It’s a strange phenomenon of our times.
There are white people posting comments seething with bigotry who quickly reject any suggestion that they are racist.
They are equally quick to say that anyone who challenges them is “playing the race card.”
To help these people, here’s a test to help them figure it out.
First, the qualifying round – if you answer yes to two of these questions, proceed directly to the second round:
* Have you ever said that someone is playing the race card?
* Did you blame African Americans when the Orpheum Theatre decided not to show Gone With the Wind next year?
* Do you get angry at Black Lives Matter protests although you’ve never read its principles?
* Do you think Western civilization is in a fight for its life because of an increase in minority groups and foreigners?
* Would you rather your children did not attend a majority African American school?
* Were you incensed when Hillary Clinton used the term, deplorables, but think Donald Trump is right when he calls protesting NFL players sons of bitches?
* Would you be upset if a black family moves into your neighborhood?
* Do you believe white people are being victimized by the liberal media?
* Do you believe Black Lives Matter has a war against police?
* Do you think there is no such thing as white privilege?
* Do you think that we talk too much about race?
* Have you ever commented that there a lot of African American students at the University of Memphis?
* Have you ever defended yourself by saying some of your friends are black?
* Do you say “political correctness” more than twice a week?
* Have you ever made fun of Kwanzaa?
* Do you think it’s silly that there’s a Martin Luther King Jr. holiday?
* Do you routinely write off movies with black casts?
Second Round:
If you said yes to two or more of the previous questions, you qualify for the following definitive test. If you say yes to two of the following questions, you can quit pretending: there’s no question you are a racist.
* Have you ever complained that there are too many interracial couples in TV ads?
* Do you believe Barack Obama was born in Kenya and/or is a Muslim?
* Have you ever defended Confederate statues by saying they are about heritage and history, not slavery and hate?
* Have you ever laughed at or forwarded a cartoon showing African Americans, especially Michelle Obama, as apelike?
* Did you agree with President Trump’s reaction to the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville?
* Do you read the Daily Stormer or Breitbart or watch InfoWars and believe they are the truth?
* Have you ever taken a DNA test and were relieved you were 99% Caucasian?
* Do you think more African Americans are in poverty because they aren’t willing to work as hard as other races?
* Do you believe that there is no basis for African Americans to complain about police shootings of black people?
* Have you ever said the n-word and justified it by saying some black entertainers have used it?
* Do you think there is no conflict between churches’ teachings and setting up “Christian schools” for white students?
* Do you believe the opioid epidemic demands treatment and empathy, but you called for tougher sentences when there was a crack epidemic?
* Have you ever argued with an African American that they were wrong in saying something was racist?
* Have you said that Grizzlies Coach David Fizdale should shut up and stick to basketball?
* Have you ever decided against attending an event because you thought there would be too many African Americans there?
* Have you ever said that you don’t understand why there can’t be all-white organizations if there are all-black ones?
If you answered yes to two of these questions, give it up. You are certifiably a racist.
Our advice: we’d like to say you should have a “real” conversation with an African American, but we suspect you would find it impossible to actually listen. We hold out only a glimmer of hope that there’s any way to engender in you an ability to see the world through African American eyes.
If that’s too high a hill to climb, you might get acquainted with the message and lessons of Facing History and Ourselves and buy a ticket to its October 23 Benefit Dinner celebrating 25 years in Memphis. The speaker is New Yorker’s Jelani Cobb, who wrote an epic column about Black Lives Matter last year and is always a persuasive and influential voice on race, history, and justice in America.
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Bravo and thank you for this approach to this topic.
This “test” itself is racist. No need to fan the flames of racism any more than they already exist, especially in a tinderbox like Memphis, Tennessee. I’m ashamed of you Tom Jones. Unnecessary and definitely not “smart”.
As a person of color I find this article is far to judgmental and even a little bit offensive.
Only in this race driven backwater city would we find a stupid piece like this. ZZZZZ is right on. This junk stuff just further divides Memphians.
According to this test, I am certifiably racist… I’m a black man. Interesting…
I got an email about this today. I’m a proud out black lesbian and am offended by this ludicrous exercise. According to this I’m also a racist. This is demeaning, especially with the questions being so Memphis centric. Tom Jones you are a race baiter and divider of our city publishing shit like this.
I wonder what the author’s results are.
Rather than self-congratulatory stuff like this, I wonder if we could come up with a definitive ANTI-racist test. I think that’s a bit harder to pin down. I’d be up for working with some people to make such a test here in Memphis.
I just found this video and it makes it quite clear to me.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/video/2016/jan/13/marlon-james-are-you-racist-video
Lots of good comments here. I’m a black man (not African-American — I’ve never been to Africa and I have no relatives that I can trace to Africa) and I find it ridiculous that anybody would post such a thing. Tom Jones has sent all credibility out the window with this post.
Our goal is definitely to divide Memphians – from bigots to the people who really care about the unity of this city and country.
One test of racism is when people claim they are black when they comment.
It looks like you hit a nerve with a lot of folks.
Tenia: Only two of the questions refer to Memphis.
Frank, that’s very racist of you to say that. Didn’t know that stating one’s skin color made him racist. What’s the point of all this, anyhow?
I really am African American: http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/yes-all-white-people-are-racists-now-lets-do-something-about-it
I said it because a lot of people online claim to be black when they’re white so they can feed the alt-right lies that lots of African Americans agree with them. Some of them have commented here.
Just for the record, three people in this thread have posted twice under different names.
Is it racist that Frank thinks that blacks can’t think for ourselves and must only think as Frank wants?
Read my lips, George, or whatever name you want to use this time: That’s not what I said and you know it. You trolls always come out when your bigotry is threatened.
This survey or test is total bullshit
This survey or test is total BS. Tom is just trying to get his blog’s clicks up. Reminds me of Breitbart’s tactics.
Come on, Frank! I’m black and you think that my thoughts are racist against blacks. Why can’t you accept that others can have an opinion different from yours without calling us racist?
Can you read, George? I didn’t offer an opinion about opinions. I pointed out that a lot of people online claim to be black for their own trollish reasons.
Anonymous: Nice try at an insult, but we don’t even read or care about analytics here.
I love the test. It asks just the right questions because they’re the ones people want to argue about and say they’re not racist.
One thing I’ve noticed: no one gives an example of what they don’t like or a question they don’t care for. Instead, they attack. Telling.
My answer to all of these is no. With that said, this test is superficial and stupid.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/05/inquiring-minds-david-amodio-your-brain-on-racism/
This so called test has no credibility. I see it as sensationalism and actually a type of race-baiting. Not appropriate IMO.
Thanks for posting this. It forces people out of the woodwork. If people would be more willing to deal with the racism right in from of them, things would get better. But we prefer to not face facts.
One of the many problems with something like this post is that it assumes people to be single-faceted monoliths — it pretends that saying ‘Yes’ to just one question or condition necessarily means that your entire being fits into a single category. In reality, people are multi-faceted and complex. Trying to paint with a broad brush was something that Dr. King preached against.
Another problem here is that the criteria are nowhere near objective. They were obviously selected to be inflammatory. But, most importantly, they were chosen with the intent to control the conversation and divide a group. Who does Tom Jones think he is? What gives him the right to be the sole arbiter of what qualifies as racist behavior?
Maybe what bothers me the most is this idea that some white get to decide what is racist against blacks, hold it over other whites, then say that the whites who disagree can’t possibly know what its like to be black. Does Tom Jones know what it’s like to be black? What is ‘being black,” anyhow? Is Tom Jones being racist by trying to lump together an entire race that is different than him?
“Being black” isn’t some disease or condition with which we’re afflicted, like Tom Jones would have you believe. I’m black and I don’t even know what it means. We are all individuals and we all have different experiences — even within the same household. My older brother would give you a different response than I am — and my younger brother would give you a different response than the other two of us would. Our responses are probably different than what our parents would say. Maybe that’s the thing that’s most disappointing here. Tom Jones thinks that he’s standing up for me and those who look like me, but he’s really not. Treating us differently than he treats whites and talking about us like we’re some different group hurts us — it doesn’t help us.
I don’t now why some folks are so emotional unless they answered some questions with a yes.
George, this isn’t even about black folks. You sure read a lot into something that doesn’t say anything you think it says. He didn’t say you were a different group. He said racists are a different group. Are you really defending people who answered yes to these questions?
Thanks to Wendi Thomas for posting the test to the MLK50 Facebook page.
Frank, if this weren’t about blacks, why did Tom Jones include this in his post:
“Our advice: we’d like to say you should have a “real” conversation with an African American, but we suspect you would find it impossible to actually listen. We hold out only a glimmer of hope that there’s any way to engender in you an ability to see the world through African American eyes.”?
If being black isn’t part of this conversation at all, why did you bring it up in your first post? (“One test of racism is when people claim they are black when they comment.”)
If this has nothing to do with blacks, as you claim, then what is it about?
You’re just trying to be obtuse, right, or have your preconceived notions just blinded you to the content. He’s saying if a racist wants to face up to his/her racism, talk to an African American, because they are experts in recognizing it. That’s what I took from that sentence. I’m baffled that you can’t see it since it’s obvious.
and I made my first comment is because I know from past comments that one person was claiming to be black but wasn’t and that’s a favorite ploy of some of the most bigoted commenters online. Now do you get it?
I found this offensive. Who is to JUDGE?
We’re judging. Anyone who answers two or more questions with a yes is a racist.
Obviously, this isn’t meant to be a real test. I think we’ve all been had if we thought that it was. After a couple of days of conversation, it’s obvious that Tom Jones put this up here to illustrate that everybody on the planet is racist, thus throwing the term around so loosely as it’s used here is ridiculous.
So now you are a mind reader.
It is ridiculous to say everyone is racist. They are not. Also, there is a difference between prejudice and racism. I know you like to argue just to argue but if a Caucasian answers two questions yes, I submit they are racist. It is time to call it what it is.
MLK50 posted the link to the test and we are grateful that they are supportive.
I’ve known Tom Jones for many seasons. If he’s an honest man he will admit to answering more than two questions with a ‘yes’ —several more.
Anonymous: If you think that, you don’t know me at all. And if indeed you’ve known me for so long, there’s no need to hide behind anonymous.
George: I know my target only too well – racists.
Anonymous: Better to Remain Silent and Be Thought a Fool than to Speak and Remove All Doubt.
Wait a minute, Tom Jones! You think that someone making assumptions and accusations about you is wrong because “they don’t know you at all,” but your entire post here is about assumptions and accusation without knowing your target at all.
You’re not helping, Tom Jones. You’re only creating more problems and dividing us.
Great post and test. Some of these commenters doth protest too much. Telling. And for Tom Jones, I know him better than anyone on this thread and in this world. Say what you will about him but racist he is not. Grew up too steeped in the civil rights area surrounded by his civil rights heroes to have any focus besides equality and justice for all. Sorry so many of you are having to face such cold hard facts about yourselves but I applaud you for being truthful and at least trying to face yourself in the mirror. Many racists cannot do that.
Fake post by Adrienne.
Anonymous: You just keep grasping at straws. Adrienne is a real person. And she does indeed know me well, which clearly you do not. At this point, since we’re not having a real conversation and just listening to your petty comments, we’re done.
George: Unfortunately, we know our targets only too well – racists – and if we’re creating problems and dividing them from us, count us happy. They are a malignancy to which we will show no tolerance.
Anonymous and George are just trolls who go out of their way not to understand what you’re saying so they can bitch about something. I just can’t wrap my head around the fact that people are offended because racists are being called out.
I include Breitbart in the websites I occasionally peruse. Thanks for informing me of my racism–I had no idea!
Read criteria again. Yes to two questions.
Bold people that post under the anonymous moniker are very quick to call real posters fake. So brave in their convictions.
SCM, I’m glad you’ve stirred all these racists up and who cares about dividing ourselves from them, they’re trash and should be left at the curb while the rest of us progress forward.
Chatul, you’re smarter than that. I’ve read other comments you’ve posted here over the years and you’re being deliberately obtuse. You may peruse Breitbart (excuse me while I vomit) but surely you would never interpret that drivel as truth – if not, you still pass.
In the wake of racial slurs scrawled on Air Force Academy prep school message boards, the superintendent of the academy stood all 4,000 cadets at attention and delivered a blistering speech on tolerance, telling them to record his words on smartphones so they won’t forget them: “If you demean someone in any way, you need to get out.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=42&v=WfjZ1otkS3o