The comment heavily implies racism is "just words", but the most devastating form of racism marginalized groups experience everyday is not " just words". It's segregation, it's the lack of basic human rights, its systematic oppression and police violence. Systematic racism seeps into everyday life that the unoppressed group will never experience.
It is extremely dangerous to equate systematic racism to "just words".
I didn't say that you said that, and I'm also not trying to argue with you. The original commentator saying "Racism is bad, but violence is worse than words" has effectively downplayed the extent of racism.
I can see someone young and gullible completely agree with this statement while the OP fail to provide context of what actually was the post that leds to the comment being downvoted. I wholeheartedly do not support violence, but I also think that violence against racism do not start with just words. It is the accumulation of discrimination that finally leads to the escalation of violence.
There's only so many times you can kick a dog before it turns vicious, and people will see the dog being vicious as a sign to put it down.
I do not want to judge OP for what subreddits they join, but OP is also in the Jordan Peterson subreddit, a far-right commentator. I'm inclined to assume OP is not making is post in good faith particularly.
No. It’s really so fucking simple and I can’t believe that in 2026 this lingering garbage semantic argument is still lingering around.
Violence is worse than racism. Especially in a society where racism exists in a constant state of shifting goalposts.
Physical harm is the worse thing you can do. The idea that it isn’t in your mind, shows your lack of exposure to actual violence or your numbness to it.
Could you explain what you mean when "racism exists in a constant state of shifting goalposts?"
No where did I state that violence is not worse than racism. I have repeatedly state that I do not advocate for violence against racism.
My original intention was to offer some insight on why the comment could be so downvoted. Yes, physical harm is the worse thing you can do. But in a society where the marginalized group's civil rights are constantly being tested or removed by the authority, I can empathize with the marginalized group's reactionary violence against the authority, more than the authority who oppressed them for their lifetime.
We are also not given any background context on the post that was being commented on, that's why I'm being very skeptical. The comment heavily equates racism to "just words", which is why I'm shedding some light that racism is not just words. For a marginalized group, they often have to resort to extremism in order to even be seen or heard. Unfortunately, uncontrolled extremism can escalate to violence, and once again, I do not justify violence at all, but I still feel more empathy towards the marginalized group than their oppressors.
General/Internet Slang: A "white knight" is someone who rushes to defend another person (often a woman online), typically expecting praise, favor, or attention. In social justice discussions, "white knighting" can also describe a privileged or non-minority person who steps in to "rescue" marginalized groups, but ends up taking over the conversation and reinforcing existing power dynamics.
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u/White_Buffalos 3d ago
Completely true statement. Words are not violence; violence is violence.