You're not the first person to say this, and I hear you. But I disagree for a number of reasons.

First, because I’ve read each of the 400+ comments here and spent hours having conversations with many of the people who left them. Some are doing exactly what you suggest and when they do I take the opportunity to talk to them and set them straight (I actually think this is the real work and it’s work that most racism writers don’t do), but the overwhelming majority aren’t.

Second, because numerous black people (mostly in private messages sadly) have reached out to me to tell me that they see the same issues as I do but are uncomfortable saying so publicly (but there are plenty of black people in the comments too).

Third, because a number of people have seen themselves in this article and realised that they were just virtue signalling instead of trying to help the cause. Some have even gone on to write thougtful articles exploring better ways to help black people instead of their own egos.

And lastly because this isn't the first article I've written about racism and won't be the last. I've had countless conversations with people who want to dismiss racism or who are sick to death of the way it's being talked about. And when I do, I have long, frustrating conversations to put them on track. But the overwhelming majority of people aren't trying to dismiss racism at all. They just hate, as do I, the toxic way it's being talked about.

So while I understand your (completely valid) concern that some number of people will use writing like this to dismiss genuine anti racism, I think you’re missing the fact that the divisive, "white people are the devil", "microaggressions are everywhere" writing that’s become so common, and the "tablecloths are racist" writing about racism that is all over Medium is doing far more damage than I ever could.

Writing honestly about racism in the current climate is sadly a difficult line to walk. I wish it wasn’t. Some racism "writers" have gone so far off the deep end that saying anything reasonable stands out. I agonise over every piece I write, about how to make sure I'm not on the wrong side of that line. I have no doubt that I don't always get it perfectly right. Call me out when I don't. But if you think I'm in danger of deligitimising anti-racism, I think you're focusing in the wrong place.