IS THERE SUCH THING AS “REVERSE RACISM”?
Many white people claim to have experienced mistreatment, prejudice, or racism from people of colour. This claim may be used to justify stereotyping and mistreatment of people of colour. But racism is institutional, the power is always on the side of the institutions, which in Canada favour white people. Anyone from any group can have personal attitudes of prejudice towards others and may be subject to action or litigation based on discriminatory activities. But racism is not only about prejudice – it is about power. And in Canadian society, only white people have the power to enforce systematic, institutionalized racism. We are born into a society in which racial power imbalances are already established. Reverse racism does not exist in today’s society.
In any discussion of racism and it’s alleged “Reverse,” it’s crucial to start with the definitions of prejudice and discrimination, to lay the foundation for understanding racism in context. There’s a reason these three terms exist, and a very good reason not to conflate them.
Prejudice is an irrational feeling of dislike for a person or group of persons, usually based on stereotype. Virtually everyone feels some sort of prejudice, whether it’s for an ethnic group, or for a religious group, or for a type of person like blondes or fat people or tall people. The important thing is they just don’t like them — in short, prejudice is a feeling, a belief. You can be prejudiced, but still be a fair person if you’re careful not to act on your irrational dislike.
Discrimination takes place the moment a person acts on prejudice. This describes those moments when one individual decides not to give another individual a job because of, say, their race or their religious orientation. Or even because of their looks (there’s a lot of hiring discrimination against “unattractive” women, for example). You can discriminate, individually, against any person or group, if you’re in a position of power over the person you want to discriminate against. White people can discriminate against people of colour, and people of colour can discriminate against white people if, for example, one is the interviewer and the other is the person being interviewed.
Racism, however, describes patterns of discrimination that are institutionalized as “normal” throughout an entire culture. It’s based on an ideological belief that one “race” is somehow better than another “race”. It’s not one person discriminating at this point, but a whole population operating in a social structure that actually makes it difficult for a person not to discriminate.
It’s crucial to maintain the distinction between the above three terms, because otherwise white people tend to redefine “Discrimination” as “Racism”. Their main argument is that because [People of Colour] and whites can discriminate against each other, that “Reverse Racism” is possible. But the truth of the matter is that people of colour : 1) have far less opportunity to discriminate against whites than whites have to discriminate against people of colour, overall; and 2) people of colour lack a system of institutionalized support that protect them when they discriminate against whites.
“Reverse Racism” would only describe a society in which all the rules and roles were turned upside down. That has not happened in the U.S.- or Canada, however much white right wing ideologues want to complain that they’re being victimized by the few points of equality that minorities and women have managed to claim. White people who complain about “Reverse Racism” are actually complaining about being denied their privileges, rather than being denied their rights. They feel entitled to be hired and not to be discriminated against, even though the norm is white people discriminating against blacks. If, in a rare instance, a black employer discriminates against a white job applicant, that’s not “reverse” anything — it’s simple discrimination. It’s to be condemned on principle, but it’s not evidence of some systematic program by which whites are being deprived of their rights.
RACISM FREE ONTARIO FAQ: Is there such thing as “reverse racism?”
Racism Free Ontario is a 100 day anti-racism campaign across Ontario. Like our facebook page and follow us on twitter! For more info visit RacismFreeOntario.com
See more FAQ: What is racism? What are different forms of racism? / What can you tell me about the history of racism? / What are important terms and concepts to know? / What is a Microaggression? What are Racial Microagressions? /Who are People of Colour? Why can’t I use the term “coloured”? / What is colour-blindness?/What is white privilege? / Is there such thing as “reverse racism?”/ What is meant by the racialization of poverty?/How does racism relate to the other “isms”? / Is the Canadian legal system in denial of its white privilege? /What if I have spent years using harmful language? / What should I do if I witness racial violence?
pixelskylines
theartofmadeline
yousharknotpass
jbbartram-illu
jacobvanloon
ellievsbear
romaincrisis
kianamaiart
