I was sold a bunch of lies four years ago. I used to argue that racism was no longer as significant of a problem as it had been since the 1960's. As embarrassing as it is to admit I believed such insane nonsense lies, it is true. There are those out there who are really stupid believe that race relations are good in the United States, and that only a few "whiny people" think it's bad. There are those among us who think that minorities actually have it better than white people in the United States as an Indiana legislator had said (I have a friend from Indiana, and I can feel his pain).
Also: An Indiana lawmaker posted a racist meme. And a Indiana University professor explicitly espoused white supremacy, with race "realism".
I find it difficult to understand how racial injustice -which has existed since the beginning of time- could completely disappear by the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. One law cannot undo what previously happened, nor can it bring change all on it's own. The change must come through cultural change. Behavioral and social change. And the change of the conversation.
The reason why racism and racial issues are so hard to talk about is because it has been the norm for far too long to sweep it under the rug. And when that has happened for as long as it has, people have tripped and fallen on the silence of racism. The people of the world, as well as the people of the United States, have got to change the way racism is discussed. Especially as to how racism is defined.
Racism isn't just "I think X race is superior or inferior", as some first level political dork may think, where it's explicit. Explicit racism is the classic use of racial slurs, racial stereotypes, etc. Implicit racism is more subtle, and more difficult to detect. There are those who downplay racial slurs being thrown at people, or use the "13/52" 'statistic', which has been widely debunked by looking at the damn thing, which people use to argue that police are justified in patroling minority majority communites, and using stop and frisk against them "violent neighborhoods". Implicit racism also includes mentioning "black on black crime", to distract from the conversation of police brutality.
Implicit racism is when you clutch your purse tighter when a person of color walks by you, and explicit racism is when you act like a Karen call the police on a person of color when they have inarguably done nothing wrong. Explicit racism is when an election commissioner in Mississippi complains about black people getting registered to vote. Implicit racism is when you are more inclined to whine about someone saying mean things to white people (which shouldn't happen, since being rude should be frowned upon), but you stay silent when actual bad things (such as stop and frisk, minority members of the military go missing, etc) happen to minorities. To prevent strawmen:
Bad things shouldn't happen to anybody, but when people prioritizing their energy on only groups that are similar to them, that's where the problem is. And we all do not suffer equally. Take that into consideration.
The frustrating thing with all of this is how it shouldn't have to be said. But unfortunately, there are idiots people who say "ThEr'Es OnLy OnE rAcE, tHe HuMaN oNe", despite the fact that no one takes it seriously, and it has not discouraged racism, nor will it ever. Colorblindness is bullshit naive, and is the classic move on the behalf of unprincipled, spineless people, who avoid taking a stand on a tough issue. It's okay to see color, and treat those of a different skin color the same way you would treat others of the same skin color. You can see skin color, and not pander to anyone.
Some racism is easy to see, and some racism is more discreet. In any case, stop pretending that it either does not exist, or is not a significant issue. It doesn't have to be affecting a majority of people to be a problem, and if you think it is, just wait until it affects you. Chao.
Preceded by: "Explaining The 'Brouhaha' Over Masks & Stay At Home Orders, With Some Necessary Nuance."
Succeeded by: "Stop Defending Police Brutality."
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