Miss Jenkins note: This post is about some of my thoughts on racism. Please don’t misconstrue my ideas about any particular race or another. I believe that all people, regardless of race or ethnicity deserve the same respect. We are all God’s children. Now, let the racy conversation begin. No pun intended. And shout out Dr. O for inspiring this post.
Last Monday, the confirmation hearings began for the soon-to-be first Latino Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor. Some members of Congress expressed concerns about a speech Judge Sotomayor made in 2001 and alluded to her being “racist.” First and foremost, I must note that her line about Latina women being “wiser than white men” was taken grossly out of context. As I listened to fears that her experiences as a Latina would negatively impact her ability to be impartial and apply the law fairly despite her record to the contrary, I was brought to a basic question that I have debated for some time.
Can minorities be racist?
I was having a conversation with a White colleague once, and in response to a statement I made about Elvis stealing Black music because it was better than his own, he responded, “Whoa. Isn’t that a bit racist?” He was implying that saying Black people made better music than Elvis was racist. Of course, I disagreed. At that point it became clear to me that how people define “racism” or what it means to be racist varies greatly, between Black folk and White folk, and within the minority community as well.
What is racism?
Or what does it mean to be racist? For me, being racist is about continuing a psychological and behavioral pattern that has been linked to a particular power structure in this country. Racism isn’t just about believing that one group of people are inferior to another. To me, for racism to be real, beliefs and practices related to one group’s sense of superiority over another must persist in institutions and power structures in society. So based on this country’s illustrious history, racist attitudes and racism can only originate from White institutions and people. In other countries, their history may tell a different story. With that said, I do believe that minorities can be prejudiced as all hell, and equally ignorant in our assumptions about people who don’t look like us. But for me, to label a Black person or another ethnic minority as racist, doesn’t rock with me. Why not, you ask?
Because a “racist” opinion held by a member of a minority group will not set White folks back.
Example: James Blackmon calls Tim White out of his name, and says “Tim, you will never amount to anything because you are naturally inferior to me.” Let’s say James even goes so far as to keep Tim from getting a job, soley because of his race. There is no doubt that James is wrong in this situation. No, its not right to degrade people for any reason, or prevent them from moving forward because of your personal beliefs. However, if the situation was flipped, I don’t think the effect would be the same. Yeah, Tim would feel bad about himself, and would have been done wrong. He deserves some recourse for that. But Tim wasn’t told something that has been continually and systemically reinforced for generations. While James may be ignorant and closeminded in his views, he is not reflecting an attitude that once persisted and was actually practiced for centuries, with its effects arguably still persisting today. So is James a prejudiced jerk? Yes. Is he racist? I don’t think so.
I’m going to stop here. I have purposely left out a bunch of topics because I didn’t want yall reading 2000 words of my amateur conceptualizations on racial theory.
Do you think minorities can be racist? What is your conceptualization of racism? Can minority groups be “racist” to each other, or does it have a different label? Let’s have an honest, and respectful discussion.
Miss – ::Right fist in the air:: - Jenkins
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
This is an excellent post because I often find myself in debates similar to this. People who say that minorities can be racist do not know definitions. The act of racism requires power. Minorities as a group do not have power. People confuse racism with bigotry and prejudice. The man in your post was obviously a bigot and a bit prejudiced.
I got the opportunity to go to Africa this weekend, and the group I was with (white females) was unable to get a cab at a decent price. My black male friend, however, got one easily for the two of us. One of the white girls said that it was racist of the Africans to deny them a cab. I retorted with, “Sexism? yes. Racism? No. Who are these oppressed people going to be racist against? Certainly not the white people who came and colonized their entire continent. ” At this response, there was silence and an awkward moment.
I think the problem is that people are uneducated, and they allow the people in the power structure to define things for them. Of course, the white male who put the word racism in the dictionary is not going to say, “Only white people can be racist.” Neither is he going to say, “Only men can be sexist.” We have to think for ourselves.
You don’t get to define the word any way you want to. I think “hatred or intolerance of another race” is a pretty widely accepted definition of the word. And, yes, minorities are capable of hatred and intolerance of other races.
rac⋅ism /ˈreɪsɪzəm/ –noun 1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.
3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.
“You don’t get to define the word any way you want to.” –That’s interesting seeing as though scholars and organizations have been doing the same thing for decades. See just one of the many sources: http://www.euroamerican.org/…/definitions_racism.asp. Feel free to do further research on the matter.
I am very familiar with dictionary.com definition that you posted. But if you can’t go beyond dictionary.com, you fall into the category that I mentioned in my first post. As people evolve, definitions evolve. There is a big difference between creation and imitation. If racism was simply being “intolerant or hating another race” would it be such a big deal? Intolerance and hatred do not move beyond the mind. Racism requires action and power.
No. The widely accepted definition of a word IS the definition of that word. That’s how words work. If you want to include “action and power” in the definition – that’s fine…but you need a new word.
@Bo,
Can’t co-sign this. I think we need to go above and beyond what websters or any dictionary says. It’s not that simple a discussion. Plain and simple.
@Slim Jackson,
I think any or all words should be redefined at will — like every five minutes! Plain and simple-minded. And mathematical equations too — for example such as “square root of nine equals two”
You’re on the right track. To generalize racism outside of the context of its inception and it’s lived realities is to trivialize it and strip it of that historical context.
Thank you for posing these questions. Many sociologists, educators, and others who write and research the topic of race would agree with you. It has been troubling to me as well that the word “racist” can just be thrown around without connecting it to the system of power and privilege that exists in the United States which places whiteness above all (that’s called white supremacy and that is part of this conversation as well!).
For those who immediately reject such a notion of racism being connected to power and privilege, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take the time to read about the origins of “race” (go to PBS.com… they have a good series!) and read the perspectives from people who have been discussing and dissecting this for decades. I ENCOURAGE us to not make this a simplistic issue and perpetuate the type of ignorance that ignores the historical context of race, racism, and white privilege in this country.
@JD,
The historical roots of racial discrimination in the United States today can be traced back to North American slavery. It is easily assumed, therefore, that the African slave trade pit brutal, gun-wielding European slaver traders against unsuspecting, passive African victims. While the Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, English and French slave traders were often brutal, they were not working alone — many Africans were also complicit in this victimization. Precolonial empires such as Dahomey and Ashanti (located in what is now Benin and Ghana), where slave ports at Ouidah and Elmina flourished, accumulated enormous wealth and power as a result of the trade of their fellow Africans. Clearly the very Africans that sold their own kind into slavery are in part responsible for what goes on today. Start taking responsibilty and stop tying explain away or ignore the uncomfortable parts. B. Brantley above would do well to consider this.
@JIm Crow,
I assure you that I am well aware of the many parts of the Transatlantic Slave trade, it’s players and it’s unfortunate outcomes. The Africans involved were in it for greed and wealth, as were the Europeans who were MAJOR players in the transactions. But please keep in mind that those in West Africa did not consider themselves to be “selling their own kind” at this time. This universal “African identity” was not part of the scene at this time. This is significant because the benefits to those who participated were very much specific – chiefs and merchants who had power within these West African communities/tribes who wanted guns and other trade goods from the triangle trade in order to expand their own territories.
Please don’t pretend like those in Africa and the African continent itself benefited greatly from the slave trade. Their loss of population was detrimental to communities throughout West Africa and was a “welcome mat” for the subsequent colonization of the entire continent. Did the Americas benefit (specifically the colonizers)? Yes. Did Europe benefit? HELL yes. The notion of “Africans are just as responsible for this” ignores the power dynamic between Europeans and Africans at that time (who had the guns? Who had control over the trade? Who knew where the hell these captured Africans were going? WHO HAD THE POWER?). It ignores the fact that the benefits for people in Africa were not widespread. All things were not equal in the transatlantic slave trade.
Speaking of POWER AND EXPLOITATION, racism is part and parcel of this phenomenon. You cannot define racism outside of a power dynamic. Race was developed as a means to control BLACK PEOPLE – slavery, for the first time in history, was being defined by phenotype within the Americas. Racism and racist acts throughout North American history (most notably in the United States of America) have been a means to control and exert POWER. It has become a system of exclusion woven in the fabric of this nation. I’m not talking about just calling me a “nigger” from across the room. I’m talking about the choices I make being prescribed for me because of what systematic control and exclusion presents to me. And on the flip side, the normalization of whiteness and the choices afforded white people because of the power their phenotype has historically wielded, providing access and options for these individuals that have only RECENTLY been even imaginable on a larger scale.
It is not simply “Everyone’s a little bit racist” (even though I’ve heard great things about Avenue Q on Broadway). There is a history and a context in which these ideas need to be evaluated.
Excellent post!!!!
I am leary of all definitions about racism that do not include the words “social construct”, “white supremacy”, or OPPRESSION and a few other key words that more broadly defines racism. Without these words definitions of racism are lacking with regards to encompassing the dynamics of racism.
Now to the questions “Do you think minorities can be racist?” Yes, I think minorities can be racist BUT I believe it is based upon context. I also believe in INTERNALIZED RACISM. Minorities can adopt racist beliefs that are rooted in white supremacy. In other countries I think racism takes on different forms and names (like ethnocentrism), pending the country white supremacy is the culprit to these actions.
“Can minorities groups be “racist” to each other, or does it have a different label?” Once again yes (in a contextual manner), the better label I believe to describe would be the use and understanding of OPPRESSION and what it means to be oppressive.(Plug opportunity: check out the book PEDAGOGY OF THE OPPRESSED by PAULO FREIRE). Prejuidice and bigotry assist in defining the different descriptions of actions or behaviors.
Only white people can be racist !! Theyr’e the cause of all of minorities problems !!
YEAAAAAHHHHH! I LOVED this post! Folks (of other ethnic groups) love to throw this word around all willy-nilly without realizing that true racism is a SYSTEM of power…and those who do not hold power cannot be racist! But we sure can sterotype and discriminate the bejeesus out of someone!