Maybe you had expedient intentions,but the best intentions aren’t a free pass to be insensitive, ignorant or offensiveIt starts like this: in a conversation, and in an email,in a private Facebook message or tagged in a Facebook thread, a white friend or acquaintance lays out a scenario for me, and seeking a supposedly neutral party’s opinion. The person explains what they innocently said,who responded, how his or her intent was misinterpreted and then waits for me to repeat it how I see it. I’m expedient at explaining things in a way that’s not too aggressive, or they say; I’m thoughtful; I don’t jump to conclusions or take things the wrong way; I’m “articulate.”What these friends always want is my public absolution,as a black person on behalf of all black people: they want to be told they aren’t really racist. Its a power they must judge is only accorded people like me – the power of approval, the ability to somehow forgive them for sins past and present.
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Source: theguardian.com