TIM WISE GOT IT WRONG: INADVERTENTLY ADVOCATING ANTI-RACIST-REDUCTIONISM
Tim Wise wrote a recent article titled ‘Anti-Racists are Pro-Democracy — That’s Our Winning Message’ (https://timjwise.medium.com/anti-racists-are-pro-democracy-thats-our-winning-message-8cf7a7a4ad74 ).
I’m afraid not.
He wrote “being against something doesn’t tell people what you’re for. Wrong. In this particular case, it tells people EXACTLY what we’re for, e.g., an anti-racist society is one that’s free of racism (at least in its institutional and structural forms). That is, the forms that are most insidious and damaging, and manifested via policies, practices, procedures, rules, regulations, and laws that guide and govern all of the major institutions of the society _ period. I don’t think it’s possible to be any more clear than that.
He asked, “what does working for the end of racism mean in practice?” I just described it. Again, to be crystal-clear, it means developing and implementing specific strategies and tactics that effectively, significantly, measurably, and permanently reduce RACIST policies, practices, procedures, rules, regulations, and laws that guide and govern all of the major institutions of society. Tim claimed that “we’ve never lived in that place before, so knowing what it would look like if we got there is always speculative at best.” Wrong! Again, I just described what it would look like. There is no mystery. In fact, one of the things that the authentic anti-racist community MUST do is demystify racism. There is nothing mysterious, nor incomprehensible about it.
He claims that the “anti-racism movement [is] fighting for more [so-called] democracy.” However, I can and I am raising the very same concern that had been raised above, e.g., “we’ve never lived in that place before, so knowing what it would look like if we got there is always speculative at best.”
It’s fairly easy and actually quite simple to describe “basics of vision that most everyone in the anti-racism movement would accept as core ideas,” which Tim and many others do an exceptional job of. However, it’s quite another thing to describe (in clear detail) how we’re going to realize the “basics of vision.” Let’s talk, and then actually demonstrate specific, concrete, measurable, permanent, goals, strategies, tactics, and timetables _ by which we will realize at least SOME of the “basics of vision” (in our lifetimes, as opposed to the distant, abstract bye-and-bye). That’s the dialogue that we need to be immersed in now!
Tim posits that “ultimately, the anti-racism movement is a movement for more than just the end of racism _ it’s a movement for full democracy in America, for everyone,” which makes sense, but then he goes on to say: “And that’s how we need to speak of it.” WRONG! We cannot take anti-racism off of the table. WE MUST CONTINUE TO CALL IT BY ITS NAME _ EVERY DAY, EVERY NIGHT, EVERY HOUR, EVERY MINUTE, AND EVERY SECOND. IT IS THE MAJOR CONTRADICTION IN THIS AND OTHER THOROUGHLY RACIST, WHITE-SUPREMACIST-BASED NATION-STATES, AND WE MUST KEEP IT BEFORE THE WORLD _ PERIOD.
He is absolutely correct about the fact that “we need a term everyone has heard _ one that everyone more or less understands. Democracy is [NOT] that term.” ANTI-RACIST IS! The idea that “the [racist] right [has] toxified with snark and bad faith anti-racism to some extent” _ is pure nonsense. It’s definitely nonsense as far as Black folks, and we believe all so-called “American” minds of color are concerned (except of course the relatively small group of “us” who are infected with the white supremacy pandemic of inferiority-complex). So, if anti-racist toxification, snarkiness, and bad faith have happened to those other than the small group of infected sufferers and the HUGE racist right, apparently, it must be applicable (for the most part) to “nice racist,” white minds ( https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/670635/nice-racism-by-robin-diangelo/ )? Besides, if “the fact is, the right is attacking democracy _ especially the notion of multicultural, pluralistic democracy. Some even admit it quite openly” _ then what’s the logic or likely benefit in evasively switching the narrative away from anti-racism toward so-called “democracy?” Nope! ANTI-RACISM IT IS.
Tim really threw me off with the idea that “we must move quickly, while the American people still believe in democracy.” Since, as we have already established, “we’ve never lived in that place before,” especially Black folks_ then who (specifically) is it that we THINK so-called “ still believe in democracy?”
Also, who in the heck (specifically) gives a fart about so-called “sidestepping the right’s attempt to cast anti-racism as somehow anti-white or anti-American?” What’s new, and why in the heck would this possibly matter, especially and particularly to Black folks? That has ALWAYS been the case (right from the very start _ from day one).
And then, Tim turned right around and answered a number of my questions above_ when he wrote: “Democracy is in the interest of most white people, and it’s something at least a plurality of white people still believe in.” I hope this statement does not mean that in essence, the main reason why we supposedly need to shift the critical narrative away from “anti-racism,” and toward so-called “democracy” _ is because the latter is “something at least a plurality of white people still believe in.” If so, then the statement is potentially and even likely, racist in nature.
Then, he goes on to say _ “the right may one day succeed in delegitimizing democracy too.” So, is he really saying to Black folks and other people of color that we are to believe and accept the mad idea that the racist “right [has so-called] succeeded in delegitimizing” anti-racism? Is he serious?
It is NOT “time to put democracy first, last, and center.” On the contrary, it is time to KEEP anti-racism first, last, and center. I’m not so sure about the so-called “sake of the [thoroughly racist, white-supremacist-based] nation,” but I am certain about the sake of African peoples.