Dominic Brown
Lantern Staff
Racism is racism. There’s no sugar coating it. While dominant in certain demographics, it exists and can be applied to any race. The Oxford Dictionary defines the term as “prejudice, discrimination or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior” or “the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities or qualities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.” Now the purpose of this piece is not to diminish its importance in conversation today or to deter or sidetrack paths of current conversation, but to educate a point that is often confused.
Whether racism is institutionalized or used on a more personal level, its effects remain the same. Calling an Asian American person a racial slur is the same as calling a Hispanic American a racial slur, which is the same as calling a African American person a slur, which is the same as calling a Caucasian American person a slur. Each achieve the effect of degrading a particular race. Contextually, some races in particular to the United States have a greater history and a larger background to oppression. The Irish served as indentured servants whether they were forced because of circumstances or chose it as an avenue to make a living. During WWII, Japanese Americans were thrown into internment camps, forcing them to close down businesses and being bought out losing millions and receiving fractions of what they lost as reparations. Mexicans were carted by train into the states to work as cheap labor during the 70s. And of course, African Americans were slaves for centuries of American history.
The point isn’t to weigh the troubles of races against each other or normalize/rationalize the climate, but to establish a school of thought inclusive of all backgrounds. Either racism is applicable to everyone or it is not.
Reverse racism is ridiculous, and I say this because its institution depends on context or situationally dependent. Leaning back towards the Oxford Dictionary, reverse racism is defined as “prejudice, discrimination or antagonism on the basis of race directed against a member of a dominant or privileged racial group” or “prejudice or antagonism directed towards a majority or (formerly) dominant ethnic group; perceived discrimination by or in favor of a minority or (formerly) oppressed ethnic group.”
Now reverse racism is a term conceived by the Republican Party with its earliest use found in the Washington Post in the 50s, according to the Oxford Dictionary. It was constructed for conservative opposition to affirmative action or “an action or policy favoring those who tend to suffer from discrimination, especially in relation to employment or education; positive discrimination.” If reverse racism actually existed, it would imply that every social and racial group maintain an equal amount of power in society. Obviously, this is not the case since you don’t need power to be racist. For example, if Prejudice + Power = Racism (100+0=100), then prejudice without power is still racism. On the base core level as stated, everyone can be racist or more appropriately prejudiced to anybody; however, on the institutional level, it’s obvious. For example, in the last decade a West Virginia statue used to limit the amount of African American supervisors still used the term “negro” as stated, “The board shall not employ more than one assistant for each two hundred teachers or major fraction thereof: Provided, however, that in such districts in which assistants are employed and fifty or more negro teachers are employed therein, the board may employ one negro assistant superintendent.” – WEST VIRGINIA CODE 18-5-32 (now amended).
Depending on how someone argues statistics, minorities are also larger targets to police brutality. So within our system, there maintains elements of racism. But it is also illegal for affirmative action to prefer a candidate for say a job position over another based on their skin color. This is a common misconception. Affirmative action doesn’t place minorities above the majority, it makes it so that minorities have a level playing field to acquire jobs. On a separate and similar note, institutions that cater to African American culture such as B.E.T. or Black History Month are not samples of reverse racism. Its cultural refuge exists to maintain and cultivate culture that was assimilated into current society, so people can survive. For the most part, all history is white history. The implementation of Black History Month introduces a viewpoint that cannot be overlooked.
All in all, reverse racism is a myth. Affirmative action that blatantly prefers a particular race is illegal, and African based institutions are created to provide a point of view for the outside looking in. Racism is racism, and there is no room for fictional oppressive institutions.