“When was that time that you could just be racist?” Michael Harriot dismantles the excuse that racist ideology is a product of time. He explains why being racist has nothing to do with the time period in which you were born but instead is simply rooted in white supremacy that lives in the past, present, and future.
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Panama Jackson [00:00:00] You are now listening to theGrio’s Black Podcast Network. Black Culture Amplified.
Michael Harriot [00:00:05] You know, back in slavery days, white people were so mean. But you got to understand, it was a different time. And during Jim Crow, you know, I don’t understand why, you know, more white people didn’t fight for equal rights. But you’ve got to understand, you know, that was a different era. And, you know, when you meet some white people, they are really racists, especially the old ones. But you got to understand they’re from a different time. Unless it’s just. But what I don’t understand is when was that time when you could just be racist? That’s why I want to welcome you to theGrio Daily, the only podcast that will explain why a different time is now.
Michael Harriot [00:01:00] Yeah, man, I know you’ve heard that thing before, right? Like, people always talk about, like, the founders, you know, they weren’t racist. They were just from a different time of. That’s how it was back then or or, you know, how old people are or, you know, how it was back then. That is a common thing used to explain away racism or prejudice or any kind of bigotry. Right. Like those bigots, they’re from a different era. But what most people, especially the white people don’t understand is on this bridge in the same era, it’s not like humans grew a second head or the size of our brain increase for Black people became more human between 1865 and now. No. We are the same people. We’re all the same people. Public attitudes haven’t changed much. It’s just that white people didn’t care what Black people thought. It’s not that they didn’t hear. It’s not that Black people didn’t object. It’s not that we didn’t say, Hey, you can’t say that or you can’t do that. It’s just that they didn’t care. Let’s give you some examples. Take the founders and slavery. More than half of the men who signed the Constitution owned slaves. It is reasonable to believe that they were just a product of their time. Except that half of the signers of the Constitution didn’t own slaves. They were just as powerful. They were just as important to the founding of this country. They were just not as racist as the other half. There were people like John Adams who refused to own slaves. He didn’t buy slaves. Right. There are reports that he had a Black worker in his house, although it’s not quite clear that the person was a slave or not. But abolition movement is older than America, right? The movement to end slavery began before America became a country. So when America was founded, there were people saying, Hey, you need to stop that slavery shit. But America didn’t keep. It was not that they were a product of their time. It’s that they were a product of whiteness.
Michael Harriot [00:03:03] Oh, here’s another example. Right. Let’s take the time after slavery. Let’s talk about Jim Crow. Right. You know, people who didn’t want Black people in their neighborhood or going to their schools or in their churches, stuff like that, when they say, oh, that’s how it was back then. It realy wasn’t like that back then. Right. First of all, you got to think about this. Like, slaves couldn’t just, like, wander around and go wherever they wanted to. They couldn’t leave the plantation or their masters house. Well, why not? Because they were enslaved people. And because they were enslaved people. That means all of those racist slave owners back then lived right around slaves. They had slaves in their neighborhood. Like, if you want a plantation and you owned slaves, that means slaves in your neighborhood. All those people in the South lived in neighborhoods with enslaved people. They attended church with enslaved people. Right. Like some of the first Black congregations in America began in white congregations. They attended church with white people. They attended schools with white people in the North. So when Jim Crow arose, white people had to make a choice. They chose to not be products of the time that they were living right alongside Black people and create a whole new different time.
Michael Harriot [00:04:30] They were not products of their time. They were products of a time that they created. Same thing is true with, for instance, with the people who, you know, call Black people colored, or Negroes or, you know, the N-word. Just not like there was ever a time when Black people like to be called the N-word, not by white people. There was never a time when Black people didn’t have a specific name that they wanted you to call them. Right. So when Black people wanted to be colored, white people still call them the N-word. When Black people wanted to be Negroes, white people still call them the N-word. When Black people wanted to be Black white. He was still called the N-word. When Black people wanted to be called African-American. White people called him the N-word. And he used to think about it right when Black people went from Negro and colored to Black and then from Black to African American, how come all the Black people knew and none of the white people? How come when we went from colored to Black, we got the memorable white people didn’t? Did we have like a separate telegram system? Did we send out a chain letter or did we have a separate radio or TV station that say, Hey, we Black now, not Negroes? Nah, white people knew. They chose not to be products of their time. They wanted to be products of the past.
Michael Harriot [00:06:02] And even the same is true with stuff that doesn’t have to do with race. There was a time when most of this country was not in favor of abortion. There was a time when most of this country oppose gay marriage. It’s not that gay people’s position changed because they were gay people who were loved and wanted to be married a hundred years ago. It’s not that the women who needed an abortion a hundred years ago changed their mind. It was just that people who opposed abortion back then and are in favor of it now saw the need for women to have reproductive rights. And those who opposed it are not products of the time when no one knew what abortion was. They are products of white supremacy. They are products of a time that they created in their head. And so no one is really a product of it. Okay. Well, there’s one example. The people who don’t subscribe to theGrio Daily, they are products of their time. The people who don’t download theGrio app, yeah, you late because you’re a product of your time, right? Understand why some people don’t tell their friends about it, because their friends, you know how it was back then. But that’s why you got to do. And that’s why we always leave you with a saying from Black America. Today’s saying is, “You know how it was back then. Racists.” We’ll see you next time on theGrio Daily. If you like what you heard, please give us a five star review. Download theGrio app, subscribe to the show and to share it with everyone you know. Please email all questions, suggestions and compliments to podcast at theGrio dot com.
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