Since I'm a Black guy and this is all about how I see things, I figure I'll have to address the topic sooner or later. I think it best for me to introduce it so I can address it with a little nuance. We really don't want to wait until somebody make me talk about they momma.
A big problem in discussions of racism is that mainstream folks have a top-down approach to looking at it, where minorities have a bottom-up approach.
Which make absolute sense, when you think about it.
What mainstream types (of all races) are looking for is a definition of racism they can use to avoid being racist—or at least avoid being accused of it… all definitions are subject to Godëlian corruption. Minorities, on the other hand, prefer the disparate impact method of identifying racism—it has the advantage of denying purchase to evasive explanations and the disadvantage of all inductive reasoning… it can never state its result categorically.
Trying to define racism is pretty bizarre. It's literally like trying to define pain. No one who has ever felt pain needs a description of it; no one who has ever felt racism needs a description of it. I can work with racism on a conceptual level, but then it breaks out into its individually and collectively expressed parts— discrimination, hatred or fear, institutional racism (known to some of my fellow travellers as white supremacy). Those parts, however, are aspects of one dagger thrust, a single twist of the gut… racism.
By this very subjective description of the issue, it's obvious I take the bottom-up, inductive approach myself, despite its inability to assert racism with mathematical certainty.
This list comes from a page on the "Race, Racism and the Law" site maintained by Professor Vernellia R. Randall, Professor of Law at The University of Dayton School of Law. The author of the list was born in Bombay, India and moved to Northern Ireland when he was four. I think it fairly representative of the very subjective (and compelling) issues that are considered by most minorities when trying to decide if a person is a racist bastard.
- Reducing people of other races to racial stereotypes. This can often be done in very subtle ways. For example, confusing race with culture, a belief that certain races are more adept in particular jobs or functions, a belief in differences in intelligence between the races, etc.
- Advocation of segregation. This advocation represents a belief that different races should live apart, be educated separately or not intermarry. The advocacy can occur explicitly or implicitly.
- Extreme pride in one's own country or race. Patriotism can be laudable but when taken to extremes, this sentiment becomes the basis of all fascist regimes.
- Association. It is common for racists to associate with other racists. While not necessarily espousing racist opinions themselves it is common for them to personally defend other racists (without directly defending their opinions).
- Belittlement of members of other races. Racist will constantly criticize the opinions of other races or even ridicule them. Often they will do it without explicitly making mention of the race of the person or persons.
- Latent hate. An exaggerated reaction to any misconduct from a person of the other race, where the punishment is out of all proportion to the original wrong (real or perceived) and completely ignores the provocation which could have led to the original "wrong". Also, no feeling of moral debt to a racially "other" person for any favors he may have done.
- Denial. Racist denies that the other person's or group's intelligence, cultural level, social status or other merits even in the face of overwhelming evidence which proves these qualities. The racist will attempt to "objectively" show proof, usually in the form of insignificant details to contradict the obvious.
This all being subjective, I can picture myself running afoul of that description by showing partial views of my viewpoint. For instance, I do see Black folks as the culturally creative part of the nation. That statement alone could be said to express points 1 and 3. If you're really sensitive you'd probably feel it at least touches on points 5, 6 and 7 as well. That's okay, for reasons most Black folks will understand without my needing to go into it (hey, might as well leave myself open to points 2 and 4, you know?). I do intend to go into it, but it's too raw and complex a topic to expect full coverage of in one sitting. So for now I'm leaving it at this. If it feels incomplete, good. It is. And I'll add parts to it at irregular intervals.
Comments:
|
Hi Prometheus How about something simpler as a definition - racism is attributing stereotypical characteristics ( positive or negative, false or accurate in terms of aggregate mean)to an individual or group based upon their presumed racial identity ? Perhaps there is an even more fundamental phenomenon to define here because for example, Dalits suffer considerably at the hands of upper-caste Indians but you could not correctly call that form of discrimination " racism " though functionally, it is quite similar. In other words, perhaps we need an overarching concept to embrace the psychological cause of racism, anti-semitism, caste discrimination. religious bigotry, extreme ethnocentric chauvinism etc. |
|
A single overarching term strikes me as useful for analysis but counterproductive in addressing issues as they actually manifest because they never manifest in general fashion. They always have a target that is attacked and affected in ways specific to its nature as it has developed. The other thing is, I'm not working toward a mutual definition of racism. Like I said, that's like describing pain…I doubt there's anyone in the country that actually don't know what racism is. What I'm working out is the repercussions of the top-down vs. bottom-up view. Prometheus 6
|
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Newsvine
Furl
Google
Yahoo
Heh.
I see I'm becoming a useful tool at Prometheus6.
Of course, my co-workers have been referring to me as one for years but without the appreciation for my utility.
A suggested 8th point
I propose an eighth point:
Racist weltanschauungen* hold members of the entire other group guilty for the actions of a few, or of any. Others might insist this is racist if and only if it is selectively applied.
___________________________________
*Â weltanschauungen: plural of weltanschauung, "world view"; a system of thoughts, attitudes, notions of "common sense," and prioritization of values.
ZP:Not my intent to pick on
ZP:
Not my intent to pick on you...there's not much to pick on anyway. You been around a while, is all.
Fact is, it could be useful to just sit back and watch this round. Let folks see how our particular conversation developed.
Collective culpabilitySee,
See, this is why I'm not sure I'd write the same thing now. I'm more inclined nowadays to split racism into effective and powerless groups. Maybe active, passive and powerless. And I'm less concerned about some individual's racism.
Plus I actually made the upcoming Maslow connection as I was writing, and it seriously shifted my approach.
Hi Earl,That's fine, no
Hi Earl,
That's fine, no worries as I don't mind. The worst thing that can happen to any group over the long haul is unanimity - causes ppl to stop thinking. Every pearl requires a grain of sand.
But I will sit this one out and watch as you suggested. :O)
Corollary to Association
Yesterday morning, I heard an announcer compare Barry Bonds to OJ Simpson because Bonds has been accused of using steroids (and by implication, perjuring himself before a grand jury) and Simpson was acquitted of double murder charges.
The corollary to association, then, is that racists (in the purest sense) link-connect-bind-tie the actions of people perceived to be of the same "race" to others perceived to be of the same "race." Â Even though it could be considered inflammatory to link an alleged steroid user with an alleged double murderer, it passed through the announcer's lips as easily as fermented grapes. Â He thought nothing of the linkage.
A similar thing happens when white basketball players are compared to Larry Bird. Â In most instances, the player's style is not reminiscent of Bird in the least. Â Nonetheless, sloppy comparisons persist. Â The same is true of assessments of black players. Â For example, the one thing that Bird and Magic Johnson had in common was that neither was a great leaper - and both played the game "below the rim." Â Both were about 6'9", but their height was advantageous in unique ways. Â People miss this connection all the time in comparing elements of today's players with these two giants of the game. Â Hardly anyone plays below the rim anymore. Â German uber-forward Dirk Nowitki plays above the rim, attacks the rim twice as often as Bird - and yet...the sloppy comparisons persist.
racists (in the purest
I'm not sure they actually distinguish between individuals once their race label has been assigned. I used to be amazed listening to or reading interviews with Afrikaaners in South Africa...they always spoke of "the black man," as though there were only one living through all those bodies.
Exactly
"You're all the same." Bonds is OJ is Nat Turner. Now clearly the acknowledge individuals (as in separate instances of the same monolith) - otherwise, they'd only need one bullet - and we know the whites in South Africa had more than one bullet.
I'm not sure where a recent
I'm not sure where a recent experience of mine fits on the racism scale or list but I'm sure that I was just frozen out of blogsite owned and run by a retired military officer, Col. Pat Lang, because I dared to disagree, albeit politely and without accusation or rancor, with him and several other posters about the role that slavery played as a cause of the Civil War. One poster, for example, wrote that my claims that slavers wanted to create a slave empire stretching from the Pacific Ocean to Central America was "preposterous" and a figment of my imagination. Col. Lang would not post my response to his own personal attack on me and that of folks who shared his views on this issue.
One thing I am sure of is that some white people who act and appear as being eminently rational about scores of things such as the utter folly of our war in Iraq and Israel's murderous campaign in Lebanon tend to lose their composure, if not their common sense, when it comes to issues like slavery. I'm rather disappointed because I enjoyed reading Lang's site and I thought he had a lot to say about military affairs and intelligence.
If I have to hold my tongue on issues, however, that he and others know less about than I do in order to have my messages posted then I will seek the company of more honorable folks. Far too many white folks, not all, only want to hear from black folks when we can confirm their views of history and current events. I refuse to buy any tickets on their trains. I would rather walk.
PS - Bonds is just a baseball player. Bonds lying about steroids, if he did lie, is like Bill Clinton lying about having a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinksy. Where is the harm and where is the foul? I think P6 is RIGHT. Racism is a form of mental illness.