This can’t be emphasized enough: history matters. History is especially important when making judgements about whether or not common terms like “cracker,” “white trash,” and “redneck” are “racist against white people.” That’s exactly what Franchesca Ramsey is doing in her new video with MTV News, proving that even terms that seem “racist” on the surface have deep histories in classism and white supremacy.

Ramsey is known for being funny and quick-witted. But, her Decoded series shows how simple, everyday experiences can carry deeply racist undertones. In this new video, she shows that terms that are typically used to stereotype white people actually aren’t racist because white people were the people who actually created the terms. Surprised? Probably not.

In the end, what this video shows is that calling something or someone racist without rooting that concern in historical context just muddies up any conversations which might be had about racial aggression and animus. It’s impossible for non-white people to be “racist against white people” and suggesting so is just a distraction.

Watch the video below:

Photo: YouTube Screenshot