(http://kristenking.com) — The flap surrounding President Barack Obama’s nomination of Hispanic female Judge Sonia Sotomayor (who remarked, “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life,” almost 10 years ago) to the Supreme Court has drawn a flurry of indignant comments about reverse racism.
Newsflash, all you so-called experts waxing eloquent on the news channels: Racism means discriminating on the basis of someone’s race. The races of the discriminator or discriminatee are completely irrelevant; any discrimination based on race is racism. That means that, gasp, if a Hispanic person makes discriminatory comments about a white person or group of people, it’s still racism.
Wanna talk about indignation? I find it completely absurd that we have nationally embraced the concept that only white people can be racists, and everyone else has to be “reverse racist.” How’s that for racism?
Contents Copyright © 2009 Kristen King
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Awesome.
Thanks for posting, I truly enjoyed reading your most recent post. I think you should post more often, you evidently have talent for blogging!
Hi, Kristen. Yep, you’ve got it right. There is only racism — there is no such thing as “reverse racism.”
If we were all the same color, we would find something else to be prejudiced about; just look at the caste system in India.
Well said. And yes. Absolutely. couldn’t agree more. And what Cecilia said, too.
Sorry I have no insight of my own to add right now.
Thanks for posting, I very much liked reading your most recent post. I think you should post more often, you evidently have natural ability for blogging!
LOL! You have a way of drilling right down to the obvious, which many people overlook. I love it!
Racism exists because we justify it. Ever talk with someone whose first language isn’t English and you get tense because you can’t understand them? Ever say “Why can’t they just learn English?” That’s racist and unfair. We say “It’s our country – why should we have to change?” Well, it WASN’T our country (ask the race most discriminated against how they ended up on reservations and we ended up owning everything of theirs). We got here the same way any newcomer did. Why not help someone learn your language or better yet, learn theirs?
We as a society feel justified in acting like we’re the only people alive and everyone should conform. As Eddie Izzard says to Americans: “Do you KNOW there are other countries?”
Racism is a lot more than discriminating against someone because of their race. Racism is a system of ideological, social and economic oppression that has a very long history that is independent of what any individual thinks or feels. It was developed by Europeans to justify the exploitation of the colored peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America. It reached it’s highest level of development in the United States where it was used to nearly wipe out the indigenous people and enslave Africans to produce wealth for white businessmen, and after slavery to keep black people in a subordinated position. Racism is basically a very virulent form of great nation chauvinism.
You want to divorce racism from it’s material and historical basis and reduce it to a matter of an individuals prejudice views but that is not what racism is and that is not the problem.
Thanks for all of your comments, folks!
Clay, I appreciate your remarks, but I disagree with you. What you describe is the institutionalization of racism and prejudice, not racism and prejudice themselves. By definition, racism remains prejudice on the basis of race or ethnicity.
Thanks for posting my comments, it is the true test of a democrat to post contrary views, but I think that you put the cart before the horse. It is not racism that leads to the institutions, but institutions that stand to benefit from racism that then promotes racism among the population. Two quotes related to the Vietnam War will illustrate my point:
U.S. News and World Reports, 1954:
“One of the world’s richest areas is open to the winner in Indo-China. That’s behind the growing US concern. Tin, rubber, rice, key strategic raw materials are what the war is really about. The US sees it as a place to hold any any cost.”
“The only thing they [Marine instructors] told us about the Viet Cong was they were gooks. They were to be killed.”
– Reginald Edwards, U.S. Marines, 1964
This black Marine was taught to be racist towards Vietnamese because certain institutions saw big money in it.
I couldn’t agree more. Our all white family has lived in Memphis for 6 years now and we have definitely experienced reverse racism. I have been passed over for jobs, because I’m not black or Hispanic and employers have to meet government mandated racial quota requirements. EOL – bullshit. Black people (Oh, excuse me – that’s African Americans) that are lazy and late to work all the time are not terminated or disciplined simply because they can pull the race card and threaten to sue their employers. White people don’t have that liberty. I was offered a job by a black doctor, but then told he had an old employee call up, who wanted her old job back. I later found out this old employee was a black woman. Now in that same office worked another black woman and the doctor was constantly getting complaints on regarding her constant use of internet and cellphone for personal matters – she was never reprimanded or terminated either. Why didn’t that doctor simply let go of that other girl and hire his old employee in her place. Oh no, it would be considered downright sacrilegious on the black doctor’s part to hire a white woman over a black woman. I found out she was less than 3 months later anyway.
Hello Kristen,
I came across your site through a friend (Julia). Here are my thoughts on the issue.
The fact is that in US history, whites have been the dominant ethnic group and have oppressed most if not all other ethnicities (100% white presidents until B.O.). The result of all the years of blatant, accepted racism has resulted in the term “reverse racism”, meaning that minorities who are racist against whites are being racist against the dominant group instead of (directionally) the other way around. The term identifies the attitude of “It’s your turn now. You’re gonna go through what we had to go through.” Poor word choice? Perhaps, but I do see a sociological application of the term.
Thanks for your post. I do see your point that racism is racism, but we cannot deny our history.
Brian,
What does “our history” have to do with “racism”? I mean, it’s blatantly obvious that the USA has not escaped the trap of racism – and “our” history does show a GREAT deal of it. However, “we” do not hold a monopoly on it (neither does any other “race” other than the “human race”. We’re the only ones with the problem/hangup of racism!). I totally agree that, at least in the USA, whites have dominated blacks – and any other race that may unsettle its precieved soverignty…. But in other countries, it is the same scenario, just differing shades of skin….. I guess my point is that “racism” has made countries, not the other way around. Hmmm…. Maybe we should get rid of the countries and get along as the HUMAN race, perhaps? Maybe “nationalism” would be a good topic for discussion – LOL