.  Tingly!

Offline Lana Reverse

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Re: 4Chan's "it's okay to be white" campaign
« Reply #8 on: November 03, 2017, 12:10:38 pm »
Except that this was a campaign by white supremacists so why is it wrong to freak out over it?

Or trolls pretending to be white supremacists. With 4Chan, it's never easy to tell.

But that's beside the point. What I'm saying is that they wanted people to flip out, and that's exactly what happened. Even worse, some of these people knew what the anons were planning, and still took the bait.
Beware those who hate the rich more than they love the poor.

Offline SCarpelan

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Re: 4Chan's "it's okay to be white" campaign
« Reply #9 on: November 03, 2017, 07:59:46 pm »
There is no need for such a campaign unless there is a general social attitude that being white is not somehow okay or there are a lot of people spreading that message. That's why "it's okay to be white" is harmful as a campaign message despite being superficially well-intentioned: it sends the sneaky message that people talking about white privilege think that being white makes you a bad person. This trick is something reactionary right wingers constantly use to paint anti-racism as racist against whites. Fighting this misconception is important as long but the tactics used need to be appropriate.

It's a valid opinion that ignoring the campaign would cause least damage but it's also valid to think that the flaw in the message needs to be corrected. A campaign such as this dilutes the messages of the campaigns that fight actual problems. While I would be surprised if there weren't overblown and silly responses the alt-right folks also like to take rational responses and present them in a light that makes them seem irrational freakouts.

Offline Svata

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Re: 4Chan's "it's okay to be white" campaign
« Reply #10 on: November 04, 2017, 01:53:27 am »
Except that this was a campaign by white supremacists so why is it wrong to freak out over it?

Or trolls pretending to be white supremacists. With 4Chan, it's never easy to tell.





Because spreading white supremacist ideas is ok if you don't actually mean it. (seriously, what is even your fucking point?)




(ok that was weird. no clue why it shrunk. sorry I can't get it to the exact right size)
« Last Edit: November 04, 2017, 01:55:18 am by Svata »
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Offline Askold

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Re: 4Chan's "it's okay to be white" campaign
« Reply #11 on: November 04, 2017, 02:47:54 am »
It's like...

If you pull out a gun, point it at someone and then pull the trigger to reveal that you just had a toy gun... Then you can make the claim that you were just pretending to be a murderer and it was "just a prank bro!"

On the other hand. If you pull out a gun, point it at someone and then pull the trigger to reveal that it was a real gun and you actually shot the victim to death... You have lost the claim that it was merely a prank.

And if you actually read any of the stuff that I posted (rather than going to 8Chan and asking your buddies for a way to defend this) you will see that it's not in fact even a prank. It was from the very start a method to bring white-supremacist politics to the streets.
No matter what happens, no matter what my last words may end up being, I want everyone to claim that they were:
"If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."
Aww, you guys rock. :)  I feel the love... and the pitchforks and torches.  Tingly!

Offline Tolpuddle Martyr

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Re: 4Chan's "it's okay to be white" campaign
« Reply #12 on: November 04, 2017, 10:16:04 pm »
Are people still arguing for the merits of "ironic" racism? FFS!

Offline SomeApe

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Re: 4Chan's "it's okay to be white" campaign
« Reply #13 on: November 30, 2017, 11:44:14 am »
@Lana "G.I.R.L." Reverse:
Why don't you build an aqueduct instead of carrying all that water? Think of your back!
just your regular ape

Offline Lana Reverse

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Re: 4Chan's "it's okay to be white" campaign
« Reply #14 on: November 30, 2017, 04:04:26 pm »
Are people still arguing for the merits of "ironic" racism? FFS!

I guess you're not a Dave Chappelle fan, then.

It's like...

If you pull out a gun, point it at someone and then pull the trigger to reveal that you just had a toy gun... Then you can make the claim that you were just pretending to be a murderer and it was "just a prank bro!"

On the other hand. If you pull out a gun, point it at someone and then pull the trigger to reveal that it was a real gun and you actually shot the victim to death... You have lost the claim that it was merely a prank.

And if you actually read any of the stuff that I posted (rather than going to 8Chan and asking your buddies for a way to defend this) you will see that it's not in fact even a prank. It was from the very start a method to bring white-supremacist politics to the streets.

No, it was an attempt to provoke outrage from the far left. OP admitted as much.

There is no need for such a campaign unless there is a general social attitude that being white is not somehow okay or there are a lot of people spreading that message. That's why "it's okay to be white" is harmful as a campaign message despite being superficially well-intentioned: it sends the sneaky message that people talking about white privilege think that being white makes you a bad person. This trick is something reactionary right wingers constantly use to paint anti-racism as racist against whites. Fighting this misconception is important as long but the tactics used need to be appropriate.

Not long ago, I would've agreed. Unfortunately, this hasn't been true for at least five years. I was there when the progressive stack was implemented at Occupy Wall Street, when members of "privileged" groups were sent to the back of the line because of their skin color or genitalia. They called it inclusiveness, but really, it was a different kind of exclusiveness.

I've heard some people suggest that the progressive stack advocates were plants intended to disrupt the movement. While I'd say that probably isn't the case, I can understand why a more conspiracy-minded person might think that. I saw the consequences firsthand, and the damage done to Occupy Wall Street.

Then it started spreading, becoming more and more common among left-wing activist organizing. For instance, when an Ithaca anti-racism rally (how ironic) was announced in 2016, the organizers admitted on Facebook that PoC voices would take precedence:

Quote
On December 23rd a grand jury decided not to indict the jailers involed in the death of Sandra Bland. On December 28th a grand jury decided not to indict officer Timothy Leohmman in the extra judical killing of 12-year old Tamir Rice. On December 26th 55 year-old Betty Jones was mistakingly shot and killed by police as she opened her door. Her neighbor 19-year old Quintonio LeGrier was also killed.

This is a rally in response to these events and the increasing violence and general terror administered by police towards people of color.

The purpose of this rally is as follows:
Agitation
Mobilization
Information

We ask that people of color who would like to bring written statements/speeches to address the ralley please let us know below so that we can add you to the list of schedueled speakers.

There will be an open speak-out afterwards for those who just want to speak.

Please be sure to bring warm clothing. Please also be sure to bring any signs or pictures of thoes affected by police brutality. We will meet at the center of the commons at 1pm.

Disclaimer: If you are a reporter at this event we will not be answering any questions.

Disclaimer: If you are a white person at this event note that the voices of people of color will take precedence in rally space.

Emphasis mine.

"Back of the line, whitey."

But it didn't just happen at rallies. It also happened in classrooms. One professor flat-out admitted to calling on students of color first:



Trying to combat discrimination using the progressive stack is like trying to save a village by destroying it.

@Lana "G.I.R.L." Reverse:
Why don't you build an aqueduct instead of carrying all that water? Think of your back!

Why don't you follow the rules?
Beware those who hate the rich more than they love the poor.