Am I racist for posting this meme?

[john cena]

So upon uploading a firestorm of dank anarchist propaganda to my platform, I had one picture that drew a particularly vivid response. 





Person:
 

 

 

But it's not an expensive hair cut. That's a finger wave. The solution you use to make the waves hold is ~$5. It's one of the least expensive hair styles and is the first thing you learn in cosmetology school because it's the easiest. Almost anyone can do it. my point is that the text on the photo is intentionally generalizing and misleading. You don't have to be on government assistance to think trump is an asshat.

My response:
 

 

 

This is unrelated to Trump. This is about people who claim to be so poor that they need to use the violence of state power to redistribute wealth, while simultaneously wasting their own income on aesthetic items such as relatively more expensive haircuts, fake nails or nail paint, expensive branded tshirts, or most egregiously smoking cigarettes, which adds even more burden to the system because she will have increased healthcare costs in the future. 

Could this be mischaracterization the actual women in the photo? Sure, I have no idea who she is. She might be rich and take no government assistance, I really have no idea. But that is irrelevant to the disingenuous motives of people who take stolen property from government when they don't actually need it.

Do you really think it's perfectly consistent to smoke cigarettes while using proxy violence to acquire resources for your supposedly impoverished self?

If you pay for your own healthcare- go ahead and eat that mcdonalds, smoke those cigars, and nobody cares. Steal money from me because you supposedly can't afford healthcare, and when I see you smoking cigarettes, I will know you're just a thief.

Person:
 

 

 

The point I was making is that the hair cut is in fact not expensive as she prob did it herself for very little money, her nails aren't painted or fake, and the only other thing in this picture that can possibly make the connection to government assistance is that she's black which is a huge display of prejudice. Being angry that she's smoking is pretty presumptuous of her situation. 

I was pointing out the contradictions between the words and accompanying photos as you seem to so enjoy doing on anything I post that doesn't fit into your worldview.

you presented no logical proof that she is receiving any government assistance. Like I said, I am constantly plagued by your nitpicking so I thought you'd appreciate the equivalent

So am I really a racist bigot on the inside and I just don't know it? I'm not sure how to respond to this logically, or if it is even possible. I thought about responding with the following:
 

 

 

I never claimed she used government assistance. Like I said, this is not a personal attack on the woman, I do not know her. You appear to be defending the woman in the picture, while I am speaking more broadly about the rampant abuse of government assistance.

But I'm not sure if that will prove my point either. Help me out philosophy wizards!

[regevdl]

The reply about 'she probably did it herself and therefore not expensive' is almost direct quotes from other memes I have seen float around to the context of something like

 

"you know that woman or single mom on welfare that you are judging, she did her hair herself, her nails herself..." so on and so forth.  it's to play at people's heartstrings and of course... maybe it's true but it's to red herring or distract from actual abuse.  

We have to feel sorry for ALL welfare people and ignore ANY abuse going on.  hell, I make decent coin and I still do my own hair and make my own jewelry etc so those arguments then become moot and unproductive relative to the focus you want to bring.

 

They started on a reasonable ground for a counter argument but lost their credibility by simply projecting 'trump is an asshat'.  Exposing their emotional bias and advertising they are unwilling to have a rational discussion.  I personally would have pointed that out first and foremost.

 

Basically the counter argument that person is making is, "don't judge until you have the full context" which is 'fair' ...AS LONG as they don't judge you until they have the full context of your argument and thus cannot call you a racists as long as you back your position with consistant, factual arguments.

 

The fact is, I think we all know someone like that and you are right, it's not about this particular woman in the picture.  The people responding to you are turning her into their strawman.... avoid that trap as I see you did, well done.  

 

 

 

I employed a single mom who eventually went from making a ton of money from us to deciding she can make the same working part time + welfare.  When she started, she was on welfare, was able to get off of welfare but figured...why bother working for equal pay for sitting at home.  She smoked and drank and went on more vacations than me, the owner!  So I get it and I think just try to make it more personal with people in that way by asking them directly if they at least know anyone like this (so it steers aay from the stranger in the photo) and maybe they really dont' know anyone like this, and that's ok but at least it can turn into a conversation about the abuse of welfare and such. 

 

Personally on social media such as FB and such, I avoid memes and news articles.  Instead I write things in my own words or post 'notes'. I've been doing it for years and at first people would mock me (family and friends).  I post those particular thinks as 'public' so others can view.  And people I knew personally would ask when I would snap out of this 'phase' and I just ignored them and kept posting maybe 1 long post every other day ...not everyday as then it turns people off.  And after about a year people woudl private message me about how much they feel 'informed' and 'clarified' by what I write.  So occassionally I get validated.

 

But if I wanted to write about a topic that gets into the issue of welfare abuse I would not use any meme or article beause we know it first evokes non-thinking/rational/emotional repsonses from people.  It wouldn't appeal to logical thinkers anyway...just those who don't have patience or attention span beyond 10 words.  So I avoid those methods.

 

Instead, as I mentioned, I would just make some general arguments (to avoid strawmen in the responses) about topics.  I did one about illegal entry and why I no longer call it illegal immigration.

 

Think of it as a 'textual' monologue and when people get used to seeing them they then start to read them...they may not interact or agree or maybe they will but it's far more productive than the 'meme' approach which does get conversations going but you clearly experienced how much B.S. you have to filter before you can even get to your point and by then everyone is frustrated and exhausted.  I make my case and leave it for anyone to try to refute it... seems the most efficient and productive approach.

[dsayers]

"I have no idea what's going on." -Towelie

 

A person is a racist because they have unsubstantiated beliefs that specific ethnicities are inferior based on their ethnicity alone.

 

I'm not sure what the image has to do with ethnicity.

 

It seems like a lot of investment to try and convince somebody who isn't listening of something they don't care about. I'm wondering: Why this investment of time and energy?

[Wuzzums]

You can't be racist for posting an image, you can however be racist for being white.

[ProfessionalTeabagger]

She's probably pregnant.

 

Is that racist? 

[Toys4]

Are you a racist for uploading a that picture? I guess it depends on what your intentions were for doing it. I can't make that kind of judgment about you knowing so little about you. You know if you're a racist or not.

 

That pic mocks, pokes at and jabs a certain reality that many people are sensitive about and don't approve of. Its narrative is of an irresponsible black woman that doesn't approve of Donald Trump.

 

While I'm not really the internet meme type I have no problem with it, because I think reigns true.