“If white people thought we were violent, they’d stop treating us so poorly.” Michael Harriot breaks down several white myths that are portrayed as fact throughout society. Things like white people’s overwhelming support of pro-life policies and their patriotism.
Full transcript below.
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Michael Harriot [00:00:05] Hello. I want to come today to you to talk about some of the negative stereotypes that I’ve been hearing, some of the slurs. It’s going around now. It’s time we fight it. And that’s why I wanted to come to you and welcome you to theGrio Daily, the only podcast that will tell you to stop saying bad things about white people. Yeah, man. It’s a lot of anti-white sentiments going around, man. And it’s time for us to step up and help our brethern and sisters. I don’t know. Is there such a thing as sistren? Sistern? No, a cistern is a thing. Well, anyway, it was time to help white people fight this bigotry that’s been spreading across the country and the world, quite frankly. You know, I blame it on CRT. I blame it on Obama. You know, you got to blame Obama and I blame it like Milli Vanilli, I blame it on the rain. Cause, you know, a lot of hate is raining down on white people. And so what am I talking about? I know you’re thinking. But, you know, there are some things that, you know, I have to take ownership of and say that I, too, have participated in this anti-whiteness. For instance, I have used stereotypes and those stereotypes are not true. Let’s go over the three biggest.
Michael Harriot [00:01:27] The first one is that white people think Black people are violent. I’m starting to believe now that that’s not true. White people don’t think that Black people are violent. There’s no way logically, there’s no way that they could think that we’re violent. There’s no way that we should think that they think we’re violent. I know they shoot us in the face and say, you know, they had a reason to fear for their life. I know that that they attack us, you know, with white supremacist groups. I know historically they have done some bad things. But I think that white people have been using that as a trope. It allows them to do what they want to do, but they don’t really, truly think that we’re violent. How do I know? Ain’t no way you can lynch and enslave Black people for all of those years while thinking that they are violent. Like it’d be like four white people on a plantation with like 300 Black people. And of course, they use that stereotype that they were violent, but they didn’t in their heart think that. There ain’t no way you could think that 400 Black people wouldn’t rise up and slaughter you if you really thought they were violent. Ain’t no way you can go through Reconstruction and lynch and terrorize Black people if you thought that they were really violent, especially in places like South Carolina and Mississippi, where Black people were the majority. Ain’t no way you could steal their votes if you really thought they were violent, right?
Michael Harriot [00:02:56] Oh, no. White people don’t think that Black people are violent now. They say that we’re violent to achieve certain things, like if you’re a police officer who’s just a racist and you shoot Black people disproportionately, then it benefits you to say that Black people are violent, even though you don’t think that. Right? Because ain’t no way you’re going to just go into a Black neighborhood and do what police do to Black people if you thought that Black neighborhoods were filled with these violent thugs. Ain’t no way that you could be a judge and sentence Black people to 20% longer sentences and fill prisons with Black people who are so violent and still care about those guards who were in there. Right. And still care about the white people who are in there. Nah, man. White people don’t think we’re violence, so I want us to stop saying that. Right? If white people really thought we were violent, they stopped treating us so poorly. Ain’t no way that you can really, truly think Black people were violent, but just feel comfortable walking around knowing or not even wondering or not even fearing that Black people were going to rise up and start slitting throats. Nah, they don’t think we’re violent, let’s stop saying it. It’s a myth, it’s anti-white, it’s anti-truth.
Michael Harriot [00:04:22] And and here’s another myth about white people that we need to stop believing. We need to stop believing in the pro-life movement. I think we did a whole thing about this, right. Like white people believe in the pro-life movement or Republicans or conservatives are pro-life. Nah, man. They support the death penalty, so they can’t be pro-life, right. They don’t want to extend health care, so they can’t be pro-life. The states that have the most draconian anti-abortion laws also don’t expand Medicare. States like Mississippi, you know, those pro-life suppose states. If you were pro-life, then you would be fighting against police brutality. Man, if you were pro-life, you want everybody to have a shot at an equal education. You’d fight against food desert. You’d fight against poverty. If you were really pro-life, no, no, no don’t say that the pro-life movement is a white movement, cause it’s not. They’re not pro-life, man. So I want us to stop using this negative stereotypes.
Michael Harriot [00:05:35] Here is another stereotype. We like to think that white people really believe in America. They are really patriotic. But that’s not true. No, man, don’t say that about white people, it’s a negative stereotype because if white people are really patriotic they believe in democracy, expanding the vote. They wouldn’t have voted for anti-democratic candidates for the last 50 years. No, the majority of white people have voted Republican for the last 50 years. And then if you just compound it to Southern conservative states rights advocates who want to stop Black people from voting, you got to go all the way back to the Civil War to find when the majority of white people hasn’t voted for somebody who is anti-American. Nah, they love anti-American candidates. So they can’t be patriotic, right? You can’t be patriotic or love America if you vote against giving Americans the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Now, I might just be making that phrase up. I heard it somewhere. It seems like, well, maybe I was at church or at a barbershop when I heard that. So I will let that one slide because, you know, white people can be against life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But I think that if we actually believed in things, then, you know, we would declare these rights are inalienable. I’m just spitballing here.
[00:07:08] But again, don’t say that white people are patriotic. Don’t even say that they are like crazy religious, conservative or social conservative. No, white people don’t believe in religious conservatism, right? The evangelical right is not a thing because if they were evangelical Christians, they would believe in things that the Christian religion. They wouldn’t be voting for racist, misogynist, profane candidate like that orange dude. Right. They wouldn’t want to do things like carry guns. I think Christians are pacifists. I don’t think Jesus carried a sword or a gun like he might have carried a 22 in his dresser or his garters or his garter loin. I don’t know what Jesus wore. His jeans, Jesus wore Levi’s or Lee’s, but I don’t think he carried a gun. I don’t think Jesus had a concealed carry permit. But white people love guns, so we can’t say that they are Christian evangelicals. Let’s just say they white. Put let’s stop with all this negative stereotyping. Let’s stop calling white people things that they aren’t. Let’s instead subscribe to this podcast. Let’s download that Grio app. Let’s tell a friend about it, and let’s end this show with another Black saying. And today’s Black saying is, “Not all white people, as a matter of fact, no white people.” 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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