So because someone else would make a similar claim, whether it's true or not, you feel that you have to make the same claim, whether it's true or not? That doesn't make much sense, does it?
Whether it's true or not is not the point. The point is that when one group does it it's seen as acceptable, however when white people do it it's seen as racist.
.
There was actually a lot more to that braid incident you are referring to than just some White teen braiding her hair. You've either ignored it, or you aren't aware of it. That's a problem
"Establishing something as white, and someone being white are two different things. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, and the creator of the Hermione character, has said that her race was never really established. A white actor may have been chosen for the movies, but that does not "establish" Hermione's race. The movies are an adaptation of the books. They could have easily gone with a Black, Asian, or mixed race actor. They decided on Emma Watson, who happens to be White.
As soon as the movies casted a white actress as Hermione, they pretty much established her as a white character as far as the public is concerned because that exposure reaches more people than the books probably will. There are tons of people who never read the books that have seen the movies. This is an unfortunate truth.
As far as establishing "something" as white, this is a big no no. You cannot have White Entertainment TV. You cannot have White Lives Matter. You cannot have White history month. You cannot have White only colleges. Because society has deemed that racist, due to reverse racism and double standards. The moment someone claims "White Pride" they are instantly slammed and labeled a racist, yet on the other hand an African American can claim "Black Pride" and it's seen as being a positive and good thing. "I am proud to be (anything but white, insert here)" is praised whereas it's deemed racist if applied to being white.
Let me ask you this; does Hermione's race actually make a difference in the Harry Potter stories?
My post wasn't really just about Hermione, but the sudden influx of these situations that are being caused by politic correctness and people trying to walk on eggshells to not offend anyone. Is her race important to the story? This is obviously up to the reader/viewer to determine. People relate on different levels to different characters.
Regardless, if the general mindset is that "her race shouldn't matter", then why change it once it's been established? This isn't just about Hermione when I say this. This applies to any other popular, established characters, etc. If race doesn't matter then why do people feel the need to constantly try to change it? The reason is because it does matter, because it's a strong platform for people to relate to. People gravitate towards those that are similar to them. Companies constantly keep trying to pander to minorities in order to tap into that market.
That's arguable. You've forgotten to take into account the effect that "reverse racism" has compared to "racism from whites."
Who makes you feel this way?
Just curious, do you believe that there is any racism, or that these people that claim they are second class citizens are telling the truth or lying?
Racism does exist. Most people in some shape or form, no matter how small it is, could be considered racist to some small degree. It's unavoidable. People have preferences. If I was to say "I'm only attracted to Hispanic women." someone under todays mindset could say that's racist. "I don't like Chinese food." omg he must be racist!! If all my friends happen to be the same race as me, someone might think I'm racist.
Racism on a grand scale I don't believe exists. There is no huge conspiracy that the world has agreed upon in order to hold down a certain skin color. I don't have a monthly meeting with the great white council to determine how we're going to mess with ____ people this month. Some people though truly believe that whitey is out to get them.
So they've never encountered any form of racism? Does being successful and a minority imply that that person hasn't encountered racism in their life? Does it imply that racism doesn't exist?
It implies that racism isn't as big of a deal as people are making it out to be. If racism was truly an issue then minorities would not be allowed to do ANYTHING that would allow them to maintain a better position or way of life over say a white person. Any time I see some idiot who makes millions of dollars and then try to say white people have some magic privilege or that white people try to hold them down, it makes me lose all faith in humanity. I'm looking at you, Kanye West...
Growing up where I did, I encountered racism towards me for simply being white. Despite the fact that I lived in the EXACT SAME conditions as those people and went to the same exact schools and stores and had the same hardships, they still thought I was somehow magically privileged because I was white. Fortunately for me, it didn't bother me. I chalked it up to ignorance and did my own thing. I worked for what I wanted and didn't make excuses.
Eh... kind of. His mother was White. More like a a mixed race President. Also, and I'm not sure if you've chosen to ignore it, or just missed it, but Obama has had to deal with a lot of racism.
Every time I hear him refer to his race all I ever hear is him referring to himself as a black man or person of color. He seldom if ever references his white side, unless he's trying to pander to some white people. It's socially more acceptable if he finds pride in only being black, rather than bi-racial. He pretty much disowns any notion of being white unless it suits him in a specific situation.
And that somehow changes or negates the existence of racism? These people may have a higher education than you. They may be more capable than you at doing the things they get paid to do. They may be in an industry with a higher average pay than the industry you are in. Does any of that negate or change the fact that they may still encounter racism? Does money somehow make it so racism can't affect you?
All of those are great examples of how little racism is impacting peoples ability to have a good and productive life. If REAL racism was running rampant then those people wouldn't even have the CHANCE to do any of those things.
If you ask an African American who makes millions of dollars making movies or playing sports and then ask a poor black man living in the ghetto about racism, their responses will probably be different. The poor man will probably blame other people for his misfortune, play the race card, and tell us how much whitey wants to hold him down. The rich person will likely talk about how they made the decision to better their life and not let anyone "hold them down" and actively sought to improve themselves.
