I’m Not A Racist!
Every day, we all encounter people who do and say racist things but insist they are not racist. They point to their “one” black or Latino friend as evidence of their non-racism and follow that up by saying something extremely racist. When people who belong to oppressed groups object and try to stop them and point out the racism, it is often those people who are subsequently accused of being racist and playing the “race card.”
The stance of accusing critics of racist behavior as being the real “racists” has become popular as of late. Often, the sentiment is echoed by people who have never had to deal with racism as a problem in their own lives. They would prefer everyone act as if they are “colorblind” and simply shut up about it so that they can go back to pretending that racism is a problem that was solved.
Pointing out that racism exists and going so far as to differentiate “racism” from “prejudice” is, in the minds of many people, understood to be racist on its own terms; just some some PC liberal bull*#&t used to make white people feel bad. In their minds, blatant racism is a problem of days gone by. If it exists at all now, it’s “racism-light.” Or so the thinking goes.
As you can seee, racial meaning and understanding – the very words and concepts that we use to talk about racism – can be confusing and even upsetting to many people, who conflate them with other words like prejudice, bigotry, and ignorance. Some people prefer to keep things simple: they understand racism as one group not liking another group or using bad words to describe members of those groups (i.e. N-word or “wetbacks”). They may think people should just stick with “their own kind.” This is where we find the terms “racist” and “prejudiced” used in ways that are thought to be interchangeable concepts. The sociological understanding, however, is that they are not.
Sociologists understand Racism as both a concept and lived experience; one that operates on both the micro individual/inter-personal and macro institutional levels.
We need a more varied and nuanced approach to understanding race, racism, and prejudice. That is to say, we need a more expanded vocabulary to order to acquire a conceptual grasp of how these issues are more complicated. In particular, the concept of “reverse-racism” is far more complex than many would acknowledge.
Lastly, we cannot reduce our understanding of these issues, where we indulge in oversimplifications like competing “sides.” As in, “there are two sides to the argument.” There are not. That’s merely an indicator of someone wanting to make hard things simple so they can uderstand better, but it puts the issue in question squarely in the crosshairs of a classic “conflict” paradigm, which is a way of setting ideas into competition, rather than aiming to understand complexity.
So let’s take a closer look at these sociological concepts and how they operate.
Opinion Research on Race and Racism
Pew Research is one of the more prolific and respected non-partisan research organizations in the world. In a recent polling from a study called Race in America 2020, they found the following:
Most white people in America think we talk about race too much.
Most white people don’t think that being white has helped them get ahead in life.
50 percent of white people say that being white has neither helped or hurt their chances of getting ahead and another 5 percent say being white has held them back. In fact, only 27 percent of whites would even admit that being white helps a little and another 18 percent say being white has helped them a lot (put another way, there are twice as many whites who believe in reverse racism than there are who believe in regular racism).
Most white people don’t believe that voter suppression or hiring discrimination affects black people.
Reverse Racism Is Not Real. No, Really. It’s Not
In light of the above, the “reverse racism” card is clearly a hot topic. The data contained in the Pew Study document that a lot of white people in the U.S. in particular believe that they (not blacks) are the major victims of racism; that black people play the “race card” against them to gain unfair advantages.
As Zeba Blay argues, the “reverse racism” card is often pulled by white people when people of color call out racism and discrimination, or create spaces for themselves (think BET or the African American student organizations on a college campus) that white people aren’t a part of.
The impulse behind the reverse racism argument seems to be a desire to prove that people of color don’t have it that bad; that they are not the only ones put at a disadvantage or targeted because of their race. It’s like the Racism Olympics. And it’s patently untrue (Blay, 2017).
It really all comes down to semantics. At some point, the actual meaning of “racism” got mixed up with other aspects of racism ― prejudice, bigotry, ignorance, and so on. It’s true: White people can experience prejudice from black people and other non-whites. Black people can have ignorant, backward ideas about white people, as well as other non-white races. No one is trying to deny that. But the term “racism,” particularly as it is used and understood by scholars and civil rights activists, is far more complex (Blay, 2017).
I’m Not Racist, but……
Starting a sentence like this: “I’m not racist, but…” [Laughs]. I think the minute you try to pretend, especially as a White person in this country, you try to pretend like you’re not actually benefitting from racism and White supremacy, the minute you try to except yourself from that, you’re leaning into racism (W. Kamau Bell, 2016).
Who Can Be Racist?
In this clip from the film “Dear White People,” two of the black characters clash over who is/cannot be racist.
Basic Definitions
One thing that scholars and professors who teach about race and racism already know is that to do so is an act of courage. Many of us are told we are racist and that we hate white people. What many of these people fail to understand is that we study systemic racism – race as a social system – not individual prejudice. With that, some basic definitions are in order:
Racism – Race scholars Howard Winant and Michael Omi define racism as a way of representing or describing race that “creates or reproduces structures of domination based on essentialist categories of race.” Power is a necessary precondition for racism, as it depends on the ability to give or withhold social benefits, facilities, services, opportunities etc., from someone who should be entitled to them, and are denied on the basis of race, color, or national origin. Part of that power, is an underlying assumption that structurally advantaged people are the only ones who get to determine and say what is/is not racist.
Racism can be enacted institutionally or expressed by individuals; though the social science view is to understand racism as it is articulated through over-arching frameworks of power.
Prejudice – simply put, it is a pre-judgment. One can hold a prejudiced thought in their head without acting on it (discriminating).
Discrimination – discrimination is more action-oriented than both prejudice and racism; is traditionally defined as “the ability or power to see or make fine distinctions” or “treatment or consideration based on class or category rather than individual merit.” Racial discrimination means one purposively acts in such a manner as to treat differently a person or group of people based on their racial origins.
As Blay explains, “we don’t live in a society where every racial group has equal power, status, and opportunity. White people have never been enslaved, colonized, or forced to segregate. They do not face housing or job discrimination, police brutality, poverty, or incarceration at the same levels that black and brown people do.
NOTE: this is not to say that white people do not experience some of these things (like poverty and police brutality). They may experience them, but not on the same scale — not even close. That’s how racism works” (Blay, 2017).
Racism is thus more complex than mere prejudice and discrimination – racism is a system in which a dominant race benefits from the oppression of others — whether they want to or not; whether they see and acknowledge that they benefit…or not.
Racism is an expressed structure of domination that is defined on the basis of race. Racism makes the assumption that there is an implied natural order of things – a racial social hierarchy. Racism implies, for example, that black people are inferior to white people and, in the minds of many, they are inferior to people of other races too. The terms “racism” and “racist” reflect and reproduce a hierarchy of racial categories and peoples, where black people are often placed at the bottom of this hierarchy. Because of this, racism does not operate in the same was as simple prejudice.
Put another way, the social science view of racism is that it is always praticed from a position of power in society; one must have access to that power in order to act racist.
Local Spotlight – The Case of Wendy Bell
Wendy Bell, an anchorwoman at Pittsburgh’s WTAE-TVwas fired after she published a post on Facebook that people decried as racist and at the very least racially insensitive. Her comments were prompted in response to a neighborhood picnic shooting, which occurred in a traditionally poor black area of Pittsburgh.
When the dust up originally occured, many people came out to defend her, stating that her comments were not really racist. The problem, instead was attributed to “interpretation” and “intention.” Bell didn’t intend to be racist; it was only overly sensitive “PC” people who saw it as racist. Bell’s supporters insisted that what she said wasn’t racist at all; that all she was doing was commenting on “black on black” crime…she wasn’t expressing “hate”…. she was just being honest and “telling it like it is.”
This is the post that ignited the controversey:
“You needn’t be a criminal profiler to draw a mental sketch of the killers who broke so many hearts two weeks ago Wednesday. … They are young black men, likely in their teens or in their early 20s. They have multiple siblings from multiple fathers and their mothers work multiple jobs. These boys have been in the system before. They’ve grown up there. They know the police. They’ve been arrested.”
Bell also cited an example of a thing that gave her “hope”–a young black man who did not appear to be a criminal:
“But there is HOPE. and Joe and I caught a glimpse of it Saturday night. A young, African American teen hustling like nobody’s business at a restaurant we took the boys to over at the Southside Works. This child stacked heavy glass glasses 10 high and carried three teetering towers of them in one hand with plates piled high in the other. He wiped off the tables. Tended to the chairs. Got down on his hands and knees to pick up the scraps that had fallen to the floor. And he did all this with a rhythm like a dancer with a satisfied smile on his face. And I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He’s going to Make it.”
The most interesting thing about Bell’s statements is how they don’t sound racist to a lot of people. Yet they are racist. Here is why:
As a television news personality, Bell has a public platform and access to a large audience; she operated as the public face of a powerful radio-televison communication network.
Statements like the kind made by Bell are often made by people who think of themselves as “good people” – the kind of people who are not N-word racists – even though they they often say and do things that are extremely racist.
Her words in this instance represent a form of “soft racism,” which is more powerful (and arguably more dangerous) because it’s not overt and blatant. Bell is assumed to have “good intentions” and so people are prone to overlook her behavior; they write off her critics as being “overly sensitive” or “PC.”
Many people don’t recongnize thoughts and behavior articulated this way as racist because there appears to be no malice intended. Others avoid discussion of the topic altogether and want to move past it because they are too uncomfortable to confront and talk about racism.
The Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations
Another example comes time mind when people compliment a black or ethnic person on how “articulate” they are….or when they congratulate an ethnic-looking person (especially one who was born here) on how well they speak English.
Being surprised or “hopeful” about a black person just going about their business, doing their job, speaking in whole sentences, sounding “educated,” or simply complimenting them for not being a criminal is both insulting and racist. Anyone who does this is engaging in a form of bigotry, where the back-hand compliment implies that one really expected the exact opposite from the person.
But I Didn’t Mean to be Racist
The same holds true when people explain away their racism by stating that they didn’t mean to be racist; that they were simply calling attention to long-standing social patterns and stereotypes. This is what happens when people, especially police, engage in racial profiling. Criminally profiling a particular racial/ethnic group is a practice that is racist at its core, though it often appeals to science to make it more acceptable.
Recall now how the study of modern criminology was initiated by a Northern Italian man – Cesare Lombroso. He dedicated his life’s work to proving that Southern Italians were “born criminals.” How did he know they were criminals? Well, obvi….was due to their physical characteristics….and the fact that he believed they were part black. In this instance, the Italian government paid him well for his work – because they wanted a “scientific” reason to rationalize their dislike of Southern Italians. Appeals to science, in this case, and others, let racists off the hook for saying racist things while pointing to science to excuse bad behavior.
Here’s another visual example from social media in the Pittsburgh area (McKeesport, Pa). No doubt, it inspires laughter for those who see themselves as “in on the joke.” They probably see themselves as someone who is not “PC” – they are simply “telling it like it is.”
But I’m A Good Person
The reason a lot of people don’t always “see” racism is:
1) they have been taught not to see it – to profess “colorblindness”; and
2) they believe that in order to be “racist” one must harbor or have a hateful racist intent.
In other words, if they don’t hate people or didn’t “intend” to be racist, then they should be held blameless for being racist. So, unless someone comes right out and says “I hate black people” or “I hate beaners” – both clear examples of racism – they don’t see how anything that comes up short of this can be considered racist.
Put another way, racism implies that one is “being a bad person” and most people typically like to think of themselves as “good people” with “good hearts” who don’t intend to harm other people with their non PC comments.
The fact is, you can be racist, or prejudiced, or say something that is racist without being explicitly “hateful.” You can even have a black friend and be a racist; it’s far better to acknowledge that you might be a little bit racist and that you might inadvertantly be upholding racist social structers. A better approach would be to acknowledge complicity and work on changing things. This would have a far greater and more beneficical social impact than are efforts to continue to deny and/or stand on a soapbox and insist that you are not racist, because you see yourself as a “good person.”
In reality, there’s no such thing as a “good person” – we all have flaws, and we can all hurt people even if we don’t explicitly intend to. If you walk into someone by mistake, you apologize–you don’t scream at them “I’m a good person and therefore I couldn’t have hurt you!” Better to say you are sorry and be more careful next time.
And definitely, don’t try to “whitesplain” race to non-white people. A good rule of thumb when someone who is not white tells you something is racist is for you to take a step back and simply listen to them.
Resist the urge to explain why something is not racist because it doesn’t occur to you, as someone who has not lived this history, that it might be racist.
The Silent Majority
For a lot of undeclared racists, it’s important for them to pretend there is a “silent majority” of people backing up their worldview. “The Silent Majority” in this case consists of large numbers of who hold extremely socially conservative views that are not always but are often racist, even if they manage to never talk about or mention those views to anyone.
The term “silent majority” was originally popularized by U.S President Richard Nixon in a November 3, 1969, speech in which he said, “And so tonight—to you, the great silent majority of my fellow Americans, I ask for your support.” Nixon along with many others saw an opportunity to capitalize on the racist beliefs of this amorphous group that they identified as a silent majority of “Middle Americans” (aka white people). These were people who, during the 1960’s and 70’s, saw their dominant views challenged; they were de-centered and move off of the center stage, as the media began to pay attention to more marginalized groups (blacks, women). This vocal minority, it was believed, was getting out of line, as they were no longer content to stay in their place. The “silent majority” didn’t like that.
So what’s the point? Why argue now for the revival of the silent majority, as has been done recently in our contemporary politics. It’s as if by implying that there is a group of Americans who are being forcibly silenced (people who either don’t express their opinions in public or who are being actively censored), that this group’s terrible views about race and minority groups are very popular, even though they are not heard.
Common Arguments
One of the more surprising aspects of the “reverse racism” argument has to do with the way in which it reveals some people’s deep need to deny the idea of having any privilege. It’s as if having a tough time in life is a contest – a zero sum game – that to acknowledge the suffering of others means that one loses the ability to claim that they too have suffered.
Rather than acknowledge the realities of how people of color are forced to deal with racism, white racists prefer to engage in a game of mental gymnastics as a means to justify the injustices that oppressed groups are forced to confront (i.e. if you had just listened to the police officer he wouldn’t have shot you in the back).
Here are some typical arguments. Let’s see if any look familiar:
I Don’t See Race. I Only See the Human Race
This is the classic “colorblind” racism argument. In this instance, even though it might sound revolutionary, the so-called color-blindness is part of the problem. Not “seeing race” is simply a lazy coded phrase for deliberately ignoring the lingering elements of racism that actually need to be fixed. This reinforces the privilege that many people have, given how they can go about most aspects of their life bypassing the negative effects of racism.
Talking about Issues in Terms of ‘White People’ and ‘White Privilege’ is Reverse Racism
Okay, so we already covered this – “reverse racism” is not a thing. It doesn’t exist. Doubtless, it’s no secret that it is possible for a person of color to be prejudiced against whites. Sometimes, the attitude develops over time because their experience with racism has drawn them to the conclusion that no “good” white people exist in the world. The prejudicial attitude itself, however, doesn’t come with an entire system of benefits and institutional power behind it, which is what is afforded to whites when they express and engage in racist practices. That’s the difference between racism and prejudice – because racism at its root is about white supremacy.
Affirmative Action Takes Jobs & Scholarships Away from Qualified White People (from Blay)
The affirmative action debate has been raging for decades, with many people arguing that it’s a prime example of reverse racism. They believe deserving white students are discriminated against while academically unqualified students are given highly coveted seats in college or company positions — just because they happen to tick the “racial or ethnic minority” box. This argument ignores the fact that affirmative action, as a policy remedy, did not come out of just anywhere — there was a need for systematized practices that would work to undo and actively address the decades of underrepresentation that people of color have experienced academically and in the world of employment.
Affirmative action does not favor people of color over whites; it ensures that they are considered equally. Even now, white college students are 40% more likely to get private scholarships than minorities, and although 62% of college students in America are white, these students receive 69% of all private scholarships. According to a 2003 study, someone with a “white-sounding” name is 50% more likely to get a job call back than a person with an “ethnic” sounding name. Affirmative action doesn’t take anything away from anyone. It merely helps level the playing field.
Black-on-white crime is proof that black people just hate all whites! (Blay)
When conversations about police brutality or hate crimes come up, there are some racists who are quick to point out the rate of black-on-white crime, and argue that these instances are racially motivated attacks against white people ― in other words, hate crimes. It’s simply not true. [they do the same thing with “black-on black” crime to pathologize black people].
According to the FBI’s most recent 2011 study on homicide, 83 percent of white murder victims were killed by fellow whites, while only 14 percent of white victims were murdered by blacks. But beyond numbers, black-on-white crime is a social problem ― it isn’t systemic. More than 1oo unarmed black people were killed by police in 2014. Guilty or not, this number of deaths in comparison to how many white people were killed is staggering.
You’re Racist for Making Race an Issue
More often than not, when a person of color brings up racism, chances are there’s something problematic happening. It’d be naive to assume that people of color simply exist as opportunists who pounce on any single chance to make a big deal about racism. If you’re tired of hearing about racism, imagine how tired people of color are from having to live surrounded by racism in the first place?
Stop Attacking Me for Having Privileges (because I’m white). It’s Racist and Hurtful
When people critique racism and white privilege in America, they’re speaking generally about a system and not the individual.
Why Should [people of color] Get Special Rights Just Because They Aren’t White? I Have Problems Too.
To have problems in life is an inherent part of the human condition. But it takes humility, grace and empathy to take the time and space for reflection and self-examination to truly understand that some of us have it much better than others—despite our often half-hearted efforts to ensure equal opportunities for everyone, especially blacks and people of color. Yes, whites can be poor, or female, or LGBT, or immigrants, or have white skin but actually be multi-ethnic, the list goes on. That’s why intersectionality matters, and it includes an interrogation of racial privilege.
White Culture Can Be Appropriated, Too (Blay)
Scholars and journalists have written about why it’s problematic for white women to wear black hairstyles. This work, of course, prompted some people to respond by saying, “Well, what about black women straightening their hair or dyeing their hair blonde?” First of all — there are, gasp, black people in the world with naturally blonde hair and blue eyes. But that’s beside the point. The need to flip the script when it comes to cultural appropriation is wrong because it willfully removes context and history from the equation. Black people conforming to white or Western standards of beauty is the product of a need to survive in a society in which wearing hair in its natural state can cost black men and women their jobs and even their educations.
“So is it appropriation if black people use math or fly in airplanes?” No. Aspects of modern civilization are not hallmarks of white culture, and anyone who thinks they are has a skewed vision of the world.
BET, Black Girls Rock and Black History Month Exclude White People – That’s Racist (Blay)
Things like Black History Month, BET, and Black Girls Rock are not “reverse racist” against white people, they’re not examples of a double standard in which White History Month, The White Entertainment Channel, and White Girls Rock would be considered offensive. “Why isn’t there a White History Month?” you ask? To repeat a very true cliché — all history is white history. Most black children in America will learn they are descended from slaves before they learn they are descended from ancient African civilizations.
These institutions are created out of necessity, and the argument that they should not exist speaks to the pervasiveness of white privilege. Donald Trump actually took issue with he show “Black-ish,” complaining that the show was racist because, “Can you imagine the furor of a show, “Whiteish”! Racism at the highest level?” Yes, Mr. Trump, one of the few black family sitcoms on TV, produced and written by a black person, playfully dismantling racial stereotypes and striving to include everyone in the conversation, is “racism at its highest level.” Or maybe it’s just long overdue?
#ALL LIVES MATTER – Because #BLACK LIVES MATTER is Racist
Activists for #BlackLivesMatter are trying to focus on the broader system of White supremacy, inequality, police brutality – and let’s face it police “immunity” from prosecution – that leads to countless numbers of senseless murders by police every year. The vast majority of police killings hardly register a blip on the media radar, let alone lead to a protest. Consequently, calling attention to unfair treatment and “murder” is not racist. The institutionalized system of organized legal violence in law enforcement that normalizes murder of the citizenry under the guise of acceptable policing practice is racist.
In a classic “split the difference” move, the #AllLivesMatter activists (and hashtag) are trying to eliminate the stark differences represented by the BlackLivesMatter group in one fell swoop. It is worth noting that while this type of thinking may be oversimplified, its design appeals to people who looking for exactly that – they want to remove nuance and contradiction from the conversation, proposing instead a simple solution for a complex problem. Unfortunately, this type of reasoning reflects more on the people making this argument than it does say anything about the actual issue at hand. #AllLivesMatter is merely saying “shut up and deal with it.”
Why Do They Get To Use The N-Word And We Don’t? – That’s Racist!
The n-word, a term popularized by white Americans during the era of African enslavement, encapsulates a wide swath of disturbing racial prejudices, like the idea that black people are savage, dangerous brutes prone to criminality; that they lack morals and are compulsively hyper-sexual; and that they are stupid and lazy. The wide-sweeping and deeply detrimental implications of this term, and the prejudices it reflects and reproduces make it vastly different from, for example, insulting a blond for being dumb. The n-word was used historically and is still used today to cast black people as second class citizens who do not deserve, or who have not earned, the same rights and privileges enjoyed by others in American society. This makes it racist, and not simply prejudiced, as defined by sociologists.
In recent years, black artists (particularly music artists) have come under fire for their appropriation and use of the term, which many justify as a form of empowerment to “take back” the word and use it as they deem appropriate. Nevertheless, white youths, statistically the largest consumers of hip-hop, then felt that they too could use the word among themselves with black and white peers, even though many black youths are indeed offended by [whites using the n-word]. And if blacks and whites are together and a white person uses the word, many blacks are ready to fight.
So the word doubtless comes laden with complicated and contradictory emotional responses to it. It’s very confusing to people, particularly when nobody has really talked about the history of the word in terms of American history, language, performance, and identity. Neal A. Lester, dean of humanities and former chair of the English department at Arizona State University, recognized that the complexity of the n-word’s evolution demanded greater critical attention. In 2008, he taught the first ever college-level class designed to explore the word. Lester said the subject fascinated him precisely because he didn’t understand its layered complexities.
Black People Are the Biggest Racists!
Fordham Professor of African American Studies Mark Naison says that when somebody tells you black people are the biggest racists, respond by saying: “To me, that’s a case of the pot calling the kettle white!”
Don’t Tell Me Black People Cannot Be Racist. Saying They Can Be “Prejudiced” But Not Racist is Ridiculous. Racism Is Not A “System”
This is like arguing “Reality is what I say it is because I say so! Santa Clause is real! The Easter Bunny DOES exis!.”
Sources
Elements of this post are excerpted from two articles:
“‘4 Reverse Racism’ Myths That Need To Stop,” by Zeba Blay. Last accessed March 2016.
9 Clueless Things White People Say When Confronted With Racism, by Derrick Clifton. Last accessed May 2016.
Additional Sources
Pew Report: Race in America 2019
“White People Still Tripping,” by Michael Harriot, The Root, April 9, 2019.
Discussion Questions
Do you find it difficult to talk about issues in connection with race?
Has anyone ever accused you of being “racist” and if so how did that make you feel?
What is the difference between institutionalized racism and inter-personal racist behavior?
How have you seen people behave in ways that are racist, particularly when those people don’t think they are being racist?
Do you ever feel tired when it comes to talking about race issues? At what moments do you find you most fatigued?
Have you ever been told (or told someone) to shut up about racism?
After reading the first paragraph about how people try to use the excuse of them not being racist by simply explaining how they have a Black or Hispanic friend just took me back to ELEMENTARY school. There was a time back in 3rd grade where i witnessed a white kid in my class use that statement and i can remember not really understanding back then at age 8; how basically sad it was for him to say that. In a way im not sure she even understood back then either but then again i dont know. She did have friends who were black but she did treat them a little different than her white friends. when i heard that statement back then i thought it made sense but once i got older and really learned and understood racism i now know the problem.
As far as the colorblind situation, that is something i find disrespectful even though the people who use the term think they are saying something good; its not good at all. In my opinion, trying to imply that you don’t see race is rude because for one we are all different and want equal respect when it comes to people acknowledging our race. People who use that term basically believe that racial privilege no longer exists when NEWS FLASH… it still does and its 2020.
For me I truly don’t understand how black people can be prejudiced while white people are racist? Being racist has been set up by a long standing system benefiting white people and demoralizing blacks, while this does make sense, it just seems to have so many similarities and examples that have blurred lines and cross over one another. As being a white female this whole article exhausted me reading. While I do agree with the overall article it seems that white people are being specifically targeted in ways for being “racist.” I think the issue I have is we abolished slavery in 1865, and have made MASSIVE improvements. Of course there is still a long way to go and improve, but America and white people acknowledged what they did was wrong. We learn about slavery in school, we talk about racism in school, and all over the U.S there has been outcry for black lives. I truly support every cause and want equal opportunity for everybody. However, I feel like white people can never say anything right therefore they don’t like talking about it or deny its their. Even though we have improved in some ways we still lack in other areas. I feel like (some) white people are genuinely trying to change their ways of thinking such as “color blindness.” In theory, denying someones race isn’t right because it is a fundamental part of them, but it is an effort to try and change a way of thinking that has been engraved for over 200 years. I think changes do need to be made but a key part of that is white people. White people control a mass majority of the U.S so they need support from them, especially law makers. Personally I feel like we judge white people harshly, especially for racism. When you try and make a change and it’s still not good enough, why would someone want to openly talk about it? I feel like by saying someone is wrong for thinking a certain way automatically shuts down a conversation. Instead of saying “you’re being racist”, I think it would be better to ask why they think that, and have an open conversation that can be life changing. Slavery has ended, and we have acknowledged their needs to be changes made. For me, it overwhelms me because it seems white people can never be right with what they say, so I choose not to talk about it openly. In a perfect world, white people and black people of all classes would sit down and challenge each others thinking, make new policies, and try to make a mends. I feel like by talking about it does open up the possibilities for learning, but it seems both parties blame each other and it goes in circles.Overall, this article is eye opening, but overwhelms me because I do realize there is racism but I feel like there is no perfect situation for anyone.
Racism is boring! There are so many other ways to be discriminatory,, obnoxious, and just downright ignorant. Most of us have been a victim of racism in one form or another. Just look at the obvious differences in the human race as a whole and realize that in a perfect world there would be no reason to dislike one another since most of US have been gifted with eyes, nose, ears, & a mouth attached to a head with a very important organ ( a brain ), which can be used constructively by the owner providing it had a fair start to begin with. I’m tired of racism, and unfortunately it seems as if its here to stay.
Institutionalized racism is said to be more severely structured by the society as it involves a systematic manner. It consists of the institutionalized practices such as law enforcements that promote policies favoring certain groups while discriminating against others. In the health care industry, it involves how people of color suffer seriously due to inadequate healthcare facilities. Another example could be the educational system. It is when the minority students get assigned into a special education program even though they are not really physically or mentally disabled.
Racist behavior, on the other hand, involves the direct or indirect racially hostile acts of an individual or organization. It occurs in the form of minor slurs as well as highly offensive insults. It is motivated by a set of racial frames such as ideas, beliefs (thinking certain groups are superior while others are inferior due to racial differences), stereotypes, narratives, emotions and images. For example, the past action of KKK bombing an African-American Church can be considered as one of the extreme racist behaviors. Other examples of minor racist behavior may include inclinations of others to behave in a racist manner, using propaganda like racist symbols.
Most of us like to believe, that we are living in a democratic society; where individuals are being treated equally despite race, culture or ethnicity. In reality, this is far from the truth. On one hand, the system discriminates against minorities in legal ways. Statistically, many African American men are being disproportionately incarcerated. On the other, we have individuals such as Donald Trump, who are openly racist; and disturbingly enough for many of us, he has the audacity to run for the U.S. presidency. An even more disturbing fact is that he has many supporters. At this point, I believe that freedom, democracy and equality are just empty words; which politicians, and ordinary people like to exercise, in order to feel innocent.
I think that a big issue with the perception that talking about race continues the cycle of racism is that racism existed even when no one would dare to contest it. It doesn’t make any sense that suddenly not talking about it at all would help race relations or fix inequality, although the people in favor of this color blind discourse usually deny the existence of institutional racism. Talking about racism and inequality is the only way to begin fixing a system that has been proven to discriminate against minorities.
Institutionalized racism is when social or political groups practice prejudiced treatment based on racial differences. An example of this would be red lining or the confining of black residents to certain neighborhoods by real estate companies. Then people turn around and say that this is natural because black people only want to live around other black people and ignore the real problem completely. Another example is the creating of voting districts in a way to split up the minority vote. This is different from racist behavior which is any person to person racist encounter like calling an Asian person a derogatory term like ‘chink.’ People rarely deny the presence of racist behavior but accepting that they are part of a system that works to keep minorities poor and isolated makes many white people too uncomfortable to confront the real problems concerning race and inequality.
As a queer migrant person of color it took me years to understand that, yes racism still does exist and it is pretty alive and kicking. I have the privilege of being white-passing (as long as I don’t open my mouth) therefore i have to say that i was protected from the effects of racism since i identified as a heterosexual, middle class, white passing female. I saw race in the very neoliberal framework of “color-blindness” in which we all pull ourselves by our bootstraps and yes there were some strains of racism/sexism/classism but people just kept victimizing themselves, and we should get over it. It wasn’t until i began seeing and feeling in my life how the relationship to whiteness and my own internalized oppression, would come about in my work, friendships, standards of beauty, ideals, even love that i began doing research and uncovering how racism manifests in our everyday interactions and how white supremacy affects our existence with its supple ways of making us POC, black, brown, indigenous people feel worthless, powerless, weak, and angry. To the point that even when we are calling for accountability from white people and from racist institutions once again we have to engage in the emotional/physical labor of explaining our existence, our oppression, all while taking care of the “feelings” of the white supremacy.
It is exhausting work, we have to survive everyday, heal constantly from our own internalized and interpersonal oppression, and that is when the role of white allies comes in, I deeply appreciate white people calling out and explaining racism to white people, even though that is accepting that still we have to “bleach” our struggle in order to be considered and even more so, heard.
The idea that we live in the most diverse country in the world where everyone is guaranteed equal rights is meant to create a sense of security and comfort. However the reality is that we live in a country full of people like Wendy Bell. Individuals who believe that it is appropriate to say offensive things without recognizing that their words are offensive. Comments such as these are extremely racist yet Wendy Bell was under the impression that she was giving someone a compliment.
Racism is still very much a part of everyday life for many people. Just because we live in a world that has come a long way since 100 years ago, this does not mean that racism is dead or that people get to dismiss the topic of race by saying “oh I’m so tired of talking about it” because it is still an unresolved conflict that haunts so many Americans.
The recent Trump Cinco De Mayo post where he asserts how much he LOVES Hispanics made me think of this media module. It resonated to me in the same air as the common rebuttal of racists who say racist things and then go on to say “I’m not racist some of my best friends are black”. It’s the same resounding ignorance. Some think that Trump is not actually a racist, but is saying things that will incite followers from a weak and easily manipulated audience. It’s the same mentality as the news reporter in question, who thinks that her racially bias and completely subjective opinions are “just observations”, or these “the truth isn’t racist” tweeters attempts at masking blatant ignorance. But when people with the power of the media behind them are slinging these sound bites, whether they mean to be racist or not or believe that they are “speaking their truth” or “making observations”, the racists of the world use it as a pass to act out their racism because they’ve been given the green light by people who spew their rhetoric to anyone with a camera.
The difference between institutional racism and racist behavior is that instiutional racism is when social institutions like school, banks, courts, give unfair advantages to certain people based on their race. Racist behavior is when individuals act out their prejudices towards people. I get frustrated talking about race and things race related with my own best friend surprisingly. She’s from DR and refuses to think of herself a person of color. She has many prejudices and it can make things annoying. The most annoying time was when I told her she’s West Indian and we got into a argument.
A reminder of how deep is the legacy of colonialism -it retains its ranking and shaming power, so much that people feel compelled not acknowledge their own identity.
This piece calld to mind to first few pages of Coates’s Between the World and me where he talks about a news anchor showing him a picture of a white cop huggin a little black boy blah blah vlah amd asking how this picture could represent anything besides shiny white hope. Its just such a played out disappointomg narrative. And especially for individuals who work with kids, we have to exercise zero tolerance. Being a white person with a white family and working with predominantñy black and brown male children, my family and other white people i come assume im going to share their opinions and they love to tell me to relax, but if we want to support the next generation we CAN NOT toñerate even the most passive acts or remarks pf racism or sexism for that matter. No matter how many times folks accuses you of being ‘too sensitive.’
I have heard and seen people say predominately racist thins and then try to justify them by saying “It’s okay I can say these things, I’m not racist I have a black best friend/neighbor/girlfriend.” When in fact, this actually doesn’t justify anything and they’re still a terrible person. I feel that people have this false understanding that if they’re nice to people of color or have friends that are minorities that automatically draws out the conclusion that they can be racist of any kind because of association with someone of that group who’s being discriminated. Our friend Donald Trump has made the same bold statements about Muslims, ““Most [Muslims] are fabulous. And I have friends that are Muslims… But there is a problem with militancy, and it is something that is going to have to be solved.” That doesn’t solve anything and in my opinion is just an attempt to bring sympathy, similar to refrains antics about homosexuality. It does get frustrating talking about race especially when so many people deny that it’s an issue.
I have absolutely seen people behave in ways that are racist even when those people do not think that they are being racist. The case of Wendy Bell really hit home to me. I was having a conversation with a close friend, who is college aged and tends to be socially liberal, about racism. I was explaining that, for reasons that seem obvious but aren’t to an alarming number of people, you can’t make a blanket statement like “all black people are lazy”. He responded along the lines of, “Okay, but this one time I overheard a black guy say that he doesn’t need to do anything because of the government will take care of him”. What is so shocking about this is it means my friend, and Wendy Bell, honestly believe that you can only look at one specific person and apply their traits to an entire complex, diverse group of people.
To me, this leads to them truly believing that all non-white people are in the often times disadvantaged position they are in because they deserve it. It is completely absurd to take the actions of one individual, either positive or negative, and apply to an entire group of people. I don’t see this happening under any other circumstance either.
I think one of the reasons this happens is because it takes away from, in my case, my friend’s ability to achieve his own success. If he recognizes the reality of institutionalized racism, then he is forced to question the validity of his own means to success and acquiring everything he has. If he has a privileged position in society as a cisgender, straight, white man, then what did he achieve on his own merit? So I think, in addition to being afraid of being called a racist and being regarded as a “bad person” as well as the many other excuses, many people may say racism is false and that it doesn’t exist so they don’t have to call into question themselves. Not wanting to do this, they begin to proclaim “reverse racism” and nothing ever changes.
Institutionalized racism is the government’s method of establishing racial hierarchy in order for a particular race to succeed while limiting the opportunities of other races. Racist behavior,however; is a representation of agreement/blindness to the institutionalization of racism. As a biracial female (Black mom, Eastern European dad), I have been exposed to the effects of institutional racism, “light skin” privilege and racist behaviors.
The majority of my mom’s side of the family live in Saint Louis, Missouri, a city that intentionally separates races into completely different public atmospheres. When I was younger, my black cousins would constantly bully for me “speaking like a white girl”, at that age I was not aware that their notion of my speech derived from the fact that only 17% of black people are likely to receive a bachelor’s degree in this city. The public education in Saint Louis is either dominated of 83% minorities or 74% of whites. These kinds of segregation were certainly likely to influence my cousins’ ideas of the way I speak because they blindly associated speaking without an accent and using “big words” with being white. Essentially this reflects how bad funding must be in Saint Louis for urban based schools. Why did they believe big words equated to a white person’s behavior? What does this say about education in this region? Answer: It is flawed in order to benefit the white race which is key to understanding the way institutionalized racism functions.
My father refutes the notion of systematic racism believing that financial hardship and street violence is a part of one’s autonomy. The fact that he denies racism as being an institution sickens me , especially when his wife, my mom, hails from the sixth most segregated state in the U.S.A. Racism has a historical way of controlling the successes and violence within black communities. Imagine in Saint Louis, after my cousin was arrested for possession of crack, he was not able to vote nor even obtain federal assistance! How do such forms of disenfranchisement allow a black man to ever have social mobility when the state is denying his existence? Of course, he cannot avoid the prison system after the lack of assistance offered by the state, prison perhaps has become more of a home for him than the state itself.
Being biracial, allows you to see the two sides of the spectrum. My light skin color is seen as a blessing when I go to Saint Louis because it places me as a social chameleon when my cousins are being harassed by the police. Numerous times before my cousins would drive around town, they would insist that I go in the front seat with them so just in case a police officer happens to pull them over, my face and “white diction” would presumably prompt the officers to not make an arrest.
I’m tired of people believing that we are all equal, biologically-yes this is empirically true but socially-anybody of color is subject to oppression and lack of opportunity .
Yes I feel tired when it comes to talking about race issues sometimes. My fatigue comes from realizing that often times in race debate, the people on opposite sides are not being open-minded and they just want to impose their opinion and their beliefs on each other without actually trying to solve the problem. I also see that racist white people just want to keep and protect their white privilege while other races seem to just want to have to have the same privilege that white people have but only for THEIR OWN RACE. But that does not make race and racism a subject not to be engaged, it makes the subject all the more important, its just that it should be carried out in an open-minded and respectful way.
I think the vast majority of racial policies in government, even if the intent is to be anti racist, are racist by design.
Equality must equal equality. The opposite of that, which is all these different race-based policies and discussions and manipulations of law, for privileged or disadvantaged groups or what have you, creates a variety of graphical discrepancies, which is racism. There’s no way around it, since it influences, forces, obligates inequality, and even threatens against equal treatment, dynamically under the very racist assumption that races of people will be abusive by nature . Some races must be lifted up and others brought down, unequally, as compensation instead of resolution for racial discrepancy in the past. And that’s racism by folks who think they aren’t racist.
Instituitionalized racism is using policies and practices to intentionally limit/withhold access of services and goods to a minority group. Racist behavior can be expressed both overtly in a hateful manner or in a subtle, timid way. I believe there is no difference between institutionalized racism and racist behavior. Iinsitutionalized racism can be done without any awareness i.e.. filling out applications that ask about race, job interviews and acceptance in positions, the high percentage of black men in prison vs. white men and policing within minority neighborhoods in comparison to police encounters with white people in better served neighborhoods. Racist behavior can be shown through social media postings that attempt to downplay how prevalent racism is today and how significant the struggle and oppression that black americans adult and youth face everyday of their lives. The news anchor Wendy Bell displays racist behavior when she just had to “assume” the race of the shooter. Even when she says how “admirable” she finds when she saw a young black man working in a restaurant she and her family had gone to eat. She says this young black man gave her “hope” that he will “make it” which is racist because her “hope” for this young black man comes from her generalization of the population as a whole and her need to to say this at all shows how she believes she is aware of the dominant population that is entitled.
My family is from Bangladesh but I was born here but I am Bengali. I have had colleagues who were white that insisted on complimenting me on how exotic they think I look and they ended that compliment with “You’re pretty for an Indian, many of them don’t look like you” That was a bottomless, condescending, prick-like thing to say of them with a loving gaze and a smile so wide I could see all their molars that needed fillings. I was in utter astonishment to this persons comment and I already killed this person 1,000Xs in my head as they were saying it but having to return to reality and acknowledging my surroundings in a corporate office I said “I’m not Indian I just told you I was Bengali and that “compliment” (I did air quotes) you just gave me was a half-ass and offensive not only to me but my whole country..so compliment unaccepted goodbye” This guys face turned completely red. When you do this us vs them routine you ulitmately categorizing me as an other and not on the same platform as you and that is racist behavior to go on about your day with this feeling of entitlement over everything and everyone. Another example I would like to give is regarding the Trayvon Martin trial and the interview with Anderson Cooper and juror B37 a white woman who caused a lot of controversary with her comments. This woman was not knowledgeable of the events that transpired between Zimmerman and Martin but insisted that Zimmerman acted accordingly during the night of the shooting. She said Trayvon Martin shouldn’t have been in that neighborhood looking back and up to something. Another overt display of racist behavior is when juror b37 commented on Trayvon Martin’s girlfriends testimony. She said “it was difficult to understand much of what she said” and she “felt bad” that this woman may not have had a college degree and she just assumed this woman talked this way because of where she’s from. Juror b 37 went on to say she didn’t believe Trayvon’s girlfriend gave a credible testimony for her lack of “eloquency.” I heard Martin’s girlfriends testimony and it was in plain English and nothing was difficult to understand. Juror b 37 in so many ways was a racist troll who constantly had to address over and over that she was not a racist and race did not play any role in the day of that event and the trial that proceeded it. She sided with Zimmerman in all his actions and saw them as a “fit” way to have handled the situation and what astonished me was she said she would feel completely comfortable and safe if Zimmerman continued to be apart of the neighborhood watch, when this man killed a teenage boy who went to the store for some skittles.
If you’re interested, here is the link of the interview with juror b37 with Anderson Cooper.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrh9E_0bj_Y