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For some reason, the mobile app I primarily use doesn't allow me to see this comment or our entire thread, so I had figured it was deleted or something. But I happen to be on desktop atm and here it is! Must've just been something with the app. I'll reply, but based on the vitriol in your comment, I think it makes sense that this be the end of our conversation anyway though.

In regards to your claim that I have said racism doesn't happen on an individual level, that is simply not true. It's possible I have not been explained my position clearly enough, but I am also running out of ways to explain it. Since our conversation is coming to a close, I think the best way to explain is for me to try and explain both our positions at once. Do let me know if I have misunderstood your position!

My position is that racism is the combination of prejudice, systemic oppression, and other social tools of oppression that work in tandem, which limits racism to being used as an in-group against and out-group and not the other way around. An in-group individual can be prejudiced against an out-group individual, and it is racist because of the social/systemic dynamics in play. An out-group individual can be prejudiced against an in-group individual, but it is not racist because it does not include social and systemic oppression. It's my example of "an insult is not just an insult when that person is holding a gun." My understanding is that you believe this erases the in-group people's experience of prejudice, and that that is racist, in and of itself. My position is that your definition equates the two experiences when they are actually very, very different and is deeply invalidating of the experience of an out-group person for you to equate them.

Hopefully at the very least in this conversation, we have reached some understanding of our two positions! We don't have to agree, of course, but I believe it's important that we have these conversations and seek understanding above all. That's why I was disappointed to see your comment that felt like you actually were not engaging with me with the goal of mutual understanding. If we all stand too firmly in our perspectives, we will never see others' and can't ever learn.

That gets to my last point actually. I don't consider myself lucky that you have been polite up until this point; I consider respect the expectation. That's why I think our discussion should end at this point. When conflict turns to insults and hateful speech, we are no longer in healthy conflict; we are now just in a fight and not working towards understanding or resolution. It's funny because we both basically have the same position, if my summary of our positions above is correct; we're just on opposite sides. You think I'm invalidating certain experiences by excluding them; I think you're invalidating certain experiences by including them. So since you think that I am scum, a cockroach, etc., I expect that you believe I should think the same of you. But I don't. It's clear that care a lot about this issue, enough to spend time with a stranger discussing it to share your perspective. I appreciate you sharing your perspective on this, and I don't think you should sell yourself short on your intelligence, mate.

Thanks again for the conversation up until the insults, and take care of you!