Now here's a topic to make people uncomfortable- racism! There are a myriad of different aspects to it, far more than I can cover in a single blog post. I'm only me with my own limited experience, education and work history. My views have evolved From feeling slightly uncomfortable watching Richard Pryor talk about racist white people to what I think is a much better understanding of racism I have today. I accept the fact that I still have far more to learn and I am open to it. How I think of racism may be different from how you think of it. Let's start off with a definition or two or three.
RACISM- From Merriam Webster
1. a belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.
2. behavior or attitudes that reflect and foster this belief : racial discrimination or prejudice.
3. the systemic oppression of a racial group to the social, economic, and political advantage of another.
As someone interested in conflict resolution, I'm most interested in the third definition given here. Racism here in the USA is a power structure the continues right to the present. We try to sweep it under the rug and think by using nicer words such as African American, having things like Black History Month and Juneteenth, racism is a thing of the past. I must say the three aforementioned words / ideas are a good step. America has a strong game of “pretend.” We pretend we have a strong democracy when in reality we have a two-party system in which both parties overwhelmingly support the oligarchic elites. On the international stage, we pretend our shit doesn't stink. Our politicians, regardless of party, can never admit we are a massive colonial empire. Why else would we have over 750 military bases overseas? Why else would we have perpetrated coupes around the world? And we also like to pretty much forget about our own genocidal history regarding Native Americans. It's a little wonder we like to ignore the ongoing problem of racism here in the USA.
Racism has always been a part of American culture whether we like it or admit it or not. Native Americans were systematically driven off their land, exterminated and lied to (Every treaty agreement was broken). Back then it was called manifest destiny. Today we would call it ethnic cleansing. There is also the history of Chinese labor brought in to help build the railroads who were also subject to abuse with little means of redress. There are many other groups that have been on the wrong end of white American racism. But for this post my focus is mostly on African Americans.
African Americans arrived as slaves, not hopeful immigrants seeking a new life. Whites used many dubious arguments to justify this abomination. Bible quotes, pseudoscience, and dodgy legal decisions all played a part in the justification of slavery. Lincoln may have freed the slaves but by no means did he end racism. The elites in the South found a quick workaround via the so-called justice system. Prisoners were exempt from anti-slavery laws. This practice did not end until the 1940s. "End" may be too strong a word- the Prison Industrial Complex is alive and well. I'd like to think things are better but I recognize we still have a very long way to go. You see, racism is still here.
The election of Barack Obama did not mean racism was now a relic of the past. Obama's job was to continue the imperial project we know as the United States of America. His policies were also geared towards helping the elites stay elite. Instead of engaging in meaningful dialogue with the Ferguson protesters, he only offered platitudes about voting. His centerpiece legislation, the Affordable Care Act, was actually a republican plan to keep the health insurance industry alive. Hey, I don't think Obama was a bad guy, certainly not the antichrist. That said, I don't think he was a good friend for African Americans or the poor in general. After Obama, our racism was on full display with the election of Trump and the Republican party’s descent into right wing madness. Sometimes, it is subtle and sometimes not so subtle. I never thought I would see the day when a sitting American president would call fucking Nazis “very fine people.” But Trump and company get enough ink as it is, let's move on. I'd like to talk about a related misunderstood concept, white privilege.
Now if you want to trigger some working-class whites, simply mention white privilege. You could very well find yourself in a shitstorm of “I worked for all I have, “nobody gave me anything” “I never took anything from the government” and so on and on. I think it's the word “privilege” that messes them up. Here’s how Merriam Webster defines it:
White Privilege the set of social and economic advantages that white people have by virtue of their race in a culture characterized by racial inequality.
Let me use my white self as an example here to explain how I understand this. If this concept is unclear for you, maybe this will help.
1. I have a good relationship with the local police. If I'm being pulled over for a traffic violation, I don't feel interacting with the policeman is life threatening.
2. If I'm tooling around in a store, the employees there are much less likely to think I'm a shoplifter. On more than one occasion, I've been told by African Americans about being followed around for simply shopping in a well to do store.
3. I am free from derogatory stereotypes such as laziness, being violent, dishonest and so on and so on. Simply put, I get the benefit of the doubt.
4. If I get a job no one is going to think I am just a quota hire because of some affirmative action program. (Well to be honest I did have one person think I was hired by the state because I'm disabled). My state, North Carolina, has no such quota to my knowledge. Needless to say, it was kind of insulting and I'm sure many of my African American coworkers over the years have heard such nonsense as well).
5. Whenever I turn on the TV or open a magazine, the people I see mostly look like myself. I can easily stay in my own little bubble of whiteness.
These are just a few of my thoughts on the American problem of racism. Sadly, I don't see this being resolved in my lifetime. It's going to take a while. 400 plus years of slavery, subjugation and economic deprivation is not going to be wiped out in one or two generations. I'd like to thank things are improving, even if slowly improving. But that's easy for me to say from my relatively privileged position as a fairly well educated white person. I’ve faced discrimination as a person with a disability. It sucks. But overall that has been a rare experience for me. Many African Americans face discrimination on scales hard for me to even imagine. Everything from being followed around while shopping to literally being murdered by the police. I don't know what the answers are. It's a complex problem that’s centuries old. What I can do is listen to my African American brothers and sisters recommendations for positive ways forward.
