When we first saw this thread about a new training for the City of Seattle’s white employees we thought there was no way this could be real.
It’s exceptionally insane.
But nope, it’s real.
And holy crap:
The City of Seattle held a training session for white employees called “Interrupting Internalized Racial Superiority and Whiteness.”
So I did a public records request to find out exactly what this means. Let's go through it together in this thread. ?
— Christopher F. Rufo (@realchrisrufo) July 6, 2020
Gosh, we didn’t know we needed to interrupt our whiteness not to be racist.
Or something.
Is ‘whiteness’ like being a brunette? Or is it more of a DNA thing like being Irish?
So many questions, so many stupid answers.
First, diversity trainers informed white participants that "objectivity," "individualism," "intellectualization," and "comfort" are all vestiges of internalized racial oppression. pic.twitter.com/qrZwHZgx1H
— Christopher F. Rufo (@realchrisrufo) July 6, 2020
Better not be an objective, intellectual, comfortable perfectionist or you’re a big-time RACIST.
Who the Hell comes up with this crap?!
Sometimes both sides of the coin are "oppression."
Are white employees speaking too much? That's probably the internalized racial superiority of "imposition" or "paternalism."
Are white employees speaking too little? That's oppression, too, because "silence" is "violence."
— Christopher F. Rufo (@realchrisrufo) July 6, 2020
Recommended
In other words, white people are racist for being white.
What's next?
The City of Seattle diversity trainers encourage white employees to "practice self-talk that affirms [their] complicity in racism" and work on "undoing your own whiteness." pic.twitter.com/CJxNEcIeh2
— Christopher F. Rufo (@realchrisrufo) July 6, 2020
This.
Is.
Unbelievable.
No, wait. You know what? It’s all TOO believable.
What happens after the thought exercises? It's time to DO THE WORK.
The trainers ask white employees to "let go" of "comfort," "guaranteed physical safety," "control over the land," "social status," and "relationships with some other white people." pic.twitter.com/sRZf8gA6Go
— Christopher F. Rufo (@realchrisrufo) July 6, 2020
Ditch your white friends and go down dark alleys to prove you’re not a racist.
Man, this is stupid. Like stupid people would walk by this training and say, ‘Damn, this is stupid.’
Then they go through a flow chart that outlines how white people "cause harm to POC," "show up small and inauthentic," and are unable to access their "humanity." pic.twitter.com/jcJppWXe0k
— Christopher F. Rufo (@realchrisrufo) July 6, 2020
Nope.
We got nothin’.
In case some people are wondering if they're "really white," they pass out a datasheet called "Assimilation into Whiteness."
Are you of Arab, Jewish, Finnish, German, Italian, Armenian or Irish descent? You're definitely white. No getting out of this. pic.twitter.com/mqsCUB9Ijr
— Christopher F. Rufo (@realchrisrufo) July 6, 2020
HA HA HA HA HA H HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA *breathes* HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAAAaaaa …
As @DrKarlynB first reported, the invitation for this training was strictly segregated to "white City employees."
The goal is to teach them how they have "complicity in the system of white supremacy" and must be held "accountable to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color." pic.twitter.com/kPbppFYDtM
— Christopher F. Rufo (@realchrisrufo) July 6, 2020
We’re not experts or anything but isn’t it racist just to invite white people?
How do you know when you've successfully "interrupted your whiteness"?
–When you "implicate yourself" in racism.
–When "other white people may be angry."
–When you have stopped your "white normative behavior." pic.twitter.com/7Pv5FvRxm1— Christopher F. Rufo (@realchrisrufo) July 6, 2020
White normative behavior.
K.
As @ConceptualJames and others have shown, the new cultural revolution is being fought via corporate HR, city diversity training, and public school curriculums.
When you find something like this in your community, expose it, criticize it, mock it, and reject it. /End
— Christopher F. Rufo (@realchrisrufo) July 6, 2020
And they wonder why their communities are falling apart.
Wow.
Good luck telling my Italian father in law he’s white.
— Eric (@elane1013) July 7, 2020
This explains a lot about the youth of today.
— Shannon Lacey (@ShannonELacey) July 7, 2020
Scary stuff, right?
This is flipping crazy… Thank you for investigating this.
— Melanie (@melanie_lech) July 7, 2020
Holy shit ??
— renee (@renee65115961) July 7, 2020
We had a similar reaction.
***
Related:
Join the conversation as a VIP Member