Rachel's Tavern- Shakesville Comment on Whiteness and Racial Awareness
- Arrested for BAHWB (Being at Home While Black)
- John Hope Franklin Has Died
- Bottles, Breasts, and Mothering “Choices”
- NAACP Class Action Lawsuit on Subprime Loans
- We Have a Future Blogger
- I’m Afraid President Obama, Himself, is a Bit of Coward on the Race Issue
- Highly Skilled US Immigrants are Emigrating: What’s the deal?
- Troll Comments Galore
- Mark’s Spinach Face
Dec
10
More on Racism and Racists
Filed Under Race and Racism, Sociology, Uncategorized by Rachel
The I’m a Racist and I Participate in Racism thread has really touched on many important issues, and I thought it would be useful to further discuss some of the issues that people brought up in the comments section.? Let me first say that I don’t really think that we can separate racism and racists.? I see racism existing in four major forms:
- Individual or isolateactions or incidents that are the products of isolated individuals, who intentionally or unintentionally harm people physically, psychologically, or socially because of the race, gender, national origin, etc.
- Small group–actions or incidents that involve a relatively small number of people, who intentionally or unintentionally harm people physically, psychologically, or socially because of their race, gender, national origin, etc?
- Direct Institutionallaws, policies, and formal and informal practices encoded in institutions that are specifically designed to exclude minority groups from access to resources?
- Indirect institutional–laws, policies, and formal and informal practices that are not specifically designed to exclude minority groups; however, the result of these policies is such that minority groups are disproportionately affected.? (These typologies comes from Feagin and Feagin.)
Feagin’s model could be used for any type of discrimination, but in this case I wanted to focus on racism.? I think racism exists on two major levels–the institutional levels and the? interpersonal level.?
Of course racism, is not the same as racists.? Racists would be the people who participate in racism whether it is institutional or interpersonal in its nature.? When most people think of racists, they think of people engaging in interpersonal racism, but I think anyone who participates in upholding racist structures or institutions is indeed racist.? I know that won’t sit well with many folks because they view racists as people who act with a deliberate intent to cause harm, but I would contend that many people do not intend to cause harm.? In fact, some people are relatively powerless in a social system, and they engage in racism even though they may think that it is wrong or harmful.? In his famous essay on racism and the American creed, sociologist, Robert Merton (1948)? mentions a group of people he labels non-prejudice discriminators.? These are people who do not hold prejudiced beliefs, but engage in discriminatory behavior.? I think in many cases non-prejudiced discriminators are relatively powerless.? Take the example of a loan officer at a bank that has redlining policies or a cashier in a store that has informal policies of targeting black customers as shoplifters.? While the loan officer? and the cashier may think these policies are wrong, they could fear losing their jobs if they do not comply with the institutional rules.? Are these people racist?? Yes.? ? However, they are likely not as culpable as the people who create? and enforce such racist policies.? Moreover, we could also have social? institutions that include people who are not racist in their interpersonal lives, but a part of systems that support institutional racism.
Many people immediately jump to a discussion of culpability when racism comes up–the key question they ask is, “Who is to blame?”? However, I think if we just started from the point that blame is less important than eradicating racist behaviors and institutions, we would all be better.? Personally, I think everybody deserves a little blame, but some deserve more blame than others.? For me culpability is directly related to power–the more power a person has the more culpability he or she has.? Nevertheless, the blame discourse is not really going to get us further because it exacerbates social inequalities that already exist.? I’m not saying; don’t speak truth to power, but I am saying that it is important as a strategy to work of redistributing power more than placing blame.
Personally, I use the term white racism, not because I want to “blame” all whites for racism.? I use “white racism” because I agree with the commenters that institutional racism is much more insidious, and institutional racism in the US is undoubtedly “white racism.”? Racism is not just? “white” because of who created or maintained it; it is also white because it upholds white supremacy.? There is no history of social institutions in this country that upholds “black racism” as an ideology.? Many people of color also participate in white racism–one primary example being colorism which exists in numerous societies.
Many commenters also suggested that “reclaiming the term racist” and? arguing that everybody is racist? may not be an effective strategy for social change because it is? either 1) too radical for people to accept or 2) it is so conservative that people may say why change. I think the question about strategy is important.? I don’t have a simple answer as to what the best strategy would be, but I do have a collection of random thoughts about it:
- I would like to change how people define racism.? To me racism is not about hate or evil, although I do think it is morally corrupt.? If we could focus more on behaviors and practices and less on “good vs. evil,” we may be able to make a dent in racism.? Part of what started? my rant? was the fact that people were engaging in very clear (interpersonal) racist behavior, and saying they weren’t racist because they were nice people, etc. etc.?
- Part of the problem we have now is the emergence of a colorblind/raceblind rhetoric.? Reclaiming racist challenges colorblindness and can make institutional and interpersonal racism more apparent.? People don’t like the r-words (racist and racism), but many really don’t have a problem with engaging in racist behavior or turning a blind eye to racism.
I could write more, but I’ll turn it over to my faithful readers.? Do you think it is worth it to try to put the word “racism” and “racist” back into the lexicon?? If not, why?? If so, what strategy do you think we be effective.
Merton, Robert K. 1948. “Discrimination and the American Creed.” Pp. 99-126 in R.M. Maclver, ed. Discrimination and National Welfare. New York: Harper & Brothers.
Comments
30 Responses to “More on Racism and Racists”
Leave a Reply
[...] Rachel on racism and racists [...]
I prefer not to use the terms “racist” or “racism.”
I prefer the term “white supremacy”.
In my outlook, I consider it impossible for a black person to be a racist. And this is not just the status/power quotient to take into account. Since America started out as a nation of and for the benefit of “free white males over 21″ (and this country still is looked upon as a “white man’s country”), I cannot consider any anti-white behaviour on the part of a black person as racist.
Granted black people in America have more than the right not to trust white people. Not to fear white people. Not to always take white people at their word.
Time and time again, white-run America has used, abused and destroyed black America in so many brutal and inhumane ways.
And, what, black people are supposed to trust EVERY white person on their say so.
And the many forms of white affirmative action that have gone on through the centuries and decades that have benefitted whites to where it will take generations for black citizens to catch up, and the ravages of slavery and segregation, ten thousand cruel and barbaric wrongs done by whites to blacks, has driven a wedge of enmity between black and white America that will never be resolved.
White America has not one reason to hate black America. White America has done the most stomach-turning wrongs that could ever have been conceived of to do to a race of people, none of whom have ever done wrong to white people.
Black America is in a position to forgive white America for all the sick, sadistic brutal atrocities it has meted out to us. Whether black America can ever forgive white America for having treated her black citizens as less than human, is up to black people.
Any slight, wrong or harm done to one black person, is a slight, harm or wrong done to all black people.
The white supremacist mind-set and institutionalized system of hatred against black people did not start a few decades ago.
It started over 400 years ago.
And the build up of the abombinations done mostly by white men ( and white women as well) have wreaked devastation on the lives of black people in all of the following areas of life:
-economic
-education
-entertainment
-labor
-law
-politics
-religion
-sex
-and war
White America’s white supremacy has poisoned and destroyed countless lives to keep alive a system that was built on hatred and destruction of anything not “white.”
White people give up white supremacy? Not going to happen anytime in my lifetime or the next 500 lifetimes of all the black people who come after me.
Yes, there are whites who challenge the system of white supremacy. But they are few and far between. Those who do stand up against institutionalized and individual racism get stomped and beaten down, just like so many black people.
The well-oiled machinery of white supremacy has become too deeply engrained into the fiber and psyche of ALL Americans.
It is like a disease, a virus, that the whole country is incapable of ridding itself of.
White supremacy/racism.
Will it ever go away?
No.
The jinn is out of the bottle and everyone has been infected with this sickness of hatred.
And no matter how fine and upstanding, and law-abiding and highly moral many black citizens are, their country will never look upon them as citizens who have given their all to this country.
Black America will have to face the sad fact that this country will never accept us as true citizens, and the redlining, racial profiling, inequity of education, the senseless shooting slaughters will continue.
The eradication of racism will never go away.
Speaking of it, working at trying to dismantle it is certainly worth a try.
But, facts have to be faced.
White America started this “disease” centuries ago.
And white America, and by that I mean the majority, and not a few, but white America has to be the one to start to cleanup the mess its race started many centuries ago.
It should not just be on non-white people who work against white supremacy.
It is in the hands of white America as to whether will continue to sit by in complicity and see this country continue to wrong and disrespect its black citizens, aswell as other non-white people.
Or does white-run America really want to see that ALL of its citizens start to be treated as human beings, and for black people not to constantly drive while black, live while black, suffer while black, die while black.
White people who are passive racists are just as dangerous as white people who are active racists.. Those who sit back and say and do NOTHING to right a racist wrong when the opportunity presents itself are just as guilty as the wrongdoer of a racist act..
There is an old saying:
To ignore bad behaviour is to tolerate it; to tolerate it is to acept it; to accept it is to encourage it; to encourage it is to promote it.
And white America sends that message loud and clear.
“Not to fear white people.”
That was supposed to read, “every reason to fear white people….”
Ann, I agree that Institutional Racism in US society is white supremacy.
But what would you call a hate crime perpetuated by ethnic minorities on someone of different descent, if not a racist (interpersonal) act? I.e. Latino aggressor/black victim, black agressor/white victim, Asian aggressor/Latino victim, and vice versa? In my mind, a hate crime is a hate crime is a hate crime. I was assaulted once (chair dragged out from under me on a marble floor, spraining/bruising my tailbone) and punched once (seperate incidents) as a kid - both were racially motivated because I was “too white”, both were black assailants. What is that if not racist behavior?
(P.S. I’m not singling out Latinos by using them twice, I just needed common groups to prove a point and didn’t want to get too specific (such as South Asians, etc.)
Great post, Rachel. This is exactly the direction I was hoping you’d take it after your last “reclaiming” post.
I think it’s important for progressives to re-assert the meaning and relevance of the words “racism” and “white supremacy”. These days, the dominant (white) mainstream regards racism as an embarrassing social faux-pas and white supremacy as a handful of nutty neo-Nazi militias, rather than prevalent historical realities whose legacies overwhelmingly shape our lives today. The words have been detached from their historical footings and are thus post-modern playthings to be tossed about like intellectual nerf balls. Worse yet, the “colorblind” movement is essentially asserting that the best cure to bacterial infection is to theoretically insist upon the non-existence of bacteria.
So I think it’s crucial for anti-racists today to effectively communicate more descriptive definitions of the words “racism” and “white supremacy”. As I see it, anyone can theoretically be racist, but here in today’s actual world, when we talk about racism, we’re necessarily talking about white supremacy. And I like to describe white supremacy as an interlocking set of cultural and societal institutions which maintain political and economic affirmative action for white people at every stage of life from schooling to loans to housing to jobs to healthcare to retirement packages, while hindering or denying opportunities for upward mobility to people of color. Okay that’s a little much, but I’m sure you can see where I’m going with this.
I also think the distinction between interpersonal and institutional racism/white supremacy deserves frequent repetition. At some point we might as well all help find a way around white people’s incredibly defensive reactions to being associated with racism. Let’s make it less of a scarlet-letter and more of an impersonal yellow-flag that points to some structural aspect of white supremacy that might deserve some examination in the ongoing project of dismantling the foundations of human oppression.
Thanks for the good stuff, Rachel.
Peace.
“It is in the hands of white America as to whether will continue to sit by in complicity and see this country continue to wrong and disrespect its black citizens, as well as other non-white people.”
That makes people of color incredibly passive. It removes all responsibility from us… but also all power. We just have to sit back and wait for white people to do all the work? What if they don’t feel like doing it?
Or to reiterate Lyonside’s point… what if I, as an Asian, walk up to a black person and call them the N-word? Should they respond, “I don’t blame you… because the white race made you say that!”
It is far too easy to say that black people can’t be racist. As a black person who looks Latino I can easily say I have been criticized for not being black enough or even told I’m not black. Living in Chicago (the most racist place I have ever lived) I see blacks participating in racist behavior against those of other races on a regular basis. Even within the black community there is a lot of self-hate and racist behavior within the community itself. How often have we heard the dozens started with “you’re so black…? I’m not saying that racism doesn’t more often come from the outside and more privileged group. An underprivileged socially marginalized group can’t directly participate in institutionalized racism for the most part. It’s just not that simple. In the post I was taken back to the idea of Romantic Racialism often perpetuated by the abolitionists. The idea that black people were seen to be so emotionally connected and in tune with their feelings more than white people was obviously likening them to embrace their animal urges more. Yet, at the time, this was seen as a plea to their humanity and rationalization of abolition of slavery. Even those with good intentions are often clouded by prejudice and subscribe to generalizations that arent at all true.
Lyonside.
“In my mind, a hate crime is a hate crime is a hate crime. I was assaulted once (chair dragged out from under me on a marble floor, spraining/bruising my tailbone) and punched once (seperate incidents) as a kid - both were racially motivated because I was too white, both were black assailants. What is that if not racist behavior? ”
I was looking at hatred/racism/supremacy as a black person who knows of the history of mistreatment of black people at the hands of white people.
The people who committed this crime against you (and I DO consider it a crime in many ways: physical attack upon your person; psychological attack upon your mind, and “racial attack” upon whether or not you are “authentically black”), were wrong and should have been punished with more than just an admonition from the school where this happened to you. (If it happened at school?)
I concur with your comment.
A hate crime is a hate crime.
No matter who it is committed against.
No matter who commits the hate crime.
Interpersonal racism/hate may not be powerful enough to necessarily stop you from getting a job, decent housing or prevent redlining from being used against you.
But, an individual or group act of hate done against another person (no matter their race) by the perpetrator (no matter their race), is wrong. Pure and simple.
Like I said in my comment, racism is a disease, a virus.
Unfortunately, WE’VE all caught it.
Atlaisen.
“That makes people of color incredibly passive. It removes all responsibility from us but also all power. We just have to sit back and wait for white people to do all the work? What if they dont feel like doing it?
Or to reiterate Lyonsides point what if I, as an Asian, walk up to a black person and call them the N-word? Should they respond, I dont blame you because the white race made you say that!
You are correct; people of color are not to be left off of fighting against white supremacy on a constant basis; on a constant vigil.
Black America is definately a good example of a people who would not sit back, lie down, and turn the other cheek for standing up for their most basic of human rights. If black people had not fought in the many ways they could against slavery, while enslaved; if black people (men and women) had not fought in the Civil War with the Union side against the institution of slavery, we would still be slaves; if Emmit Till’s uncle had not decided to take his life into his hands and go to trial against his nephew’s accused killers, and stand up bravely in court and point in the direction of one of the accused and state: “Thar’ he be.”, black people would still be suffering under the cruelty of Jim Crow segregation.
I know truly in my heart that if ALL non-white people were to wait on the majority of white America to start to help in the dismantling of institutional racism, we non-white people would be waiting until doomsday ( okay, well, at least for 500 generations as I stated above.)
As for the Asian (or anyone for that matter) who would come up into MY face and say the word nigger to me.
I would have only one comeback for them:
“Don’t call me by your father’s first name.”
Natalie.
“Even within the black community there is a lot of self-hate and racist behavior within the community itself. How often have we heard the dozens started with youre so black? Im not saying that racism doesnt more often come from the outside and more privileged group. An underprivileged socially marginalized group cant directly participate in institutionalized racism for the most part. Its just not that simple.”
I concur.
You are right. It is not that simple.
I’ve looked at issues of racism, self-hate in the black community, and other non-white groups as well, as the insidious effects of the system of racism that catches us all in its deadly snares.
In the black community, the issue of “colorism” is rampant.
Light-skinned against dark-skinned; dark-skinned against light-skinned; so-called “good hair” vs. so-called ” bad hair.” (I happen to like my natural, gravity-defying hair. It is the only kind of hair like it in the world, and I will not destroy it with perms just to try and fit in with the dominant society’s hair type/texture. Besides, when I wear my hair in the style of braids, I am doing more than wearing a “hairstyle”. I am wearing a hairstyle that is more than 5,000 years old.)
But, I am digressing.
Yes, racist self-hatred amongst black people has taken a terrible toll on the psyches of many black people. This divide and conquer treatment was started by white people, but that does not mean that black people should continue to perpetuate it.
I am proud of my black features (okay, so my nose and lips are European; Sheesh! Can’t be born with everything.), and it would be wonderful if black people in America would stop being ashamed of what God gave them. But such is the pernicious and hateful effects of the ravages of 400 years of being told by white people: “You’re black, you’re ugly. You’re black, you’re less than. Youre black, you have no worth.”
I know that I have worth.
Probably why I have an “elitetist attitude” as another poster accused me of.
Well, so be it.
Yes, blacks are the biggest perpetrators of self-hate against each other, and that self-hate comes in many forms: playing the dozens; hatred of black women in choosing light-skinned black girls over dark-skinned black girls; upper-income blacks looking down on lower-class blacks, when those upper-income blacks are looked upon by the police and the rest of America as just one more group of “niggers”…..
And Lyonside, I consider those “humans” who attacked you as less than human.
Maybe it’s just me, but I have never looked upon light-skinned black people as less than black, as not being “authentically black”.
To me an authentic black person is a person who, no matter what their color, economic station, or where they live, is a black person who is proud of what they are and does not question the validity of another black person ( or half-black person), just on skin color alone. A black person who works with those of the world who work with us to fight and bring down the institution of structural racism/white supremacy.
How we treat our fellow human beings says a lot about us.
And that is truly having “class”, no matter what station in life you are in.
There are class acts.
And there are class clowns.
And class knows no boundaries, no races, no economic stations, no geographic locations.
The problem with attributing racism to “everyone” is that it doesn’t tell us what we can do to institute change. Perhaps the person who paid for a film featuring a white, male protagonist is supporting both sexism and racism, and practically everyone in our society can be defined as “racist” through participation in a racist institution. It might be more effective to discuss possible solutions to this problem, or to single out policies as racist, rather than focusing on the individuals who institute those policies.
I think racism is better defined in terms of specific privileges and institutions, and the term “racist”, applied to people, should mostly be a pejorative one reserved for those who are one the extremes in their racism. It’s hard to point out many people in our society who couldn’t be considered “racist” in having some sort of stereotypes regarding race. What needs to be done, I think, is for people to be made more aware of their own prejudices, and for there to be a real debate regarding those prejudices. There needs to be more of a discussion on what can be done to make society less racist.
“We just have to sit back and wait for white people to do all the work? What if they dont feel like doing it?”
White people have NOT always done all the work as far as fighting against the institution of racism.
And what of black people?
What if WE do’t feel like it?
Oh, I’m sorry; black people don’t have feelings; we’re automatons; robots; incapable of being looked upon as humans. I mean considering as black people have been looked upon as sub-human is as old as America and cherry pie.
Are we so “inhuman” in people’s eyes that we don’t get tired, worn-out, put-upon in fighting against racism/white supremacy?
What if black people decided to one day just say to “Hell with it! We’re sick and tired of always leading the fight against racism more than any one else in this country?”
What if we decided to take a day off, a week off, hell, a decade off and said this is one well that everyone has learned to take for granted has finally run out and that blacks will always run to everyone else’s rescue all the time, when I do not see very much of other races doing half of what black people have done in this country to fight against white supremacy.
Were going to just step aside and let everyone else ante up and really fight against racism instead of just going along with the white status quo.
I wonder what kind of a day in Hell that would be?
Don’t answer.
I don’t expect much of any solidarity from non-black people.
Too many of them are already racists against black people.
Aren’t they? Since everyone in America is a “racist”?
[...] More on Racism and Racists - Rachels Tavern “When most people think of racists, they think of people engaging in interpersonal racism, but I think anyone who participates in upholding racist structures or institutions is indeed racist…” (tags: racism race) [...]
Aaron: as I said in my comment above, I agree that the emphasis of responses to racist outbursts should be more structural: “Lets make it less of a scarlet-letter and more of an impersonal yellow-flag that points to some structural aspect of white supremacy that might deserve some examination in the ongoing project of dismantling the foundations of human oppression.” One of the first things we have to do about white supremacy is learn to identify its manifestations, to name them, to analyze their workings, and then to attack their legitimacy by any means necessary. It all begins with words, thoughts, ideas, and the ability to talk about what we’re trying to accomplish; and that’s what this thread is about, as I see it. Once the dialogue begins to yield a consensus, then we have the basis for more aggressive measures and tactics, but you can’t get there without the dialogue.
Ann: you’re right that black folks have done more than anyone in fighting for social justice in the US. Still a long way to go, but the tremendous achievements of the black community in America is truly awe-inspiring and humbling to other people of color like myself. However I’d like to offer that I don’t think there’s as much antagonism between communities of color as you seem to imply in your comment (though I could be misreading you). You painted a picture of you beating up an Asian person who called you the n-word; but I’m not sure how that scenario came up in this thread. It gives the impression that we’re fighting amongst ourselves here, which I don’t think is true. I’m sure the white supremacist system is rigged to get us to fight one another, but let’s not let it happen.
Just take a look at Asian American progressive blogs (mine, Carmen’s, Jenn’s, there are tons), and you’ll see Asians doing their best to fight against white supremacy day in and day out, arm in arm with Blacks and Latin@s. When Rosie O’Donnell made a racist joke about the Chinese the other day, UNITY: Journalists of Color responded on behalf of all people of color. Back in the 60s, Asian American activists formed coalitions with the Black Panthers and fought alongside them. Blacks and Asians were even teaming up in the frontier days, free Blacks and Chinese who’d rather gamble on gold than lay railroads, so this inter-community alliance goes way back, if we care to take note of history and better yet keep the friendship alive. White supremacy would like us to forget these things. But I don’t. One of my role models is Grace Lee Boggs, a Chinese American activist who fought for the rights of black folks her entire life.
Of course, I’m not saying that Asians aren’t racist; anybody of any color can be indoctrinated with some aspects of white supremacy. I’m only suggesting that relations between progressive communities of color — between Black and Asian — aren’t as strained as white supremacists would like to think; in fact there’s a lot of collaboration, cooperation, and dialogue taking place. For example, in this very thread. And that’s a good thing.
Thanks for your time.
Peace.
Kai.
“However Id like to offer that I dont think theres as much antagonism between communities of color as you seem to imply in your comment (though I could be misreading you). You painted a picture of you beating up an Asian person who called you the n-word; but Im not sure how that scenario came up in this thread. It gives the impression that were fighting amongst ourselves here, which I dont think is true. Im sure the white supremacist system is rigged to get us to fight one another, but lets not let it happen.”
Yes, you are misreading me.
I cannot see how you came to the conclusion that I said anything about beating up an Asian person. My comment was as follows:
“As for the Asian (or anyone for that matter) who would come up into MY face and say the word nigger to me.
I would have only one comeback for them:
Dont call me by your fathers first name.
I never said anything about beating up on an Asian (or anyone else for that matter.) My response would be to throw the word back into their face, since the word would have flown out of their mouth. My response would hardly qualify for beating up or physically attacking someone.
Yes, black people have worked with other races many times through the years on the fight against white supremacy. And white America would love to drive a wedge between non-black people and black people. The so-called Myth of the Model Minority is an excellent example of that.
Black people, including myself, are more than willing to reach out to join with other races to fight against white supremacy. (As you can see, I prefer the term ” white supremacy”. If anyone can show me where there is ” black supremacy” in the interpersonal/institutional/structural racism out there, well……)
And yes, I am aware of the solidarity of Asians and other non-black people in the fight against white supremacy, and of black people going out of their way to work with non-black people whether it was Latino, Native American, or whatever.
I just sometimes wonder if they (non-black people) sometimes remember.
great follow-up to your other post Rachel. Sparking very good dialogue!
Dumi.
I left a comment over at your site.
It should up sometime today.
Ann- Hmmm, my comments must be tripping becaues it never came through. I think I’m going to have to change my comments engine. This obviously isn’t the first time this has happened!
Ok, here are three theories:
First theory: Everyone is a racist.
Second theory: Everyone, consciously or unconsciously, wants to have sex with their own mother (Oedipal desire).
Third theory: Everyone acts, always, in his or her own self-interest.
What’s wrong with these theories? First off, it’s not clear what one DOES with such theories; i.e. what’s are they good for? But second, there’s a more insidious weakness in such theories, a weakness that undermines the authority of everyone engaged by it: no evidence could possibly disprove the theory because no matter what any one claims, or does, or doesn’t do, the ‘theorist’ can simply say they are lying, or blind to the facts of their own lives.
Moreover, I think these sorts of theories do much to trivialize the issues they purport to address: after all, if its invisible, and universal, inevitable,… what’s the point in thinking about it, and why try to change it?
So, while I applaud the depth and intensity of the conversation, and truly don’t mean to dismiss these good efforts, maybe a discussion of racism actually subject to trial-by-evidence would be more useful? For example, suppose racial discrimination in hiring practices is NOT universal, but far too widespread. If so, it might benefit us to find out, statistically, who are the most common practitioners and who are their victims, so that we can better target our law enforcement efforts, limited as they are.
- Lauren D
CLARIFICATION:
In the above post, I meant to have the ‘first theory’ read “All white people are racists”. Same logic, just relevant example. Most of the comments in this thread seem to assume some such claim about “all white people”..etc.
- Lauren D
Theory one - all people are racists - OR “all white peopleare racists” - I believe both are too broad.
I like your comparisons. Cultural theories, unlike scientific theories, don’t need to be totally falsifiable… but they need some kind of defined limit. A cultural theory that explains EVERYTHING really explains nothing except itself.
I know only a little bit about racism but only because my wife is black. I am a 42 year old white male that grew up in a small middle class farming communtiy in California and my wife is a 31 year old black actually Jamaican immigrant who grew up in Brownsville Brooklyn. She made it out of there through education. ( I checked out the Wikipedia definition of that place and I was shocked). I do have a humorous story to share though. We have a one year old boy and people of BOTH races walk up to us constantly. First they stare at Natalie my wife then at me and finally our baby. No matter where we go. Before we had our baby we were constantly asked by people if we were together. Weekly we could be at places like say a supermarket and I would have the money or ATM card out and they would turn to my wife and ask her how she is going to pay for the groceries. But oh well I am glad I am getting a small taste of what my wife must have went through
Good stuff here, Rachel, et al. I’m delighted the new Erase Racism Blog Carnival routed me this direction. Most of what I would write is already here one place or the other, but I would rather simplistically add:
1) Jane Elliott says of White individual’s behaviors and attitudes, “It’s not the intent; it’s the impact.” Which I think puts it succinctly.
2) Merton’s general wisdom notwithstanding, I’m not sure European-Americans in general are capable of being non-prejudiced, at least on some level. In “White Like Me,” Tim Wise tells about how alzheimer’s disease unleased some very racist language and behavior out of his previously very non-racist grandmother as a demonstration of how “it’s in there” whether we realize it or not.
3) I particularly appreciate some of Kai’s statements. I, too, believe that many European-Americans perceive overt racism as an “embarrassing social faux-pas,” rather than an attack on a person or people of color–which is why we can then imagine that people of color can be “racist.” To my mind, African-Americans can be angry, malicious, and/or psychotic; can resent or look down on White people; can be fed up, disgusted, and/or enraged; can be prejudiced against or even hate White folks. But my definition of “racism” requires prejudice plus power, which makes only European-Americans capable of displaying that particular condition.
4) Related to this, seeing overt racism as an embarrassing social faux-pas allows us, then, to view a so-called comedian’s breakdown on stage as being a manifestation of that single individual’s personna, rather than a leak from the overall culture that just happened to come through him as opposed to through somebody else. That is to say, was the n-word more horrible before he said it 800 times in front of a camera? I think his shock and humiliation after the fact were genuine. I doubt that he made a practice of routinely using the n-word before (not that I have a clue, of course). I suspect that it caught him off-guard, but that “it’s in there.” And in just the right situation, given the fact that White supremacy is and always has been the paradigm in the U.S. and we are inundated continually with it and its effects on and through us all, even if we don’t scream the n-word, all European-Americans have been infected and, as Kai says, denying that the bacteria exists is NOT the best way to cure it. In fact, a dead-on diagnosis is the first and absolutely necessary step to determining the treatment.
5) There have always been those–of color, as well as European-American–who fought White supremacy in a gamut of ways, even to the death. And the fight goes on or we would not exist. Which is why, Ann, I don’t believe for a minute that we will never see the change that needs to occur. However, clinging to White supremacy may put this nation in the position of collapsing before its people realize that it’s only in unity that we might survive without winding up on our knees. Institutionalized oppression in the name of racism weakens us socially and economically. Standing outside looking in at our society, we might appear ripe for the picking, if we’re not careful.
6) The answer? I don’t know…but it must begin with European-Americans facing reality and learning how to respect themselves and others before it’s too late. It may not be comfortable and, hell, yes, people of color are going to take shots (wouldn’t anybody under the circumstances?). I mean, “forgiveness” is a necessary part of healing, it’s true, but let’s be real, the situation still exists just as it has for 400 years. We can’t have it both ways (we stay racist and people of color forgive). The infection of racism has done great damage to all United Statians–past and present. The question is: do White people want to stay on top or do we want to survive?
Ann about this quote
Light-skinned against dark-skinned; dark-skinned against light-skinned; so-called good hair vs. so-called bad hair. (I happen to like my natural, gravity-defying hair. It is the only kind of hair like it in the world, and I will not destroy it with perms just to try and fit in with the dominant societys hair type/texture. Besides, when I wear my hair in the style of braids, I am doing more than wearing a hairstyle. I am wearing a hairstyle that is more than 5,000 years old.)
That is all fine and dandy except that in corporate america black hair is not accepted and is seen as non professional. As a white male I do not know much about this but my wife is black (actually Jamaican) and this is what she was told (literally) by another black women in corporate America. I was thinking of naming the two well known companies but thought better of it. So my question to you ANN is where do you work?? Do YOU work in corporate America? If not than please be careful about what type of advice you give as I do not think corporate America is there yet
“So my question to you ANN is where do you work?? Do YOU work in corporate America? If not than please be careful about what type of advice you give as I do not think corporate America is there yet.”
Well, corporate America had better haul ass and catch up to reality and the facts of life.
I work in a corporate office (division headquarters of a gas company) and I have never had any problems from any supervisor, fellow employee, or client since I have worked there.
My hair is worn either as an Afro OR up in braids, and I have gotten compliments on both styles. And never any flack from the company owner or the supervisors.
Any company that has such racist policies against black women wearing their hair in its natural state should be brought up on charges of discrimination and sexual harrassment. A person’s work place should be free of stress, fear, disrespect towards a people’s culture and heritage.
And the link I provided above is a good example of structural/institutionalized racism at its worst and most barbaric.
To demand that black women wear their hair in the way/style of the oppressor is cruel and hateful.
NO ONE would dare to demand that an Asian, Native American, Latino or any other woman wear her hair ina way that is not natural to her hair type.
So, would you demand that a Latino, white or Asian woman should wear her hair as an Afro or braids?
No.
You would not.
Face facts. This country’s hatred of all things black needs to be given up. Let it go.
Learn to accept what God gave us black people.
Or, maybe it’s just that those who scream and moan the loudest against black people’s features, are the ones who are the most jealous and want, and covet what they do not posses themselves.
Heck, I can’t help it if people don’t have my hair type.
That’s not my fault. Nor is it the fault of every black woman in America.
Get over it.
But, drawing up hateful, racist mandates and policies to discriminate against the natural texture of black women’s hair is grounds for a class action suit.
Your black wife might want to try exercising her rights to be able to work in a safe environment.
The EEOC, U.S. Department of Labor, and even OSHA state that.
“That is all fine and dandy except that in corporate america black hair is not accepted and is seen as non professional.”
Then if my hair, the type which most black women in America are born with, is not considered “professional”, then you are saying that I am not human; that I am less than human because I, and many black women in America, refuse to kowtow to white hatred and racism.
Refuse to bow down to white beauty standards?
Refuse to want to be a “wanna be white woman” because so many people like you, and corporate America hate to allow a black woman to be a full human being? Hate her enough to want her to be ashamed of her natural features?
“Black hair is not accepted.”
Oh, really.
Then that goes without saying that “black skin” is not accepted; “black noses” are not accepted; “black lips” are not accepted; “black people” are not accepted.
No.
Black people have the right to stand up for themselves.
And they have to make a stand, especially since white-run America has tried for so long to beat, lynch, rape, torture and annihilate us off the Earth.
And that’s white America’s problem.
As well as “make everyone into a dried-up, hulled-out carbon copy of what they really are by trying to force them to be white by straightening and destroying their hair” corporate America.
She has tried for so long to wipe us off, especially with her hatred and denigration of ALL things black.
And that includes our hair.
Now, if corporate America can show so much hate towards her black employees concerning their hair, let her show the same hatred towards her Asian women workers by demanding that they get rid of their epicantic eyefold. Let her demand that Latinas bleach their tanned skin a ghastly pale white.
Oh, and don’t forget to have her demand that her white females blacken their skin with the blackest boot-blackshoe polish there is.
Then when white-run corporate America shows all this EQUAL treatment towards ALL women workers, then she/he/it can come up and tell black people to be ashamed of their “God-given features.”
Here is the link showing racist hatred and denigration of black women’s hair.
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/baltpd/
Reading that item NO WHERE do I see where it demands that non-black women should destroy THEIR God-given features.
>That is all fine and dandy except that in corporate america black hair is not accepted and is seen as non professional
Dale: “Corporate America” is not a monolithic entity, and I think you’ll find that there are many white collar jobs, offices, and companies where “white” doesn’t make “right,” and they’re not stuck in the 1950s concept of short straight hair of an “appropriate” length. Unless you think Microsoft, Unisys, Lockheed Martin, and a host of smaller companies are not “corporate America.”
And I’m not just talking about African-texture hair - I know quite a few long-haired white guys working at Unisys and Lockheed Martin, and I’ve heard that Microsoft is also flexible. I personally think that the more a job is dependent on SKILLS and not PERCEPTION or EGO, the more flexible the environment becomes to accomondate individuality.
As for those businesses and fields where conformity is still the norm, ask yourself, WHY is the white paradigm still enforced? And is that really good for gaining and retaining the best employees regardless of ethnicity? And just because it’s there, does that mean that it’s the only way, the right way, or unchangeable?
rachel,
thank you for this fascinating post and sparking this discussion - i’ve found a lot of useful material in it. i wanted to go back a couple of steps where the topic was on institutional racism / white supremacy.
i was particularly interested by the discussion on who can/should be considered racist - everybody? everyone who is white? or just the real mad KKK people who would be proud to carry such a label?
i have been struggling with this question for many years. you will not be surprised to hear that i’m still struggling. in a nutshell: racism for me is a system or a state of being or a framework: it is synonymous with maintaining white supremacy & white privilege. everyone (i mean people of all ethnicities) engages in that to a certain extent. i guess white people in power are those who are in the greatest position to make (peaceful) changes - however i also agree with another commenter (ann?) that this won’t be happening in my lifetime. indeed, i think that before a ‘business case’ is made for dismantling white supremacy, the ‘moral case’ will never quite be strong enough. a wise person once said: “power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will” (frederick douglass). so i predict there will be an almighty struggle - which will not necessarily be peaceful - where black people & their allies will have to seize control of the future.
what will the outcome be? well ultimately, i hope it will be the creation of a society which has true race equality (i don’t believe this exists anywhere on earth, but i would love to be proved wrong). what will this look like? i honestly don’t know. it’s one of those things - we will know it when we have it, but at this moment it seems like a fairy tale.
i can say it won’t be a simple reversal of the power structure (leading to white oppresion), or a simple numbers game (eg more black leaders = freedom - although i DO believe that this could be a means to an end)
i think it will be something approximate to a society where privilege (currently experienced by white people) just does not exist (for those who may not know what i am talking about, please read: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack - http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/~mcisaac/emc598ge/Unpacking.html ).
before we can get to THAT state we need to convince white people (and come to think of it, some black people too) that this privilege exists.
i’ve tried to write a play to capture what i think racism is and how it affects people. my blog (http://otherpleasespecify.blogspot.com) gives some information about it. if anyone would like to stop by and browse you’d be very welcome. and if anyone would like to read the play (it’s just the first draft! i want to develop it after receiving comments) just email me and let me know (email link from website).
ps: rachel, can i link from my blog to this article?
Sure Sharon feel free to link to this post.