Read on Twitter
Much like guys who start talking about feminism, white people who start talking about racism can easily fall into the trap of thinking, "When I talk about this contentious topic, it's well-received! I must be a tough-topics-whisperer who can bridge this gap!"
One of the things I had to grapple years back was that I was much more likely to be received thoughtfully in those discussions because *I am a white guy.* Folks with a bunch of white supremacist and patriarchal baggage see me as *one of them*, not *the other*.
Sometimes that is useful, and it means that I can boost people or offer perspectives that a particular listener would dismiss out of hand. Or advocate for people *without being punished for it*.
But the danger of thinking, "Wow, I'm just *GOOD* at this!" is always there.
But the danger of thinking, "Wow, I'm just *GOOD* at this!" is always there.
Unexamined and unchecked, it inevitably leads to further marginalization, further othering, and further dismissal of the people with skin in the game because they’re “angry” and “not as effective and bridge building” and so on. It’s poison.
