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185 reviews for:
How to Be Less Stupid about Race: On Racism, White Supremacy, and the Racial Divide
Crystal M. Fleming
4.36 AVERAGE
185 reviews for:
How to Be Less Stupid about Race: On Racism, White Supremacy, and the Racial Divide
Crystal M. Fleming
4.36 AVERAGE
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
I can't even begin to express how eye-opening this book was for me on so many levels. It is a hugely necessary read for as many readers as possible, and is one of the most comprehensive, well-researched, and meaningful books on the topic. The style in which it was written did sometimes pose more of a challenge in terms of absorption of information for me, but the majority is in an accessible/readable style, which I appreciated.
Fleming combines history, politics, social justice, and frank talk to address race in the USA. If you are frustrated by the current political conversations and policies, or are trying to figure out what to say to that person in your life who makes offensive jokes, you will find this both accessible and thought-provoking.
"Everyone has an opinion about race, but 99% of the population has never studied it."
I went into this read thinking it'd be a repeat (and reinforcing) of many of the other books I've been reading on race but alas! it twas not! Well, it was somewhat, but I actually found myself newly challenged with information I was previously ignorant to and had my mind opened to entirely different branches of thought. This is to say it is exactly what I always hope to get out of these reads - I want to be pushed and made to question things I wasn't even aware I was thinking. Also, I laughed out loud quite a few times. She really pulls no punches and is not here to coddle you through this process of raising your racial consciousness. Really great stuff.
I went into this read thinking it'd be a repeat (and reinforcing) of many of the other books I've been reading on race but alas! it twas not! Well, it was somewhat, but I actually found myself newly challenged with information I was previously ignorant to and had my mind opened to entirely different branches of thought. This is to say it is exactly what I always hope to get out of these reads - I want to be pushed and made to question things I wasn't even aware I was thinking. Also, I laughed out loud quite a few times. She really pulls no punches and is not here to coddle you through this process of raising your racial consciousness. Really great stuff.
I’ve been trying to expand my knowledge on the subject of racism in America, and for me, this was my favorite book I’ve read on the subject yet. It’s possible that I liked this one even more that prior books because I read the prior books - as my knowledge grows, I’m getting more used to terms and concepts that were foreign to me when I began reading on the subject. That being said, I thought this was excellent - her takedown of the American political system was brilliant and made me want to stand up and clap. I also loved how she wrapped up with a blunt acknowledgment that things aren’t going to get better anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean you don’t try.
A must-read that illustrates how racism is often misrepresented and difficult to detect-unless you have the political and historical lens to identify it. It's a great intro to critical race theory and intersectionality. This book really helped me reflect on my own life and experiences (growing up as a brown girl in America.) It was very difficult, and I never knew how to describe why it was-not until I read this book that is. It was eye-opening and liberating. This book is not overly complicated or difficult to understand. That's why it is perfect for anyone wanting to learn more about race (with an intersectional perspective) but not sure where to start. If you have been eyeing this book, definitely pick it up!
I got this book hoping to be more enlightened on the subject of Racism. I really appreciated the time that the author took researching and explaining a lot of details. The amount of research that went into this book is incredible. I love that I learned the term "Anti-Racist", I didn't know that was a thing. My goal after this book is to be counted as an anti-racist. It is devastating that people of color make 13x less than white people. That kind of gap should never exist.
Anyone who wants to can ignore the rest of this because I was born privileged into the category of "White" in America. I am 1/2 Persian, 1/4 German, and 1/4 Scottish. In America, Middle Eastern counts as White. I would consider myself Middle Eastern if that was in the groupings but it is not.
I have 2 main problems with this book: 1. She assumes that everyone who voted for Trump is a racist. 2. She overuses the term "White Supremacist".
Trump is a megalomaniac. He will say and do anything that he thinks makes him look better. He is often a despicable person, including being a sexist, racist and others ists. A lot of people knew that when voting for him, but considering them all racist is ignoring so many other factors and the book completely ignores them.
When he was elected there were 2 of the 9 supreme court judges being replaced. For many Republicans, those 2 of 9 judges, with a lifetime appointment, have way more power than one president. Voting whoever was the Republican nominee was worth it, even if the nominee would never have been their first choice.
The other thing she and many people ignore was just how horrible the Democrat nominee was. Hillary Clinton and all those that associate with her have time and time again been proved to be a terrible people, Trump included. Her husband cheated on her while president. There is the list of people that have "commited suicide" if thay have bad connections to her. She stole the nomination from Sanders by taking control of the money of the Democat party and running it through the Clinton Foundation. Her brother Tony owns most of the GDP of Haiti and is keeping an entire country poor. She is just as despicable as Trump, she is just better at hiding it.
The confusing part of this book is her focus on "White Supremecy". She and I agree that there are horrible people that will do anything to keep themselves in power. Go read "The Family" or watch the docuseries on Netflix. The difference is that she dumbs down the category of authoritarian elitists to just be "White Supremacist". Then over and over in the text says they are doing more than just holding down people of color. They also misuse women and any other groups that they can take advantage of. She even says this group is willing to work with people of color and let them into their group, Barack Obama, as long as it keeps them rich and powerful. She needs a better name for this group. I think she chose "White Supremacist" because of a personal vendetta, which is understandable but does herself a disservice.
My problem with focusing on "White Supremacist" rather than anyone uses money and power to exploit others is that even if we fixed racism it would just shift the disparity onto another group. We already are blaming countries instead of races. Sexism is horrible. In India, there is the caste system that just as bad as racism but without color lines. I recommend that everyone read the section of the book "Sapiens" about racism. It is as enlightening as this book, but with less direct research.
There is too much hate in the world. It can't be solved by choosing a different group to hate. That might solve racism, but will cause another group to go through the same horrible situations. I liked the quote that I heard from Warren Buffet on why he gave half of his fortune to the Gates Foundation. I can't find the exact quote but it is close to this by Bill Gates, "If you believe that every life has equal value, it’s revolting to learn that some lives are seen as worth saving and others are not."
Anyone who wants to can ignore the rest of this because I was born privileged into the category of "White" in America. I am 1/2 Persian, 1/4 German, and 1/4 Scottish. In America, Middle Eastern counts as White. I would consider myself Middle Eastern if that was in the groupings but it is not.
I have 2 main problems with this book: 1. She assumes that everyone who voted for Trump is a racist. 2. She overuses the term "White Supremacist".
Trump is a megalomaniac. He will say and do anything that he thinks makes him look better. He is often a despicable person, including being a sexist, racist and others ists. A lot of people knew that when voting for him, but considering them all racist is ignoring so many other factors and the book completely ignores them.
When he was elected there were 2 of the 9 supreme court judges being replaced. For many Republicans, those 2 of 9 judges, with a lifetime appointment, have way more power than one president. Voting whoever was the Republican nominee was worth it, even if the nominee would never have been their first choice.
The other thing she and many people ignore was just how horrible the Democrat nominee was. Hillary Clinton and all those that associate with her have time and time again been proved to be a terrible people, Trump included. Her husband cheated on her while president. There is the list of people that have "commited suicide" if thay have bad connections to her. She stole the nomination from Sanders by taking control of the money of the Democat party and running it through the Clinton Foundation. Her brother Tony owns most of the GDP of Haiti and is keeping an entire country poor. She is just as despicable as Trump, she is just better at hiding it.
The confusing part of this book is her focus on "White Supremecy". She and I agree that there are horrible people that will do anything to keep themselves in power. Go read "The Family" or watch the docuseries on Netflix. The difference is that she dumbs down the category of authoritarian elitists to just be "White Supremacist". Then over and over in the text says they are doing more than just holding down people of color. They also misuse women and any other groups that they can take advantage of. She even says this group is willing to work with people of color and let them into their group, Barack Obama, as long as it keeps them rich and powerful. She needs a better name for this group. I think she chose "White Supremacist" because of a personal vendetta, which is understandable but does herself a disservice.
My problem with focusing on "White Supremacist" rather than anyone uses money and power to exploit others is that even if we fixed racism it would just shift the disparity onto another group. We already are blaming countries instead of races. Sexism is horrible. In India, there is the caste system that just as bad as racism but without color lines. I recommend that everyone read the section of the book "Sapiens" about racism. It is as enlightening as this book, but with less direct research.
There is too much hate in the world. It can't be solved by choosing a different group to hate. That might solve racism, but will cause another group to go through the same horrible situations. I liked the quote that I heard from Warren Buffet on why he gave half of his fortune to the Gates Foundation. I can't find the exact quote but it is close to this by Bill Gates, "If you believe that every life has equal value, it’s revolting to learn that some lives are seen as worth saving and others are not."
challenging
informative
fast-paced
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ rounded up to 5!
“We’re dealing with collective problems and institutionalized inequalities. In order to address these systemic forces, were going to need to become racially literate and become more comfortable telling unflattering truths s our our society. So, while education is not enough, it certainly has its place. Power structures must be disrupted in order to be changed, but, to paraphrase James Baldwin, we can only change those things we are willing to face.”
This book touches on a lot of important topics and I really loved the way Dr. Fleming didn’t sugarcoat anything, including the Obama administration. This book taught me a decent amount that I didn’t know historically but also made me stop to really reflect on my white reactions to some of the things she had to say.
“We’re dealing with collective problems and institutionalized inequalities. In order to address these systemic forces, were going to need to become racially literate and become more comfortable telling unflattering truths s our our society. So, while education is not enough, it certainly has its place. Power structures must be disrupted in order to be changed, but, to paraphrase James Baldwin, we can only change those things we are willing to face.”
This book touches on a lot of important topics and I really loved the way Dr. Fleming didn’t sugarcoat anything, including the Obama administration. This book taught me a decent amount that I didn’t know historically but also made me stop to really reflect on my white reactions to some of the things she had to say.
This book is the type of energy I want to bring to my anti racism work. As a white woman she challenged me to challenge racist friends, family, co workers and make people uncomfortable, because Black women are sick of calling people out.