In a kind of backhanded way, this nebulous notion that “only X people can be racist” or “only the big oppressors can oppress” or “there’s only one big oppressor right now and it’s X” undercuts itself from the get-go.
> folks have a hard time divorcing their interpretations for a moment to hear someone out.
I think the key here is that in our current political landscape, "interpretation" and "hear someone out" don't really mean what they used to mean. Communication today is increasingly performative and less oriented towards synthesis and common understanding. In many of our recent political discussions, the topic hasn't been a specific policy or proposal, but a vague nebula of idea and mindsets that some would like people to adopt wholesale.
However many seem to have missed the news.