Yes, Reverse Racism is Real Essays - Racism, Discrimination

Yes, Reverse Racism is Real Essays - Racism, Discrimination Yes, Reverse Racism is Real Racism is an ongoing problem in our society especially considering the curren t political atmosphere. However, the image of racism in the American context that one conjures up usually involves 'the white man' me ting out racism to every person of color like a souther n gentleman reeling out "how do you do's " . That brings the following q uestions to mind: Is there such a thing as reverse racism? Are African American's capable of treating other races discriminatorily and with prejudice as well? Yes, yes , and a thousand times yes. Persons of color are capable of being racist towards other races, including Caucasia ns, contrary to popular belief . The debate about the ability of blacks to be racist hinges on the definition of racism. The definition that is widely accepted by the public treats racism as the systematic oppression of and discrimination towards a race which requires one race to be in a position of power over the other, to institute and benefit from their racist actions. If we were to take this definition as gospel, no Black person could ever be accused of racism as within the Amerikkkan society, constructed and controlled by Whites, Black persons are definitely not the ones in a posit i on of power. That is similar to saying a smaller child can't bully a larger child because the larger child has a physical advantage. That definition is false. There are several ways an oppressed and marginalized group may be able to discriminate against and show prejudice towards their oppressor, and black people have found a w ay to finesse the system. The Oxford dictionary puts it a little bit differently: it defines racism as " p rejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior" . This is a definition one could work with. It simplifies the concept of racism and gives each race or group of people equal opportunity to be able to be prejudiced or discriminatory. Reverse racism is therefore when a minority or marginalized group, such as Blacks, discriminates against their oppressor. You may ask when, where and how can Black people be racist? By the same methods W hite people are racist; either b ehind closed doors or blatantly. A black person using slurs such as cracker' is racist, despite its uselessness as an insult . Calling a white person the c word', while less offensive than it's n counterpart, is still derogatory behavior . Mocking white facial features by saying white people are pale and crusty is racist . Making jokes about the incestuous preferences of Caucasians is racist. S aying that Caucasian lips look like bologna or an open wound is racist ! If you are able to ignore the explicit antagonism in the previous examples of com mon utterances in the black community, you have a bad case of denial. The result of reverse racism is the co ntinued tension between races. The continuous lack of communication and the distrust that racism brings will do nothing to bridge the chasm that exists . The implicit racial segregation will continue and there will be no integration of people of colour into th e system which has been designed to disenfranchise them . By the same token, reverse racism makes the marginalized group no better than the ones who oppress them. This way of living is fruitless and only perpetuates the hatred we see present today. All in all , racism is racism, regardless of the hue of perpetrator . T o only see racism as racism when it is committed by the right race' is a biased view that doesn't always lay the blame where it belongs. Until we can admit the wrongs committed on both sides of the racial divide and move to remedy them, there's no way the divide can ever be bridged.