One of the things I learned early on was that childlike behaviour was not limited to children. Really, it's been my experience that differences between children and adults are often overstated. This seems doubly true on the internet.

That makes talking about serious issues hard, because rational discussion requires that people act rationally. It's easy to be irrational online. And that's not even the biggest problem facing large discussions, especially when they're a discussions about problems, which might suggest that they require solutions. A single answer requires a single, uniform problem. A discussion as large as racism, which examines everything from the formation of the culture to individual attitudes within it, isn't going to have a neat solution or a bottom line. It can only be challenged through an awareness of the issues, and that awareness needs to be fostered through rational dialogue. Back to square 1.

I've wanted to contribute, but I've been hesitant to for a number of reasons. One of them I'll put forth here as a grain of salt, though ( be warned that it's a large one... )

TL;DR? Despite some things which might suggest otherwise, I do not speak from a position of authority. And I understand that the only way I can get a grasp on what's going on is by listening and accepting people's experiences as real and valid. And, perhaps most importantly, by recognizing that I have come from a background which has sheltered me, and that my personal experiences should not inform my opinions of others' experiences. I want others to recognize that in speaking my opinions, I can only speak for myself and my own experiences, which includes the experience of privilege. I am not and cannot be the spokesperson for any race. I'm just zis guy, you know?