11 Comments
Feb 16, 2022Liked by Free Black Thought

Dr. Mason cuts to the core.

The fiction of race comes from racism.

So incredibly easy.

If there could be a single test of someone’s commitment to an anti-racist world, it should be “do you believe in race”.

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Feb 16, 2022Liked by Free Black Thought

I only regret that I have but one Like to give for this piece. Will be re-reading many times. It’s so refreshing to see two people with two different perspectives explore what they see differently and why, but also forge some common ground, which is all the more clarifying for having been constructed together. If FBT ever starts a podcast (do!!), it would be great to watch you both discuss this more in real time. Thank you both so much!

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Wonderful conscientious clarity. Thank you, Dr. Mason.

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I am glad that you both at least agree on eliminativism

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Feb 17, 2022Liked by Free Black Thought

that was a truly excellent piece...

"Reality cannot be permanently or objectively ordered, and our attempts to do so often introduce more disorder" should be chiseled in stone on every building devoted to education or politics. It is a truly valuable lesson.

much thanks to the authors!

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Feb 24, 2022Liked by Free Black Thought

"In the United States, we often conflate race, ethnicity, and culture."

When this insight first struck me, it was indeed "like smoke clearing" from before my eyes, untangling all sorts of conundrums that had puzzled me. It was triggered by some long hard thinking about the work of Rudy Ray Moore, which might or might not be surprising.

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Feb 24, 2022·edited Feb 24, 2022Liked by Free Black Thought

Two people with differing and overlapping views having a reasonable discussion. I feel as if I've entered a beautiful alternative reality. If I've understood the concept of necro-being or non-being, the one thing I would say is that it doesn't allow for social persecution based on racism that is less extreme than that. My immigrant family was terrorized by a crazy racist who sling-shotted boulders through our windows on a regular basis, when I was a kid. I was also sexually abused as a 12 year old child. Neither of these experiences have made me a necro- or non-being. These days, as an adult, I am variously defined as white, white-passing, NOT-white, spicy white, and dirty white, depending on who is doing the naming. There are good reasons that I and my family members have been able to assimilate (and I don't see that as a bad thing) into our adopted society/nation, reasons that may have given us advantages for doing so over, say, an African American or Indigenous person. But for what it's worth, I have not been defined by racism or sexual abuse. I haven't ever internalized these as part of my identity. So... maybe we need some gradient terms to add to necro-being, terms that might embrace social reality for those who haven't been treated as abjectly as that. Most likely most of us don't fit the necro-being category. Thanks for you great article.

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Feb 16, 2022Liked by Free Black Thought

I hope I have time to read this again. Intuitively, at first glance, Professor Mason's philosophy resonates stronger than Professor Carter's. Probably because I don't quite understand his views.

It was on this very forum that I was overly- ..? I guess overly-enthusiastic when i said to the effect that, "I don't see why I can't be a black person." Granted, I got a long way to go. That much is certain.

Long-winded Way of saying Thank You both for the challenge to learn something new. VERY well "said," by both of You. TYTY. :)

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As I continue to follow Dr Mason, I'm beginning to wonder why this do any make sense to more people, especially here in the US, and the utility of incorporating it into western society. There's few people I rush to view when an article or video is realeased, but I crawl, climb, and scratch everything in my way to listen to what Dr Mason has to say. I am smitten by her brilliance, love, patience, integrity, and how absolutely concrete her resolve is.

Dr Carter is and has been one of my favorite people every since I "met" him on a podcast over a year ago, and I suspect he himself is unaware of the huge influence he's had on my personal journey.

This article did NOT fall short, anywhere. And, it was exactly what I was hoping for.

Thank you to both of you!

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that was intense and beautifully 'argued'

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