It's discouraging as a white person who tries not to be racist and who doesn't have any CONSCIOUS bias against black people or any other race. Because I really do want to do the right thing. The problem right now is that there are all these competing messages and there is no way that I can see to actually follow them all because they are contradictory.
Some of the messages (based on articles I've seen on this very website):
"Dear white people stop calling yourself allies", "White people should call themselves allies not advocates"
"White people hate black people even if they don't consciously hate them"
"Can a white person ever really be friends with/love a black person?"
"the way to stop racism is to have more black friends and listen to them"
"it's not your black friends' job to tell you what to do, that's emotional labour and thus racist"
"listen to black people"
"don't ask someone to educate you, google it", "listen to individual lived experiences"
"ask for more voices to speak up, encourage black stories"
"Reach out to other white people and educate them"
"don't assume you know the solution to white people so don't make yourself an educator, don't centre yourself"
"white people need to speak out against racism more"
"white people need to shut the fuck up and let black people talk more"
"white people need to stop pretending that they're angry at racism because they have no right to be angry"
"why aren't white people angry about racism?"
The overarching takeaway from this cacophony of voices is that as a white person there is NO WAY you can do the right thing. Even if you earnestly try your best. Because there is no "right thing" that Black people can agree on that they want white people to do. And that's because Black people are (just like all people) diverse, and not monolithic.
But everyone commenting on race right now thinks that the Black Voice is monolithic, and that white people are monolithic in their racism, and that if you point out that neither of these things are true it's a sign of your "white fragility" and you just need to "examine your own racism more" like NO THAT DOESN'T HELP IN THIS SITUATION BECAUSE THERE IS NO CLEAR DIRECTION AND NO WAY TO NOT BE RACIST APPARENTLY.
So the conclusion I've taken from this is that no matter how much I try, I will never "not be racist" to some people, and I'll always offend some people, even if I take advice ONLY from Black people for the rest of my life. So at a certain point you have to try and make a decision on what YOU believe. And while people might think you as a white person aren't allowed to have your own opinion, you kind of have to in order to sort through the messages from Black voices, and decide whose advice you want to follow. Because you CAN'T follow it all, as they don't all agree.
