Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Reverse racism doesn't exist

I keep hearing that term over and over again, reverse racism, as in people discriminating against white people.

But why? What's... reverse about it?

As a Mexican-American and a person of mixed race, I've been the recipient of some pretty racist comments... one time I was told I would work in construction the rest of my life: Racism. So, I'm supposed to believe that when a caucasian person is called something malicious by a non-white person, it's... reverse racism?

I want to know exactly who coined that phrase, was it started by white people or what? It just doesn't make sense. Reverse racism implies that when it's done correctly, it's against people of color. It makes me laugh to think there's a right way to do racism, or... a non-reverse way.

Yet all over the internet I see comments like: "Stop with your reverse racism!" I don't get it. It's like yes, you just called me a cracker, but because 75% of racist statements are directed towards non-white people, you did it wrong and reversely. Don't you know that when it comes from white people it's just the regular kind?

It's wrong on every level, to everyone.

1. If someone says racist and malicious things towards a white person, it is racism. There's nothing reverse about it. Just because usually one thinks of it being directed towards non-whites, it doesn't make it a different breed of hate.

2. If white people keep saying "reverse" racism, then it doesn't reflect well on them either. Yes, the person who said something to you is probably a bigot, probably immature, and probably not worth two seconds of time spent thinking about what was said. Yet, when you call it reverse racism, you imply that regular racism only comes from white people talking to non-white people. There is only one racism, and it's that feeling you get when you hate a certain race!!

I don't think we should start discriminating on discrimination itself, it's a waste of time. It's time spent labeling something that, one way or another, is still hate.

2 comments:

Ratnesh said...

I like this post. Racism is discriminatory or abusive behavior of people of one race towards another. Then why do we need to coin the term reverse racism?

Monica Roberts said...

No racism = prejudice + power

Too many whites confuse racism with bigotry and prejudice.

Every ethnic group has bigotry and prejudice within them.

It elevates to racism when you take your prejudices, combine them with power (social, political, economic, military) and use it to oppress or retard the progress of a minority ethnic group or individuals in it.

Minority group member do not exist in a world with a level playing field, which is why the claim of 'reverse racism', a term coined by white conse3rvafools is bogus in the first place.